SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [28]

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Om Sri Sai Ram

SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM

The Life Stories of the Two Avatars of the Age – [28]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

CHAPTER XXVIII

Sparrows Drawn to Shirdi - (1) Lakhamichand - (2) Burhanpore Lady - (3) Megha

PRELIMINARY

Sai is not finite or limited. He dwells in all beings, from ants and insects to

the God Brahma. He pervades all. Sai was well versed in the knowledge of the

Vedas, as well as in the science of Self-realisation. As He was proficient in

both these, He was well fitted to be the Sad-guru. Any one, though learned, but

not able to awaken the disciples and establish them in Self-realisation, does

not deserve to be called a Sadguru. Generally the father gives birth to the

body, and death invariably follows life; but Sadguru does away with both life

and death, and so he is more kind and merciful, than any body.

Sai Baba often said that-let His man (Devotee) be at any distance, a thousand

Koss away from Him, he will be drawn to Shirdi like a sparrow, with a thread

tied to its feet. This Chapter describes the stories of three such sparrows.

LALA LAKHAMICHAND

This gentleman was first serving in the Railways and afterwards in Shri

Venkateshwar Press in Bombay and thereafter in the firm of Messrs. Ralli

Brothers as a munshi (clerk). He got the contact of Baba in 1910. One or two

months before Christmas he saw in his dream at Santa Cruz (a suburb of Bombay)

an old man with a beard, standing and surrounded by his Bhaktas. Some days

later he went to the house of his friend. Mr. Dattatreya Manjunath Bijur to

hear the Kirtan by Das Ganu. It was always the practice of Das Ganu to keep

Baba's picture in front of the audience while making the Kirtan. Lakhamichand

was surprised to see that the features of the old man he saw in his dream,

tallied exactly with those in the picture and thus he came to the conclusion,

that the old man, he saw in his dream was Sai Baba

himself. The sight of this picture, Das Ganu's Kirtan and the life of the Saint

Tukaram on which Das Ganu discoursed, all these things made a deep impression

on his mind and he pined to go to Shirdi. It is always the experience of the

Bhaktas that God always helps them in their search for Sad-guru and other

spiritual endeavors. That very night at 8-00 p.m. a friend named Shankar Rao

knocked at his door and asked him whether he would accompany him to Shirdi. His

joy knew no bounds and he at once decided to go to Shirdi. He borrowed Rs.15/-

from his cousin and after making due preparations left for Shirdi. In the

train, he and his friend Shankar Rao did some Bhajan (sang religious songs) and

enquired about Sai Baba with some fellow passengers-four Mohammedans, who were

returning to their place near Shirdi. They all told them that Sai Baba was a

great Saint living in Shirdi for many years. Then when they reached Kopergaon

he wanted to buy some good guavas for offering to Baba, but he

was so much enrapt with the scenery and sights there that he forgot to purchase

them. When they were nearing Shirdi, he was reminded of the guavas; just then

he saw an old woman with a guava-basket on her head, running after the tanga.

The tanga was stopped and he gladly purchased some select fruits, when the

woman said - "Take all the rest and offer them on my behalf to Baba". The facts

viz. that he had intended to purchase guavas, but that he had forgotten to do

so, the old woman's encounter and her devotion to Baba, all these were a

surprise to both the friends; and Lakhamichand thought in his mind, that the

old woman might be some relation of the old man he saw in his dream. Then they

drove on and came near Shirdi and seeing the flags on the Masjid they saluted

them. With Puja materials in hand, they then went to the Masjid and worshipped

Baba with due formality. Lakhamichand was much moved and was extremely happy to

see Baba. He was enrapt with Baba's Feet as a bee with a sweet

smelling lotus. Then Baba spoke as follows:

"Cunning fellow, he does Bhajan on the way and enquired from others. Why ask

others? Everything we should see with our own eyes; where is the necessity to

question others? Just think for yourself whether your dream is true or not?

Where was the necessity of the Darshan by taking a loan from a Marwari? Is the

heart's desire now satisfied?"

Hearing these words Lakhamichand was wonderstruck at Baba's omniscience. He was

at a loss to know how Baba came to know about all the things that had happened

enroute from his house to Shirdi. The chief thing to note in this respect is

that Baba never liked people to run into debt for taking His Darshan, or

celebrating any holiday or making any pilgrimage.

SANZA

At noon when Lakhamichand was sitting for meals he got some sanza

(wheat-pudding) from a devotee as Prasad. He was pleased to have it. Next day

also he expected it, but got nothing. So, he was anxious to get it again. Then

on the third day at the noon Arati time, Bapusaheb Jog asked Baba, what

naivedya he should bring. Baba told him to bring sanza. Then the Bhaktas

brought two big potfuls of sanza. Lakhamichand was very hungry and there was

some pain in his back. Then Baba said to him - "It is good that you are hungry,

take sanza and some medicine for the pain in the back." He was again

wonderstruck to see that Baba again read his mind and spoke out what was

passing therein. How omniscient was He!

EVIL EYE

On this occasion, he once witnessed one night the procession to the Chavadi.

Baba then suffered much from cough. He thought that this suffering of Baba

might be due to somebody's evil eye. Next morning when he went to the Masjid

Baba spoke to Shama as follows - "I suffered last night from cough; is it due

to some evil eye? I think that somebody's evil eye has worked on me and so I am

suffering". In this case Baba spoke out what was passing in Lakhamichand’s mind.

 

On seeing these proofs of Baba's omniscience and kindness to His Bhaktas, he

fell prostrate at Baba's Feet and said - "I am much pleased with your Darshan.

Ever be kind and merciful to me and protect me always. There is no other God to

me in this world except Your Feet. Let my mind be ever rapt in Your Bhajan and

Feet. Let Your grace protect me from the miseries of the world and let me ever

chant Your name and be happy".

After getting Baba' Udi and blessing he returned home with his friend, much

pleased and contented and singing Baba's glory on the way. He remained a

staunch devotee of Baba afterwards and always sent garlands of flowers, camphor

and Dakshina with any person of his acquaintance bound for Shirdi.

BURHANPORE LADY

Now let us turn to another sparrow (Baba's word meaning devotee). One lady in

Burhanpore saw in her dream Sai Baba coming to her door and begging khichadi

(rice cooked with dal and salt) for His meals. On awakening she saw no body at

her door. However, she was pleased with the vision and told it to all including

her husband. He was employed in the Postal Department and when he was

transferred to Akola, both husband and wife, who were devout, decided to go to

Shirdi. Then on a suitable day they left for Shirdi and after visiting Gomati

Tirth on the way, reached Shirdi and stayed there for two months. Every day

they went to the Masjid, performed Baba's worship and passed their time

happily. The couple came to Shirdi to offer Khichadi as naiveidya but for the

first 14 days, somehow or other, it could not be offered. The lady did not like

this delay. Then on the 15th day she came at noon to the Masjid with her

khichadi. There she found that Baba and others were already sitting for meals,

and that the curtain was down. Nobody dared enter in when the curtain was let

down, but the lady could not wait. She threw up the curtain with her hand and

entered. Strange to say that Baba seemed that day, hungry for khichadi and

wanted that thing first and when the lady came in with the dish, Baba was

delighted, and began to eat morsel after morsel of khichadi. On seeing the

earnestness of Baba in this respect, everybody was wonderstruck and those, who

heard the story of khichadi, were convinced about His extraordinary love for

His devotees.

MEGHA

Now let us go to the third and bigger 'sparrow'. Megha of Viramgaon was a simple

and illiterate Brahmin cook of Rao Bahadur H. V. Sathe. He was a devotee of

Shiva and always chanted the five-syllable mantra 'Namah Shivaya'. He did not

know the Sandhya nor its chief mantra, the Gayatri. Rao Bahadur Sathe was

interested in him, got him taught the Sandhya and the Gayatri. Sathe told him

that Sai Baba of Shirdi was the embodied form of the God Shiva and made him

start for Shirdi. At the Broach Railway station he learnt that Sai Baba was a

Moslem and his simple and orthodox mind was much perturbed at the prospect of

bowing to a Moslem, and he prayed to his master not to send him there. His

master, however, insisted on his going there and gave him a letter of

introduction to his (Sathe's) father-in-law, Ganesh

Damodar, alias Dada Kelkar at Shirdi, to introduce him to Sai Baba. When he

reached Shirdi and went to the Masjid, Baba was very indignant and would not

allow him to enter. "Kick out the rascal" roared Baba, and then said to Megha -

"You are a high caste Brahmin and I am a low Moslem; you will lose your caste by

coming here. So get away." Hearing these words Megha began to tremble. He was

wondering as to how Baba had come to know about what was passing in his mind.

He stayed there for some days, serving Baba in his own way, but was not

convinced. Then he went home. After that he went to Tryambak (Nasik District)

and stayed there for a year and a half. Then again he returned to Shirdi. This

time, at the intercession of Dada Kelkar, he was allowed to enter the Masjid

and stay in Shirdi. Sai Baba's help to Megha was not through any oral

instruction. He worked upon Megha internally (mentally) with the result that he

was considerably changed and benefited. Then Megha began to look upon

Sai Baba as an incarnation of Shiva. In order to worship Shiva, bela leaves are

required and Megha used to go miles and miles every day to bring them and

worship his Shiva (Baba). His practice was to worship all the Gods in the

village and then come to the Masjid and after saluting Baba's gadi (Asan) he

worshipped Baba and after doing some service (shampooing His Legs) drank the

washings (Tirth) of Baba's Feet. Once it so happened that he came to the Masjid

without worshipping God Khandoba, as the door of the temple was closed. Baba did

not accept his worship and sent him again, saying that the door was open then.

Megha went, found the door open, worshipped the Deity, and then returned to

Baba as usual.

GANGES-BATH

On one Makar-Sankranti day, Megha wanted to besmear the body of Baba with

sandal-paste and bathe Him with Ganges water. Baba was first unwilling to

undergo this operation, but at his repeated requests, He consented. Megha had

to traverse a distance of eight Koss (going and returning) to bring the sacred

water from the Gomati River. He brought the water, made all preparations for

the bath at noon and asked Baba to get ready for the same. Then Baba again

asked him to be freed from his bath saying that, as a Fakir He had nothing to

do (or gain) with Ganges water; but Megha did not listen. He knew that Shiva is

pleased with a bath of Ganges water and that he must give his Shiva (Baba) that

bath on that auspicious day. Baba then consented, came down and sat on a pat

(wooden board) and protruding his head said

- "Oh Megha, do at least this favour; head is the most important organ of the

body, so pour the water over that only-it is equivalent to the full or whole

bath.Alright" said Megha and lifting the water pot up, began to pour it on

the head but in doing this he was so much overwhelmed with love that he cried

out 'Har Gange' and emptied the pot on the whole body. He kept the pot aside

and began to look at Baba, but to his surprise and amazement he found that

Baba's head was only drenched but the body quite dry.

TRIDENT AND PINDI

Megha worshipped Baba in two places; in the Masjid he worshipped Baba in person

and in the Wada, Baba's big picture, given by Nanasaheb Chandorkar. This he did

for 12 months. Then in order to appreciate his devotion and confirm his faith,

Baba gave him a vision. Early one morning when Megha was still lying down on

his bed with eyes closed but internally awake, he saw clearly Baba's Form. Baba

knowing him to be awake threw Akshata (rice-grains marked red with Kumkum) and

said, "Megha, draw a Trident" and disappeared. Hearing Baba's words, he eagerly

opened his eyes but did not see Baba, but saw only rice grains spread here and

there. He then went to Baba, told Him about the vision and asked permission to

draw Trident. Baba said - "Did you not hear My words asking you to draw

Trident? It was no vision but

direct order and My words are always pregnant with meaning and never hollow."

Megha said - "I thought you woke me up, but all the doors were closed, so I

thought it was a vision". Baba rejoined - "I require no door to enter. I have

neither form nor any extension; I always live everywhere. I carry on, as a wire

puller, all the actions of the man who trusts Me and merges in Me."

Megha returned to the Wada, and drew a red Trident on the wall near Baba's

picture. Next day a Ramadasi Bhakta came from Poona, saluted Baba and offered

Him Pindi (an image of Shiva). At this time Megha also turned up there. Baba

said to him - "See, Shankar has come, protect (i.e., worship) Him now. "Megha

was surprised to see Pindi following Trident immediately. Then also in the

Wada, Kakasaheb Dixit was standing with a towel on his head after having taken

his bath, and was remembering Sai, when he saw a Pindi before his mental

vision. While he was wondering about this, Megha came and showed him the Pindi

presented to him by Baba. Dixit was happy to know that the Pindi exactly

tallied with the One he saw a few minutes before in his vision. In a few days

after the drawing of the Trident was complete, Baba

installed the Pindi near the big picture, which Megha was worshipping. The

worship of Shiva was dear to Megha and by arranging the drawing of the Trident

and the installation of the Pindi, Baba confirmed his faith therein.

After continuous service of Baba for many years, doing regular worship and Arati

every noon and evening, Megha passed away in 1912. Then Baba passed His hands

over his corpse and said - "This was a true devotee of Mine." Baba also ordered

that at His own expense the usual funeral dinner should be given to the

Brahmins, and Kakasaheb Dixit carried out this order.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - Part II

The Life of the Divine Avatar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

By N. Kasturi, M.A., B.L.

CITIES AFLAME

Charles Penn writes from Los Angeles, "Across the oceans, Baba reaches to each

one of us, time after time. He blesses; He leads. He gives strength to those

needing support. He smiles His acknowledgement to a whispered "God bless..."

and beckons those He wants to guide to Prashanthi Nilayam. He teaches us that

life is endless, not punctuated by nights, days, months and years - for all are

one, in the eternal stream."

This was the lesson Baba gave to the gathering at Prashanthi Nilayam also on the

Uttarayana Day, January 14, 1966. Festivals based on the calendar, solar or

lunar, celebrating the apparent change of movement or direction of the sun or

the moon have been devised, He said, in order to emphasize the need for

mind-control (the moon is the presiding deity of the mind) and

intelligence-regulation (the sun is the presiding deity of intelligence).

Placing disproportionate faith in material wealth and objective pleasures, man

has lost the art of tapping the resources of joy within himself, within his own

mind and intelligence. One need not wait for Uttarayana to arrive, for resolving

upon the process of mind-control and intelligence-control. Every moment is the

right moment - that is Baba's Message. His is the

urgent, the insistent Call for wakefulness, for action, for gaining the joy of

spiritual progress, without delay or diminution.

He thrills our hearts with this Message, as no one else can; for, who else can

say, as He does: "The kinship between Me and you is ageless; it is eternal. It

is not based on worldly relationships; it is based on the aspiration of the

heart for the very source and spring of inexhaustible joy. I see you all, as

waves of the sea, when the moon rises in the sky. I see the Ananda shining on

your faces. The love you have for the source of love is the real root of that

Ananda."

Every year, since 1940 when He announced that He was Sai Baba 'come again', the

emergence of one Lingam (or many) from His Body through His mouth has taken

place, during the Lingodhbhavam muhurtha (the auspicious moment for the

exterior manifestation of the symbol of the all-pervasive Divine Principle).

This is an inscrutable mystery: how the Lingams of various types of stone or

metal are formed within Him and how they emerge at that particular moment,

every year, calculated according to the ancient texts of Jothishasastra! Nine

Lingams, of 'silver' have come out one year; in other years, there have emerged

five or seven or three or two, all in a lump or in succession. Until that

illustrious moment, no one can pronounce on the number, size, or composition of

the Lingams that are undergoing concretization in

Him. It is all so normal, until the Lingodhbhavam muhurtha arrives.

The gathering of 20 or 25 thousand sits expectant and worshipful, listening to

the discourses by Pundits on some scriptural text or spiritual discipline. The

talks are mostly on Siva, the Aspect of the Godhead that destroys the basic

ignorance, that awards enlightenment, overwhelms the accumulated consequences

of the past, and wipes off all traces of one's ancestry, in order to cleanse

the mighty stream, called the mind. When the Pundits have finished, Baba takes

up the trend and sweetens the Programme with one of His inimitable discourses.

At some point during that discourse or at the end of it, during the Bhajan

sessions which Baba leads with a few songs, people become aware of His slight

cough which, as many of them know, is the harbinger of the precious Lingam. The

empyrean eloquence is interrupted off and

on, by gasps until the internal thrust can no longer be checked. Then, amidst

the paean of Praise, Om Namah Shivaya, [Om, I bow with devotion for Siva]

rising from many thousands of hearts, the Lingams travel to the mouth and fall

on to a silver plate. Baba invariably holds them aloft for all to see and

revere; they are kept for public view the whole night and in the morning, Baba

takes them in His Palm and passes along the serried ranks of bhaktas, who are

stunned by the size which could not, without a miracle, pass through the tiny

passage of His throat.

In 1966, after about 20 minutes of swaying and heaving, gasping and coughing, in

order to ease the passage, an emerald Lingam, three inches high, fixed on a

pedestal five inches broad, that had formed itself in Him emerged from His

mouth, to the unspeakable joy and relief of the huge gathering, which was

watching His face with single pointed attention. Thousands were exhilarated by

this Divine event, which took place in the newly built, magnificently lit

Santhi Vedika. The gathering in Bhajan spent the entire night. Baba appeared

again at the Santhi Vedika at dawn the next day, when the Bhajan was closing.

He reminded the people, on the meaning of the vigil and the paen, the lesson of

sense-control, of mind-control, and the elimination of the ego, by rigorous

discipline. Then He moved along the lines of

pilgrims with the unique illustration of His Glory, so that their eyes could

feast on It. [The Sugar and the Ants]

In the last week of February, 1966, Baba presided over the School Day

Celebrations of the Zilla Parishad High School, Bukkapatnam, which grew into a

High school because of His Blessings, since He had given it the privilege of

calling Him an 'old boy'. In grateful acknowledgement of His fostering care,

the school is named, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba High School. Baba exhorted

the parents to hold forth for emulation by the children, good examples of

virtue and humility, and service to fellowmen. On the 2nd day of March, He was

at Hyderabad, for a three day session of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha. About

50 to 60 thousand people listened eagerly each day to the discourses of

scholars like Prof. V.K. Gokak and Sri.D. Venkatavadhani, and to the alchemic

addresses of Bhagawan

Himself.

Baba is by far the most moving speaker in the world today, for, He keeps

hundreds of thousands listening for hours in rapt attention to the highest

philosophical truths, which He analyses and presents in the sweetest of styles;

each one feels that the speech is directed at him, in order to help him out of

the intellectual or moral tangle into which he has been drawn by circumstances;

each one rises with a lessened load, happy and strong, for having had the

experience of listening to that melodious voice which opens the gates of heaven

to the poorest in spirit as well as to the richest. No wonder Prof. Gokak was

inspired to sing in verse:

Have you seen Baba,

Who sets cities aflame with longing.

And, drenches them, with the delight of existence?

You have missed the very meaning of your life,

If you haven't seen Him and heard Him!

Baba made it clear that the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha was designed by Him to

remind men of the road they have missed and of the paltry lane of pitfalls into

which they have strayed. The patient has now no respect for the doctor who alone

can cure him or the drug which alone can give relief. Imitative condemnation and

superficial cynicism are destroying the faith of the children of the land in

their own invaluable culture; they are becoming victims of alien attitudes and

fashions of dress, behavior and mental outlook! The Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha

will pave the way to peace, though not to the competitive achievement of glory.

 

Baba reached Bombay, on His third visit to the City, on the 13th day of March

1966. As Baba has said, "Maharashtra is a holy land, where the stream of

Bhakthi has fertilized social, political, and philosophical fields for ages.

Ramdas, Tukaram, Jnaneshwar and many others have filled the hearts of the

people with reverence for God and love for man; this was also the field of

activity, the center from which radiated the grandeur, of the Sai Form of this

present Sathya Sai. "Do not doubt that Maharashtra will soon be a center of

Dharmic Revival". During the fortnight that He stayed in Bombay, Baba

established Himself in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of its citizens,

through His simplicity and sweetness. As Dr. Gokak has described it, He becomes

noiselessly and naturally the patriarch of each

family

That gathers around His knee,

And drinks the golden honey of His love.

He's the eternal Child playing in the garden.

Winning back the adults of an erring world,

Through sheer simplicity and innocence of heart.

He is the healer of a world in pain;

The blue-throated God,

That drinks the poison of the world's suffering,

To make it happy and whole.

His speech with even casual visitors becomes a pat on the back, often a prick to

the bubble, a stab to the ego, a candle in the darkness, a stick to the lame, a

path in the wilderness, a rose amidst the thorns, a beacon that beckons to

nobility and divinity. A smile from Him is a cherished treasure that one would

nourish in the silence of the shrine. The stories and similes with which He

illumines philosophical conundrums are valued possessions for ever. People

clamour for the chance to touch His Feet, to have their children named, or

initiated into spiritual disciplines according to scriptural rules by Him, to

receive some token of His Grace, and to lay before Him their mental and

physical illness so that He may render them whole. His Grace grants 'colour to

the painter, notes to the

composer, voice to the singer, strength to the athlete, endurance to the

climber, and bliss to the Yogi!' So, all roads led to Gwalior Palace, Worli

Beach, for full two weeks in Bombay, for Baba gave Darshan in the morning and

the evening of every day, there, during Bhajan Sessions.

Bhajan! Baba has given, like Chaithanya Mahaprabhu centuries ago, an

extraordinary impetus to the congregational singing of the praise of God. He

declares that when one breathes in the atmosphere rendered fragrant with the

name of God, all egoistic impulses are eliminated: He has emphasized that when

the name is sung, the way in which the name originated, the halo which it

carries, the nuances of its meaning have also to be recalled to memory. It is

not just gymnastics for the tongue; it is gymnastics for the mind, anemic,

malformed and maimed, in order to strengthen it with the tonic of the tone of

Heaven, correct it with the pressurized massage of beat and tal, and cure it

with the drug of divine joy that the association with good men bring. The

sweetness of the human voice is never more apparent than when it

is used to sing the majesty of God; the highest bliss is won when one merges,

with thousands of others, in the flood of Ananda, which the Darshan of Sathya

Sai Baba, moving among the thirsty, the pining, the sick, the distressed, and

the divinely oriented, confers.

As Dr. K. Bhaskaran Nair writes, "the deafness of our soul is cured and the

heavenly harmony is again audible to the ear of faith! The humblest life is

lifted to the skies and acquires the aura of eternity. Man is enabled to find

sense in this chaos of experience, and discover the meaning and measure of this

incomprehensive flux of perpetual 'flourishing and perishing' which we call

Time."

As Hon'ble Sri P.K. Savant, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra

and erstwhile Chairman of Shirdi Samsthan said, "Bhagawan is the Avatar of Sai

Baba of Shirdi, to whom millions look for strength and solace. Baba belongs to

Maharashtra in a special sense, though He has come for all humanity." The

Bhajan Sessions provided splendid chances for Sai devotees to serve the people

of Bombay. Hundreds of trained volunteers served visitors with humility and

loving regard; Baba selected from the gathering, children and old persons who

were ill beyond repair by medical skill and, calling them aside after the

Bhajan, diagnosed and dealt with them, with Divine Love to bless them with

relief and health.

Baba addressed mammoth gatherings, the like of which even Bombay has seldom seen

in its long history, at the Sardar Vallabhai Stadium, on the 16th, 17th and on

the 23rd of March. The last meeting was on Gudi Padua Day, the Festival of the

New Year in Maharashtra and lakhs of people directed their steps to the stadium

to have His Darshan and to hear His Voice, as their inaugural experience for the

coming twelve-month-period of their lives. Baba too gave them a message that, as

Sri Page, the Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council said, could

"sweeten and lighten" the burden of life. Baba said, "Man is tossed about by

every wind and wave; he has weakened his will and warped his vision. So, he

drifts into the shoals und whirlpools. He is the child of immortality, heir to

Divinity - destined to be the

master of the mind and its waywardness - the crown of creation. He is not a

monkey that has taken but a few steps towards civilization. Realize the God

that is immanent in the Universe, that is calling out for recognition from

every flower, every dewdrop, every star that twinkles in the sky; realize Him

as the source of the Ananda that you project on the objects around you, so that

you may enjoy them. That realization will clothe the world, and you, in a new

and glorious vesture; it will make you unafraid; it will render death a

pleasant passage to birthlessness."

Baba found time, while in Bombay, to discuss with the members of the Maharashtra

Branch of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha as well as other seekers and aspirants,

personal, and philosophical problems. He stepped into the hearts of all who

sought solace and sustenance.

Baba left Bombay on the 26th of March, for Poona, where the city had arranged a

grand welcome for Him. On the 27th, He addressed a gathering in the premises of

their Association. "There are thousands before Me here, listening to My words,

but, fundamentally, you are all one; you are but a thousand waves on the face

of the Ocean. Food is earned by the combined efforts of all the limbs and

skills of body. It is converted by the stomach into sustenance and strength,

and given back in that form to all the limbs that helped to produce it. You are

all limbs of that One body, the Purusha, who is far more expansive than this

Universe, which is a fraction of His physical manifestation." He spoke about

the attempts to limit oneself by name and form, as belonging to this nation or

that, speaking one language or another

and building a cage around oneself. Referring to the remark made by some one,

while welcoming Him, that it was a 'family gathering', Baba said, "Yes; this is

a family gathering. As a matter of fact, all gatherings into which I come are

family gatherings for Me; the entire mankind is My family. I carry no labels

assigning a country of origin or residence for Myself. I am above all labels."

Baba reached Gulbarga, in the State of Mysore, late at night on the 28th, and by

sunrise He saw sitting in long lines all over the vast maiden, people from far

and near, eager to carry away in their hearts the picture of His smiling face.

Baba moved among them and distributed Vibuthi to one and all. Later, at the

Public Garden where another mammoth gathering awaited His Presence, Baba sang a

few Bhajans and gave the Gulbargians a taste of the sweetness of His Heavenly

Voice. Baba reached Hyderabad, in time to give Darshan to devotees on the Day

dedicated to the Advent Of Sri Rama. That day is sacred to devotees for another

reason too, for, it was on that day that Baba gave the land the institution

round which has crystallized the faith and hope of the custodians of the Vedic

culture of India, namely, Prashanthi

Vidwanmahasabha. Therefore, the Hyderabad Branch of the Prashanthi

Vidwanmahasabha inaugurated on Sri Rama's Birthday monthly discourses on the

ancient but timeless texts of spiritual discipline. Baba returned to Prashanthi

Nilayam on the 4th day of April, after assuring lakhs of people that Divinity

has not given up Humanity, but, has only to be discovered within man himself.

Baba is a unique phenomenon and therefore, no one can identify Him or understand

Him. In 1960, He said, "I have not come to Madras for personal propaganda or

publicity; I have not come to collect disciples or devotees. I am yours, though

you may doubt, discard or deny Me. You are mine, though I am far away in space

or time. What then is the need for publicity or propaganda? I am in you; you

are in Me; we are inseparable. This truth can be known by you only when you

know yourself". But, the world has foolish men who can feed their ego only by

slandering those who are superior to them. Even in His 20th year, Baba assuaged

the resentment of His elder brother, who feared that the role, which Baba had

taken up, will draw upon Him the evil eye of envy and hate. Baba had replied

that He would never be affected by

praise or blame, that He was beyond the bounds of time and space, and that He

would pursue the task upon which He has come unintermittently. "I invite all to

come, experience, discriminate and judge and benefit from Me. Dive before you

pronounce your estimate of the depth; eat before you declare the taste," He

wrote.

This demand is beyond people who dip their pen in tar and revel in the gloom of

night. Pathetic efforts have been made since the very first annunciation of

Baba to wean people away from His Feet, by those who saw thousands trekking to

Puttaparthy and returning home happier, healthier and more convinced of their

own liberation from bondage. But, Baba has dismissed these with Divine Disdain

and planted His Feet on Earth and Sky as He planned when He arrived in this

Human Form. "To grasp My Meaning, you have to tear into tatters the doubts and

diversions that you now indulge in, and develop Prema. For, the embodiment of

Prema can be known only through wisdom and pure Prema."

Microscopic brains exaggerate the colour of the gown that Baba wears and the

curly hair that forms His distinctive crown and adjectives and expressions such

as 'mediaeval potentate', 'luxurious silk' etc., as if Baba is an ascetic

attempting laborously to travel along the path of Sadhana! Baba says, "The

Jnani will not look upon Me as wearing this dress, a yellow gown today, pink

gown tomorrow, cotton in summer, silk in winter; He will penetrate to the Truth

behind this Name and Form and he will know that this Body is a 'dress' worn for

a purpose! The Avatar that will take place next, of this same Principle, will

have another dress". This was said by Him in 1960.

In 1962, during the Birthday Festival, He said, "I have often told you not to

identify Me with this particular physical build-up. But, you do not understand.

You call Me by one Name only and believe I have only this one Form. Remember,

there is no Name I do not bear; there is no Form I do not fill. You have not

understood me at all, if you come one day and go away the next, saying, 'I have

seen Sathya Sai Baba; He wears a fine long gown; He has wonderful hair!

Determine to discover, decide to learn, dive deep and then, it will be made

known to you, for, it is the right of such as you."

Baba is aware that mean men sneer at Him, as a 'magician'. At Vyasasram,

established by the renowned Malayala Swami at Yerpedu, He said, "People say

that mine is all magic, black or white. Well, they can say with equal truth

that Krishna held aloft the Govardhana Mountain [bhagatha Vahini, Chapter 38]

or that Rama built the bridge across the sea, [Ramakatha Rasavahini, Chapter 7a

and 7b] through black magic! The manifestation of the Divine can only be through

inexplicable means, or miracles. They cannot be equated with magic. How can the

egg of the cuckoo be equated with the egg of the crow? Magic thrives on deceit,

the tricks are rooted in falsehood and are used for appeasing the greed for

food, clothing and shelter. This Body, which has come through Divine Will to

uphold Truth can never stoop to that depth.

No. Never."

The miracles, which are spontaneous expressions of Baba’s Divinity, patent in

His Presence, as well as where His physical Presence is not evident, are not

for advertisement or publicity. Baba said at Venkatagiri in 1964, "These

miracles, as you call them, are but means towards the establishment of Dharma,

which is My Task. Some people remark that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has said that

miracles produced by the faculties earned by Sadhana are obstructions in the

path of the Sadhaka and those who want to reach the goal of self-realization

should avoid them. Ramakrishna said that the Sadhaka will be tempted to overdo

the demonstration and so inflate his ego. This is correct advice, so far as

Sadhakas are concerned. But, the absurdity lies in equating Me with the Sadhaka

whom Ramakrishna wanted to

warn."

The miraculous cures that Baba effects when His Grace is sought after by people

are also incidental and secondary, according to Him. "The removal of misery and

distress is not the main plank of My Mission. My task is not merely to cure,

console, and remove individual misery. It is something far more important. For

the plantain tree, the fruit is the chief consummation; but, the leaves, and

the trunk are also useful to man. My main task is to promote, preserve, and

propagate Sanathana Dharma." Do not hunger for comfort, for continuous bonds

with the outer world, for more and more things to worry about; hunger for

Ananda, deep and full! I know that most of you come to Me for tinsel and trash,

petty promotions and profits, status symbols and short-lived fame. Very few ask

from Me the thing I have come to give,

namely, liberation from grief and pain, worry and fear, anxiety and agony."

Since the vile insinuations that are circulated by the calumniators are the

products of envy at what they consider to be the luxurious living standard of

Baba, it is good to remember that Baba eats the food of the poorest of this

land, without any milk or curds or butter or ghee and that He has no tastes for

sweets. He sits and sleeps on the same mattress, at Prashanthi Nilayam and uses

dilapidated cars or taxis in cities, lest the masses recognize Him and follow

Him, for the coveted Darshan! Baba gives another reason also to infer that His

lot is unenviable, to say the least. "Some of you may feel that it is glorious

for the Lord to come in human form. If you were in My place, you would not feel

so glorious. For, I am aware of the past, present and future of every one of

you. Therefore, I am not moved so moved

by mercy; I know why a person suffers in this birth, what it is the consequence

of. So, I react differently from you; you may call Me either cold-hearted or

soft-hearted. I do not cause joy or grief; you design these chains that bind

you with gold or iron."

He is the most tireless worker at the Nilayam, planning, designing, arranging

and supervising every little act that conduces to the proper functioning of its

various worldwide activities. Nothing is done, there or in other places where

organizations function in His Name, without His express permission and

blessings. At the Nilayam, He is busy day and night, teaching, training,

consoling, comforting and counseling, the hundreds who come to Him for light

and guidance. Even while on tour, He uses what little time He can spare for the

amelioration of the suffering and the distress of the poor and the downhearted.

"Make every moment holy by filling it with loving service" He advises, by

example more than by precept.

Baba curbs the enthusiasm of devotees and does not allow them to display the

fruits of the Grace they have received from Him. He declares that such display

is highly unspiritual, for it promotes egoism. He condemns in very strong terms

those who try to earn popularity and profit by erecting Mandirs and Temples for

Him! Speaking at Kakinada in March 1965, Baba said, "I strongly discourage

attempts to build temples for Me. I ask, instead, that existing temples be

renovated and used more. This mania for Mandirs has become a popular business

adventure! People, armed with lists, search for likely victims and squeeze

donations out of them, by using My Name. A great deal of back-biting, envy and

greed is generated in this process; pushing your Master's name forward easily

degenerates into tarnishing the name of the

other man's Master." At Madras too, He harped on the same theme. "I do not

appreciate this enthusiasm. Worship any Form, under any Name, in any Temple!

You neglect the ancient temples of this City and build new ones, only to

neglect them, also when you discover some reason to give up these new ones.

People who run helter-skelter clamoring for donations for Mandirs are really

promoting Atheism, for they are urged by greed, malice and egoism, rather than

by the dedicatory spirit of devotion. When these self-styled promoters of the

cause come to you, do not give even a paisa. Why do you need a hall for Japam

or Dhyanam? Make your house a small Mandir for yourself; meditate in your

shrine room. Sing Bhajan with your children. Impress others by your sweet

speech, your humility, your universal love, your steady faith, your

truthfulness. Then, others will come into the fold of believers, in numbers

larger than any hall could bring."

Baba is ever on the watch to stop the overflowing of devotion into absurd

channels. For example, there was a man who devised a series of discourses on

Baba and the Prashanthi Nilayam, in which he sought to win popularity and money

by attributing sacred properties to every tree and well, every stone and stump

at the Nilayam, representing them as 'gods' and 'sages'! Baba sent me to his

field of activity and directed me to warn his fans and to scotch his campaign

of absurd adulation! He is ever alert to condemn the hysterical outpourings of

adolescent and childish devotees, who affect to be 'possessed' by Him and to

reply to questions asked, as if they are Himself! Any behavior that weakens

man, that trades upon the signs of Grace, that sets up pompous symbols of the

simple truth is immediately condemned by Baba,

in His discourses or through a note in the Sanathana Sarathi magazine and its subsidiaries.

To misuse the freedom of speech and expression that we have won in India after a

hard struggle and to taint with foul tongue and pen this Sublimely Sacred

Phenomenon, with so much power, wisdom and love is, we know, undiluted

wickedness! But, Baba will only say that it is a part of His Play. "Without

this dark slander, the splendor of My Glory will not shine bright".

Expecting Baba to be just another itinerant Fakir, who trades upon his esoteric

skill, many mean and small men, who can see only meanness and smallness, are

slandering Him, wherever His Glory shines. All men must hang their heads in

shame that human beings like themselves sit in their dens and concoct

outrageously despicable fiction about a person whose movements and utterances,

attitudes and manners are so impeccably divine. It is a measure of the

fortitude and self-control that Baba has instilled into those whom He has drawn

towards Him that the rags which revel in this gutter are left alone, to die of

starvation. All who have tasted His sweetness are pained by this exhibition of

acute malign phobia. Many newspapers howl pitiably against the Moon of His

Majesty, and silence themselves when their throats get

too sore, or when their hunger is not appeased by blackmail. Some men in Bombay

unaware of His Glory, once pitted a practitioner of yogic feats, like consuming

nails and acids, against His Majesty and, when He passed unconcernedly by, tried

to raise a laugh, which recoiled on themselves.

Baba referred to it at Anantapur, where He presided over a School Day, soon

after His return. "Last month, I was in Maharashtra State, in Bombay, where

lakhs and lakhs of people were able to slake their thirst for Darshan; I was

discoursing to several thousands on the fundamentals of the Vedas and the

Sastras and directing the members of the Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha

(Maharashtra Branch) to resuscitate the great culture of our land. I was

discussing with Ministers of Maharashtra State and the Home Minister of the

Central Government, Sri Y.B. Chavan, and also judges, business magnates,

doctors, lawyers, editors and others, besides spiritual leaders of various

religions about Dharmasthapana, or the revival of Dharma. But, here, in this

part of India, newspapers were wallowing in the lies they invented and

circulated, about My being all the while in prison. Yes! I am imprisoned in the

hearts of My devotees."

"Of course, such calumny is the experience of Eminence everywhere, at all times.

This is My experience, in previous eras also. The successors of Sisupala must

even now fret and fume, vomiting brimstone and fire, against truth and right. I

pity these unfortunates who, in order to scrape together a few paise from

discontented and diseased minds, stoop to such venial tricks! These sub-human

antics might pain some of you; so, I declare, 'Even if all the fourteen worlds

unite against Me, the work for which I have come will not suffer a bit; even if

earth and heaven continue, My Truth will remain unshaken'".

Perhaps in response to the first rumblings of this tale of gall, Baba had said

during Dasara 1965 itself, "There are some who write and speak as if they have

known Me. I can only say this: They can never know Me, for, to know Me, one has

to rise to this Stature. Again, listen to this: My activities and movements will

not be altered whoever may pass whatever opinion on them. People may remark

disparagingly on My dress, on My gown of colored fabric, on My hair - but, I am

not affected at all. Does a person become holier by wearing rags? Pay attention

to what is grown in the heart, not on the head. I shall not stop My plans, My

Dharmasthapana, My Bhaktharakshana, My discourses, My miracles, which are but

expressions of My miraculousness; nor shall I retrace or retract. For the Past

26 years, I have been carrying

on alone the task of inculcating Prashanthi in the hearts of those who have lost

the art of gaining it. I am ever happy, full of joy. I smile at those who deride

Me and invent lies about Me; I smile at those who praise Me."

Baba advised those who were afflicted by this irresponsible but futile

mudslinging, to be calm and unconcerned. "Do not damage your health by anger or

worry. Be happy, on the other hand, that while you call on Me in your shrines,

these men shout My name, along the dark squalid bye-lanes and by the busy

bus-stops, where they hope to find victims for their salacious ware. Many

people who read the rag, through sheer craving for the sensational, will be

turned towards the Truth, by the very absurdity and unbelievability of the

lies". He instanced the story of Bhasmasura, who won from Siva the power of

causing a conflagration on the body of anyone, upon whose head he places his

hand. He tried to kill Siva Himself by this newly won capability: but, God so

manipulated events that, unaware of what he was doing to

himself, Bhasmasura was tempted to place his hand upon his own head; he died in

the conflagration that he caused upon himself. So too, their wickedness and

their pride will be reduced to ashes in the fire of repentance". In fact, a

gentleman, who ignorantly equated Baba with his own species of exhibitionistic

yogis and who challenged him to do a much-advertised feat, was humiliated by

his own conceit; his promoters suffered dramatic discomfiture!

Baba analyzed the motives of these men afflicted with pride. He said, "Egoism is

the seed-plot of a host of down dragging tendencies, like greed, anger, malice

and hate. It clouds the intelligence and distorts the face of the real into the

disgusting features of the false. It hides truth in a cloud of dust and urges

man on into immoral deeds, in the effort to cater to the claims of

self-aggrandizement". During Dasara, 1966, Baba spoke of some yogis who boast

that they can walk on water and challenge others to do likewise. "It is a far

greater and far more useful vital attainment, if a yogi can rid himself of

envy, pride, greed and malice".

Speaking of men of little faith, Baba said on Krishna-Janmashtami, 1966, "Do not

give ear to what others say; believe your own experience, your own eyes.

Whatever gives you joy and peace, believe in that as genuine. Why should you go

about asking all and sundry, whether something is salt or sugar? Having judged

it as sugar, why should you revise your opinion, when some one cavils at it and

says it is salt? Put a little on your tongue; that will clinch the issue. Do not

deny with the tongue, what you have relished in the heart; do not bear false

witness to your own conscience. Do not adjust your opinion to the company you

fall into", He advised.

Only the Divine can evince such Love and such Mercy, towards error and mischief.

Baba forgave His traducers, for they were as He said, "moths whose nature is to

bore into fabrics. They cannot but do anything else; they have an inner

impulse, which they have not been taught to overcome. They slander all who come

in their purview. The moth bores into cotton saris, woolen cloth, silken

vestments; it has no discrimination in its make-up. So, be happy that they are

deriving joy by reviling Me. My aim is to render all men joyful. If these men

can derive joy through such means, why should you deny them that avenue for the

expression of their nature? I am glad that they are able to feed their wives and

children with the income, which the stink sheets give them. Why should you be

miserable, when they are eating their

meal?"

Baba is Premaswarupa; He is Love, in every limb and look, in every glance and

stance; in every gesture and vesture of thought. So, He pardons these dealers

in untruth and asks all good men to pray for their correction. "Sooner or

later, they are bound to repent; no man can wander in the wilderness for long;

when he discovers that he has lost his way, he will stop and retrace his steps,

until he regains the highway. Pray for their transformation into Sathwic

individuals, for the speedy cure of their blindness, for their tongues to

cognize the taste of Truth. Direct your love to these misguided brothers; they

will rejoin the pilgrim path, soon", Baba said, addressing the Dasara gathering

in 1966. He gave the example of the leech, which relishes diseased blood from

the w9und, but drops off, when it is too bloated

to suck further. "They too will fall off, when they have had their fill".

"When water is poured into milk, the water too acquires value and fetches a

price! When lies are manufactured about the great, people who prefer nauseating

food will pay cash for them".

Baba mentioned also a positive advantage, which these traducers confer. He said,

"When the winnowing is done, the husk falls afar, and it can be thrown into the

furnace. The grain forms a mound, it can be stored and made into bread that

sustains and gives strength. These men fanning the empty air separate the chaff

from the grain. Persons without deep-rooted faith fall off at the first whisper

of scandal, but persons who have their faith deep-rooted, stand up against the

storm; they get only tougher and harder in fiber."

In May 1966, Baba spent about ten days in a coffee plantation in the charming

Hill District of Coorg, in Mysore. Coorg is the home of a hardy race of

stalwarts in the fields of sports and battle. It is the nursery of heroic

soldiers. The Coorgs are hospitable and pious. They trekked long distances, up

hill and down hill, along the winding roads, in order to have a glimpse of the

Lord staying in their midst. Baba had a smile and a blessing for everyone of

them; He visited a number of Coorg houses and spread sunlight and joy. The

bungalow where He stayed became the target for cars and omnibuses, from miles

around. Later, Baba left for Madras and from thence, He accompanied some

devotees to Kodaikanal, another salubrious Hill Station. Every day, at

Kodaikanal, as at Coorg, Bhajan sessions were held, so that

hundreds and thousands could imbibe the joy of singing the glory of God in

chorus and the thrill of the Darsan of Baba. Baba said, "The good luck of these

people on the hills brought Me here; else, I had no plan to come".

Soon, Baba drove down to Madurai City where devotees had completed the

construction of a new suburb around a Sai Baba Temple, which was named Sathya

Sai Nagar in reverential gratitude. Discourses were given by Pundits from

Tamilnad on three evenings and Baba, who presided, supplemented them with His

elucidations.

Returning to Prashanthi Nilayam, with the first rains of the monsoon, Baba was

available for Darshan to about 10.000 people who gathered for Darshan on Guru

Poornima; He gave each of them a few drops of Amrit, Nectar, with the

exhortation that the tongue which has tested Amrit should no longer relish

Anrit (False-hood). Baba inaugurated the Branch of the State Bank at Prashanthi

Nilayam Township an amenity to help the residents as well the thousands who

visit the place. Baba transmutes each such occasion into a spiritual harvest;

so, in His Discourse, He compared the Bank where money is taken and given, to

the Bank where Love alone is accepted and given. "That Bank", He said,

"receives deposits and maintains accounts strictly and confidentially. Every

little is entered and accounted for, thoughts, deeds, words,

good, bad, indifferent. Develop the saving habit, for saving yourself. Here they

take Dhanam (money); there, they take Dhyanam (equanimity) as deposit". Each

sentence was a brilliant flash, revealing the deepest Truth.

On the third of August, Baba presided over the Opening Day Celebrations of the

Primary Health Center at Kothacheruvu, a village seven miles by road from the

Nilayam. The Hon’ble Minister welcomed enthusiastically by the villagers, as

well as baba for Panchayath Raj, Dr. Lakshminarasiah from Hyderabad, and

leaders elected to Local Bodies by the people of Anantapur District. One of

them, Sri T. Ramachandra Reddy, the President of the District Board, Anantapur,

confessed "I must admit that it is only after His fame has spread allover the

world that we, who are living so near Puttaparthy have come to realize His

Divinity!" The Minister also, said "He is so near us but, we commit the mistake

of dealing with Him as if He is distant". There were many officers of the

District on the dais. So, Baba said, "The Cabinet of

Ministers, the Officers and the People are like the three blades of the fan

rotating here, to give us cool comfort; they must all be activated by the

current, (the spirit of service) in order to give happiness and peace." The

mention by the Doctor in charge, of the need for family planning by means of

artificial aids drew from Baba a forthright condemnation of the movement, that

is bound to undermine morality and let loose buffeting storms of passion, "It

is only rigorous self-control through Sadhana that can ensure the acceptance of

parental responsibility; general movements to spread artificial aids will bring

about the fall of moral standards."

The fourth of August, 1966, is an important date in the history of Prashanthi

Nilayam for, on that day, the Minister for Panchayat Raj, Andhra Pradesh

ceremonially declared that the area was separated from the village of

Puttaparthy of which it was but a 'ward' and, constituted into an

administrative unit, named the Prashanthi Nilayam Township. This was because

the Nilayam was fast developing into the spiritual hub of India and the world;

its rays were heralding the dawn of a bright new Day in all the continents of

the earth. Baba called upon the residents of the Colony to "use the new

administrative set-up, for the benefit of this as well as neighboring areas".

In September, on the Birthday of Krishna, Baba gave Amrit to all who had

gathered and also the Amrit of His Discourse on two days. "Edison", He said,

"the great scientist and inventor, used to spend hours and days in his

laboratory concentrating on some experiment or problem; milk, bread or tea was

pushed into the room from under the closed door, but, they were untouched until

he solved the riddle that was in his mind. So great is the concentration that

science demands. Consider then how much more should the Sadhaka be fixed in

single-mindedness, in order to achieve success in the subtler and the more

sublime sphere of spiritual conquest. Man must be both bright and light, like

the lamp that floats on the Ganga at Hardwar. If the weight of worldly desire

is added, the lamp will sink and the light will go

out."

Dasara, 1966! While discoursing prior to the Hoisting of the Prashanthi Flag,

Baba gave a new message to the thousands before Him: "I shall tell you of one

form of worship which will endow you with divine strength". It was the

reverential and grateful use by man of the five elements that are his

constituents and His Manifestations, earth, water, fire, air and ether! "Use

them all intelligently", He said, "use them to promote your own welfare and the

welfare of others; use them in moderation and for the service of humanity".

The Hospital Day Celebrations were presided over by Opal Macrae, a famous writer

and social worker from United States who had come to the Nilayam for her

Sadhana. She spoke of her attempts to cure insanity, feeblemindedness and other

defects by the therapy of music in New York and Hong Kong. Baba said, "Music is

the instrument by which passions are sublimated, emotions tamed, and impulses

directed to higher purposes. India has recognized the therapeutic excellence of

music long, long ago." Baba declared that medicine and hospitalization are for

those who hesitate and argue in doubt. For those who rely on the Supreme

Doctor, His Name is drug enough.

In His Discourses on the significance of the Yajna, on the activities of the

Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha, on the occasion of the recitation of poems by

poets, on the drama, 'Radhabhakti' which He wrote and directed (containing as

He said 'the quintessence of a dozen discourses of Mine') Baba was continuously

harping on the pathetic condition of the world and of India, which He has come

to heal. "The world is now narrowly compartmentalized, on the bases of

religion, color, convictions etc. Those who question the validity of

compartments are themselves in a compartment! Metal pieces gathered in a heap

are still pieces; they have not been fused; fuse the peoples by the heat of

Love into One. The heart must be purged of hate. when God is installed therein,

hate will flee. The thinkers of the West are turning to the

East to learn the art of keeping peace and winning peace - lasting, satisfying

peace - Prashanthi. The sun is a minute dot of light, when compared with some

of the stars; but, it does give illumination and drives away darkness. So too,

India may be a poor and weak nation but it can give light and grant peace."

Baba also spoke of the social illnesses of maladjustment that are infesting the

world, in the wake of mechanization and industrialization. He said they smother

man's divine nature, which struggles to blossom into Service, Sacrifice and

Sadhana.

On the Deepavali Day, 1966, Baba said that Festival of Lights is ordained to

celebrate the victory of heavenly over hellish impulses. Many thousands had

gathered that day at the Nilayam to have His Darshan and to listen to His

Discourse. Asking them, after the Festival to return to their places, Baba

said, "I know your love towards Me; you know My affection towards you. But,

yet, you have to leave to your places, where duties and obligations call you,

where individuals and institutions need your services. They are also Mine;

service to them is service to Me. I desire also to give you the experience of

My being everywhere, wherever you are, not restricted by time or space. If you

are here always before Me, how can I grant you that joy?", He asked.

Baba's 41st Birthday came soon after. In the birthday message He graciously

wrote and gave for publication in the Sanathana Sarathi, Baba said, "What do

the many wars, that man has indulged in, teach him? They teach that lust,

anger, hate, and envy are evil forces that haunt him. Examine the anarchy and

the lawlessness, the chaos and the killings that are raging in the world today.

They are the consequences of these evil forces. Why, even the illness your

bodies suffer from and the unrest nestling in your homes are, due to the

viruses of lust, anger, hate and envy. He condemned those who "impute faults

and foist failings on others and indulge in blaming and hurting them. Hate and

envy distort the charm of the human face. A person having greed, lust, anger

and envy will suffer digestive and nervous illness.

Therefore, learn to expand your love and your devotion to God, until the whole

of mankind has entered that fold", He advised.

When Baba came to the Auditorium during Bhajan on His Birthday, preliminary to

the anointing that is the ceremonial rite of the day, He wore over His silken

gown a resplendent shawl of gold-thread, into which was woven the letters

Sairam, 1008 times, by a weaver devotee who, like Kabir, recited that sacred

Name of his Lord when the shuttle was moving to and fro forming the fabric for

the God whom he adored. He wore it, since the yarn was the gold of devotion.

Baba went among the vast concourse of devotees and placed in the hands of each

a 'Laddu' (an Indian sweetmeat) as the Birthday Gift of Grace. It was nearly 3

P.M. when Baba returned to the Nilayam after a long 5-hour nonstop

distribution. One small incident may be mentioned here to illustrate His

Omniscience and His Mercy. One man among the 15.000 tried to

collect more than one from His hands. At last, Baba told him, while giving him

the Laddu, "This is the fifth I am giving you! I believe that is enough for

you!" He knew how often he had given him; He had no harsh words against his

greed.

In the discourse that Baba gave that evening, He gave a new interpretation to

the words, Sathyam Sivam and Sundaram. Those who were identifying them with

Sath Chith and Ananda opened their eyes at the novel meaning: "Follow the

Karma-marga with the harmony and charm of Sundaram; follow the Bakthi-marga

with the exhilaration and exaltation of Sivam; follow the Jnana-marga with the

directness and steadfastness of Sathyam."

Three days later, He inaugurated a Public Library at Bukkapatnam, the village

where as a boy, He had attended school. Years ago Baba had opened a park there

and later He had switched on electric lights in the Temple. He chided the

villagers for being content with the contemplation of His Glory from a distance

without taking earnest steps to get near Him and enjoy the warmth of His Heart.

Speaking about books, Baba cautioned them against books that excite emotions

and arouse passions and dull discrimination. Books must add strength to the

will, and curb the evil inclinations and urges in man. He spoke of the

increasing neglect of classical literature and exhorted writers and readers to

develop a taste for the basic excellence of our ancient culture.

On the thirteenth of December, Baba left for Trichinapally on the Kaveri river,

where devotees had arranged a three-day session of the Prashanthi

Vidwanmahasabha. The Principal of the Institute for the training of teachers of

Hinduism at Madras welcomed Baba, in a speech replete with quotations from Tamil

classics. He spoke of the supreme and sovereign Grace of Baba. "His look will

grant illumination, His touch will communicate revelation, His word will awaken

us to realization," he said, quoting the sages of the distant past. Baba called

upon all scholars and students to take up the task of their own moral uplift by

their own efforts and of others by their example. He spoke of the devaluation of

man into a mere nut in a mammoth machine whereas he is the heir to the heritage

of immortality. "You claim to have

won Swarajya, because the men who ruled this land for centuries have gone home.

But, the inner masters who rule tyrannically over you, have yet to be forced to

quit. Until then, you have no Swarajya. When once that is done, no enemy can

overpower you. That is the moment of your independence. Now what you have won

is only the rind, not the kernel". On the 17th, Baba found time to go to the

village of Budalur, where thousands had gathered round the Sathya Sai Vihar, to

welcome Him. Baba moved among them in the thickening dusk and while doing so, He

noticed here and there some sick people to whom He gave vibuthi out of His own

Hand. The first to get the precious drug was a dumb boy, the second was a deaf

riot and the third an old farmer with an ulcer in the stomach!

On the 18th He left Trichinapally and stayed at Pollachi for the night. Next

day, He motored to the Parambikulam Forest, the home of elephant herds, in

order to show the people who were with Him the grandeur of that sylvan scene;

but, it also enabled the simple dwellers of the jungle to fill their eyes with

His never-to-be-forgotten Beauty.

Baba entered the State of Kerala on the 20th and after two days at Palghat, He

visited Ernakulam, Trippunittura and Alleppey, before reaching the Nilgiri

Hills during Christmas. At Devi Vilas, Palghat, Baba moved among the devotees

with His benign smile and courage-granting Abhaya-mudra. He spoke to many in

the Malayalam language and drew the hearts of all towards Him. At Kollengode,

when a cyclonic gale gathered heavy dark rain clouds over the gathering and

rain came down in thick drops, Baba said: "Do not worry. These are not

raindrops! They are drops of Ananda, Sudhabindu!" And, the rains held off, for

full one hour! This miracle was highlighted in the newspapers of Kerala the

same day. At Trippunittura, a Christian couple, deeply devoted to Baba, prayed

to Him to lay a foundation stone for a Prayer Hall

they had planned to build. At Olavakkot, too, a Sathya Sai Nagar (suburb of

bungalows where Sai devotees live) had grown; so, Baba, out of His Infinite

Mercy, blessed it, laying the Foundation for a Prayer Hall. The twenty third of

December was Vaikunda Ekadashi, the Day when Baba showers Grace, as Nectar to

all. He spent the day with devotees at Allepey. Hundreds gathered there to

taste the nectar of His talk and imprint His beauteous form on their hearts.

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/