SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [37]

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

Ganesha Mantra: AUM Gung Ganapathaye Namah

Ganesh Gayatri

Tat purushaaya vidmahe

Vakratundaaya dheemahi

Tanno dhanti prachodayaat

 

SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM

The Life Stories of the Two Avatars of the Age – [37]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

CHAPTER XXXVII

CHAVADI PROCESSION

In this chapter Hemadpant after making some preliminary observations on some

points of Vedanta, describes the Chavadi procession.

PRELIMINARY

Blessed is Sai's life, blessed is His daily routine. His ways and actions are

indescribable. Sometimes He was intoxicated with Brahmanand (divine joy), and

at other times content with Self knowledge. Doing so many things sometimes, He

was unconcerned with them. Though He seemed at times quite actionless (doing

nothing) He was not idle or dozing; He always abided in His own Self. Though He

looked calm and quiet as the placid sea, He was deep and unfathomable. Who can

describe His ineffable nature? He regarded men as brothers, women as sisters

and mothers. He was a perfect and perpetual celibate as everybody knows. May

the understanding (knowledge), we got in His company, last long unto death. Let

us ever serve Him with whole-hearted devotion to His feet. Let us see Him (God)

in all beings

and let us ever love His name.

Hemadpant, after making some lengthy dissertations on some topics of Vedanta,

which he himself considers as a digression, goes on to describe the Chavadi

procession.

CHAVADI PROCESSION

Baba's dormitory has been already described. One day He slept in the Masjid and

on the next, in the Chavadi (a small building containing a room or two near the

Masjid). This alternate sleeping in both these buildings went on till Baba's

Maha Samadhi. From 10th December 1909 devotees began to offer regular worship

to Baba in the Chavadi. This we will now describe with His grace. When the turn

of retiring to the Chavadi came, people flocked to the Masjid and made Bhajan in

the Mandap (courtyard) for a few hours. Behind them was a beautiful Ratha (small

car), to the right a Tulsi-vrindavan and in front Baba, and between these the

devotees fond of Bhajan. Men and women who had a liking for the Bhajan came in

time. Some took Tal, Chiplis and Kartal, Mridang, Khanjiri and Ghol (all

musical instruments) in their hands and conducted the Bhajan. Sai Baba was the

Magnet Who drew all the devotees to Him there. Outside in the open, some

trimmed their divatyas, (torches), some decorated the palanquin, and some stood

with cane-sticks in their hands and uttered cries of victory to Baba. The corner

was decorated with buntings. Round about the Masjid, rows of burning lamps shed

their light. Baba's horse 'Shyamakarna' stood fully decorated outside. Then

Tatya Patil came with a party of men to Baba and asked Him to be ready. Baba

sat quiet in his place till Tatya came and helped Him to get up by putting his

arm under Baba's arm-pit. Tatya called Baba by the name of Mama. Really their

relationship was extremely intimate. Baba wore on his body the

usual kafni, took His satka (short stick) under His arm-pit and after taking His

chilim (tobacco-pipe) and tobacco and placing a cloth over His shoulder became

ready to start. Then Tatya threw a golden-embroidered beautiful Shela (Shawl)

over His body. After this Baba, moving a little the bundle of fuel-sticks lying

behind with His right toe and then extinguishing the burning lamp with His right

hand, started for the Chavadi. Then all sorts of muscial instruments, tashe,

band and horns and mridang, gave out their different sounds; and fire-works

exhibited their different and various coloured views. Men and women singing

Baba's name started walking, making bhajan to the accompaniment of mridang and

veena. Some danced with joy and some carried various flags and standards. The

Bhaldars announced Baba's name when He came on the steps of the Masjid. On the

two sides of Baba stood persons, who held chavaris and others who fanned Baba.

On the way were spread folds of cloth on which Baba

walked on, being supported by devotees' hands. Tatyaba held the left hand and

Mhalaspathi the right and Bapusaheb Jog held the chhatra (umbrella) over His

head. In this fashion Baba marched on to the Chavadi. The fully decorated red

horse, named Shyamakarna led the way and behind him were all the carriers,

waiters, musical players and the crowd of devotees. Hari-nama (the name of the

Lord) chanted to the accompaniment of music rent the skies as also the name of

Sai. In this manner the procession reached the corner when all the persons that

joined this party seemed well-pleased and delighted.

On coming to this corner Baba stood facing the Chavadi and shone with a peculiar

lustre. It seemed, as if the face of Baba glittered like dawn, or like the glory

of the rising sun. Baba stood there with a concentrated mind, facing the north,

as if He was calling somebody. All the instruments played their music while

Baba moved His right arm up and down for some time. Kakasaheb Dixit at this

time came forward with a silver plate containing flowers besmeared with gulal

(red powder) and threw them on Baba's body off and on. The musical instruments

played their best at this juncture and Baba's face beamed with steady and added

radiance and beauty, and all the persons drank this lustre to their hearts'

content. Words fail to describe the scene and splendor of this occasion. Some

times

Mhalaspathi began to dance being possessed or obsessed by some deity, but all

were surprised to see that Baba's concentration was not in the least disturbed.

With a lantern in his hand Tatya Patil walked on Baba's left side and Bhagat

Mhalaspathi on the right, holding with his hand the hem of Baba's garment. What

a beautiful procession and what an expression of devotion! To witness this, men

and women, poor and rich, flocked together there. Baba walked very slow.

Bhaktas followed on both sides with love and devotion. With joy pervading the

whole atmosphere of the place, the procession reached the Chavadi. That scene

and those days are gone now. Nobody can see them now or in the future; still

remembering and visualizing that scene and sight, we can bring solace and

comfort to our minds.

The Chavadi was also fully decorated with a good white ceiling, mirrors and many

sorts of lamps. On reaching it Tatya went ahead and spread an asan and placing a

bolster made Baba sit there and made Him wear good angaraksha (coat). Then the

devotees worshipped Him in various ways. They put on His head a mugut (crown)

with a tuft above, placed garlands of flowers and jewels round His neck and

marking His forehead with musk-mixed vertical lines and a dot (as Vaishnava

devotees do) they started at Him for long to their hearts' content. They

changed His head-dress now and then and held it aloft on the head, fearing that

Baba might throw it away. Baba knew the heart of them all and meekly submitted

to all their methods without objection. With these decorations He looked

wonderfully beautiful.

Nanasaheb Nimonkar held the Chhatra (umbrella) with its beautiful pendants which

moved in a circle with its supporting stick. Bapusaheb Jog washed the feet of

Baba in a silver dish and offered 'arghya' and worship with due formalities,

then besmeared His arms with sandal paste, and offered tambul (betel-leaves).

Baba sat on the asan (gadi), while Tatya and others kept standing and falling

at His feet. When Baba sat on the gadi supporting Himself against the bolster,

devotees on both sides waved chamars and fans. Shama then prepared the chillum

and handed it over to Tatyaba who drew a flame out of it by his breath and then

gave it to Baba. After Baba had His smoke, it was given to Bhagat Mhalasapati

and then it was passed round to all. Blessed was the inanimate chillum. It had

first to

undergo many ordeals of penance, such as being treated by pot-makers, dried in

the open sun and burnt in fire and then it had the good fortune to get the

contact of Baba's hand and His kiss. After this function was over, devotees put

garlands of flowers on His neck and gave Him nose-gays and bunch of flowers for

smelling. Baba who was dispassion or non-attachment incarnate, cared a fig for

all these necklaces of jewels, and garlands of flowers and other decorations;

but out of real love to His devotees, He allowed them to have their own way and

to please themselves. Finally Bapusaheb Jog waved the arati over Baba, observing

all formalities, the musical instruments playing their auspicious tunes. When

this arati was over, the devotees returned home one by one saluting Baba and

taking His leave. When Tatya Patil, after offering chillim, attar (scent) and

rose-water, rose to depart, Baba said to him lovingly - &quotGuard Me, go if

you like, but return sometimes at night and enquire

after Me." Replying in the affirmative Tatyaba left the Chavadi and went home.

Then Baba Himself prepared His bed. He arranged 50 or 60 white chadders one

upon another and thus making His bed went to rest.

We shall also now take rest and close this chapter with a request to the readers

that they should remember Sai Baba and His Chavadi procession daily before they

retire and go to bed.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - PART III [3]

The Life of the Divine Avatar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - [1969-1972]

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

EXAMPLE AND PRECEPT

Baba hurried from East Africa to Bombay and from Bombay to Anantapur, en route

to Bangalore, since a great step in the campaign of Dharmasthapana for which He

has come, had to be initiated on the 22nd of June 1968. Baba was establishing a

college for Women at Anantapur!

Aurobindo has said, "A new center of thought implies a new center of education."

This avatar has no destructive weapon in His possession, like the Kodanda (bow)

of Rama, or the Chakra (discus) of Krishna. He relies on education, rather than

elimination; instruction rather than destruction. The good are encouraged to

become better, the better to enter the region of the best and the blest. The

bad are encouraged to shed the coil of cowardice, which keeps them in fear and

induces them to cause fear in self-defense.

Baba is therefore the premier educator of the age. Every word of His is a

Mantra, every speech an Upanishad, every exhortation a Gita, every song that He

sings a pilgrimage into the holiest core of one's being; a revelation of one's

destiny and Divine glory. Baba instructs the incorrigible, the intransigent,

the infidel and the infant in spiritual Sadhana. He takes all into His fold. In

His presence one cannot say, "The hungry sheep look up and are not fed." They

may be sheep or goats; they may not look up at all; they may not realize that

they are hungry; they may not recognize good food from bad; they may not be

aware of where food is available in plenty! But Baba fondles them and feeds

them with food that ensures health and happiness beyond measure, beyond the

ravages of time and the erosion of

doubt!

Baba often writes letters to those whom He wants to correct or console, or to

conduct into the fortunate group of the illumined. He showers love, guides with

sweet companionship, warns sternly and leads Sadhaks by the hand. The books He

has written - Prema Vahini (The Stream of Divine Love), Jnana Vahini (The

Stream of Eternal Wisdom), Prashanthi Vahini (The Bliss of Supreme Peace),

Dhyana Vahini (Practice of Meditation), Dharma Vahini (The Path of Virtue),

Sandeha Nivarini (Clearance of Spiritual Doubts), the Gita Vahini (The Divine

Gospel) and the Bhagavatha Vahini (The Story of God and His Devotees) - are

treasures that shed light on intricate problems of spiritual discipline.

Passing down the corridor of time, the epics and Puranas have accumulated

interpolations from imaginative enthusiasts, which

mar the grandeur of the originals and disgust seekers of Divine Nectar. Baba has

edited the Bhagavatha and the Ramayana (The Rama story, Stream of Sacred

Sweetness) in a manner which makes them invaluable guides for aspirants to

liberation. Baba's discourses which attract gathering of tens of thousands even

in the most secluded village, herald a new era in the lives of all who hear

them, even if they do not understand the language which He uses; for, as Baba

says, when heart communicates with heart in Love, language is an impediment,

rather than an instrument!

Baba as Educator does not spare even the hours of sleep of those whom he intends

to teach. When He struck Swami Abhedananda on the heart while He was lying in

bed at Sri Ramanasram in Thiruvannamali, the aged Swami sat up, and wondered

who, what and why! Baba gave him the Darshan of the late Sri Ramana Maharshi

and of Himself, separately and as an upsurge of light in which both merged.

This was to reveal to him that He and his Guru were the same. Then, he spoke to

him in Telugu about the ways in which he had to modify his meditation, to enable

him to get rid of the doubts and deviations that haunted him.

Baba appears to some Sadhaks during what can only be described as 'dreams' and

favors them with timely advice, such as, "Concentrate on the Visuddhi Chakra."

The Sadhak who received this advice asked me what and where the said Chakra is

situated. It was found that this Chakra is the Center of nourishment for the

body, which at the time was just the problem confronting the Sadhak. Or, "Read

the Mahanyasa also." He advised another Sanyasi who was ceremonially reading

the Devi Bhagavatham. Baba also teaches during Dhyana (meditation), as He does

with Mr. Penn in California,

whenever the latter has a spiritual dilemma or knot to unravel. I shall give

here two extracts of what He once said to a Sadhaka in a dream, which the

Sadhaka recorded in his notebook as soon as he awoke.

"You must have freedom not only from fear, but freedom from hope and

expectation. Trust in My wisdom: I do not make mistakes. Love my uncertainty!

For it is not a mistake. It is My Intent and Will. Remember, nothing happens

without My Will. Be still. Do not want to understand; do not ask to understand.

Relinquish understanding. Relinquish the imperative that demands understanding."

 

"Meditate upon the feeling between waking and sleeping, know how immediate, how

close, how deeply compatible it is. There is the feeling of really giving up;

the body is limp. Awareness too is limp. Let the feeling of God overcome you

like sleep."

Appearing to devotees in dreams, Baba has taught them new Bhajan songs, sitting

in front of them as music teachers do, with instructions to sing them during

the Dasara festival at Puttaparthy. Later, when they arrived at Puttaparthi

they were prompted by him to sing them! A devotee was once so involved in civil

suits at court that he was nearly bankrupt. Appearing to him while he was asleep

Baba told him plainly, "Properties, my dear fellow, are not proper ties!" Baba

as an educator and as the incarnation that has come in order to educate, is

engaged in that task, all over the world at all times.

His opening words at every discourse are "Divyatma Swarupulara!" Embodiments of

the Divine Atma! That is the sum and substance of all His teachings. Man has to

realize that he is the Atma, unconquerable, indestructible, unlimited, the

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-wave of the ocean that is God. The awareness of this

truth is Bhakti, 'Swaswaropa-anusandhanam-Bhakthirithi-abhidheyathe' says

Shankara.

Baba insists upon every one being told this truth about himself, every one being

given a glimpse of himself in the mirror so that he may live in strength, faith,

courage and peace. He says that the tree of life, the Asvattha (a banyan tree),

has its roots in the Atma. If that faith is absent we dry up and are wafted

hither and thither by every wind of fortune - wayward whiffs of transience! The

trunk and the branches, the leaves and twigs of the tree of life are the

ramifications of our contacts and commitments with the outer world, the kith

and kin, the I and mine, the plus and minus into which life proliferates. The

flowers of the tree are words, thoughts and deeds of Love; and the Ananda

derived is the fruit. But, Baba says the sweetness in the fruit is Virtue,

Seela, good godly character. Without

Seela, which makes the fruit worthwhile, and the Atmic root which sustains the

tree, life is a mere ploughing of sands, the body is but fuel, fodder for

vermin.

In order to imprint upon man the truth of this Atmic core, Baba has a continuous

chain of organizations, which are supervised and managed by devotees soaked in

His teachings and guided by Him. Toddlers are gathered by affectionate arms

into Bal Vikas classes; they were called Bal Vihars, but the name has been made

more purposive and significant. They are taught Bhajans; they enact plays on

themes selected from the Upanishads, Epics, Puranas and the lives of Saints,

many of them written by Baba Himself.

They are trained to revere parents and elders, to observe the rules of the road,

to draw and make models of scenes and shrines reminiscent of the higher values

of life. They greet each other reverentially with "Om," which is as it should

be. In short the Bal Vikas child discards the A for apple and adopts the A for

Arjuna stage. It does not repeat "Baa Baa Black Sheep, Have you any Wool?" or

talk of Robin Redbreast and Santa Claus. It repeats 'Raghupate Raghava Raja

Ram’ or 'Subrahmanyam, Subrahmanyam, Shanmukhanatha Subrahmanyam'!

Then the boys and girls enter the Junior Sevadal, where they learn selected

verses from the Bhagavad Gita, and songs sung by Saints in adoration of God.

They attend first aid classes, practice meditation, develop artistic talents

through plays, paintings and floral decoration and speak before gatherings on

Baba and His Teachings, reproducing the illustrative stories and parables that

Baba uses.

When they reach the age of eighteen, they are inducted into the regular Sevadal

and given a sound spiritual training to withstand the hard realities of Seva.

They organize Bhajans in Jails, Remand Homes, Leprosaria Hospitals, Slums,

Schools and Hostels. They help in keeping their town or village clean and

healthy, donate blood to the blood banks,

study the scriptures and enact moral plays. Every opportunity is used by them to

develop skills and place themselves at the disposal of the distressed and the

deprived.

The older people have the Seva Samithis, which organize Bhajan Mandalis,

Nagarsankirtan, study circles and the celebration of holy days to commemorate

the greatness of saints and sages. The Mahila Vibhags of these Samithis extend

Seva among women and conduct Bal Vikas classes guiding the children, along the

path to truth. Thus, under Baba's continuous and consistent inspiration and

guidance, a fertilizing flood of higher education and spiritual transmutation

is sweeping over the earth.

Baba has declared that He has come to establish truth, uproot untruth and

revitalize the moral ideal in the affairs of mankind. The Bhagawan Sri Sathya

Sai Seva Organization has become the new center of education for the new center

of Sai thought, in this Sai Era. Baba says, "This organization is intended to

broaden service. It has not been devised to parade devotion, or collect

devotees or canvass support for some newfangled creed. It is dedicated to the

great task of progressively aiding people to realize their reality and merge in

it."

"Vidya dadathi vinayam," Education must endow man with humility. The wise are

humble that they know no more; the fool is proud that he knows so much.

Humility and reverence are the genuine fruits of education. Instead, reverence

is the first casualty in schools and colleges today. Baba repeats a Geeta

dictum: Pandithah Samadarsinah, Scholars visualise Unity. They do not promote

factions, they do not encourage hatred. They seek the One; if known, all else

in known! They seek harmony and not conflict. But nowadays, scholars have envy,

malice and conflict as their professional malady. Baba finds that the task of

Dharmasthapana, the re-establishment of morality and righteousness, has to be

undertaken in the educational institutions also, for every year they pump into

the stream of national life the

perfidious poison of irreverence, indiscipline, inefficiency and rootless culture.

Jesus said: 'The scripture says, Man cannot live on bread alone, but needs every

word that God speaks'.Baba says: 'Man does not live by bread alone. He lives by

the Atma. Devotion and surrender - and not greed and deceit - should form the

basis for man's life and lead to the blossoming of spiritual wisdom in his

heart'.

The Upanishadic student was advised by the Guru before every lesson that

education was a shared experience, and that the slightest tinge of anger and

misunderstanding between the teacher and the taught contaminates the gift, the

giver and the receiver - all three. Students of today terrorize the teacher;

teachers calculate their monetary rewards and evade their fundamental duty to

teach. They do not examine their right to claim reverence. The Upanishadic Guru

sent the student home, after he had completed his studies, with the exhortation:

Sathyam vada, dharmam chara, mathr devo bhava, pithr devo bhava, and acharya

devo bhava! Utter Truth. Walk in the path of righteousness.

10pt">Revere the mother as God, revere the Teacher as God! But, parents are now

treated as obstructions, troubling the young from the other bank of the

generation gap. The mother is a bundle of old-world superstitions and the

teacher is a person who can be bribed or frightened into granting certificates

and marks to pass examination and get degrees!

Therefore, Baba felt that youth has to be quickly led back onto the road they

have missed. They must be warned of the calamity that awaits them, and through

them, the country, not only in India but in all lands. The student unrest that

is spreading over the world is but the external rumbling of an internal

maladjustment. The atmospheres in which they grow up, and the roles which they

are being prepared for by parents, elders and rulers, are reeking with

hypocrisy and pettiness, triviality and titillation.

Example is better than precept, the saying goes; but the example that the older

generation is holding forth before the young now is more pernicious than their

precept! Baba has laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of parents, teachers

and society, for bringing up the rising generation in dull, drab, dismal

schools, with God kept out and idealism negated. Baba holds that there is no

authority which has laid down that an Avatar can do this or cannot do this.

Krishna planned to drive a chariot, for this was the best and speediest way for

the task which He had come to accomplish. Rama went hunting a golden deer though

He knew that it was only a clever decoy, for, it was necessary that He should be

away so that Ravana could kidnap Sita by a stratagem, a fell crime for which

death was the legitimate reward! So Baba asked, "What prevents me from starting

colleges? No one can prevent a flower from imparting its fragrance to the air!

It is my Nature to educate, to draw forth into the light the Divinity that is

inherent in man. I use all means for that consummation. You have been praying -

Thamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya - lead us from darkness into Light! This is one of the

answers."

Baba thought of correcting the education of women, in the first instance, for,

as He has written in "Dharma Vahini" - "No nation can be built strong and

stable, except on the spiritual culture of its women. This generation is full

of unrighteousness and injustice, malevolence and greed, falsehood and cruelty,

because the mothers who brought it up were not vigilant enough or intelligent

enough, or because they were not trusted enough by men with the responsibility

of chastening and fostering their children. What is past is past. To save at

least the next generation, women have to be educated in a well-planned manner

and endowed with the wisdom, fortitude and faith that can equip them for the

great responsibility that rests upon them."

In June 1968, Baba was at Anantapur, the biggest town of the District and its

official capital, 60 miles from Prashanthi Nilayam, at the invitation of the

High School for Girls. The plight of the girls who had to go to distant places

for higher education and also the kind of education for which they were

spending much time and money, affected Him. He resolved upon another step in

His task of Dharmasthapana; for women have been the custodians of Dharma since

millennia; the cradle is the first school for the children of man. He announced

that there would be a Women's College at Anantapur soon. He resolved upon making

Anantapur the focal point of the Educational Revolution that will consummate the

Revival of Sanathana Dharma, for the lasting benefit of the human family.

The Women's College was inaugurated on the 22nd of July, 1968. Very few colleges

are inaugurated under such distinguished auspices or with the promise of such

triumphant careers for the alumni. Few have on the opening day itself such an

imposing array of equipment, furniture, books and above all, a band of teachers

with such enthusiasm and academic efficiency.

The Minister in charge of Education in the Government of Andhra Pradesh who

presided over the Public Meeting said that what was being inaugurated was not

just one college among so many, but a New Chapter in the History of Women's

Education itself. He knew that the College was to be the precursor of many more

such colleges all over the country, for Baba announced that He was planning a

college or two in every State of India, all to be knit together later into a

University, as an instrument forged for His Task.

Baba said, "The prompting behind this College is not the search for reputation

or the desire to propagate a cult, or the hope of monetary profit. Fame is a

fickle figment! Reputation rots quite soon. Profit, when it is calculated in

terms of cash, defiles. I have allowed this College to rise because it will

install in the minds of the students, the ideals of Sathya (truth), Dharma

(righteousness), Shanthi (peace) and Prema (love) - ideals delineated in the

Vedas, described in the Sasthras, illustrated in the Epics, practiced by

countless generations and confirmed by experience, as best suited for

individual and social progress. Every child born in Bharat has the right to

know and benefit by this precious heritage.

"Agriculture is for living; Atma-culture is for success in life. An educational

system that keeps children away from God - the only refuge, the only kinsman,

the only guide and guard - is a system where the blind are engaged in blinding

those who long for light."

"Women are the bulwarks of spiritual culture, but, as is evident from the

attitude and behavior of educated women today, they are fast succumbing to the

flimsy attractions of froth and frippery, cheap and shoddy literature and

sensual films."

"Every child has five mothers, and owes its loyalty to these five; they fill its

life with meaning and purpose:

· The Dehamatha - the mother who gave birth to its body,

· The Gomatha - the cow that gives it milk and the bullock that is

the partner in growing its food throughout life,

· The Bhoomatha - land, that in return for seeds offers grain a

hundred-fold,

· The Desa-Matha - the region inhabited by the society it is born

into that stamps on it, its way of living, lines of thinking and ideals and

goals, and

· Vedamatha - the heritage of spiritual treasure.

The first Mother has to reveal to the child the glories of all the other four

and so, her status is crucial, her responsibility is pivotal. That is the

reason why I have resolved to start a women's college in the first instance, in

order to preserve and promote Dharma - the Universal Sanathana Dharma I have

come to vitalize and lead to victory."

"Atma vidya (Self-knowledge) alone can fix the mind in Dharma," Baba declared.

The Sathya Sai Veda sastra Pathashala at Prashanthi Nilayam is preparing a

number of young men, acquainted with the terrain of the spirit as explored by

the adventurous pioneers of ancient India. They also imbibe the message of

Prashanthi Nilayam, practicing the discipline of silence (not the negative

silence when the temptation to speak aloud and to express emotion and passion

are resisted) but the positive silence that springs from freedom, holiness and

awareness of the

Omnipresence of Baba.

There is also the All India Prashanthi Vidwan Maha-Sabha with its galaxy of

Vedic Pundits and Sanskrit Savants, who have been commissioned by Baba to share

their scholarship and their wealth of Prashanthi (unruffled mental peace) with

the uninitiated and the struggling, so that they too may get a glimpse of the

Glory and move forward. But, Baba says, Atma vidya should no longer be the

monopoly of Pathashalas and Pundits; it is the right of every human being,

endowed with Viveka, Vairagya, and Vichakshana: (Discrimination, Detachment and

Reason), whether they are aware of it or not, to imbibe, and earn joy and peace.

 

Water is cheaper than milk. Water is essential for the process of living. Milk

is essential for health and strength, to resist the onslaught of disease. Now,

secular education (water), which teaches skills and transmits information is

being supplied in schools and colleges. Atmavidya (milk) is stored by

Pathashalas and Ashrams. Water becomes costly and a high price is paid for it,

when mixed with milk. Then, it too becomes nourishing! Therefore, Atma Vidhya

has to be communicated to youth in the colleges along with skill and

information, so that they can boldly face the dilemmas of life.

Baba says, "We have heard of the seven year's war, the thirty year's war, the

hundred year's war. The war between man and mind, between the Jivi and Maya,

the individual and the objective world, is coterminous (same as) with Time. The

earliest men were entangled in it; the last man will have to fight it. Unless,

like Arjuna, you choose the Lord as your Charioteer and surrender the senses,

the mind, the intellect, the desires, the means and the ends to Him, the war

shall not end in your victory. That is the lesson that Atma vidya teaches; that

is the lesson that the children of men have the right to imbibe."

Apart from the curriculum and the attention paid to its demands, the College

insists upon the students attending prayer sessions, and meditation classes. A

course of lectures on the cultural heritage of India is given during the year.

The importance of Yoga and mental poise for physical well-being is emphasized

and practical lessons arranged. Students are trained to keep away from the

contaminating influence of films and horror comics. They are encouraged to be

simple in dress and avoid elaborate hairstyles, which attract attention by

their

outlandishness. They are advised to emulate the great women of ancient India,

celebrated in the epics and the Upanishads, as well as in history.

The atmosphere of the College charged with the blessings of Baba, is itself

conducive to the development of Satwic qualities. Baba visits the College often

and advises the students Himself. Occasionally, He brings with Him eminent

educationalists filled with Sai inspiration to speak to them. Above all, Baba

knows every one of the staff and students. He is immediately aware of whatever

happens in each one's mind and so, all are ever alert that the limits set by

Him for conduct are not infringed. Dr. Gokak has said that many others have

emphasized the ideals of Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi and Prema. But it is only Baba

who has shown them in practice so clearly and so uncompromisingly. "If you yearn

for Shanthi, learn it from Baba. If you aspire to find Prema, approach Baba and

be inspired by Him. But, there

is one more superb excellence - an excellence that is unique, in Baba, and that

is Power. He has the power to change circumstances, to shape the course of

events, to redirect help forward, transmute and terminate whatever He feels

needs such treatment. So, when He starts a College and dedicates it for a

purpose, it is bound to move along the lines He has laid down. He has the

Power. Its students have the fortune of being forged as instruments for

transforming the world into the Heaven He has planned it to become."

"Make Me your Charioteer!" Baba tells us. "Take hold of the unique chance. Ask

Me about the Sadhana which can grant you Liberation. For later, it will be

difficult for you to approach Me. Flood streams of people are coming to Me from

all quarters. This Divine Phenomenon is bound to grow into a Vishwa Vriksha (a

World-tree that provides shade and shelter for all humanity). This has come

down in this Form for that very purpose. It knows no hesitation, no halting. My

Name is Sathya (Truth); My Teaching is Truth; My Path is Truth; I am Truth."

Baba, luckily, is the Charioteer of the College, and so the students will grow

into straight, brave, honest, pilgrims. They will grow into good daughters,

efficient citizens, faithful wives, affectionate mothers and expert teachers.

The mother brings up the child; she also teaches the child to revere the

father. She has to do it because nature does not bind the father to the child

as intimately as it binds the mother.

"Baba has come to teach!", declares Charles Penn. "Let us all avail ourselves of

Him. Know that we have been drawn to Him, to learn! We must not only bathe in

the momentary bliss of His being, but learn to carry this security, this inner

Peace with us to our homes. When we arrive home, we must remember that distance

has no power to prevent Baba's teachings to flow to us. We must remember to ask

Him to solve each of our problems and then, be constantly aware of each

succeeding moment for His guiding answer. The answer will be clear and correct,

and the interpretation will be easy, if only we pray." Every student of Baba's

college is privileged to have such a Teacher! This is indeed a great good

fortune!

Baba has a sense of urgency when He speaks educational reconstruction, for the

consequences of starving the spirit at a time when boys and girls are preparing

for the battle of life, are serious. So the Anantapur College was started in

borrowed rooms and halls and hurriedly erected sheds, so as to avoid any

further delay while the buildings came

up, according to the plans He had drawn and designed. So, too, when He resolved

upon a boy's College at Bangalore, He graciously allowed the College to

encroach into the garden at Brindavan itself, so that temporary structures

could be erected there in order to commence the college instantly. "Colleges

are not composed of brick or mortar; nor are they to be evaluated by the

magnitude of the buildings which house the classes. They are to be evaluated by

the character and usefulness of the students who fill the classrooms, their

behavior in the playgrounds and outside, their attitudes towards their parents,

elders and teachers, and the ideals they follow in their later lives." Baba

says.

Baba Himself supervised at every stage the erection of the buildings for the

laboratories, the library and the classes. He guided the fulfillment of all the

contingent requirements and so on the Inauguration Day, the college looked spick

and span - a rare example of a college completely equipped and furnished on the

very day when it began receiving the first batch of pupils!

On the 9th of June 1969, the College was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of

Mysore State, Sri Veerendra

Patil. He said, "Baba has come to resuscitate Dharma, which is the foundation

for the welfare of humanity. Dharma insists on the supremacy of ethical and

spiritual values, and a College fostered by Baba is bound to promote these

values among the youth." Dr. V.K. Gokak, the Vice-chancellor of the University

of Bangalore, to which the College is affiliated, welcomed the new addition as

a "gem in the jewel crown of the Bangalore University.It will set the

pattern for the College education, not only in the academic field, but

also in the ethical and spiritual fields. This is a college conceived, devised

and completed by Baba's Love, Grace and Wisdom. Brick by brick, plank by plank,

He attended to every detail. It is a lesson for all who seek to do sincere

loving service. Here teachers and students have the unique chance of learning

the art of achieving harmony and gaining peace, apart from the intellectual

attainments which the curriculum enjoins."

Baba drew the attention of the large gathering of rural folk who had evinced

enormous enthusiasm that a College had been established in their village. He

said that villagers still preserve and promote traces of mutual cooperation and

brotherly love, faith in God and reverence to elders. He exhorted them to uphold

those ideals, so that their children might grow into happy citizens, unaffected

by the damaging distractions of city life.

"This College will pay attention to providing for its alumni a complete

education, namely Karmamarga, Dharmamarga, and Brahmamarga, all the three - the

principles of right action, right social behavior and spiritual advancement," He

said.

Addressing the students He said, "You may continue in this college or leave and

join some other one, returning home after completing your studies, but wherever

you are, I desire that you should shine forth as recipients of the special

attention we bestow upon you. Do not enter the fray of political controversies.

Politics at present, and perhaps always, is a sordid game, where passions run

high, power is sought through devious ways and prejudices are fanned into

hatred. You must become a new type of leader. Shaped in the crucible of Seva,

march into the future with the Light of the past, as one who appreciates the

wisdom that has been garnered through the ages."

In a message, Baba gave to be printed in the Prospectus of the College, He

stated, "This is a divine and blessed land. The tradition of this land is

spiritual, but ninety-nine percent of the people are either ignorant or

scornful of anything that bears the label of spirituality. The people have

themselves devalued their culture. Correct your own faults and do not search

for faults in others. Be respectful and loving to your near and dear ones, and

to your fellow beings; serve the country and pray for the welfare of the

world."

The College emblem selected by Him is eloquent about the ideals that are being

translated into action in the College. It has a five-petalled lotus within a

circle. The petals represent the five major religions of the world. Om standing

for Sanathana Dharma, the Cross for Christianity, the Chakra for Buddhism, the

Crescent for Islam and Flames of Fire for Zoroastrianism. The Lotus is the

ancient Aryan symbol, untouched by the mud where it is born, and unsoiled by

the water through which it emerges and upon which it floats. It is a symbol of

beauty, peace, and auspiciousness. Inside the Lotus is the Flame of

Illumination, without which knowledge is a burden and life an arid encounter

with the flimsy urges of the senses. Overarching the circular emblem, is a

semicircular border along which is printed the

College motto, 'Dharmo rakshathi rakshithah; Sathya annasti paradharmah,'

embodying the very core of Vedic Teaching. Dharma, it says, guards those who

adhere to it, and there is no Dharma higher than Truth. When Dharma ceases to

inspire and transform individuals, the world will inevitably be afflicted by

agony and fear.

Among the rules for students that are given in the Prospectus, we find this

sentence: "Now that you have earned the privilege of being students of this

College, under the direct guidance and fostering care of Bhagawan Sri Sathya

Sai Baba, make up your minds to be worthy students, remembering Baba's

exhortation, "Education without character is a great danger." No. 10A of the

Rules reads: "Students are particularly advised to cultivate courtesy,

helpfulness and tolerance. Baba's fivefold message of conduct - Sathya, Dharma,

Shanthi, Prema and Ahimsa (Truth, Right conduct, Peace, Love and Nonviolence) ,

should inspire every one working and learning in this College." No. 11 reads:

"The College attaches great importance to studies." Weekly and monthly tests,

quarterly examinations etc. are laid down, and

progress reports are sent to the parents periodically.

Here too, Bhajan, meditation, and prayer at the beginning of the day's work, for

which students and members of the staff have to be present, are insisted upon.

Above all, Baba evinces maternal affection upon every student, however large

the number in the College. He loves the boys so much that they obey Him

implicitly. They are so afraid of His neglecting them or ignoring them even for

a minute if they misbehave or break any of the taboos, that they are ever

vigilant in discipline.

Baba always advises them to avoid five delinquencies: The eyes should not wander

towards sights that inflame the senses, or arouse ideas conflicting with

morality or the duty towards parents, elders and the culture of our country.

Words that emanate from the mouth should not hurt the self-respect of others,

or utter lies simply because they are pleasant; they should not smack of

scandal or spite. The hand should not be raised in anger against anyone, nor

should it be used to wreak vengeance, or steal another's property. The ears

should not exult in salacious stories, scandal or deleterious lilts. The mind

should not be fouled by attachment to bad habits, bad impulses and plans to

achieve the conspiracies of the senses. These five 'Doshas' are anathema

[devoted to evil] in the opinion of Baba, and every

student is made to remember this by constant warnings from Him.

There is no activity of the College in which Baba does not evince interest, for

He knows that it is the atmosphere in which education is imparted and imbibed

that really counts. Since the College and Hostel are situated within the

compound, Baba walks in during the prayer session, presides over the moral

instruction lectures and Himself supplements the instructor. He writes and

directs plays for the College Dramatic Society. Often He pats a good student on

the back, pulls up a lecturer who saunters into the lecture hall a few minutes

after the bell, inquires from a sluggard the percentage of marks he secured at

the monthly test, creates a fountain pen or a watch for some diligent

well-behaved boy about whom the principal gives a report that confirms His own

opinion, advises the librarian about

classification, peeps into the dissection room of the budding zoologists and

generally moves about as the Guardian Deity of the Institution.

As a result, the students of the Colleges established by Baba reveal qualities

of goodness, levels of sympathy, depths of learning and veins of golden

devotion that few would believe they have.

Raghupatey Raghava Raja RamaO Raja Rama O Sai RamaPatita Pavana Sita Patey RamaO

Raja Rama O Sai RamaDasaratha Nandana Raja RamaKausalya Atmaja Sundara RamaRama

Rama Jai Raja RamaRaghava Mohana Megha ShyamaJai Jai Ram Jai Jai RamJai Jai Ram

Jai Jai Ram Jai Jai RamaRama Rama Raja RamPatita Pavana Sita Patey RamaO Raja

Rama O Sai Rama

'Pray and chant the name of Lord Rama, the Prince of King Dasaratha and Mother

Kausalya. Victory to Lord Rama, the savior of the downtrodden and the Lord of

Sita'.

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/

 

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