SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [51]

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Dear Sai brothers and sisters,

With this posting the ‘Sri Sai Satcharita’ is concluded. The ‘Sathyam, Sivam,

Sundaram’ Part –IV will however continue.

‘’

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 – [51]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

Sainatha Sainatha Sainatha Sadgurum

Yogiraja Yugapurusha Bhaktakoti Vanditham

Kripanidhim Tapodhanim Sainatha Pahimaam

Divyateja Bhavyamoorthi Punyacharita Poojitam

CHAPTER L [Concluding Chapter]

Stories of - (1) Kakasaheb Dixit (2) Shri Tembye Swami (3) Balaram Dhurandhar

Chapter 50 of the original Satcharita has been incorporated in Chapter 39, as it

dealt with the same subject matter. Now, Chapter 51 of the Satcharita has been

treated here as Chapter 50. This Chapter gives the stories of (1) Kakasaheb

Dixit, (2) Shri Tembye Swami and (3) Balaram Dhurandhar.

PRELIMINARY

Victory be unto Sai Who is the main-stay of the Bhaktas, Who is our Sadguru, Who

expounds the meaning of the Gita. Who gives us all powers? Oh Sai, look

favorably on us and bless us all.

The sandalwood trees grow on the Malaya Mountains and, ward off heat. The clouds

pour their rainwater and thereby, cool and refresh all the people. The flowers,

blossom in the spring and enable us to worship God, therewith. So the stories

of Sai Baba come forth, in order to give solace and comfort to the readers.

Both, those, who tell;

and those, who hear the stories of Baba, are blessed and holy, as also the

mouths of the former and the ears of the latter.

It is a well-established fact, that though we try hundreds of means or Sadhanas,

we do not attain the spiritual goal of life, unless a Sadguru blesses us with

his Grace. Hear the following story in illustration of this statement.

KAKASAHEB DIXIT (1864-1926)

Mr. Hari Sitaram alias Kakasaheb Dixit was born in 1864 A.D., in Vadnagara Nagar

- Brahmin-family, Khandwa (C.P.). His primary education was done at Khandwa,

Hinganghat, and secondary education at Nagpur. He came to Bombay for higher

education and studied first in the Wilson College and then in the Elphinstone

College. After graduation in 1883 A.D., he passed his LL.B. and

solicitor's examinations; and then served in the firm of the Govt. Solicitors,

Messrs Little and Co., and then, after sometime started a solicitors' firm of

his own.

Before 1909 A.D., Sai Baba's name was not familiar to Kakasaheb, but after that

he soon became His great devotee. While he was staying at Lonavla, he happened

to see his old friend, Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar. Both spent some time, in

talking about many things. Kakasaheb described to him, how when he was boarding

a train in London, he met with an accident, in which his foot slipped and was

injured. Hundreds of remedies gave him no relief. Nanasaheb then told him that

if he wished to get rid of the pain and lameness of his leg, he should go to

his Sadguru-Sai Baba. He also gave him all the particulars of Sai Baba and

mentioned to him Sai Baba's dictum - "I draw to Me My man from far off, or even

across the seven seas, like a sparrow with a string fastened to its feet". He

also made it clear

to him that if he be not Baba's man, he would not be attracted to Him and given

a Darshan. Kakasaheb was pleased to hear all this, and said to Nanasaheb that

he would go to Baba, see Him and pray to Him to cure not so much his lame leg,

but bring around his lame, fickle mind and give him eternal Bliss.

Some time after, Kakasaheb went to Ahmednagar, and stayed with Sirdar Kakasaheb

Mirikar in connection with securing votes for a seat, in the Bombay Legislative

Council. Mr. Balasaheb Mirikar, son of Kakasaheb Mirikar, who was a Mamalatdar

of Kopargaon, also came at that time to Ahmednagar in connection with a

Horse-Exhibition there. After the election business was over, Kakasaheb Dixit

wanted to go to Shirdi and the Mirikars, father and son were also thinking in

their house about a fit and proper person, as a guide, with whom he should be

sent there. There Sai

Baba was arranging things for his reception. Shama got a telegram from his

father-in-law at Ahmednagar, stating that his wife was seriously ill, and that

he should come to see her with his wife. Shama with Baba's permission went

there, and saw his mother-in-law and found her improving and better. Nanasaheb

Panshe and Appasaheb Gadre happened to see Shama, on their way to the

Exhibition and they told him to go to Mirikar's house, see Kakasaheb Dixit

there and take him to Shirdi along with him. Kakasaheb Dixit and the Mirikars

were also informed of Shama's arrival. In the evening Shama came to Mirikars,

who introduced him to Kakasaheb. They arranged that Shama should leave for

Kopargaon with Kakasaheb by the 10 o'clock night train. After this was settled,

a

curious thing happened. Balasaheb Mirikar threw aside the veil or covering on

Baba's big portrait and showed the same to Kakasaheb. He was surprised to see

that He, Whom he was going to meet at Shirdi, was already there in the form of

His portrait to greet him, at this juncture. He was much moved and made his

prostration before the portrait. This portrait belonged to Megha. The glass

over it was broken and it was sent to Mirikars for repairs. The necessary

repairs had been already made; and it was decided to return the portrait with

Kakasaheb and Shama.

Before ten o'clock, they went to the station and booked their passage; but when

the train arrived, they found that the second class was overcrowded; and that

there was no room for them. Fortunately, the guard of the train turned out to

be an acquaintance of Kakasaheb; and he put them up in the first class. Thus,

they traveled comfortably and alighted at Kopargaon. Their joy knew no bounds

when they saw there Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who was also bound for Shirdi.

Kakasaheb and Nanasaheb embraced each other, and then after bathing in the

sacred

Godavari River they started for Shirdi. After coming there and getting Baba's

Darshan, Kakasaheb's mind was melted, his eyes were full of tears and he was

overflowing with joy. Baba said to him, that He was also waiting for him; and

had sent Shama ahead to receive him.

Kakasaheb then passed many happy years in Baba's company. He built a Wada in

Shirdi, which he made as his, more or less, permanent home. The experiences he

got from Baba are so manifold, that it is not possible to relate them all here.

The readers are advised to read a Special (Kakasaheb Dixit) No. of 'Shri Sai

Leela' magazine, Vol. 12, No. 6-9. We close this account with the mention of

one fact only. Baba had comforted him by saying that in the end; He will take

him in air coach (Viman), (i.e., secure him a happy death). This came out true.

On the 5th July 1926 A.D.

FONT-SIZE: 10pt">, he was traveling in the train with Hemadpant and talking

about Sai Baba; he seemed deeply engrossed in Sai Baba. All of a sudden he

threw his neck on Hemadpant's shoulder, and breathed his last with no trace of

pain and uneasiness.

SHRI TEMBYE SWAMI

We come to the next story, which shows how Saints love each other with fraternal

affection. Once Shri Vasudevanand Saraswati, known as Shri Tembye Swami encamped

at Rajamahendri (Andhra Country), on the banks of the Godavari. He was devout,

orthodox, Jnani and Yogi Bhakta of the God Dattatreya. One, Mr. Pundalikrao,

pleader of Nanded (Nizam

State) went to see him, with some friends. While they were talking with him, the

names of Shirdi and Sai Baba were casually mentioned. Hearing Baba's name, the

Swami bowed with his hands; and taking a coconut gave it to Pundalikrao, and

said to him - "Offer this to my brother Sai, with my Pranams and request Him

not to forget me, but ever love me". He also added that Swamis do not generally

bow to others, but in this case an exception had to be made. Mr. Pundalikrao

consented to take the fruit and his message to Baba. The Swami was right in

calling Baba a brother, for as he maintained an Agnihotra (sacred fire) day and

night, in his orthodox fashion; Baba too kept His Agnihotra, i.e., Dhuni ever

burning in the Masjid.

After one month Pundalikrao and others left for Shirdi with the coconut, and

reached Manmad, and as they felt thirsty they went to a rivulet for drinking

water. As water should not be drunk on an empty stomach, they took out some

refreshment, i.e., Chivda (Flattened rice mixed with spice). The Chivda tasted

most pungent and in order to soften it, some one suggested and broke the

coconut and mixed its scrapings with it. That then made the Chivda more tasty

and palatable. Unfortunately the fruit broken, turned out to be the same that

was entrusted to Pundalikrao. As they neared Shirdi, Pundalikrao remembered the

trust, i.e., the coconut and was very sorry to learn that it was broken and

utilized. Fearing and trembling, he came to Shirdi and saw Baba. Baba had

already received a wireless

message, regarding the coconut, from the Tembye Swami, and Himself asked

Pundalikrao first to give the thing sent by His brother. He held fast Baba's

Feet, confessed his guilt and negligence, repented and asked for Baba's pardon.

He offered to give another fruit as a substitute, but Baba refused to accept it

saying that the worth of that coconut was by far, many times more, than an

ordinary one and that it could not be replaced by another. Baba also added -

"Now you need not worry yourself any more about the matter. It was on account

of my wish that the coconut was entrusted to you, and ultimately broken on the

way; why should you take the responsibility of the actions on you? Do not

entertain the sense of doership in doing good, as well as for bad deeds; be

entirely prattleless and egoless in all things and thus your spiritual progress

will be rapid." What a beautiful spiritual instruction Baba gave!

BALARAM DHURANDHAR (1878-1925)

Mr. Balaram Dhurandhar belonged to the Pathare Prabhu community, of Santa Cruz,

Bombay. He was an advocate of the Bombay High Court and sometime Principal of

the Government Law School, Bombay. The whole Dhurandhar family was pious and

religious. Mr. Balaram served his community, and wrote and published an account

of it. He then turned his attention to spiritual and religious matters. He

studied carefully

Gita, and its commentary Jnaneshwari; and other philosophical and metaphysical

works. He was a devotee of Vitoba of Pandharpur. He came in contact with Sai

Baba in 1912 A.D., Six months previous, his brothers Babulji and Vamanrao came

to Shirdi and took Baba's Darshan. They returned home, and mentioned their

sweet experiences to Balaram and other members. Then they all decided to see

Sai Baba. Before they came to Shirdi, Baba declared openly that - "Today many

of my Darbar people are coming". The Dhurandhar brothers were astonished to

hear this remark of Baba, from others; as they had not given any previous

intimation of their trip. All the other people prostrated themselves before

Baba, and sat talking with Him. Baba said to them - These are my Darbar people

to whom I referred before and said to the Dhurandhar brothers - We are

acquainted with each other for the last sixty generations. All the brothers

were meek and modest; they stood with joined hands, staring at Baba's Feet. All

the Satwic emotions such as tears, horripilation, choking etc., moved them and

they were all happy. Then they went to their lodging, took their meals and

after taking a little rest again came to the Masjid. Balaram sat near Baba,

massaging His legs. Baba who was smoking the chillim advanced it towards him

and beckoned him to smoke it. Balaram was not accustomed to smoking, still he

accepted the pipe, smoked it with great difficulty; and returned it

reverentially with a bow. This was the most auspicious moment for Balaram. He

was suffering from Asthma for six years. This smoke completely cured him of the

disease, which never troubled him again. Some six years later, on a particular

day, he again got an attack of Asthma. This was precisely the time when Baba

took His Maha Samadhi.

The day of this visit was a Thursday; and the Dhurandhar brothers had the good

fortune of witnessing the Chavadi procession that night. At the Aarathi

function in the Chavadi, Balaram saw the luster of Pandurang on Baba's face and

next morning at the Kakad Aarathi time, the same phenomenon - the same lustre of

his Beloved Deity-Panduranga was visible again on Baba's face.

Mr. Balaram Dhurandhar wrote, in Marathi, the life of the Maharashtra Saint

Tukaram, but he did not survive to see its publication. His brothers published

it, later on, in 1928. In a short note on Balaram's life given in the beginning

of the book, the above account of Balaram's visit has been fully corroborated

therein (Vide page 6 of the book).

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

EPILOGUE

We are done with Chapter 51 and now we come to the last Chapter (No. 52 in the

original). In this Hemadpant gave his concluding remarks and promised to give

an index, giving the contents of all the Chapters in verse as is given in

Marathi sacred books, but unfortunately that index was not found in Hemadpant's

papers. It was therefore, composed and supplied by an able and worthy devotee of

Sai Baba, Mr. B.V. Deo (Retired Mamalatdar) of Thana. As we give in English

books an index in the beginning and contents of each Chapter at its top, we

need not consider the

last index Chapter here; and so we consider this Chapter as the Epilogue.

Unfortunately Hemadpant did not survive to revise the manuscript of this

Chapter and make it ready for the press. When it was sent to the press Mr. Deo

found it to be incomplete and unintelligible in certain places; but it had to

be published as it was found. The chief topics dealt therein are briefly given

below.

GREATNESS OF SADGURU SAI

We prostrate ourselves before and take refuge in that Sai Samarth Who besets all

animate and inanimate things in the universe-from a post to God Brahma, pots,

houses, mansions and even sky, Who pervades all creatures equally without any

differentiation, to Whom all devotees are alike; and Who knows not honour or

dishonor, like or dislike. If we remember Him and surrender to Him, He fulfills

all our desires and makes us attain the goal of life.

This ocean of mundane existence is very hard to cross. Waves of infatuation beat

high there against the bank of bad thoughts and break down trees of fortitude.

The breeze of egoism blows forcibly and makes the ocean rough and agitated.

Crocodiles in the form of anger and hatred move there fearlessly. Eddies in the

form of the ideas I and Mine and other doubts whirl there incessantly and

innumerable sharks in the form of censure, hate and jealousy play there. Though

this ocean is so fierce and terrible, Sadguru Sai is its Agasti (Destroyer) and

the devotees of Sai have not the least to fear of it. Our Sadguru is the boat,

which will safely take us across this ocean.

PRAYER

Now lets fall flat before Sai Baba and holding His Feet make the following prayer for the public: -

Let not our mind wander and desire anything except Thee. Let this work

(Satcharita) be in every house and let it be studied daily. Ward off the

calamities of those who study it regularly.

FALA-SHRUTI (REWARD OF STUDY)

Now a few words about the reward you get, from a study of this work. After

bathing in the sacred Godavari and after taking the Darshan of the Samadhi in

the Samadhi-Mandir in Shirdi, you should read or hear the Satcharita. If you do

this all your threefold afflictions will vanish. Casually thinking about the

stories of Sai, you will get unconsciously interested in spiritual life and if

you then go on through the work with love, all your sins will be destroyed. If

you wish to get rid of the cycle of births and deaths, read Sai's stories and

remember Him always; and get yourself

attached (devoted) to His Feet. If you dive into the sea of Sai's stories, and

then give them out to others, you will get an ever-new flavor of them and save

the hearers from future misery. If you go on meditating on Sai's Form, it will

in course of time disappear and lead you into self-realization. It is very hard

to know or realize the nature of Self or Brahma, but if you approach through the

Surgeon Brahma (Sai's Form) your progress will be easy. If the devotee

completely surrenders himself to Him, he will lose his

individuality and be merged in Him and be one with Him, as the river becomes in

the sea. If you thus become merged with Him in any of the three states, viz.,

waking, dream and sleep, you get rid of the bond of Samsara. If anybody after

bathing reads this with love and faith, and completes it within a week, his

calamities will disappear; or if he hears or reads it daily and regularly all

his dangers will be warded off. By its study, a man wishing for wealth will get

it and a pure trader, success in his line. He will get the reward according to

his faith and devotion. Without these, there will be no experience of any kind.

If you read this respectfully, Sai will be pleased, and by removing your

ignorance and poverty, will give you knowledge, wealth and prosperity. With

concentrated mind, if you read a Chapter daily, it will give you unbounded

happiness. One, who has his own welfare at heart, should study it carefully and

then he will ever remember Sai gratefully and joyfully in birth

after birth. This work should be read at home especially on Guru Poornima

(Ashadha full-moon day), Gokulashtami, Rama-Navami and Dasara (Baba's

anniversary day). If you study this one book carefully, all your desires will

be satisfied and if you always remember Sai's Feet in your heart, you will

easily cross the Bhava (Samsara) sagar. By its study, the diseased and sick

will get health, the poor wealth, the mean and afflicted the prosperity and the

mind will get rid of all ideas and get steadiness.

Dear good and devoted readers and listeners, we also make our bow to you all,

and make you a special request. Never forget Him whose stories you have read

day-by-day or month-by-month. The more fervently you read or listen to these

stories, the more encouragement Sai gives us to serve you and be of use to you.

Both the author and the readers must cooperate in this work, help each other and

be happy.

PRASAD-YACHANA

We close this Chapter with prayer to the Almighty for the following Prasad of favour: -

May the readers and devotees get complete and whole-hearted devotion to Sai's

Feet. May His Form be ever fixed in their eyes and may they see Sai (the Lord)

in all beings. Amen!

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

AARATHI

Oh Sai Baba, we have lights before you, the bestower of happiness to the Jivas.

Give us – Your servants and devotees rest under the dust of Your Feet, Burning

(destroying) desire. You remain absorbed in Your Self, and show the Lord (God)

to the aspirants. As one feels intently, You give him experiences or

realizations accordingly. Oh kind-hearted, Your power is such! Meditation on

Your name removes our fear of the Samsara. Your method of word is really

unfathomable as, You always help the poor and the helpless. In this Kali age

You-the all-pervasive Datta, have really incarnated as Sagun Brahma. Ward off

the fear of samsar of the devotees who come to You every Thursday, so as to

enable them to see the Feet of the Lord. Oh God of Gods, I pray that let my

treasure be the service of Your Feet. Feed Madhav

(and Gadhij* also) with happiness as the cloud feeds the chatak bird with pure

water, and thus keep up Your Word. Amen!

The devotee who sings the Aarathi should utter his name also here.

The following is an excerpt from Dr. K.V. Raghava Rao's "Messages of Shri Sai Baba":

The birth and parentage of Sai Baba are wrapped in mystery. Many authors and

scholars conclude from various proofs that Baba was born in 1838 in a Brahmin

family at village Pathri in District Parabhani, Maharashtra State, India. The

Brahmin parents handed over the tender child to the care of a fakir who in turn

passed on the young child

to a saintly person namely Gopal Rao Deshmukh--an ardent worshipper of Lord

Venkateswara. Baba used to refer to him as his Guru "Venkusa." It is also

stated that Baba practiced penance at the tomb of his Guru in the cellar under

the "Neem” tree at Shirdi.

Baba first came to Shirdi about the year 1854 and lived there for three years.

He disappeared from there for sometime and returned to Shirdi with a marriage

party in 1858 and lived there for sixty years till his Maha Samadhi in 1918. He

lived a simple life in a dilapidated mosque. He never accumulated wealth. He

advocated faith in God and tolerance towards all as the basic tenets for

religious life. His compassion towards human beings and all creatures is the

same. He is above caste, creed and religion.

Impact of the precious immortal teachings, Leelas (Divine experiences) and

miracles of Sri Sai Baba were greatly felt by numerous devotees who visited the

place. Thus Shirdi has become a veritable place of pilgrimage. To His devotees,

Baba has come to stay as the embodiment of Supreme Spirit, Primary Cause of the

Universe, Pure Consciousness and God incarnate. Few years before His Maha

Samadhi, Baba said that even after his passing away, He would speak from the

Samadhi (tomb). This assurance came out absolutely true--Baba seems to be more

active now than when He was living. His ways of blessing the devotees are

mysterious and inscrutable.

MAY THE LOVING GRACE AND BLESSINGS OF SAI BABA SHOWER IN ABUNDANCE UPON ONE AND ALL IN THE UNIVERSE

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of the Divine Lord Sai and with Sai love from Sai

brother M. Palaniswamy

/

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - PART IV

The Life of the Divine Avatar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - [1973-1979]

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

THE TIGER SKIN

His return from Uravakonda and the announcement at Puttaparthi that He was the

Sai Baba of Shirdi came when He was only fourteen years of age. But the

villages around, and even far off Anantapur (forty miles away), knew of His

being Sai Baba.

One day a jeep-driver crossed the river bed and walked the streets of

Puttaparthi, trying to locate Swami. His master, a young English sub-divisional

officer, had gone for Shikar to the forest on the other side of the Chitravathi,

and while returning to Anantapur the vehicle had stopped right opposite

Puttaparthi village. The driver did his best, as did the officer, to get the

vehicle moving, but failed. The driver suggested that there was a 'Boy' at

Puttaparthi who could materialize Vibuthi (sacred ash). Yes, "create, by a

circular movement of His palm, the very panacea for all ills, even for the

jeep!" Stranded halfway, the Englishman agreed and let the driver go to the

village, while he himself sat in the jeep. The driver bumped into the Boy at

last, but was astounded to hear Baba say, "I am coming,

myself, to the jeep." He walked across the sandy bed, and on reaching the road,

peeped into the vehicle and saw the carcass of a tiger that the officer had

shot barely two hours ago. Swami's deep love for all beings could not tolerate

animals being killed or tortured. He said, "I stopped the jeep at this place,

for it is a mother, whose three small cubs are at this very time loudly wailing

and calling out to her, that you are carrying. Go back! Recover those cubs and

gift them to some zoo where they will be well looked after. And do not shoot

wild beasts again, for they have caused you no harm. Why do you kill them,

surround them and lay traps to catch them. Shoot them instead with a more

superior weapon, your camera. That won't maim or kill them." The Englishman was

at once enlightened, and he never carried a firearm again. Shooting wild beasts

armed with a camera, he discovered, was far more adventurous and Satwic (pure).

He presented the orphaned cubs to the zoo, and when the

tiger skin came back from the taxidermist, he brought it to Puttaparthi.

Prashanthi Mandir was then under construction. He met Baba and placed the skin

at His feet. Sakamma of Coorg pleaded with Him to sit on it in Yogic fashion,

with a rosary between His fingers. She had a photographer ready. And Baba

obliged, though He has never sat in Dhyana (meditation) or held a rosary!

A BOOK ON HIM

Smt. Nagamani Purnaiya has written a book in Telugu (later also translated into

and printed in English), entitled, 'Divine Leelas of Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba'.

In the foreword to the book she says, "I have availed myself of every

opportunity of witnessing His divine powers." The book describes more than 140

miracles, of which she says "more than 115 were witnessed by me with abundant

joy." Nagamani Amma was the wife of Sri Purnaiya, the Chief Commercial

Superintendent, Southern Railways, and the miracles she records were revealed

at what is called the 'old' Mandir (temple) in the village, in the first few

years after Swami's announcement. When the present Mandir called Prashanthi

Mandir was inaugurated in 1950, the Mandir at the village became old! The

miracles described relate to cures effected by the

administration of Vibuthi created by Swami, and of raging floods subdued at His

command. Baba revealed to her, "It is because of your faith and trust in Me

that your bus could cross the river in spite of the surging floods." Swami

created Tulsi (basil leaf) garlands, rings and pendants for personal wear. He

also performed surgical operations. "One day I saw Swami throwing over the wall

something like a banana peel," narrates Nagamani Amma. "Then He came towards me

and asked for water to wash His hands which were red with blood. 'You had

prayed to me to cure that man, so I operated upon him,' He said. That night I

could not sleep due to my anxiety for the man, since he was operated upon

without cocaine and in full consciousness. I was very troubled by the thought

of the pain he must be suffering in the adjacent room, and so I stayed

wide-awake. At daybreak Swami called me and asked me to give the patient some

surgical cotton. 'Go and give the cotton at once.' He commanded. When I

went in, after hesitating at the door for a while, I found the patient eating a

plateful of idlies and chutney. Swami stood behind me. 'This is not an

operation by a doctor,' He chuckled. 'I have done it; so there is no pain

caused, no rest required and no special diet prescribed. He can eat whatever he

wants.' I was shown a long mark on the stomach but could discover no stitches.

Swami said, 'The Vibhuthi I created and applied on his brow acted as an

anesthetic. I created a Trishul (trident) and a knife for the operation. After

I had finished, I smeared Vibhuthi, and it was all over.'

"On another day, four men came to Prashanthi Nilayam with the intention of

testing Swami," continues Nagamani Purnaiya. "When they reached Bukkapatnam,

three miles away, they exchanged the wrist watches they wore, deciding among

themselves to find out whether Baba would discover what they had done. 'If He

is God, He should know,' they thought. Swami called them and said, 'I know why

you have come and what you were talking on the way. One is wearing the watch of

the other. I know that you have come to test Me, but this is a place for

devotees. You can go back to where you have come from.' "

THE SONG HE MADE THEM SING

Baba had not only to encourage Bhajan and give a boost to the declining Bhajan

Mandalis (groups of Bhajan singers) in the village, but He had also to compose

Bhajans and Namavalis to satisfy the demand for new songs. During those early

years He wrote quite a few. The four pillars of the mansion of Sai Dharma were

first demarcated in one such song

composed by Him when He was seventeen years of age.

With Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi and PremaLet, step by step, the pilgrim road of

life be trod.Your duty is to but trudge and try;Whether you win or lose the

game - 'tis the Will of God.Fill your mind with God, be devoted in full to

Him;'Twill grant you freedom from grief and pain.Janaka was king, but he lived

in God;He ruled his realm and gained Moksha (liberation) too.Why yearn for

superhuman skills? Have faith, O man!They swell your ego and blind your wisdom

eye.While passing through this trackless jungleThe name of God is the only

guide.Your heartland is a precious field;Plough it with your mind; and useYour

virtues as animals yoked.Hold the intellect as the whip to urge them on,And

gather the harvest of love and

light.

LOVE ON THE MARCH

WHY COLLEGES?

The Avatar had illumined the world for forty-five years when this narrative was

completed up to Part III of 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram'. That name, which flashed

into my consciousness when wondering what title to adorn His biography with,

now, brings to my memory a prophetic declaration by Swami Vivekananda. During

his discourses on Bhakti Yoga he announced, "Religion, which is the highest

knowledge and the highest wisdom, cannot be bought; nor can it be acquired from

books. You may turn your head in all directions, you may explore the Himalayas,

the Alps and the Caucasus, you may search the bottom of the sea and pry into

every nook and corner of the world, be it Tibet or the desert of Gobi, yet you

will not find it anywhere till your heart is ready for receiving it and your

teacher has come. And when

that Divinely appointed teacher comes, serve him with childlike confidence and

simplicity. Freely open your heart to his influence and see in him God

manifested. Those who come to seek truth with such a spirit of love and

veneration, to them the Lord of Truth reveals the most wonderful things

regarding truth, goodness and beauty." Translators of this passage into Indian

languages have, even without the knowledge of the Sathya Sai Avatar,

interpreted truth as Sathyam, goodness as Sivam and beauty as Sundaram! The

Lord of Truth is, best translated as Sathya Sai. Baba has revealed the most

wonderful thing about human beings - that the core of every individual is

Sathyam-Sivam-Sundaram, and that this awareness alone can confer liberation. I

had no inkling of this truth. Vivekananda himself must have led me to the

teacher, the Lord of Truth.

Baba blessed the city of Anantapur, headquarters of the district of which

Prashanthi Nilayam is a part, with the College of Arts and Science for Women,

not with the intention of adding one more to the hundreds already dotting the

land. His plan was to create an educational institution which would mould the

girls entering its portals into daughters revering the spiritual traditions of

Bharat (India), sisters eager to serve the ever-expanding circle of their kith

and kin in the villages of this land, wives wedded to simplicity and sincerity,

and mothers skilled and eager to instill ideals of service and spiritual

discipline in the hearts of children. Before long, Bhagawan blessed Anantapur

with another structure dedicated to the furtherance of 'higher living', a

Kalyana Mantap."When love is the lever

that operates the mind, only good can result. I have come to restore love among

mankind, to cleanse it of meanness and restrictive attitudes," He declared,

while inaugurating the building. The Mantap is used as a community hall of

service. Baba Himself arrived a few years later, when devotees celebrated

therein the wedding of four indigent Harijans, and showered grace on the happy

couples. He created for each bride a gold Bottu (a sanctified ornament, worn to

indicate wedlock) that the groom had to place around her neck as part of the

ritual, and for each groom a gold ring which the bride had to put on his

finger. The Harijan families were entertained to a hearty feast which they

shared with the devotees and with Bhagawan Himself.

SEVENTY APARTMENT FLATS

In the month of August 1971, when thousands gathered at Prashanthi Nilayam for

offering homage on the sacred day commemorating the birth of Krishna, Baba

declared, "People tell me that mankind is today on the brink of destruction,

that the forces of hypocrisy and hate are spreading fast over all the

continents, and that anxiety and fear are stalking the streets of every

country. There is no need to tell Me this, for I have come here for this very

reason. When the world is on the verge of chaos, the avatar comes to still the

storm raging in the heart of man."

The Dasara festival in September afforded an opportunity for the vast gathering

of seekers to benefit by what it has actually become - a course of divine

lessons on the mystic symbolism in Vedic culture. Baba explained that the Yajna

(ritual sacrifice) was a reminder of our essential duty to sacrifice the self in

order to visualise the Over-Self. The body is the altar; the world we live in,

the oblation; Bhakti (devotion) and Jnana (knowledge), the sacrificial flames

which accept, transmute and sanctify the oblation; and the sublimation of the

consciousness (Purusha) into the Absolute (Purushothama), the fruition thereof.

Bhagawan also announced, "This year Dasara marks a new chapter in the history of

the Nilayam. Recognise that Divinity is its core; yearn for that Divinity and

strive to reveal It in

yourselves through Sadhana, to which this campus is dedicated." The prayer hall

had a new frontage added to it, besides an extended porch with silver doors and

traditional temple sculptures and ornamental domes having golden finales. The

Mandir was proclaiming the presence of the Avatar. The residents and visitors

were to be conscious of the presence and to mould their daily schedules in

conformity with the spiritual upliftment that they could partake in the

sanctified atmosphere. Baba blessed by His divine presence, more than seventy

flats which were allotted to devotees who were anxious to spend their days in

Sadhana. The allottees had come from different parts of India and even from

overseas. They professed different faiths and

spoke different languages. But Bhagawan showered grace on them all for, as he

declared, "There is only one caste, the caste of humanity; there is only one

religion, the religion of love; there is only one language, the language of the

heart; there is only one God and He is omnipresent." The flats have since

increased in number to about 300. Sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) eager to spend

their days, or at least some months every year, in this atmosphere of silence,

self-reliance and surrender to the Divine Will, are fast increasing in number.

SIVAM [Hyderabad] ARISING

October saw Bhagawan at Hyderabad, enthusing the citizens into Nagarsankirtan,

inspiring them to instruct their children in the rudiments of Sadhana and

transforming the baser ideas and goals of the elite by His discourses at the

Academy of Vedic Scholars, growing in strength and usefulness under His benign

guidance. On 25th October 1971, Baba laid the foundation for a Lingam-shaped

temple at Hyderabad, the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh. "I am

consecrating this temple for devotees who, instead of following Me from place

to place, can now gather here, assured of Darshan," He said. At Dharmakshetra

in Bombay, the divine residence is named 'Sathyam'. 'Sivam' is second in the

series, while 'Sundaram', in Madras, was raised last. Of the three, Baba said,

"Sathyam is the feet, Sivam is the trunk and Sundaram the head. On Sathyam we

stand, on Sivam we act and on Sundaram we think. In Truth we are born, in

Goodness we live and into Beauty we merge." Bhagawan inaugurated 'Sivam' on the

Telugu New Year Day in April 1973. This architectural gem, enshrining the cosmic

message of emergence from and mergence into the One, was completed in eighteen

months. Here He materialized a Lingam for continuous worship by devotees who

may be so inclined, and installed it in the hall, which forms the Peetha (base)

of the Lingam structure. For seven days thereafter, large concourses of people

listened in rapture to the recitation and exposition of the glory of Siva and

of the Lingam, which He is, as described in the Siva Purana texts. The event

marked the dawn of a cultural and spiritual revolution, with 'Sivam' as the

fountain of inspiration.

During the Birthday celebrations, 1971, Bhagawan explained, "Life is a

challenge; meet it. Life is love; share it. Life is a dream; realise it. Life

is a game; play it" - a message which thousands now cherish and live by. He

spoke of the three bodies, which each one is encased in - the gross, the subtle

and the causal. He said that intelligence is master of the gross body, intellect

of the subtle and intuition of the causal. Every day during the celebrations,

all those who were alert to the proceedings could advance a few steps towards

self-control, self-knowledge and self-realisation Christmas came soon after,

and in His discourse Bhagawan emphasised omnipresent Christ, saying "All are

One in Christ and the One Christ is in all," He assured.

THE CONFERENCE DID MEET

The Eighth All India Conference of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation was held

at Abbotsbury, Madras, in the last week of December 1971. Baba had encouraged

the organizers to proceed with the preparations in spite of the country being

involved in a war with Pakistan, for He said that the war would be over by that

time. "The civil war in Pakistan, between its western and eastern halves, forced

millions of terror-stricken people to take refuge in India. They prayed in their

agony that we should help them. True to our culture and

tradition we sacrificed a great deal, gave them food and shelter and sent them

back to their homes after ensuring that they could be safe and live there in

peace. We do not wish to expand or dominate or injure anyone," Baba said after

the conflict ended. His Will prevailed. The Pakistani army surrendered,

administering indeed a pleasant surprise to India. This happened barely a week

before the conference was due to start with more than 3000 delegates gathering

at Madras from all over the

country.

Many had come from outside India. The Cowans - Walter and Elsie, Dr. John Hislop

and many others came from the USA. The Cowans returned home in April 1972. At a

gathering of 'Friends and Fellow Seekers' Elsie said, "We have come from India,

my husband and I, brimful of the most astounding news that can happen to anyone.

It is so fantastic that many of you may doubt it, because hardly any of us

realise the great importance and the tremendous power of this Great High God,

who not only walks the earth but cares for all the planes from earth to

eternity. Walter died at Madras. Sai Baba resurrected him." And Walter

confirmed, "While in the Connemara Hotel at

10pt">Madras, two days after I arrived, I was taken very sick with pneumonia and

was in bed. As I gasped for breath, suddenly, all the body struggle was over. I

died."

During the conference, Bhagawan inspired the devotee-delegates to endeavor to

translate the love they bore for Him into acts of service for those less

fortunate than themselves. He exhorted them to share their resources, power and

skills with others who are also integral parts of the same God whom they revere

equally. Service must not become a routine gesture, an exhibitionistic activity

or mere oral outpourings of sympathy. 'All for one, one for all' is the ideal

towards which society should march. Bhagawan castigated institutions and

individuals, who deride holy festivals, defame holy men, deny God and thereby

undermine the faith, charity, sincerity and honesty in man. He pointed out that

man had mastered vast fields of knowledge, yet he had no knowledge of himself.

He limped, though his legs were

strong; he was insane, though his inside was sound; he was deaf, though his ear

was sharp. The time had come to awaken him to this absurdity and infuse

confidence into his behaviour. Before the delegates left for their homes, He

directed that all traces of dislike or distrust they might have had in their

hearts for Pakistan be drowned in the flood of Universal Love that they had

experienced. "All mankind must be welcomed into the warm fold of your love," He

said.

In a letter to the residents of Prashanthi Nilayam on the New Year Day 1972,

about the Madras conference, Baba said, "The sessions of the conference gave

Ananda (bliss) to all. But more time and attention was devoted to the needs of

the tongue and the stomach than to the needs of the Atman. For those who have

appetite for the Atman, these cravings are trivial. It is best to keep feeding

and feasting at a low key. In Madras this did not happen." Baba is

uncompromising in His emphasis on values. He also explained, "Where material

comforts are overstressed, Ananda escapes. Sadhaks should reckon that idle

talk, voraciousness, indulgence in backbiting and scandal mongering, the

denigration of others and the exchange of flattery, are inveterate enemies.

Only those who avoid these evil tendencies can earn Swami's grace. May you

deserve that grace in the year ahead. Determine today to get out of the old

ruts and move along the paths laid down by Sanathana Dharma."

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/

 

 

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