SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [54]

[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 – [54]

KHAPARDE DIARY

6th January 1912

In the morning I got up as usual, prayed, and commenced the daily routine with

Paramamrit. It is a very celebrated Marathi work on Vedanta. Upasani reads; I,

Bapu Saheb Jog, Bhishma listen. It is exceedingly nice and I give explanations

whenever necessary. I was able to see Sai Maharaj go out but was late in going

to see him after he returned to Masjid. He not only showed no displeasure but

also treated me with positive kindness and I sat serving. The midday Aarathi

was late a Megha is ill and was not ordered to come soon. He did so at last and

by the time we returned and

had our meals it was nearly 4 p.m. Dixit read a little of Ramayana and then we

went to see Sai Saheb at the Masjid. He did not permit us to sit long and came

out himself and finished his usual stroll in a hurry and ordered us to return

to the Wada. We could not understand it, but on returning to the Wada learnt

that Hari, a servant of Dixit, who felt indisposed the other day, died. We sent

for Upasani who understands medicine but he could not be found. That the man was

dead; there could be no doubt. We did the usual Aarathi in the Wada and attended

the Shej-Aarathi. Sai Maharaj was particularly gracious at the latter and sent

out wonderful cements of joy and instruction. He favored Ram Maruti similarly.

17th January 1912

I got up very early, saw Bapusaheb Jog go out to bathe. I finished my prayer in

the meantime. Then we went to the Chawadi for Kakad Aarathi. Megha was too ill

to attend. So Bapusaheb Jog did the Aarathi . Sai Baba showed his face and

smiled most benignly. It is worth while spending years here to see it even

once. I was overjoyed and stood gazing like mad. After we returned Narayanrao's

son Govinda and brother Bhaoo went by cart to Kopargaon an route to Hushangabad,

and I commenced my daily routine. I wrote a few lines and then read Paramamrit

with Upasani and Bapusaheb Jog. We saw Sai Maharaj go out and again after he

returned to Masjid. He gave the silent instructions but like a fool I did not

understand them. On returning to the Wada I felt disconsolate and melancholy

without cause. Balwant also

felt sad and said that he wished to leave Shirdi. I lay down for a while after

meals and then wished to listen to Dixit's Ramayana, but Sai Baba sent for him

and he had to go. Some how then we made no progress. Tahasildar Saheb Pralhad

Ambadas of Khandwa today asked for and obtained permission to return. There is

Mr. Pate of Jalgaon and a Lingayat with him. They may go away tomorrow. We saw

Sai Baba during his evening stroll. He was in very good mood. At night there

was the usual Bhajan of Bhishma and Dixit's Ramayana. During the Aarathi in the

Wada I understood the instructions given in the morning and then felt happy.

18th January 1912

There is much to record today. I got up very early, prayed, and finding it yet

wanting an hour to the dawn, I lay down and got up in time to see the sun rise.

I, Upasani, Bapusaheb Jog, and Bhishma, read Paramamrit. Tahasildar Saheb

Prahlad Ambadas, Mr. Pate, and his companion (Lingayat) returned to their

places. The latter two, got permission just in time to start. We saw Sai Baba

go out and again after he returned to the Masjid. He treated me very kindly and

while I was serving, he told me two or three tales. He said, many people came to

take his money. He never resisted but let them take it away. He only noted their

names and followed them. When they got down for their meals he killed them and

brought his money back. The other story was that there was a blind man. He used

to live near the Takia

here. A man enticed away his wife and eventually murdered the blind man. Four

hundred men assembled at the Chawadi and condemned him. They ordered him to be

decapitated. This order was carried out by the village hangman who did the work

out of some motive and not merely as a piece of duty. So the murderer in the

reincarnation was born as the son of hangman. He then commenced another tale.

In the meantime a strange Fakir came and touched Sai Baba's feet. Sai Baba felt

very angry or rather showed that he was so and shook off the Fakir who showed

great tenacity and persistence without losing his own equanimity. At last he

went out and stood near the compound wall on the outside. Sai Baba was angry

and threw away the Aarathi utensils and the dished full of food brought by his

worshippers. He lifted up Ram Maruti Bawa who declared afterwards that he felt

very happy and as if sent off to higher regions. One Bhagya and a villager were

also roughly handled by Sai Maharaj. Sita Ram brought

the Aarathi and we finished the Aarathi in the usual, though in a somewhat

hurried way. Martand, son o f Mhalaspathi, showed treat presence of mind and

prevented confusion by directing that the Aarathi should be finished when it

was begun. He did so when Sai Baba mover out of his usual place. Before

finishing Sai Baba resumed his seat and all went much as usual, except the

"Udi" was distributed wholesale and not individually. He was not really angry,

of course, and did the whole things as a 'Lila'. The whole affair made us late

and there was the feast given by Tatya Patil for the death of his father as a

part of the obsequies. So we did not finish our meals till about 4-30 p.m. It

must have been a bit later, for after it there was no time to do anything and

we went to see Sai Maharaj come out for his stroll. He did so as usual, and we

saluted him as usual. There was the usual Aarathi in the Wada. Megha was too

ill to stand up and Sai Baba foretold his end during the night. We then

attended the Chawadi procession it being the evening for it. I held the morchal

as usual and everything went on smooth. Sita Ram did the Aarathi. At night

there was the Bhajan of Bhishma, and Ramayana of Dixit.

P.S.I. forgot to mention above that during the torrent of hard words that Sai

Baba poured out today he said that he had saved my son Balwant and then often

repeated the phrase "Fakir wishes to kill Dadasaheb (meaning me ) but I would

not permit it." He mentioned one more name, but I cannot recall it now.

19th January 1912

This was a very sad day. I got up very early and after finishing my prayer

discovered that it yet wanted and hour or so to daybreak. So I lay down and was

aroused for Kaka Aarathi by Bapu Saheb Jog. Dixit Kaka told me that Megha died

about 4 a.m. the Kakad Aarathi was done, but Sai Maharaj did not show his face

clear and did not appear to open his eyes. He never threw glances spreading

grace. After we returned arrangements were made for the cremation of Megha's

body. Sai Baba came just as the body was being brought out and loudly lamented

his death. His voice was so touching

that it brought tears to every eye. He followed the body up to the bend in the

made toad near the village and then went his usual way. Megha's body was taken

under the Bada tree and consigned to flames there. Sai Baba could be distinctly

heard lamenting his death even at that distance and he was seen waving his hands

and swaying as if in Aarathi to say goodbye. There was a good supply of dry fuel

and flames soon rose very high. Dixit Kaka, myself, Bapusaheb Jog. Upasani, Dada

Kelkar and all else here were there and praised the lot of Megha that his body

was seen and touched by Sai Baba on the head, heart, and shoulders, and feet.

After finishing the ceremonies we ought to have sat praying, but Bapusaheb Jog

came and I sat talking with him. When later on I went to see Sai Baba he asked

me how I spent the afternoon. I was very sorry to confess that I had wasted it

in talking. This was a lesson to me. I remember how Sai Baba foretold his death

three days ago. "This is the last Aarathi

of Megha"; how Megha felt that he had completed his service and was passing

away, how he shed tears to think that he could not see Sathe whom he regarded

as his Guru, and how he directed the cows of Sai Baba should be let loose. He

never expressed any other wish. We all admired his life of extreme devotion and

I was sorry that I did not rest in prayer but listened to meaningless talk.

Bhishma and my son Balvant are not well, so there was no Bhajan. Dixit Kaka

read Ramayana at night. Gupte, his brother and their families left this morning

for Bombay.

20th January 1912

In the morning I got up in time to say my prayers before daybreak and commence

the routine of life here to suit everybody else. The day promised to be

pleasant, and so it turned out. I read Paramamrit with Bapusaheb Jog, Upasani

and Rama Murti. Bhishma and my son Balwant are unwell. We saw Sai Maharaj go

out and again after returned, he sat chatting pleasantly. Presently a

Jahagirdar of a village some where hereable out came and Sai Baba would not let

him approach, much less worship. Many people interceded for him in vain. Appa

Kote came and did his utmost to secure at least the usual kind of Pooja for the

Jahagirdar and Sai Baba relented so far as to let him enter the Masjid and

worship the pillar near the fire place, but he would not give "Udi" I thought

Sai Baba would get angry but he did not, and

our midday Aarathi passed off in the usual way. Bapusaheb Jog has been ordered

by Sai Baba to do all the Aarathis at all times. I predicted this result two

days before Megha passed off. After the midday meal I sat reading newspapers.

Dixit's younger brother*, who practices at Khandwa, came this morning and his

Bombay agent came in the afternoon. Dixit's brother tried to induce Dixit to

return to work in vain. He applied to Sai Baba but Sai Baba left the whole

matter to Dixit himself. Bapusaheb jog has also got four guests. The

husband of his wife's sister who is the chief treasury officer at Sangli has

come here with his whole family on his way back from the Delhi Durbar. His wife

wishes to take Mrs. Bapusaheb Jog with her but Sai Maharaj would not permit it.

We saw Sai Saheb as he came out for his evening stroll. Then there was the Wada

Aarathi and later on the Shej-Aarathi. Dixit read Ramayana as usual. There was

no Bhajan as Bhishma is indisposed and my son Balwant is slightly worse. There

is here Mr. Moreshwar Janardhan Pathare with his wife. He is the victim of

paralysis and has suffered much. Joshi of Wasai has come and brought some

printed copies of the prayers sung hers.

21st January 1912

I got up and attended the Kakad Aarathi. There were all the usual people except

Bala Shimpi. After the Aarathi Sai Baba followed the usual custom of using hard

words against the internal enemies by naming them as Appa Kote, Telin, Waman

Tatya etc. I read Paramamrit with Bapusaheb Jog, Upasani and Rama Maruti. The

guests of Bapusaheb Jog from Sangli atended our class. His name is Limaye. We

saw Sai Baba go out and again after he returned to the Masjid. While we were at

the Masjid Madhavrao Deshpande returned from Nagar. There was Dadasaheb

Karandikar with him and a gentleman of Baroda

FONT-SIZE: 10pt">. I was very much surprised to see Karandikar. It appears he

came to Nagar on a case and meeting Madhavrao Deshpande there decided to see

Sai Maharaj/ we sat talking. He returned to Nagat about 4.30 p.m. The Limayes

also went. Permission was refused to them at first but subsequently granted by

Sai Baba. Sadashivrao Dixit wished to go also, but was told to depart tomorrow

morning with his family, children and Ram Maruti. We saw Sai Baba at the

evening stroll and had Dixit's Ramayana after the evening Aarathi at the Wada.

22nd January 1912

In the morning I got up early and prayed. We saw Sai Maharaj go out and again

after he returned. During the course of the worship he put two flowers in his

two nostrils and put two other between his ears and the head. My attention was

drawn to this by Madhavrao Deshpande. I thought this was an instruction. Sai

Baba repeated the same thing a second time and when I interpreted it a second

time in our mind he offered the chillum to me and this confirmed me. He said

something which I noted instantly and particularly wished to remember, but it

went clear out of my mind and no efforts made all through the day could bring

it back. I am most surprised as this is the first experience of the kind. Sai

Baba also said that his order was supreme (Bala) which I understood to mean

that I need not be anxious about

the health of my son. By the time the midday Aarathi was finished and we

returned, I found Mrs. Laxmibai Kaujalgi* standing in front of my lighting I

was very glad to see her. She arrived at the Masjid just as I left and saluted

Sai Maharaj. The latter showed special favour by letting her worship then.

After meals I lay down for a few minutes and Dixit read Ramayana and some Gatha

of Nath Maharaj. Upasani was present and Mrs. Kaujalgi Laxmibai attended the

class. She joined in the conversation and appeared to be well informed in

Vedant. We saw Sai Baba at the evening stroll and again at Shej-Aarathi.

Laxmibai sang a few songs. She is an aunt (Maoshi) of Radhakrishanabai. At

night at my request she did a little Bhajan and Dixit read

Ramayana.

23rd January 1912

I got up in time for Kakad Aarathi and finished my prayers a little after

daybreak. Sai Baba today, in leaving his bed, did not say even a single word,

but when we saw him go out as usual he showed a very jocks mood. I read

Paramamrit with Upasani, Bapasaheb Jog, and Bhishma and then went to see Sai

Baba at the Masjid. He was in a reticent mood and never said a word and the

midday Aarathi passed off quietly. After it we returned and had our meal.

Madhavrao had obtained permission to send Sai Baba's photo and Udi to Hon'ble

Mrs. Russell. I wished to write to her but did not

feel myself in the mood and sat talking with a school master who has come here

recently with his family to see Sai Baba. Dixit read Ramayana and then we went

to see Sai Baba at his evening stroll. He did not say much even then. At night

Bhishma for the first time in this week had his Bhajan. Some young men of the

village also came to sing Bhajan and then Dixit read Ramayana. Mrs. Laxmibai

Kaujalgi thinks of staying here always and Sai Baba said she might do so for

her good. Somehow I over-slept my self this morning. This made me late for

everything. I had to hurry through all my usual routine. Somehow Mr. Dixit also

was late and everybody appeared to be in the same predicament. We saw Sai Baba

go out and then read Paramamrit with Upasani, Bhishma and Bapusaheb Jog. I then

went to the Masjid to see Sai Baba. Laxmibai Kaujalgi attended our Paramamrit

class and went to the Masjid after I reached. Sai Baba called her his

mother-in-law and made a joke about her saluting him. This gave me

the idea that she has been accepted by him as a disciple. The midday Aarathi

passed off in usual way rather quietly. On my return from it I found Mr. Sane,

Mamledar of Kopargaon, sitting in the Verandah. He was dong revenue work in

connection with the extension of Gaothan and removal of the cemetery and the

burning ghat. After meal I tried to write a few letters but sat talking with

Mr. Sane. Then Mr. Dixit read Ramayana and later on I went to the Musjid to see

Sai Saheb, but as all were dismissed soon, I took Udi, and stood near the

Chawadi. I met there the Mohamedan Kabirpanthi gentleman who came to

10pt">Amravati some time ago with Sathaye and Asnare. In the evening there was

the Aarathi at the Wada and then Shej-Aarthi at the Chawadi. I held the morchal

as usual.

Madhavrao Deshpande woke me up in the morning and said that he had to call me

more than once before I answered his call. I prayed and attended the Kakad

Aarathi. Sai Baba walked to the Masjid in silence. On return we held our

paramamrit class with Upasani, Bapusaheb Jog, Bhishma and Mrs. Kaojalgi. We

finished the chapter on Mahavakya Vivek. Then we saw Sai Saheb both when he

went out and after he returned to Masjid. The midday Aarathi went off as usual

and Sai Saheb gave me smoke very often. After meals I lay down for a while and

then we had Ramayana. Dixit read it and later

on went to see Sai Baba. He was in a pleased mood. At night there was the Wada

Aarathi, Bhishma's Bhajan and Dixit's Ramayana. I may mention the fact that in

the evening at stroll time Sai Baba told me nearly the whole previous history

of Mrs. Laxmibai Kaojalgi. I knew it to be correct as I knew the facts.

24th January 1912

Somehow I over-slept my self this morning. This made me late for everything. I

had to hurry through all my usual routine. Somehow Mr. Dixit also was late and

everybody appeared to be in the same predicament. We saw Sai Baba go out and

then read Paramamrit with Upasani, Bhishma and Bapusaheb Jog. I then went to

the Masjid to see Sai Baba. Laxmibai Kaujalgi attended our Paramamrit class and

went to the Masjid after I reached. Sai Baba called her his mother-in-law and

made a joke about her saluting him. This gave me the idea that she has been

accepted by him as a disciple. The midday

10pt"> Aarti passed off in usual way rather quietly. On my return from it I

found Mr. Sane, Mamledar of Kopargaon, sitting in the Verandah. He was dong

revenue work in connection with the extension of Gaothan and removal of the

cemetery and the burning ghat. After meal I tried to write a few letters but

sat talking with Mr. Sane. Then Mr. Dixit read Ramayana and later on I went to

the Masjid to see Sai Saheb, but as all were dismissed soon, I took Udi, and

stood near the Chawadi. I met there the Mohamedan Kabirpanthi gentleman who

came to Amravati some time ago with Sathaye and Asnare. In the evening there

was the Aarti at the Wada and then Shej-Aarthi at the Chawadi. I held the

morchal as usual.

25th January 1912

Madhavrao Deshpande woke me up in the morning and said that he had to call me

more than once before I answered his call. I prayed and attended the Kakad

Aarathi. Sai Baba walked to the Masjid in silence. On return we held our

paramamrit class with Upasani, Bapusaheb Jog, Bhishma and Mrs. Kaojalgi. We

finished the chapter on Mahavakya Vivek. Then we saw Sai Saheb both when he

went out and after he returned to Masjid. The midday Aarathi went off as usual

and Sai Saheb gave me smoke very often. After meals I lay down for a while and

then we had Ramayana. Dixit read it and later

on went to see Sai Baba. He was in a pleased mood. At night there was the Wada

Aarathi, Bhishma's Bhajan and Dixit's Ramayana. I may mention the fact that in

the evening at stroll time Sai Baba told me nearly the whole previous history

of Mrs. Laxmibai Kaojalgi. I knew it to be correct as I knew the facts.

26th January 1912

In the morning I got up very early by myself, and miscalculating the time it

wanted to sunrise, I said my prayers and walked up and down in the verandah. I

thought I was before time by about an hour and a half. After sunrise I began

the routine of life and we went out. We read a little of Paramamrit, saw Sai

Baba go out and again after he returned. I felt unwell so I lay down for a

while.

27th January 1912

I got up early in the morning, prayed and attended the Kakad Aarathi. Sai Baba

did not quite go to the Masjid without a word and yet he did not say much. I,

Upasani, Bapusaheb jog and Bhishma read Paramamrit, saw Sai Baba go out and

again after he returned. The midday Aarathi passed off easily and after it we

had our meals as usual. I lay down a while, then wrote a letter, and attended

afternoon Ramayana read by Dixit. We saw Sai Baba at his stroll and he spoke

pleasantly though in a serious mood. Towards its end he spoke loud and angry. I

an told that after dark he spoke

louder still making an occasion for the exhibition of his anger of the fact that

Ibrahim, the convert stood near the Khind with his hands on the breach of wall.

Sai Saheb's clothes were also washed by Radhakrishnabai and he was angry with

her for having done so.

28th January 1912

I slept very well last night and got up in time to pray before day break, and

commence the routine of the day. I went about 8 p.m. to the temple of Khandoba

where Upasani lives and sat talking with him. It is a nice little place. We

held our Paramamritclass in the quarters of Bapusaheb jog as talking and

discussing Vedanta subject in the verandah of my lodging disturbs my son

Balwant. We saw Sai Maharaj go out and again after he returned to the Masjid.

He asked me how we spent the morning and I gave him an account of what we did.

He appeared to be in a pleased mood and the midday Aarathi passed of easy

except that Radhakrishnabai appeared to be put out and vexed and she closed the

doors. So the Aarathi things could not be got at soon. After the

10pt">midday meal I lay down for a while, then wrote a letter, and attended the

Puran of Ramayana by Dixit. Then we went and saw Sai Maharaj at his stroll in

the evening. Then there was Wada Aarathi but no Bhajan as Bhishma was unwell.

At night Dixit read Ramayana after we returned from shej-Aarthi.

29th January 1912

I got up very early in the morning, prayed and found that I was a bit too early

but I kept on and attended the Kakad Aarathi. On my return I began the routine

of the day. About 9 a.m. I went to Bapusaheb and with him and Upasani, began

the Paramamrit, but most unaccountably I felt so sleepy that I could make to

progress. At last I returned to my lodging s and lay down and fell asleep so

long that I did not get up till 12.30 or 1 p.m. Madhavrao Deshpande and others

tried to awaken me for the Aarathi and called me aloud but I did not respond.

At last they went to the Aarathi

and somehow the matter reached the ears of Sai Saheb and he said that he would

awaken me. Somehow I got up as the Aarathi was being finished and attended the

closing portion of it. I felt ashamed of having slept so long. I felt drowsy

during the rest of the day. Narayanrao Bamangaonkar came today from Sholapur.

He is a nice young man and I sat talking with him. Then in the afternoon I

attended the Puran of Dixit and saw Sai Saheb at his evening stroll. I had seen

him when he went out between 9 and 20 a.m. In the evening there was the Bhajan

of Bhishma and afterwards the Puran of Dixit. He read Ramayana as usual.

30th January 1912

I got up early but did not like to leave bed and begin work for fear of becoming

again overcome begin work for fear of becoming again overcome by sleep as I was

yesterday. I left bed before daybreak, finished my prayers and went to

Bapusaheb Jog for our Paramamrit class. Upasani Shastri, Mrs. Kaojalgi, and

Bapusaheb were there and we made very good progress. We saw Sai Baba go out and

saw him again after he returned to the Masjid. He asked me how I spent the

morning and I gave him an account of what we did. After the midday Aarathi I

returned and we had our meal. Later on

Mr. Dixit read Ramayana. Bhishma and Madhavrao Deshpande attended the reading.

Some two men of this village and the younger brother of Sitaram Dengle also

came and sat talking after the reading was finished. One of them recited the

Chhanda on Ramayana. Then I went to see Sai Baba at the Masjid and he again

asked me how I spent the afternoon. When I mentioned my writing letters, he

smiled and said, "it is better moving your hands than sitting idle". We saw him

have his evening stroll and at night attended the Shej-Aarthi. There was no

Bhajan to-night, but reading of Bhagavata took up all its time and Dixit read

Ramayana at night.

31st January 1912

I got up in time for Kakad Aarathi and went to it with Narayanrao Bamangaonkar.

Sai Maharaj exhibited slightly angry feelings as we returned. We held our

Paramamrit class with Bapusaheb Jog, Uapasani Shastri and Mrs. Kawjalgi and

finished a good deal. I returned to my lodging about 11a.m. and tried to write

a few letters but most unaccountably fell asleep in the act of writing. Bhaoo

son of Dada Kelkar woke me up and I went to the Masjid for

10pt">midday Aarathi. I had previously Seen Sai Maharaj to out as usual. The

midday Aarathi passed off as usual. All the inmates of the two Wadas together

with a few others were invited to the afternoon meal by Dada Kelkar in memory

of the 13th day of Megha's death. The meal was naturally very late and I lay

down and sat near Sai Saheb. He was in a very pleased mood, talked pleasantly,

danced, and sang, and reminded me and others very strongly of what Lord Krishna

did in Gokul. We saw him at his evening stroll. After the Wada Aarathi, Bhishma

did a little Bhajan and Kaka Dixit read Ramayana. He finished Sundara Kand of

it

tonight.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - PART IV

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

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

SWOOSH!

Denise Eversole, who was among the two hundred foreign students at the course,

speaks about its impact on her thus: "What is it like at the summer course? Let

me throw out some adjectives to see if I can highlight its essence: packed, hot,

uncomfortable, thrilling, awesome, pure essence, inspiring, stretching,

blissful, catalytic, cathartic, revitalizing, transforming, beautiful... Here

we were at the feet of the same Soul, which was the historic Krishna, Who first

communicated the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna about five thousand years ago. As Sai

Baba explained to all the students the true meaning

of spiritual life and how to live it, I found every question I'd ever had, completely answered."

Karen F. Blanc summarizes the message conveyed by Baba: "All life is a

meditation. Formal prayer and what you think of as meditations are means, not

ends. They are good and are meant to help prepare the mind for concentration.

But along with such spiritual exercises and practices, there must be

examination of individual and collective attitudes. Instill and cultivate in

yourselves love and respect for all religions. Return home and do God's work,

wherever you are, with conviction, confidence and enthusiasm. If life ever

becomes difficult, remember these evenings and think of Me, call on My name,

and I give you this promise that I will always heed your call. You will never

be alone again."

Karen went on to describe a thrilling miracle, which happened on one of the

evenings. The participants had many a chance to thrill at miracles that

occurred whenever they were in Baba's presence. "But this was a big one, really

first class," said Karen. "Maynard Ferguson, the world-famous jazz artist, gave

a concert for us, about twelve hundred people, one night at the auditorium of

the college. Baba was seated in the middle of the stage and Maynard Ferguson

was standing next to Him on the right. He played Indian classical music set to

jazz, with Baba tapping away at the beat gently with His hand. Then Ferguson

played an incredible trumpet solo with all his heart. Baba stood up and made a

large circle, clockwise with His right hand. Swoosh! Out of the air in front of

everyone, Baba materialised a solid gold medallion, suspended from a chain, and

placed it around Ferguson's neck. There was no movement in the auditorium. Not

a flicker. It was as if time stood still. Overwhelmed, Ferguson wept like a

child, just as we sat there with tears in our eyes and a sob in our

throats.

"Why was it so beautiful? Maybe, because we all knew at that moment, without

question, what we had once known as little children but had long since

forgotten. There is a part in us all, at the very core of our being, that wants

to believe in angels, that good triumphs over evil, that Jesus did really walk

on water and that Moses had once parted the Red Sea... We want to believe all

that and, regardless of what we say, we want to stand by the good guy... and we

ourselves want to be good. That is why we wept and that is why it was so

beautiful. The medallion was not a magician's trick. It was made for us all. It

was so that we could all know, once and for all, that 'It is so, as it is

written.'"

As soon as the summer course ended, Baba returned to Prashanthi Nilayam with a

large number of students from various colleges who desired to spend a few more

days in His presence at the 'International Temple of the Sai Avatar'. There a

Sathya Sai college was inaugurated on 1st July, the first-year classes being

held at the Eswaramma High School

building itself.

THE BUDS BLOSSOM

Bhagawan is translating the Avataric mission of restoring humanity to man and

raising him to Godhood into action through educational reconditioning. He has

blessed a worldwide project, which supplements the state directed,

institutionalized, secular education. It is called Bal Vikas, which means

'Blossoming of the Child'. Children in the developed countries (and, by

contagion, in the developing nations also), are exposed to the ills of the

machine age, the clash of isms, the conflict of races, obsession with war, the

dominance of violence, an over indulgence in sensual pleasures and the open

flouting of all morals. The Bal Vikas routes back the child to its age-old

culture so that it may grow strong and straight. It instills a sense of

reverence towards parents, elders and teachers, who are

repositories of learning. It encourages self-knowledge, self-reverence and

self-control, while enveloping the child in the warmth of Divine love. Children

grow up under the watchful care of teachers whom Baba has blessed with the

sacred title, guru. The teacher upon being conferred that title becomes bound

to remove, as Lord Siva does, the weeds of evil from the tender mind, to sow,

as Lord Brahma does, seeds of courage and compassion, and to foster, as Lord

Vishnu does, good thoughts, good speech and good deeds, elevating the

profession of a teacher into a task carried out by the Holy Trinity. Baba has

developed schools called Vidya Vihars (education through joy), where children

are fostered after being admitted as whole time inmates. When the children

enter their teens, they are taught elementary texts on spiritual discipline,

besides being introduced to the technique of Yoga, social service, choral

service, meditation, etc. These classes are referred to as 'pre-Sevadal'. High

schools that have been set up by Baba in several places pay special attention to

the development of character and to programmes of Sadhana and social service.

Then there are the colleges where the most impressionable years of adolescence

and youth are spent under the gracious guidance of Bhagawan Himself. "Students

are My hope, the source of My delight. They are what I live by," says Baba.

HIS KINGDOM

During the Dasara celebrations in 1979, students of different religions from the

Sri Sathya Sai College in Puttaparthi, presented themselves in their ceremonial

costumes and described, to the great delight of the vast gathering, the main

principles of each religion. A Sikh from New Delhi, a Zoroastrian from Bombay,

a Christian from Hawaii, a Muslim from Libya, a Buddhist from Sikkim and a

Hindu from Kabul were the participating

students. When Baba stood in the centre of the group as they finished, all were

pleasantly surprised that Sai, the sum of all religions and the goal of all

Sadhana, had condescended thus to teach them the unity of faith. The students

of Sai colleges have mastered the art of coordinated labour. They have

presented orchestras and plays on Sri Ramakrishna, Sankaracharya and Jesus,

besides having set the Ramayana and the Sai stories to music. Bhagawan is, of

course, the invisible and also, almost always, the visible source of all their

achievements. While inaugurating the first anniversary of the association of

old boys of the Sri Sathya Sai college at Brindavan, Baba directed them to

utilise all their resources and talents in the service of the villages around

Brindavan after a keen study of their urgent needs: "Students must spring like

tiger cubs into the arena of the villages and cleanse them of pollution. They

must teach and train the illiterate residents of the villages to live

happily and with dignity. They must strive, along with the villagers, and lead

them forward." Baba also said on that occasion, "I am encouraging these boys to

be examples of the strength and equanimity that can be gained by constant

practice of My message. I am ever prompting them to speak and recite, sing and

enact this message, so that it is installed in their hearts. Whatever I do or

get done, whatever I say or direct others to say, it is to emphasise, clarify

or exemplify this message - the Atmic Reality of man."

Bhagawan’s message and the master projects planned for its realisation, drew

many educationalists, administrators, scientists, communication experts and

psychologists to the colleges He has founded. Seminars on spiritual and moral

guidance were held at the Brindavan College. Summer schools brought together

college professors from all over the

country besides overseas countries including Singapore, the Philippines, Fiji,

10pt">Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and USA. Bhagawan conversed with groups of vice-chancellors,

headmasters, professors, scientists and technicians, unraveling to them the

insidious causes of the universal malaise and revealing the curative measures

urgently needed. As a result of the impact of these conversations, the Sathya

Sai Study Circle was formed in Bangalore, to probe into the defects of the

educational system, and for restructuring and reforming it on Sai guidelines.

Swami assured the group, "I promise you that I will be with you and take an

active part in guiding the activities of the

Study Circle." Truly, the Avatar has no rest! But, as Bhagawan says, "Had I

needed rest, I would not have incarnated."

During the Birthday festival week in 1979, two thousand Bal Vikas gurus met at a

conference in Prashanthi Nilayam. Bhagawan blessed them and enlightened them on

the problems that they have to encounter and promised to reveal to them the

solutions whenever they prayed for light. The play 'Jesus' was presented by the

students on 22nd November. The costumes, the sets and the actors appeared so

authentic that the audience of twenty-five thousand responded with a continuous

ovation lasting several minutes. Jesus Christ was very accurately portrayed as

the Son of God, with mercy, power and love in His voice, gestures and

reactions.

SIVA ON THE SPOT

Devotees who sought the home where Bhagawan incarnated as Sathyanarayana, the

home of the Parents Pedda Venkappa Raju and Eswaramma, were for years shown an

empty patch of land at the end of a rubble track in Puttaparthi. They were very

sad that no holy structure marked that spot, after the Prashanthi Mandir and the

temples of Ganesha had come up on the outskirts of the village that was

immortalized by the birth, childhood and boyhood of the greatest Avatar in

human history. They pleaded with Bhagawan and prayed in unison. So a simple but

charming temple was constructed there, in which Baba installed an idol of Siva

on 22nd November 1979, fulfilling the long-cherished desire of millions.

The Avatar's decision to declare the cloistered village, Puttaparthi, still

lacking even in several basic amenities, as the hub of the Sai Dharma Chakra

(wheel of righteousness), raised around the Mandir rows of three-storied

residential flats also housing banks, shops and a bus station. Besides these,

it has added to itself a resplendent suburb with ornamental arches at both

ends, containing rows of magnificent structures comprising the elementary and

high schools and the College of

FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Arts, Science and Commerce, besides a hostel for over a thousand students.

In June 1980 Bhagawan visited Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of

India, famed through the centuries for the artistic genius of its people, for

its mountain ranges which are the source of several rivers and for the

harmonious blending of cultures and races. He spent ten days amidst the people

until it became

difficult to decide who loved the other more - the people of the state or Bhagawan.

The march of love continues - fresh, full and free.

THE CALL AND THE ECHO

THE PROMISE

"I have My work to do; My devotees are calling me," Baba had declared when He

was fourteen years of age.

With that, He had walked out of school and home into the garden where He

exhorted the huge gathering to worship the feet that were to lead mankind from

untruth to truth, from darkness to light and from death to immortality. At

sixteen, He announced that His mission during the incarnation was to confer

bliss on all beings everywhere.

Pointing to the bold, bald hills on the outskirts of Puttaparthi village (then a

confused jumble of mud huts around a few brick houses, 'scarce five minutes from

the Stone Age', as Schulmann described it), Swami, when He was seventeen,

confided to the Pujari (priest) Lakshmiah "The Sai Pravesh (Advent of Sai) will

convert that region into Prashanthi Pradesh (a region of perfect peace). Upon

that hill there will rise a grand Bhavan (hall). (It was inaugurated seven

years later). At that time, hundreds (why hundreds?), thousands (why

thousands?), Lakhs (why only Lakhs?) - the whole of India will be there. The

whole world will come and wait for Sai Darshan." Pujari Lakshmiah could not

believe his ears. He protested and said, "No, I cannot believe this. How can

these happen?" Baba replied, "You will have to believe it when you stand where

we are now, trying to catch a glimpse of Me standing on the porch of that grand

Bhavan." Lakshmiah is alive to this day, trying to catch a glimpse standing on

the same spot!

What is the nature of the 'strategy' that Swami employs to draw such huge

gatherings? On 23rd November 1975, the 50th birthday of Bhagawan, devotees from

forty-six nations of the world from New Zealand to

FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Iceland, offered their sincere homage to Bhagawan. Why do so

many people travel such long distances at such a great expense of time and

money braving the inconvenience of foreign food and living habits?

Of course, He has no compulsion, no urge, nor even a need to frame a strategy.

He just acts; it is we who label these acts as 'strategy'. He calls us to

proceed from 'I' to 'We', a call which must attract because it is a call, which

echoes from the depths of one's own self. 'Bhoomaa eva sukham:' - 'In vastness,

alone, is happiness', proclaims the Upanishad. "Expansion is life; contraction

is death," says Baba. He leads us to the vastness, the 'We', and how He does it

is the strategy. 'Subrahmanyam' (Su-Brahman-yam) is the refrain of the

heart-pounding valedictory Bhajan that He instructs us to sing. It preaches the

Brahman path; Brahman That is the Divine; That is both immanent and

transcendent; That is beyond the reach of words and the flight of imagination.

The path involves the discipline of

all-inclusive love and the acceptance of ever-expanding kinship until the entire

cosmos is subsumed. Baba says, "All beings exist, become aware and are

delighted, because God willed so, God who is Sath-Chith-Ananda. So, no single

being is exiled from His grace. God is omnipresent, and no being can shut Him

out."

"I have come," says Baba, "in order to repair the ancient highway leading man to

God... I have come in response to the prayers of sages, saints and seekers for

the restoration of that road." Therefore streams of afflicted men and women,

groups of Sadhaks as well as curious seekers of truth, and even such

individuals, who have attained relatively higher stages of realisation, proceed

to wherever Baba is, certain of His assuring smile and alleviating conversation.

In His presence (and even far away from it, whenever we recollect the blissful

moments), we feel elevated - even the lowest and lowliest of us - for He

reminds us that we are a part of Him, as Divine as Himself. In fact, we are

Divyatmaswaroopas, embodiments of the Divine Atman, as He invariably addresses

us.

THE NTH DEGREE

We know that we have secured in Him a 'pace-maker' for our hearts. Under His

benign guidance, we rise to the nth degree of fullness. He says, "I am God: you

are also God. But while I am aware, you are still unaware. That is the only

difference." As Sankaracharya had done 1300 years ago. He is telling us to

experience Soham (I am He) and Sivoham (I am God). Ignorant persons jeer when

Baba holds up the mirror to reveal the Divinity that is latent in us. One such

person remarked, "Baba is trying to escape criticism for His assuming Divinity,

by taking us also into His 'Divine' fold and transforming us into willing

accomplices of his impersonation!" But the belief that all beings are parts of

the one Divinity is as old as the Vedanta, and as universal. Bayazid, the Sufi

saint, said, "I went from God to

God, until they cried for me in me, O Thou I!" Hui Neng, the Buddhist mystic,

said, "When not enlightened, Buddhas are no other than ordinary beings; when

there is enlightenment, ordinary beings at once turn into Buddhas." Eckhart,

the Christian mystic, declared, "The seed of God is in us, the seeds grow into

God."

Thousands are drawn to His presence through His power. His wisdom and His love.

Sai Baba means 'the Divine Mother and Father. Baba has the unlimited love of

the Mother and the unsurpassed power and unalloyed universal wisdom of the

Father. How can man withstand the impact of such a unique incarnation?

ALL WHO NEED

Unlimited love! On the gateway tower (Gopuram), on the inner gateway arch and on

the altar inside the prayer hall, one can see the sacred symbol of one's own

religion amidst the equally revered symbols of other faiths. No question is

asked and no brow raised by anyone who belongs to the Sai family, when you

declare yourself to be a Hindu or a Buddhist, a Parsi, a Christian, a Muslim or

even an atheist. The only question asked and the only thing with which Baba is

concerned is how earnest, how distressed, how compassionate, how

self-controlled you are. He created a cross for the pilot of the twin-engined

aircraft, which took him from Entebbe to the wild life sanctuary at Serengetti

in East Africa. In the Bandipur forest He put one dry stalk of grass across

another and, blowing upon it, converted it into a wooden cross with a silver

Christ for Dr. Hislop. He gave Professor Bashiruddin a silver locket with Allah

inscribed on it in Arabic. On Bakr-Id day, He showed a group of Arab pilgrims at

Prashanthi Nilayam, the huge gathering of fellow-Muslims kneeling that very

moment before the Kaaba in Arabia. He spread His palm

before their eyes and they could see the sacred scene on it. There are many Jews

like Dr. Sandweiss, paying homage to Him thus: "I believe Baba to be an

incarnation of God. It appears to me now that all those stories in Hindu,

Christian and Hebrew literature are not symbolic: there really is a spiritual

level of reality that can make itself manifest."

Buddhist monks have built in Ceylon and Malaysia, Sai prayer halls and centers

of service. He performs the Navajyoti rite, and through that ceremony initiates

Parsi boys into spiritual exercises. The parents are grateful to Him for this

act of grace. No one is a stranger; no one is kept aside or aloof just because

he is too young or too old, recalcitrant or incorrigible. His is the sunshine

that disinfects all faiths and cults. He has declared that He will hold and

lead by the hand those who stray away from the straight road and miss the realm

of peace, joy and love. He does not outlaw atheists for, He says, even they do

love something - animal or plant, person or sect, ideal or ism. That love, He

says, is God. They too, would not like being called liars but, like others,

delight in speaking the truth.

This homage they pay to truth indicates that they revere God, who is truth.

Erasmus, the 16th century Dutch philosopher, declared, "Wherever you encounter

truth, look upon it as Christianity." The atheists appreciate beauty and are

charmed by it. God is beauty and thence arises the attraction it exerts on

them.

Baba does not try to mould men in the crucible of any cult. He does not

prescribe any single spiritual exercise or peddle any patented panacea to cure

the ills of men. "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavily-laden, and I

will give you rest," is the message even now. They come with broken hearts,

damaged illusions and unfulfilled ambitions. They bring their burden of real

and imagined pain. After meeting Him, they pray, "We cannot ask Thee for aught,

for Thou knowest our needs; in fact, Thou art our only need." And having spoken

thus, they stay.

Whereas most gurus are interested only in the mantras and exercises that they

prescribe for people's grievances and the fees or gifts that they are offered

in return, Baba is interested only in us, whether we undertake Sadhana or Seva

of any kind or not. Moreover, since the Divine Spark is enshrined within man in

five caskets, (the physical, the vital, the mental, the intellectual and the

felicitous), one encased within the other, Baba tends to them one by one, with

affectionate care, to enable us to reflect on the splendor of that Spark.

Baba says, "I never ask you to earn Me; I want only that you need Me." Under the

tender care of this physician, psychiatrist, guide, teacher and friend, we

become aware of untapped springs of courage, fortitude, aspiration and

adventure within us. Baba also directs our thoughts and activities towards

society - the society in which we were born, which reared us and equipped us

with a vision to face the future and to fulfill our obligations. Schumacher has

said, "Although there are constant temptations to forget it, we all know that

our lives are made or marred by our relationships with other human beings.

No amount of health, wealth, fame or power can compensate us for our loss if

these relationships dissolve. Yet they all depend on our ability to understand

others and their ability to understand us." Baba declares that there can be no

fulfillment of our lives until we ourselves have concern for, confidence in and

compassion towards others.

Baba's infinite love, wisdom and power produce an indelible impact on each of

us, sometimes in a moment, when we stay in His presence to imbibe the message

that He radiates. Paul Roberts writes in Vogue (Christmas number, 1976) on the

few minutes he spent in His divine presence, thus: "Baba, the remote and

powerful figure I had watched in awe for months, hugged me like a long-lost

friend, and in a surpassingly loving way began to tell me my worst faults.

Indeed, He told me things no one could possibly have known, answered every

question I would have asked and gave advice which I still treasure... I felt

and still feel inexplicably closer to Him than to anyone else in the world."

R. K. Karanjia, editor of Blitz, who described himself as "a skeptic, a critic

and a Marxist, who had in the past openly questioned and criticized Sathya Sai

Baba, was able (like many other critics, skeptics and Marxists) to meet Him and

gain a cordial interview. He writes, "The encounter was a fantastic, almost

shattering one. He went on to amaze me with knowledge of the most intimate

developments affecting my life and work."

A GAP, A GASP

Dr. Samuel Sandweiss, the psychiatrist from San Diego, California, narrates,

"After my initial visit to Sai Baba, I began to experience an inner awakening,

as if a once-familiar but closed-off centre was opening up and I was becoming

acquainted with a part of myself that I had long ago forgotten. I identified

the experience as one of devotion, and wondered whether such a centre lies

dormant in all of us awaiting release through some personal spiritual

experience. This awakening or unfolding was for me a source of great joy, and

with it came a deepening feeling of my love for Baba and for people in

general." Baba has Himself revealed that this happens in His presence: "Each of

you feel a gap within you, a thirst, an urge, a 'Divine' discontent, a call to

which the response from within is weak and

vacillating. This has persuaded you to travel long distances to Me, braving

obstacles and discomfort for the sake of securing peace, strength and

guidance."

Gandikota V. Subba Rao of the U.N.O. writes, "Meeting Him is an intensely

personal, emotional and uplifting experience. The temptation to glorify Him, to

wax lyrical over the spiritual greatness and magnificence of Sathya Sai Baba is

difficult to resist." Sribhashyam Appalacharya from Kakinada town, a repository

of ancient scriptural wisdom, writes after staying for a few days at Prashanthi

Nilayam, "Bhagawan is a Veda - what He says, happens; Bhagawan is a Sastra -

what He does, is exemplary. He elaborates the truth with many a metaphor,

simile and story as a Purana does; His words are the highest poetry, for they

confer bliss and liquidate the littleness in man."

Dr. F.J. Gould of the University of Chicago reveals, "He perceives the

individual's needs with unbelievable insight. He perceives, defends, breaks

them down in some swift way. He studies behaviour and its determinants... He

somehow transfers the individual from one context to another... Many devotees

of Baba have perceived His influence through changes in their own lives. New

things become important; new values become prominent. To speak in a more

technical language, the individual's utility structure changes."

THE CONJURER CONFESSES

Dr. E.B. Fanibunda from Bombay is a dentist and also an amateur magician well

versed in the theory and practice of conjuring. In 1954 he published a book on

a series of original and effective methods which practitioners of magic, mind

reading etc., could adopt. In appreciation of his proficiency he was given the

'Linking Ring' award by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, USA. This

is his account of how he reacted to Baba: "There were about a dozen people

waiting in the sitting room of Mr. Munshi's house. Baba was due to come out of

the inner apartments in a little while. The author (he writes in the third

person) stood unobtrusively in one corner of the room. Baba entered the room

and everybody stood up. Everyone was elbowing and pushing the other to get

close to Him. Baba, however, came and stood near the author, so near that the

author was almost touching His left side. By this time the author's practiced

eye had already given Baba's gown the 'once over'. Nothing was detected.

Someone from the crowd asked for Vibhuthi Prasad. This was the moment the

author was waiting for. Baba pulled up His right sleeve, almost up to the elbow

and, in the process, turned His right hand over. The author could see there was

nothing in the palm. Quickly the hand went round in circles a few

times and the Vibhuthi appeared between His fingers, which were partly closed to

hold it. The Vibhuthi was given to some people. The author wished that Baba

would now materialise some more so that he could also get a little bit for

examination. Lo, behold! Baba's hand went round and round a second time and

some more Vibhuthi appeared from nowhere. This time the author held out his

hand and received His 'visiting card'. The author immediately knew from his

past experience that the Vibhuthi was materialised without any sleight of hand

or trickery. He did not now require any further demonstrations from Baba to

convince him that He did possess superhuman powers for which the author had no

explanation to offer and still has none." (1976)

In the Yoga Journal from Holland, Sharon Warren writes, "The following morning,

when I went to attend Bhajans, I happened to have an aisle seat. Baba strolled

to the women's side that day and, as He passed, He stopped beside me. He then

gestured with His hand with that special majesty which always means a divine

materialisation, and then there was the sacred ash pouring from His fingertips

and into my palms. He said, 'Vibhuthi... eat'. It was like a dream. My heart

was so full of love and devotion and gratitude that it just overflowed. I felt

I could not hold any more. I

was aware that He knew my need, and that was so comforting. I have been blessed

to experience love throughout my life from many different relationships, but

nothing could compare with the purity of the love I experienced when this

transpired. It transcended any human relationship I 33had ever known."

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/