SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM [23]

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Om Sri Sai Ram

SRI SAI SATCHARITA and SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM

The Life Stories of the Two Avatars of the Age – [23]

SHRI SAI SATCHARITA

The Life of the Divine Avatar Sai Baba of Shirdi

By Hemadpant

CHAPTER XXIII

Yoga and Onion - Shama Cured of Snake - Bite - Cholera Ordinance Broken - Ordeal of Guru-Bhakti

PRELIMINARY

Really this Jiva (human soul) transcends the three qualities, viz. Satwa, Rajas

and Tamas, but being deluded by Maya, he forgets his nature which is

'Existence-knowledge-bliss', and thinks that he is the doer and enjoyer and

thus entangles himself in endless miseries and does not know the way of

deliverance. The only way of deliverance is Loving Devotion towards the Guru's

feet. The great Player or Actor Lord Sai has delighted His Bhaktas and

transformed them into Himself (His nature).

We regard Sai Baba as an incarnation of God for reasons already stated, but He

always said that He was an obedient servant of God. Though an incarnation He

showed the people the way, how to behave satisfactorily and carry out the

duties of their respective stations (Varnas) in this life. He never emulated

others in any way, nor asked others to have something done for Him. For Him,

Who saw the Lord in all movable and immovable things of this world, humility

was the most proper thing. None He disregarded or disrespected; for He saw

Narayan (Lord) in all beings, He never said, "I am God," but that He was a

humble servant and He always remembered Him and always uttered - "Allah Malik"

(God is the sole proprietor or Owner). We do not know the various kinds of

Saints, how they behave, what they

do and eat etc. We only know that by God's grace they manifest themselves in

this world to liberate the ignorant and bound souls. If there be any store of

merits on our account, we get a desire in listening to the stories and Leelas

of the Saints, otherwise not. Let us now turn to the main stories of this

Chapter.

YOGA AND ONION

Once it so happened, that a Sadhaka of Yoga came to Shirdi with Nanasaheb

Chandorkar. He had studied all the works on Yoga, including the Yoga-sutras of

Patanjali, but had no practical experience. He could not concentrate his mind

and attain Samadhi even for a short time. He thought that if Sai Baba be

pleased with him, He would show him the way to attain Samadhi for a long time.

With this object in view he came to Shirdi, and when he went to the Masjid he

saw Sai Baba eating bread with onion. On seeing this, a thought arose in his

mind - `How can this man, eating stale bread with raw onion, solve my

difficulties and help me?' Sai Baba read his mind and said to Nanasaheb - "Oh

Nana, he, who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else".

Hearing this remark, the yogi was

wonder-struck and then he fell at Baba's Feet with complete surrender. With pure

and open mind, he asked his difficulties and got their solution from Baba. Thus

being satisfied and happy, he left Shirdi with Baba's Udi and blessings.

SHAMA CURED OF SNAKE-BITE

Before Hemadpant begins the story, he says about the Jiva that it can be very

well compared with a parrot, and that they both are bound, the one in the body

and the other in a cage. Both think that their present bound state is good for

them. It is only when a Helper, i.e., Guru comes and by God's grace opens their

eyes and liberates them from their bondage, that their eyes are opened to a

greater and larger life, compared to which their former limited life is

nothing.

In the last Chapter, it was shown how Baba anticipated the calamity, that was to

befall on Mr. Mirikar and rescued him from it. Now let the readers hear a story

grander than that. Once Shama was bitten by a poisonous snake. His little

finger of the hand was stung and the poison began to spread into the body. The

pain was also severe and Shama thought that he would pass off soon. His friends

wanted to take him to the God Vithoba, where such cases were often sent, but

Shama ran to the Masjid -- to His Vithoba (Sai Baba). When Baba saw him, He

began to scold and abuse. He got enraged and said - "Oh vile Bhaturdya (Priest)

do not climb up. Beware if you do so" and then roared - "Go, Get away, Come

down." Seeing Baba thus red with wrath, Shama was greatly puzzled and

disappointed. He thought

that the Masjid was his home and Sai Baba his sole Refuge, but if he was driven

away like this, where should he go? He lost all hope of life and kept silent.

After a time Baba became normal and calm when Shama went up and sat near. Then

Baba said to him - "Don't be afraid, don't care a jot, the Merciful Fakir will

save you, go and sit quiet at home, don't go out, believe in Me and remain

fearless and have no anxiety". Then he was sent home. Immediately afterwards,

Baba sent Tatya Patil and Kakasaheb Dixit to him with instructions to the

effect, that he should eat what he liked, should move in the home, but should

never lie down and sleep. Needless to say that these instructions were acted

upon and Shama got all right in a short time. The only thing to be remembered

in this connection is this - the words of Baba (or the five syllable Mantra,

viz., `Go, Get away, Come down') were not addressed to Shama- as it apparently

looked - but they were a direct order to the snake and its poison

not to go up and circulate through Shama's body. Like others well versed in

Mantrashastra, He had not to use any incantation, charged rice or water etc.

His words only were most efficacious in saving the life of Shama.

Any one, hearing this story and other similar ones, will beget firm faith in the

Feet of Sai Baba, and the only way to cross the ocean of Maya is to remember

ever the Feet of Baba in the heart.

CHOLERA EPIDEMIC

Once, Cholera was raging virulently in Shirdi. The residents were much

frightened and they stopped all communication with the outside people. The

panchas of the village assembled together and decided upon two ordinances as a

remedy to check and put down the Epidemic. They were (1) No fuel-cart should be

allowed to come in the village, and (2) No goat should be killed there. If

anybody disobeyed these ordinances, they were to be fined by the

village-authorities and panchas. Baba knew that all this was mere superstition,

and therefore, He cared two pence for the Cholera-ordinances. While the

ordinances were in force, a fuel-cart came there, and wanted to enter the

village. Everybody knew that there was dearth of fuel in the village; still the

people began to drive away the fuel-cart. Baba

came to know of this. He came to the spot and asked the cart man to take the

fuel-cart to the Masjid. None dared to raise his voice against this action of

Baba. He wanted fuel for His Dhuni and so He purchased it. Like an Agnihotri

keeping his sacred fire alive throughout his life, Baba kept His Dhuni ever

burning all day and night; and for this He always stocked fuel. Baba's home,

i.e. the Masjid was free and open to all. It had no lock and key; and some poor

people removed some wood from there for their use. Baba did not grumble about

this. Baba saw that the whole universe was pervaded by the Almighty, and so He

never bore enmity or ill will to anybody. Though perfectly detached. He behaved

like an ordinary householder to set an example to the people.

ORDEAL OF GURU-BHAKTI

Let us now see, how the second Cholera-ordinance fared with Baba. While it was

in force, somebody brought a goat to the Masjid. It was weak, old and about to

die. At this time Fakir Pir Mohammad of Malegaon alias Bade Baba was near. Sai

Baba asked him to behead it with one stroke, and offer it as an oblation. This

Bade Baba was much respected by Sai Baba. He always sat on the right hand of

Sai Baba.

After the Chilim (pipe) was first smoked by him, it was then offered to Baba and

others. After the dishes were served, at the time of taking meals at noon, Baba

respectfully called Bade Baba and made him sit on His left side, and then all

partook of food. Baba paid him also daily Rs.50/- out of the amount collected

as Dakshina. Baba accompanied him hundred paces whenever he was going away.

Such was his position with Baba. But when Baba asked him to behead the goat, he

flatly refused, saying, "Why it should be killed for nothing?" Then Baba asked

Shama to kill it.

He went to Radha-Krishna-Mai and brought a knife from her and placed it before

Baba. Knowing the purpose for which the knife was taken, she recalled it. Then

Shama went to bring another knife, but stayed in the Wada, and did not return

soon. Then came the turn of Kakasaheb Dixit. He was 'good gold' no doubt, but

had to be tested. Baba asked him to get a knife and kill the goat. He went to

Sathe's Wada and returned with a knife. He was ready to kill it at Baba's

bidding. He was born in a pure Brahmin family and never in his life knew

killing. Though quite averse to do any act of violence, he made himself bold to

kill the goat. All the people wondered to see that Bade Baba, a Mohammedan was

unwilling to kill it while this pure Brahmin was making preparations to do so.

He tightened his dhotar and with a semicircular motion raised his hand with the

knife and looked at Baba for the final signal. Baba said - "What are you

thinking of? Go on, strike". Then, when the hand was just about to

come down, Baba said - "Stop, how cruel you are! Being a Brahmin, you are

killing a goat?" Kakasaheb obeyed and kept the knife down and said to Baba -

"Your nectar like word is law unto us; we do not know any other ordinance. We

remember You always, meditate on Your Form and obey You day and night, we do

not know or consider whether it is right or wrong to kill, we do not want to

reason or discuss things, but implicit and prompt compliance with Guru's

orders, is our duty and Dharma".

Then Baba said to Kakasaheb, that He would Himself do the offering and killing

business. It was settled that the goat should be disposed of near a place

called Takkya, where fakirs used to sit. When the goat was being removed to

that place, it fell dead on the way.

Hemadpant closes the Chapter with a classification of disciples. He says that

they are of three kinds: (1) First or best (2) Second or middling and (3) Third

or ordinary. The best kind of disciples are those who guess what their Gurus

want and immediately carry it out and serve them without waiting for an order

from them. The average disciples are those who carry out the orders of their

Masters to a letter, without any delay, and the third kind of disciples are

those, who go on postponing the carrying out of their orders and making

mistakes at every step.

The disciples should have firm faith, backed up by intelligence and if they and

patience to these, their spiritual goal will not be distant. Control of breath

-- ingoing and outgoing, or Hath-Yoga or other difficult practices are not at

all necessary. When the disciples get the above-mentioned qualities, they

become ready for further instructions and the Masters then appear and lead them

on, in their spiritual path to perfection.

In the next Chapter we will deal with Baba's interesting wit and humour.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

*****

SATHYAM SIVAM SUNDARAM - Part II

The Life of the Divine Avatar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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

INCREDIBLE! - STILL

The first volume of this book has a chapter on "The Same Baba", where many facts

that convince us about the identity and continuity of the Sai Baba at Shirdi and

the Sai Baba at Puttaparthy were mentioned. Baba refers to Himself always as Sai

Baba; the name Sathya Sai Baba is being used only to avoid legal and

administrative complications with institutions and organizations that have

grown round 'the previous body' and its admirers. When the Chairman of the

Shirdi Samsthan, charged with the duty of administering the properties and the

ceremonials of worship at Shirdi, where the 'previous body' is laid to rest,

hesitated to swallow the 'Vibuthi' materialized by the 'present body' (Sri

Sathya Sai Baba) because he feared it might be a sacrilege, Baba gave him a

sign, to convince him that the two

are the same. His picture on the wall of that room in Bombay gave forth a flash

of brilliant light, and the dark doubt in his heart was gone!

When Tidemann Johanessen of Norway was before the Shirdi Shrine, an old man

appeared before him and giving him a small picture of Sathya Sai Baba and also

a small quantity of Udi, directed him to see the present Avatar in Bombay, on

the thirteenth day of March! No one had any inkling of the visit to Bombay in

March of Sathya Sai Baba at that time. Later, when on 13th March, he met Baba

at Bombay

normal">; Baba convinced him that he was informed at Shirdi by Him alone.

Sathya Sai Baba is the effulgence, the majesty, the compassion that animates

every shrine in which Shirdi Sai Baba is now adored. A nephew of Kakasaheb

Dixit, one of the inner circle of Sai devotees at Shirdi (if we can speak of

inner and outer, instead of stronger and weaker) had written a song of prayer

to Shirdi Sai Baba, where he yearned to be at least, 'your gate-keeper'! This

was years ago. Now, he is the gatekeeper at Brindavan, Whitefield, living in a

cottage near the gate and hurrying with the keys when Baba drives in, from

Prashanthi Nilayam or Madras or

Nilgiris.

Pray to Him, either as Shirdi Baba or as 'Parthi' Baba; it is Baba that hears.

Mrs. Batheja and her daughter heard of Baba while at Bangalore; they had to

proceed to Bombay, after a visit to Shirdi. They decided to have the Darshan of

Baba on their way. Since they could not get the 'interview', within a few days,

they had to leave. They called out to Baba when He was passing along the

verandah on the first floor for permission to leave. So, He called me into His

Presence and giving me some 'Udi' packets, said, "Go and give these to the

mother and daughter from Bombay,

waiting below. He added, "They have brought a piece of cloth for Me. Tell them

they can take it back and use it, stitched as items of dress, as My Prasad".

When I told them this, they were amazed! The piece of cloth they had brought

and kept carefully inside their box was for offering at the Shrine of Shirdi;

there, it would be spread on the 'tomb'! But, since Baba had accepted it, "We

shall not go to Shirdi; this is Shirdi. That offering has been accepted and

returned as Prasadam," they exulted.

The Sai Sathcharitham, written while Sai was at Shirdi, with His Blessings, by

Govinda Raghunatha Dabholkar refers to Shirdi Sai Baba Himself as "Sathya Sai"!

It speaks of the story of Shirdi Sai Baba as "Sathya Sai Katha"; it also

describes a Sathya Sai Vratha, Sathya being as has happened in the present

incarnation the abridgement of the name, Sathyanarayana! Bhimaji Patel, after a

miraculous recovery from disease through the Grace of Shirdi Sai, celebrated

thanks-giving ceremonies. Full of gratitude and reverence, instead of the usual

Sathyanarayana Vrata, he observed the Sathya Sai Vrata! Instead of

Sathyanarayana Katha, which had to be read after the Vrata, he recited the

Sathya Sai Katha! Sai Baba at Shirdi must have, as the indweller of Bhimaji,

prompted him to name the Vrata and the Katha, in

that manner, urged by a Sankalpa to suggest coming events. For, has not Sai Baba

said at Shirdi, over and over again, "Blessed and fortunate is he who knows Me

as seated in the hearts of all beings." In fact, He knew the past, present and

future, as Dabholkar has declared, after many a proof had been witnessed by him

and recorded.

Ten years ago, a Maharashtrian composed a poem on Baba at Shirdi in which he

characterized Sai as Sathya Sai! Last year, he came to know of Sathya Sai,

through the first volume of this book. He came to Prashanthi Nilayam, drawn by

the name, which had come to his pen unawares. He told me that the continuity of

the two Sais was confirmed by the last incident in the life of the first, and

the first incident in the career of the second! Sai Baba appeared before Das

Ganu at dawn on the 16th day of October, 1918 and said, "The Masjid has

collapsed; I am going from there now; I

have come to inform you; go there, quick. Fulfill this wish of mine: place

flowers on My Dabari". Dabari indicated the 'tomb'. Das Ganu did as he was

told.

In 1940, when Baba announced Himself as having come again to resume His work and

foster His Bhaktas, Peddavenkappa Raju asked his son who was making the

announcement, "Show us a sign and convince us that you are the same Baba." And,

Baba asked that 'flowers' be placed in His hands! Flowers that He had asked Das

Ganu to place on His Dabari, when He took leave of Shirdi! He threw the flowers

on the floor - and, those flowers, moving by themselves into those shapes,

formed the two words SAI and BABA. For those who can read the tracks and trails

of the Godhead, this is a meaningful coincidence.

On Vijayadasami, 1916, when someone told Sai Baba at Shirdi, "Today is

Seemollanghana Day", Baba stunned every one by His announcement: "Yes; it is

the day of My Seemollanghanam too." Seemollanghanam means the act of crossing

the boundary, from one kingdom into another. Kings, in former days, gathered

their forces, equipped them with arms, worshipped and propitiated on Ayudha

Puja Day (the Day previous to Vijayadasami Day) and, crossing their own state

boundaries, they invaded the neighboring states, eager to achieve Vijaya or

Victory. That was on the tenth Day of Dasara, the tenth or Dasami day of the

bright half of the Aswija month.

What exactly did Sai Baba mean, when He said, "Vijayadasami is the day of My

Seemollanghanam"? Which border was He crossing and into which State was He

preceding? He left the body, as He had foretold, on Vijayadasami. He told Das

Ganu next morning, appearing before him, "I am going from Shirdi now; oil

mongers and grocers tease me a lot". So, He left Shirdi and crossed from one

state to another, from Maharashtra to Andhra! That was the Seemollanghanam!

He had told Kaka Saheb Dixit that 'He would appear as a child of 8'. Baba has

said that in His previous Body, He told Kakasaheb, that He would appear after 8

years, and not as a child of 8. He appeared again at Puttaparthy, in 1926, 8

years after that Vijayadashami. He revealed Himself as a Divine Child, with a

miraculous career before Him, in His 8th year, when He willed at school that

the teacher should be struck to his chair, until He could go down from the

bench on which He was ordered by him to stand. That was the first 'dramatic'

announcement of the Advent of Sai again! - 'as a child of 8'.

There are some who limit the Almighty Will of the Godhead and say that Sai Baba

cannot enter into a human cage, once having flown out of it - as if they are

the lawgivers for that Eternal Absolute! One such wrote a letter to me from

Madras repeating this argument; when he received my reply, he was so firmly

convinced that he supported the identity and continuity and advent by a new

argument! "The Bhagavad Gita tells us, the Lord has announced that those who

depart from the body during the distressed smoky condition of the mind, or

during the night, or the dark half of the

month, or during the six months when the Sun is in the southern hemisphere, that

is to say, during the six months that mark the southern or the manes path, reach

the region of the Moon, if they are Yogins. After some time, they have to return

thence to the earth and human birth. (Chapter 8, Sloka 25) Sloka 28 says that if

they depart during the day and during the bright half of the moon and during the

six months of the Northward sun, the yogis do not return at all. Sai Baba of

Shirdi departed during the Dakshinayana, the six months of the southern sun,

because, evidently, He courted the chance of returning to earth." I can only

say that such buttresses are not needed to prove the obvious; here beckoning us

in love and sweetness is the Avathar, the re-appearance of Sai, whom we call all

experience and benefit from.

As a boy of 14, when Baba decided to stand forth as Sai Baba, giving up the role

of Sathyanarayana Raju, He threw away His schoolbooks, and walked away from His

home, to a garden outside the town of Uravakonda. He told His sister-in-law who

tried to persuade Him to stay: "I have got My work; My Bhaktas are waiting for

Me". [see for this story: The Serpent Hill] What was the Work? Who were the

Bhaktas? We can see that the work was "the continuation of what was achieved at

Shirdi"; the Bhaktas were those who adored Him while at Shirdi and subsequently.

This was the reason

why He chided a far-famed worshipper of His Shirdi Form who refused to recognize

Him thus: "What is the use of all your adoration and meditation when you cannot

recognize the very God whom you are adoring and meditating upon?" Even in His

teens, He demonstrated to two of His masters at school, Subbannachar and

Kondappa that He was Sai come again; He granted visions of Shirdi to His mother

and father and many others at Puttaparthy. He gave pieces of the kafni He wore

at Shirdi to Thammiraju Manchiraju and others at Uravakonda.

Thammiraju Manchiraju was a teacher at the Uravakonda High School. He has

written many articles about those days in the "Sanathana Sarathi" magazine.

"Since the untimely death of my daughter, my wife was very depressed and so my

'pupil' at school - Sathya shall I say or Baba - came to my house frequently to

console her. She used to go every

Thursday evening to Him, at the Telugu teacher's house (the house of the elder

brother of Baba, Seshamaraju). One day, while she was falling at His Feet, He

raised her up saying; "I shall carry all burdens for you. Be happy,

henceforth." Then, He waved His hands and created rice grains (just as He

created for Megha at Viamgaon while at Shirdi) and asked her to tie them up in

the gerua piece of the kafni He had given us earlier.

"We had to go some distance to the village well for the days stock of potable

water. My wife one day collected the children of the neighbors and asked them

to play with our five year old son, so that she could go to the well and

return. She gave them some sugar and said, "Do Sai Puja, all of you; I shall

come soon. Offer this sugar to Him and then, take it as Prasadam." The children

went into the shrine room; they repeated the hymns they knew. They saw Sai Baba

sitting before them. He ate a small quantity of the sugar and gave each one of

them a handful. My son was so excited at the Old Man's visit that he ran out to

meet his mother and bring her along. He knew she would be delighted to meet Him.

When she came in, the room was empty. Where has He gone she asked the children?

The little innocents

replied, "We saw Him go into that picture". Within a few days, we were at

Puttaparthy. Baba told me, "You were sad that I had come away to Puttaparthy;

but I can be here and still be there. I knew you would believe this only when

the children spoke about what they saw." Thammiraju writes, "The question may

arise: Why did He choose the Shirdi Form? I asked myself this question. I got

the answer too from Sathya: "There is no 'that form' or 'this form'. Both are

one".

Sai Baba, while young, used to sing with enthusiasm, and dance with tinkling

anklets on His Feet. In this appearance as Sathya, He used to delight in dance

and impart delight to others by the dance. He sings with enthusiasm Kirthans

and Namavalis which inspire hundreds of thousands into ecstatic devotion ...

Sai Baba wore, when He came to Shirdi, only a dhothar round His waist and a

shirt on His body; for many years, at Puttaparthy, also, He wore the same style

of clothes. He changed over to the long gown, as Sai Baba did at Shirdi, only

later. He adopted the coloured gown and dhoti for general wear, at the instance

of devotees, so that He could be more readily identified and not get lost when

hundreds milled round Him for Darshan and to touch His Feet.

"Your joy is the food I subsist on", says Sathya Sai Baba. To give joy to the

people around Him, at Shirdi, Sai Baba meekly submitted to pageant and pomp!

Every alternate day, Sai Baba was taken in procession from Dwarakamayi to the

Chavadi, where He slept. Groups of men and women with tal, chiplis, karatala's,

mrdanga's, Khanjira veena and other musical instruments formed the van of the

procession. A long line of beautiful Raths followed behind. Next came the

richly caparisoned horse, Syamakarna, which Sai Baba fondled and loved. Behind

the horse, was a palanquin borne by men who sang hymns, accompanied by many

torchbearers on both sides. There were others with canes, silver sticks, poles

with flags, bearers of poles with carved figures of Garuda on their crests.

They danced in joy, shouting Jai, to

the tune of drums and trumpets. Fireworks announced the approach of the

procession through sound, and the brilliance of sudden flashes of multicolored

light. Baba appeared on the steps of the Masjid with persons holding yak-tail

chowries on each side of him. The Bhaldars announced His appearance by shouting

His Name. Devotees spread folds of cloth on the road, as He moved along. An

umbrella was held over His head; flowers besmeared with gulal were showered on

Him as He proceeded slowly."

The Sai Satcharita says "What a beautiful procession! What an expression of

devotion! That scene and those days are gone now. Nobody can see them now, nor

in the future."

No; Baba has come again! He permitted devotees to arrange such processions again

at Puttaparthy during the Dasara Birthday Festivals, until about 1954. At

Shirdi, Baba was bejeweled before He started for the Chavadi. "They put on His

head a Mukuta (crown) and placed jewels round His neck as well as garlands.

(Sakamma from Bangalore brought many jewels, which she put on Baba.) During the

short time of the procession, they changed His headdress off and on." Even now,

Baba yields to the prayers of people when He knows they are sincere and allows

them to arrange processions in towns and villages (as at Sivajinagar,

Kalyanapuram, Ootacamund), though with paraphernalia very much reduced.

At Shirdi, Baba referred to His Sircar, His Treasury, His durbar; now too, He

refers to Himself as Sath-Chakra-varthi; He speaks to His store-room, His

treasury, His treasure (pennidhi). At Shirdi, He said that "This Dwarakamayi is

the Dankapuri of Dakurnath, the Pandhari of Vital, and the Dwarka of Ranchod".

Baba has announced that the present Dwarakamayi (Prashanthi Nilayam) is

"another Mathura, another Badrinath and another Tirupathi." The name Dwarka was

applied to the city built by Krishna on an island, because, the word means, a

place the doors of which are open for

the four castes and for the four types of men namely Aartha, Artharthi, Jijnasu

and Jnani, so that they may attain the four Purusharthas. Certainly, the

dwelling of the Lord at Dwarka, Shirdi and Puttaparthy deserves the name. Baba

has said, "This Prashanthi Nilayam has no wall or fence round it, for the Lord

is accessible to all who come from directions and all paths! All are welcome to

the gift of Grace."

Sai Baba 'expressed a wish' that a Muralidhar idol of Krishna (with the flute or

murali in His hand) be installed in the quadrangle of the palatial building that

Booty built in Shirdi; but, He 'left' Shirdi before that wish could be

fulfilled. Perhaps for that reason, Baba has a Muralidhar idol of Krishna on

the porch of Prashanthi Nilayam, as the centre of adoration for all who raise

their hands in prayer. He has a Muralidhar in the shrine in the Prayer Hall.

There are two charming images of Muralidhar in the lovely

normal">garden of Brindavan, too.

A close study of the Sai Satcharita is a MUST for any one seeking to unravel the

mystery of Sathya Sai Baba, for the Hand that gives and the Voice that teaches

are the same.

When a Brahmachari of the Ramakrishna Mission came to Prashanthi Nilayam to get

his chronic colic cured, Baba asked him to pray to Guru Maharaj Himself, and

instructed him how to do Dhyan with greater success. He assured him that

Ramakrishna, his Gurumaharaj, would cure the ailment that hinders the spiritual

progress of his child. At Shirdi, Baba would have given the same advice. "Do not

lose hold of the bolster you have securedApula bap tho, apula bap." (Our

father alone is our father); you cannot change one Master for another, to suit

your whim and fancy." Sai Baba gave Darshan to the disciples of Golapswami as

Golapswami, and to the disciples of Raghunath Maharaj as Raghunath Maharaj. Sai

Baba was all saints in one.

Now also, it is the same One. While at Prashanthi Nilayam, Baba has given Darsan

at Ramanasram to Swami Abhedananda as Ramana Maharshi and at Shimoga to

Ramanandarao as Ramadas of Kanhangad! Sai Baba has accepted gifts intended for

other saints and Gurus, for He was all of them. Baba too has surprised many

people by telling them that He has been with them for years, guiding and

guarding, when they protest that they are meeting Him for the first time. Baba

makes it clear that He is the very guru that they have followed so far.

The Secretary of the Hindi Prachar Sabha, Bangalore had a meaningful experience.

He was in the home of a friend when Baba arrived there, years ago. His friend

and many others fell at His Feet, but, he had no mind to do likewise. He feared

that he may be singled out as a conceited youth, refusing to revere a great

person. So, he fell at Baba's Feet, with a mental reservation that the

prostration was not for Baba but was for his Guru, who was at Maddur in a Siva

temple. When he rose after the fall, Baba patted him gently on the back and

said, with a smile, "Your homage has

reached your guru at Maddur." Thus He came to know, as many did at Shirdi, that

Baba is the Divine vien of gold that runs through all Spiritual Masters and all

Divine Teachers.

The unbroken continuity of the Sais is established by the identical panacea:

they grant 'Udi'. Then, it was given from the Dhuni or fireplace at

Dwarakamayi; now, it is created in the Divine palm, for, a fireplace cannot now

be carried wherever He goes or feels like granting it. I must mention here one

interesting fact about the Udi, and Shirdi Sai Baba. Sai Baba often sang a song

on the Udi, a song, which has become immortal, since He sang it "Ramathe Raam!

Raam! Aayoji, aayoji! Udiaonki gonia Laayoji, laayoji!" (O, playful Rama, come,

come! sacks of Udi, bring, bring.)

Who is the Rama that is called upon by Sai Baba to bring sacks of Udi? Rama of

the Ramayana did not distribute Udi as a mark of His Grace. Udi was Baba's own

special gift, His unique means of alleviating man's physical and mental ills.

So, it is a call into the future; for, Baba at Shirdi did not stack the Udi and

carry bags of it. It is a peep into the present time, when we find Baba moving

between long lanes of men and women with a bag or basket of Udi packets and

placing a few in the outstretched palms of hundreds and thousands, in towns and

villages all over the land!

When Baba "took on" the cerebral thrombosis or as the Director of Medical

Services in Mysore diagnosed it, 'tubercular meningitis' of a devotee of the

Lord, we were reminded not only of similar acts of compassion shown by Him in

the past, but also of such acts done by Him while at Shirdi as Sai Baba. Sai

Baba had taken on four fully developed bubos from the son of Dadasaheb Khaparde

of Amraoti. Showing them to the boy's mother, Sai Baba declared, 'See how I

suffer for my devotees; their suffering is mine."

When we hear Sathya Sai Baba announcing, "Vivekananda has come again; he is

growing up in Ceylon; he will come to me and join in my task", as He did one

morning or "The man who wrote the first English biography of Vivekananda was

born last night in a thatched hut on the sea shore on the west coast at

Kuttipuram. It is a charming baby, with bright big eyes", we are reminded of

Sai Baba at Shirdi announcing to the people around Him the past lives of snakes

and cows and goats! In His Discourses, Baba has often said, "I know your past; I

know your future; so, I know why you suffer and how you can escape suffering."

The declarations that resound from Prashanthi Nilayam are but echoes of those

heard at Dwarkamai. Baba says, "Imagine how foolish you are! Coming to this

Kalpataru and asking for a little coffee

powder! Your behaviour is like a man coming to a huge departmental store and

asking for a towel." As Sai Baba, He said, "I am sitting here, ready to give

you the gold embroidered shella cloth; then, why go and steal rags?"

Sai Baba spoke in such conundrums and parables. He told Kaka Saheb that He would

send him a Vimana when he died. What happened was that he died in a moving

train? Sathya Sai Baba also speaks thus. He told an aged film star, who spoke

to Him of his physical illnesses, "I know, your body is a bundle of diseases; I

shall overhaul you and give you a new body." What happened was, he died soon and

entered a new body. That film star was blind; he pleaded that he might at least

or rather at most, get a picture of Baba in his heart. What happened can best

be described by quoting a para from the book, 'Sai the Superman', by Swami

Sharananand. He is writing about Sai Baba of Shirdi, but, exactly the same

thing happened at Prashanthi Nilayam, too! He prayed to Baba, "I have lost my

eyesight. I do not feel its

loss; for want of eyesight keeps me away from many undesirable things; but, I am

eager to see the human form in which you, My Lord have manifested yourself.

Please therefore grant me eyesight till I satiate myself by the sight of your

glory. You may withdraw this grant as soon as this is done." Baba at once

granted this request; he saw Baba with his own eyes and then, he lost vision

and became blind again.

Sai Baba evinced enthusiasm to safeguard and foster Sanathana Dharma and to

promote scriptural studies that can alone clarify the intellect and purify the

mind. We read in the Sai Satcharita how He rebuked a Ramadasi for retaining his

short temper, in spite of his recital of Vishnu Sahasranama for years. He

rebuked Swami Vijayanand, who had ostensibly given up kith and kin, when he

asked him permission to go to Madras to see his sick mother. "Go and read the

Bhagavatham", he told him! As Sathya Sai Baba, He is continuing on a vaster

scale this role of correcting the

craving and attachments of monks and Sadhakas. He rebukes them for celebrating

or even remembering their birthdays; for decorating themselves and others with

titles indicative of spiritual progress, and engaging themselves in competitive

publicity to attract and retain rich followers. Sai Baba asked Haji Sidi Falke

of Kalyan, "Do you read the Quoran like this?" As Sathya Sai Baba, we have seen

Him regulating and modifying the speed and pitch of renowned Vedic reciters.

Sathya Sai Baba places emphasis on the Gayathri, on Omkar as well as on the

Gita as the most efficacious of mantras and texts. As Sai Baba too, He did the

same. He asked people to read the Bhagavatha, the Patanjali Yogasuthras, the

Vicharasagara, the Panchadasi etc. Dadasaheb Khaparde, an expert in

Vidyaranya's Commentaries, 'uttered no word' in Sai Baba's presence, because,

as he confessed, 'learning cannot shine before selfrealisation'. This is the

experience of many a scholar in the presence of Sathya Sai Baba

also. When a renowned poet and pundit, and popular preacher who has toured USA,

USSR, Japan etc., and lectured there on religion, fell at His Feet and offered

to spend the remaining years of his life in flying from continent to continent,

spreading the happy news of His Advent, Sathya Sai Baba told him, "Do not worry

about My Advent; worry about your own future. I wish someone would clip your

wings and keep you in one fixed place, so that you can do some Sadhana and save

yourself, before it is too late.Concentrate on your own uplift before

attempting to uplift others", was His advice to another popular exponent of the

Gita and Upanishads. He has come to cure the blind, correct the proud, console

the ignorant and comfort the distressed.

The declarations made at Shirdi and by Sathya Sai Baba everywhere about the

Divinity and Mystery of Sai are naturally identical. Sathya Sai Baba says, "My

Shakti, My Power, My Mystery can never be understood, whoever may try, for

however long a period, by whatever means". Sai Baba said, "I pull the wires of

this puppet show". At Shirdi, He told Vijayananda, "You were able to reach this

place only as the result of the merit acquired in previous births". At

Puttaparthy, He says the same thing to all those who come. The reaction to

praise and blame, then as now, is the same. The Sai Satcharita says, "Sai Baba

was tolerant, emotionless, unattached, and internally free." Baba has written

to His brother when He was but twenty, "I shall not slaken My activity; for Me,

fame and name, reputation and calumny,

are equally trivial. I am unconcerned with the whole lot."

Sai Baba was the embodiment of Prema; Sathya Sai Baba names Himself as

Premaswarupa. The Satcharita refers to Udivrishti and Kripavrishti, the shower

of Udi and the shower of Grace; any book on Baba then as now must mention these

two showers, for they are the marks of the Sai Godhead! Sai addressed people as

"O, Bhau", "You Anna" or "You Bapu", in love and endearment; now, in the new

Sai Form, He addressed them as "Bangaru", "Nayana" or "Appa".

Then and now, Sai has taken every opportunity to proclaim His Glory, for, how

else can man realize His good fortune? At Shirdi, He said, "I am the indweller

of all beings." Recently, He wrote to a learned Pandit, "Do not disparage the

rich; do not disparage any one, Sai dwells in every one and so, when you

disparage any one you are disparaging Me. Professor G.G. Narke of the

Engineering College, Poona wrote of Sai, while He was at Shirdi, "He spoke as

One seated in my heart, knowing all its thoughts and all its wishes. I tested

Him at times. Each test produced the same conviction that He was all-knowing,

and able to mould things according to His will." Now, in the present Sathya Sai

form, Baba told a Sarvodaya worker, a certain Sri Mehta who asked Him quite

frankly, how He could read his mind so right,

"This is no Siddhi or attainment; this is My Svabhava, My very nature. I do not

by means of a power that I have learned and earned, enter into your mind,

collect all the information I require about its contents, emerge from it, and

then, recite it all to you, to impress you. No. I am there always and

everywhere. I am your Hrudaya-vasi, the Indweller."

Sai Baba told Balaram Mankar, when He appeared before him at Mathsyendragad

while also at Shirdi, in person and in answer to Mankar's question as to why He

had sent him away from Shirdi to that hill, "You imagined that, with this body

three cubits and a half long, composed of the five elements, I was at Shirdi!

Isn't it? I wanted to make you know My Reality; that is why I sent you here, so

that I may come before you and show you that I am not that body only." Sathya

Sai Baba too has appeared as such to devotees in far off places and even beyond

the seven seas, making them aware that He is not bound by the physical frame,

which many mistake to be He. He says, "Learn to yearn, so that you can draw Me

to you, wherever you are. That is a more rewarding Sadhana, than the journeys

you now undergo. Transform

your heart into a Prasanthi Nilayam; then, I shall certainly come and stay there."

The golden streak of continuity is evident in the miraculous cures they effect,

in the mysterious ways by which they save devotees from accidents, by which

they forewarn and rescue, in the methods by which they teach and train, in the

emphasis they lay on the fundamentals of all faiths. People who have lived long

at Shirdi have noticed at Prashanthi Nilayam, the same turns and twists in

conversation, the same love and mercy, even the same mannerisms of gesture.

M.S. Dixit vouchsafes for one such: "Sathya Sai Baba waves His right hand, just

as the Shirdi Lord used to do, one or two fingers in the air, as if He is

writing in the air." This waving of the hand, with no evident purpose or

meaning is mentioned in the Sai Satcharita of "Hemadpant" in Chapter 27.

Another trait of Baba, at Shirdi and Puttaparthy is the awarding of nicknames to

people arounding and using them, in general conversation. At Shirdi, the Lord

was Fakir, Panduranga was Vittal Patil; at Puttaparthy He is the Potter, the

Smith. Das Ganu was the ‘bridegroom’; another person was 'the gourmand' or 'the

fat one'. The nickname, Hemadpant, with which He accosted Govindarao Raghunath

Dabhokar has become historic, since he accepted it as - his nom de plume -,

writing at the end of each chapter, as its colophon, "Bhaktha Hemadapantha

Virachitha Sri Sai Samartha Satcharita"!

Hemadpant was a famous minister of the Yadava Dynasty who ruled from Deogir

(Daulatabad); he served two of the rulers, Mahadeva and Ramadeva, in the XII

century A.D. He wrote many celebrated works in Sanskrit, like

Chathurvargachintamani and Rajapurusasti, mainly concerned with sociology and

political science. When he was given this nickname, Dabholkar took it as a

"dart to destroy my ego", as a means to teach me "nithya nirabhimana"

(permanent ego-lessness). He contrasted his own insignificant attainments with

the gigantic achievements of the person whose name was stuck on him; he prayed

that Baba may write His story Himself through the pen he was privileged to

hold. And, Baba blessed Him, 'so be it'!

Now too, there is a repetition. When recently I scanned my Diary for 1958, I

discovered this entry on the 29th day of November: "Baba accosted me, when I

went to Him at 7.15 A.M. as Nannayya Bhatta!" I had no idea then that it was a

name that was heavy with history. This was two years previous to the

publication of His Life, "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram", a book He wrote while I held

the pen, His Satcharita. He had blessed me with the task as early as 1948, and I

was waiting for His command to begin, even ten years later, for he was saying,

"Now, if you publish a

book about Me, people will not believe it: they will deem it as a fairy tale;

wait, till the world is made ready to receive it."

That name He accosted me with, is, as I learnt later, famous in Andhra, as the

name of the Adi Kavi, the First Poet, one of the three who together completed

the immortal Andhra Mahabharatham; Nannayya Bhatta is also said to have

composed another great poem, on Sri Rama, "Raghavabhyudayam." He lived at

Rajamahendravaram on the banks of the Godavari River

10pt">, in the XI Century A.D., and he had as his patron, the Chalukya Emperor,

Rajaraja. While naming illiterate me, with a twinkle in the eye, as Nannayya

Bhatta who extolled in excellent poetry the glory of Sri Rama and Sri Krishna,

Baba was only revealing His Identity. The nickname was a dart against my

egoism, the conceit of this infinitesimal ripple on the ageless boundless Ocean

that He is. May I too be established in nithya nirabhimana, that is my prayer.

M.S. Dixit, to whom reference has been made, is the nephew of Kakasaheb, who was

intimately attached to Sai Baba at Shirdi. He had many opportunities of

receiving blessings from Baba, at Dwarakamayi. Once, Baba took Udi (see also

SSS - Wave of the hand) and applying it to his forehead with a slap, said, "Go

to the Wada, don't sit here." He was a boy in his teens then; so, he told his

uncle, "I will not go to Baba; He slapped me on the forehead." But, Kakasaheb

said, "You are a fool; the slap means your horrible headache will not recur."

He is seventy now and the headache has not dared to pay him a visit since that

slap. Dixit writes of another incident: "One day, about 5.30

A.M.(!), Baba sent for the barber and had a shave, after which He bathed. This

was very unusual. He generally had a shave and a bath in the afternoon. That

day, after the bath, he sent a man to the grocer, and got a coconut, some

jaggery and a quantity of ground nuts. He broke the coconut and cut the kerned

into pieces; then, he gave a piece along with jaggery and groundnuts to all

present. After this, He said, "Bolo Gajanan Maharaj Ki Jai". We all cheered

Jai. I wondered why; no one knew who this Gajanan Maharaj was. Later, Baba

said, "I have lost My brother, this morning." Two days later, a letter came to

Kakasaheb from Shegaon written by Buty Saheb that his Guru, Gajanan Maharaj had

left the body at 5.30 A.M. that day and that, during his last moments, he had

assured him "My brother Sai Baba will take care of you hereafter; go to him, at

Shirdi"! (Sathya Sai Baba too is immediately conscious of the birth or death or

whatever happens to all; He announces to those around Him the passing away - or

rather, the mergence in His Feet - of persons yearning to have that happy type

of release).

Some years ago, Dixit who was at Mangalore, and reading the 'Guru Charitra' in

the orthodox style, determined to finish the book in 'seven days', a Saptaha as

it is called. On the seventh day, he had a dream: "I entered an arched gate

which led me into a magnificent building at the end of a wide road, with dark

green trees on both sides. As I was proceeding, I felt some one was following

me, calling me in a soft sweet voice, Dixit, Dixit. When I turned round to find

out who it was, I saw a charming figure in silken robes, and a thick halo of

hair that was remarkably curly. A few days later, I went to a friend, a Doctor

and I saw in his room, the picture of that same figure. Who is this? Is He

available I asked? The reply took me by storm. "He is Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba! "Sai Baba? Sathya Sai Baba

I pondered? The doctor said, "Some of my friends are going to see Him shortly,

you can join them, if you care too." Dixit was overwhelmed with joy; he joined

the party and arrived at Prashanthi Nilayam. He passed through the arched gate,

he proceeded along the wide road with dark green trees on either side. He saw

the charming figure. He heard the silver voice, when he was called in for a

personal talk, in the Private Room.

Let Dixit relate what happened. "Baba called me in. He saw with me a small

photograph of my uncle. "I know him, he is Dixit, your father's brother, elder

brother. I told him I will be coming again, eight years later. Have you any

doubt?", He enquired. That question was relevant, for until then, "I was bogged

in doubt". Dixit is unshakably convinced now that this Sai Baba is the same that

he served at Shirdi, for he had many an experience to deepen his faith.

Baba also grants many fortunate persons such experiences, even the many who have

not heard of either Baba. His plan is, perhaps, to draw them to Him, so that

they may become messengers of the 'Sai Era' of spiritual Joy. Else, how can we

explain the following remarkable experience of Srimathi Shudha Mazumdar of

Calcutta? She is a social worker since many years and has contributed much to

the amelioration of a lot of women in the prisons of

10pt">India; she was for a long time the Vice-President of the All India Women's

Conference. Her translation of the Ramayana into English has kindled the flame

of devotion in thousands of hearts all over the world. Here is her own account

of the way in which, quite spontaneously, Sathya Sai Baba established Himself

in her heart and instilled faith in Him, as the same Sai who was at Shirdi!

There was a slight drizzle that morning, in October 1964. I was in Darjeeling,

high up in Jalapahar, on a bench under a shelter, on the edge of the road,

looking down the deep valleys. Beyond were the snowy ranges of the

Kanchenjungha, covered with clouds. The beauty of the Himalayas failed to lift

my spirits; I was weighed down by my troubles. As I gazed at the

splendor of nature with unseeing eyes, I noticed a figure, clad in white,

climbing up to where I was. An old man, with a battered umbrella under his arm

reached the shelter, and stood before me, breathing heavily. He had on a small

white cap; from his long white robe, I knew him to be a faquir. He hesitated,

as if he was not sure whether I would like him to share my bench. I welcomed

him warmly. He smiled and sat beside me, carefully leaning his umbrella against

the bench. It was covered with some white material that had become unstitched,

in places from the frame; I wondered how it served its purpose!

He sat in silence; so did I. We both gazed at the snow-covered peaks before us,

for, the clouds had moved off, revealing the dazzling splendor. When he had

recovered his breath, I asked him where he had come from. "Oh, very far", he

smiled and with outstretched hand, he pointed to the distance. "From Nepal", he

added. "But where do you stay here?Oh, anywhere, when the sun setsAnd,

food?People are kind; I always get something to eat and some kind of shelter

at nightfall." Then he laughed. "I enjoyed a fine meal when the poor were fed

after Nehru

died". He had crossed his long legs and rumbling in the cotton bag slung over

his shoulder, he brought out a piece of rag, from which he took out a pinch of

tobacco. He did not partake of this, however, he sat with his eyes on the

distant mountains, while he chanted melodious words in Hindi. "What is this?",

I asked. Turning his eyes on me, he said they were from Kabir. He was a Kabir

Panthi. "Yes", he continued, "both my father and mother died when I was very

young. I had no other kinsmen. Neighbours said I must marry, for some one must

cook my food. But, I thought, since He has chosen to leave me without any

people of my own, it must be because He wants me to leave the world. So, one

night, I left home and became a wanderer. When I was sixteen years old, I

became a faquir, of the path of Kabir."

Here, he hummed another verse. It had a haunting quality. Taking out a notebook

and a pencil I had in my bag, I begged him to give me the words. With kindly

eyes, he looked at me and nodded. One by one, I jotted down the three verses.

He corrected the mistakes and explained the meanings. Here they are, translated

as best as I can:

1. Choosing bits of brick with careMan erects a mansion hereThen, he says, 'This

home is mine'!But it's neither 'mine' nor 'thine';So I heardIt is but a Nest for

the Bird.

2. Thy land shall goThy goods shall goThy linen fine shall goWith braided hair,

the maid so fair ...The blind too shall goOh, so beautifully ...And for a while

thy abodeThe wilderness shall be!

3. With what high hopes the boy was raisedHow fondly fed with milk, so pure

....And he?Blame not the mother, nor the fatherIt was all destined for thee.

The Fakir taught me the meaning very patiently, "Homes are but nests for the

spirit encased in the body; the nest is abandoned when the allotted span is

spent. ... All that is in this world will have to be left here, when death

arrives. The body returns to the elements of which it is composed" With

compassion in his eyes, he explained the last verse. "When you do not get love

or gratitude in return for all the labour and pain you have undergone,

remember, that is the result of one's own Karma. Blame none."

"Very true", I murmured with misty eyes. "But how to proceed on the path?" I

remember he gave good advice also that I should wake at 4 o'clock in the

morning and repeat these verses and meditate on them. He was so kind and

understanding. I bent low before him with folded hands in Namaskar and placed a

rupee beside him on the bench. He gave me his blessings in many words that I do

not quite remember, picked up his umbrella, and left me with a sense of peace.

Who was this faquir? My son said, "I go down daily to office from this side of

Jalapahar; I have never seen any faquir. Your habit of making friends with

strangers will land you in trouble some day, be careful".

In the Illustrated Weekly of November 1965, there appeared articles and pictures

of Sathya Sai Baba. The hair arrangement completely put me off: I never even

read the article! In March, 1966 came an anonymous post card with a Bombay

stamp - one of those chain letters requesting me to send off to 20 people what

was written on that card about Sai Baba and good fortune would be mine in 10

days! I was in great mental distress at the time. I found myself getting 20

post cards and typing the letters in secret and posting them off! If the family

knew, they would have teased me,

for had I not refused to know anything of Sai Baba, because of his hair?

Date in November, two friends came to me for discussions over a Seminar to be

held the next month at Bangalore. "You are lucky to be able to go; try and see

Sai Baba if you can", said one friend. "Oh", I said absent mindedly, "Why? Who

is he?" Then, we were told of the miraculous powers of Baba and that miracles

were happening in the home of a Mrs. Rao. The details sounded so incredible

that I must have smiled. "You don't believe me", she said in a hurt voice. I

hastened to assure her that since this came from her, what she said must be

true. She shook her head.

"No. You must see for yourself. I can take you there now; it is not far".

So, we left our files and papers, called a taxi and came to the modest home of

Mrs. Rao. Welcoming us, she laughed and said, "See what Baba is doing!" and

took us where amongst other holy pictures, the small-framed one of Baba had

benediction in his eyes. Over his forehead, there appeared a fine gray dust.

This was 'vibuthi' we were told and we were given a little folded in pieces of

paper. Mrs. Rao had never seen Baba except once in a dream; she secured this

photograph of His and sometime later, this fragrant ash began appearing on it

and it is stored for devotees. "But, this is nothing", she laughed, "you should

see what is happening in the home of my dasi". She related how this woman

servant became a devotee of Baba, and securing three pictures, kept them framed

in her place of worship. She finishes

her prayers at 4 o'clock in the morning, before she goes on her daily rounds to

wash and scrub and sweep in different homes for her livelihood. Over her

pictures, as an indication of Baba's Grace, there appears vibuthi in one,

Kumkum in another and on the third photograph, haldi powder! Good fortune is

hers now; she has left for better wages offered elsewhere. "Is her home very

far off?" I asked. "Can we not go there now?" Mrs. Rao said it was not a

distant place, but in the heart of a bustee where there were no streetlights

even and the rain that day must have made the lane leading to it very muddy

indeed. We assured her we would not mind anything if she would kindly lead us

there. We walked with her in the darkness through narrow lanes lit up now

and then, by the flickering flame of oil lamps from adjoining homes, till we

reached our destination.

The maid's name was Madhuri. She was not at home but her husband, a truck

driver, was there with the four children. Occupying half the small room was a

split bamboo structure fixed on the mud floor on which they all slept together,

keeping their belongings under it. The other half of the room was reserved for

their place of worship.

The place was specklessly clean; the few brass vessels gleamed in the lamplight.

The wall of this portion of the room was covered with coloured prints of holy

pictures including one of Shirdi Baba and, at the bottom above a steel shelf

covered with a clean cloth, were the three pictures of Sathya Sai Baba, and

true enough, there could be seen the Vibuthi, Kumkum and Haldi Powder in

profusion over Baba's forehead. A light burnt on a brass lamp and a beautiful

fragrance pervaded the humble home. The place had a definite atmosphere and

overcome, I prayed a prayer and left a small offering. Two days later, the maid

had managed to trace me and sent a large basket of prasad - mostly homemade

sweets and Baba's Vibuthi. I was moved to the depths and vowed to myself I must

see this Sai

Baba.

How I succeeded in my endeavors when I had given up all hopes is another story;

here I will conclude with only the portion that is connected with my Faquir.

Leaving the car on the road, Usha and I were walking by the footpath to where

Sai Baba was giving Darshan to devotees on his last day in Madras in January

1967. Lost in thought over what I had seen and heard of this most extraordinary

person, I heard Usha say, "Look Aunty, isn't that a lovely house?Yes, it's

indeed beautiful" I agreed. Then, suddenly remembering that first verse of

Kabir, I sang it softly to myself.

"What is it Aunty?" asked Usha. "Oh, only a Bhajan given by a faquir in

Darjeeling, it's Kabir's. He was a Kabir Panth". Usha stopped and faced me with

puzzled eyes. "Faquir? Kabir Panthi? Why Aunty?", she gasped, "that must have

been Shirdi Sai Baba!What on earth are you saying Usha?" Greatly excited

Usha clutched my hand and nodded, "Yes! Yes! It must be Shirdi Sai Baba. I have

just been reading Arthur Osborne's "Incredible Sai Baba" and in this, there are

incidents when he appears to people, and he was a Kabir Panthi...". I could do

nothing but smile at the extravagance of her thought. "Aunty", persisted Usha

as we continued to walk, "ask Sai Baba when you meet him this morning, for he

is the reincarnation of Shirdi

Baba".

I could never ask him anything so absurd, I told her, but she continued to press

the matter. Her parting words were "You need not fear, he is never annoyed over

question"...

As I recall the past, I was amazed at the strange sequence of events that

brought me before the closed door upstairs. I had in my hands a small slip in

which I begged for an interview if he did not think I was too unworthy. It was

meant to be made over to the person who opened the door ... We had not knocked.

The door opened and behold - it was Baba! Playfully he said to me smiling "Come,

do Namaskar!" He was giving me my heart's desire. I bowed low to touch the

beautiful feet of the red clad figure with benediction in his eyes.

I had meant to ask him questions about my own troubles, but it was he who told

me what my sorrows were and assured me all would be well. Then, remembering my

niece's words, I stammered, "Baba, Usha was saying I should ask about the

faquir I met in Darjeeling ... he ...". Interrupting me he said, "That was I in

another form. I gave you three Upadesh", he added raising three fingers ... I

remember sobbing at his feet and all that came to my lips was, "Baba, will you

be with me?” I felt his hand upon my head and as in a dream heard, "Always!

Always!” My face was wet with

tears. My heart was full. My spirit was at peace at last ... Then, he

materialized as if to comfort me, Vibuthi and a small photograph with his Abhay

Hasta [meaning: fear not!] raised that had his address too, like a visiting

card. "Put this in your purse", he said and gave me a handful of small packets

of Vibuthi from a brass container. "Come to Puttaparthy during Shivaratri ...

all facilities will be provided". He also told me he would come to Calcutta ...

He only knows when I will be blessed enough to be at Puttaparthy and favoured

with another Darshan.

June 1967. I was at Bombay for a meeting, but my mind was bent on a cherished

wish. "I would like to go to Shirdi!” I told my friends.

"Do please make enquiries", I entreated my host, "and help me to make this

visit". He returned from office smiling broadly one day saying, "Why Aunty,

when I mentioned your desire I was told since you wish to go, Shirdi Baba will

surely fulfill your wish!That is all very well to say", I replied glumly,

"but how? With whom"? "And where do I stay in Shirdi?" My health was not too

good and the more I thought about it the more despondent I felt at the prospect

of going to a strange place all by myself. But the prediction was true. In an

extraordinary manner, a charming Maharashtrian lady traveling in the same

compartment guided me right from the train in which I was going in the wrong

direction. With my two companions discovered at the last moment, devotees of

Baba, she gave us hospitality in her home

at Nasik and made all arrangements for our Shirdi visit one morning.

"The Aarti is commencing, come at once!" The bus drive has been and dusty, so

after a quick wash we hastened to the Samadhi Sthan. Where the mortal remains

of Shirdi Baba had been laid to rest, a gleaming silver sheet covered the

spacious place. There were colorful flowers in abundance there, lights burnt,

the air was heavy with the fragrance of incense, bells were ringing, the crowd

surged, I pressed forward for a better view. My heart stood still as my eyes

fell on the life size white marble image. Sitting with his right leg crossed

over His knee, this figure of Shirdi Baba near His Samadhi Sthan strangely

resembled the faquir I had met in Darjeeling. The same face, the same pose,

only instead of the small cap, there was a scarf wound round his head. The same

kind inscrutable eyes looked penetratingly at me. I held my breath. Time passed

.... My mind gradually accepted an indisputable fact and ceased to worry over

the whys and wherefores. With my surrender, the tears rained down easing the

tension. My trembling lips murmured, "Baba! Baba!", and wordlessly I prayed for

his Kripa. My hands held on to the tray filled with fruit and flower given to me

to make the formal offering here with the others. My tears continued to fall, I

was blessed with a sense of peace - the peace that passeth all understanding

filled my heart."

Sathya Sai Baba spontaneously and suddenly choosing Sudha Mazumdar at Darjeeling

as His Instrument and drawing her into the Sai Family, giving her Darshan and

Upadesh, in the form of His Previous Body! Faquir, Sathya Sai Baba, Sai Baba -

Sudha Mazumdar is indeed fortunate beyond words! Her experience is an eye

opener to those who refuse to see.

There is an old lady at Prashanthi Nilayam, whose experience clinches the

question of the avatharhood. Her father, a Collector in the Nizam's Dominions,

took her to Shirdi in her third year and again in her seventh year; she was

married at that age; torn by agony at the death of the four children that she

bore, she clasped the Feet of Sai Baba at Shirdi in 1917, asking for spiritual

initiation or Upadesh and permission to stay on with Him. In Lendi Bagha, Baba

told her, "Not now; I will come again in Andhra; you will meet me then and be

with me." She returned to the Nizam's Dominions, took to the propagation of

Bhakthi by means of musical recitations on the life-stories of saints and

sages, established a Refuge Home for Orphan Girls named Sai Sadan, and, during

her peregrinations to collect money for

her institutions, heard that a Raju Boy had announced Himself as Sai Baba! She

hurried to Uravakonda, joined the throng that was proceeding to the house of

Seshamaraju that Thursday and sat near Him, on the right side. She says, that

Baba spoke to her in a low voice in Hindi, as at Shirdi, "So, you have come, My

child." He asked her for a balance of sixteen rupees that she owed him! This

took her by storm. She asked Him how that debt arose. He replied, "Out of the

money you had accumulated to be sent to Shirdi for the Dasara Celebrations, you

lent Balaram forty rupees; he returned only twenty four." And, He added, in a

whisper "I am asking you this, only to convince you that I am Shirdi Sai Baba

.... you have not touched My Feet ... you sat as soon as you came in." This lady

had to wind up her institution and visit Puttaparthy frequently thereafter. She

is now at Prashanthi Nilayam, happy that what Baba told her at Shirdi has come

true.

Incredible, is it? Well. Arthur Osborne could not get any other adjective to

summarize the glory of Sai Baba; the incredibility of the wonder persists even

now.

CONTINUED…

With Sai love from Sai brother M. Palaniswamy

/