Sathya Sai Baba - Devotee's Stories

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the letter was a waste. did it mean that their prayer was answered? He is

compassionate. He might have answered. Even if He did not, I don't think he

would indicate that.I got my answer when I went home for the summer holidays. I

heard about the experience which threw light upon that incident. The small girl

I had seen that day had a heart ailment. The doctors in Madras and Hyderabad

confirmed the presence of a hole in her heart. When they came to the Sathya Sai

Baba Super Specialty Hospital at Prasanthi Nilayam, the same diagnosis was

given. The date of the operation was fixed. The girl's mother wrote a letter to

Swami about the operation, and asked the girl to hand it over to Him. This was

the scene I had witnessed a few months ago. The mother saw Swami crumpling the

letter and took it as a rejection. Her heart bled for her child. The day of the

operation dawned. The girl was wheeled into the operating theater. When the

final tests were done, the doctors could not believe

what they found. They checked again and found no trace of the hole in the heart.

The child was perfectly healthy. They went home glad and grateful. What a way to

indicate benediction!Only He knows the purpose of what he does. However, once in

a while He does let us peep behind the curtain of His mystery. He wants to

confer joy on us. Perhaps, he wants us to understand him. But then, why does he

say we should not try to understand; only experience him? Probably, he gives us

these glimpses so that we will know the inscrutable nature of his deeds, and

the futility of our efforts to comprehend them. From Trayee Saptamayee - the

commemorative tribute to Sathya Sai Baba's 70th birthday celebration. Published

by Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust. "Many of you come here

to me with problems of health and mental worry of one sort or another. They are

mere baits by which you have been brought here. But the main purpose is that

you may have grace and strengthen your faith in the divine."Sathya Sai Baba A

Young Boy Helps Build a Hospital A few years ago at the time when preparations

were being made to begin the Super-Specialty Hospital, Bhagavan Baba seemingly

had less time to devote to the young students. Day and night he was busy with

matters relating to the new hospital. Even after the afternoon darshan he would

call together the doctors and discuss the plans for

construction in the most minute detail, as it was to be a model hospital in

every way. Previously after the evening interviews he would come out and speak

to the students and guide them but at this time he was extremely busy and was

unable to see them.There was one very young student who could no longer bear

the separation from his mother Sai. He wrote a letter to Bhagavan one day and

took it during evening darshan but unfortunately he was sitting a few rows

back. When Bhagavan came to his side, the boy got up and offered his letter to

Bhagavan. Bhagavan Baba stopped, leaned over and made a special effort to take

this young boy's letter.To say the least the boy was ecstatic. Then the darshan

continued and as usual Bhagavan called a group of doctors for an interview. All

the students were depressed as they had been deprived of the love of their

mother Sai yet another day. Then after about five minutes to their utter

amazement, the interview room door flew open and

Bhagavan emerged in all his glory, holding a small letter in his hand, the

letter of the young boy. Bhagavan called that young boy to come near and asked

him, "Boy, should I read aloud what you have written to me in this letter, so

that everyone may listen." The innocent boy replied. "Whatever you think or

wish, Bhagavan". Bhagavan himself read the letter aloud so that all could hear.

The letter was as follows: Dear Bhagavan:You have given so much to me and to

every one here. you have provided free education for me and all my brothers and

now I hear that you are constructing a BIG Hospital what will provide the most

modern health care facilities to every section of the society totally free of

cost.Bhagavan! I also want to be a part of your glorious mission but I am just

a small boy and I don't know how I can contribute.

Bhagavan, my parents are extremely poor but in spite of that they send me a

little extra pocket money every month. I know it's due to their love and

concern for me. Bhagavan! For the last three months I have not given my clothes

to the dhoby. While all the other boys were sleeping in the night I washed my

clothes and thus I managed to save a little money. Bhagavan! I have also

resisted the temptations of toffees, chocolates and all the other things and

thus managed to save a little money.Bhagavan! I offer this 100 rupee note to

you. I feel ashamed and small to give you so little but even if this money can

be used to buy a small brick for the new hospital, I will be the happiest child

in the world.Your Loving Son You know the twinkle in the eye of a mother when

her son does something that makes her feel extremely proud. Well, that twinkle

was there in Bhagavan's eye. Holding the 100 rupee note in his hand, Bhagavan

said

to that young boy, "My dear son, this is not a 100 rupee note for me, this is a

note worth millions and millions of rupees for me." What do we learn from this?

In God's kingdom - power, wealth, position, status, these are of no importance

whatsoever. God only looks to see whether our heart is pure. God only searches

for our love and devotion. From an article in the monthly magazine,

Sanathani Sarathi, February 1995. Published by Sathya Sai Books and

Publications Trust. "Whatever talent a person

has should be dedicated to the rest of humanity indeed to all living beings.

Therein lies fulfillment. Service to man will help your divinity to blossom,

for it will gladden your heart and make you feel that life has been worth

while. Service to man is service to God, for He is in every man, and every

living being, in every stone and stump. Offer your talents at the feet of

God."Sathya Sai Baba Controlling the Elements In the summer of 1965, which, to

me, was the first of my sixteen spiritual summers, I was in Bangalore once to

visit a friend. During an informal conversation one morning, my host asked me

whether I would like to see Sri Sathya Sai, who was to address a meeting at

Malleswaram, in the heart of Bangalore City, the same evening. I had heard

about Sri Sathya Sai and also read about him in some Bombay newspapers, but had

never seen him before. I had, till then, no

particular urge to read either his biography or discourses. My immediate

response to the question from my host, therefore, was somewhat casual and

uncertain. However, on second thoughts, I felt that I should attend the meeting

and so, later in the day, accompanied by my wife, Sarla, I went to Malleswaram

where a mammoth gathering was listening to Sri Sathya Sai with rapt attention.

We sat in a remote corner of the big maidan. I was swayed by a nameless

feeling, a strange inquisitiveness or curiosity, as though I was adventuring

into the unknown. Then suddenly, the sky became rather dark with thick clouds

fast gathering overhead. The large crowd became visibly restless, as people

feared an impending rain. We ourselves were in a quandary and my host hastened

to take us back to his car. Just then, we saw Sri Sathya Sai raising his hand

and saying something aloud to the crowd in the local South Indian language

which, however, I could not grasp. My friend said that he was asking the

crowd to sit down and that he was assuring them that it would not rain. As he

said this, we saw that the rain clouds started disappearing and the gathering

darkness was giving way to bright sunshine. I remained spell-bound. I could not

believe that one could disperse moisture-laden heavy clouds by a mere wave of

his hand. And yet, our eyes were a witness to this strange phenomenon, the like

of which I had read about only in Puranic stories. So begins the book

"Sixteen Spiritual Summers" by Indulal Shah in which he tells how he met Sai

Baba and began his life of service within the Sri Sathya Sai Seva (Service)

Organization. Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust.

"Man is the Divine poured into the human mould, just as everything else,

alive or inert, is; but it is the privilege of man alone, to be able to become

aware of this precious truth. This is the message of the Upanishads to man. The

same message is echoed by the scriptures, and declarations of countless

saints."Sathya Sai Baba Depression Healed by "A Small Bird" It is frequently

at a time of personal crisis that circumstances bring the unsuspecting person

close to Sai Baba. Such was the case of a mother who's daughter was about to be

married. The daughter was happy, healthy, and beautiful and the wedding seemed

to promise continued happiness for all involved. But soon the mother learned to

her

great horror that her daughter had ended her young life in a drug related

suicide. The shock was too much for her. She could not resolve the sudden

dramatic turn that life had taken. She sank into a deep depression.In the

depths of her despair she was told of the presence on the earth of a great

spiritual healer that some people called an Avatar - Sathya Sai Baba. She

learned that he helped people who came to him from all over the world. Although

there were no guarantees that he would indeed see her among the thousands of

visitors, she decided to take the chance and go to India to see him. When she

arrived at the main ashram in Puttaparthi, India she discovered he was not

there but that he was a distance away at Kodaikanal. So she proceeded on to the

place hoping to get to see him there.When she arrived she learned that Sai Baba

came out twice a day to circulate amongst the devotees giving darshan. She

waited for her chance and as soon as he was near enough to speak

to she asked for his help. He told her: "I will see you tonight" and then went

on to visit with other devotees. She was happy that he had agreed to see her

but was confused as to how it would take place. She was staying in a hotel and

taking a taxi to and from darshan and it was raining heavily. She had no idea

when to come back or where to go to see him since there was no darshan at night

and all the entrances were closed. She returned to her hotel room thinking about

the things she had heard about various ways devotees had made contact with Sai

Baba such as visions, dreams, timely appearances of unknown persons, etc.She

returned to her hotel and as she was walking in, she noticed that the doorman

was holding in his hand a small bird thoroughly soaked from rain water. He

asked her if she would be willing to take care of the little bird and she

readily agreed and took it up to her room. There she placed it on a dry towel

and checked it over for injuries. Finding no obvious

injury to the bird, she held it in her hands in order to raise its body

temperature. After a time it started to revive. She opened her hands and the

bird fluttered to the floor and hopped under the bed. She felt that since it

was warm and dark under the bed the bird would be well off there so the woman

also decided to retire for the night. The next morning she looked for the bird

but not finding it anywhere, she looked under the bed. It was still dark under

the bed and she didn't see it so she tried talking to it. After several

attempts the bird still did not emerge or respond in any way. So she changed

the tone of her voice and said with firmness: "Now you must make an effort to

come out of that dark place your are in, so that I can set you free."As soon as

she spoke there words to the little bird, the very same phrase echoed back to

her in Baba's voice just as if he were present and addressing her. Suddenly she

realized the truth of his words: "I will see you tonight". He

had even managed to convey his message to her putting his words into her own

mouth.Then the small bird hopped from under the bed out into the light. She

picked it up and released it back into the daylight letting it fly free to the

destination of its choosing. The woman too emerged from the darkness of her

depression and put herself into the hands of Baba, soaring off into new

spiritual heights. From a story that appeared in its original form in Life

is a Challenge, Meet it!, by Joy Thomas. Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and

Publications Trust. "Scatter the seeds of Love in dreary desert

hearts; then sprouts of Love will make the wastes green with joy, blossoms of

Love will make the air fragrant, rivers of Love will murmur along the valleys,

and every bird will beat, every child will sing the song of Love....Cultivate a

nearness with me in the heart and it will be rewarded. Then you too will acquire

a fraction of that supreme love."Sathya Sai Baba Lila's Prayer Lila was a

friend of the author of the book in which her story appears. She had gone to

the hospital for a breast biopsy. She was fearful and apprehensive as she

waited for the surgery. Seeing her emotional state, her hospital room mate gave

her a prayer and she read it just before the surgery was to begin. Immediately

she felt a great sense of peace and an easing of the pressure she had felt

previously. The biopsy came back showing no serious problems.About one year

after this incident, Samuel Sandweiss was talking to her about Sai Baba and she

became intrigued. She read a book about Sai Baba and began to think about going

to see him. But she and her husband were deep in debt at the time and there

seemed no feasible way to make the trip that was planned with Samuel and his

group. Lila's husband was in inventor but he had no luck in the last five years

so they barely had enough money to scrape by. Still, she wanted so badly to join

the party going to India that she went ahead and got a passport and all the

required vaccinations. But still no money turned up so she began to get into a

depressed state.One night she went to bed in a particularly depressed state and

she had an unusual dream. In her dream she saw Sai Baba dancing on a rooftop

like the fiddler in the movie Fiddler on the Roof. He was full of fun and his

eyes twinkled and she found that the

dream lifted her out of her depression.Soon afterwards things began falling into

place. Her husband was successful with one of his new inventions and he was able

to interest some people in it and before they knew it, they found themselves

financially solvent for the first time in years. Just one week before the day

of departure she had enough money for the plane fare and so she unexpectedly

but happily found herself bound for India and Sai Baba.The group of forty

people they were in was able to get an interview with Sai Baba and so they sat

in the interview room on the floor surrounding Baba who was sitting in his

chair. Baba made sure everyone was comfortable and then put them all at ease by

speaking lightly and jokingly.Suddenly he turned to Lila and recited the prayer

that had been given to her in the hospital by her roommate. He repeated it

matter of factly, word for word, then he moved his hands in the air and a large

japamala necklace made of 108

crystal beads appeared out of the air, which he then threw to Lila. Before the

trip began, Lila had confided to Samuel that if Baba materialized anything for

her, she would want a japamala and then she went on to describe it in some

detail. The one Baba had created for her matched exactly the one she had

described.Lila was stunned, then she broke into tears."No, no; you must be

strong!" Baba exclaimed to her."I try, I try" she said. "Don't try", he replied

"Do!" From a story that appeared in Sai Baba the Holy Man and the

Psychiatrist by Dr. Samuel Sandweiss. Published by Birth Day Publishing. San

Diego, CA. "If you have faith, the Lord who is the core of your

being will manifest Himself. He is within your grasp. Be aware of Him who is

the eternal Witness: He sees and knows all."Sathya Sai Baba Finding Her

Spiritual Teacher Phyllis Krystal of California had been searching for a true

spiritual guide for several years but so far had not found any spiritual

teacher she could put her full faith in. In 1972 she went into a bookstore to

buy books to read on a forthcoming trip to India and as she reached up to a

high shelf to take a book down, a different book fell at her feet, almost

hitting her on the head. The book was "Baba" by Arnold Schulman and Phyllis was

surprised to learn of an Eastern teacher she had never heard of. Everything she

read

in the book attracted her to Sathya Sai Baba and she began to wonder if she had

finally found the guru she was searching for.She and her husband left on their

planned trip to India but their agenda was already fixed so, to her great

disappointment, they had no opportunity to see Sai Baba. However, by a strange

coincidence, everywhere they went they saw pictures of him and also met people

whom he had helped. After the trip they began visiting a Sai Baba center in

Southern California and she felt an increasing urge to go back to India to see

him in person. So she and her husband planned another trip to India.When at

last they arrived in India they proceeded to Prasanthi Nilayam and settled into

the lines of the thousands of devotees waiting for the darshan of Sai Baba.

Phyllis waited for what seemed like hours and then suddenly a hush came over

the crowd and she saw a flash of Sai Baba's orange robe in the distance. She

watched as he slowly made his way along the lines

of men and women devotees, crossing from one side to another to exchange a word

here, take a letter there, or bless some particular devotee. As he came nearer

to her, Phyllis felt her heart start to pound and she wondered once again if

Sai Baba was the teacher she was destined to meet. She prayed silently for a

sign to confirm whether he really was her intended master but otherwise she

made no visible movement to attract his attention. She watched as he slowly

approached nearer, and then held her breath as he stood at a point quite near

to where she was sitting. Although he was very close to her, he did not even

look in her direction, and then he began to move away. With a sinking heart she

accepted the answer that he was not to be her guru and that she would have to

continue searching for her real guru elsewhere. No sooner had this thought

flashed through her mind than Sai Baba turned back to face her and said to her:

"So you have come!". Then he flashed his radiant smile at her

and she lost all sense of time and place and her mind went blank while her eyes

were locked onto his and time temporarily stood still for her.Some days later

they were called in for a private interview. In his characteristic way, Sai

Baba's asked Phyllis' husband: "What do you want?" and he replied that he would

like Sai Baba to heal her of the severe headaches she had been suffering from

for years. Baba nodded his head sympathetically saying: "Yes! Yes!" and

proceeded to give a detailed analysis of her physical problems. He told her she

was suffering from not one but five different headaches and said gently to her:

"Don't worry. I will help you." and then manifested some vibhutti for her and

told her to make a paste with it and dab some on the bridge of her nose each

morning for five days while she meditated on a spot in the middle of her

forehead.But Phyllis spoke up that what she really wanted above all else was

not to have her headaches cured but to help her to

attain enlightenment and eventual union with God. At that Baba smiled and nodded

his head and then said in English: "Yes, I know. But first the body must be made

strong. After that I will teach you." With that interview, a new phase in her

life began. She was healed of her headaches and other bodily problems but more

importantly given greater strength to expand her healing practice. She has

since written several books about Sai Baba. Phyllis Krystal writes about her

moving experiences of Baba in her book, Sai Baba The Ultimate Experience.

Published by Aura Books, Los Angeles, CA. "I have come to instruct

all in the essence of the Vedas, to shower on all this precious gift, to protect

the Sanathana Dharma, the ancient wisdom, and preserve it. My mission is to

spread happiness, and so I am always ready to come among you not once, but

twice or thrice - as often as you want me."Sathya Sai Baba Cancer Cured in a

Strange Way A family, Mr and Mrs K. R. K. Bhat lived in India in the 1940s. As

was the custom with most Indian families, some particular Deity or aspect of

God is worshipped. The husband preferred to worship the Avatar Krishna. His

wife, Mrs Bhat carried on the tradition in her family of worshipping Lord

Subramaniam. Daily, Mrs Bhat performed the ritual puja ceremony to Subramaniam

in the household shrine room. In 1943 Mrs Bhat developed

cancer of the uterus. Mrs Bhat's widowed mother was then living with the couple

and told her son, "Lord Subramaniam cured your father of cancer without any

operation. In the same way he will cure your wife." Such was the strength of

her faith. The son and his wife agreed and so they decided to forego medical

surgery.The puja worship was intensified and carried out with the strictest

attention to proper detail. Prayers were fervent and prolonged. The young wife

remained in bed and her Mother in-law carried out the ritual worship. Six

months passed and the young wife was growing gradually thinner and weaker.Then

one night in a semi sleep state, Mrs Bhat saw a large cobra circling the bed.

She turned on the light and woke the mother in law but no snake was found in

the room. When she turned out the light to go back to sleep, she again saw the

cobra going around the bed. As soon as she became aware of the cobra it assumed

the shape of Subramaniam as pictured in her

shrine room. He floated above her and then pierced her chest with his spear

weapon. Then he floated away, drawing her with him to the peak of a high rocky

hill. She knelt down to him and touched his feet with her hands and forehead.

Then he began to speak to her, asking if she wanted to stay with him or return

back to the world, which she took to mean a choice between continuing to live

or joining the spirit life. She thought of her husband and children and their

need for her and answered that she would like to return to them.Subramaniam

said: "You are cured of your illness, and will soon grow strong. Throughout

your life I will protect you and whenever you think of me, I will be there. Now

you may return." But Mrs Bhat did not know how to return so she asked. In answer

he pointed to a long winding staircase that opened at her feet. She began to

descend and then slowly awoke to find herself back in her own room. She told

her mother in law and husband about her

experience which she regarded as very sacred. From that very day the signs of

cancer left her and she began to grow stronger each day. Soon she was carrying

on a normal life only now she seemed to feel a deeper meaning to life. She

began to help the poor and the needy. She reasoned that God had given her back

her life so she was going to use it for the services of others.Twenty years

later, the family heard of Sathya Sai Baba and went to see him at his ashram.

She was given a personal interview and Sai Baba told her: "I spoke to you long

ago - twenty years ago." But she insisted this could not be true as it was her

first visit to the Ashram. But Sai said to her: "Yes, yes, but I came to you

when you were living in Mysore." And then he mentioned the street and city

where she had lived when she had cancer and had the vision of Subramaniam.He

then walked partly up the staircase that led to his living quarters above the

room they were in and told her to look down. She

did so and immediately was struck by the sight in her vision so long ago of the

staircase which she had descended to return back to her life in the world.Next

Sai Baba circled his hand as he does when materializing objects and he produced

a photograph of himself in the chariot of Subramaniam with a cobra circling

around him. Mrs Bhat was astounded and realized that God could assume any form

at all. He had taken on the form of Subramaniam which she worshipped twenty

years ago, and now here he was standing before her in the form of Sathya Sai

Baba. She fell at his feet shedding tears of joy. From a story which

originally appeared in Sai Baba, Man of Miracles. By Howard Murphet. Published

by Samuel Weiser, Inc. This book contains a wealth of stories about Sathya Sai

Baba and his devotees. "When you know that nothing happens without

His will (Sankalpa), everything that happens has a value added to it. When you

know that the Lord is the cause, the source of all, you deal with everyone in a

humble, reverential manner. That is the path which will lead you quickly to

God."Sathya Sai Baba

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