SHIRDI TO PARTHI -THE SAI AVATAR ON HIMSELF

[Guest guest]

stress on His activities as a human being. Occasionally He does make a reference

to His Avatarhood, but almost invariably it is only a passing refer­ence.

Nevertheless we have collected many of His utterances regarding this

fascinating subject in this article. Such as in 1974 when He devoted a whole

Discourse to this theme, the opening remarks of this historic Discourse are

very arresting. Swami says: "Giving the appearance of a shabby person, having

a basket-like hair on his head, showing no symptoms which indicate any

particular religion or sect, with no specific mark on his face indicative of

any particular caste. He appears quickly in a moment and vanishes equally

quickly; then comes suddenly into your presence, wearing a robe that comes

right

down to his feet and sometimes covers the feet and sometimes does not cover the

feet. Inherent beauty and attractiveness are obvious in his playing and in

his singing. These are the as­pects of Sivasakti that is contained in him.

Neither his hair nor any particular mark on his body, nor the kind of robes

that he wears give any indication of his birth." All these things describe

the young Sathya Sai as he appears in exter­nal form. ..... How is it possible

for anyone to understand Sathya Sai, whose form answers this description? "All

these statements [about God] by different people depend on their ideas, their

strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes, and, depending on these

vagaries, they

have been giving various descriptions of the Lord ...In the same manner, with

regard to Sai as well, some people draw conclusions based only on the external

appearances, and they thus try to understand the nature of Sai. They are not

making any effort to recognize the basic truth, the unchanging permanent

qualities of Truth that are in Sathya Sai. All powers are in the control of

Sai. Unfortunately, many educated people who call them­selves Yogis, Mahayogis,

Pandits and people who have all kinds of qualifica­tions talk only of the

miracles I perform. They do not make an attempt to recognize the strength and

the true nature of the Sai that they apparently see

Quite apart from Avatars, people are

generally confused about God and tend to have their own views and impressions,

conditioned by their intrinsic nature, outlook and experiences. The same

happens with respect to God in human form also, i.e., the Avatars. As Swami

puts it, For example, although people talk about Sai's Omnipresence,

Omnipotence etc., few really take it seriously or even comprehend in a small

measure what they are saying. About His Divine powers, Swami says: "There is

no limitation to My power. There is no reason to limit or confine My power and

My Grace to any one place. Infinite powers and Infinite Grace are present in My

hands. To state these things with regard to

Myself becomes neces­sary sometimes." When He does so declare, people listen

keenly, some with awe, but soon it is all forgotten! Commenting on this, Swami

says, "There is no use telling people who refuse to know. For people who know,

there is no need to tell. But for people who know and yet do not know, it

becomes necessary to present what I call My visiting card. Therefore, if today

I have undertaken to tell you about Myself, it is with a view to present you

with My visiting card.... In the whole of our spiritual history, we find that

only Krishna had proclaimed His own Divinity in this manner. Even in the

Avatar of Krishna, there was some superficial setback and there were some

difficulties at certain times. But this is nothing unusual. It is only a put-up

appearance and it is part and parcel of the Divine aspect... Depend­ing upon the

nature of the country, upon the people and upon the environ­ment, it becomes

necessary for God to enact such situations and pretend to do certain things.

In this Avatar of Sai, there is no room for such pretensions and there is no

place for such setbacks at all. What I have taken as a Sankalpa will surely be

fructified, but I need not take on a Sankalpa if I don't wish to. ....

Because I am like an ordinary individual when I am talking with you and playing

with you, many people do not understand My true nature. In this context, even

people with great strength of mind cannot recognize the true nature of this Sai

and the difference between the external appearance and the internal aspect." In

another striking example of the power with which the Avatar is invested Swami

clearly states the magnitude of His mission in global terms – literally the

saving of our planet! This is excerpted from ‘God Lives in India’ where Sri

Karanjia, a reputed Bombay journalist, interviewed Swami in 1976. Karanjia:

The existing situation driven by evil

forces to destruction as you have correctly analyzed it, appears to suggest the

inevitability of another Mahabharata-type war. Does this mean that the

salvation for which you are working can be consummated only after a destructive

war? Baba: The evil must and shall be removed before such a catastrophe takes

place. There will be minor wars and skirmishes, of course: these cannot be

helped in the existing state of affairs. The Mahabharata war was a different

issue altogether. Lord Krishna decreed it and, in fact, led Arjuna to the

battlefield in order to rid the world of evil men and ungodly forces. "Today,

as I told you, the evil is so widespread that humanity itself would be

destroyed in a nuclear holocaust in the event of a world war. It is to prevent

such a catastrophe that this

Avathar has come to raise human consciousness above the existing syndrome of

anger, hate, violence and war and save the world from disaster. This can be

achieved only by the reestablishment of the brotherhood of mankind though the

Vedas, Shastras (ancient Indian scriptural texts) and all religions with their

evangel of dharma to liberate the human race from the chains of karma."

I always say: let the different

faiths exist, let them flourish, let the glory of God be sung in all the

languages in a variety of tunes. They should be the ideal. Respect the

differences between the faiths and recognize them as valid so far as they do

not

extinguish the flame of unity. What are the special objectives of the present

Avatar? Swami has clarified this as follows: "My objective is to establish

unity in mankind and to reveal to them the aspect of Divinity which is Brahman

(universal consciousness), the only goal one should look for. It is also My

duty to make you realize the kind of relationship that should exist between man

and man, and to establish that the aspect of Divinity is present and latent in

all human beings." Krishna says that when the Lord descends, He shrouds

Himself in the

cloak of Maya. It is this Maya which makes people oscillate in their views and

sometimes won­der: "Is He God or not?" This applied to Krishna and it applies

also to Sai. Concerning this wavering mentality, Swami remarks: "Sai

knows everything. That people are in doubt is due to the Maya of the Avatar."

As mortals, we are understandably captivated by the miracles Swami performs,

but from His point of view it almost amounts to trivializing Divinity if Swami

is portrayed merely as a magician. Criticizing such an attitude, Swami

observes: "To talk always of the Vibhuti

which I give or to talk of the things that I mate­rialize and of the miracles I

perform is not correct. ...." Reference was made earlier to Krishna 's warnings

about how fools mistake Him (Slokas 7. 24 and 9 .11). Swami has emphasised the

same point with the following words: "Since you see Me in close proximity,

you are not able to assess Me properly. Familiarity has deceived you to the

point of delusion. Swami's Form is BIG, VAST ... INFINITE." "Sometimes, I

feel like laughing at the ignorance of people when they attach importance to My

miracles. People talk only of such things and forget the more important aspect

in Me. The most sacred quality in Me is Prema. This Prema is immeasurable."

Since Swami has declared that

He is an Avatar, everyone, parrot-like, repeats the same. But how many really

understand what they are saying? This point came up once in the conversation

between Hislop and Bhagavan, when Hislop said that it was strange that only a

few people recognized the Avatar. Swami then asked Hislop how he would identify

or recognize the Avatar, to which Hislop replied, "By faith." Swami then

observed, "Faith is one thing and knowing is another. The Avatar may be

known at one time, but doubt and recognition wavers." This is the most

magnificent aspect of Sai - Prema or Divine Love. Since He is Love personified,

is it any wonder that all the time He talks about Love? He says: "I am Love,

always Love...... God is Love and wherever there is pure Love and Love only

that is God. Love is everything, but people do not understand Love." Dilating

further on the universal nature of his Love He told the many thousands gathered

in Kenya in 1968, "I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to

see that it shines day by day with added lustre. I have not come to speak on

behalf of any particular dharma (righteousness), like the Hindu Dharma. I have

not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I

come to collect followers for any

doctrine. I have no plan to attract disciples or devotees into My fold or any

fold. I have come to tell you of this Universal unitary faith, this Athmic

principle, this path of love, this Dharma of Prema, this duty of love, this

obligation to love. " Nairobi , Kenya 4 July 1968

And further… "You will learn then that I am Prema

itself; that I give only one thing, Aanandha, through the Prema. My

task is to distribute solace, courage and Shanthi. That is to say, My

characteristics are the ancient authentic ones; only the Manifested Form is

new. My desire---if I can put it in so many words---is this: more and more

should yearn for Me. The desire could be realised only if I assume this Form

and come among you." 4-3-1962 And yet, though He stresses Love ad nausea,

little attention is paid to it. How tragic, for if there is one weapon which

can destroy wickedness, it is Prema or (selfless) Love. Everyone wants the

world to be set right but no one is prepared to invest even a little in Prema.

Anyone in Sai's place would have become frustrated and quit. God alone is

capable of infinite patience and tolerance to put up with this supreme

indifference to the Supreme Message.

Maybe this has something to do with Swami’s divine dispassion, which Swami

explains as follows: "There is no desire in Sai....... Where is there space

for desire in Sai? Everything is already Mine. Sai does not think. My will is

immediately realized. What­ever it may be, it immediately appears."

At the First World Conference

Swami gave us some further details about Himself: "This is a human form in

which every Divine entity, every Divine Principle, that is to say, all the

Names and Forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest. Do not allow doubt to

distract you; if you only install, in the altar of your heart, steady faith in

My Divinity, you can win a Vision of My Reality. Instead, if you swing like the

pendulum of a clock, one moment, devotion, another moment, disbelief, you can

never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win that Bliss. You are very

fortunate that you have a chance to experience the bliss of the vision of the

form, which is all forms of all Gods now, in this life itself." God is

often worshipped as Father and Mother. Arjuna too, declared to Krishna that He

was Mother, Father, etc. Sai says that He too is Mother and Father rolled into

one. Speaking once to students, Swami said: "This form is the form of Sathya

Sai or the embodiment of Truth. In the name Sai Baba, Sa stands for the Divine

and Ayi for mother, and so Sai stands for Divine Mother. Baba means father. The

name Sai Baba thus means Divine Mother and Father. .... Like mother, I will be

tender and soft and give youhappiness, and like father I will punish you,

criticize you when needed, and through these methods I take you to a high

level....... If an individual who has good qualities comes close to Me, I am

sweet to him. On the other hand, I am harsh to one who has bad qualities, and I

do not let him come close to Me. It is not that I like one more

than the other but I give medicine to cure the bad qualities when they are

present." Krishna has declared that He comes again and again, when

circumstances demand. Here is Sathya Sai in our midst who says that He is the

Avatar. We murmur; but are we convinced that He is Krishna come again? In this

context, the following extract from the conversations of Hislop with Baba is

most revealing. Hislop: Swami, it seems to be the case that from the time of

Krishna to Sathya Sai ...... Sai: Time? I AM KRISHNA ! Where is time?

Hislop: Then, Swami, this has to be the best time of the world for persons to

be born? Sai: Yes. The very best time. Even better than during the lifetime

of the Krishna body. Swami also added: "Rama was looked upon as a King. He

acted so. ..... Krishna also was a King. As God, would He have been put to work

as a charioteer?

......Even in their status as kings, only the residents of their respective

cities gave Rama and Krishna homage and worship. The Sai Avatar is the only one

where His Di­vinity is known to all peoples of all religions. This has never

occurred before. With Krishna , only the Gopis were aware of Him as God - but

they were Rishis [reborn]." So, we had better count ourselves as being

extraordinarily lucky to be the contem­poraries of the present Poona Avatar,

even luckier than those who lived at the time of the Krishna Avatar. One

remarkable aspect of the Avatar, which hardly ever gets noticed by people, is

that the Avatar is totally unattached to whatever He is doing. Rama couldn't

care one bit whether He was being crowned or whether He was going to the

forest. It was so

with Krishna , and it is so with Sai too. And just in case we fail to notice,

Swami repeatedly stresses that He is (a) totally unattached and (b) equally

selfless. These are Divine qualities demonstrated in human form so that

ordinary mortals will snap out of their excessive worldly attachments, and rise

to nobler heights. And so, once in a while, the Formless assumes a Form,

undergoes a lot of difficulties and even suffering (how much suffering have the

Lords of Shirdi and Parthi undergone!), and sets a priceless example of what

humans should really be like. In other words, the Lord comes down mainly to

give a Message, a Message which is given not merely with words but in fact with

His entire life (recall Swami's frequent declara­tion: "My Life is My Message").

The Message translates as a life-long Mission of which we are all partners.

Spelling out our role, Sai

says, "There is considerable change in human outlook that I have to

bring about. No one can stop Me or deter Me from fulfilling these tasks for

which I have come, namely the establishment of the one unchanging Truth. In

this task, you have a part to play.....You must take a path by which you can

see deep in my heart, and experience the various Divine aspects of Mine. You

must understand the all-knowing power in Me. Do not be led away by people who

always talk of having got a locket or a watch or a ring from Me. These things

have no deep meaning." Another important point, which everyone is aware of but

fails to appreciate, is that Avatars subject themselves to the ultimate

limitation of a human body. They are not only born like ordinary

humans, they also depart like ordinary humans. It is this union of the divine

with the human that creates the wonder …and the mystery. In 1962 Swami

declared, "Even to the best of you only a fraction of the mystery is

revealed. You are like a Telugu audience sitting through a Tamil picture, or

vice versa. The nuances, the subtler significances, the deeper meanings are all

beyond the grasp. My language, My role, My career, My purpose can be understood

in a general way only by sitting through the entire film, watching earnestly

and vigilantly and trying to get at the meaning of every word and act with

patient attention." 4-3-1962

style21" align="right"> It is now over 40 years since Swami

spoke those words and 80 years into His life. Can anyone say that they ‘know’

Him

or that they ‘understand’ His ways and personality. Only a few are physically

near the Lord. The rest must watch from ‘afar’. We can glimpse, we can feel His

touch and presence and yet we can not comprehend this enigma of Sai. Thankfully

we do not have to fathom Him. It is enough to rest assured that we are under

the protection of this most powerful of Avatars. The one who pervades

the entire universe, The one who comes to the rescue of His devotees, The one

of power who endows you with devotion and protects you, Will not such a Lord of

Parthi uplift you? - Baba

Source: http://radiosai.org/ With Sai love from Sai brothers -

''

How low will we go? Check out Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates.