The essence of Baba's teachings

November 23, 2008

[source : THE SUNDAY LEADER, SRILANKA]

There is only one religion.The religion of love. There is only one caste. The caste of humanity. There is only one language. The language of the heart. There is only one god. He is omnipresent.

These words of Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba convey the crux of his message to us. It is this universal message, which portrays love, for there is no path to god except through love, which is expansion, inclusion and mutualisation. The individual has to be universalised, expanded into Vishvaswarupa.

Bhagawan propagates true love that expects no rewards; he wants love that transcends the boundaries of caste, class, race, language or religion.

Let us see the vision of God in the radiant smile of the needy, the sick, the hungry, the naked and the homeless. That is his message. At this hour of distress, when this planet Earth is a precarious place to live, Bhagawan Baba, our lord, has come to redeem us, to give us hope and solace.

What is significant of Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba is that people of all faiths, of all climes, of all castes, of all classes, of all age groups rally under one umbrella and say their own respective prayers in unison. There is unity in diversity.

According to Swami, all different forms of worship of God are products of human imagination. He questions whether we can put all pervasive God in a small temple, hold a small light to God who is in all beings. He wants his devotees to move further and feel that they are divine themselves. He stresses that inner feeling is essential. He firmly believes the goodness of I, which alone shall mitigate all the misery in the world and that all are embodiments of love. He preaches that love and service is the human religion.

Swami believes that right values can be inculcated in youths through sports. Let us recall a cricket ecounter years ago. Sunil Gavaskar was the organiser. Sachin Tendulkar and Arjuna Ranatunga were the captains. The World XI team comprised four Sri Lankan players - Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sanjeeva Ranatunga; four Pakistani players - Abdul Qadir, Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar. Two players came from Bangladesh, and one from England. Representing India was the national XI. It was cricket for love and was called Sri Sathya Sai Unity Cup. Swami says "Life is a game, play it."

To say Sai Baba is a cult is a misnomer. It is a mistaken belief. It is not a cult because Swami demands devotion to his teachings. It is not a cult because Sathya Sai Organisation believes in quality not quantity. It is not a cult because study of all religions and Baba's teachings are encouraged. It is not a cult because it encourages the followers to transform themselves through selfless service to their fellow men.

It is not a cult because Baba advises; "Continue your worship of your chosen god along the lines already familiar to you." Finally, it is not a cult because Sai Baba's five human values - Truth, Love, Peace, Right Conduct and Non-Violence are found in any religion.

The regular performance of Paduka Pooja at Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre in Colombo is a significant form of worship, for the divine feet signifies the underlying unity of all religions. It calls for the installation of his lotus feet in our hearts. It, really, means complete surrender at his feet.

The 83rd birthday of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba falls on November 23. The celebration of the completion of 1000 full moon days of the divine incarnations is a unique and auspicious event.

- V. Varathasuntharam