Spiritual journey to an Indian Ashram

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Queen's University - The Journal

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2003 - ISSUE 4, VOLUME 131

 

Spiritual journey to an Indian Ashram

 

A student’s visit to world renowned Guru Sathya Sai Baba’s South Indian Puttaparthy community

 

T O P S T O R Y - By Jamie Sutherland, Features Co-Editor

 

 

For millions of people around the world Sai Baba is the divine embodiment of love.

 

The power of belief is an incredible thing. I witnessed this phenomenon for two

days in Sai Baba's Puttaparthy Ashram, Prisanthi Nilayam, in the South Indian

state of Andhra Pradesh. The Ashram, a secluded community where worship and

spirituality are practiced, is visited by millions of devotees from up to 167

different countries each year. Sitting cross-legged on the marble floor, the

energy of close to 10,000 people could be felt. We awaited the arrival of

Sathya Sai Baba, the second of a three encarnate series of divine beings, for

the afternoon dharshan, a worship ritual which translated means "audience of

God." Women were seated on one side of the open-air mandir, or temple, dressed

in the traditional Indian sari, a six-metre-long fabric draped around the body,

or salwar kameez, consisting of flowing pants and a long shirt. Men and

students of the ashram were dressed completely in white and seated on the

other side of the mandir. The temperature, 28-degrees Celsius and rising, made

the wave of women's plastic fans more frantic as we sat knee-to-knee in

anticipation of the man referred to as Swami. Half an hour after taking my seat

on the floor, people began to readjust and the normally quiet area fell into

complete silence. Hands together in prayer, a sign of welcome in India, the

sound of the sitar could be heard from the loud speakers. From outside the

white gate, a red golf cart entered with a man in white driving, and three men

walking behind. Sathya Sai Baba sat in the back seat, his small frail body

dressed in his usual orange gown and sporting his black afro, just as I had

seen in pictures. Born Nov. 23, 1926, Sathya Sai Baba announced to his village

at the age of 14 that he had a mission on earth to bring out the spiritual

regeneration of humanity. He would do this by demonstrating and teaching the

principals of truth,

peace, righteous conduct and love. He called himself Sathya Sai Baba. Sathya

means 'truth.' The first Sai Baba, Shridi Sai Baba, died in 1918 and had

announced to one of his devotees that the second Sai Baba would be born eight

years later. The origins of the belief in the three incarnate series of Sai

Baba's is somewhat uncertain and how the first leader declared his status and

encouraged followers is not well documented. However, it is certain that the

number of devotees is increasing rapidly. When Sathya Sai Baba, 78, dies at

the age of 96, the third Sai Baba, Prema Sai Baba, is said to return

reincarnated eight years later. There is no reference for this information, but

it is what the current Sai Baba has said. It is believed that the future Sai

Baba will be born in Karnataka, the Indian State just west of Andhra Pradesh.

In 1947 Sathya Sai Baba wrote to his brother and said, "I have a task: to

foster all

mankind and assure for all of them lives full of bliss. I have a vow: to lead

all who stray away from the straight path again into goodness and save them. I

am attached to a work that I love: To remove the sufferings of the poor and

grant them what they lack." Sai Baba does not represent a religion. He

encourages the continual devotion of the religion of one's choice. He hopes to

inspire people to look toward God and lead lives of greater purpose and

morality. He is a spiritual leader for millions around the world looking for

guidance. What makes Sai Baba such a unique Guru is his mass number of

international followers. India is the spiritual capital of the world and among

the number of Gurus around the country, by word of mouth, Sai Baba has become

one of the world's most renowned spiritual leaders. Sai Baba's Ashram, in his

birth town of Puttaparthy, opened in 1950. The name, Prisanthi Nilayam, means

"Abode of Peace," and the feeling in the

mandir when I was there was exactly that. As I sat among nearly 10,000 devotees

I was astounded at how calm it was. Women and men of all ages, some with young

children in arm, waited to see Swami pass through the crowd. Prior to Swami's

recent operation on his hip, I was told he would walk through the crowd and

select certain people from the audience for what was called a "private

interview." Now, at the age of 78, Swami's body is weak and his strength does

not allow him to walk the red carpet at the dharshan. The small vehicle he road

in moved slowly through the crowd and up to the front of the mandir. The

devotion and worship for this man could be seen in the eyes of his audience. It

was unbelievable how still everyone sat as he passed. I wanted to document it

all but the rules for the dharshan were strict. Among the many items barred

from the mandir were cameras, pens, phones and shoes. I took my seat and

observed. As I watched Swami shake hands with some of the men dressed in white

on the stage, several women were signaled from our section to go up to the

front. The women were dressed quite beautifully; it was obvious that this was

an auspicious occasion. In the hands of one woman I noticed two letters both

addressed 'Dearest Swami.' They quickly rushed to the front of the audience and

tucked into a door on the right. I was told he would talk to people and grant

them their wishes in these interviews. He is said to materialize holy ash,

diamonds and gold, while healing sick loved ones and helping others through

difficult times. Having been brought up in the Western world, I have been

educated to believe the scientific. The spiritual is not rational or

explicable. Naturally, I was skeptical. Regardless, I was captivated by this

man. His faced glowed. The people exited after a half an hour with Swami. One

woman who returned was spoken to by another. "You are so blessed; I hope you

know how lucky you are," she said. "People come for years and never get an

interview with Swami. You are so blessed." After more than an hour in the

mandir, there was no music, no talking. Some women were meditating while others

sat quietly. I noticed the fine detail of the roof and the hundreds of

chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. Pigeons seated atop the pillars inside

were the only sound breaking the silence. After some time, music began to play.

The sound of tablas (Indian drums), cymbals, bansuri (Indian flutes) and

thousands of voices filled the mandir. The bhagan, or devotional songs, lasted

30 minutes without a break in the chorus. The tempo of the songs increased as

did the clapping of hands in the audience. Although I could not understand the

words, the unison of a 10,000 member choir moved me. After the mandir

was over, I walked about the Ashram. Signs were posted saying "Quiet Please" and

"No Horns," something very different from the usual noise and commotion of

Indian cities. I looked at the different housing facilities, which could be

booked for a small cost. Different canteens offered a range of North and South

Indian and even Western cuisine. Signs saying "Please do not waste food" were

posted inside the canteens where meals were served between certain hours each

day. There was a bookstore selling books, tapes and CDs on Sai Baba and his

teachings in French, English, Hindi, Italian and many other languages. The

Ashram was self-contained. Popcorn and juice stalls were set up throughout, and

there was even a shopping centre where items from cleaning supplies to notebooks

could be purchased at cost. Outside the shopping centre, which was a

three-story small building open to women in the morning and men in the

afternoon, a sign read,

"Please only spend within your requirements." The rest of the day was calm and

I retired to bed at 9 p.m. when the lights were turned off everywhere in the

Ashram. As I lay in bed, I thought about the day's events and how different

the lifestyle and the backgrounds of the people were behind the walls of the

Ashram. Spiritual pilgrims from all over the world had come to the Prisanthi

Nilayam Ashram, 125 kilometres outside the city of Bangalore in Southern India,

to see the man they looked to for truth, solace, inspiration and guidance.

Money donated by devotees of Sai Baba has been used to strengthen the

importance of education and health. Educational institutes including primary

and secondary schools as well as universities offering undergraduate, masters

and doctorate degrees, have been established by Sai Baba with the money donated

by followers. Students of any race, religion or economic status are accepted,

and

education is completely free of charge. Academic excellence is stressed along

with social conduct. Courses in morality and spirituality are required, and

several hours of community work are served by students each week. A modern

hospital with 300 beds in Puttaparthy is one of three that Sai Baba has built.

Constructed in one year, equipment for open-heart surgery, kidney transplants

and plastic surgery are available. Four operations are performed a day—two

major, two minor—and patients are not charged. The hospital operates out of the

desire to serve humanity. Started in 1995, Sai Baba embarked on a water supply

project. In less than one year the project provided drinking water to 700

villages—1.5 million people—in the state of Andhra Pradesh where people suffer

from dehydration and unclean water. Sai Baba's projects and institutes have

now expanded into other Indian states as well. The next morning I awoke at 5:45

a.m. for the

early dharshan. Dressed in a white salwar kameez, I made my way barefoot to the

mandir. Seated in the same spot as the previous day, I waited in silence for

Sai Baba to enter. A woman on my left turned to me and said, "Is this your

first time?" "Yes," I answered. "And you?No, I have been coming for five

years," she said. " I noticed we are staying at the same place, we'll talk

after." All proceeded in the same manner as the day before, but after Sai

Baba's arrival, when people were brought up for private interviews, the crowd

stood up and began to slowly make their way to the exit. Prepared to sit for

two hours like I had the previous day, I followed the crowd, unsure what the

procedure was. The woman who had spoken to me approached and we began to chat.

She was from Belgium and had been a follower of Sai Baba for five years. She

visited India once a year and stayed for two to three weeks at the

Ashram. She had been interested in spirituality from a young age, and had read

numerous books on spirituality. She was drawn to Sai Baba and his approach to

humanity some time ago. When one of her sons became quite sick a few years ago,

she prayed to Sai Baba and said if he made her son healthy again she would visit

him and be a true believer. Within a day her son was cured. The next day she was

on a plane to India. She acknowledged that the phenomenon seemed unbelievable,

but said that one miracle or sign was all that was needed to make you believe.

She said she herself was skeptical at first, coming from a scientific approach

to knowledge as well. But since her son was cured she had witnessed numerous

other signs and experiences that strengthened her belief. "My husband is not a

believer" she said. The same cannot be said, however, for her sons. After

listening to her stories of Sai Baba's miracles, we walked back

to the mandir for the bhagan. She turned to me and said, "Swami told me to talk

to you, he said that you didn't understand. Anyone that comes to see Swami comes

at their time, you are here because he has called you, even if you don't know

it." She was a guest of the private temple located at the back of the mandir

for the bhagan part of the dharshan. She spoke to a woman at the security gate

who then allowed me to accompany her. This separate room was where the music I

had heard yesterday had originated. I sat on the floor. As the music started,

Sai Baba entered. The energy in the room was incredible. Swami sat on a red

chair with numerous garlands of marigold hanging over statues of Hindu Gods and

pictures of himself. A white marble statue of the previous incarnate, known as

Shirdi Sai Baba stood in the private temple as well. The Belgian woman I had

befriended said that when Swami dies, his students and followers

will take over until the next incarnate is born. "The power of belief will keep

the schools, hospitals and water projects in operation," she said. This issue

however, is one of great controversy. Many question whether the mass following

will sustain itself after the actual figurehead is gone. Maintaining the

schools, hospitals and other facilities will be a great task and the followers

will be left with many responsibilities until the next Sai Baba is born. As

the music continued, Sai Baba sat with his eyes closed and tapped along to the

beat. From time to time he opened his eyes and looked into the crowd. He looked

people right in the eye. After leaving the bhagan, I found myself thinking about

what the Belgian woman had said. She believed so strongly and was so devoted.

The woman told me that my whole life would be different now. "You have been

touched by God," she said. Whether I was

changed by the experience or not, I am not certain. However, without a doubt, I

was moved by the power of belief and devotion that brought 10,000 people to

this small South India town in the sweltering heat of July. It was incredible.

In just two days I had seen, smelt, heard, tasted and questioned things I never

had before. Photo courtesy of sathyasai.org/

 

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