Divine Discourse on Shivarathri – 9th March 2005

[Guest guest]

All Are Bound by the Law of Karma

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Prashanti Nilayam during the Shivarathri Celebrations 2005

Text of the Divine Discourse delivered by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on the

evening of 9th March 2005 (Shivarathri), at Prashanti Nilayam, Sai Kulwanth

Hall

Everyone has to face the consequences of one's own karma. Who has made the bats

to hang from the branches of a tree with their heads downwards? It is their

fate. Likewise, nobody can escape from the consequences of karma.(Telugu

poem)Every human being, insect, bird, beast or animal, nay, every living being

in this world is bound by destiny. None can escape from the result of karmas,

good or bad. It is natural for every living being to obey the laws of nature

and the law of karma. For example, the bat hangs from the branches of a tree

heads downwards. That is their nature. That is how they are born to live. Every

human being in this world thinks that he is undergoing suffering, even though he

had not done anything bad. He feels, "I have not done anything wrong! Why then

am I undergoing this suffering?" But, the fact is otherwise. Whatever pleasure

or pain undergone by a living being is certainly the outcome of the

karmas (action) performed by it. Every human being performs karma and enjoys its

fruit as a consequence. Nevertheless, it is not clear to him till today whether

it is a natural consequence of his actions or by any unknown reason. Not only

the human being, even bacteria, birds, insects, beasts and animals are

experiencing the consequences of their karma.In support of this inevitable law

of karma, I would like to narrate certain incidents that happened long ago.

These incidents explain how certain births took place, just to demonstrate this

truth. There used to be a great devotee by name Subbamma in Puttaparthi. She was

very rich. She had no children. Whatever she had, she used to give in charity to

one and all with a feeling, "I am only sharing my god-given wealth with my

fellow human beings." She was leading a pious and noble life with a sense of

equanimity. She had, however, one desire. She used to pray, "Swami! At the time

of my departure from

this earthly sojourn, You should quench my thirst by pouring a few drops of

water into my mouth with Your Divine hands." I promised her that I would do so.

Six years after I gave that promise to her, I had to go to Chennai once to

fulfil My engagement in a devotee's house. That was the time of Second World

War. Once in every hour, there used to be an air raid precaution siren and the

streets would become empty in no time. I stayed there for three days and

started My return journey straight to Bukkapatnam from Chennai in a car.

Meanwhile, Subbamma fell seriously ill and was taken to Bukkapatnam from

Puttaparthi. That was her parental home. There she died. Her relatives started

making certain sarcastic remarks, "Sai Baba gave word to her that He would pour

water into her mouth at the time of her last moments. Did He come? Where has He

gone?" Subbamma's brothers and relatives made all arrangements for taking her

body for cremation. In those days, it was not easy to procure firewood to

cremate a dead body, especially in the villages. However, they procured some

firewood and kept everything ready. While passing by the house of Subbamma, I

noticed several people gathered there. I enquired, "Who is going to be

cremated?" Washerman Subbanna was there. He replied, "Swami! Subbamma is dead."

I enquired again, "Is it? When did she die?Three days ago, Swami", he

replied. I went into her house where her body was kept. Her relatives were

about to take her body out for cremation. Her sister saw Me and started

wailing. She told Me, "Baba! She longed for Your arrival. She yearned that You

should pour water into her mouth before she breathed her last. At last, she

died without her wish fulfilled." I told her that there was no possibility of

such an eventuality and asked her to fetch some water in a tumbler. I put a

basil leaf in the water. I removed the cloth that covered her face. Ants were

crawling all over her body. I gently called her name, "Subbamma!" She opened

her

eyes and saw Me. She held My hands and wept. She enquired, "When did You come

Swami?" I replied, "I came just now." I wiped her tears gently with a towel. I

told her, "Subbamma! Look here." I then poured a few drops of the sacred water

into her mouth and said, "Now, close your eyes peacefully. Subbamma drank that

water from My hands and breathed her last. Thus, I kept My promise to Subbamma.

While this strange phenomenon was going on, all her relatives and the doctors

who attended on her were watching the happenings with awe. They could not

believe their eyes. They were wondering, "How come! Subbamma died three days

ago. There was no breath in her body. How is it that she opened her eyes now

and spoke to Swami? Perhaps it is a divine miracle of Sai Baba." Subbamma was

constantly worried during her lifetime that Swami was always on the move

visiting several places and perhaps her last wish might not be fulfilled. But,

I kept My promise made to her long ago. At last, the dead body of

Subbamma was cremated by her relatives as per their family custom. She was a

Brahmin lady. I started returning to Puttaparthi. A bullock cart was kept ready

for My return. Myself and the brother of Griham Ammayi (Easwaramma) sat in the

bullock cart and were returning to Puttaparthi. His name was Chandramouli

(Swami's physical body's maternal uncle). We saw smoke emanating from the

cremation ground where Subbamma's mortal remains were being consigned to

flames. Chandramouli enquired, "Swami! You were with Subbamma's dead body till

now. Why did You not wait till the cremation was over?" I told him,

"Chandramouli! I am not a person who goes back on his word. I gave a word to

Subbamma that I would be present by her side during her last moments and pour

water into her mouth. That I fulfilled. I advised her to depart from this world

peacefully. I kept My promise and I am now returning to My abode." Chandramouli

felt very happy. In fact, Subbamma was held in high esteem by the entire

village. She was the head of the village, being the wife of the Karanam. The

entire property of the village was in her name. However, since she came into

the fold of Swami, she had no other interest in life, except Swami. Right from

early morning till she went to bed, she was constantly engaged in Swami's work

only. On certain occasions I used to retire into the caves of the nearby hills

without informing her. Poor lady! she used to go round the hills in search of

Me. She used to pack upma, dosa, vada, idli, etc., in a tiffin carrier and come

in search of Me. At last, when she could find Me, I used to enquire teasingly,

"Subbamma! What did you bring for Me?" She used to reply, "Swami! I brought the

items of Your taste." Then I used to tell her, "Give Me dosa." She then served

dosa in a plate and handed it over to Me. I used to tease her further saying,

"Subbamma! I don't like this dosa. Give Me idli, upma, vada, etc." Poor lady!

She used to serve Me all those items. From morning

till evening, she used to prepare a number of items and wait for Me. Yet, she

was anxious to know what more did I need. Once I told her "Subbamma! You need

not fear. I don't need anything. I have put so many questions to you asking for

this and that to make your devotion and surrender known to the world." Subbamma

then requested Me, "Swami! I am happy that I have been able to serve You food.

I am also happy that You ate these items with love and affection towards me. I

will be happy if You can kindly put a small quantity of this stuff in my mouth

with Your Divine hands." Then, I took a small piece of idli from the plate and

put it in her mouth with a little chutney. She felt extremely happy. Thus,

Subbamma experienced great bliss in the divine proximity of Swami till her last

breath. Chandramouli, who was a witness to My showering love and grace on

Subbamma on a number of occasions, observed, "Swami! How compassionate You are

towards the devotees! We don't have words to express Your

love and compassion towards devotees, especially Subbamma." True! Words fail to

describe Swami's love and compassion towards Subbamma. The devotion of Subbamma

towards Swami surpassed even that of Prahlada. People had by now realised that

Swami had fulfilled the promise given by Him to Subbamma. They felt that

Subbamma's life was sanctified. Taking cue from her example, several elderly

people used to visit Me with the request, "Swami! Please give a word that You

will pour sanctified water into my mouth with Your Divine hands at the time of

my departure from this world." I used to tell them, "My dear ones! All people

cannot get this great boon. If you are destined to get it, you will certainly

get it. I will come at the appropriate time and pour sanctified water in your

mouth." Kondama Raju used to observe these people coming to Swami with such

requests. He also developed a yearning for this Prapti (deservedness). One day,

he approached Me and requested Me, "Swami! You are

born in our family, in our lineage. You have upheld the honour and glory of our

lineage. But, I also have a request to make to you. I wish and pray that my

birth in our family should be sanctified. I therefore request you to please

pour some holy water into my mouth with Your Divine hands during my last

moments of life." I assured him that I would certainly fulfil his request. He

felt very happy, for, he knew that once Swami had given His word, He would

certainly stick to it. He lived for 112 years. Every morning, he would walk

from the village to the New Mandir to have My Darshan. One day I asked him,

"Why do you walk all the way from the village to the Mandir and back. There may

be cattle on the way and if they attack you, you will fall down and get injured.

Won't you?" He used to tell Me very boldly, "Swami! When You are protecting me

and constantly standing by my side, which animal could attack me?" One day,

early in the morning he came to the Mandir and had My Darshan. He

returned home and lay down. After a while, he told Easwaramma to go near

Sathyabhama Temple and see whether Swami was coming that side. She went there,

returned and told him, "Yes, Swami is coming in His car." Swami had a small car

then. Kondama Raju said, "Easwaramma! Get a tumbler of water and put a Tulasi

leaf in it." She did accordingly. He held the tumbler in his hand and was

waiting for Me. He knew that his end was near and that I had come there to keep

My promise. None else knew this. Holding the tumbler, he said, "Swami! I am

ready." I replied, "I am also ready." As I poured the water into his mouth, he

passed away peacefully. Before passing away, he said, "What a great fortune it

is to drink water from Your Divine hands before departing from this world! Even

King Dasaratha who performed great penance and sacrifice, did not have such a

fortune. My life is redeemed." Saying thus, he closed his eyes. With this

incident of Kondama Raju, it was once again revealed to the whole

world that Swami would certainly keep His word, come what may! The lives of

Subbamama and Kondama Raju were thus redeemed. I manifest My Divine Leelas in

many ways to fulfil My word. I go to any extent to fulfil My promise. However,

some devotees act contrary to their words.I was taken to Kamalapuram for higher

education. The elder brother of this body, Seshama Raju was very intent on My

pursuing higher education. Therefore, he took Me along with him to Kamalapuram

and admitted Me in the school. In those days, I was struggling very much to

prosecute the education due to paucity of funds. Often times I had to manage

with empty pockets. Hence, I used to make use of My poetic skills to earn a few

coins to meet My personal needs. In the same village, there used to be a

businessman by name Kotte Subbanna. He used to run a provision shop in which

some Ayurvedic medicines were also sold. Once a new Ayurvedic medicine by name

"Bala Bhaskara" was introduced for sale in his shop. It

was a new and very efficacious medicine. It could fetch him a good profit if

popularised. He therefore, requested Me to shoulder the responsibility of

making propaganda for his new medicine. I agreed to his request, but asked for

some more information about the medicine. Then, I composed a song about the

efficacy of the medicine and gathered a few children of My age to go round the

nearby villages with placards in their hands and sing the song composed by Me.

The song ran thus:

There it is! There it is! Oh, children! come, come!There is the medicine Bala

Bhaskara;Be it an upset stomach or a swollen leg;Be it a joint pain or

flatulence;Be it any ailment, known or unknown;Take this Bala Bhaskara for an

instant cure!If you wish to know where it is available:There is the shop of

Kotte Subbanna;It is in that shop that you can pick it up.Come here boys! come

here!It is an excellent tonicPrepared by the famous physician Gopalacharya

himself,Come here boys! come here!(Telugu song)

By the time we completed our propaganda tour of the nearby villages, all the

stock of medicines in Subbanna's shop were sold out. He felt very happy. Then

he called Me and offered a pair of knickers and a shirt stitched for Me. But, I

flatly refused them saying, "Subbanna! I did not compose that song for the sake

of new clothes. I don't need them. I won't touch them. Please take them back.

If you thus offer some money or articles in return for My services, I will not

even step into your shop." He realised My sincerity and strong feelings. From

then onwards, he used to say, "Raju! I don't want anything in this world,

except Your love." Another incident had happened while I was studying in

Kamalapuram. I attended a scout camp in a nearby village called Pushpagiri

where a big fair was being held. I was away from the house for a few days and

there was nobody to fetch water from a distant well for household purposes.

Hence, the wife of Seshama Raju had

to shoulder that responsibility. By the time I returned from the scout camp,

Seshama Raju was angry that there was nobody in the house to help his wife. He

was then drawing lines in a notebook with the help of a wooden ruler. As soon

as he saw Me, he shouted at Me, "Hey! Come here. There is no one in the house

to fetch water for the last few days. Your sister-in-law had to attend to that

job also, besides her normal domestic chores." So saying, he took the ruler and

beat Me angrily. The ruler broke into three pieces. My hand was swollen and it

was giving Me a lot of pain. I did not give a reply nor revealed the incident

to anybody. I tied a bandage Myself to My hand with a wet cloth. The next day,

Seshama Raju's son died. He gave a telegram to Pedda Venkama Raju (Swami's

father). Venkama Raju immediately rushed to see Seshama Raju. He started from

Puttaparthi and reached Bukkapatnam and from there to Kamalapuram. The Griham

Abbayi (Swami's father) enquired from Me, why I was having

a bandage on My forearm. I tried to explain away very casually as if nothing had

happened. I told him there was a slight pain due to a blister on the forearm and

therefore I put a bandage on it. There was a lady belonging to the Vysya

community in the neighbouring house, who used to make her living by preparing

dosas and selling them. She tried to reason with Griham Abbayi saying, "What!

Venkama Raju! I know you are sufficiently well-off so as to get Raju educated

at your place. Why should you put Him to so much trouble by keeping Him under

the care of His elder brother at such a distant place? You do not know how much

suffering the poor boy is undergoing here. He has to fetch drinking water from a

distant place carrying two big pitchers with the help of a Kavadi on his young

shoulders daily." Thus, she narrated several incidents where I had to undergo

physical strain and suffering. Griham Abbayi was deeply moved on hearing My

plight and immediately called Me and said, "My dear son!

You start immediately and come along with me. Let us go back to Puttaparthi."

All the family members loved Me. He therefore lamented, "I have come to know

that the injury to your forearm was due to your elder brother's beating. I

myself never beat You till date. You are undergoing so much suffering here.

Come! Let us go back to Puttaparthi." At the time when this incident happened,

Griham Abbayi made a comment which still rings in My ears even today: "Sathyam!

If one is alive, one can make a living even by selling salt. I can no longer put

You to such an ordeal. Can I not provide for Your living even with my meagre

income?" So saying he shed tears. From then onwards, He did not send Me with

anyone. My formal education stopped with the high school. I did not attend any

college. Nevertheless, I have been continuing My Mission as a Sathya Bodhaka

(Teacher of Truth), making Puttaparthi My headquarters. I composed a beautiful

poem depicting the glorious history of Puttaparthi,

which reads as follows:

Encircling which town the sacred river Chitravathi flows in all its pristine

beauty;Around which town there are beautifulMango groves symbolising

auspiciousness;Standing guard on the four sides of which townare the deities of

Parvati and Parameswara constantly protecting;Firmly installed in the midst of

which town is the effulgent Lord Vishnu in all His splendour;That world famous

town is Puttapuram or Puttaparthiwith its fresh water tank built by

Chikkavadiyarstanding as an everlasting monumentto the glory of Bukkaraya.

(Telugu poem)

I built a residential colony in commemoration of the great love and devotion

Subbamma had towards Me and named it as Karanam Subbamma Nagar, which is next

to Gokulam. I also purchased some cows and engaged some people to look after

them. Some of these people were accommodated in a few of those houses in

Karanam Subbamma Nagar. Thus, I made efforts to see that the name of Subbamma

is remembered for ever by devotees.A few years ago, I started a project by name

"Deenajanoddharana Pathakam" to adopt some orphan children to provide food,

clothing and education to them so that when they grow up they will be able to

lead a life with honour and dignity. I am looking after these boys with all

love and care. You must have seen these boys when they come for Darshan every

Thursday and Sunday. I also built living accommodation for these boys so that

they may stay comfortably in those houses. Besides their normal education, they

are now acquiring proficiency in

extra curricular activities also. Thus, there are so many service activities

that I have undertaken right from My childhood. If they are all to be narrated

now, it can go for hours together.Dear Students!I have great love for you. I

wish that all of you should come up well and earn a good name. I love such boys

who earn good name. In fact, I give Myself to such boys. I will give you

whatever you want.

Source:

http://www.sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/Shivarathri_Discourse_09-03-05.htm

Tired of spam?

Mail has the best spam protection around