Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part III [7]

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Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part III [7]

Mon, 5 May 2003 07:16:58 +0530

Om Sri Sai Ram

Ganesha in Meenakshi-Sundareshwarar Temple in Madurai

Aum Suklambaradharam Vishnum

Sasivarnam Chaturbhujam

Prasanma Vandanam Dhyayet

Sarva Vighnopa Santaye

*****

Sathyam Sivam Sundaram

Part III [7]The Life of the Divine Avathar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai BabaWritten

by N. Kasturi M.A., B.L.

The Shirdi Feet

 

 

The Bhajan continued constantly during Mahashivarathri, the Divine Night. The

next morning Baba spoke on the significance of the vigil of the fast, and on

the value and auspiciousness of Bhajan. Then, He Himself distributed the

consecrated food with which the fast is to be broken. The morning marks the

close of the celebrations. But the crowd of over 25.000 persons does not depart

so soon, as they wait for the chance to touch the Lotus Feet and to get a share

of the Holy Ash, which had been miraculously created for Abhishekam (surprise

gift) on the Sacred Day.

So, Baba goes through the meandering lines of squatting men and women, slowly

and smilingly, giving each one a packet or two of the curative ash! He

autographs a portrait of His here and there when some ardent seeker stands up

to get that sign of Grace; He touches at the big packets of Vibuthi which

devotees desire to take home, charged with curative potency by that contact; He

pronounces the welcome word, 'Santhosham' or 'Accha' or 'Very Happy', so that

they could move away, satisfied that they have had Darshan, Sparshan and

Sambashan (seeing Him, touching Him and listening to His Voice).

Many have traveled in crowded trains, from long distances into a State, which

speaks a different language, and undergone huge expenses, and gone through

physical strain. But these, as well as the sun and the cold, the open sheds and

the tree shades where they had to spend the days at Puttaparthi, were forgotten

of or even welcomed, when Baba looked at them or smiled at them or patted them

or gave them the precious lump of food or the coveted pinch of Vibuthi.

Others stay on, hoping that Baba will call them for a private talk! They spend

the whole day, sitting in front of the Nilayam, in lines facing each other, for

the off chance that Baba might come any moment and call them in for a private

interview.

Baba is considerate. He spends more hours than usual in a task of ministration.

He selects at first the patently ill - the paralytics, the polio-affected, the

arthritis patients who sit on chairs, the wheelchair occupants, those with

crutches, artificial limbs, plasters and bandages, and those suffering from

chronic illness. He also selects the old, the blind, the defective and the

feeble minded. This takes at least two or three days, and so, one evening, Baba

usually announces that those who have urgent work in their own places either in

offices or factories or commercial establishments or farms need not wait for

His formal permission to go, but can take the announcement itself as permission

with blessings. Since He is traveling home with each of them and remaining with

each of them and working with each of them in farm or factory, they need not

feel that they are going away or that Baba is not by their side.

This announcement persuades a large number to leave; but many wait on! "They are

all my people; My Kith and Kin, come for Me," Baba acknowledges. From early dawn

till deep into night, Baba is busy for more than ten or twelve days, curing,

consoling and counseling, either individually or as families or in groups from

each town or state, so that the gathering gradually melts and leaves in high

spirits, light, full of courage and joy, with a confident gait and a firmer

step.

The number of visitors gets lessened in about a week, and after bestowing His

blessings upon them all, Baba leaves for Brindavan, Whitefield, and 12 miles

away from Bangalore.

The summer months of March and April He spends there, so that devotees may not

suffer the piercing sun at Puttaparthi. Brindavan is a cool comforting garden,

with an imposing bungalow situated at one end, within an inner gate. Devotees

gather here too, and engage themselves in Bhajan under a vast shady tree. Baba

comes out of the bungalow - a beam of charming sunshine - whenever He realizes

that people have been waiting too long, and slowly moves among the lines of

adoring, anxious, avid aspirants for Grace. He sheds benediction and joy on

all. From dawn to dusk, here too, Baba gives His time and energy to those who

seek health, happiness, and wholesome spiritual guidance from Him.

Dharmakshetra was established in Bombay, on May 12th, 1968. It is the center

where Sanathana Dharma, as well as its offshoots and progeny, Buddha-Dharma,

Jain-Dharma, Islam-Dharma, Zoroastrian-Dharma and Christ-Dharma are respected,

and their followers find friendship and fellow-feeling amongst each other. It

has also proved to be a source of joy to the devotees in Bombay as Baba visits

Bombay during the second week of May every year, when the City celebrates its

epochal event, conferring the boon of further spiritual advice.

Baba arrived in Bombay on the 8th May, and until the 12th, He was the cynosure

of all eyes, the Figure on whom all affixed their minds, the subject of

conversation in thousands of homes. The Bhajan Sessions at Dharmakshetra were

thrilling experiences for tens of thousands of eager participants, both in the

morning and evening hours. Baba met sizeable groups of teachers and principals

one evening, Rotarians and Lions another day, and Sadhakas another evening.

To the Sadhakas, He spoke of such matters as how to hold and roll the rosary,

the significance of the number 108, the chanting of Soham as a continuous

psychic discipline, and the verity inherent in variety. To the Rotarians, He

spoke of the utter ridiculousness of imitating the culture of America, a malady

that is fast spreading its maleficence in India, rich in her own invaluable

traditions. "Some people hear through American ears, see through American eyes,

and think through the American brains that they have transplanted into

themselves," He said. History, climate, vegetation, language, neighboring

cultures, alien influences and foes - all shape and mould the cultural trends

of a people. Indiscriminate adoration and imitation tend to destroy individual

and social peace, He warned. To the teachers, He spoke of the spacious mansion

of religion erected by the sages to provide peace, prosperity and contentment.

He exhorted them to study the basic principles of religion and apply them in

their own lives. "A teacher must be an example of happiness and joy chiseled by

attachment to God and detachment from worldly greed. Then alone can he be a

person worthy of his job," He said.

Dharmakshetra is a Jnana Vahini ('stream of spiritual wisdom'; for further

reading, in brick and mortar! The entrance door of the Sathyadeep, the Prayer

Hall, has embossed on it in polished brass, the symbols sacred to every

religion: the Pranava (OHM), the Cross, the Crescent and Star, the Conch, the

Wheel, the Flame, the mystic letter Sri and the Chalice. It proclaims, "Every

religion is a lamp that illuminates the path of truth; every religion traverses

the region (Kshetra) of Dharma (Righteousness);" that is the message with which

man is greeted here. As you enter, there shines facing you, the lamp, in answer

to man's eternal prayer: Thamaso maa Jyothirgamaya: From darkness, lead me unto

Light. And on both sides of the lamp, held aloft by the hands of devotion drawn

as a fresco on the wall, we have symbols of the five elements, the components of

the Universe, the primordial substance of Brahman.

* Prithvi, Earth, cognizable through all five senses, having smell, taste, form,

touch, and sound; * Ap, Water, cognizable through four senses, having no

inherent smell;* Tejas, Fire, cognizable through three senses, having no taste;

* Vayu, Atmosphere, cognizable through two senses, having no form; and* Akash,

Ether or Sky, cognizable only through one sense, having only sound.

On the other side, we have symbols of Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi, Prema and Ahimsa,

resp. the Jnana-mudra, the Oil Lamp, the Lotus, the Moon and the Palms folded in

Prayer. In the Prayer Hall, half way up the ridge, Baba has got painted the Atma

Ramayana and the Atma Mahabharatha, reinterpreting the great epics into lessons

on the fundamental steps in the Sadhana for self-realization.

His discourse, therefore, on the Anniversary of the Inauguration Day was on the

message that the Building trumpets forth: "The human body is the Kshetra: it

has to be transmuted into the Dharmakshetra! When the owner of the body

discards desire, passion, injurious impulse, and pernicious propulsions, then

the body is Dharmakshetra."

On the 15th, Baba flew to Ahmedabad, the biggest city in the Gujarat State; the

chief justice of the High Court, Gujarat State, had arranged a reception, at

which the governor, the chief minister and other ministers had come; they got a

chance to know Baba's universal outlook, and His emphasis on the fundamental

unity of all faiths. In the evening Baba addressed a mammoth gathering for over

an hour.

"Yoga and Thyaga are two chief instruments of spiritual progress. By Thyaga

(detachment) you escape from pathetic entanglement with the objective world; by

Yoga (self-control) you attach yourself to the Divine Principle that is immanent

in the universe, in truth, beauty and goodness wherever found," He said.

"I bless you that you succeed in the Sadhana in which you are engaged; if you

are not practicing any now, I advise you to take up the simple preliminary step

of Naamasmarana, reciting or singing the Name. Also, reverence towards parents,

teachers, elders and service to the poor, the sick, the deserted, the

distressed, the defectives. See in every one, God, in that disguise, come, to

accept the offering of Love you place at their Feet," Baba declared.

Gujarat, already resounding with the sweetness and purity of Sai Bhajan in every

village and town, received a great big spurt by this visit.

On the 14th of June, during a meeting at the residence of the Minister for

Agriculture, Sri P.K. Sawant, when the members of the Maharashtra Branch of the

Prashanthi Vidwanmahasabha had gathered to solve from Baba many dilemmas

encountered during Sadhana and study, the Editor of 'Nava Kaal', a Gujarati

newspaper, was also present. His paper was then running a series of articles on

'Miracles' and he desired to ask Baba about them and publish His answers. Baba

graciously permitted him even encouraged him by His replies. "I know the

background of your questions," He said, with a smile, in order to put him at

ease.

We must be thankful to the Editor, as well as to Sri P.K. Sawant, Sri T.S.

Bharde, speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and others at that

meeting who prodded Baba through appropriate questions, so that we have from

Baba an authentic analysis of the meaning and significance of these 'miracles.'

Many amateur Sadhakas and half-baked monks declare that miracles are sacrileges

on God and they provoke divine anger and invoke divine punishment. One such

person, when asked specifically about the 'miracles' of Baba replied in

writing, "I do abhor the performance of miracles, be it Christ, Krishna or Sai

Baba.This opinion is shared by all the sensitive beings," he wrote, implying

that those who do not share his abhorrence, like Suka, for example, are not

'great' Rishis. He continues his purblind pronouncement: "An integrated human

being has a lot of power over the cosmic happenings, but, to interfere with the

law of the divine is a sin."

Dr. S. Bhagavantham, D.Sc., F.N.I., Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of

Defence, spoke of this 'interference with the law', at a meeting in Madras, in

April 1967. He said, "Professor Gokak read a poem before you at yesterday's

session wherein he described Baba and His activities: He 'comes like a storm,'

He 'pours kindness like a shower of rain.' All that was very nice; I liked

them. But, towards the end, he trespassed upon my field. He said, 'Baba defies

the laws of physics and chemistry.'

"Having learnt physics and chemistry for many years during my youth and having

practiced physics and chemistry for many years later and taught them and learnt

them while teaching, for a number of decades, I cannot understand any individual

like you and me, or even like the best of men on this planet defying the laws of

physics and chemistry and getting away with it!"

Perhaps, it is this line of argument that made the person who 'abhorred

miracles,' to write further, "There are historical moments when we have to

interfere with the divine law, and for this, according to the law of the

cosmos, the individual suffers." 'You cannot get away with it,' as Dr.

Bhagavantham said!

The man who abhors miracles is a popular exponent of Krishna's teachings. But,

that does not hinder him from writing. "Krishna died of an arrow wound and

Christ died in great agony on the Cross." So, the author seems to say, "Sathya

Sai Baba! Beware!"

Let us now listen to what Dr. Bhagavantham has to say. Does he accuse Baba of

'interfering' and warn Him of 'dire punishment,' as the arrow-killed Krishna in

vengeance for the Govardhanagiri miracle and the Cross, for the loaves and fish,

or the cures and visions? No. He is wiser than the monk.

Dr. Bhagavantham says, "Baba went on breaking one law after another! I have

asked His permission to tell you one or two of these happenings, for they are

essential to establish my bona fides. I was an eye witness to a surgical

operation which He performed. When it was over, He turned to my son who was

present, and asked, "Have you got a length of bandage?" as if He who produced

from nowhere the knife and the needle could not produce the bandage cloth! My

son replied, "Yes! Father is the head of this Institute of Science; there is a

dispensary here; I can telephone to the doctor, and get a bandage strip in two

minutes." Bhagawan replied, "Oh! Two minutes is too long! Don't worry." Then,

He waved His hand, and the bandage was ready for use!

With due respect to the expertise of Professor Gokak in the use of the English

language, I would have preferred him to say, instead of 'He defies the laws of

physics and chemistry,' 'He transcends the laws of physics and chemistry'. Now,

arguing further, with my training in the laboratory, and in logic, I cannot

accept that He is like you and me and yet, He is transcending the laws of

physics and chemistry. No, how can it be? The fact is, He is a Phenomenon... He

is Transcendental... He is Divine."

"This is a well-known feature of science. Science develops from stage to stage.

Skeletons of discarded theories mark the road along which science progresses. A

law is enunciated to explain known phenomena; when something comes up,

inexplicable by known laws, the scientist takes that experience too; and that

becomes another law. Since what I have seen of Baba, and what I am seeing, and

what I no doubt will see, does not come under the known laws of science, I

simply enunciate the law, "Bhagawan transcends the laws of science," and this

becomes another law of science."

Baba Himself has referred in some of His discourses to the alleged 'sin' of

breaking the laws of science. Addressing the All-India Conference of the office

bearers of the units of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization, Baba said,

"Some elders try to confuse you. Krishna showed many wonders, with an amazing

disregard of the laws of nature and so, according to them; He had to meet death

from the arrow of a hunter! Jesus, they say suffered crucifixion, for, He too

manifested many miracles! Their argument is that, since I am defying the laws

of nature, I too will suffer likewise! They hope to create panic and spread

alarm. But, these are the prattling of weakness, ignorance and envy. They

cannot understand this Glory, nor do they desire to tolerate it!"

On Christmas Day, 1970, He declared at Bombay,

"There are many who cannot bear to tolerate the splendor that emanates from Me,

the Divinity expressed in and through every act of Mine. These people label

them as acts of mesmerism, miracles or feats of magic! Their vocabulary is

small. Their experience is limited. They hope by these words to cast a slur.

Let Me tell you this: "Mine is no mesmerism, miracle or magic! Mine is genuine

divine power. Small minds and limited intellects cannot comprehend them. They

have no strength or stamina to grasp the magnificence and the majesty. God can

do anything. He has all power in the palm of His hand. My body, like all other

bodies, is a temporary habitation but My power is eternal, all-pervasive,

ever-dominant."

Sri Bharde who was in the group present when the Editor of 'Nava Kaal'

interviewed Baba on this subject of miracles, had himself written a few weeks

earlier in the same paper, "I have not so far seen any person who does miracles

as naturally, as spontaneously as Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He stood before the idol

of Rukmini at the famous shrine of Pandharpur, and waved His Hand saying, "The

most important jewel is not found on the idol!" as He said so, a necklace of

gold, the auspicious jewel, appeared concretized! That jewel which He then

placed round the neck of the idol is still there!

Sri Bharde asked Baba that day "Is your power to create things, inexhaustible?"

Baba answered, "It is limitless. It is as the ocean, inexhaustible. Every one

wherever he is, whoever it be, can take from it whatever he needs, to his

heart's content." At this, Hon'ble P.K. Sawant was emboldened to put in a

query. "If it is inexhaustible, and limitless, why is it not used to cure the

poverty and misery of mankind?"

At this, Baba laughed outright, records the 'Nava Kaal': "You equate poverty and

misery with the non-possession of things! Sovereigns can command all things that

confer happiness and joy; but are they content? Are they having mental peace? My

task is to confer mental equanimity. I do not give things to people in order to

make them richer: I give, in order to foster devotion and faith in them."

Yes! A very rich business man told me, while showing a diamond ring created by

Baba and placed by Him on his ring finger, (it fits exactly) "Mr. Kasturi

whenever my eyes fall upon this ring and this big-sized diamond, I am reminded

of the pregnant words with which Baba put it on my finger". "This is not a

diamond; this is an Upadesh, a constant warning for you: Die Mind! Let the mind

with all its likes and dislikes disappear, leaving you in peace."

Baba told Sawant, "A sick person comes to Me. I give him something I create,

Vibuthi or some other article. He becomes conscious of divine power. He

acquires mental peace, that cures, that comforts, that consummates his wish. It

is not that I give these things only to those devoted to Me; I give, whenever it

is necessary to turn the afflicted towards God."

The Editor asked, "What is the power which works these miracles?" Baba answered,

"It is wrong to call them miracles or Chamatkars or to say that Chamatkars are

done in order to earn Namaskaras! It is only Nidarsan (evidence) not Pradarsan

(exhibition). It is just like a play, sport - My natural behaviour. It is a

sign, which helps to turn into faith, devotion, inquiry and realization of

their own Atma. As the intention or the will arises in the mind, the thing is

made! It is ready when I want it. The moment it is willed, the thing comes to

hand or happens where I will it to happen."

The Editor asked, "It is said that by miracles, things that are already

somewhere are transported. Are they transported or created?"

This is a question that many have longed to ask. Dr. K.M. Munshi, the founder of

the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, a famous lawyer, statesman, and writer says, "Baba

happened to perceive that my right hand was slightly trembling, as it always

did on account of Parkinsonism. He rose from His seat, held my fingers, covered

them with his own fingers, and rubbed them with sacred ashes, which came out of

His hand. Then, He waved His hand with a sweeping gesture and materialized a

ring, which He slipped on to the little finger of my right hand. I immediately

perceived that the stiffness of the fingers had considerably disappeared; so

had the slight trembling in the right arm and leg! When we bade Him goodbye, He

again created sacred ashes and rubbed them over the right hand. Bringing a ring

by apport did not surprise me; however, the sacred ash applied and produced by

Baba must have weighed a pound a day, and could not have been stored somewhere

else. If so, it is not apport, but something more."

Dr. Munshi did not know that the Vibuthi created is more than a pound a day on

busy days when grace flows profusely; it is also of many grades of smoothness,

of many colors from white to dark brown, of many tastes, sucrose to bitter, and

of many smells from rose to camphor and iodine! You cannot have all these

varieties stored in such quantity, somewhere, and produced when willed!

And, what exactly is apport? It is a word that only means, 'mysterious'. By

using it, one can feel content that the miracle has been explained and

understood! Howard Murphet, in his book, "Sai Baba, the Man of Miracles,"

writes, "The theory behind apports is that the object which is already in

existence somewhere is dematerialized and brought in that state by psychic

force to the place where it is rematerialized!" Very facile, indeed! As if that

explanation is clear and convincing enough!

I believe it is easier to produce a thing ab initio, rather than go to the

botheration of dematerializing, transporting through long distance by psychic

force exercised upon the dematerialized substance and again, rematerialize it!

All in a trice, quicker than the speed of light!

Therefore, Baba answered the question of the Editor thus:

"They are all created newly. Transporting means, they should come from somewhere

else, isn't it? That would be deceit. Things are created at the very moment I

will them. I give also things that are found nowhere. This Power it is

impossible to comprehend."

I know many occasions when He created such new materials, like Sri Ramakrishna's

portrait with Baba's own picture at the four corners and in the center; the

miniature portrait of the Guru of the father and grandfather of Dr. Gokak, a

Pantji of North Karnataka, created for him as soon as Baba saw his photograph

in the shrine room of Dr. Gokak.

The Editor asked further questions too. "From when have you begun to give these

signs of divine power?" The answer was, "From childhood.At school, I used to

create chocolates, marbles, and other articles for the children around me." To

make things clear, the Editor ventured to ask, "At what age did you acquire

this divine Power?" Baba said, "From My very Birth," And, after a pause, He

added with emphasis, "From before that," for, was He not at Shirdi as Sai Baba

in the years before He incarnated in the Raju family at Puttaparthi? And was He

not Krishna long before that?

Naturally, the Editor was struck with wonder. He exclaimed, "That is to say...?"

And Baba continued:

"That is to say, I resolved upon My Birth. I decided who should be My Mother.

Mere humans can choose only who is to be wife or husband: the Mother was chosen

by the Son in the Rama incarnation and in the Krishna incarnation. Then too, the

task for which the birth was decided upon was, conferring Prema (Love) on all,

and through that Prema, foster righteous living."

"My acts are evidences of Divine Shakti, signs and signals of Divinity. I am

granting things out of Prema. My Prema will never diminish. I have no desire of

any kind. I talk of Love, I guide you along the Path of Love, I am Love."

Returning to Bangalore and Brindavan (Whitefield), Baba was busy with the Arts

and Science College affiliated to the Bangalore University. The College was

inaugurated on the 9th day of June 1969. On the 18th, a gathering of poets met

at Brindavan from all parts of Mysore, men who had attained renown as inspirers

and interpreters of the Kannada-speaking region. Dr. D.R. Bendre, a fiery mystic

emitting more light than heat, echoing in verse the tears and tragedies that

soften the hearts of man, was there. He translated White-field as Panduranga,

Pandu meaning White and Ranga meaning Field! That line sent a thrill among the

thousands who heard him. Dr. V.K. Gokak who stands in the front rank of Kannada

poets, and is a great name in English poetry too, was persuaded to read his

poems. There were Dr. R.S. Mugali, a doyen of classical studies and romantic

poetry; Professor G. P. Rajarathnam, an ardent student of Buddhism and Jainism,

a popular poet delineating the feelings and aspirations of the common man;

Professor R.G. Kulkarni, saturated with Aurobindo's Integral Yoga, Dr. G.S.

Sivarudrappa, mystic and Sadhak, following the footsteps of the medieval saints

of Karnataka but, nevertheless in touch with the heartbeats of Tagore and

Gandhiji and Sri K.L. Sivappa, a warbler of the woods, free and bold, sweet and

strong.

When they had finished reading their poems, Baba sang a beautiful poem composed

by Him on the Tandava Dance of Siva. It had all the rhythm, power and cosmic

sublimity that words can limn, about that sempiternal Lila which swings worlds

in space. Baba is the 'Kavimkaveenaam,' the Poet of Poets, an appellation

ascribed to God in the Vedas.

In the last week of June, Baba visited Madras. Devotees in their thousands

flocked wherever He went and drank in the nectar of His discourses. Baba in His

teens had mysteriously appeared at the bedside of a certain Loganatha Mudaliar

in Madras and cured him of a brain malady brought about by black magic. "You

are God," he said, holding on to the Feet of Baba. He decided to build a temple

for Baba on his land at Guindy, a suburb of Madras, but, he had a dream wherein

he was instructed to install, instead, the idol of Shirdi Sai Baba, the

previous Body of Baba, therein. Baba too wrote to him, confirming the dream.

So, the temple was built and in 1948 Baba Himself installed the idol! Howard

Murphet, who visited the temple and saw the idol in 1968, writes, "Like

Michelangelo's marble Moses in a little church in Rome, it gave me personally

the immediate impression that It was alive."

On the day of installation, the Mudaliars had the unique privilege and pleasure

of washing the Feet of Baba and placing flowers upon them. They prayed that

they may be given an impression of the soles on a piece of silk, that they had

brought for the purpose. Baba agreed and they applied sandal paste mixed with

turmeric powder on the soles, and asked that he stand upon the silk cloth. Baba

said, "Why My Feet? This day, I have installed here the Old Baba. I shall give

you the Feet of the Old Baba Himself!"... and, then He stood on the silk cloth.

When He stepped aside, the impression left was not of the slender, soft, rather

teenage Feet of Baba, but the long heavy ponderous Feet that walked the lanes

of Shirdi, 32 years ago!

Baba visited that temple, and addressed a large gathering of people there. "This

is a temple," He said, "where I have installed twenty one years ago, the idol of

My Shirdi Form. The word Vishnu is used for God, since it means, 'present

everywhere at all times'. When people are told about an Idol of God, who is

Vishnu, they laugh and condemn it as a foolish superstition. But, when it is

desired to drink the ambrosia that is God, don't you require a spoon, a cup, or

glass? The idol is a contrivance by which you can consume the Bliss. The cup can

be of any shape or size or design; it is just a container of the Joy "Raso vai

sah" - God is Ambrosia. He is sweet, sustaining, strength-giving. You can

imbibe Him through a cup designed as Nataraja, or Durga, or Krishna, or Ganesa,

or Linga, or Christ or Sai Baba. Many of you yearn for a cup shaped like this

idol, designed as Sai Baba; so, I allowed you to have this idol, here. This is

the Sai Form, which sat and taught at Dwarakamayi Mosque at Shirdi."

On the Guru Poornima, 29th July, Baba sent a message to the Samithis all over

India and to devotees overseas where He quoted the prayer of Prahlada as an

example to be adopted. "Grant me, O Lord, the adoration of Thy Lotus Feet, the

comradeship of those who adore Thy Lotus Feet, and give me Compassion, deep,

vast, unlimited towards all beings in all the world."

"Start the day with Love, live the day with Love, fill the day with Love, spend

the day with Love, end the day with Love, this is the way to God," He wrote.

During the discourse that He gave that evening at the Prashanthi Nilayam, He

warned against institutionalizing religion, and compartmentalizing society. 'It

is good to be born in a church, but it is not good to die in it,' He declared.

"One must travel beyond the limits set by mind and reason and reach the

boundless expanse of the Absolute and the Eternal Atma," He advises.

The birthday of Sri Krishna was celebrated in the presence of 'Sai' Krishna, at

the Prashanthi Nilayam. Baba has incarnated in order to revitalize Dharma, and

this is done through a variety of means and methods. As a matter of fact, every

minute of Baba is being spent in correcting some misconception or other that has

led man astray or curing some optical defect, which dulls or diverts the vision

of man away from the Truth.

Krishna is the most misunderstood of the Avatars of God, thanks to the innate

lasciviousness of ordinary man and the acrobatics of erotic poets, who have

disregarded even patent facts in order to paint the luridness they coveted.

Baba takes hold of every chance to inject sense into pundit, poet and Sadhaka,

so that the mind of modern man may become as pure and as saturated in the

Divine, as the simple cowherd maids of Gokul, "Krishna is in you" He said, "He

is 'Sarva Bhutha Anthar Atma', the Inner Core of all beings. If He is not in

you, how can you exist as an entity?" Baba asked.

"He is in you as power, strength, love, happiness, enthusiasm, passion and

compassion. Go into the deeper esoteric meaning of all the parables and

metaphors. Brindavan is the jungle of Life; individual beings are the 'go', the

cattle He tended, Go-Kula is the herd of Jivis, Krishna is the Divine Principle

that shines in every being, craving for the purity that is churned in the full

of good thoughts and feelings. He guides and goads, He blesses and showers

benedictions."

 

The Vedas describe the Divine as the streak of lightning, flashing through the

thick blue clouds! In Telugu streak is known as 'Geetha'. That Gita activates,

illumines, and spreads splendor and wisdom. Since Baba has declared often that

He is the indweller in all, listeners saw before them the Krishna Principle

Itself embodied in the Sai Form, and bearing the Sai Name. It was an

exhilarating realization.

Hilda Charlton of New York expresses it as follows:

>From out Thy lips doth blow the mighty windsThat sway the trees in dancing

rhythmsAnd yet again Thou art the very treesWhose swaying boughs whisper the

ancient Om.

Thou art the beginning and the end of allAnd, even before the beginning, Thou

wertThou art the ever-ending ever-beginning lifeThou art the Light, the

LoveAnd, I am Thine Own, Thyself!

Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita

Chapter 4 - 7Whenever and wherever it is sure that one weakens in righteousness

and a predominance of injustice does manifest, o descendant of Bharata, at that

time I do manifest Myself.

Chapter 4 - 9Anyone who knows as such of my divine birth(s) and activities will

never, after leaving his body, take birth again, but will attain Me, O Arjuna.

Chapter 9 - 4[As said:] By the Unmanifest of Me this entire cosmic manifestation

is pervaded, all living entities are in Me and I am not in them.

Chapter 9 - 11The foolish look down upon My having assumed the human form, not

knowing of My transcendental nature and that I am the Great Lord of all.

 

 

To be continued [8]

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