SAI MIRACLES

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SAI MIRACLES

“My acts are the foundations on which I am building my work, the task for which

I have come. All the miraculous acts which you observe are to be interpreted

so.”

“I am determined to correct you only after informing you my credentials. That is

why I am now and hen announcing my nature by means of miracles; that is, acts

which are beyond human capacity and human understanding.”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Baba On His Miracles

"You elaborate in your lectures the unique powers of Sai, the incidents that are

described as 'miracles' in books written about Me by some persons. But I request

you not to attach importance to these. Do not exaggerate their significance; the

most significant and important power is, let Me tell you, my Prema (Love) and My

Sahana, (fortitude). I may turn the sky into earth or earth into sky but that is

not the sign of Divine Might. It is the Prema, effective, universal,

ever-present, that is the unique sign. When you attempt to cultivate and

propagate this Love and this Fortitude, trouble and travail will clog your

steps. You must welcome them, for without them, the best in you cannot be drawn

out."

" I use My Shakthi (power) to attract people and to draw them towards the

Godward path. These miracles are merely baits with which I lure them towards

Me. Once their faith is firmly established, they begin to look beyond the

miracles and slowly start stretching their hands out for what I have really

come to give- Knowledge and Bliss."

" There can be no limit for Sai Power, no hindrance, no opposition or obstacle.

You may believe it or you may not, but, Sai Power can transform earth into sky,

the sky into earth. only there is no call for that transformation. This Divine

behavior is far distinct from the mean exhibitionistic tricks of the inferior

powers. This is spontaneous manifestation, not those that are calculated to

collect customers and exploit the ignorant."

"Those who profess to have understood me, the scholars, the yogis, the pundits,

the Jnanis, all of them are aware only of the least important, the casual

external manifestations of an infinitesimal part of that power, namely, the

miracles! They have not desired to contact the source of all power and all

wisdom that is available here. They are satisfied when they secure a chance to

exhibit their book-learning and parade their scholarship in Vedic lore, not

realising that the person from whom the Vedas emanated is in their midst, for

their sake. They even ask, in their pride, for a few more chances. This has

been the case in all ages. People may be very near (Physically) to the Avatar,

but they live out their lives unaware of their fortune; they exaggerate the

role of miracles, which are as trivial, when compared to my glory

and majesty, as a mosquito is in size and strength to the elephant upon which it

squats. Therefore, when you speak about these miracles, I laugh within myself

out of pity that you allow yourself so easily to lose the precious awareness of

my reality.."

" I am determined to correct you only after informing you of my credentials.

That is why I am now and then announcing my nature by means of miracles, that

is, acts which are beyond human capacity and human understanding. Not that I am

anxious to show off my powers. The object is to draw you closer to me, to cement

your hearts to me".

"You may infer from what you call my miracles that I am causing them to attract

and attach you to me and me alone. They are not intended to demonstrate or

publicize; they are merely spontaneous and concomitant proofs of divine

majesty."

"This Sathya Sai Incarnation is one where you see the full manifestation and

exercise of all the sixteen attributes of a Poorna Avatar. This happened only

once before, at the time of Krishna Avatar. I am the Embodiment of Shiva and

Shakthi, that is Universal Consciousness and Universal Energy. And I show

evidences of both to the fullest and maximum extent".

" Do not crave from me trivial material objects: but crave for Me, and you would

be rewarded. Not that you should not receive whatever objects I give as signs of

grace out of the fullness of love. I shall tell you why I give these rings,

talismans, rosaries, etc. It is to mark the bond between me and those to whom

they are given. When calamity befalls them, the article comes to me in a flash

and returns in a flash, taking from me the remedial grace of protection. That

grace is available to all who call on me in any Name or Form, not merely to

those who wear these gifts. Love is the bond that wins grace.

My miracles are part of the unlimited power of God and are in no sense the

product of yogic powers, which are acquired. They are natural, uncontrived.

There are no invisible beings helping me. My divine will bring the object in a

moment. I am everywhere."

Display of Destiny

A certain person was a captain during the Second World War, but since he died of

a commonplace disease in a civil hospital his widow did not get much by way of

pension. So she had to earn some money teaching music, in order to keep her

three children - two daughters and a son in elementary ease. The son passed his

B.Sc examination with a first class from the Madras University, while still in

his teens. The army authorities gave him a job in their cantonment office at

Bangalore. His mother, who was overwhelmed with joy, sent him to offer homage

to the family deity, Venkatachalapathi on the Tirumala Hills in Andhra Pradesh,

so that he could join duty at Bangalore with divine blessings.

However what did happen was the boy got drowned in the holy tank of the temple.

His body was in police custody for two days as it was unidentified. The

photograph of her son’s corpse, which appeared in the daily papers, confronted

the anxious mother. But, Baba appeared to her in a dream and directed her to

come to Puttaparthi. Bhagawan called her and her children for the precious

interview. " Don't weep", He said, "for your son who led a disciplined life and

was full of devotion, has now merged with God. When he has found the lotus feet

of Bliss, you should not indulge in grief". But she could not be consoled.

Then Baba said, "I know your heart is broken since you could not have even a

last glimpse of his body. See, it is here." Saying this, He spread His palm in

front of her, and she could clearly see the events of that faithful pilgrimage

appear upon it: The son slipped on the steps of the tank, and a few people

jumped in to save him. A lotus like bunch of flames rose from his body and

proceeded towards the innermost shrine where the idol of Venkatachalapathi is

installed, disappearing in a blaze of glory of the Lord's feet. Then she saw

the idol come alive and change into a charming image of Baba Himself.

After sometime Baba spoke to her, "Mother, the one you loved as your son was a

staunch devotee of the Lord during his previous life. He was engaged in tapas

for 12 years on the steps of this very holy temple tank. His deepest desire was

to attain Jala Samadhi (water-mergence) in those sacred waters. To fulfill that

desire he took birth again. Remain in Puttaparthi, ever singing the glory of

Venkatachalpathi, who has accepted you on into His fold".

The One appears as Many

On Sunday, the 13th day of December 1964, Baba was at Venkatagiri town. He had

reached the place a few days earlier in connection with a heavy schedule of

discourses in the Chittoor and Nellore Districts, in Andhra Pradesh. But, Baba

is not bound by the limitations of space and time. On that very day, about

8.a.m, "Baba surprisingly appeared in front of my house. ", says, U. Ram Mohan

Rao, Superintendent of the Junior Technical School, Manjeri (28 miles south of

Calicut on the West Coast, in the State of Kerala). As the crow flies, the

distance between Manjeri and Venkatagiri will be more than 600 miles! But,

distance is only a game that Baba plays to keep us, poor mortals, apart.

Mr. Ram Mohan Rao describes Bhagawan's visit thus: "I and my wife were indoors

with our daughter. The maid told us that a Sadhu had come. We went out to see

who it was and we were surprised to see Sri Sathya Sai Baba! Baba said, Hari

Om, Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi; we prostrated ourselves at His Feet. We led Baba

into the office room, but on the way, He saw our Pooja room where His Photo was

hung, along with several holy pictures. He said He would sit in the Pooja room

itself. He told us that He had come to us that day, being very pleased with the

Bhakti of Sailaja, my daughter. He asked me to send word to devotees if any were

available for Bhajan and Pravachan.” He sent word to his neighbours and people

collected immediately", says Ramesh Rao, his cousin. "He sang "Nandamukunda

Sayinath", "Om Bhagawan", "Jayaram Jayaram,"

along with the Bhakthas. After Bhajan, He talked to me in Tamil, to my wife in

Kannada and to the others in the mixed dialect of Tamil- Malayalam. He blessed

us by the gift of a Sankhamala and Himself placed it on His own photograph. He

told me that my father had decided on a rite to propitiate the Snake-God

(Sarpasamskaram) at Bangalore on 25th February, Thursday ('My day' He added),

but He told me that he need not perform it, since He had already wiped off the

calamity it was intended to avert and the sacrilege it was designed to atone".

"He took some light refreshment. Then, He told the persons around Him that all

would be anxiously awaiting Him at Kalahasti. So, he took leave of us and

asking, us not to follow Him went through the gate. He disappeared in a few

seconds. We all felt happy at this unexpected Darshan and were struck by the

'disappearing miracle', within the twinkling of an eye".

Nor was this all. There are a few more paragraphs in the letter, which Prof.

Kasturi quotes: "24th December, Thursday, was a holiday; we felt lonely since

our Sailaja was away at Mangalore. So we went out in the afternoon to visit

some friends and returned home at 6.30 P.M. We were shocked to see the lights

burning within the house. My wife asked me whether I had forgotten to switch

off all the lights. I first examined the lock of the main door and finding it

intact, went round the house to see whether the other doors were bolted from

within. They were o.k. Then, both of us came to the front door, opened the lock

and walked in. We found everything intact; all the lights were on. We saw Baba

sitting in our Prayer room. We prostrated ourselves at His feet. He asked us

(in Kannada) whether we were afraid! We replied that we

were very lucky and that we felt very happy! Baba -said that He had come because

we were lonely and said. 'Let us sing Bhajans. If Sailaja were here, she would

have liked to sing', He said. He sang a few Bhajans. He took food later; we

discussed some general topics together. Then, Baba retired for the night.

Early next morning, Baba had His Bath; He had coffee with us and then,

discoursed on Bhakti and the Basic Truth of Nature. All of a sudden, we saw a

rosary of Rudraksha beads in His hand; He put it on my neck with His Blessings,

with the direction that I should wear it during my Sandhya rites. After those

rites, I was to place it on Baba's photograph. We had breakfast together. The

Pooja room was decorated specially with garlands and flowers. Bhajan began.

Meanwhile, devotees came to know that Baba had come; so they too assembled for

Bhajan. Baba discoursed on Bhakti in the Tamil-Malayalam dialect. He granted

every one the coveted interview.

At 12 noon, Baba himself waved the Sacred light of Mangalarathi and distributed

Prasadam, to every one present. The quarter kilogram of dates that I had,

sufficed for 100 persons ! We had our lunch with Baba. He rested for a couple

of hours and we had 'tea' at 4-30 P.M. Then He told us that several devotees

were eagerly waiting for Him at Kalahasti. He blessed us again, when we fell at

His Feet. At 5 P.M., He went out on the road through the gate and suddenly

disappeared. what a wonderful miracle ! We could not believe our own eyes!”

The Kailas Committee

The late Smt. Sakamma used to tell this strange story that She experienced. One

day at her own Bungalow in Somewarpet, Coorg, when she was engaged in worship,

a servant disturbed her and announced that a car had come into the compound and

that the person inside insisted on seeing her immediately. She was rather upset,

but, nevertheless went out to find who could take so much liberty with her

time-table. She found in the car a tall fair old man with a very reverend

beard, sitting on a deerskin, his whole body bathed in ash. And, she was struck

by the age of, the car too, for it matched the age of the owner or occupant. A

weak little boy drove the car in his teens and Smt. Sakamma wondered how he

could have managed to secure a license or whether he had one at all. The car

had a nameplate, on top, in front, 'The Kailas

Committee!’ She invited the old man inside; did pranam; placed a newly plucked

rose at his feet; and offered him some fruits. He said that he would not eat

the fruits there; he said he did not cater to the tongue at all times and all

places. 'Jihvachapalya' was the word he used; he wanted her to contribute to

the Kailas Committee and become a Member, by giving the donation of a thousand

rupees. She signed a paper in which the sum and her name was already written!

And when she proffered the amount, the old man said, "Keep this also with you.

I shall come and take it later." With those words he kept on the table the

signed sheet and, getting into the car, he left the place! The teen-age driver

did his work remarkably well, for the car was out of sight in a moment.

Years later, when she saw Baba in a house to which she had gone, He appeared to

her at one moment like the driver of that mysterious car and the next, like the

hoary occupant who took so much pains to make her contribute to the Kailas

Committee, and, then, asked her to wait with the cash in her own keeping! And

then Baba surprised her by telling her, " Come on, give the Rs. 1000/- you

promised that day!" and describing in her presence the entire story, correct to

the minutest detail.

The Cosmic Form

Dr. A.V. Lakshminarasimham, M.Sc., Ph.D.

The concept of Brahman, the Ultimate Conscious Reality, manifesting itself as

the Universe, and Its being the material and the efficient cause for creation,

represents the pinnacle of philosophical quest. Yet, the cognition of the truth

of the Immanence of Brahman is difficult to achieve, for it is impossible for

man to rend the veil of Avidya or Maya. Such understanding of Brahman comes

best to man when the Lord vouchsafes 'Viswavirataswaroopa Darsana' to the

ardent seeker - not by jaded disquisition of self-designated philosophers.

During the Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spiritually held in 1974 at

Brindavan, Bhagawan had been discoursing on "Brahman" and other related topics

with remarkable clarity and lucidity, quite characteristic of Bhagawan's

expositions on any subject. One day, He walked up to me and asked me, "Have you

been able to follow the discourses?Yes, Swami! They are so nice," I replied

immediately. He then said, "you shall see something more" and walked past to

the waiting congregation. During the early hours of the next morning, around 3

A.M., I was awake to a unique and astounding experience. In the open where I

slept Baba appeared in a magnificent, glorious, gigantic form, sitting in the

lotus posture, 'padmasan' on the ground. I was standing before him and I could

see the width of His knee, in that splendorous form,

exceed my own height. I had to lift my head up a considerable angle to look at

Baba's face, resplendent and beautiful, with matted locks of hair of

luminescent copper-brown hue. To the right Lord Ganesha was sitting, while on

the left Lord Subramanya was standing. Baba said "Behold!" and I looked into

His eyes and later fixed my gaze on His Chest. Lo! In Him, vast space teeming

with millions of stars, many of them being formed and fading out then, the

planets and their moons whirling past, the earth with its variety of flora and

fauna, forests deserts, oceans, mountain ranges, industrial workshops, railway

lines, sky scrapers, airplanes and all things that are found on this tiny

little earth. The whole Universe in Him! My body became warm at this marvelous,

awesome, wondrous experience. What a majestic, glorious, Cosmic Form!

Immediately thereafter, Baba diminished in size, to His normal height, and

appeared as an ethereal, enchanting Form glowing with bluish luminosity. This

is Sai

as Vishnu, I felt.

The two visions I had the good fortune to have as described above clearly

demonstrate the Immanence of Brahman in the Universe and also that our Lord Sri

Sathya Sai is none else than that Supreme Being who is the Lord of the Universe.

Master of Nature

It was on a cloudy June evening that Baba was addressing an open-air meeting at

Mercara. The sky was overcast and gloomy rumblings of approaching rain could be

heard, not far away. In fact, the rain poured on the hills on the horizon,

stepped nearer and nearer, and came as far as Mahadevpet, half a mile away.

Baba spoke quietly and calmly, holding the audience spell-bound, for over an

hour and a half; at the end, He said, " Now, you can go home, for in about ten

minutes you will get the rain that ought to have drenched you by now. " And,

wonder of wonders, the rains came, as announced, ten minutes later, to the very

second !

The Chitravathi River at Puttaparthi is subject to sudden floods, for it rises

in the Nandi Hills and heavy rains in that region in Mysore State will bring

down the waters many feet deep all along the miles. The Prasanthi Nilayam was

built on an eminence away from the village to avoid these periodical floods,

which in some years invade the old Mandir, entering the prayer, Shed, the

kitchens and all the surrounding area. On many such occasions, Baba has stood

on the edge of the water and said, "Ganga! It is enough, go back." and the

waters have not risen more. Some years ago, during Navarathri, when the

(Narayana Seva) feeding of the Poor was on, it rained all round the Nilayam,

but not a drop fell in the precincts where people were being fed.

The Lord's Touch

The story of the construction of the Mandir building at Prasanthi Nilayam is a

chain of miracles wrought by Bhagawan's grace. The most astounding was the

transport of the huge girders for the central prayer hall from the railway

station at Penukonda sixteen miles away. Girders of 40 feet length had come

from Trichinopoly (now Tiruchirapalli) to Penukonda by train. The road from

Penukonda to Bukkapattanam was a district board road with a sandy stream at the

seventh mile and it passed through a few villages with delicately built

houses(!) flanking the narrow road on either side with a few acutely angled

curves. There was a track of three miles, from Bukkapatanam to Puttaparthi with

a few dilapidated culverts and low-level causeways and a broad expanse of the

sand of the river Chitravathi. Then there was the task of hoisting

the heavy girders on the twenty-foot high walls. Therefore, the engineers gave

up all hope of transporting the girders from Penukonda to Puttaparthi and

placed before Baba some alternative proposals for roofing the prayer hall. But

Baba did not relent.

One fine morning, the Road Transport Officer of Anantapur district, who was a

devotee of Baba, woke up to find a surprise in front of his house. It was a

huge crane from the Tungabhadra Dam site that had stopped there and refused to

move forward. It had struck work! The driver was grappling with the engine in

vain. He could not make it move. He sought the help of the Road Transport

Officer who thought that the crane was Baba sent (!) for transporting the

girders from Penukonda to Puttaparthi. It was agreed that the crane would

transport the girders if it were repaired. The R.T.O. hurried to Puttaparthi

and prayed to Baba, who materialised some vibhuti (sacred ash) and gave it to

him. This vibhuti was smeared on the engine and the driver was asked to start

it and lo! the crane started moving. The surprised driver went

happily to Penukonda railway station, lifted the girders with the giant arms of

the crane and started towards Puttaparthi. The sight of this giant carrying the

girders was a great surprise for the villagers who greeted it by lining up on

the roadsides. The crane somehow passed over the culverts, negotiated hairpin

bends, lurched over the slushes and puffed its way up the Karnatanagapalli

hill! It did not move further, may be on seeing the broad sheet of sand of the

Chitravathi River! Baba himself went to the crane, sat with the driver and

handled the steering wheel. Thrilled by the touch of the Lord, the crane moved

happily to the work spot and unloaded the girders.

The Shrine at Shirdi

When He came back to Puttaparthi, after the Declaration, that is to say, as a

little boy of fifteen, He materialised a fruit, which no one at Puttaparthi had

seen or tasted before. Peddavenkama Raju's sister says that she asked Baba what

type of fruit it was and she got the reply that it came from Shirdi! Baba

proposed to cut and distribute the pieces during the evening Bhajan, but, she

pleaded with Baba that each should get at least one full fruit, so that the

gift may be relished; so, Baba asked her to give Him a big sized basket with a

cover. He just tapped that basket once and the lady saw that the basket was

full of them! In the evening, when Bhajan started, she saw about a hundred

persons and so, she was again afraid, she would not get a whole fruit for, the

basket could not contain more than 30 or 40! She told Baba

how nervous she was, but Baba gave from that basket one whole fruit to each of

the hundred odd persons, after Bhajan that day and the fruit was so strange and

so sweet!

This same lady relates another miraculous incident. She was troubling, Baba with

a request to grant her some vision, to install faith in her heart, for, she did

not want to dismiss the story of Sai Avatar as an invention, an attitude that

many in the family found it easy to assume. Baba had a liking for this

particular lady, because she was a simple soul, steeped in suffering; so, He

told her, "I shall show you My previous Body this evening!"

She confesses that she could not contain her joy and was praying for a shorter

afternoon and a quicker sunset ! As soon as dusk fell, Baba led her across a

number of doorsills, into one of the innermost rooms of the house, and on

reaching the farthest, He took off His palm which was all the while covering

her eyes and asked her to look at a corner, which He pointed out with His

Finger. The lady looked! And, there sat Shirdi Sai Baba, on the floor, in His

characteristic pose, but, she says, with eyes closed and Vibhuti marks on the

forehead and arms. The incense sticks before Him were burning and the smoke was

rising straight into the air! His Body was glowing with a strange effulgence and

there was a beautiful fragrance around. After a minute or so, Baba asked her, "

Have you seen? " and, when she said, " Oh, how

wonderful! ", He placed His palm again firmly over her eyes and led her back into the outer room.

The Ash that Heals

Dr. M.S. Ramakrishna Rao, a talented Ophthalmic Surgeon writes about the

miraculous effect of Vibhuti, concretized by Baba's love. This doctor was

treating a friend for Conjunctivitis in the routine way. He found in the course

of his treatment that his patient had the much-dreaded dendritic ulcer in his

right eye, which is caused by a virus. IDU manufactured in America was the only

drug, which can cure this virus. But unfortunately it was not available in

India. In a few days the other eye also got infected, which was rather unusual.

"Efforts were being made to get the IDU, but in its absence all that I could do

was to pray to Sathya Sai Baba , and doing so I put His Vibhuti into both eyes

of the patient and bandaged them. That very day, my Professor Dr R.

Suryaprasada Rao was able to procure the precious drug. I felt

happy that Baba had responded to my prayers. Next day when the patient came to

me I opened the bandage, anxious to apply the IDU. But to my utter astonishment

and joy I found that there was no ulcer in either eye! I examined the eyes under

the corneal microscope, but no trace of the disease or even a scar was visible."

Man of Miracles

By -Howard Murphet

"When man touches the energy of the divine in him, he can easily master nature,

which is only the vesture of the divine."

(Sathya Sai Speaks: Vol.7, p.315)

This is a tremendous statement. Throughout history, man has been struggling to

control nature. The story of civilization is the story of that struggle. To

some degree, he has been successful. He is able now to do such things as travel

in outer space, convert matter into energy and so on. In reality though, nature

is still master of man. It rules him with the whip of his own desires and binds

him with the cords of his attachments. One of the basics of the teachings is

that Man has within him the divine - divine consciousness, divine energy. God

has created the many-coloured, many-faceted vesture that we call nature from

Himself. Having created it, He pervades it and is master of it. We, being

potentially divine beings, have within us this consciousness and energy that

creates and controls

nature.

A few of the many thousands of these miracles have been recorded in the writings

on Sathya Sai Baba. All who have benefited from them personally have no doubt

whatsoever about their importance and their significance. Such demonstrations

of compassion and divine powers are their own justification in the minds of the

recipients and those close to them.

Of course, there are numerous miraculous events taking place from day to day -

from the most commonly seen one, the production of vibhuti from the air - to

the materialization of all kinds of ornaments, jewellery and other items. All

these have an effect on the recipient and on those standing around watching the

event. The recipient feels great joy in his heart. He feels an uplift, an

indescribable elevation. He feels that he is in the presence of one who has not

only superhuman power but also real love for him and great concern about his

welfare.

The story of the event spreads abroad and is often written about by a number of

people. Hundreds, and in the end thousands, of people come to hear about such

things and their faith in Sri Sathya Sai Baba is strengthened. They become more

and more convinced that here on earth is one with divine power over the forces

of nature.

In general, we can say that the great variety of the Sathya Sai miracles, which

so many people have enjoyed for over half a century, all bear an important

message. They are, Swami says, his visiting cards. The card says.- here among

us is a Godman - one who has unflagging power over nature and who uses that

power to help us, to make us happy, to bring us bliss, to truly bring us good

health where possible and to bring us a good life.

All of his miracles, materializations, healings' helping people at a distance,

showing visions, appearing in several places at the same time, giving us deeper

understanding, showing us divine love; all of these in Toto help us to a more

profound spiritual understanding and to a greater conviction that we are in the

presence of a Divine Avatar.

Teachings alone do not bring a large number of people to such understanding and

conviction. As it was for Christ, as it was for Krishna and others, it is

always the miracles that get attention and create interest in a large number of

people. And so, coming to the miracle-working teacher, the crowds listen to the

divine message. They receive the Truth verbally, and also in the more subtle

soul-to-soul way. Moreover, they learn from Bhagawan by the example of his life

and in many other ways. Yet, undoubtedly, it is the miracles that bring the

multitude to him in the first place. And again, it is the miracles, added to

the life and teachings that convince people of his identity. This is a very

important aspect of the significance of the miracles.

 

 

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