From Puttaparthi... That Character

[Guest guest]

DIANA BASKIN in her book, 'Divine memories of Sathya Sai Baba' (Published by SSBPT) writes, "Upon my return from PUTTAPARTHI, I spoke most enthusiastically about SWAMI to my Husband, JOEL. I showed him pictures & when I told him of the materializations I had witnessed, Joel was sure that they were tricks. Having worked on stage with magicians & knowing well how illusions are created, he felt he could easily prove to me that they were all tricks."

 

Joel always referred to BABA as 'That character'!!! When his friends came to visit, he would tell me to remove that character's picture!

 

After the birth of our daughter CHRISTINA, Joel's business crumbled. He tried desperately to save it but failed. His friends also slowly dropped away. I showed him a book on SAI BABA by Arnold Schulman. This aroused Joel's interest since Arnold was a playwright.

 

When his friends asked him what he would ask 'that character' to materialize for him, Joel replied, "RAINBOW!!!" He felt that only a rainbow would prove that BABA is genuine!

 

Finally when all of us came to PRASANTHI NILAYAM, Joel was appalled at the primitive living conditions & grumbled endlessly while we unloaded the luggage. My mother had been in the Ashram 1 month before & we came well supplied from BANGALORE with food, mattresses & everything else.

 

Smoking was not allowed inside & hence I took Joel to the hills behind our room, outside the boundaries, to have a smoke. Suddenly Joel looked up in the sky & exclaimed full of wonder & surprise, "Look, look at the rainbow!!!"

 

"That's what I wanted to ask SWAMI to make for me!" Joel answered a bit shaken. This was a very peculiar Rainbow as it wasn't curved but went straight up in the sky & started dissolving slowly from the bottom up while we were looking at it! Joel looked all around the sky & noticed that there were no clouds! It was a perfectly CLEAR DAY!!!

 

When we returned to our room, Professor Kasturi greeted us with the wonderful news that SAI BABA had called us for an interview the following morning. In the morning we waited in the interview room for BABA to come downstairs. Joel was standing at the foot of the stairs.

 

As BABA came down & reached the bottom, he turned to Joel with a big smile and said, "Well, character, how did you like my rainbow?" as he slapped Joel affectionately on the back!!!

 

Joel stood speechless, as if frozen, while tears came to his eyes & rolled down his cheeks. Tears & shame overcame me as well. There is no difference for BABA in making a ring or a rainbow. His manifestations cannot be labeled as big or small. They're all based on our misconceptions.

 

PS: DIANA BASKIN tells a superb story about day to day life in Sathya Sai Baba's household. (Late 60s & early 70s) No other western person has been privileged to have such a priceless experience. – JOHN HISLOP

 

The great lesson of VIBUTHI Prasadam is that every desire & need should be reduced to ASHES. – SWAMI

 

Vibuthi has been sent to SRILANKA & HARYANA (INDIA) against fresh requests.