Thapovanam - The Sacred Life Story of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

November 2, 2009

PROCEDURE OF PARAYANAMIn Sanskrit, 'Par' meands 'end'. Parayanam

comprises devotional reading of a sacred book from beginning to end.

The contents of the book are so ordered that it can be read through, in

daily stages, in seven consecutive days. The reading may be commenced

on a Thursday and concluded on the following Wednesday. Every event

and incident described here will take the devout reader closer to

spiritual realization. Completion of the reading with devotion and

dedication makes one's heart shine pure, bright and crystal clear.

At the

commencement, the devotee is to have a bath and wear clean clothes.

With a picture or photo or image of Sri Sathya Sai placed in front of

him, the devotee should seat himself and humbly pray to the Lord in a

relaxed and serene frame of mind, expressing gratitude to Him for

having been granted another day of life. He should visualize in mind

the scene at Prashanti Nilayam when Baba moves slowly and graciously

among the gathered devotees, nears the decorated throne and takes His

seat with befitting dignity. That throne should be deemed by the

devotee as the throne of his/her own heart. It is useful to recall,

for some moments, the immense benefits conferred on humanity by

Bhagavan Sri Sai. This process will render the devotee's heart tender

and receptive.

The moment that one's heart is thus prepared is the most suitable time for commencing the parayanam.

The image or representation or replicas of Bhagavan's Lotus Feet

(Padukas) may be worshipped according to the procedure given in the

following pages (including the Ashrothara Satha Namavali, i.e., the 108

Sacred Names). After completing the reading in seven daily stages from

Thursday to Wednesday, worship of Sri Sathya Sai on the following day

(Thursday) brings the parayanam programme to its conclusion.

Parayanam of this Sathcharithra

will earn the grace of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai and also bring about a

noticeable elevation in our inner being. That would be the fruit of

this spiritual effort. The ritual and disciplined process of reading

this book induces in us a glimpse of the inner self and contemplation

of the self, which eventually leads us to self-realization.

Simultaneously, we should consciously make up our mind to discard our

evil qualities and, at the same time, to add one or two good traits to

whatever little stock we already possess. Service to the needy,

sacrifice, compassion, patience, love, honesty and sincerity - these

are the qualities that deserve to be inculcated assiduously. That,

indeed is the worthy offering we could place at the Lotus Feet of

Bhagavan. Our aim should be to reach a stage when we can unreservedly

surrender ourselves to Baba. That is the final culmination of human

life, the spiritual goal, and the ultimate fulfillment. Nothing else

excels it; it is the very essence of all the exhortations of the Vedas and Upanishads.

A SUBMISSION

The cosmos is full

of Sai; this is the Sai Era. This Age (Kali Yuga) belongs to Sai.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba is undoubtedly the God incarnate. The Glory of

this personification of Love (Prema) originated in Puttaparthi. Gradually, it reached 'Dharmavaram' (Dharma means righteousness), then on to 'Ananthapuram' (Anantha means

boundless), and spread onwards over hills and valleys, fields, rivers

and deserts. In no time, it crossed the seas and oceans and engulfed

the entire world. As a consequence, the tiny and inconspicuous village

of Puttaparthi, hidden amongst hills all around, has acquired great

name and fame, and transformed itself into the abode of divinity and

place of pilgrimage.

Apart from India, the ancient land of Yoga and

spirituality, several foreign countries and continents, namely, Sri

Lanka, Africa, Australia, USA, South America, Greece, New Zealand,

Iceland, Russia, France, Japan, Switzerland, Iran and China, bask in

the splendid effulgence of Sri Sathya Sai's divinity (Divine Sakthi).

Bhagavan Sai's soothing touch is personally experienced by every

devotee calling on Him - wherever the call comes from, whatever be the

name by which the devotee addresses Him, and even if the devotee is too

severely distressed to call on Him in spoken words. Just as little

children run to their mother's warm embrace, people eagerly flock to

have a glimpse of the Universal Mother at Puttaparthi.

Baba is the

personification of Supreme Divinity. When people are fortunate enough

to reach His presence, they find Him in the image of their favourite

deity - to some, He appears as Lord Sri Rama, to others as Lord Sri

Krishna (Syama Sundara), as Lord Sri Maha Vishnu, as Lord Ganapathi, as

Sri Subrahmanya Swamy, as Lord Parama Siva, as Goddess Durga Bhavani,

as Sri Sai of Shirdi, as Sri Dattatreya, as the Buddha, as Jesus

Christ, and so on. Every one experiences the divine touch according to

one's own personal preference. In this manner, Baba demonstrates that

He transcends the entire pantheon of divine forms.

It is well known among Baba's devotees that the universal cycle of Srishti (creation), Sthithi (maintenance) and Layam (ultimate merger) lies entirely within His control. He once told a devotee : 'Bha' stands for Srishti, 'Ga' for Sthithi and 'Va' for Layam. He who holds these three ultimate powers (Sakthis) is Bhagavan. This indeed is the subtle reality of My person."

Sathya Sai is

truly Bhagavan embodying His boundless powers and encompassing the

entire universe. He has incarnated Himself in human form amongst us.

We can never comprehend Swami's divinity except by taking recourse to

the paths of devotion (Bhakthi), devout action (Karma) and spiritual comprehension (Jnan).

To facilitate individual progress on these spiritual paths, Swami

Himself has been openly explaining the elements of His divinity. On

one such occasion, Baba said, "It is not for My sake but for your sake

that I am moving amidst you, speaking to you, eating with you and

behaving so as to be within your comprehension. I am freely mixing

with you just like any one of you, so that I gain your confidence and

trust, love and willing obedience, so as to lead you towards divinity.

My objective is to infuse in you the virtue of spiritual

inquisitiveness. To begin with, try to understand the inner reality of

your being; thereafter advance to the stage of realization of the

Supreme Truth. I am the underlying force of the entire cosmos. I am

the supreme cause of everything. I am the realized (Jnani), I am also the realization (Jnan) and I am the realizable (Jneya)."

Baba has descended

on the earth to lead humanity towards spiritualism through love. All

His efforts are directed to this mission. He is immensely patient,

forbearing and compassionate. He declared : "No other incarnation ever

before behaved as I do. Never before had any avathar gone and moved

among the common folk of the remotest village, awakened people immersed

in deep slumber, inspired the inactive into energetic activity,

succoured the afflicted, blessed millions of people, and led them to

the glorious avenue of Sathya (truth), Dharma (righteousness), Santhi (peace) and Prema (love).

I am the ocean; you are the rivers and waves. You, in essence, are I;

and I am you! You will be able to realize this truth when you finally

attain the ultimate goal."

"How long would

you remain trapped in this mire? Develop wings and soar", exhorts

Baba. One wing is, constantly remembering and repeatedly chanting

God's Name (nama smaran); the other is, serving the afflicted.

By these means, one can shed the burden of retribution for the sins of

previous lives and attain absolute purity untouched by dross and

taint. That is Baba's assurance.

"I am aware of

every hardship and happiness of each one of you for the simple reason

that I reside in each one of you. This Sai Sakthi (energy) is

flowing through each individual being, just like electricity in every

bulb. In every heart, I shine. I am the life force in every heart,"

declared Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the presence of hundreds of

thousands of devotees gathered in the Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium in

Mumbai. To those who totally repose faith in Him, Baba responds in

full measure; He extends protection by His constant presence in their

homes, behind them, by their side, and within sight all the time.

This book is the

life story of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It recounts some of the

glorious events of His divine life. It is a sacred book that reflects

in a small way, the immense and boundless spirituality of Bhagavan. I

request every devotee to utilize this book for devotional reading (parayanam) and thereby earn the grace and love of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai.

It was Bhagavan

Himself who blessed me with inspiration to write this book. It was He

who made me write it, it was He who gave shape to it. I was only

incidental, a mere instrument in His divine hands. In this manner,

Swami graciously enabled me to successfully accomplish the profound

task of unveiling and spreading the glory of the Sai Baba Avathar. I

consider that I am exceptionally fortunate in being granted this

privilege.

Every single

incident described in these pages is powerful enough to light the lamp

of love and to drive away the darkness of ignorance. Accordingly, I

sincerely believe that this book will go a long way in helping devotees

to achieve self-realization. I humbly pray at the Lotus Feet of

Bhagavan to bless and protect all humanity.(To be continued)

(From : 'Thapovanam' Sri Sathya Sai Sathcharithra by "Santisri" Jandhyala Venkateswara Sastry) Copyright reserved by Author (1928-2003) "An humble offering of love for Swami's 84th birthday"'Sai Divine Inspirations' is now on Facebook!Facebook link : http://www.facebook.com/saidivineinspirationsBlog link : http://saidivineinspirations.blogspot.com/