How Sai Baba Came Into My Life - by Cody D. Grundy

[Guest guest]

DEVOTEE'S EXPERIENCE

 

HOW SAI BABA CAME INTO MY LIFE

 

Although I don't consider my story to be particularly valuable, I have been

invited to share it with other Sai devotees so here goes.

 

I just turned 57. Sai Baba came into my life around the time I turned 20 years

old. At that time I lived just south of San Francisco. Since the year was 1967

and I was in college I was probably what you would call your typical hippie. I

had been introduced to " eastern " thought and meditation through Maharishi and

was meditating with his " transcendental meditation” technique. I had my mantra.

 

I worked in downtown San Francisco part time while I went to college. A record

store on the same block as my employment started carrying pictures from India. I

bought four of them for $1.00. One was of Laxmi, two I don't remember and one

was of this fellow sitting on a rock, his name was in Hindi and I couldn't read

it. I mounted the four pictures on four pieces of cardboard and put them on my

dresser with candles and incense burning and that is where I did my meditation.

The fellow on the rock I referred to as the " guru " . After a couple of weeks of

doing this I found a book called “The Incredible Sai Baba” by Arthur Osbourne.

Now I had a name for my " guru " . I also found out about his life and that he had

died almost 50 years earlier (this was 1967). I devoured the book more than

once. I still have it. In the front it makes reference to the books by Swami

B.V. Narasimhaswami published by the All India Sai Samaj at Madras. I was hungry

for more information on Sai Baba so I wrote to the only address that I had: All

India Sai Samaj, Madras, India. It is a bit amazing that with this brief and

rather incomplete address it arrived at its destination. I got a letter back and

a list of books that were available. I believe that I spent $7 and got Life of

Sai Baba, Charters and Sayings, Devotees Experiences and many other books. They

must have taken a month to arrive, but I got them.

 

I am not Indian and had never been to India, let alone Shirdi. At this point my

only connection with India, Shirdi, and Sai Baba was through the All India Sai

Samaj. I was so excited when I heard that Sai Baba was alive - having returned.

I heard of a record producer in Los Angeles that knew of it so I wrote to him

and found out about Satya Sai Baba. Something told me that I had to beware so I

wrote to the All India Sai Samaj and got back a very long single spaced

typewritten letter. It explained that God might incarnate as Rama, he might then

incarnate as Krsna and he might incarnate as others like Sai Baba. God

incarnates, he doesn't reincarnate i.e .Krsna didn't come back. This was enough

for me.

 

Unfortunately for me, not being in India, I don't have a Sai Baba temple here to

go to. I heard of a house in the same town that I live in that had bhajans on

Thursday nights. The first time I went of course they wanted to know why I was

there. Once I explained this, I was accepted as part of the group.

Unfortunately, for me, their devotion of Sai Baba included both and I am sorry

but Shirdi Sai is the one for me and no others.

 

I have a shrine on a dresser in my bedroom with a number of statues of Sai Baba

and pictures. There may not be a large group of people here but I see him and

think of him often during the day.

 

I do not believe that anything happens by accident. Especially important things

like this. I firmly believe that Sai Baba called to me more than 35 years ago. I

am sure he calls many people. Those who have ears to hear his call and to listen

to his words are the lucky ones. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I

heard his call and listened.

 

His picture is posted in my car and occasionally friends will ask about that

" guy in the turban " . I patiently explain that he is my guru who died many years

ago. Whether they believe me or not, I don't know, nor do I care. I know the

truth. Om Sai

 

Cody D. Grundy

 

http://www.heritageofshirdisai.org/newsletter/Vol9.htm