Guest guest Posted November 8, 2009 Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 DAY 6 : TUESDAY DIVINE MIRACLES BEYOND BOUNDARIES Chapter 14 Whoever you are, you are MineI will not give you upWherever you are, you are near MeYou cannot go beyond My reach ~ Baba ~ "I pull the wires of this puppet show. Wherever you may be, remember that the string attached to your leg is in My hand," said Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi. Sri Sathya Sai Baba is demonstrating that He is using the strings to draw people to His feet like drawing little sparrows. THE ETERNAL SAVIOUR JOHN HISLOP AND THE IMAGE OF JESUS This is the story of Dr John Hislop of Mexico. Ever since his sixteenth year, he was attracted to spiritual pursuits. He was an earnest aspirant (sadhaka) who was deeplu engaged in the search for truth. He came into contact with eminent personalities and spiritual thinkers like Dr Annie Besant, Jiddhu Krishnamurthi, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Swami Sivananda and experts in the Buddhist system of Vipassana, and for years, progressed in the path of spiritual enquiry following their guidance. But at the end of it all, he realized that the sweet fountain of love in his Western heart had gone dry and it held now nothing but dreadful emptiness. In 1968, he heard for the first time about Sri Sathya Sai Baba, came down to Puttaparthi and had His darshan. At the very first sight of Baba, he sensed that He was the root of all spiritual wisdom and awareness. He clearly felt that God Himself had entered his heart as love and that abiding love was truly Baba. As a result of his elevating experience, he could develop the rich insight of viewing the whole universe as suffused with love. On the eve of Siva Rathri in 1973, Baba took Hislop and some others into the Bandipur forest in the district of Mysore. By about noon, they reached the guesthouse in the forest. At dusk, with the help of some forest dwellers who acted as guides, they walked a long distance until they reached the sands of a mountain stream. They sat in the sand bed of the river for rest. Swami picket up two small green branches of a bush, placed one across the other in His palm and asked Hislop what it was. Hislop said it was the cross. Swami closed his palms over it and gently blew three times on it. When He opened His palms, the cross bore the image of Jesus! He gave it to Hislop and said, "This is exactly how Jesus Christ looked at the moment he gave up life. It does not look at all as imagined by painters or as described by writers. He had no food for eight days. His stomach was empty and drawn inwards; his body became dry and his ribs became prominently noticeable." Hislop stared at the cross in speechless wonder. Baba went on, "This cross is actually made out of the same wood of the original cross on which Jesus was crucified. It took me some time to search for and find that 2000 years old wood. Every bit of the original cross has disintegrated and merged with the constituent elements. I had, therefore, to gather these elements, and when I had collected enough to make this cross, I materialized it. The image of Jesus as you see on this cross is the same as the one at the time of his death." After a few weeks, Hislop and his wife went back to Mexico. As the image on the cross was very tiny, the facial features of Jesus were not clearly visible. Walter Woolfe, one of Hislop's friends, took several colour photographs of the image of Jesus, part by part, enlarged them and made a larger picture out of them. The finished picture was extraordinarily touching, arousing boundless kindness and compassion. The photographs were all arranged on a table so as to reveal the intricate and minute carving on the image. Viewers wondered at the creative power of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai. Until that day, the sky was absolutely clear all along the Mexican coast. But all of a sudden, without any warning, a terrible lightning flashed amidst dark clouds. Strong winds gathered speed in a few moments and threatened to smash the window-panes. Door-curtains were flying. In the midst of this chaos that developed all of a sudden, Mrs Hislop recalled, "It is now 5pm and to-day is Friday, the same day and time of Christ's death by crucifixion. What is happening now before our very eyes had been described in the Bible too." She produced a copy of the Holy Book and read the relevant section, "At the moment Jesus died on the cross, there was a great storm with thunder and lightning filling the sky. The decorated hangings of pictures and photographs on the wall in the room flew away." Everyone present there in the home of Hislop felt delighted at witnessing a phenomenon too wonderful for their imagination. On the next day, the San Diego Tribune reported the heavy storm that had suddenly occurred quite unexpectedly. Hislop and his friends felt that there must be some sort of relation between the sudden recurrence of the out-of-season storm that had reportedly occurred 2000 years ago, and the cross, materialized by Bhagavan Sai Baba. When Dr Phanibanda reported this incident to Swami, He confirmed that the incidents had actually occurred and that they were truly related as guessed by Hislop and his friends. INDRA DEVI Born a Russian, Indra Devi had mastered Yoga from India. She discarded her original Russian name, Dr Mrs Kenauer, and assumed the Indian name of Indra Devi. She used to teach Yoga in her ashram in Tecate in Mexico. When she was 60 years old, she happened to meet Howard Murphet in Madras and heard from him, for the first time, about Sri Sathya Sai Baba. She was not particularly impressed. Once, while in Mumbai, she happened to see the treatise, "Bhrigu Samhitha", which was in the possession of Chaya Sastry Kanthilal Pandya. She looked for and found what was written about herself in that book. She read, "Because of the punyam accumulated in your earlier lives, you are about to have darshan of some exalted personage. Even at this moment, you are under His protection." The account further clarified, "Exalted personage means God!" In 1996, when she was in her sixty-sixth year, she had the darshan of Sri Sathya Sai for the first time. At the very first sight, she developed strong faith and belief in Swami's divinity. Swami gave her an interview and asked what would she desire to have. She did not ask him for worldly wealth or even salvation. She simply prayed, "Swami, please light up the spiritual lamp in my heart!" Swami materialized and gave her a locket and vibhuthi and assured her, "Whenever you need anything, ask Me. Irrespective of the physical distance between us, I will hear your prayer. I will always be with you." There occured once a vast fire in the Mexican mountains that destroyed thousands of houses and many acres of forest. It was feared that the conflagration might consume the Sai institutions in Mexico and the USA. Unable to withstand its fury, many people abandoned their homes and possessions, and fled for their life. Travelling by car, they reached the top of a mountain and took refuge in a house. They spent four hours there praying to Sai Baba. The fire raged below them all around the mountain. After it died down at last, they returned fearing the worst. To their relief and surprise, they found that the Sai Nilayam of Indra Devi was unscathed even though everything around it got complete gutted. The unscathed Nilayam, untouched by fire stood in the Prayer Hall remained as beautiful as ever. They felt that Baba had personally stood guard at the place and safeguarded the Nilayam. At the precise time this daunting fire was raging, Indra Devi was in Chicago giving a discourse about Bhagavan Sri Sai Baba. She saw the ravage and severity of the fire on television. She also read in the newspapers that the fire had occurred quite close to her Sai Nilayam. But she was not at all worried. She thought, "It belongs to Bhagavan. He will do with it as He wishes. If it is His Will that it should burn down, so it will!" True to her steadfast faith, the institution remained absolutely safe. A few days later, she received an invitation from Baba to come over and inaugurate the Women's College in Anantapur. She came all the way from Mexico and participated in the celebrations. Before she left for Mexico, Bhagavan materialized for her a locket bearing the image of Goddess Lakshmi. While giving it to her, He said, "This is for your home. This will protect it. Hereafter, it will never be threatened by hazards of fire." When Indra Devi came to Puttaparthi, she organized Yoga classes for the benefit of school children. Baba was pleased with her services. He materialized a diamond-studded ring for her. She had long ago given up wearing any jewellery. But she would wear this ring, she thought, provided it bore Swami's image. Swami sensed her thought. He took the ring back and gently blew on it. Immediately it changed its form. Now, it bore a small stone with Swami's image on it. Swami put it on her finger Himself and said, "Whenever you wish, you can see Me in this ring. Only you, and nobody else, can thus see Me. When you look into this ring, you will find Me exactly as I happen to be in India at that moment, and you can see what I am doing." Indra Devi was once in California. She looked into the ring and saw Baba sitting in a white car. She recorded a note in her diary, "Swami is travelling somewhere." On another occasion, she found Baba talking to devotees seated in front of Him in a semi-circle. The scene, she felt, was not of Prashanti Nilayam. She noted that detail too in her diary. Sometime later, when she came to Prashanti Nilayam, she checked up with Sri Kasturi about her two visions. He confirmed that the first one showed Swami while on tour. Indra Devi questioned, "But Swami's car is not white?" Sri Kasturi clarified that at the time of her vision, Swami had indeed travelled by a white car. The second vision was also explained by Sri Kasturi, it happened in far off Kerala. On 21st November 1970, in the course of the fourth All India Conference of the Office Bearers of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithis held in Prashanti Nilayam, Indra Devi spoke in the presence of Bhagavan. In her speech, she referred to the above two incidents. Sri Kasturi quipped, "So you have been spying on Baba!" Sai Baba as well as the entire audience burst into laughter. Indra Devi rendered invaluable service to spread Swami's message in the USA through films, books and lectures. During her campaign, she faced an unexpected problem. Those who attended her gatherings began to request for vibhuthi materialized by Swami. On her next visit to India, she mentioned this to Swami. Suddenly, a beautiful silver container with a lid materialized in Swami's hand as if someone handed it over to Him from above. Swami showed it to her and said, "This is a container of inexhaustible vibhuthi. You may distribute any amount of vibhuthi from this; it will never run out." He emptied the entire quantity in it on a piece of paper and gently tapped it. It got filled up again with fresh vibhuthi. As He handed over the silver container to Indra Devi, He directed her to use the vibhuthi from it for healing the sick. Thereafter, whenever sick persons came to her, she used to tell them about Swami's glory and give them some quantity of the holy ashes. This simple treatment restored many to sound health. When Indra Devi came to Puttaparthi for the Siva Rathri festivities in 1969, Swami invited her, Walter Cowan, his wife Elsie Cowan and some others into the interview room. After some discussion on spiritual matters, Swami materialized a beautiful rosary containing 108 pearls and showed it to them. Everyone was anxious to see to whom Baba would present it. Baba said, "This is no ordinary rosary. It is extremely potent. It can heal every chronic disease. This is very essential for the service which Indra Devi is doing." The precious rosary was presented by Baba to Indra Devi. She was in tears of joy. "Swami, will it heal any and every disease?", she asked. Baba replied, "Except those caused by evil Karma (deeds) inherited from earlier lives, it heals every disease. Even I will do nothing for those who suffer from inherited Karma." Attendance at the bhajans in Indra Devi's Yoga Centre began to grow. Many of them used to press her to initiate them into some sacred manthra. Unable to copy with such insistence, she took her problem to Swami. He advised her, "The most potent of all manthras is OM. But, as you know, it cannot be given to any and every person. When someone asks for initiation into manthra, look at Me in your ring and ask Me. Whatever manthra comes to your mind at that moment, give that to the seeker. It shall become the manthra coming from Me." With these words, He granted her the spiritual authority and competence to initiate devotees into holy manthra. Indra Devi was blessed thrice over. Firstly, she was blessed to be able to have Swami's darshan anytime of her choice. Secondly, she was blessed with the power to heal the sick. And thirdly, and most importantly, she was blessed with the spiritual authority to initiate aspirants into manthra. She could thus control the physical well-being as well as spiritual progress of devotees; and she had also the additional privilege of accessing Bhagavan at will on her "spiritual internet," if we may so describe it! It is worthy of not that Swami has not granted even one of these three blessings to any other person! DR FRANK BARONOWSKI Dr Frank Baronowski was a professor of physics in the University of Arizona, USA. He acquired special skills in the kirlian photography - bio-magnetic field radiation photography - for photographing the multi-coloured aura of illumination that envelops every living being including humans with a special camera, known as the kirlian camera. The colour, contrast, intensity, breadth and depth as well as brightness, vary from person to person, and also with the bodily health and intellectual and spiritual level of the subject. While it may be about a foot deep for ordinary persons, it could extend to even two feet all around in the case of great thinkers, yogis and spiritually evolved persons. This aura comprises luminosity of innumerable shades of colour. When the person is quite healthy and cheerful, it will be white. When he is in a mood of affection, pity or compassion, it will be bluish. When the mood is of intense love, the colour turns rosy. In anger and hatred, it becomes red. Moreover, this illumination is not ordinarily visible to the naked eye. One in a million might have the gift of seeing it. But with the kirlian camera, the aura can be clearly photographed. In fact, even the changing mood of the subject can also be seen in such pictures. Dr Baronowski used the kirlian camera for taking photographs of auras of thousands of world leaders, kings, queens, holy persons and religious heads. He did not come across any person with aura exceeding two to two-and-a half feet in breadth. Dr Baronowski had read some books about Baba in America. He heard about His divinity, but he did not form any firm faith in Him. On the Christmas day of 1977, he happened to visit a certain home. Members of that family, being Sai devotees, were celebrating Christmas singing Sai bhajans. Not quite relishing it, he removed himself to a room on the upper floor, put out the light and went to bed. On a table in the room was standing a photograph of Sri Sathya Sai with an unlighted candle in front of it. Even as he was looking at it, there was a little crackling sound and the candle suddenly burst into flame. Nobody had come in; no one lighted the candle. How did it get lighted? He was somewhat puzzled; and he once again looked at the photograph and saw Swami smiling at him! The very next year, that is, in 1978, Dr Baronowski came to India to participate in a conference being held in Bangalore. He made use of that opportunity to travel all over the land and to photograph with his kirlian camera hundreds of yogis and holy persons. In no case did the aura exceed two feet in breadth. One morning, he saw Swami for the first time in Whitefield early at 5 am. When he set eyes on Baba, he was stunned. The effulgence around Swami was beyond his wildest imagination. It extended beyond forty feet! As devotees went on singing bhajans, it was spreading further and further, enveloping the whole building and the thousands of devotees gathered there. It was so bright that Baronowski looked all around Him to check up whether it was caused by the numerous mercury vapour lamps around. As Swami moved, the shimmering envelope of luminescence also moved, like a living, vibrant sheath. He concluded that it must be integral to Swami and must be emanating from Him only. Summer classes were being conducted at that time. So, Baronowski could watch Swami continuously for three to four days. One day, Swami called upon him to address the gathering. Baronowski described his unparalleled experience, "I am a scientist. I am basically a Christian but my faith in that religion is not particularly intense. By means of this kirlian camera, I investigated 15,000 eminent persons in every walk of life all over the world. But here I have discovered something I never met with anywhere else. The illumination radiated by Baba is of a spectacular rosy colour, which is characteristic of the most intense, the deepest, and the most selfless love! What is also unique is that His aura spreads and submerges not merely this audience hall but far beyond, as far as I can see, like a flood of light. It is engulfing everything. This rosy luminescence is also displaying silver and gold streaks, intensely bright and perfectly clear. Here is a fantastic spectacle which I have never encountered till now. Swami is the full embodiment of love (Sampoorna Prema-Moorthi). When Swami comes near us and touches us, that effulgence is flowing into us also; we are getting immersed in that mighty stream of ethereal glow. Swami is the walking personification of love! As I am speaking here, you will notice that my body is shivering. Don't you see? But this shiver is not because of fear. The supra-human aura that surrounds Him in indescribable glory is so moving, that my body is shivering uncontrollably!" Swami materialized a diamond ring and gave it to Dr Baronowski. He also gave him the much sought after interview. Swami spoke about his months-old grandson and told him, "The day you return to America and reach home, your grandson will be subject to a surgery. Don't worry; the operation will be successful. The baby will be restored to complete health." Swami told all this on His own. Dr Baronowski made no mention of the baby at all. However, he did not pay much heed to Baba's words about the child. He was aware that doctors had said that the operation could be performed years later after the baby grew up. He was therefore surprised to learn on reaching home that the baby had indeed been operated upon that very day. The doctor who performed the operation was an Indian. Dr Baronowski told him all that he had experienced in Puttaparthi and showed him the diamond ring presented by Swami. As Swami had assured him, the baby soon got well. Dr Baronowski was surprised at Swami's sarvajnathwa, (total awareness of past, present and future). In fact, Dr Baronowski was the disciple of Ulf Messing, a Russian philosopher. Ulf got interested in spiritual aspects of life even at a very young age and at the age of 15, he began his search for spiritual knowledge. In the process, he came to India in 1936 and was travelling on a train to Ananthapur. At the Kamalapur railway station, he was amazed to see the young Sathya Sai Baba, who was barely ten years old. But Ulf noted the unfathomable aura around the boy, and exclaimed, "what a divine personality he is!" Ulf followed young Sathyam to his home, but could not meet him. On his return to Russia, Ulf set up a training centre to train young people in the use of kirlian camera, and before his death, asked one of his students, Dr Baronowski to go to India and study Sai Baba. Dr Baronowski was amply blessed. He was given the unusual opportunity to investigate Swami's divine power with his scientific equipment. And fully convinced by what he found, he proclaimed the same to the whole world with the deepest conviction. DR ART-ONG JUMSAI It was around 1945. The Second World War had not ended yet. Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai materialized Himself in front of a house in Bangkok. He called the lady of the house, gave her some vibhuthi and told her to sprinkle it all over the roof of her house and disappeared. He spoke in her own language. She saw that the powder given to her looked like white sand. She did not however disregard His words and sprinkled it all over the roof of her house. Within a few minutes, an air raid took place. All houses in the neighbourhood, except her's, were destroyed with bombs bombarding all over. Art-ong Jumsai Na Ayudhya was a young boy in the family. In due course, Art-ong became a student of science. He obtained a doctorate degree from the Imperial College of Science and Technology. He worked as an adviser to some Ministers in his country. He rose high in the professional echelon. In 1971, NASA of the USA advertised for the post of a scientist in connection with its project of sending an unmanned space vehicle to explore Mars. Art-ong applied and got the job. The project was to land a vehicle safely on the surface of the planet, overcoming all odds, and to collect material from the planet's surface for investigation in NASA. Art-ong was given the task of planning and designing the equipment needed. Arrangements were made to build a model of Mars in the laboratory with similar characteristics, a model of the rocket and the surface-lander and to carry out investigations. Funds required for the entire project were to be provided by NASA. In a few months, Art-ong was able to develop the needed equipment that was to be tested in the laboratory. But, as had earlier been feared, the landing unit burned off as soon as it entered the Martian atmosphere. After some more months, Art-ong built another but that too met the same fate. It went on for several times. The whole project seemed doomed. Enormous outlays of money went to waste. Poor Art-ong did not know what to do. He felt terribly depressed. Finally, he could make a successful one. It successfully completed laboratory tests without any hitch. A life-size rocket, which was named Viking, was readied and in due course launched. It was successful and samples of materials from the Martian surface could be obtained. Art-ong realized that more than his own efforts, it was an "invisible hand" that helped him in his success. Following this, he abandoned the pursuit of science and busied himself with the search for God. Together with his mother, he came to India and arrived in Whitefield. Bhagavan asked Art-ong to work in the Sathya Sai Organizations and spread spiritual education linked to human values. Soon enough, some dramatic events happened. Art-ong was totally engrossed in Swami's activities. He had no time to look after his own factory in Bangkok. One day, the security guard was sleeping in his room at its entrance. He had bolted the door from inside. But, despite that, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai entered the room, woke him up and bade him to attend to his duty properly. He spoke in the That language. The guard who understood his instructions well enough, could not imagine how this stranger could enter the room even though its door had been bolted from inside. Next day too, the same thing happened. When the head of the factory, Art-ong, arrived, the security guard told him everything that happened, apologised for his lapse and added that the whole incident was quite baffling and inexplicable. He then noticed the decorated photograph of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai in Art-ong's room. He told his master that it was this same person who entered the guardroom in the night and alerted him. A few days later, Art-ong arrived at Prashanti Nilayam. Bhagavan was giving a discourse on the need for linking educational systems with human values. In the middle of His discourse, He invited Art-ong to the dais and to speak. In his talk, Art-ong described his great experiences and how Swami has been kind to him with His loving care and affection. From that day onwards, Dr Art-ong Jumsai, the distinguished scientist, has been fulfilling himself through serving the divine mission of Bhagavan, disseminating the nectar-sweet spiritual precepts of Swami in the West, with renewed dedication and with stronger faith. In 1998, Dr Art-ong started the Institute of Sathya Sai Education in Bangkok to propagate the ideas of Sri Sathya Sai Education in Human Values. The Institute has organized an international conference in September 2000 on 'Strengthening Values Education' in Prashanti Nilayam, in which 650 educators from as many as 78 countries of the world participated. Swami blessed several participants not only with valuable diamond rings but also with several inspiring addresses. "BE HAPPY; THAT IS THE ONLY THING I ASK OF YOU" John Sinclair was a multimillionaire belonging to the State of Connecticut in the USA. At one stage of his life, he was caught in a maze of business problems that destroyed his mental peace. One night, as he sat in his room, he prayed to God, "I do not know where you are and what you look like. I only know one thing, that is, that you do exist! Please help me." He prayed most earnestly and in total surrender. From then on, he began to notice that God's invisible hand was protecting him. One day, he felt he noticed someone walking through the inner hall in his home between 2 am and 3 am. He stared steadily. The person stood unmoving. John Sinclair did not understand who he was and what was he there for. But he could recognize that he experienced some vague sense of happiness and joy that was indescribable. In a similar manner, he had the same vision on another night. He was sure that it was no dream; it was starkly real. Sinclair went to the Spiritual Centre (adhyathmic Kendra) in New York and mentioned his recent experiences to someone there. The person said, "Just a minute, please;" went inside and returned with a small packet of vibhuthi in his hand and as he gave it to Sinclair, uttered, "Sai Ram." He also spoke at length about Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai and assured him that it was Swami who had given darshan to him. Sinclair was deeply touched. He was but a mere businessman in far off America; his knowledge of anything spiritual was next to nothing; he had not read even a single book about Sri Sathya Sai Baba; yet the Lord had visited his home in person and granted darshan to an insignificant person like him! In his mind, he fell at the Lotus Feet of Swami at that moment. His heart began yearning for Bhagavan's grace, and for Bhagavan's love. Very soon, it grew and assumed unbearable intensity. As a consequence of that unbearable yearning to Baba and also Baba's compassion, Sinclair set off for Prashanti Nilayam. On arrival, Swami invited him into the interview room and said, "I came twice to you!" Sinclair stared at Swami in bewilderment. Swami continued, "I have done a lot for you. I have given plenty to you. Even then you have no peace. Why don't you do something for Swami?" When he heard Swami's words, Sinclair was prepared to give whatever Swami asked for. He said, "Surely Swami, most certainly." Swami smilingly told him, "Be happy always. That is the only thing I ask of you!" Sinclair was stunned to hear what Swami desired of him - nothing but his own well-being! Speaking in the magnificent Poorna Chandra Auditorium on the auspicious Guru Poornima day in 1993, Sinclair said, "When I was a young boy being brought up as a Christian, I used to feel miserable that I was born two thousand years after the departure of Jesus Christ. Someone has truly heard my cry of agony. Here is sitting that very God who had sent Jesus to us!" Sinclair also recounted a couple of miraculous incidents. "A few months before my arrival in Prashanti Nilayam, I had to make a business trip to another place. I told my wife that I would pilot my helicopter myself. She tried to dissuade me, 'your mind is very much distracted nowadays because of your business problems. Why don't you engage a professional pilot? Sathya Sai Baba is too busy to sit with you all the time to protect you, as if He were to protect you only all the time. He has got far too many people to look after. Why do you waste His precious time?' I told her, 'I am a qualified A-Class pilot. Why do you doubt my flying skills?' I piloted my own helicopter . But as feared by my wife, the engine of the helicopter failed on the way. The hydraulic system gave way. I lost control of the craft and I knew that death was certain. I pulled out Swami's photo from my pocket and looked at it. The next moment, I found Swami right in the helicopter. He piloted it skillfully and landed it safely on the flank of a hill. He opened the side door, pulled me out carefully, pushed the helicopter away and disappeared. That is how Bhagavan has been saving me, time after time, drawing me closer and closer to His Lotus Feet. "I will now describe to you a more astonishing incident. That woman who is sitting in the front row here in this gathering is Marlene Sinclair. She is an expert horse rider. She acquired a fine horse and rode it and also trained it for competitions. Once, she was riding fast in the riding course and tried to clear a high wall. Unfortunately, the legs of the horse hit against the wall. That girl was thrown off her saddle and her head dashed against the ground. And the 1800-pound heavy horse landed on her. "It took a full 45 minutes before the girl was admitted in the emergency ward of a hospital. I got the message on phone and rushed there. I took out the small packet of vibhuthi from my pocket and as I applied it to the wounds on her face, I said, "This is just like the Holy Water of Christianity." I also put a little quantity in her mouth. When I went to see her on the next day, there was not a single wound on her face. Three months later, she has fully recovered and resumed riding. But the story does not end here. "In the interview room, Swami looked at Marlene and asked, 'Did I not rescue you from paralysis?' She said, 'Yes, Swami, yes, You did.' After the interview, I asked Marlene, "What is it that Swami asked you, and what did you answer Him?' She then told me, "On that day of my accident, I lost an eye. When the horse landed heavily on me, I was paralysed on one side. As I lay in the rain helpless, a person stood by my side watching me; when I was being taken by ambulance to the hospital, he was by my side in the vehicle; in the emergency ward too, he was by my side all the time; he also kept vigil constantly on me throughout the night at the hospital. That person is none else but this Sai Baba! He made my eye all right; and he healed my paralysis, too. Only then did he move out of the hospital.' Even though this incident happened several years ago, I did not know about it all until the conversation began between Baba and her in the interview room. This is an excellent instance to show that Swami is much more intimate than even one's mother and father. "My Swami, I have full faith in you. I totally surrender myself at your feet!" concluded Sinclair. JAGADEESAN He was working as Deputy Director-General in the Industrial Development Authority, Government of Malaysia. Whenever he spoke about Swami, he used to be contemptuous, malicious and vile-tongued in criticising Him. His name is Jagadeesan. Once, it so happened that Jagadeesan went to the home of his mother-in-law. He saw Swami's photograph in her room. He was virulent in his condemnation of Swami. For two long hours, he riled and ranted and finally said to the picture, "If you really possess all those divine powers as claimed by these people, show me proof thereof. Only then will I believe these fairy tales." He did not realize that he had literally thrown a challenge to Bhagavan Baba. No sooner had he said these words, then vibhuthi appeared on that photograph, the picture that had provoked his ire. He felt as if lightning had struck him. He realized that in this world of scientific thought, there was something transcending science, something incomprehensible to science. Four months later, Jagadeesan visited India and travelled to Prashanti Nilayam. In the audience hall, Swami neared him and gently moved his loving lips, "Malaysia?" Surprised and wondering how Swami knew that he came from Malaysia, he answered, "Yes, Sir." Swami invited him into the interview room. Jagadeesan was now 32, but somehow felt as if he was a boy of seven sitting with his father. The fatherly affection and love of Swami melted his heart. Copious tears flowed down his cheeks. He had believed in Swami only for a mere four months now. Earlier to that, he had nothing but utter contempt for Him. His vileness during that dark period was hanging heavy in his heart and he could no longer hide his misery. He decided to make a clean breast of it. "Swami," he cried, "please forgive me. Till four months ago, I had never believed in you." Bhagavan shook his index finger from left to right and again to left, and smilingly said, "Ha! Ha! You were not a mere non-believer, you strongly opposed; you were a strong opposition!" Jagadeesan collapsed in grief and shame; he fell at Baba's Lotus Feet and began literally weeping. Swami held his shoulder and slowly raised him. "Don't cry, Bangaru, don't cry. Swami knows everything!" Nowadays, at Swami's suggestion, he is functioning as the Central Coordinator for the Sathya Sai Organizations in the East and fulfilling his destiny in the service of the Sai Spiritual Mission. MALA, VIKSHEPA, AVARANA In one of His discourses, Swami pointed out that man is gifted with intelligence and discernment. Yet, he is not able to recognize his True Self. The reason for this, said Swami, is the cumulative effect of the deeds (karma) done in previous lives. Because of good deeds, (Sath-Karma), one takes birth as a human being. However, if in this human birth, a person indulges in doing evil, like adultery, thievery, untruthfulness and so on, the consequences too will be evil. These are of three types of evil nature : Mala, Vikshepa and avarana. These obscure the spiritual vision of man and prevent him from recognizing the glorious form of his own True SElf (Swa-Swaroopa Jnan). Swami then proceeded to elaborate what Mala, Vikshepa and avarana mean. Mala is the cumulative effect of the evil deeds done during previous lives. As an instance in point here is a story. A diamond merchant was going on a business trip. He travelled on horse-back and as he rode fast, his bag containing diamonds dropped on the ground unnoticed. Two friends travelling behind him found it. At the sight of the precious diamonds, avarice took hold of their minds. Each wanted to grab it for himself. While the younger one kept watch over the bag, the other went searching for food. On the way, he got another vicious idea - to eliminate his friend altogether. Accordingly, he mixed poison in the food meant for his friend. He came back and told the waiting friend, "Dear younger brother, have your meal first and while you eat, I will keep watch on the gems." The younger one had his own plans. As the elder one bent over, the younger brother dealt a savage blow on his neck with a heavy sword. Jubilant that he was now the sole master of the gems, he ate his food with relish. But as it had been contaminated, he too died of poison. Although the two friends did get hold of the precious diamonds, they could not derive any benefit there from. It is 'Mala' that led them to evil conduct. The root cause of 'Mala' is evil thought and evil deed, which can be destroyed only through incessantly remembering and thinking of God. There is no other way. Next is Vikshepa, which means lack of steadiness of mind. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was serving as priest in the majestic temple of Goddess Kali in Dakshineshwar. That temple had been built by a pious lady called Rani Rasamani. She visited the temple one day and asked Ramakrishna to sing a song in praise of Devi. While he sang, devotees including Rasamani were moving their heads in tune with the song. Paramahamsa suddenly stopped singing and gave a resounding slap on Rasamani's cheek. He scolded her, "Your body is here, but your mind is elsewhere - on property litigation in the High Court in Calcutta." She was noble and devout. So she took her chastisement in proper spirit, as a deserved punishment for her unsteadiness of mind, i.e., Vikshepa. To distance mind from Vikshepa, there is only one way - relentless practice of concentration and single-mindedness. Now comes avarana. I am a student; I am a teacher; I am a Brahmin; I am a Kshathriya; I am a woman; I am a man; and so on. In this manner, a person falls into delusion I am this body." Ignorance (Ajnan) of this kind is avarana. If you meditate deeply and with discernment (Vivek), you will soon realize that you are neither a student, nor a teacher, nor a Brahmin, nor a Kshathriya, nor a female, nor a male. The Reality, the Truth is : You are the Embodiment of Athma. To recognize this reality is to get over avarana. A pregnant tigress was crossing a river, when she suddenly gave birth to a cub. The mother was swept away by the rushing waters but the cub reached dry ground somewhere down-stream and joined a herd of sheep. Mixing with the sheep day after day, in the course of time, it totally forgot its true identity of a tiger. It ate grass as the sheep did. It bleated like the sheep. It completely lost consciousness of its natural and inherent strength and capability. Sometime later, a tiger attacked the herd and noticed the tiger cub in the midst of the herd and was surprised to see it behaving just like a sheep. The tiger caught hold of the cub and dragged it to the water pool. It pointed to the cub's image in the water, "Look, you are not a sheep; you are a tiger. Recognize your true identity." Only then could the cub learn the truth. The only way to remove avarana is through total surrender to God (Daivarpana). In his discourses, Swami addresses us as "Divya-Athma-Swaroopulara!" (Embodiments of the Divine Athma). He is thus, time and again, reminding us of our true identity. He is constantly exhorting to each one of us : "You are not merely a body of flesh and blood; you are the Embodiment of Athma." We realize that mala, vikshepa and avarana can be got rid of by constantly having Swami's name dance on our tongues; i.e., by chanting His name all the time; firmly seating Swami on the altar of our heart; and leading spiritual, pure lives with the spiritual enlightenment Swami is blessing us with. Humble homage to the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai. Om Sri Sathya Sai Parabrahmane NamahSanthih, Santhih, Santhih End of Chapter 14 (From : 'Thapovanam' Sri Sathya Sai Sathcharithra by "Santisri" Jandhyala Venkateswara Sastry) Copyright reserved by Author (1928-2003) "A humble offering of love for Swami's 84th birthday"With Loving Sai Rams 'Sai Divine Inspirations' is now on Facebook!Facebook link : http://www.facebook.com/saidivineinspirationsBlog link : http://saidivineinspirations.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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