Love is the Force behind Compassion Our Lord Sai is the most compassionate one. To illustrate this, I would like to narrate an instance. On the 7th of September, 2005, a man had a severe heart problem and was admitted to the hospital. He asked his nephew who was a student at the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School to pray to Swami. September being a festival time in Puttaparthi the nephew forgot about his uncle. Soon after darshan [sight of a holy person] the boy received a call stating that his uncle had been admitted to the ICU [Intensive Care Unit]. The boy felt really bad for not having prayed to Swami. The next day was a special day indeed as the boy saw Swami Himself distributing clothes and other items. Taken away by the love and compassion the boy hardly prayed to Swami to take care of his uncle. When Bhagavan was about to go back, he suddenly recollected what his mother had told him. He immediately joined his hands and prayed in his mind, “Swami please help.” Bhagavan with a smiling face looked at him and the boy felt assured. On the 10th of September the boy was assured that his uncle was out of danger. We often feel that our prayers are being answered, but so intricate is His web that we often tend to lose track and get disconnected from Him. The ever-compassionate Sai’s life is His message, and it’s our duty having received the bounty of His proximity to follow His message. One day as I was going to the mandir [temple], I saw a very poor and helpless woman with her child. The mother went on asking for alms from a man besides her and to give her something to eat from what he was eating. The man gave her a frustrated look. This touched me. It is quite easy to blame God for not having given us the riches, but I said to myself think of the ones who did not have a morsel of food to eat. The day was quite bad as I had scored very badly in physics. This fact soon overpowered me, and I forgot about the mother and her child. In the mandir my whole attention was riveted to a drama that portrayed the need to serve the poor and needy. After the program was over, I received the coconut sweet that I used to cherish a lot and given an opportunity could eat even three pieces at a time. That day I thought that I should give the prasadam [blessed food] to the crying mother. So I controlled all my senses and began walking out of the mandir fighting the rising desire to eat that sweet. I saw that poor lady, went to her, and called out, “Amma.” She immediately spread out her hand and I placed the packet of the prasadam in her hand. The child smiled seeing this, the mother, too, gave a beautiful smile and suddenly I felt light at heart. Well, being from a scientific background that demands rational thinking, I am clueless and conclude my reverie regarding this incident with the following statement, “Giving away is not only good for the spirit but it is also a beneficial heart stimulant. Health is to a great extent conditioned and controlled by the circulation of blood. That important little circulatory heart, I believe, is influenced to a greater degree than we realize by the other heart, the seat of affections, the seat of beloved Mother Sai.” Swami often says that we must love everyone and be compassionate toward everyone, not so that we are acknowledged but importantly that he on whom we pour our compassion feels that he has been acknowledged. Swami loves people who perform selfless acts. In the old mandir an eye camp was conducted. Soon after the camp was concluded, an old man came to the doctors and pleaded to examine his eyes. Two of the doctors said that the examination was not possible as they had packed their instruments. The old man went to the third doctor and pleaded to him to check his eyes. The doctor took pity on the patient, examined his eyes, and gave him medicines. He also asked the patient to chant, “Sairam.” The next day all the doctors and assistants were seated together. Swami came directly to the three doctors. He asked them what they had told the old man who had come for the treatment. Two of them said that they had sent the old man away without examination as their instruments had already been packed. The third doctor said that he had examined the old man and had given him the necessary medicines. Swami added, “You also told him to repeat ‘Sairam’, is it not?” Swami asked the doctor to take padanamaskar [touching the feet]. He materialized Vibhuti [holy ash] and applied it on the doctor’s forehead. He also materialized a ring and put it on the doctor’s finger. Swami then asked the doctors, “Who do you think that old man was? It was me!” Swami appreciates those who really love people and give away everything. In one of His discourses, while speaking about sacrifice Swami said that sacrifice is giving away something that both the giver and the acceptor need. Einstein once stated that a human being is part of the whole world we call the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and showing affection to the people who are nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison, widening our circle of compassion, embracing all living beings and all of nature. Compassion is the attitude of the heart, and this must be learnt from within. Loving our fellowmen takes us closer to God and makes us dearer to him. ~B. Shashank Kumar, Alumnus, Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary SchoolSource: Sai Chandana

What Sri Sathya Sai Taught Me Photo of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai BabaProf. S. Siva Sankara Sai was a student and Research Scholar from 1982-1989. He was the former Head and Dean of the Sciences, Department of Physics, and has also been the Warden of the Sri Sathya Sai senior boys hostel. Currently, he is the Director of The Prasanthi Nilayam campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. Our Lord Sai is an eternal teacher. He is praised as “Gurunaam Guru“, the teacher of teachers. He teaches, molds, guards, and guides all of us every moment. We only need to tune ourselves to receive these lessons and teachings from Him. For some of us who stay at Prasanthi Nilayam and see Him daily, His maya [illusion] deludes us and we miss the Divine lessons He is teaching through His own example. One of the most important lessons that I have learnt at His Lotus Feet is not to waste time. He never wastes a single moment of His precious time. It is said that water that flows under the bridge and the time that passes away can never be retrieved. Bhagavan not only utilizes every moment of His time but packs many things in every minute. Take the example of darshan [seeing a holy man] time. In the ten minutes or so of darshan time, He interacts, inspires, admonishes, and encourages many people through a word here, a word there, a smile here, and a glare there. He radiates love and transforms several hearts during that brief period. He is a perfect manager of time. On every birthday festival we see Him giving clothes, padanamaskar [touching His feet], and prasad [blessed food] to many people. At such times, we often see the volunteers and those who are carrying clothes for Him unable to keep pace with Him in either giving or in walking. Paying attention to details is another unique aspect of this Avatar. He takes meticulous care about all details in every small endeavor. He often takes pleasure and care in enquiring about the food prepared for students in the hostel. He chides us even if one of the items is not up to standard. On a particular Thursday, our hostel mess in-charge and I were very happy with ourselves for serving big and attractive mangoes to all the students, instead of the routine Thursday sweet. We were praying fervently that Swami should enquire about that day’s menu. All knowing as He is, He did ask about the menu and about the special sweet. We told Him jubilantly that we had served mangoes. His immediate question was about its cost. We replied that on an average each mango would cost about three rupees. He then admonished us for purchasing those mangoes when sweets could be made in the hostel for a lesser cost. We tried to be smart and told that mangoes were very big and tried to show the size of the mango with our hands. He listened and quipped that “If the mango is so large in size, the seed inside would be equally big, so you need not boast about having given big mangoes.” He tells us to be alert and pay maximum attention to small details, so that we may not go wrong in bigger matters. Even though He is innately aware of His Divine nature, He is intensely human in His approach. His zest for life and His humor enlivens the atmosphere. Wherever He is, we see and hear peals of laughter and joyous ‘ums’ and nods from the devotees surrounding Him. His charming nature and sharp wit make us all feel younger in His presence. He splits every word and gives a new meaning. On one occasion, we went to Bhagavan seeking His advice for a dramatic performance. He enquired the cause of our coming to the Mandir [temple], to which I replied, “Swami, please fix the characters for the drama.” He asked again, “What?” Thinking that I spoke too softly I repeated loudly, “Please fix the characters, Swami.” He immediately retorted, “No, ‘characters’ cannot be fixed like appendages. They should be developed naturally with effort.” I was taken aback at this revelation. Yet another lesson I have learnt (and am still learning!) at His Feet is that we should never separate secular and spiritual life. He emphatically tells us to spiritualize everything by our own practice of mind control. In fact, the very purpose of Sai education itself is to integrate secular learning with spirituality and morality. To please Bhagavan, on one occasion, a group of students undertook Akhand Bhajan [uninterrupted spiritual singing] during the night. The next day He corrected all those students (and the warden for allowing them to do so!) and said, “You have classes the next day, if you don’t sleep during the whole night how will you attend the classes? Do you think your class work is not spiritual?” It is our attitude that should be changed and not necessarily the act. He declares that if one corrects one’s drishti (looks or attitudes) then one perceives the whole srishti (creation) as Divine. He even gives us the advice that whenever we take bath, we should feel that we are doing abhishekam to the very Lord residing inside because our body itself is a moving temple! Above all, I have experienced in my own humble way that He is the loving God who takes care of us, whether we are consciously aware of this fact or not. At the time when I was doing my doctoral study, for some reason Bhagavan was pained by the behavior of senior students, including research scholars. He completely avoided talking to us. He often puts us through this test so that we may introspect, find our mistakes, and correct them. During that time, my mother was suffering from cancer and doctors pronounced that a surgery was required. My father did not want to take any decision without Swami’s explicit blessings and consent. He told me to pray to Him and get His blessings and prasadam. I wrote many letters and

Lessons from Sri Sathya Sai in the Kodai Hills Ihave been blessed to be a part and parcel of the Institute since the year 1997. I sometimes wonder as to how this institution is able to transform ordinary individuals to men and women of character in a short span of time. Is it the academic rigor in the Institute with focused and disciplined attention, the practical learning in various self-reliance departments of the hostel, the time spent in the Mandir in the Divine Presence, or accompanying the Lord on occasional trips to Kodaikanal that brings in the desired transformation? The answer is neither straightforward nor does it exclude any of these factors. But, certainly, the opportunity to observe the Lord from very close quarters and come under His transformative influence in the Mandir and to a much greater extent during the Kodaikanal trips is unique to Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, facilitating imbibing of incomparable and invaluable lessons from the One whose life itself is a living message. Certainly, there is no better place to transform ourselves into better individuals than being with Bhagavan in Kodaikanal. The Vedic injunction of Atithi Devo Bhava (consider the guest as God) and the definition of being cultured as, ‘having concern for others’ come alive from the very first moment we are in the presence of Bhagavan in Kodaikanal. He plays the role of a perfect host. From the inspection of bathrooms to the serving of dishes as per the taste and health requirements of individuals—nothing escapes His keen attention. In the year 1998, the new air-conditioned bus that we were travelling in was unable to keep pace with Bhagavan’s car and, thereafter, a traffic jam on the way left us miles behind Him. Feeling lost, in the middle of nowhere, we were pleasantly surprised to see an elderly devotee of Bhagavan approach us in his car with plenty of snacks, which He said Bhagavan had sent for us. We were moved to hear that Bhagavan had enquired about us tens of times and had repeatedly refused to have food or retire before seeing His children eat. Tears flowed freely from our eyes. Finally, when we reached Sai Sruthi, well after 9 p.m., we found the Lord standing at the doorstep with intermingled feelings of anxiety and joy writ large on His face. He welcomed us in with smiles and a loving pat on our backs, asking each one about his comfort. The Lord ushered us straight into the dining hall and asked us to wash our hands and sit for dinner with Him. He personally inspected the serving of one of our most sumptuous dinner sessions in decades and only then, to satisfy us, did He take a mere spoonful of rice, before retiring. Our fatigue had disappeared, and our hearts were full of an indescribable ecstasy as we spread our beds just next to the door of His room. I could hear the footsteps of Bhagavan moving inside, and immersed in His love we slept with His thoughts. From the very next day, we realized that we would be having sessions of over seven hours each day with the Lord. Deepest of philosophies and peals of laughter intermingled with perfect ease in His presence. “This has to be heaven”, I concluded, at the weather, the beauty of the place, a beautiful lake with lotuses, with clouds floating all around, and the presence of Bhagavan. That day, the Lord said that He would take us for a picnic to the Hill Top bungalow. The Lord had just materialized the gigantic ring that King Dasharatha had gifted to Lord Rama before the marriage. It had happily fitted the right thumb of Lord Sai Rama. Everything just seemed perfect—the milieu, the presence of the Lord, and we, like monkeys, surrounding Him and laughing with Him, our beloved. Suddenly, the Lord became serious and peered out through the drawn curtain. He asked the bus to be halted and we were all surprised. The Lord pointed toward two poor women carrying bundles of firewood on their heads at a distance and asked them to be escorted closer to the bus. The middle-aged women, when told that Sathya Sai Baba was calling them, rushed to the presence of Bhagavan. The Lord enquired about their welfare as a loving father and blessed them with His smiles and Abhaya-Hasta. He then directed and ensured that they were given Rs.500 each. The women were quite stunned and looked dazed at their great good fortune. After the Lord had showered His blessings on them, He asked the security personnel to help them keep the bundles of firewood back on their heads. “What a great lesson for all!” I thought. Two days later, we were having one of our dining sessions with Bhagavan. I was part of the serving group, which served everybody before having its food at the end. After we consecrated the food with a prayer to Lord Brahma in the very presence of Lord Sai Brahma, to our great surprise and joy the Lord got up from His chair and keeping a small towel on His right shoulder walked between the two rows of dining tables, carrying with Him a small silver bowl containing salted white peas. He ate a few as He ambled along, aware of the students’ furtive looks and asking us occasionally to serve again the items some boys had finished eating. Standing afar, I prayed to the Lord. When the Lord turned back, I knew He would answer that prayer of mine. The Lord came close, looked straight into my eyes, smiled, took a spoonful of peas, and to my great delight, gave them to me. Then, purposely, He dropped a spoonful of peas on the ground. I went on my knees behind Him and collected them all. I was beginning to realize that sumptuous food of diverse variety can both be a blessing and a curse. With an average of 20 items, sweets and fruits included, like many others after the

Thrice Blessed by Sri Sathya Sai Subramanian, a student of Sri Sathya Sai College from Whitefield (1977-1980), is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher learning, Prasanthi Nilayam Campus. It is near to 17 years since I woke up to the presence of the Lord on this earth and more than 13 years since I entered the sacred precincts of Brindavan [Baba’s ashram in Bangalore]. As I pause during my life and glance at the past, I compare my life that has been these many years with what it would have been. As I look at myself, I notice the changes effected in me—my personality, thinking, habits, ambitions…. And taking stock, I consider myself thrice blessed to have been a student in Bhagavan’s college, to be a resident of Brindavan, and to have become a follower of Bhagavan. Living in the Hostel in Brindavan is a unique experience. Here one must lead a disciplined and holy life punctuated with religious and moral learning. The Hostel is isolated from the disturbances and pressures of the world. Here one meets a wide variety of people, young and elderly from various sections of life, possessing a high degree of maturity and understanding of the world, and filled with love for God. The serene, holy, and austere atmosphere breeds a healthy mind possessed with calmness and clarity of thought that brings about a gradual but permanent change in one’s personality and a new attitude toward life. Crowning all these is the opportunity of being in the proximity of Bhagavan when He is in Brindavan. The morning and evening sessions in the Mandir [temple] are the most cherished periods of time during one’s stay in the hostel. It is during these periods that Bhagavan bends down to our human level and through humor, playfulness, concern, and even through silence fills us with joy, peace, and spiritual elevation. Any evening session in Brindavan finds one and all eager to be nearest to the Divine Chair, jostling for space. When Bhagavan has seated Himself, everyone sits in rapt attention drinking in His benign smile, the loveliness of His form, and nectarine sweetness of His child-like sport. And this way the face is relieved of tension and fear and the heart is cleared of worry and sorrow and is filled with happiness and delight through light talk, conversations, and discourses. He impresses upon the students the need to become disciplined and morally upright. He not merely preaches but also practices. He does not impress or overawe the students by a display of His formidable powers or by philosophic complexities. He leads a life of openness and continuous activity. Depending very little on others, He performs His personal tasks with cheerfulness and efficiency. His life is one of continuous sacrifice and great austerity. A master in time management and planning. He achieves varied momentous tasks within the framework of a tight and unvaried routine. He is a perfectionist in tasks—spiritual or most mundane. Come the Veda Purusha Yajna during Dassara, He expects a strict adherence to prescribed Vedic injunctions and a perfect recital of the mantras [holy verses]. Come the Annual Convocation of the Institute, He issues instructions to the minutest details for taking care of the guests, for stage arrangements, etc. It is in the light of these qualities—perfection in action, purity, dedication to a task, disciplined living, self-sacrificing, modesty, total goodness, to name but a few—observed in Bhagavan that a student sees in Him a perfect human being, a Master, an Inspirer. Through no prompting, a student resolves to acquire at least a fraction of these qualities for himself. There is none to equal Bhagavan in the handling of adolescent students. It is a most wondrous sight to see students filled with restless energy and great dynamism being held spellbound and captive by His mere Presence, alert at His slightest gesture, and eager to fulfill His smallest wish. The power that Bhagavan wields over the students is that of love and understanding. He exhibits infinite tolerance for their shortcomings and exercises great patience in the face of their waywardness and vacillation. Though He deals firmly with any deliberate mischief, His actions are permeated with love. Love that is the magic wand Bhagavan uses to control the students and bind them to Himself. It is this bond of love that prepares a student to accept Bhagavan’s teachings and His mode of education. Through His teachings, which are simple but effectively worded, often couched in attractive terms and beautiful phrases, He sows the seed of transformation in every student. He allows enough time for the seed to sprout, flower, and [come to] fruition. No student who has passed through the portals of His college can remain unmoved, unshaken. The most important change that has been wrought in me by Bhagavan, as I see it, is the development of a strong faith in God; more, a love for God and spiritual matters. Faith in God is acquired in many ways. I, among the many fortunate ones, could develop this love for God by living near Him, observing His actions with my physical eyes, experiencing Him, and witnessing manifestations of His power and glory. Bhagavan’s words and teachings touch one’s heart. They stir up in one’s heart a longing for something not found in this world. When one sees Him and comes close to Him, one realizes that there is no need to search anywhere to fulfill this longing. When I see Him, I remember the words of Lord Jesus: I am the way, the truth, and the life. He has taught that I must feel His presence in myself. A life lived for the service of the Lord becomes devotion in itself. Work, when performed the right way with the right spirit, has a liberating effect. He has taught that God is for those who are not for themselves and demonstrated how one can perform all the allotted duties cheerfully and remain detached from the results. When God is the focus of one’s life, the vision is clear and penetrating. Through His words, He has given a proper understanding of religion and

‘His’ First Step, ‘His’ Hundred Steps Swami says, “If you take one step toward Me, I will take a hundred toward you.” One of the most memorable and cherished experiences that one can ever have with Bhagavan is how He first enters our lives and draws us toward Him. This is my story of how the Lord took me into His Divine fold and changed my life. I was not chosen by Bhagavan to join His educational institution when I tried for admission in the 11th standard for reasons He knows best. So, after two years I applied for the Undergraduate program of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. This time the call letter for the admission test arrived but left me in a dilemma. I had applied for another entrance examination as well in my place and found that the test dates were scheduled on successive days in June. The examination centers were Puttaparthi and Darjeeling respectively, almost 2,000 kilometers apart, so I had to choose only one test to write. My parents have always encouraged me to make my own decisions and this time, too, they let me decide. I was in a fix because selecting one option would be deserting the other, and there was no guarantee of getting admission in both cases. Also, back then even though everyone in my family were Sai devotees, Swami was not so much a part of my life as He is now. My mother saw my confused state and told me that it was up to me to choose, but the opportunity of getting admitted to Bhagavan’s College was not an ordinary one. She told me that I could get an education anywhere but finding a place where God resides and values are imparted was rare. Needless to say, I took her advice and when I look back now at that moment four years later, it was the most important advice I have ever received. However, carrying the choice was still not as easy as it seems. “Test is My taste”, says the Lord and He was true to His words, for what followed was His difficult test of the decision of coming to Him. All these so called ‘plans’ of mine to come to write the admission test in Puttaparthi was made in mid-April of 2011 and just a few days later the unexpected happened, as Bhagavan left His physical body. After recovering from the initial shock of the news, doubts slowly began to surface in my mind as to whether I should consider changing my plans. ‘Would things still be the same there?’ ‘Would I even make it through the test, forget about the interview?’ were the thoughts that I was having. More importantly the main question was, ‘Was He still there in Puttaparthi?’ However, in this moment of chaos, a small voice inside me kept saying that it was a decision made for Him and changing my decision would be turning my back to Swami. So, gathering all my faith and trust in Him, and leaving it to His Will, my father and I left for Puttaparthi. After arriving at Puttaparthi I felt at home. Even though the physical frame of the Lord was not present, His Divine presence still lingered on. I had visited Puttaparthi once before with my parents, but I was very small at that time. Now, after going around the place and looking at the institutions, I wanted to study here even more and my prayers to Swami became more intense. The day of the entrance test finally arrived and I the found that except English, the rest of the papers were quite tough, especially the Chemistry section, which was definitely not my forte. I was halfway through with my paper when I realized that some boys had already finished and were leaving, too. This scared me at first but there was still time left and I managed to complete on time. When I returned to the room, my father asked how I had written, and I managed a weak “Good” as I wasn’t sure whether I would make it or not. The results were to be put up the next morning at 4.00 a.m., and considering the odds stacked against me I did not feel so confident of finding my name there, even as my father insisted we go and check the next morning. I offered a prayer to Swami that night with a heavy heart and went to sleep. I had a very strange dream the next morning. In the dream I found myself in the South Indian canteen, and funny as it seems the names of the selected candidates were supposed to be put up on the wall there! I saw two boards with lists of names on the wall and then searched for my name (much later I discovered that Swami’s photos were hung there). It was not there! Even in the dream I felt immense sadness as my hopes or rather my faith was slowing crashing down. I would have even cried, but then I saw an old South Indian ‘Amma’ (mother) in a sari walk toward me. The entire canteen was empty except the two of us, and I could see that she was short-statured with white hair. She asked me lovingly as to what happened, and I confided my disappointment to her. She asked me my name and looked at the board as I stared down at my feet completely broken. Suddenly she took something in her hand (which looked like a metal spatula with a long, thin handle) and pointed out my name. “Here it is son… the spelling is wrong, that’s all,” she said smiling. To my utter amazement, I looked up to find my name there on the same list I had gone over thoroughly, with my surname comprising three alphabets spelt wrong. It was typed ‘Vivek Rui’ instead of ‘Vivek Rai’, a ‘huge’ spelling error for me to have overlooked but for the Master’s maya! The feeling

Journey Into Light Swami always says, “I am in you, with you, above you, around you, below you.” Swami has been with us from time immemorial, for many lives, even though we don’t know. However, when He chooses to show His presence, He does it in the most inexplicable ways. We call them miracles, but our Lord calls them His visiting cards. Every one of us has many such experiences, which stand as a testimony to how much Swami loves us, and cares for us. The following are a few experiences that took place in my family, and I am grateful to Swami for all that He has done. It was the year 1992. My mother was 28 weeks pregnant and went into premature labor. The doctors tried to avert the delivery for the fear that the fetus would die. Vibhuti [sacred ash] was applied, and the contractions stopped. Again, at 32 weeks she was hospitalized, and they decided to deliver the baby. The doctors administered medicines to my mother, but the fetus reacted badly to the medicine and the heart stopped beating. The baby had to be delivered immediately. My grandfather had to administer the anesthetic and my father, a doctor, had to assist the delivery as no one else was around. After two minutes, I was delivered lifeless. My grandfather had to attend to my mother first. By that time, 40 minutes had passed since my heart had stopped beating. I was small, bluish grey in color, not breathing and without any heartbeats. My grandfather rubbed my heart and pushed oxygen into my lungs to try and get my heart beating. He was praying to Swami for help. After five minutes, he heard an inner voice saying, “Let go! What are you trying to do, create a monster in the house?” He realized what it meant, you may get the heart beating, but you cannot give life to a dead brain. My grandfather managed to get the heart beating to half the normal rate. But my body color did not change. Everyone was chanting “Sai Ram” continuously. I was kept in an intensive care crib. My father went home, prayed to Swami, and lit an incense stick in the prayer room. Swami showed His presence there. The ash from the burnt incense stick remained stiff, without falling, in the shape of letter ‘S’. At the hospital, they could smell whiffs of jasmine around the crib. Overnight, some ‘mysterious hand’ had pulled out the feeding tube. When my grandfather came at 5 a.m., I had no limb movement. My grandfather did not re-insert the feeding tube but took me to my mother. Miraculously I began drinking milk and my limbs began to move. I slowly improved and went home on the fifth day. For the next few months, the CD with Swami chanting the Gayatri Mantra was played round the clock. The following week my grandfather came to Prashanti Nilayam and thanked Swami. He asked Swami to name the child as He had given the life. Swami took my photo, which was clicked when I was a few days old, and wrote ‘Sai Aditya’ on its back. From the time I was very young, I used to feel sad while leaving Prashanti Nilayam. I used to tell Swami about this and ask Him whether I could study in His school. He would say, “Not now”. The time was not ripe. Then in October 2003, I came to Puttaparthi with my parents for about three weeks. The day came for us to leave. We were leaving at about 5 p.m., which meant we would have to get up just before the bhajan [sacred songs]. When Swami came in His golf cart in the verandah, He signaled to my father with His hand that He would come back and see him. My father was still seated when the bhajan started. I was wondering what was going on, because sitting on the side I did not know the happenings on the verandah. After the Aarti [waving of the flame] Swami got into the golf cart and then saw my father and asked us to go for the interview. I got up and went inside. Swami asked me if I wanted to join the school in the sixth class. I replied in the affirmative. He told me to come in the last week of May and He would make me join the school. In April 2004, I left my school in Australia and came to Prashanti Nilayam at the end of May. Two weeks went by, but Swami did not say anything. I became very sad. One day I broke down and cried for a long time. Within a few days, on 22 June, we received a phone call saying that Swami had asked me to join the school on Monday 24 June, as it was an auspicious day. Thus, on 24 June 2004, I entered the portals of His school. When I was in the 7th class, Swami asked my father what I wanted to do when I grew up. My father thought for a while and then said that I wanted to do medicine. Swami became extremely happy and smiled. So, it was decided that I would be a doctor. It was possible for me to do math or biology after 10th class and then do medicine. I wanted to ask Swami for guidance. During the Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshana Mahotsavam, I dozed off during the study hours. In my dreams, I was sitting on the stage in the stadium during the proceedings. Swami got up from His chair and walked toward me. I got up and asked Swami whether to do math or biology. Swami was about to answer when my dream abruptly ended as the teacher had woken me up. I felt a little sad but soon forgot about it. As the New Year dawned, I decided to ask Swami as soon as possible as to what subject to take in 11th class. On the night of January 2,

The True Guide and Guardian Jigar Rajesh Desai was a student (1996-2008) at the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, and then he did MTech (2014-2016) in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam. It was Sunday, June 20th, 1999. I was studying in my fourth standard in the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School. It being a Sunday, all the Primary School students had gone for morning darshan. But in an unfortunate turn of events, I fell sick and was admitted to the General Hospital. As I was sleeping, the school doctor came and informed me that Swami has called my family for a personal interview that morning. I felt sad and depressed on hearing this news and started crying, and in the process I fell asleep. In my sleep, I dreamt that my entire family was sitting in the Interview Room in front of Swami. Swami then looked at my elder brother, called him and asked, “Where is your brother?” My brother kneels and replies, “Swami, he is down with fever and is admitted in the General Hospital”. Swami just casually replies, “Don’t worry, he will become all right very soon”. With this my dream came to an end. Around noon, I was woken up as my family had come to meet me. While I was interacting with them, I asked my brother if Swami had inquired anything about me during the interview. My brother replied in the affirmative and then began narrating the happenings in the interview. The description that he narrated matched the scene that I had dreamt of. I narrated this to my parents who were overjoyed on hearing it. Later in the evening, I persistently requested the doctor to let me go back and recuperate in the school as I did not want to stay in the hospital. After a while, the doctor relented and let me go back to the school. By nightfall, my condition again took a turn for the worse and the doctor decided that if the situation got any worse, I would have to be admitted again in the hospital. She gave me some medicines and told me to sleep. By next morning, around 7.00 am when the doctor came to check upon my condition, to everyone’s surprise, I was awake, hale and hearty, and sitting upon my bed. The illness had completely vanished. Swami’s word had come true. Swami had ensured that I did not miss the opportunity of an interview, by not only playing out the entire scene of the interview for me in my dream, but also curing me of my illness. Another incident that comes to my mind demonstrates the Divine guardianship of Sai. One evening, a senior devotee of Swami was going to address the staff and their family in the hospital. My father was given the responsibility to set up the hall for the talk. As the day proceeded, my father got engrossed in his work and completely forgot about the talk. In the evening, just about five minutes before the scheduled time for the talk, a colleague came to my father and informed him that everyone had gathered in front of the hall for the talk and that the hall was locked. It then struck my father that he had forgotten to collect the keys of the hall from the respective people. He just informed a colleague to get the keys from the person-in-charge, who stayed a bit far away. Meanwhile he went down toward the hall. As he was going, he just prayed to Swami to help as he did not want to delay the event. As he approached the hall door, he just made a silent prayer to Swami and took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and used the first key from the bunch to open the door. He was sure that it was not the key for the door. But to his surprise, the door opened with the key and the event went on as scheduled without any delay. The next day, my father went and tried to open the same door using the same key, but this time the door would not open. My father was very thankful to Swami for saving him from any embarrassment he could have faced. Swami, the Divine teacher that He is, also takes interest in guiding and correcting us, to take care of even the small things that we might consider insignificant or too small for Swami to notice and respond to. A personal incident happened to me that demonstrates this very aspect. In my ninth standard, during a family interview I had offered a letter to Swami. In a hurry, I had literally scribbled a few words on paper. Swami, on opening the letter looked at me and said, “Improve your handwriting. Your handwriting should always be clean, clear, and beautiful. In exams if your handwriting is good, you will automatically get good marks because the examiner will feel like looking and correcting your paper. Good handwriting will make the person reading the paper feel happy”. The Lord, who runs this entire universe, showed that even small things that we generally tend to ignore actually matter a lot. The number of miracles and incidents experienced by each one of us are many, but the point to be taken from these ‘Calling Cards’ as Bhagavan refers to them is that if there is sincerity in our prayer, He responds immediately to our prayer. As the saying goes, ‘Prayer is man’s only strength and God’s only weakness’. We must ensure that our prayers are sincere and selfless. Sai is always there to guide and guard and it is only up to us to realize this fact. Source: Sai Nandana 2015 (90th Birthday Offering)

Brindavan In the journey of life, youth travels farthest; the middle aged and the old have but a few miles to go. Youth have a crucial and significant role in the mission of Lord Sai. Therefore, Bhagavan pays special attention to the education and reconstruction of the Youth of the country. He affords Youth more opportunities of sharing His company and counsel. A couple of hundred boys of this vast land have spent the last five years or so and had the good fortune of coming under His Divine care, at Brindavan where they have resided in the Hostel attached to the Cam­pus, for the students of the Sri Sathya Sai College also situated within the same campus. Had the Rishis of old ever known that life in the Brindavan Hostel would be so happy and fruitful, they would have done years of hard penance for winning this boon. For, the boys sit for hours at the Lotus Feet of the Lord; they follow Him wherever He moves, drawn by the Love He bestows upon them; they sing of Him for Him and with Him. They are even privi­leged some days to serve the Lord at meal­times and to partake of the Divine Prasadam. When they are unable to be with Him at places other than Brindavan, they receive from Him Divine messages conveying His concern, His encouraging counsel, and His Blessings. Academically, the College offers Degree Courses in Humanities, Science and Commerce, besides a two-year Pre-Univer­sity Course of Instruction. But we have morning-prayers every day, a daily noon­time bhajan session for half an hour, and a weekly lesson on moral principles and practice. The discipline maintained in the College and the teacher-student relationship prevalent therein are uniquely spiritual and spontaneous. The College has won laurels year after year among all the Colleges of the University for outstanding successes of its alumni in University Examinations. But the all-important feature of the College is the Hostel, which is unique because it has among the inmates, boys from all parts of India (and even some places beyond the seas), from Lucknow to Trivandrum and from Baroda to Manipur. In the Hostel, we are shaped into self-less servants of the motherland and votaries of the Culture that the Rishis of old have esta­blished. Here, hearts are purified, lives are fortified and prejudices and angularities are nullified. It is in Brindavan that minds broaden, visions widen, and the roots of virtue deepen. Brindavan can be named the “Divine Chitta-Shuddhi School”. It stands unique, even when compared to the gurukuls of which we read, as having existed in ancient India. For, never has the Lord come in human form to teach Atmavidya to so many for so long, and with so much love. Here, Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan are vouchsafed by the Lord in abundant measure. Bhagavan’s Love is annihilating, for, it slays the deadly foes that lurk in the hearts of the recipients. His Love is transform­ing. As He has said often, His Love and Grace have transformed many a vagrant youth loafing in the streets fascinated by trivialities into earnest, humble, steady sadhakas eager to help themselves, their parents and society, and thus win His appreciation. “Street dogs have to be transformed into streetlights”, He says, for, light spreads joy! His Love is inspi­ring. He draws out the best in each and prepares them for confronting with courage any test that life might offer. His Love radiates and expands, so that the recipients are messengers of that Love wherever they go. It knows no season; it is above any reason. It is Love for Love’s sake. And we too imbibe that pure Love; we Love because it is our nature to Love, and not succumb to hate, jealousy, or pride. If Arjuna was the instrument for Sri Krishna to give the immortal Bhagavad-Gita to posterity, we, the boys of Baba’s College at Brindavan, feel that we are destined to exemplify the message of the Gita that Bhagavan confers on us through our lives. That message lays special stress on the true meaning and purpose of the years we spend at college. Sacrifice and dedication are, we are told to remember, the criteria of a true life. The body is but an instrument for the achievement of the Divine qualities that will consummate in our becoming Divine ourselves. Conquer the ego and be the master of the senses that are its minions, He directs. Bhagavan guides us even in the details of behavior, manners and mannerisms, ideals and ideas. He is a hard taskmaster, who does not condone or excuse misdemeanors, however small. Bhagavan is, for us, the ever-present Exemplar and Teacher. He teaches mostly by example the lessons of perfection in work, economy, liberality in giving, and open heartedness in service. He encourages self-reliance and simplicity; we love to help in the kitchen either making chapattisor in cutting vegetables, besides the usual help in managing the purchases and management, under the guidance of resident wardens. We serve at mealtimes by turns; we clean the rooms. We are glad we can go, on nagarsankirtan, into the neighboring villages on Sundays and on most Thursdays. We look forward to the Bhajan sessions in the hostel and at college. Devotion, Discipline and Duty are the mottos that direct our daily lives. The atmosphere is one of quiet sanctity and the air is saturated with love and the spirit of service. Physical inconveniences pale into insignificance, before the advantages of mental peace and the spiritual satisfaction that we experience. In fact, the only occa­sion when Brindavan appears a little gloomy is when Bhagavan’s car drives away. As a graduate from the Hostel, presently studying in a Post-graduate Institution in Bangalore City wistfully remarked recently, “Life in Brindavan is beyond compare; if there is Paradise on Earth, it is this, it is this, it is this!” ~A StudentSource: Sanathana Sarathi, April 1976

My Beloved Mother Sai Sai Shyam Sharma, an alumnus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Prasanthi Nilayam Campus. He writes about his experiences with Swami and how Swami gave him the love of a thousand mothers. Love is something which no words can describe.It is something that only God can describe and design. The love story between my Mother Sai and myself began five years back when I lost my mother. Swami gave me the love of a thousand mothers. This Love can only be experienced and cannot be put in words. I would like to share some of the experiences with you all. Like all mothers who cover up their children’s mistakes, in the same way my Mother Sai covered up my mistake when I tried to run away from Primary School due to homesickness and the news reached Swami. They (Primary School teachers) told Swami, “Swami, this boy ran away from the school.” Swami then told, “Who told you so? He came to see Me.” He covered it up like a beautiful mother. I used to suffer from an inexplicable fear of ghosts. When he got an opportunity, my father once told Swami about my fear. Swami then called us inside, created a sugar candy and told us, “You will never get scared again.” Truly, I never got scared again. Once, a teacher asked her first grade students to draw a picture of something that they were really grateful for. She expected them to draw the picture of an ostrich or a plate of food on the table. But she was surprised when saw the picture that John drew—he drew a hand. The whole class was also surprised seeing the picture. The teacher asked John to explain about the hand. He said, “It’s your hand in the picture.” She said, “Why is it, John?” John was a shabby and a timid child. This teacher used to hold him by his hand and take him to recess. He said, “Your hand meant so much to me.” This is not only a thanksgiving hand, not only for the opportunities given to us but also for the chances given to us by our beloved Mother Sai. Even before I saw the bright shining moon,I saw her smile;Even before I could feel the warmth the early morning sun gave, I felt her hug;Even before I could see the twinkling stars, I saw her eyes;Even before I could feel the breeze brush through my hair,I felt her hand brushing through it;Even before I felt the softness in touch of the lotus,I felt her patting me on the cheeks;Even before I saw GOD in this form, I saw MOTHER It is said that a mother is one who does the following: M – Monitors the childO – Observes the childT – Teaches the childH – Helps the childE – Encourages the childR – Rewards the child  I am sure that if I were to go round the whole world and search for a mother who befitted this definition, I would finally land up here at Puttaparthi and find one. There are various occasions in our lives here that we feel Her motherly love. I would like to highlight just two such instances, the first one being the Grama Seva. It was She [Swami] who monitored the whole project by calling the teachers inside and discussing with them in detail how the Grama Seva should be conducted. Then She observed how Her children went for work and the way they did it. Whenever we travelled by trucks, sometimes sitting on the edges of the trucks, She cautioned us. Throughout the Grama Seva, there was not a day when the sun shone brightly. It was always cloudy with a steady breeze blowing all the time. When Her children came back from Grama Seva, She stood there ready with juicy apples to encourage the children. When the Grama Seva was coming to an end, She rewarded all Her children by giving them a pair of clothes. Another occasion in our lives is Convocation Drama. It is She who monitors the whole drama right from the time the story is made till the last scene is enacted. She even observes Her children who are acting in it during rehearsals and when She finds a mistake, She calls that child and personally teaches him how it should be done. She then helps the child again and again until he finally performs to Her satisfaction. During these rehearsals if at all anytime Her child seems to have made a mistake for which he thinks he is going to be scolded by the warden or the higher authorities, She goes up to him and says, “Chala Manchidi. Chala Santosham” (“Very good, Very happy”). On the 22nd of November, after all the thousands of devotees who come here to celebrate birthday have witnessed the whole drama, She goes up to the stage as if She was never concerned with it and rewards Her children with gifts. It is said that when you are a baby, a mother is a caretaker; when you grow up, she becomes a teacher; when you are a grown-up adult she becomes a friend; when you finally become a man, she becomes an observer and thus throughout our life she remains God. For those of us who have been studying here from the first standard, I would like to take you back to those cherished moments of our lives. When we were in the first class, we only knew that this person in the orange robe as One who used to give us sweets on every Thursday and Sunday. As we grew up to be boys, we saw Her in the role of a teacher. When there used to be too much noise, She would come out of the interview room and stand in front of us with a finger on Her lips telling us to keep quiet. When