Who is Sai?

19 June 1974
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
(From Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. IX, pp. 88–92)

Editor’s Note

In this discourse, Swami speaks about the nature of God, the religion of Love, and His Avatharhood. He explains why He materializes rings and sacred objects, the inner meaning behind these acts, and the profound significance of the name Sai Baba.

God is inscrutable. He cannot be realized in the outer, objective world; He resides in the very heart of every being. Precious gemstones are found deep beneath the earth; they do not float in mid-air. In the same way, seek God in the depths of your own Self—not in the dazzling, ever-changing panorama of nature.

The body has been granted to you for this supreme purpose. Yet, you misuse it—like the person who cooked his daily food in a gem-studded golden vessel that came to him as a sacred heirloom.

Man praises God as omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, yet ignores His presence within himself. Many attempt to define God and describe His attributes, but these descriptions are only guesses—reflections of personal preferences and limitations.

Who can declare that God is only this, or deny that He is that? From the vast ocean, each person can collect only as much water as his vessel can hold. From that limited measure, how can one comprehend the immeasurable?

Each religion defines God within its own boundaries and then claims complete understanding. Like the seven blind men describing an elephant as a pillar, a fan, a rope, or a wall—based on the part they touched—religions describe fragments and assert total vision.

They forget that God is all forms and all names, all attributes and all assertions. The true religion of humanity is the essence of all religions—and that religion is Love. Just as all parts of the elephant are sustained by a single stream of blood, all religions are sustained by one stream of Love.

The outer eye cannot perceive Truth; it often distorts reality. Many observe my actions and hastily conclude that my nature is such and such. They fail to grasp the sanctity, majesty, and eternal reality that I am.

The power of Sai is limitless. It manifests eternally. All forms of power reside in this Sai palm.

Yet scholars, yogis, pundits, and jnanis who claim to understand me are aware only of the most superficial manifestation of an infinitesimal part of that power—what they call “miracles.” They do not seek the source of all power and wisdom, which is available here.

They parade their scholarship and Vedic learning, unaware that the One from whom the Vedas emerged is present before them, for their sake. This has been the tragedy in every age.

People may live physically close to the Avathar and yet remain ignorant of their good fortune. They exaggerate miracles, which are as insignificant compared to my glory as a mosquito is compared to the elephant it rests upon. When people speak endlessly of miracles, I smile inwardly, saddened that they lose awareness of my true Reality.

My power is immeasurable; my truth is unfathomable. I declare this now because the need has arisen. Yet what I reveal is only a visiting card of my Reality.

Among Avathars, only Krishna declared his divinity openly and unmistakably. Even then, in his life, there appeared to be defeats—but those too were part of the divine drama he himself designed. When Krishna said his peace mission to the Kauravas had failed, it was because he willed that war should occur—to expose greed and injustice before the world.

In this Sai Avathar, however, there is no place for such apparent defeat. What I will must happen. What I plan must succeed. I am Truth, and Truth does not hesitate or bend.

For me, even “willing” is unnecessary. My grace flows naturally to those who have steady love and faith. Because I move freely among you—talking, singing, laughing—many fail to grasp my divinity, power, and mission.

Only those who recognize my Love and experience it can claim to have glimpsed my Reality. Love is the royal road that leads to me.

Do not attempt to know me through external vision. When you stand before God in a temple, you close your eyes—why? Because you know that only the inner eye of wisdom can reveal Him.

Do not crave trivial material objects from me. Crave for me, and you shall receive everything. Accept with gratitude whatever I give as a sign of my grace—but know its deeper meaning.

I give rings, talismans, and rosaries to signify the bond between me and the devotee. When calamity befalls them, the object reaches me instantly and returns instantly, carrying my protective grace. But this grace is not limited to those who wear these gifts. Love alone is the bond that wins grace.

Consider the meaning of the name Sai Baba.
Sa means Divine.
Ai or Ayi means Mother.
Baba means Father.

Thus, Sai Baba represents the Divine Mother and Divine Father, just like the name Sambasiva. Earthly parents love with some degree of selfishness; but this Sai Mother and Father guide, correct, and bless solely to lead you toward victory in self-realization.

This Sai has come to unite all humanity as one family, bound by brotherhood; to illumine the Atmic Reality within each being; to reveal the Divine foundation upon which the cosmos rests; and to help man shed his animal nature and rise into his true Divine destiny.

I am the embodiment of Divine Love. Love is my instrument. There is no being without love—even the lowest loves itself. And that Self is God. Therefore, there are no atheists in truth—only those temporarily afflicted.

Just as a sick person dislikes sweets, those who reject God do so due to spiritual illness. When the illness is cured, they too will relish and revere God.

I have spoken of my Truth so that you may contemplate it, draw joy from it, and be inspired to follow the disciplines I prescribe—progressing steadily toward self-realization, toward realizing the Sai that shines in your own heart.