Om Sri Sai Ram

"A couple of years ago Baba gave me a special gift, in a highly unusual way; I think you’ll agree the story lends weight to my assertion of Baba’s divinity. A man named Rouf (pronounced “Roof”), who owns one of the shops near Baba's ashram, saw me on the street one day and told me he'd had a “Baba dream” about me, and that he had something to give me. I was a bit put off, but several weeks later finally paid him a visit, and as we sipped sweet tea in his shop, he told me his story:

"Last summer I went on a pilgrimage to some holy places up North. Hardwar, Rishikesh, Kashmir, and then the Amarnath Cave, in Himalayas. It's closed eight months a year from snow, no way to get in. And in this cave, you've heard of it? There's this naturally formed Lingam, a huge one, made of ice. [A Lingam is an elliptical symbol of the Supreme Being, used in the worship of Lord Shiva.] Shiva and Parvati actually lived in this cave - it's one of the holiest shrines in India. So I'm sitting outside this cave - and suddenly these two white birds... What are they called? Doves. Two doves flew out of the cave. And as they flew over my head, one of them dropped something in my lap. And in that moment, I heard, 'This is for Ram Das.'"

"Wait,” I said incredulously. “You heard that inside, from God? Or from the bird?"

"Yes, yes," he replied, with the affirmative Indian head wobble. "The bird."

Rouf reached down and unwrapped a small package, and then held up the precious object: a radiant red Lingam. "Ruby!" he said. "A ruby Lingam."

"A Prema Lingam!” I replied, awed at the beautiful cosmic egg God had given. (Prema means ‘Divine Love’.)

"Yes." Rouf held it up to the light and smiled. "But the problem was," he continued, "I didn't know who is this Ram Das. I had forgot your name. So I prayed for two weeks, every day, "Baba, who is this Lingam for? Who is this Ram Das?" Finally, one night Baba came in my dream. He showed me you, and said, 'This is Ram Das. Give it to him.'"

Rouf handed me the Lingam, which fit beautifully in the palm of my hand. I was speechless - what a bizarre story! Like something out of Tolkein, except the "Lord of the Rings" who had sent this was the supreme Lord of Love, incarnate in human form! What an amazing leela - what a gift!

I held the sacred object to my chest for a while, drawing in its energy, and then said, "You know, Rouf, there's another interesting aspect to this. In the book I'm working on, there's a ladder of concepts you can climb to reach the Truth. Once you climb it, you then step off the ladder onto the Roof - the Supreme Reality, where no mind exists, where no concepts can ever reach. So in my book, the word 'Roof' is equated with the Supreme Being. And this gift has come to me from the 'Rouf'!”

God bless Rouf for passing the Lingam on to me, without the slightest hint of request for payment of any kind. May he ever live up to his high name!

Clearly, Sai Baba stops at nothing to express His love for His devotees... Is it not obvious, He is an incarnation of God?

Om Sri Sai Ram

"And then there’s the experience I had at Baba’s ashram in 1996. In the middle of His Christmas discourse, Baba waved His hand and materialized a small gold-covered book - bringing a gasp of amazement from the crowd of 50,000, me among them! (I was seated very close to Baba - and was certain it was a genuine miracle.) That night at around 9 o’clock I heard that Baba had announced earlier that angels would be flying above the ashram that evening. I looked into the sky, but didn’t see anything unusual, so guessed I’d missed the show. However, a couple of nights later, two friends came running up to me on the street and said, “Ram Das, the angels are back! Come on, you’ve got to see them!” So I followed them up to a rooftop, away from the lights of the ashram, lay down and looked up...

And in the sky above us was one of the most astonishing sights I’ve ever seen: hundreds of thousands of self-luminous beings flying through the air, zipping around at great speed in what seemed to be an ecstatic dance of joy! They looked a little like shooting stars - yet they were closer to the Earth, and moving not in straight lines (as asteroids, or any similar phenomena would be) but in curves and curlicues. Considering Baba's earlier announcement, I didn’t see any reason to doubt that these glowing beings were indeed angels, celestial helpers in His world mission: no other phenomena I knew of could explain the sight. Sometimes two would pair up for a while as they zipped about, and they seemed to be pouring forth from some invisible gate above the ashram, where I guessed they had maybe just received Baba’s darshan and instructions for their work... The event had an unquestionably supernatural exuberance about it that left all three of us gasping in amazement. It was probably the most inspiring sight I’ve ever witnessed, ringing out more clearly than a thousand manifested rings the divine identity of Sathya Sai Baba.

Why would so many angels congregate in such an extraordinary way, other than to have the darshan of God?

Om Sri Sai Ram

"Baba was talking to some of the institute students (studying in SRI SATYA SAI INSTITUTE OF HIGHER LEARNING). They had just returned from holidays.

Baba suddenly turned one of the students and asked --

“kyon re, picture dekne gaya tha -- theatre mein (did you not go for a movie in a theater).”

The student said --

“Nahi Baba, mein to ghar par he tha. (No Baba, I was at home).”

Baba then swirled his hand in the air and created a picture of the student sitting in the same theater to which he had gone . The picture also showed the position he was sitting in most of the time when he was watching the film with his hometown friends.

Baba asked the student --

“Ab kya bolta hai? (What do you say now?)”

The student fell at Baba’s feet saying --

“Baba, maf karo.Galti hogayi. (Baba, forgive me. It’s my mistake.)”

Baba said --

“Tum kya karte ho, Kaha jate ho,Sai sab jaanta hai. (What you do, where you go, Sai knows everything.)”

Like this Baba has revealed so many times his omnipresence. He is as he always says-- “One in all. All in one.”

Om Sri Sai Ram

Our Guru, Everyone's Guru

Once Seva workers of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization reached the outskirts of a remote battered village with packets of food, medicine, clothes and blankets. When they arrived at the village, it was past noon and the entire area was submerged. It was still drizzling. The volunteers stood at the gate hoping someone would come forward to show them where the survivors were most in need of their services and goods.

Finally, some villagers saw them and came running. The volunteers thought that help had come and they would be directed to where they could be of the most use, but the villagers began snatching and grabbing the rescue items. The volunteers stood there dumbstruck not knowing whom to pacify and whom to control. They were themselves drenched and exhausted.

Then a Girl appeared and pacified the villagers. She told sweetly the necessity of being patient and disciplined and to allow the helping team to carry out their mission. She enabled the volunteers to reach those with the most urgent needs first, such as first aid, medicine and food, and helped organize the entire rescue mission. When the villagers became impatient, she spoke a few kind words and also lent a helping hand in the distribution of food packets and medicine. Throughout the day, she led the team through the muddy and flooded roads to every nook and corner where people were who required help. She never looked tired and her face was always radiating with gratitude and loving-kindness.

The Seva Dal team finished their work and sat down for some rest. Suddenly one of the Seva Dal team members recollected that while the girl had taken them to all the needy people and helped them distribute food and medicine she had not taken any food for herself.

They asked her why she had not taken any food packet. Hesitatingly, the girl said that her GURU had told her that duty towards others should be the prime concern and when that duty is fulfilled He himself will take care of their needs. Such a small girl, staying in a poor condition and imparting the knowledge of the highest teachings reflecting implicit faith in her Guru held the team in awe and admiration. They inquired about the Guru and also wanted to know how she had met her guru.

The girl said, "I have not met or even seen my guru personally but I have his photo given to me by my teacher who stays in the nearby town."

The team members got more curious and asked her the name of her guru. "Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba," came the prompt reply. "I am a Bal Vikas student," she said further with a voice soaked in reverence and pride.

Everyone of the Seva Dal members were in Tears.

Swami always and every time reminds all of us, "There is no other quality nobler than Love in this world. The highest spiritual practice is to transform this love into service, Serve and help the Needy, Swami will be closest to you when you do Service and help the Needy".

Om Sai Ram.

SWAMI LEAVES HIS BODY AND COMES BACK TEN MINUTES LATER

Narrated by a Dear Sai Brother:

(A Trayee experience, happened when one of our sirs Devsen was a student)

We, students, have great experiences at Prashanthi and Vrindavan. But the most memorable experiences have been at TRAYEE BRINDAVAN, the official residence of SAI BABA, where we spent the closest moments with HIM...

SAI BABA during the sessions in Trayee is most informal, asking students individually about their personal problems, their families and other things. It was during such a session that the following incident, which shocked the students beyond measure, giving them an indication of the kind of phenomenon SAI BABA is, took place.

The students had assembled in TRAYEE and Baba was on HIS way from HIS room to take HIS seat. Before that session Baba had given a discourse on the purpose of life -- the need for an individual to experience his divine SELF, only after such an experience does a person reach the end of the cycle of birth and death. As a part of the discourse Baba also asked the assembly to keep reminding themselves of they (all of them) being a part of the divine from which everything emerged and everything will one day merge into.

As soon as Baba came into the room, He looked around at everyone and stood silently for sometime. Then HE started asking each one those present there, "who are you... who are you". Surprised at such a question, many replied " Swami, raja ... Swami Shyamkumar" etc, many others said remembering the discourse of Swami, telling all to remind themselves of they being a part of the divine, said "Swami, I am Sai Baba".

"Swami, Any drop taken out of the ocean has the same quality as that of the ocean. Since we all have emerged form you Swami, we are all same as you." so saying they justified their answer. Baba then said, "All right if you really are Sai Baba, then leave your body and show me.". Taken aback at such a command from Baba, the students did not reply back. Obviously none present there could ever think of doing what SAI BABA had asked tem to do. "Come on, Come on", He commanded them back. Finding the silence still pervading in the hall, He said " As you experience your divine self, you will have all powers given to you to perform do acts that are above the laws of nature."...So saying He got up all of a sudden and said " SEE I AM GOING TO LEAVE MY BODY", a moment later He collapse into the chair, leaving everyone in the room shell-shocked.

Commotion, pandemonium, confusion... Hell seems to have broken loose. Almost all the people assembled there stood up in their places and tried to rush towards Baba’s fallen body. As this happened, one of the college teachers pushed ahead, trying to control the mayhem requested everyone to stay back and not harm Baba's body by thrusting themselves on the body. It took sometime for the crowd to be bought under control as people were being convinced to go back and sit in their places. As the crowd settled, Baba's personal doctor was called in and what he found sent shivers within everyone.

Baba's heart had stopped beating; there was absolutely no pulse beat in his arm and the breathing (after noting the air movement under His nostrils) was found to have stopped completely. Hearing this, each and everyone present there started praying to Swami to come back into His body for it was too much to expect for them to live in the world without HIS guidance and presence.

Some suggested that Bhajans be sung and slowly the chants arose which later became full throated. Five minutes later, the bhajans had become louder and the crowd was already into their 2nd song with everyone concentrating on Baba's body looking for signs of movement. If there were any, they hadn't noticed.

The third song got over and as the 4th song was being sung, those in front noticed a small movement in Baba's fingers. As word spread, the bhajan singing went into feverish pitch. Prayers became even stronger asking Baba to come back into His body soon. As the chants grew louder, the movements became even more significant and by the time the 6th song was over Baba had opened His eyes to the great joy of all those present.

Thrilled at the spectacle that they saw, the people assembled started reaching out to Baba again, only to be asked by Baba to go back and settle down in their seats. Baba asked for the bhajans to be halted as soon as the next song ended. Silence pervaded throughout the hall as none spoke, all eyes rested on Baba.

A few seconds later Baba spoke "Those in divine bliss will not be restricted by ordinary laws of nature. What you saw here was a small example of what is possible for those in the highest state; a state in which I always was, is and will always be. Remember God is not to be found outside for He is within you. Understand that, experience and enjoy for happiness really lies not in comfort, but in contentment, in UNION WITH GOD."

This experience was long talked about, both in Prashanti and Vrindavan. It showed Baba's control over nature and more importantly leave and come back into it at His will, proving beyond doubt that He really is, as He says "MRITUNJAYA", one who has won over death, who lives forever.

The Divine Voucher

Swami once materialized a beautiful watch with Diamonds for a devotee from Sweden , The Next day Swami noticed that the person was not wearing the watch. When Swami asked him the person smiled and kept quite, Swami again asked him the next day and the person said that " He could not take the Watch to Sweden as He will asked for the Purchase Voucher by the Authorities and if he did not produce it, it will be classified as stolen property and that they would take it away from him, So saying He gave the watch back to Swami.

Swami smiled and said "You only want the Voucher, that's all? "

By a Wave of His Divine Hand, Bhagawan materialised a Voucher and said that He could produce it at the airport and there would be no worry at all.

This person still had his doubts like we all do at some point or the other, He rang up the watch company and asked them questions like “Is this your company's Watch? Is this the watch that you had sold? To whom? and all the other details”.

He got the most amazing answer, the Shopkeeper told him that "The Watch was purchased by a Man wearing a red robe with thick hair", The Shopkeeper said that " He remembered him quite Vividly because everyone who purchases a Watch take the Voucher with them when they go, But this Particular Man had come again and asked for a "Duplicate Voucher ". Nobody so far had come back for a Duplicate Voucher.

Swami being in Prasanthi Nilayam and giving Divine Darshan to all had purchased the watch and brought back the voucher while at the same time being in Prasanthi Nilayam because Bhagavan is everywhere.”

Om Sai Ram.

"I brought you the Ring along with the sand" - Swami

Swami once materialised a ring for a young man from Chitagand (Nagaland). As the young man was involved in road construction work he lost the Ring. After a Few months he went to Prasanthi Nilayam, and pleaded with Bhagawan that He had "Lost the Ring”

Swami smiled and said " What I give is never ever lost, Bhagawan then materialised the ring along with his Divine Hand full of "Sand "

Bhagawan then said " This Ring was lost on the Road, I brought it along with the Sand from there ". So saying Bhagawan gave the ring back to him.

Where do you come From?

One of the most wonderful questions that Swami puts to the boys of the Primary School is "Where do you come from?”

The Inevitable answer is “Swami, I come from You, Swami!”

Then Swami will turn to the big boys and say, “See? He says, ‘From You, Swami,’ whereas you fellows say, ‘From Bombay or from Chennai.’ Chi! See those boys!”
And then He’ll ask another little boy, “How old are you?”

“Swami, eight years.”

“How do you know?”

“My mother told me, Swami.”

“Correct answer. Hey, where are you fellows? How old are you?”

“Twenty years.”

“How do you know?”

“Date on birth certificate.”

“Chi!” (Laughter)

See, what nice answers given by the little boys!

As a result, the big boys wanted to copy them so that Swami would appreciate them too.

Then He asked one big boy (I mean a postgraduate student), “Hey, where do you come from?” Swami asked this question in Telugu.

That boy said, “I come from You, Swami,” imitating the primary school boy.

Swami immediately said, “Oh, from Me? Then you must know Telugu! If you are from Me, why don’t you know Telugu?”

Because that fellow could not give an answer, Swami said again, “Where do you come from?”

He could not answer.

“Why don’t you give an answer?”

“Uh, I don’t know.”

“You said, ‘From Me’, so then you must know Telugu!”

So, it was a big joke. But at the same time, it was a hint that we should never imitate; we should never copy.

Long ago Bhagavan said, “Imitation is human. Creation is Divine.”

We are basically Divine. We don’t have to imitate. When we imitate, we lose our originality; we lose our nature; we lose our identity. So let us be creative by being original. This is a lesson for everybody

Source: www.saiwisdom.com

The Power of Bhagawan's Love

This is was related to me by One of my Dear Sai Brothers who had studied in the Institute in Prasanthi Nilayam.

When he was in the High School and before Sai Kulwanth Hall was built, This boy Naresh was wanting to give a letter to Swami very badly and was trying very much for a week to no avail, On One Sunday Swami suddenly called him and told him " to call his Mother and ask her as to how she was", Naresh had written exactly about His Mother in the letter and had asked Swami to help his Mother regain her health a she was suffering very badly from severe sinus problems.

Swami the smiled and told Naresh that "I know everything what you and everyone writes to me, Everyone thinks about oneself, Their family and their Friends, Swami thinks about everyone at everytime that is why Swami knows about everything", Swami then scolded him as to why did he not tell Swami directly about His Mother's Health and write a letter Instead, Swami gave him Vibuthi Prasadam and his Mother was all right in a Few weeks time.

That is the Power of Bhagawan's Love.

I remember Swami telling the Students once in the Old Prasanthi Mandir Portico when all the Students were thrusting letters in His Hands that "Swami knew everything that was written in each and every letter" and he took a few letters and told each boy the same thing that was written in that letter.

Swami is in our Heart always that is why Whatever we write to Swami is already known to Bhagawan, it is only to make us happy, Please us that Swami takes letters from us, Swami knows how happy anyone feels if Bhagawan takes our letters.

Om Sai Ram - A Divine Miracle

Whenever A Flower falls from Swami's Photo in our House, We feel Bhagawan's Presence,I have many times experienced Swami's Presence in those times and many of you must have also done the same.

This is a Wonderful incident which Shows Swami's Grace and Love towards everyone of us.

There was a Person by named Shri.Hariharan in Kurnool who was in need of an operation for quite a Long time, It was a Major operation on his Kidney's which Doctors said could not guarantee his health back, Swami told him three times to "Wait" whenever He asked Swami about the Operation, In December'1998 he went ahead with the Operation, At the time of the operation, His Mother was praying in the Pooja Room when A Rose on Bhagawan's Photo Feel down, His Mother put it back, After around another 15 minutes it feel down again, Then again. It happened three times. When his Mother met the Doctor the Next day, The Perplexed Doctor who performed the Operation told her that He was not sure about some Procedures during the operation and had to take some Quick Decisions, He felt that Someone was telling him what To do from deep inside him, whispering in his Ears and he felt that Someone was guiding him throughout.

A Few months after the Surgery when Shri.Hariharan went to Parthi for Darshan, Swami told him "Swami maata vinaru, kaane Swami matuku help cheyali" meaning "You do not listen to my Words and then you want Swami to help you ", Swami told him that He was guiding the Doctor all the way and was with his Mother consoling her all the time. Needless to say Shri.Hariharan is happy and healthy today.

A Wonderful Divine Miracle.

Om Sai Ram.

Wonderful Incidents

When the Giant Hanuman Statue In the Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium was being made, Swami used to go everyday to see the Chiselling by many architects.

During one such Visit Bhagawan was standing right on top of the Hill overlooking the Stadium, when Swami saw two boys standing in front of the Institute gate and talking, they were like tiny dots on the Horizon, Swami smiled and moved away, In the evening During Bhajan Swami called both the Boys aside in the mandir Portico and told them that Swami saw them from the Top of the Hill and that they were talking, Swami then said that as to how anyone can see and notice people from so far away, Swami said that Swami can see anyone from anywhere and Swami's "Mind is everywhere (Na Buddhi, Manasu sarvam unnadhi), How? because My Mind is Pure always".

Another wonderful Incident happened during that time when Swami was going out in the Wonderful Red Mercedes a few minutes after Morning Bhajan, Most of the Students had gone back, Swami saw two of the boys talking on the road leading to the Stadium, In the evening during Darshan Bhagawan called them up and told them that "Swami wants His Boys to be the most disciplined wherever they go and in whatever they do, they should be the leading lights of the world",

Swami said that Not only "My Boys" but all the people who come to me should be disciplined in every way, only then can everyone spread my message, Practise more than preaching is important, everyone who comes to me should practise what I say and then tell others what to do, Swami practises whatever he says, that Is why everybody Follows Swami".

Wonderful Words from Bhagawan.

Om Sri Sai Ram

A spirited Sai Youth from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Vijay Sohni serves as Assistant Commercial Tax Officer in the Government of Madhya Pradesh. He is also the Convenor of the Indore Sai Samithi and the Madhya Pradesh State Coordinator of Prashanthi Service.

Miracles fascinate all of us. When Bhagavan Baba creates lockets, chains, rings, etc. it baffles us, but Swami says these are not chamatkars (miracles) done to earn namaskars (respect and adulation); these are not pradarshans (exhibitions of power), but nidarshans (evidences of My divinity). These materializations, therefore, are only gifts of His love, a means to another fantastic end, which is the transformation of hearts – the real and lasting miracle. And the story of my life is one such fascinating miracle.

Living a Wayward Life

From my very childhood the members of my family worshipped Shirdi Sai Baba as God, but we did not have faith in Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Actually, on the contrary, I used derogatory language when referring to Sai Baba; I had no love or respect for Him. This was partly because there was no place for spirituality in my life then; mine was completely materialistic.

Though I belonged to a Brahmin family (the priestly class of Hindus), I often went against the traditional norms, and indulged in non-vegetarian food, and occasionally, even shared alcoholic drinks with friends.

It was during this period, 1985-86, that I appeared for the State Civil Services Examination. And in this, I indicated my first preference for the Sales Tax Department (now called Commercial Tax), for the sole reason that it was a 'lucrative' department for 'extra income'. I was duly selected for the post of Sales Tax Inspector and was posted in Indore (the commercial capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India) in 1987. In no time, I was attracted towards the evils of the department, and eventually I got involved in it quite deeply. I was tutored by my seniors about the ways of making 'quick money'.

I returned home everyday with 'extra cash' in my pockets; I did not mind spreading wrong information or even giving veiled threats to businessmen. From 10 in the morning till 9 in the night, I was in the market, moving from one business enterprise to another; I was annoyed if any of the shop owners did not do my bidding. "Nobody dare hurt me" was what I conveyed verbally and otherwise; my ego was obvious and demanded compliance from everyone on my own terms.

During this time I visited an astrologer who, on reading my horoscope, prophesied that a change for the better will come in my life in 1994-95. My immediate thought was that I could be posted in a flying squad (which conducts surprise raids on suspected offenders) and my 'extra income' would jump enormously. In 1992, our family was blessed with the birth of my daughter, and four years later, I admitted her in Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar, purely because it was a school of repute in my city, Indore.

At the time of her admission, a close friend of mine talked highly about Bhagavan Baba to me. He had just returned from Puttaparthi and said, "Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is not only Shirdi Sai Baba Himself, but also the reincarnation of Lord Krishna, Rama and Jesus Christ too!" I dismissed this idea entirely initially, but later I thought to myself, "Whoever this person may be, I should at least familiarise myself about Him as my daughter is studying in a school which bears His name".

And so, I started going for Sai bhajans to the house of my friend. Casually, I started attending the programmes of the Sai Centre too. After a while, I do not know how and why, I developed this desire to visit Puttaparthi at least once.

Coming Closer to God

In October 1995, I traveled to Puttaparthi alone. The ashram was abuzz with Dasara celebrations then. Even during this time, I had no special respect for Bhagavan Baba, but maybe I was more open. I sat for darshan everyday, and for three days Swami did look at me. However, on the fourth day, the day I was scheduled to return, Swami came and stood right in front of me.

I do not know what happened to me then; I suddenly burst into tears like a child. My hands automatically folded in obeisance to Him; the next instant I bent down completely and touched His lotus Feet. It was such an elevating experience; He made me feel so light. I cannot really describe that experience in words.

After this first rendezvous with the Revered One, I was definitely a much different person. Once I returned to Indore, I started participating in the activities of the Sai Samithi with great enthusiasm. I also decided that I would join the Sai Organisation formally as a Sevadal volunteer and serve at Puttaparthi whenever there was an opportunity. And this chance materialised for me in September 1996.

This second journey to Puttaparthi in 1996 was truly the turning point of my life. In fact, Swami was giving me indications of things to come much before I reached Puttaparthi on that visit. At about 5 o'clock, while I was still in the train, Baba appeared in my dream and asked,"What do you want?" I was startled. I just said, "I only crave for Your love and blessing." Then He smiled, and again said, "This you have anyway, ask for something else." I had no other reply; I made the same request again. After this, Swami disappeared and I woke up with a start.

It was the first time I saw Swami in my dream. I wasn't sure how to understand this; I conjectured that I dreamt about Him probably because I had been thinking about Him. After reaching Puttaparthi, I immediately went for darshan. And while waiting for Swami, I saw a person next to me reading a Sai book (those days books were allowed during darshan time).

I was inquisitive and asked him if I could see through the book for a few seconds. He obliged and when I opened the book I became still. The bold inscription on the page I opened was an excerpt from Swami's discourse which said, "I appear in dreams at My will. If you think that I appear because of your thinking, you are mistaken." Instantly, all doubts about His mysterious appearance vanished! This was just the beginning.

On the morning of September 26, 1996, I waited in line for Hisdarshan, and was lucky to get the front row. When Swami arrived, He came very near me, and accepted a letter from a devotee sitting on my right. I too tried to present my letter, but He showed both His hands, which were full with letters, and gestured as if to say, "See, I have no room for your letter".

So, I withdrew my hand. But in the next second, to my surprise, I saw Him collecting a letter from another devotee sitting on my left! This was depressing; when I came out ofdarshan, I had a bee in my bonnet. I went into a self-introspection mode.

On the Path of Self Introspection

The voice of my conscience was now speaking louder than ever; my evil habit of taking bribes bothered me terribly. I resolved then and there that I will not accept anything unofficial in future, and mentally, I made this solemn and solid commitment to Swami. The next day, I was fortunate again to find myself in the first line.

This time too, Swami came straight to me, but now, He lovingly accepted my letter without a word. Not only this, He granted me the chance to touch His Feet too. I came out of darshan as if I was in seventeenth heaven. Joyously I shared my happiness with a senior member of our Sai Samithi, who was also present there, and he explained to me that by not accepting my letter on the first day Swami clearly conveyed that He is not interested in a corrupt devotee. I had learnt a vital lesson of my life, but the Lord did not rest at this.

Now, before I started for Puttaparthi on that occasion, I was to do a market survey which could have easily yielded me over a lakh of rupees in unaccounted income. After I returned from Swami, my clerk informed me, with a heavy heart, that my area of operation has been changed, and the present one would fetch me much less income. In other words, my 'extra cash' had shrunk a great deal.

If I was my former self, I would have got wild with my officer. Certainly I would have picked up a quarrel with him, and harbored jealousy against the inspector who had snatched my money-spinning assignment. But now, it did not bother me.

Putting Everything in His Hands

When I set out to the market for my new assignment, shopkeepers, like always, came forward offering me bribes, lest I might write adversely about them in my report. But when I refused, they were obviously surprised, and happy too. In my hearts of hearts, I was so glad and thanked Swami profusely for cleaning my life up so amazingly.

I gave up drinking and non-vegetarian food too. My colleagues and officers could not believe the transformation they saw in me. Many thought this would not last and tried to lure me back to my old ways. "How are you going to maintain your family with your limited salary?", "You have a daughter, remember that! You are going to need plenty of funds for her one day…", "Have you gone nuts?" and so on. They tried to influence me through many clever arguments and strategies. But my only answer was, "All this does not bother me; everything is Swami's problem."

All said and done, it was not easy. Once I stopped taking bribes, my revenue stream shrunk. To manage the household expenses with my inadequate income, we cut down our desires. Earlier, I changed my dress twice a day, but now I am happy with a change once in two days. We decided to restrict the size of our family and reduced all avoidable expenditure.

For three full years, it was a financial tight-rope walk. But I was determined to follow this new path; it had given me so much peace. I was sure Swami would help us and He did. Eventually, my wife was appointed as a teacher in Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar with a decent salary. This solved all our problems. But how this happened is also interesting.

Dispelling All Doubts

Even though I became convinced about Swami's divinity in 1996, my wife was not. In June 1999, for the first time I came to Puttaparthi along with my wife and little daughter. For my wife, Lord Shiva was God, none else. And that very night in Puttaparthi, Swami appeared in her dream, and she saw that there was a snake wreathed round His neck, just like it is with Lord Shiva. This aroused her faith in Baba; still, she was not completely doubtless.

On the second day of our stay in Puttaparthi, I joined the darshan lines at 4 a.m., and when I left the room, I told my wife to follow a little later, carrying along Maitreyee, our tiny daughter. But given her shaky faith in Baba, she did not take this seriously, and slept through the morningdarshan. When my 7-year old Maitreyee woke up at 7 a.m., she cried incessantly for missingdarshan; she loved Swami dearly.

Therefore, the next day, she was up at 4 a.m. and tagged along with me to see Swami. She was a small girl, so I could have her with me on the gents' side. Before Swami arrived that day, she confided with me that Baba had appeared in her dream the previous night and promised her that He would grant her padnamaskar at 7 the next morning.

And so, she sat with eagerness and expectation. I told her Swami always keeps His word. And that's exactly how it unfolded. At 7 a.m sharp Swami was right in front of us, and even though she was sitting in the third row, she just walked up to Swami fearlessly and the Lord too blessed her profusely as she touched His Feet.

Now, this was a moment of revelation more for my wife than anybody else. This sealed her faith in Bhagavan. Soon, my mother too became a sincere devotee, and Sai became the sole inspiration and personal God of our entire family.

Work Becomes Sadhana

Meanwhile, my office environment saw a lot of changes; every activity was now being computerized. This alteration brought Mr. Hari Ranjan Rao as the Additional Commissioner to my department. He was a staunch Sai devotee right from his childhood and was happy to entrust me with many important responsibilities. In fact, one of the projects was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2003.

And on that occasion, I was awarded a certificate of appreciation along with five other top officers. I know certainly that all this has been purely because of His grace. Even today I continue to work in the computer section, and recently have been given a promotion too!

What is more heartening, though, is that my transformation has inspired many other officers to rethink about their wrong ways. Today almost everybody in the office greets me with 'Sai Ram'! Bhagavan Baba has transformed my life, in and out. When I recollect the prophecy of the astrologer now, I understand the true import of his words. Yes, my life has undergone a great metamorphosis. And I do not know how to thank Swami for the amazing miracle that He has performed on me!

Om Sri Sai Ram

"Prof. N Kasturi in “Sathyam Shivam Sundaram” narrates this thrilling experience of Sri Seshagiri Rao, who served as the priest at the Mandir in Prasanthi Nilayam:

Seshagiri Rao, who tended the shrine at the Old Mandir and later at the Nilayam for full 14 years had been injured by a fall and was in the throes of death. He was declaring aloud with his last breath the amazing Truth (enshrined in the Isavasya Upanishad) which no one except sages recall at the moment of mortal crisis: "This body composed of the five elements is disintegrating into its components; I am being liberated!" I stood by admiring and envying the old man. "What great good fortune, to pass into the beyond with these words on one's lips!” I told myself.

Suddenly, Baba appeared in the room, as someone had informed Him of the approaching demise of His trusted servitor. Baba chided Seshagiri Rao in firm tones. He said, "How dare you start on this journey, without taking a ticket from Me? Come down; do the task allotted to you. I order you to come to the Prayer Hall this noon and carry on with Arathi, as usual. We stood aghast at this 'unkindness' , but who are we to pit our judgement against the All-knowing One? Seshagiri Rao obeyed the order; he attended Bhajan and went through the allotted schedule of work.

Six months later, he fell ill, seriously ill and was admitted to the Sathya Sai Hospital; his condition worsened. His mental faculties began to fail, he lost all disgust for dirt and it saddened everyone that a faithful servant of God should suffer so. His brother came from Bangalore and prayed to Baba that he may be allowed to take him to the Victoria Hospital where he could be given personal attention by his son and his nephews, who were employed there.

But, Baba said, "Do not worry at his present plight. I am allowing him to work out the suffering he has to undergo. After this, he has the chance to die peacefully and quite happily. Otherwise, I could have despatched him months ago, when he had a fall." And, it happened so.

A month passed. Seshagiri Rao recovered quite mysteriously. The sun shone around him in his apartment. He spent six weeks of bliss, doing his chores. Then he started to decline and took to his bed. His son was by his side, tending him lovingly.

One evening, Baba went into Seshagiri Rao’s room. I had the privilege of going with Him. He asked me to bring a cup of hot milk. Spoon by spoon, He fed him the entire cup, calling on him by name and telling him that it was his Baba that was feeding him! Then, He rose and moved; turning back at the door, He looked at him and said, "Now you can go!" And, Seshagiri Rao obeyed, within an hour! Baba knew when he had to come down and when he had to "go". We can only watch and pray, only stand agape at the wonder and the meaningful "waywardness" of the wind of Grace”.

Reference: “Sathyam Shivam Sundaram”, Vol-II by Prof. N. Kasturi. Page: 224-225. (Chapter: ‘Signs and Wonders’). Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam.

Om Sri Sai Ram

This is the transcription of the talk delivered by Sri B Arvind in the divine presence of Bhagawan Baba on the 29th of July 2005.

Offering my Humble Pranaams at Bhagavan's Lotus Feet. Beloved Bhagavan, esteemed elders, dear brothers and sisters.

The Message of the Messiah

Once upon a time there was a Messiah who had come to Earth. After spending a long period on Earth, he decided that he would quit. So he went on top of the mountain and told everyone present, "Listen, today I am going to quit. I am no longer a Messiah." Hearing this, the people were shocked. They said, "You can't quit! If you leave us, how will we communicate with God? How can we keep in touch with Him? So you can't do this!" He said, "Listen, you're a fisherman; when you get tired, you don't go fishing. You are a manager; when you get tired, you don't go to work. I am a Messiah, and I don't want to do it anymore so I am quitting."

The people could not convince him. And so, they said, "Before you quit, please give us one message from God. A message following which our lives will be fulfilled – the greatest and the most wonderful lesson that God has to give us."

The world always looks for compactness, shortcuts. They asked this from the Messiah. They said, "Before leaving, do this much for us." He said, "So you want to know what God wants you to do?" They all chorused, "Yes!"

Brothers and sisters, we are all ready to suffer for God. We are all ready to undergo pain for God. But are we ready to be cheerful for God? To be happy for God every moment of our lives? What is it that we want in our lives? We want to be happy every moment. And what is it that God wants from us? He wants us to be happy every moment. Then where is the problem? Why are we not happy every moment of our lives?

This has been answered in various ways, in various scriptures, by various religions. And I feel that being in the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, this is the greatest gift we receive: the gift of this higher learning; learning how to be always happy.

We are unhappy because of what people term Maya – ignorance; and we have the Jagad Guru, the Lord of Lords amongst us to help us overcome this. Talking about ignorance, or Maya, I am reminded of an interesting anecdote.

As You Think, So It Is

I used to wonder how should I establish my rapport with my Master, my Guru, my Friend, my Everything? And then what I did was this: (I am being very honest and frank in laying before everybody what I did and how wonderfully it worked.)

Though I could not see my Bhagavan with me always, I imagined that my Bhagavan is with me whether I eat my food, whether I sleep, whether I talk, whether I am in the classroom. I imagined that Bhagavan is with me and I would talk to Him. Anything I found uninteresting I would tell him, "Swami, this is not interesting for me." Anything I found interesting, I would also tell Him.

All A Hallucination?

But then one day a small problem came up. I told Bhagavan, "Bhagavan, see this is the problem; it is not getting solved." And I wrote it down in a letter to Him and I came to the Mandir. And I was so sure that when Bhagavan came, He would take the letter from me. So I was sitting there, and as Bhagavan passed by I held out the letter. He merely passed by without even looking at me. At that moment I felt crushed. I felt that all that I was doing was nothing but hallucination!

Is it really true that Bhagavan is with me or am I merely imagining Him? Are these all my hallucinations? I was shaken. I said, "Then whom do I tell this?" It was something which I didn't want to tell anybody and I said, "I cannot even tell it to Bhagavan. Is it that I am alone in this world? Do I really have nobody?" And the next week was torture because I felt so lonely. I felt helpless.

And then that night I had another dream. In that dream it looked like the whole world was out to strangle me. And when I was running, Bhagavan came out and said, "Come with me." Even in the dream I was still very angry with Bhagavan so I just walked with Him. Then Bhagavan said, "Shall we go to the park?" I told Him, "Why are you asking me? You do what you want!"

Bhagavan is always with us but we may not be able to feel Him. If the radio set is out of order, can you blame the transmitting tower? No. The radio waves are always in the air. The tuning system is broken, so we were not able to tune in and we blame the tower! This is what happens.

It once happened that Bhagavan came and mentioned to a senior teacher here, "So many people are writing letters." Then the teacher said, "Bhagavan, maybe they have some emergency – that's why." Bhagavan then looked at Him and said: "What? Once they come under Me do they have any emergencies? The very moment they come to Me there is no emergency in their lives!" And this is the greatest benefit we have. We have all come under Sai.

Let me narrate one incident. We always think that we have come to Puttaparthi. We have come via rail, road, or airplane to Swami. Let me mention an incident that will make us all realize how fortunate we are.

"Your Time Has Not Yet Come"

There was a convener in Indore named Mr. Mandalay. Every Thursday he would hold bhajans at his house. He noticed that the number of devotees coming for bhajans was increasing and many faces were unfamiliar. So he went to those people and asked them, "Are you new devotees for Bhagavan?" They said, "No. On the railway station there is a Sanyasi who says, 'If you want peace of mind, go to this house on Thursday and you will get it.' Listening to this Mr. Mandalay was surprised. He decided he would go to the railway station and find out for himself. He went there and as he approached the Sanyasi, the Sanyasi told him, "Stop! Don't come near me. If you want to come near me there are two conditions. Condition one: you should not fall at my feet. Condition two: I will fall at your feet."

He asked them, "How can I get to Puttaparthi?" They said, "Very simple. Catch a train to Dharmavaram. From there, take a bus to Puttaparthi."

He said, "I took a train to Dharmavaram. By the time I reached Dharmavaram it was late at night so I decided to sleep and catch the bus to Puttaparthi the next morning." But he said the next morning "I woke up in a distant cave in the Himalayas." And then I heard a Voice which told me "Bangaru, your time has not yet come. You will have to wait."

He said, "Sir, I have not been able to step on to the hallowed land of Puttaparthi, while you visit every now and then. You have had the chance to have Darshan, Sparshan and Sambhashan with Bhagavan Baba. Tell me, should you fall at my feet or should I fall at your feet?"

Brothers and sisters, let us never forget what a great opportunity it is just to sit and look at Bhagavan. Sages and saints of yore have prayed for ages and they just get a glimpse. We get Darshan for hours together. It's time that we realize our opportunity.

Let Our Lives Be Bhagavan's Pride

I would like to conclude with one thing an elder brother told me. I asked him, "Brother, what do you think we should do so that our lives will not be a waste?" He told me something which seemed very radical. But I would love to share it with everyone because it is the truth.

Bhagavan, I have only one prayer: "Give us that Love and let our Love for You grow every moment. Let it grow stronger and stronger."

Because in this life there is nothing, I stress nothing more important or of any greater value than loving Bhagavan, loving God, with all one's heart.

Jai Sai Ram!

Om Sri Sai Ram

The Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam is the first institution established by Bhagavan Baba way back in 1954 to come to the rescue of poor and innocent villagers of Puttaparthi, as well as the increasing number of devotees to Prasanthi Nilayam. Everything about this hospital has been a divine miracle, right from the fact that it was constructed just 6 years after Indian independence and had just two doctors and a single nurse to start with, to now, when there are over hundred beds and scores of doctors and surgeons. The greater miracle is of course the amazing healing that happens in this hospital every single day. It baffles the doctors. The patients, needless to say, have no words to express their gratitude.

One such story is of Mrs. Devika Gunasena. Her experience is simply thrilling! Watch these videos to get a summary of what happened right from the horse's mouth. The complete account of the story follows below these video clips.

Om Sri Sai Ram

The late John Hislop writes in his book, "Seeking Divinity", page 92:

If you have sent letters to Swami, there might be some doubt in your mind as to whether or not Swami reads all those letters. I can tell you that no matter how tall the stack of letters, Swami reads every single one.

He does not sleep, because how can total awareness ever become unaware? He rests in his room, but He does not sleep. He draws the blinds so that the light does not attract people. If people thought He was awake, they would come out of their places, sit in front of Swami's house, and look up at his window. So He draws the shades quite tightly and then He reads all His mail. In the morning, the trusted boys take these letters down and burn every one of them. Nobody sees the letters except Swami. tTey are not kept, they are burned.

Sometimes there would be too many letters to read, so He would bring them down in the morning. This particular day, I was sitting on the bench, and Swami came in. Instead of sitting on the chair as He usually does to open His letters, He sat on the floor.

When Swami looks at His mail, He usually sits in the chair. By the time He finishes, the floor is covered with scraps of torn paper. He tears open the envelope and pulls out the letter. On this occasion, since Swami was sitting on the floor and I was sitting on the bench at a higher level, I immediately got off the bench and sat on the floor, too. Swami said, "Hislop,why did you do that? Why are you sitting on the floor?" So I said, "Swami, a devotee is never supposed to sit at a higher level than the guru". Swami said, "Nonsense, Hislop, sit on the bench." So I sat on the bench.

He started to open letters. He looked at me, and said, "Hislop, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that I do not really read these letters." Swami is peculiar in the way He "reads" letters. He would open one letter, touch it, fold it in half, look at it, and throw it away. The next one, He would just touch, and He would not even open it. Then He would come to one, pull out the entire letter, and spend two or three minutes reading the whole thing very carefully.

Why one like that and not the others, I have no idea. But at any rate, He said, "I know Hislop. You think that I am not reading those letters". He said, "I'll show you. You come over here and sit beside Me." So I did. He took half a dozen letters and said, "Now this letter is from a certain place and it has a certain date on it and it starts out in this particular way." He would say this about the letter before it was opened. Then He would tear open the letter, hand it to me, I would look at it and see that what He said was exactly true. This was done about half a dozen times.

Om Sri Sai Ram

"A group of six devotees had come to have darshan of Baba from Australia . Baba called them for a private interview.

During the normal course of the talk, Baba looked at one of the devotees and asked -- “Why did you come now. Your mother is not well. She needs you there back in Australia” .

He replied saying-- “Yes Baba, I called home yesterday night and this news was conveyed to me. I pray for her early recovery.”

Baba replied --

“Go home soon. She is asking for you. In fact go home now.”

So saying, Baba created a map of the world with the wave of the hand. He spread it on the wall and the following conversation took place : --

BABA : “Where is Australia in this map ?”

Devotee : “Here, Baba .” (Pointing to the map).

Baba touched it and the world map changed into an Australian map.

BABA : “Where in Australia do you say ?”

Devotee : “New South Wales, Baba .” (pointing to the map).

Baba touched it and the Australian map changed into the map of New South Wales.

BABA : “Where in New South Wales do you say ?”

When the devotee mentioned the place, Baba touched it and the chart changed to show all the apartments in the area.

Then Baba touched the house in which the man was staying and lo! the wall of the interview room became the door of the devotee’s home. Baba opened the door and showed the man his mother sleeping on the sofa. Baba called the man and asked him to go in and closed the door. He rubbed his hands on the door and the door became the wall of the interview room again!

Later when the Australians came out of the interview room, only five came out instead of the six who went in. The students of Prashanthi Nilayam campus saw this. Later they called back the man who was sent to Australia only an hour later, who confirmed his ‘safe arrival’.

Baba said that ---

“Time and space exist only in the worldly plane. In the divine plane there is no time and space. I can easily cross time and space as and when I want to. That experience of the Australian crossing space to reach Australia from the interview room was my leela to show you that it is possible for me to do that if necessary.
Time and space hold no barrier for GOD.”

Om Sri Sai Ram

"The Constant Presence (multilocative miracle of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

"On Sunday, the 13th day of December, 1964, Baba was at Venkatagiri town. He had reached the place a few days earlier in connection with a heavy schedule of discourses in the Chittoor and Nellore Districts, in Andhra Pradesh. But, Baba is not bound by the limitations of space and time. On that very day, about 8 a.m., "Baba surprisingly appeared in front of my house", says, U Ram Mohan Rao, Superintendent of the Junior Technical School, Manjeri (28 miles south of Calicut on the West Coast, in the State of Kerala). As the crow flies, the distance between Manjeri and Venkatagiri will be more than 600 miles! But distance is only a game that Baba plays to keep us, poor mortals, apart.

We shall listen to Ram Mohan Rao describing this visit, "I and my wife were indoors with our daughter. The maid told us that a Sadhu had come. We went out to see who it was and we were surprised to see Sri Sathya Sai Baba! Baba said, Hari Om, Santhih Santhih Santhih; we prostrated ourselves at His Feet. We led Baba into the officer room, but, on the way, He saw our Pooja room where His Photo was hung, along with several holy pictures. He said He would sit in the Pooja room itself. He told us that He had come to us that day, being very pleased with the Bhakthi of Sailaja, my daughter. He asked me to send word to devotees if any were available, for Bhajan and Pravachan." "He sent word to his neighbours and people collected immediately", says Ramesh Rao, his cousin. "He sang "Nandamukunda Sayinatha", "O Bhagavan", "Jayaram Jayaram", along with the Bhakthas. After Bhajan, He talked to me in Tamil, to my wife in Canarese and to the others in mixed dialect of Tamil-Malayalam. He blessed us by the gift of a Sankhamala and Himself placed it on His own photograph. He told me that my father had decided on a rite to propitiate the Snake-God (Sarpasamskaram) at Bangalore on 25th February, Thursday ('My day' He added), but He told me that he need not perform it, since He had already wiped off the calamity it was intended to avert and the sacrilege it was designed to atone.

"He took some light refreshment. Then, He told the persons around Him that all will be anxiously awaiting Him at Kalahasti. So, He took leave of us and asking us not to follow Him, went through the gate. He disappeared in a few seconds. We all felt happy at this unexpected Darsan and were struck by the 'disappearing miracle', within the twinkling of an eye."

Nor was this all. There are a few more paragraphs in the letter, which I am quoting: "24th December, Thursday, was a holiday; we felt lonely since our Sailaja was away at Mangalore. So we went out in the afternoon to visit some friends and returned home at 6-30 p.m. We were shocked to see the lights burning within the house. My wife asked me whether I had forgotten to switch off all the lights. I first examined the lock of the main door and finding it intact, went round the house to see whether the other doors were bolted from within. They were o.k. Then, both of us came to the front door, opened the lock and walked in. We found everything intact; all the lights were on. We saw Baba in our Prayer room! We prostrated ourselves at His feet. He asked us (in Kannada) whether we were afraid! We replied that we were very lucky and that we left very happy! Baba said that He had come because we were lonely and said, 'Let us sing Bhajans. If Sailaja were here, she would have liked to sing', He said. He sang a few Bhajans. He took food later, we discussed some general topics together. Then, Baba retired for the night.

Early next morning, Baba had His Bath; He had coffee with us and then, discoursed on Bhakthi and the Basic Truth of Nature. All of a sudden, we saw a rosary of Rudraksha beads in His hand; He put it on my neck with His Blessings, with the direction that I should wear it during my Sandhya rites. After those rites, I was to place it on Baba's photograph. We had breakfast together. The Puja room was decorated specially with garlands and flowers. Bhajan began. Meanwhile, devotees came to know that Baba had come; so they too assembled for Bhajan. Baba discoursed on Bhakthi in the Tamil-Malayam dialect. He granted every one the coveted interview.

At 12 noon, Baba himself waved the Sacred light of Mangalarathi and distributed Prasadam, to every one present. The quarter kilogram of dates that I had, sufficed for 100 persons! We had our lunch with Baba. He rested for a couple of hours and we had 'tea' at 4-30 p.m. Then He told us that several devotees were eagerly waiting for Him at Kalahasti. He blessed us again, when we fell at His feet. At 5 p.m. He went out on the road through the gate and suddenly disappeared. What a wonderful miracle! We could not believe our own eyes!

Nor could I, without confirmation through independent sources! Baba had given Darsan to persons in distress in distant places but nowhere, so far as we knew, did He stay so long and so concretely. It was too overpoweringly unscientific! I wrote a letter to two friends, P.K. Panikkar and P.A. Menon in Kerala enclosing a list of 84 questions for which I wanted them to find answers at Manjeri. They proceeded to Ram Mohan Rao's house and sent me a fuller report, which dotted all the 'i's and crossed all the 't's of his letter to me!

Ram Mohan Rao and his wife told them that Baba was wearing a yellow gown on the 13th December; He walked in, barefooted and went into the shrine room saying, "I shall go into My own place." My friends saw the picture on which the rosary of Rudraksha beads were placed. It had a thick outgrowth of sacred ash in a few days. Strangely enough, the face of Baba was clear but from the outer area in the picture, 'there fell a continuous shower of Vibhuthi dust which was being collected and distributed with the reverence due to the divinely created gift of Grace!'

"Rao and his wife have been devoted to Shirdi Sai Baba for many years; they have not visited Prasanthi Nilayam, but they had secured a picture of Sathya Sai Baba seven years ago and placed it amidst the other pictures in their shrine. When Baba sat in the shrine room and leaned against the wall, right under His own picture, they saw that the picture was genuine! That was the first time they saw Him; they had borrowed the book 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram' from a friend to read it. They thought that Baba has come, accidentally to Calicut or some nearby town and had decided to bless them by this visit.

When Mrs. Rao was listing her sorrows to Baba, encouraged by His overflowing love, Baba said, "Sorrow and pain are the lot of all; don't you know that both sisters of this body are widowed?" When Sailaja asked Baba for a Bhajan Book, Baba said, "Palghat Menon has brought 400 Bhajan books, printed in Malayalam, to Prasanthi Nilayam. I shall give you one". So saying Baba held His palm upside down, waved it twice and caught with His fingers the book that appeared! He gave it to the girl; we saw it! It was the same book, with the blue paper cover! Sailaja had great faith in Baba, since her eczema on the foot was cured by Baba a year ago, in answer to her pleading before His picture.

When he was asked to bring some persons for Bhajan, Rao did not go far, for he did not desire to miss Baba's company for long. He brought in the owner of his house, an old gentlemen, by name Thalayur Moosad and his 5-year old daughter; he brought the widow of Madhavan Nair, the founder of the renowned Malayalam newspaper, 'Mathrubhoomi', and his sister. Baba asked Moosad, "What ails your leg?" He gave Him an account of his disease and prayed for some drug. Baba told him, "The course of treatment you are now undergoing is enough." Mrs. Rao is now sending him the Vibhuthi Baba showers from His picture; he finds it very effective. The widow told Him of her diabetes. "I am getting bags and bags of rice from my fields; but I cannot eat a grain," she said, Baba replied in Malayalam. "It is the result of your past Karma". He asked Rao to bring an empty glass. When Baba held it in His Hand, it was full of a pink liquid. He gave it to her. "Take this thrice daily for 3 days; you can then eat any quantity of rice you like".

"One cynic was there, among the rest. Baba knew it and so He jocularly asked Rammohan Rao to bring a pair of scissors and He asked the fellow to cut for Himself a single hair from His Head! The man tried hard but failed, whereupon a bigger pair was brought at His command. This time too he failed. So, he put down his head and walked away without a word" writes U.N. Ramesh Rao, Rao's cousin, who visited Manjeri soon after this incident.

Baba sang four songs in all, during the Bhajan, asking the gathering too to sing them after Him in chorus. They were: 'O! Bhagavan', 'Pahi Pahi Gajanana', 'Siva Siva Siva' and 'Omkara Priya Sai Ram'.

"We saw the Sankhamala, the rosary of small conch-shells," says the report. "It is of the type available at Kanyakumari, each shell being no bigger than a seed of pepper. They are white in colour, with brown dots. There are 108 of them in the rosary, created and given by Baba. When we saw it, Vibhuthi had heaped itself over the beads. The rosary of Rudraksha beads also was examined by us. Baba told them that, until he could string them in gold, he should place it on the picture. Baba also created an orange-size bell-metal drinking cup with a spout and gave it to Sailaja. He also created a piece of scarlet silk cloth with borders of gold thread, and, presenting it to the girl, asked Rao to have a jacket sewn for her. He gave Rao additional Vibhuthi and Kumkum created on the spot to be given to "Calicut" (meaning U.N. Ramesh Rao, his cousin living there). Baba left at 11 a.m. on the 13th, saying, I have to keep to a programme at Kalahasti." They did not then know that Kalahasti was about 20 miles from Venkatagiri. They were too aggrieved at His resolve to leave, to ask where it was. He said, "No one need come with me." He closed the gate behind Him and disappeared!

The second visit was on a Thursday. Mrs. Rao was afraid to approach the house, since the lights were on. Rao opened the lock and entered. He saw Baba in the shrine, sitting leaning against the wall. Baba asked him in Tamil, "Are you afraid, seeing me?" "I have come to join your Bhajan," He assured him. Rao had brought some dried dates from the bazaar; he gave the plate into the hands of Baba for distribution; he felt that He alone could make it suffice for all those who were present. Baba entered the kitchen and protested against the dish of 'Kheer' being prepared. He did not "relish that sweet dish". "This is enough for six," He said! They had cooked only for two but, after dinner, food for three more was available. Next morning, Rao and Mrs. Rao partook of it as a sacramental. Before retiring for the night, Baba removed one picture of His from the shrine and hung it on a nail in the bed room. 'Let it be here,' He said. From that picture too, Vibhuthi is showering in large quantities now.

Rao peeped through a slit in the door to find out whether Baba was sleeping well but, he saw Him sitting up, most of the time, 'lost in thought, as one in reverie.'

Next morning, Baba had his bath and breakfast. When the housewife started preparing 'festive dishes,' He noticed her enthusiasm and warned that He would leave without eating anything at all; He insisted that only their daily menu should be given to Him. He talked to them of Sankaracharya being caught while young by the crocodile (Maya) in the river Poorna (Brahma) and saved by renunciation (Sanyas). He spoke of Sai Baba, and of God as Subrahmanya or Murugan. While speaking of Subrahmanya, He created a thin plate of gold, drew on it with His nail the picture of Subrahmanya on a peacock and rolling it directed her to wear it around her neck, inside a golden cylinder, to be made later. He said jocularly, "Sorry! I have no gold!"

This is perhaps the most dramatic, detailed and authentic narrative of the multilocative miracle of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba."

Om Sri Sai Ram

Year after year, students have the good fortune to photograph Bhagawan. We are mesmerized with the illusion that we have a lot to do with taking a good picture. Bhagawan has a way of teaching the simple yet profound messages.

In April'94, in Kodai Kanal. Nearly all the students on this trip had a camera with them. Four of us had been taking pictures of Bhagawan for over 4 years, and were known to have a camera handy, in His presence.

One crisp and beautiful morning, Bhagawan instructed the students to get ready for taking pictures and prepare to leave after morning darshan. We boarded the bus and made our way to a devotee’s house in Kodai Kanal. The garden was in spring bloom overlooking the clouds hugging the mountain ridges.

After taking several pictures in various locations around the garden, we were preparing to return to Sai Sruthi. Before getting on the bus, we asked for one more pose. It so happened that, I needed to change the film in my camera. To keep out of the way for other photographers, I moved behind a small post with a creeper clinging to it. Before I knew it, Swami was walking towards me. HE came up to the creeper and plucked a few leaves. Swami turned His palm upwards and showed me a pair of fruit. He asked, “What is this?” I replied, “Swami, they are plums.” Swami gave his sweet smile and said, “Do plums grow on creepers?” Swami instructed the students to board the bus and Swami graciously joined us. As we started to move, HE put the “Plum” into the mouth of one of the boys and asked, “How does it taste?” he replied, “Like chocolate and no seed!”

There isn’t day that passes when Swami reinforces the principle of GOD - Generation, Organisation and Destruction.

Om Sri Sai Ram

Baba is the greatest healer who treads this earth. He can heal with His look or touch, a mere brush of His robe, and also when He ignores you. He is the Doctor of doctors.

As a Doctor, I have witnessed numerous patients suffering from very serious ailments who, despite treatment in the best hospitals of the world, could not be cured, but they were miraculously cured by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Towards the end of March 1995, it was my turn to be a patient of a fatal disease. I started feeling very weak and suffered from pain all over the body which remained throughout the day. I had much difficulty in micturition, and that too with frequency of burning sensation. Constant headache and drowsiness made my work in the consultation chamber a torture for me, and I had to rest for about half an hour before starting examining the patients. I consulted a number of specialists who advised me to undergo a battery of tests and ultrasound examination of the prostate gland.

Cancer of the Prostate Gland Diagnosed

The urologist whom I consulted examined my pathological reports and remarked that the results pointed to cancer of the prostate gland. The specialist advised me to undergo extensive open surgery as the disease by then may have spread to the surrounding area and elsewhere. In view of my handicaps of obesity, history of ischaemic heart disease for which I had balloon angioplasty done and the cancerous process, etc., he advised that "the cardio-thoracic surgical unit was to be kept ready for any emergencies" during operation. I was completely shocked and remembered Swami in this hour of crisis in my life. "Swami", I thought, "Whatever You do is for my good as You are my Divine Mother and Father. You only know what is best for me and I would gratefully accept Your verdict."

On my returning home after the consultation, my wife inquired about my diagnosis and the result of the investigations. When I told her what had transpired, she suggested that both of us should go to Whitefield (Bangalore) to have Swami's Darshan and guidance. On reaching Swami's Ashram at Whitefield, we found Sai Ramesh Hall jampacked with devotees, giving us little chance of attracting Swami's attention, particularly when it was difficult for me to sit on the ground. In case I sat on a bench, the possibility of Swami coming there was remote.

On the second day of our visit, Mrs. Safaya, wife of Dr. A.N.Safaya, Director, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, happened to be sitting next to Nimi, my wife. Nimi told her about my illness and our purpose of visiting Whitefield. Mrs. Safaya informed us that after Darshan, Dr. Safaya would be in his room for a few minutes when he could be consulted. When we met Dr. Safaya, he told us that he along with his wife was shortly proceeding to Delhi and as such he could be of little help. However, he said, before leaving he would speak to Swami about me. Later he spoke to Swami about my illness. Swami told him that I had cancer of the prostate gland for the last 10 years but He had checked its deterioration. Next day, during Darshan time, Swami spoke to, my wife, Nimi and told her to proceed to the interview room. Nimi tried to call me for interview but I could not see her calling me. However, later Swami asked me too to proceed for interview. In the interview room, first He spoke to a team of officers who were working on Sri Sathya Sai Water Supply Project, a huge multi-crore project for providing water to Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, which for centuries did not have enough drinking water and efforts by the British and Indian governments completely failed to yield any worthwhile results.

Operation with Divine Touch

After giving final instructions to the group, Swami looked at me and with His outstretched hand, fingers apart and palm directed to the ground, He waved His hand and materialised a beautiful ring on which AUM in Hindi was written. He pushed this ring on my right ring finger where it fitted perfectly. He then told me, "Doctor, you have had this cancer for 10 years". Again He waved His hand and materialised Vibhuti, gave some to me and the rest He distributed to the ladies sitting in the interview room. After this. He asked us to proceed to the inner interview room. The first question I asked Baba was: "Swami, how do You say that I had cancer for 10 years?" Baba looked into my eyes and I suddenly remembered that 10 years ago I had acute retention of urine and had to be kept in the Emergency Department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New,Delhi overnight and the obstruction was relieved only the next morning. Following investigations, I was found to have adenoma of prostate, for which I had to undergo surgery by trans-urethral resection twice.

Swami lovingly looked at me and said, "Do not worry, I shall still look after you. But this time you require extensive surgery. I shall phone Dr. Bhat, the chief of Urology Department in Super Speciality Hospital at Puttaparthi. Dr. Bhat will look after you." Both Nimi and I hesitated for a moment as the weather was very hot, and so, we thought, that there was much risk for sepsis. Before we could say anything, Swami said, "Do not worry, I can make all arrangements in Bangalore also or wherever you like." I then realised my folly. It dawned on me that Swami's arrangements are always perfect and because He first mentioned Puttaparthi Hospital, why should I hesitate to go there? Moreover, it was more a temple of healing than a hospital where Swami had treated numerous cases and sanctified the entire environment. We both requested Swami to arrange surgery in the Super Speciality Hospital at Puttaparthi. Then Nimi spoke to Swami thus: "Swami, each year when we come to You, he develops a new problem. We feel very much ashamed of constantly begging boons from You". To this, Swami replied, "No, there is absolutely no shame in asking Me, because I am your Father and Mother and, in fact, everything". Nimi then prayed to Swami, "Swami, You please operate on him". Swami replied, "Do not worry; My blessings are with him. I will protect him". Swami then put His hand on my head lovingly. What a delightful experience it was! I felt very powerful as blissful vibrations passed throughout my entire body. It was a unique experience, something very difficult to describe. Next, Swami ordered me firmly, "Doctor, you go and sit on the chair outside - not on the ground". I obeyed His command, the meaning of which I understood later. When He came out of the inner interview room, He told me that He would call me again for interview. Next morning, He again called us for interview and we found that a chair had been kept next to Swami's. As we entered, Swami asked me to sit on the chair.

Miraculous Cure of Cancer

It was Tuesday. Swami told me that He had spoken to Dr. Bhat, a very famous urologist and nephrologist, who heads the team in Puttaparthi Super Speciality Hospital. He also told me that the surgery was fixed for Thursday, two days later. We were called for a thorough check-up the next morning. Next day, before leaving for the hospital check-up, we offered our Pranams to Swami. After receiving His blessings, we proceeded to the hospital for check-up. When we reached there, we found a team of doctors waiting for me. They conducted various tests. Dr. Bhat spent a good deal of time on my physical examination and reading the various reports. He then scanned through the ultrasound films very carefully. After thorough examination, he said, "Well, Dr. Kanwar, I find absolutely no abnormality in your prostate gland." I was completely surprised at this observation of Dr. Bhat and asked him in disbelief, "But doctor, what about all these reports? They are from the best specialists in Delhi." To this Dr. Bhat replied, "With all the years of experience that I have, I can very confidently reassure you that there is nothing wrong with your prostate gland. Baba must have cured you." Nimi, however, was far from satisfied and told him that we had come fully prepared for surgery from Delhi. "Moreover, why did Baba tell us that the operation would be done on Thursday - the next day?", she asked. Dr. Bhat replied, "Swami's very clear instructions to me were to operate, if necessary. I find no abnormality." To further satisfy us, he repeated uroflometery which showed excellent results. So, he asked us to return with confidence.

Baba: the Doctor of Doctors

Next morning, Swami came to me and asked, "Doctor, did you not go to Puttaparthi?" Before I could answer, He had walked across several Darshan lines. Next day, He said, "I shall telephone Dr. Bhat and inquire about the results" and walked away. I smiled to myself, for I was now absolutely sure that He had cured my cancer during the interview when He had put His hand on my head, and I had felt very powerful vibrations. It was only then that I realised why He had asked me to sit on the chair for two days - perhaps then after the divine operation, the wound was not healed. Afterwards, He never asked me to sit on the chair. He gave me Padanamaskar for five days consecutively, two times in the interview room and thrice afterwards. He not only blessed me with Divine Padanamaskars but gave me a new life also. On the following day, Baba told me, "Dr. Bhat says, operation is not indicated" and then He walked up to Nimi and told her that He had cured my cancer. I was convinced that once Swami said, He had cured the cancer, then it was not necessary to repeat the tests. But because of the insistence of my colleagues, I repeated the investigations seven times, but they were found alt normal.

Baba is the greatest healer who treads this earth. He can heal with His look or touch, a mere brush of His robe, and also when He ignores you. He is the Doctor of doctors. I offer my most humble obeisance at His Divine Lotus Feet. Swami explains the secret of the cure that many afflicted persons experience in His Presence. He says, "It is My experience that I am one with every sentient thing, every human being. My love flows out to everyone for I see everyone as Myself. If a person reciprocates My love from the depth and purity of his heart, My love and his meet in unison and he is cured of the affliction. Where there is no reciprocation, there is no cure."

Om Sri Sai Ram

Many years ago, Swami took a small group to the forest in Bandipur, not far from the hill-station Ooty. The group consisted mostly of students, but a few elders also were there in the party.

It was a lovely outing, one grand picnic with the Lord. The boys had their full - games, sightseeing, looking out for wild-life, and lots of goodies to eat. Only one thing remained - a photo with Bhagavan, a treasure, and something to remember this memorable event by. One of the members of the party had a Polaroid camera, and taking photos was therefore no problem. One by one the boys went, stood next to Swami, and had their picture taken. After everyone had been photographed, the boy who was doing the clicking prayed to Swami that He should pose for one picture all by Himself. Baba agreed, and the picture was duly clicked. The picture got instantly developed and was lovingly offered to Bhagavan who was sitting on a slab.

Swami looked at the photo for a while - it was a beautiful picture - and then asked the boys, "Do you want to know who I am?" Everyone was now seated around Him on the ground; they did not know what to make of the question; so there was no response. After a while, Swami again asked, "Do you want to know who I am?" There was an unusual glow in His eyes, and there was also immense power in His voice. Everyone sensed that something extra-ordinary was about to happen and therefore did not dare to give any kind of a reply. Swami then held up the photo He had in His hand so that everyone could see it. It showed the lovely picture of Swami. He then placed the photo face down and then started rubbing it against His thigh. At this juncture, one of the elder members of the party noticed that the lower edge of Baba's robe was a bit crumpled. Instinctively, the person leaned forward to straighten the robe, but Swami in an unusually harsh and commanding voice said, "Stay away; don't touch!" The devotee who tried to adjust the robe was taken aback by the severity of the tone and instantly withdrew. Swami continued rubbing the photo a few times more. He then slowly lifted it and held it up for all to see.

What the gathering saw was not the picture of Swami; that beautiful picture had vanished. In its place was the majestic picture of Lord Dattatreya, who embodies the Divine Trinity [i.e., Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Sustainer and Protector, and Maheshwara, the Dissolver of the Universe], complete with four dogs, representing the four Vedas. Baba then looked with compassion at the devotee to whom He had spoken harshly a little earlier and said, "I was charged with Divine Energy when I was revealing Myself as Dattatreya in the picture. It at that time you had come into contact with even My robe, you would instantly have been reduced to ashes. That is why I spoke sternly; it was entirely for your safety!"

On another occasion, Baba explained that when Krishna as a young lad lifted the Mandaragiri mountain [to protect the villagers from downpour], He had advised all the villagers to remain indoors and not come out. Swami added that this warning was necessary. Krishna had to invoke enormous Divine Power for lifting the mountain, and if anyone had accidentally touched Him then, that person would have been reduced on the spot to ashes.

Avatars are packed with Infinite Power. However, they rarely use it. If at all the Power is used, only a tiny portion of it is. And the use is always for the benefit of others. In this case, the demo helped to reinforce the devotion of those who had followed Baba to the forest.

Om Sri Sai Ram

When questioned by an interviewer, Dr. Samuel Sandweiss, the renowned psychiatrist who acquired a new vision of reality and an insight into what truly matters in the spiritual quest and destiny of man, said:

Q.What is Baba's relationship with Christ?

A. This is a very interesting question. I have mentioned before he has said that he is all names and all forms, that he and Christ or any form or embodiment of God, are the same. But he has drawn the connection between Christ and himself in a number of very interesting ways.

And furthermore,

On April 20, 1972 while seated among a small group of devotees - American devotees Sai Baba reportedly performed a miracle which more than words could points out the connection between Christ, Shiva and himself. The devotees said that by a wave of his hand he materialized this small medallion picturing Jesus on its surface. The tiny medallion was passed from person to person through the group of devotees for everyone to examine. Taking it back into his hand, Baba blew on it twice transforming the image on the surface, according to those present, to that of Lord Shiva.

 

Thus it is clear that Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Christ and Lord Shiva represent the same divinity and that there is absolutely no difference between them. In fact, many devotees have had the experience of seeing their own favourite and chosen God when they have cast their glance on the frail, red-robed figure of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. This is not just a maya or Illusion. But when one is in the presence of an Avatar, he is face to face with God and our notion of reality undergoes a sea-change. However, the perceptions of the individual depend largely on his own personal and individual stage of development in the realm of the spirit. Many Christians have been drawn to the orbit of Baba's influence only after they have gone through authentic and convincing proofs. So we come to the end of this chapter with the positive and firm conclusion that there is only one God and that he is omnipresent. The followers of different religions see him in different names and forms though he is essentially the same Divine force and energy, the same blazing Light, the Ray Supreme. The sameness of different names and forms has to be discerned only by the advanced and discerning aspirant. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has rightly declared that he isSarva-devata-swarup, the quintessence of all names and forms of God. He has further said:

I am not Sathya Sai Baba. It is only a name by which you know me today. All names are mine. I am the one God who answers the prayers that rise in human hearts in all languages from all countries addressed to all forms of deity.

Om Sri Sai Ram

One of the students of Vrindavan was suffering from severe case of Asthma. He had on numerous occassions written to Baba to cure him of the ailment. When Baba did not seem to reply, he became increasingly frustrated.

He tried to ask Baba about his ailment in darshan lines but some way or the other he could not establish proper contact with Baba.

The following night he had a severe attack of asthma -- he couldn't sleep, he couldn't breathe due to severe choking.

He looked at Baba’s photograph (every room has such photograph) and asked him: --

“Do you see how I am suffering? Do you even know how I am feeling now? No, You don’t. Because if you would have, You wouldn’t remain a silent spectator to my suffering. I will show you how it feels.” .

So saying He, with great difficulty moved himself towards Baba’s photograph and closed Baba’s nose and mouth and said--

“Do you now understand how it feels; hu (with a sense of anger in him.)?”

A few moments later he felt a little dizzy and swooned (fell unconscious).

His roommates woke him up next morning asking ---

“Why did you leave your bed and sleep here near Baba’s photograph? ”

The boy got up looking at Baba’s photo but did not open his mouth expecting a thorough reprimand from his room mates in case he revealed what he had done during his asthma attack.

During evening darshan Baba, having gone through the seating of devotees, came towards students, went straight to the boy and held his hand. In a moment the students found Baba breathing hard.

Realising that Baba was taking his disease, the boy cried out --

“Baba, I wanted you to cure me, not take my disease on you? Please don’t suffer for my sake.”So saying, he tried to free himself off Baba’s grip.

BUT ONCE YOU ARE IN BABA’S HOLD, CAN ANY POWER IN THE WORLD FREE YOU FROM THAT GRIP? Baba held on for 2 minutes and then started breathing normally.

Baba looked at the boy deeply and said --

“Do you think I need your letters to know what’s happening with you? I knew about your asthma. Your karmic effect got transferred to me. 20 years of suffering for you is only 2 minutes of suffering for me.”

Then he turned to all the students and said--

“HAVE FAITH ON ME. BABA IS HAPPY YOU DID NOT GIVE UP YOUR FAITH. GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO ME. DO MY BIDDING. THE WHOLE WORLD IS WAITING FOR YOU. BE GOOD INSTRUMENTS OF CHANGE IN SOCIETY. I BLESS YOU ALL.”

Om Sri Sai Ram

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Sri Indulal Shah, formerly the Chairman of the International Sathya Sai Organization, recounts his first Darshan of Bhagawan in his book “Sixteen Spiritual Summers”:

In the summer of 1965, which, to me, was the first of my sixteen spiritual summers, I was in Bangalore once to visit a friend. During an informal conversation one morning, my host asked me whether I would like to see Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who was to address a meeting at Malleswaram, in the heart of Bangalore city, the same evening.

I had heard about Sri Sathya Sai Baba and also read about Him in some Bombay newspapers, but had never seen Him before. I had, till then, no particular urge to read either His biography or discourses. My immediate response to the question from my host, therefore, was somewhat casual and uncertain.

However, on second thoughts, I felt that I should attend the meeting and so, later in the day, accompanied by my wife, Sarla, I went to Malleswaram where a mammoth gathering was listening to Baba with rapt attention. We sat in a remote corner of the big maidan (ground). I was swayed by a nameless feeling, a strange inquisitiveness or curiosity, as though I was adventuring into the unknown.

Then suddenly, the sky became rather dark with thick clouds fast gathering overhead. The large crowd became visibly restless, as people feared an impending rain. We ourselves were in a quandary and my host hastened to take us back to his car.

Just then, we saw Sri Sathya Sai raising His hand and saying something aloud to the crowd in the local South Indian language which, however, I could not grasp.

My friend said that He was asking the crowd to sit down and that He was assuring them that it would not rain. As He said this, we saw that the rain clouds started disappearing and the gathering darkness was giving way to bright sunshine. I remained spell-bound!

I could not believe that anyone could disperse moisture-laden heavy clouds by a mere wave of the hand. And yet, our eyes were a witness to this strange phenomenon, the likes of which I had read about only in Puranic (Hindu legends) stories.

The clouds are sent away in Mumbai

While the previous incident happened in Bangalore, Sri Indulal Shah was a fortunate witness to a similar and equally astounding event, but this time it in Mumbai (then Bombay) and the year, 1967.

This time, it was in Dharmakshetra in Bombay. The month was July, the monsoon time in Bombay, and Baba was paying a visit to Maharashtra State. The Bombay Samithi had arranged a public meeting of devotees in honour of Baba at Dharmakshetra.

I remember that it was a Sunday evening. In Bombay, in the month of July, a heavy downpour can be expected any time. That being a Sunday, a large crowd was expected to attend, regardless of the possibility of rain. The Samithi had taken all precautions to provide shelter to the devotees from showers. The large pandal at Dharmakshetra was packed with people to the full. The meeting was to commence at 6 p.m.

But at about 5.15 p.m., the sky was overcast and we feared that the rains would lash down any time. We were anxious to save the devotees from getting drenched in heavy rains. Some of the office-bearers felt that we should request Bhagavan Baba to start the meeting a little early, say at 5.30 p.m. I felt that Baba might not accede to this as there was 'Rahu Kal' (inauspicious time) upto 6 p.m., but my colleagues insisted that there was nothing like 'Rahu Kal' for Bhagawan.

Accordingly, I went up to Bhagavan and prayed: "Baba, could we start the meeting a little early?"

"Why?" asked Baba in a tone, which, by itself, was an answer to the question. But we did not understand this then, as our mind was also clouded like the overcast sky that evening.

I pleaded: 'Bhagavan, it is likely to rain, the meeting may be disrupted, the devotees may suffer'.

In answer to this Baba smiled and that benign smile remains imprinted in my mind even to this day - as bewitching as the smile that we see in the picture of Lord Krishna.

He then held my hand and took me to the nearby window where I saw that a drizzle had already started. Those who have seen Dharmakshetra know that Baba lives in a lotus-shaped mandir on top of a hillock and that the windows from His room open out westward. So, we could see through them the entire crowd gathered below and the dark expanse of the cloudy sky above.

Standing near the window, Baba said: 'Yes, yes, it will rain, and it will rain very heavily'.

This statement put me out completely. I could see from the window, devotees holding open umbrellas in an effort to protect themselves from the impending showers. I was searching for words to pray to Baba.

Meanwhile, Bhagawan raised His hand through the window and, in a moment, we saw the drizzle stopped and clouds dispersed in the sky!

In that moment of anxiety, the full import of what Baba had done did not strike me. Baba said that the meeting should commence as scheduled and I rushed out to convey Baba's decision to my colleagues outside.

The meeting started at 6 p.m. and, by then, the sky had brightened enough to dispel all our fears about the rains. It was during the meeting that I realised what a great blunder I had made in praying to Baba to commence the proceedings a little early. During those few minutes, I had forgotten that Baba is God and that He had absolute command over 'Prakriti' (nature).

When the meeting concluded and my colleagues were saying happily that the meeting went off very well, I shed some tears of joy and rushed to see Baba and fell at His Lotus Feet.

Baba, then, smiled and said: 'You forgot'.

When the heart is full, words are few. I had no words to convey my gratitude. I was in an ecstatic thrill. That was an unforgettable moment and I cherish the thought that it was Bhagawan Himself who reminded me that I had forgotten that He is God!

This incident is a conclusive proof that Baba is Omnipotent, that He can control nature and that He is an Avatar, God come in human form to bless all mankind.

Reference: “Sixteen Spiritual Summers” by Sri Indulal Shah. Page: 1-2 and 16-18. Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam in 1980.

Om Sri Sai Ram

Once Swami was conversing with devotees in His interview room. He showed then, His palm and asked what was there in it. Somebody answered that there was nothing there. But Baba said in all serenity, "This empty hands holds everything". When He closed it and opened it a moment later, there was a locust there. Wonder of wonders, there was also a tiny leaf to serve as the insect's feed. The locust was actually feeding on it.

In a little while Swami closed His fist and opened it to reveal that nothing was there. The devotees present in the could not believe their eyes. Through this incident Swami revealed to everyone of us, ignorant as we are, that Creation, Maintenance and dissolution lie in His control.

Bhagawan explains His divinity in a few pregnant words. He declared "Bha" denotes Creation, "Ga" denotes Protection and "Va" denotes ultimate dissolution. He who embodies these three supreme powers is Bhagawan.

Om Sri Sai Ram

The following incident happened in the late 1970's. Bhagavan had opened the boys hostel and the institute only 3 / 4 years before. Boys those days used to spend most of the time in Baba's physical presence apart form the college hours. It was during one such session that the incident described below took place.

As swami called the students near HIM, he pointed out to one student and said, "Your sister was crying before my photograph today". Stunned with such a revelation from Swami, the boy rushed towards Swami, eager to know if something had gone wrong. Baba took him closer and said, "Tell your father that I am calling him and that he should come here as soon as possible". Still eager to know what the matter could be, the boy pressed on "Swami Is something wrong? What happened to her?"

"Nothing. No problem... You don't worry. I'm looking after her. Why then do you worry?" said Swami and assured him of everything being all right.

The boy's parents came and Swami called them for an interview. The boy too went in with them. Inside the interview room, Swami spoke to all assembled there and in the end asked this boy's family to go into the inner interview room.

As the boy's family settled in the inner interview room, Swami came and sat down in HIS chair. Swami called the boy's sister and asked her "Kaisa hai (How are you?). The girl curled herself at Swami's feet and replied " Swami ka grace se atcha hai (I am fine with Swami's grace.)". Swami then turned to the boy's father and asked "Bolo sir, Kya vichar hai? (Speak sir, What have you been thinking?)". The father spoke "Swami, aap ka ijazad hai to is ka shadi karane ki soch rahe hai...(Swami if you permit, We are thinking of getting her married"). "Han Han ... Janta hai yeh baat. Isiliye toh yeh roh rahi thi meri tasvir ke samne.... (Yes yes, I know, that is why she was crying before my photo)" replied Swami looking at the boy.

Hearing this, the girl looked up towards swami and.... started crying. Swami looked at the father again and said " Tum dono itna jaldi kyon karta hai? Usko abhi itcha nahi hai. (Why are you both in a hurry? She does not want it now". For a moment no one spoke, then Swami spoke again" Shadi bad mein rakh na (Keep the marriage later.)". Hearing this, the father spoke "Theek hai Swami.... Hamne socha ki itna atcha rishta aya hai... abhi shadi kar dete hai, bad me shayad aye na (As you say Swami, We only thought - such a good proposal may not come another time, so let us get her married now)".

Swami's clothes were now fully wet with the girl's tears. HE looked at her and said " pehle iski Doctor ki padhai khatam ho jane do, phir dekhenge... Parivarik Dharm beech aya to padhai begad sakti hai....(First let her become a Doctor, as she wants to be. Family responsibility may be an impediment in the completion of her studies)".

Swami briefly glanced at the parents, the boy and then shifting his attention to the girl said "Tumko kaisa ladka chahiye (What sort of a boy do you want?)". The girl was taken by surprise but before she could answer Swami spoke again " Doctor ko doctor hi atcha hai. Hum doctor ko hi bheje ga. (For a doctor Doctor only will be a good match. Ishall send one.). Swami then held her hand and said "Tumhara shadi hamare sar par. Chinta na karo (Your marriage is now my responsibility Don't worry)".... So saying swami got up and left the room leaving the whole family star-struck.

The family, especially the girl left elated from Parthy. As soon as she completed her internship, Swami called her and arranged for her marriage. Even before she completed her studies, Swami had selected a boy for her, so that by the time she completed her studies, other formalities could be worked out faster.

Swami, as He always mentions is our DIVINE MOTHER. How meticulously, HE took care of the matter just like a mother pays attention to maters relating to her child. This episode also proves one more thing... not a single thought / a desire is unknown to HIM. He gives us what we want in the process of making us ready to take from HIM what HE wants to give us.

Om Sri Sai Ram

A noted geologist who heads the Geology Department of a major University was witness to one of Baba's materializations. Baba picked up a rough piece of granite to ask the scientist what it contained. The geologist mentioned some minerals. Baba insisted, "I don't mean those, but something deeper." He continued, "Well molecules, atoms, electrons, protons..." Baba wasn't satisfied, "No, no, no, go deeper still." The geologist professed his ignorance.

The Baba took the rock, blew on it, and gave it back to the geologist. The geologist was flabbergasted, for the rock had been transformed into a statue of Krishna playing the divine flute. Baba admonished him, "You see, beyond your atoms and all, God was in the rock, God is sweetness and joy. Break off Krishna's foot and taste it".

The geologist found no difficulty in breaking the statue and tasting the foot. It was candy with a sweetness all its own. No wonder Howard Murphet one of Baba's biographers, has said, "Sciencegives but the first word; the last word is known only to the great spiritual scientists like Sai Baba."

If Baba can transform rock into God... and we have the geologist's word for it - then why not the human being already charged with the divine afflatus or divinely imparted knowledge?

Apart from his own prodigious spiritual image which encompasses millions of devotees, Baba uses the 3000 and more Sai spiritual educational, and social service institutions throughout the world to spread His message with the objective of transforming the common people into a race of enlightened Godmen and Godwowen.