A Tribute to Colonel Joga Rao “All of you know him as Colonel Joga Rao, but I know him asKarma Yogi Joga Rao!” These were the words with which Swami decorated Col. Joga Rao after presenting him ceremonial kankanams (gold bracelets) and a silver salver, in front of the vast concourse of devotees assembled in the Hill View stadium to celebrate Bhagavan’s 65th Birthday celebrations. Some people live with such courage, verve and an endearing joy of life that it is an inspiration to all around them. Colonel S.P. Joga Rao was one such person. His high-spirited personality and openhanded nature endeared him to everyone. His brilliance, commitment and integrity at work earned him plaudits from the mighty and the scholarly. An eminent and vastly experienced engineer, Sri Joga Rao, will best be remembered for his yeoman contribution to the development of the Prashanti Nilayam and Brindavan ashram campuses and his close involvement in several of Bhagavan’s service projects. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, a charitable trust under the guidance of Bhagavan, which has executed several mammoth welfare projects. How Col. Joga Rao Came to Swami S P Joga Rao enjoyed a successful tenure as Chief Engineer of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), where he was responsible for much of its construction and commissioning. He also served in the armed forces where he rose to the rank of Colonel, and had been posted at many places all over India. Later he started a Civil Engineering and Consultancy Company along with a host of experts drawn from various fields of engineering, construction and management which was quite a successful venture. But, all this was just a training ground for the stupendous tasks he was to accomplish under the guidance of the ‘Architect of the Universe’. Destiny was to crown his life with a long and sweet association with the Lord come in human form. The divine call came in 1969. One day, Bhagavan visited the house of Sri Ramaswamy, a neighbour of Col. Joga Rao who was closely associated with service activities in Brindavan, Bhagavan’s ashram at Whitefield, Bangalore. Joga Rao, though a devotee of Lord Krishna from his childhood, had his reservations about men in ochre robes. So, although his wife and he received an invitation to Sri Ramaswamy’s house to have Darshan of Bhagavan he was reluctant to go. He had already been annoyed when a few days prior to this, he found a photo of Bhagavan Baba in the altar of his house, which his wife had received from Smt. Ramaswamy. But, his wife persisted and so he went there. Bhagavan spoke very lovingly to him and invited him to Brindavan. Baba’s gentle and warm demeanour touched Joga Rao’s heart and he was drawn to Brindavan soon after that. The devotional ambience of the ashram and the discipline there had a profound impact on him. Bhagavan received him very affectionately. During the conversation, He casually mentioned to Joga Rao to associate himself with the construction work of the college building at Anantapur. The passionate engineering professional in Joga Rao responded positively and that marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life.  An Intimate Relationship… In the Nava Vida Bhakti (Nine stages of devotion) outlined in the ‘Narada Bhakti Sutra’, the stage of Sakhya Bhakti is the penultimate stage before the final merger of the individual self with the Absolute. In this stage, the devotee experiences the relationship of an intimate friend with the Lord, sporting with Him and losing oneself in the bond of love with the Lord. Sri B N Narasimha Murty in Sathyam Shivam Sundaram V says, Col. Joga Rao was privileged, to enjoy such a relationship with Swami. Recalling this unique relationship Sri Joga Rao had with Swami, Sri V. Srinivasan, President, Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organizations, India, recalls, “Col. Joga Rao would intercede, to the extent that it was possible to do so, on behalf of many devotees with Bhagavan, which sometimes earned him reprimands from the Lord. He took them with a smile and would say to Bhagavan that He should extend his mercy to these people who were pining for His Grace. Bhagavan was also tolerant because He knew that Joga Rao was not asking anything for himself but only for others.”

A teaching from Sri Sathya Sai Baba Dear devotee, your hands are very small, but with these little hands you are trying to serve me. Your eyes are very small, but my creation is enormous. With your two little eyes you are trying to see the whole vast universe. Your ears are very small, but with these two small ears you are trying to follow my words. With your two little feet you are attempting to come towards me. Merely serving me with your two little hands will not achieve very much. Merely looking at my vast world with your two little eyes will also not be of much use. Merely listening to my divine words through your two little ears will not get you very far, and merely coming into my presence with your two little feet will also not fully serve your purpose. But there is one thing that you can do, which will have a great impact, which will produce a truly significant effect; that is to install me permanently in your heart. Once you bring me into your heart, then those other activities will not seem very important. Whatever form of worship you engage in, using your eyes, your ears, your hands and your feet only serves to control the mind, but when you invite the Lord to enter your heart, then control of the mind and the senses becomes very easy. The mind and the senses will become still on their own. There will be no need for any special effort to be made in order to sacrifice the fruits of your actions. Lord Krishna said, “Once you start thinking and indulging only in thoughts of me, then all the rest will be taken care of by me automatically.” To achieve this state you must develop a resolve and an unshakeable faith in the ever-present Lord residing in your own heart. Wake up my children! Wake up to the dawn of knowledge, wake up to your divine duties, wake up to your divine rights and wake up to your divine reality. Engage in action, but all the while remembering the Lord’s name. You should always keep this goal before you and strive to attain it. Due to silent sitting an expansion of energy takes place within you. This is Man’s electric power. The current of the human body is will power. You should be careful how you use this energy. By talking too much, you are wasting a lot of energy. This leads to a loss of memory power. Silent sitting does not mean merely keeping your mouths shut. You should exert control over your thoughts. The brain should get full rest. By rest, in this context, I mean a change of activity, for example, after studies you can engage yourself in manual labour or in singing bhajans. Whatever you study, study with full concentration. Above all, respect God, Who is your protector. The first and foremost duty of children is to make their parents happy. It is because of our parents and their sacrifices that we possess our bodies. Even after growing up, we should never forget our duty towards our parents. We should always be proud of our parents, and show respect and love towards them. If we love and respect our parents today, then we can expect the same treatment from our children tomorrow. God pervades the whole universe. Self-confidence is the foundation of life. To realize the core of divinity, expand your love. This has to be cultivated right from a tender age. If the sapling is straight, then the tree will grow straight. If human values are not developed in childhood, then that person will remain devoid of human values in adulthood. A child should be taught the 3Ds – Duty, Discipline and Devotion.  Duty is God, Devotion and Discipline are the two bodyguards. Children are the makers of the future. If their life is good, then they will be good citizens of a good country. Ego comes due to ignorance. The causes of Ego are status, wealth, knowledge and material possessions; these come and go. Money comes and goes, but morality comes and grows. Fill your hearts with love, and then the whole world will be full of love. Where there is love there is happiness. If you commit a mistake due to ignorance, then resort to prayer. Prayer unites two people, Man and God, into one. Prayer elevates you and helps you to abandon the evil path. Inculcation of human values (love, peace, righteousness, truth and non-violence) is the true education. The hallmark of a true education is humility. Discipline your life by practicing the human values. Take to the good path. Try and guide those who have gone astray, lovingly, onto the correct path. First endeavour to improve yourselves in a systematic and humble way as charity begins at home. Light the lamp of knowledge within yourself. By transforming yourselves the effect will spread far and wide. Remember the minute that has fled is no longer yours; the minute that is approaching cannot be counted as yours; the minute that is with you, this alone is truly yours. Make the best use of it, for it may be your last.

Are you really suffering? By David Jevons Those of you who are regular readers of the Ramala newsletter will no doubt be aware that in recent months I suffered a heart attack, which necessitated a visit to my local hospital on three occasions and having to undergo two minor heart operations.  These visits gave me time for reflection, both on the nature and purpose of suffering and on the way that I viewed other people’s suffering.  Many of you will also have heard that Sai Baba fell and fractured his hip a few months ago, and that he had to undergo a painful operation.  For me personally it has been a challenging time, because I knew that Sai Baba had willingly taken on the illness of devotees at various times in the past in order to save their lives, and had subsequently healed himself, so why would he not heal himself now?  Furthermore, why did such an accident happen to an avatar, a realised being?  If even they have to suffer, then, what hope is there for us lesser mortals?  I just could not understand why this accident had happened to Sai Baba and all sorts of niggling doubts began to arise in my mind. We were in an interview with Sai Baba several years ago and some one asked him about how they should handle suffering.  Sai Baba replied that all suffering is associated with body consciousness and that the spirit, the divine atma, never suffers.  He then took a handkerchief in his hand, held it up and dropped it saying, “This handkerchief represents the suffering, just let it go and it will fall away” and then to illustrate this he let go of the handkerchief and it dropped to the ground.   At the time I remembered thinking that whilst this process might apply to psychological suffering, I was not too sure as to how it would help me to cope with physical body pain.  Nevertheless, in succeeding years, whenever I was faced with physical pain, usually in the dentist’s chair, I got myself into the habit of chanting silently “I am not my body, I am not my body” and of saying the Gayatri Mantra.  I used to meditate and try to move my consciousness onto another plane of being, to be the observer of my body, to disassociate myself from it, but I only met with limited success.   The main problem was that I only practised the technique when I was about to face pain, rather than on a daily basis and, as with meditation, you just can’t sit down and expect to do it.   You have to practise.  It is rather like practising a fire drill.  You practise it even though no fire is present at the time.  Nevertheless I know that the principle is correct and my more recent experiences have proved to me that relaxing and focussing on something other than the pain is most beneficial.   Sai Baba says, ” To rise above pain one should meditate and chant God’s name.  Without meditation it is not possible to control and master the mind.  Thus, meditation is essential, to immerse the mind in the Supreme Consciousness.” Suffering is an integral part of life on the physical plane of Earth.   If you come on the Earth, even if you are an avatar, then you must expect to face suffering in one form or another because, as Sai Baba says, “You have to pay your human taxes.”  But why would our Creator base the drama of life on such a premise?  Why does even a realised being, a Godman, have to suffer?   Sai Baba says, ” Various saints had endless troubles in their lives with family, harsh treatment from others, and so on.  But their faith in God remained untouched.  They themselves did not suffer.  Jesus did not suffer.  But it was necessary that they go through what is generally regarded as suffering so that the world could have noble examples of worldly detachment and unshakeable faith in God.”  This is a lesson that many of us have to learn.  When things go wrong we tend to look outwards and to blame others, especially God.   Comments such as “How can God allow this to happen?” and “Why is God doing this to me?” abound.  Whilst God does not personally instigate suffering against any individual or group, nevertheless, as the creator of the divine drama of life, God did create suffering.  What would be His purpose in doing this?  Sai Baba says, “Regarding people suffering; they are being tested, but it should not be called so.  It is grace.  Those who suffer have my grace.  Only through suffering will they be persuaded to turn inward and make inquiry, and without turning inward and making inquiry they can never escape misery.”  How many of us regard suffering as God’s grace?  Very few us us, I believe, and why should this be so?  It is because we approach suffering from the point of view of body consciousness.  The body does suffer, but not the spirit.   Our bodies are made of physical finite matter, and are inextricably bound to the cycle of birth and death.   Disease and death are an inevitable part of life, especially when Man lives in a world of ever increasing pollution of thought, word and deed.  So if we recognise that suffering is an inherent part of physical life, what decides the degree and fruits of our suffering?  It is our attitude towards it.  Our attitude is the cause of both our suffering and our happiness.   With whatever feeling we see an object or person, the same is reflected back to us.  If we see the world as God’s creation, empowered by God’s love, existing only to awaken the God in us, then any suffering is seen as God’s grace.  But if we see the world as a Godless creation, where events are controlled by random fate, where might is right, where the weak fall

A play-for the Lord of the Universe Article by Vimala Narasimhan, Sai World Student Reporter, attends and leads bhajans at the SSBC’s of Encinitas and San Diego, California. She is 13 years old. magine…..Just let your imagination run free for a moment. Imagine you are in Whitefield preparing for a play that will be presented to the Lord of the Universe. Your palms begin to sweat profusely as you approach the stage. The hours upon hours of practice that you put into the play seem to fade away and you simply live in the moment, forgetting everything else except the stage and the Lord watching you. For 50 children from Texas, this was something that they did not have to imagine, since they were given the chance to experience this joyous bliss first hand. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview a young lady who had just come back from Whitefield with some very insightful experiences. I interviewed Devi Natarajan, a Young Adult from the Sathya Sai Center of Dallas. Though Devi had not taken part in the play herself, she was in Whitefield with the children who had taken part and had firsthand accounts of the entire program. Devi said that the entire center had been deeply involved in seva right from the start of their trip. Their typical day consisted of waking up and going to nagarsankeerthan, then going to the hall for Darshan and meditation afterwards. Once they were done with that, they went for seva till lunchtime. The members of the center were given a chance to do bathroom clean up, make goody bags, clean up trash, help in the canteen, and do several other forms of seva, which was a great opportunity to serve the Lord at His abode. After lunchtime, Swami would send two speakers to talk to the congregation, and when the speakers were finished, the group went back to do more seva. Once they were done with seva, the youth would go off to practice bhajans while the rest of the children and adults would go to practice for the play. Finally, they would all meet at dinner and then everyone was free to do whatever they liked. Devi also gave me a very detailed explanation of the exciting preparation that went on for the play. Swami had said that the play would be performed on Thursday and the children immediately set to work practicing harder than ever. They were now given the chance to practice in the shed behind the hall, as opposed to the small room that they were using. When the day of the performance came, everyone was taken by surprise since Swami wanted them to perform in the morning! The Young Adults were also given a chance to sing two songs as Swami came out in a golf cart, his first Darshan after about 25 days. Two boys from the center then came up to Swami and asked him to bless the program, which He gladly did. One of the boys apparently reported seeing a bright light when he was blessed. Swami sat through the entire program and constantly asked one of the center members who was the best actor, all the while knowing which one was best!! After the program, the children came down from the stage and Swami created vibhuti and blew it on them. He also materialised a necklace to a girl who was about 5 years old and commented that she had been in Parthi on her 3rd birthday, a fact that surprised almost everyone in the hall. Another boy asked Swami if he could study at Swami’s school, but Swami simply told him that it was not the time for him to study at the school. So, the boy asked if he could study medicine, to which Swami replied “Yes.” Once the excitement of the play was over, all of the centers from the region got together to share their experiences. Suddenly, a man came over to deliver a card to one of the actresses. The card said “My love and blessings to all,” which really was a message for all of the centers.

Anil Kumar Talk From:   Tarun Chudasama Yesterday wish you were all there when Anilkumar shared his personal experience with all of us at Dharmakshetra.  It was filled with crackers and he continued his monologue for over an hour enthralling each one of us. He began his talk with an old Sai Bhajan ” Sathguru Nathanee Vaa  Vaa Vaa, Satchithanandane Vaa Vaa Vaa….”  While singing he was as if powered with a Sai turbo engine and started the Bhajan directly in the second speed. He was so excited while singing that he demanded the “Dafli” from us started playing while rendering Bhajan. He said that he was born in Guntur which is almost like a furnace during summer and to cool down, they ate “green hot chillies” !  He was born to a Bhramo Samajist.  His great grand father was a Bhramo missionary in Calcutta and his father too was a staunch “Bramho” who never believed in rituals and idol worship. His mother is the first Andhra lady to come out from the college and that too with a gold medal.  Because in those days girls were not sent out to schools and colleges.  If they did, they were ostracised from the community.All his brothers along with him were the most eligible bachelors, because”Bramhos” did not believe in dowry ! His wife was born in a devout hindu family and would attend the temples regularly.  However Anilkumar never went to any temples being a staunch Bhramho. He had  hired a rickshaw for her to go to the temples.  They would both go in the same rickshaw.  His wife would go to the temple and he would stand outside the temple for temple visit was forbidden to Bhramos. Then his wife fell sick in 1970s. All the 13 doctors whom he met advised them to undergo surgery for a growth found in her stomach.  That was the end to all the delicious chilly food.  She was only allowed to take curd rice. Soon after she came back from the hospital while returning from the temple one day, they heard a Bhajan and they both visited the place.  It was a Sai Bhajan and after returning home, Anil Kumar says “my plight was that of Dasharata confronted by Kaikeyi”.  She said if you want me to be alive, you must take me to “Puttaparthi’ ” He agreed on two condition that she will never force him to come inside the Asharam premises and the second was that they will return after one week.  And so they both went to Puttaparthi.  She would go inside and Anilkumar with his two children would be roaming around outside the Ashram premises.  After 3-4 days he was curious to see what was happening inside so he came and stood outside the gate to have a peep of what was going on. It seems Swami came directly to him and just looked at him, he also stood and stared back without offering pranaams.  Then he saw Swami was distributing Ladoo prasadam to the workers who were then building the Poornachandra Auditorium.  That’s the time he saw the first miracle.  He saw plate with Ladoos appearing in his hand and mysteriously disappeared after distribution of the Ladoos.  He wished Swamy gave ladoos to his children but then that did not happen. Since he was a voracious reader, he bought Sathya Sai Speaks volume 1 and went back home.  When he started reading, he found that it was all the Bhramha Samaj principle, the Sarvadharma and the Universal fatherhood of God and Love etc..  He soon went back and bought the rest of the volumes.  Next day Swami again came near him.  This time his hands and legs were shivering He offered his pranaams and Swami gave a nod and left immediately. It seems Swami did not talk or acknowledge his(Anilkumar’s) presence for nearly seven years.  He said it was like university exams. Appear for exams, if you fail appear again in September and even that failed again reappear in April and this went on with him for nearly seven years! Because he loved debates and lectures, he would always snatch the available opportunity and speak.  Once he was invited to speak on Sriram.  Most of the other speakers were eminent scholarly persons.  “So amongst the list of eminent professors of literature and philososphy, there was my name in between Mr. Anilkumar without any titles!”  When he saw the invitation he rang them up to say that want to be “dropped”  as he did not fit himself to be the right person amongst those scholarly people.  The organisers turned down his request saying that they have already printed and posted the invitations to everyone. So just like the way he would prepare for the lectures, he would sit with Swami’s “Ramakatharasa Vahini” and prepared himself which turned out to be the best.  The following month he heard that Swami was in Hindupur and so he took a bus to go there.  On his way to Hindupur, he saw Swami’s red car going towards Ananthpur.  He alighted from the Bus and took another Bus towards Ananthpur.  He says being from a Co-ed school and college I did not know at that time that, at Ananthpur Girl’s college no males were allowed, not even a male mosquito!!  And without knowing this he barged into the campus where he was duly stopped by the watchman and was asked to stand out.

Professor Anil Kumar’s Sunday Satsangat Prasanthi Nilayam Year 2006 17 September 2006 Somebody asked me while I was on my way to this place, “Why don’t you put aside the prepared talk for a while so that we can ask some questions?” OK. So, if you have any questions, you are quite welcome to put them forth.                                   (Someone from the crowd asks) “What is sadhana chathushtaya?”  Yes. I will discuss sadhana chathushtaya in a lecture form. I’ll make note of it and do it in one full hour talk. Astanga yoga, sadhana chathushtaya—they are very important topics which have to be dealt with at length, that deserve our attention, and prepare us to proceed along the spiritual path. I appreciate it. I’ll make note of it and will definitely do it in one full hour talk.   (To another inquirer) Yes, please. ) (Gentleman asks) “Define Baba in a few words, please.”   In two words? (Laughter)  (Gentleman clarifies) “In a few words.”  Oh, you want me to tell about Baba in a few words? (Laughter)  “Yeah.”  I’ll tell you in one word—LOVE. Why few words? One word is enough—Love. Love. That’s all.” (Applause) One word. (Anil Kumar laughs.) Yes, sir.  Any other, please? Okay. Yes?  (A lady asks) “I am interested in your comment on the relationship between pre-determination and pre-destination, and that Swami knows all, and free will. Because so often they appear to be in conflict—you may have one but how can you have the other?”  Yes. I think all of you could follow her question. I have answered this question many a time in the past, but since the question has been raised right now, I don’t mind repeating it, making it as brief as possible to save time.  Free will Has nothing to do with God’s will What we call free will has nothing to do with that which is pre-determined. Free will is human choice; that which is pre-determined is the will of God. Pre-determination, or the will of God, may or may not be the same as human will or effort.   For example, I want to be a doctor, but God’s will may not be the same as my preference or choice. Free will is human choice. It is human preference and depends upon likes, dislikes, and the prevailing socio-economic conditions. But pre-determination, God’s will, is quite independent. It does not necessarily coincide with my preferential will or desire.   Human will is a desire, human will is a choice, human will is a preference, and human will is the determination with which you accomplish something. Human will has got ample scope for human effort, in order to accomplish that which one wants, and to realise that which one wishes. Am I clear on that part? Human will is based on choice, preference, effort, likes, and dislikes. I am clear.  Pre-determination is God’s will. A few points about pre-determination: 1) It is quite independent of our own will. It may coincide or it may not. 2) Whatever the pre-determination, God wills it for our own good. 3) The pre-determination of God’s will is based on the merit or karma of the past lives. This means that God’s will or the Divine will or pre-determination or karma depends on our deserving, more than our desiring. We may desire, but we may not deserve. So, God’s will depends more on deserving than desiring.   acceptance of the outcome is Surrender Now, how does one make both ends meet? Are they parallel? No. My friend, you and I have every choice to desire. You and I have every freedom to will, to desire, to hope, to plan, and to work. But total acceptance of what happens finally is called surrender—acceptance of what happens ultimately, what is kept in store for me in future, what will materialise at the end. If it is accepted totally and unconditionally, it is called surrender. So, acceptance is surrender; whereas rejection or denial is a psychological reaction to a situation that one has determined negative, which one has not accepted.  So, spiritual sadhana (practice) requires one to put in more human effort while preparing to accept whatever happens at the end, with the spirit that everything happens for one’s own good. That’s how we have to link the two. Yes, any more questions, please? Any more questions? Is that okay? Thank you.  

An interview with Anil Kumar David: How did you first come to hear about Sai Baba and what attracted you to him in the first place? Anil:  Back in the year 1970, an eminent devotee and a great scientist by the name of Dr. Bhagavantam happened to visit the town where I lived, and he gave a talk, narrating his experiences with Sai Baba in a most scientific manner, which made a deep impression on me. Later on that year I had some family problems, and so I went to Prasanthi Nilayam to ask Sai Baba for help. I can tell you that I didn’t get an opportunity to talk to him, I didn’t get to touch his feet and, as a result, I experienced five very unsuccessful days of togetherness. He was so divinely mischievous. He spoke to almost every person there but me, yet when I returned home I discovered that the family problem had been solved. The health of my wife had become very bad and when I was at Prasanthi Nilayam I prayed within myself saying, “If you really are God, then please give her back to me in good health. We have four children and if she dies I can’t take care of the children by myself.” Well, without talking to him, without any padanamaskara or anything of that sort, she regained perfect health. After this I started reading the discourses, Sathya Sai Speaks, and I became very inspired. As a student I was always first in elocution and debating contests, never in academics. I was never a gold medallist in studies, but in all the elocution competitions and inter-university competitions I always came first. I was very much interested in public speaking and learning effective communication skills. So having been inspired by Swami’s discourses I started sharing with small groups about them, and then people started inviting me to come and talk to them about Sai Baba. This went on for eight years. I went to see Sai Baba on many occasions, but he ignored me, year after year, and not just me, but the whole row in which I was seated. I used to tell my friends that they could sit by me in the canteen and the hotel but never, never sit by me in darshan, because Sai Baba would certainly never look at them! However after eight long years of waiting he did call me and, what is more, he asked me to give a talk in the Poornachandra Auditorium and ever since I have been in close contact with him. David: Will you tell us about how you first came into contact with Sai Baba? I know that you have told us this story before, but many of our readers will not have heard it, and I personally find it very amusing. Anil: Well, in 1977, after eight years of exile, I was travelling to Prasanthi Nilayam when Sai Baba’s car passed me by on the road going to Anantapur, so I turned around and followed him to Anantapur. There I discovered that Sai Baba was busy with some trust committee in the Girl’s College. Now, in the Girl’s College, as you well know, even male mosquitoes are not permitted to enter! So I was stuck outside the gate pleading with the watchman to allow me to enter, but he would not let me in and so I waited helplessly outside. Then Swami suddenly appeared at a door, surrounded by several important people, and the watchman took pity on me and said “Sir, you are free to walk a few steps inside the gate, but please don’t go any further.” I said, “OK” and walked in. Suddenly Swami shouted “Anil Kumar, come here” and I started running towards him, at the same time thinking, “How does he know my name? Why has he ignored me all these eight years? Why did he not look at me? Does he not know my problems?” whilst at the same time feeling totally blissful. Swami said, “Oh, last night you gave a lecture about me and everyone liked it” and then he said, “How is your wife?” I replied “Swami, it was she who brought me to you.” “I know”, he said, and then he materialised some vibhuthi for me and told me to come and see him in Puttaparthi. David:  Tell us how you came to be Sai Baba’s interpreter. What was the sequence of events that led up to your selection for this job? Anil:  Well, I was the State President of the Sathya Sai Organisation in Andhra Pradesh, and as the State President I used to attend the World Council meetings. One year it so happened that Sai Baba convened a meeting of the members of the World Council in the Mandir. Suddenly he needed an interpreter and since I come from Andhra Pradesh where Telegu is spoken he immediately picked me out and asked me to interpret. At the end of the talk he just said “Oh, fast, very fast!” and that was that and no opportunity presented itself to act as interpreter again for some time. In 1989 I was appointed the principal of the Sathya Sai Baba College in Whitefield, the Brindavan Campus, and since that time I have been the regular interpreter. All that I can say about this role is that I’m not always a hundred per cent successful in interpreting, I’m not particularly competent at it and I’m certainly not the only man who can do it. I regard the role more as an opportunity extended to me than something that I have sought. It is more like a blessing conferred on me than an answer to a prayer. I have faltered many times and Sai Baba always corrects me, so I know that I still have a long way to go. I know that I am not perfect, but I just hope that I fulfil the needs of the devotees. David:  By most

An interview with Al Drucker David: I would like to begin by asking you about your spiritual background. What were your spiritual understandings before you came into contact with Sai Baba? Al: I was brought up in a Jewish home in pre-war Germany. As a little boy I was a very pious kid even though my family was not particularly religious. It was really an opportunity for me to get away from my family. At the time I felt overpowered by all the women in my family. They all loved me and fluttered around me so much that as a little kid I just couldn’t take it. So the only way that I could become free of all of that was to become so religiously inclined that their needs wouldn’t prevail over mine. I think that I began studying the Torah when I was only three. David: But was there any one factor or incident in those early days that awakened your spiritual consciousness, that started you on your spiritual quest in this life? Al: Well it seems to me that my interest in spiritual matters was always there. I have some intimations of having been a Ramakrishna sannyasin in my last life. I believe that I spent that life in France. I have some remembrances of it. I also feel that I have spent many lifetimes in India, living in caves in the Himalayas. In this life I did not pursue a spiritual path until well into my adult years. After going to university I kind of got lost in the world for a while. I joined a select group of engineers and physicists who were responsible for the technical management of the U.S. ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes. However I soon got an inner message that working on these weapons of mass destruction was not right for me and so, on a spiritual impulse, I quit the programme very suddenly in the late 1960’s and went to live at the Esalen Institute, a centre for growth and transformation in Big Sur on the Pacific Coast, south of San Francisco. The contrast from my previous lifestyle could not have been more dramatic.  I radically changed professions, to become in succession a massage therapist, a Rolfer, an acupuncturist, a homeopath, a gestalt therapist and, finally, a teacher of alternative medicine. Now Esalen is just across the mountains from the Tassajara Zen Mountain Centre, it is about fifteen miles as the crow flies, and I used to hike across the mountains to meet a wonderful teacher, Shunryu Suzuki-roshi. He was really a great saint and it was through him that I became interested in Zen. I have also had a long time interest in Taoist teachings, having spent some time in China as a young man. So it seems to me that I have always been interested in spiritual matters, but Spirit didn’t really become the major focal point in my life until my aeroplane experience, in which Swami saved my life and thereafter led me to him in India. David: The greatest obstacle that I had to overcome in establishing a relationship with Sai Baba was the concept of God incarnating on the Earth. To me God was always separate from His creation and never incarnated in form on the Earth. When did you accept this reality? Al: Well, you see, even as a kid we would sing a song in Yiddish about the time when the Messiah would come on Earth and we would all be happy. I have always believed that the Messiah was just around the corner and that the Messiah was God on Earth.  So I have always been waiting for him and rather than being surprised that such a thing could actually happen, I was surprised that it hadn’t happened yet. So I didn’t have that prejudice against God being in form. David: In the talk that you gave yesterday, you related the story about meeting the SS colonel in the railway carriage, as you tried to escape from persecution in Nazi Germany. This impressive figure, dressed in the black uniform, must have absolutely taken your breath away, and yet he talked to you about the Bible and made that amazing statement, “There is no Moses to save you this time”. Al: I was just a kid of nine and, of course, I was terrified. I was frightened out of my wits when he came into that train compartment. I lived in Cologne and I was travelling across Germany to Poland and had stopped off in Berlin. In Berlin I had some well-to-do relations and they had decided to put me into this first class compartment, but unknown to me, Jews were not permitted to be there. I had the compartment to myself until the train stopped some twenty-five miles outside of Berlin and that was when this SS colonel appeared. So I sat there, petrified, expecting to be arrested, but he was charming He loosened his jacket and took off all of his imposing paraphernalia – the cap with the skull emblem on it, the black leather belt, the gun, the dagger, the leather gloves, the monocle and the big black leather boots.  He made himself comfortable and told me to sit comfortably and not to be afraid of him. So, in a sense, he became an ordinary guy for me. He talked to me about God and the Jews, quoting extensively from the Old Testament. He warned me that the Holocaust was coming and advised me to escape westwards not eastwards which, of course, is what I eventually did. David: You said that you felt that the SS colonel was Sai Baba, that he manifested as that colonel to warn you, in fact, to save your life. Are you really sure of that? Al: It is very clear to me now that the colonel was Swami. He simply didn’t fit the SS character at all. There was no way that man

An Amazing Personal Transformation… From Me to ‘Myself’ A Sensitive Girl Yearns for Her Personal God When I was a child, I loved the story of Dhruva and like him, I wanted to sit in the lap of God. I always thought if I pray to Rama, Krishna, Shivji, or Vishnu, the other Gods would get angry. So I was always confused whom to pray to. I wanted a God I could see in front of me, talk to, confide in and laugh with, who would love me unconditionally however I was, and one who would be my best friend and guide. I wanted my own personal God. The idea of a God somewhere up there in the sky, beyond my reach, was not what I could relate to. As a child I had a disturbed childhood and never knew how it was to be carefree. I was very shy, sensitive, and had the right values but was quiet, scared of everybody and everything and always felt unloved. I wanted to be loved unconditionally and be absolutely independent – emotionally, mentally and financially. I thought when I find my God, I won’t need anyone in this world and no one could hurt me. It was the heartfelt desire of a sensitive child who was badly hurt by the insensitivity and constant comparisons by the people around. In 1989, my father’s German friend Frank introduced me to “The Autobiography of a Yogi” and my spiritual quest began. I had never doubted the existence of God, but I wanted to feel and experience it and find my personal God. My yearning increased. We would visit Shirdi every year. I had some amount of faith in Shirdi Baba but, since I could not see Him or talk to Him, I still wanted something more. In August 1989, Papa took the whole family to Puttaparthi. Something in that trip had affected me. On returning home I found myself turning to Baba whenever I would pray in the Pooja room. In the meantime, all the people I had faith in, started letting me down. I could not understand why I was suddenly without a friend in the world, for no fault of mine. I was plunged into the nadir of despair, hopelessness and diffidence. I did not know whom to turn to. In those young and foolish days, I wanted a soulmate, as I thought that that would be the solution to all my problems and my insecurities, little realizing that my quest would bring me unbearable pain. Baba made me experience and realise that He was the only soulmate I ought to look for, trust and have faith in. Betrayed trust, humiliation, broken friendships and relationships, left me badly mauled, with a mutilated heart and soul, absolutely alone, with no emotional support, and no job to sustain myself ? I was heading nowhere, had no one to turn to and there seemed to be no way out. I cried for help from the depths of my being. I did not want to live anymore. Only God could have saved me – and He did. Then came the field training ? the initial shock of policing ? I saw for the first time the different social values of different people and sections of society. The deceit, lies, crimes, insensitivity, and different interpretations of truth as per convenience. I saw what motivated people to commit crimes, where the subtle line of distinction between right and wrong, good and bad was so thin that people justified every act they committed, on various grounds, morality being brushed aside completely. I was also exposed to various methods of policing and control, and I learnt to differentiate between what was right for me and what clearly wasn’t, what I should or should not do and at the same time while doing my duty, how not to judge other people and the situations they are in and how to be tough with criminals (a complete turnover from the soft me).

All That Remains is My Sai – Aham Brahmasmi! ——————————————————————————————————————- Happiness is union with God. There is no place without God. Whatever you do, you should feel that it is God’s work. God is acting through your body. He is thinking through your mind. He is working through your hands. If you work with this feeling, there is no chance for the ego to arise. The body is lifeless, just matter. The mind is a bundle of desires. It is just imagination. You are not the body; you are not the mind; you are the Atma (soul). – Baba It was inevitable! I was born, embedded with the Sai chip. My genome map was carved along the Sai path. The Consciousness of the Avatar of the Kali age, Sri Sathya Sai was embedded in my DNA code. That Sai is an integral part of my genetic make-up became apparent when I took a natural plunge towards Him in my early childhood, upon seeing a picture of His. In Swami I found everything my soul was seeking in order to make sense of my existence and its purpose, including the last piece that completed my puzzle. Finally, my search had come a full circle. All seemed well with life once He came in. My quest was over and all questions had been answered. From then on, I have pretty much lived a Sai-fi, or rather a Sai-hi life; often going through my daily routine, performing my worldly duties, while being high on the Sai awareness at the same time. There is no fiction in this experience, but only a reality that fulfils my consciousness, yet my limited vocabulary fails to describe. Everyone has their one special moment with Swami. I clearly remember mine and it is was quite un-dramatic compared to the accounts of people where Swami emerged from a wall or made a sudden physical appearance at an off-site location. Yet, this low key but deeply personal connection has continued to characterize my relationship with the Avatar of the Kali age – my personal hero, role model, my mentor, friend, Saichiatrist and the ultimate love and aim of my life – my beloved Sai, my true Self. It was in July of 1978 at Whitefield that I had my first close darshan of Swami as an impressionable teenager. All I remember is my Mom and I stood in the porch of the college auditorium, waiting for Swami to come out after delivering His summer course Discourse. The volunteer had been unfriendly with us for quite some time and we were desperately hoping for a close encounter despite all her efforts to shoo us away. Somehow, we survived and lingered long enough till He came to the porch to get into the car. There, in that porch, as He walked up towards us, perhaps to take a letter, He came very close to where we stood and looked me straight in the eyes. His powerful gaze peered through me, at something deep within me. It was my Tat Twam Asi (‘I Am That’) moment. My gaze was locked with God’s gaze. He had cast His Divine spell on me and my soul had been awakened in the most sacred and pure way. A floodgate of emotions just welled up from within me. All I remember was feeling extreme embarrassment – as any self-conscious teenager would – at my inability to stop crying uncontrollably. It wasn’t just few drops of tears flowing down my eyes; I felt an intense need to unburden my soul of something. I had to wash it off with unstoppable tears. I wished the earth would swallow me and somewhere far away from the public gaze, I could just bury my face and cry uninhibited – forever! Strangely, the more I wept, the better I felt. In fact, not just better, but happy, indeed very happy, light and joyous. The connection had been made. My next close darshan was a ‘car darshan’ at the airport, in our hometown in North India in the summer of 1980. Our flight had just landed and we were surprised to see our entire extended family there to receive us. The welcome was somewhat overwhelming. We soon figured out that they were actually there to have Swami’s darshan as He was leaving by the same plane shortly. So we too joined the line along the road to the tarmac. As His car drove past us, we had another close darshan. A month or so later, I was in Parthi seeking admission in the Arts program at the Anantapur campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. The six years I spent at His College and hostel bore a deep impact on my character development and outlook in life. Those years had many highs and lows and the highs centered around close encounters with Bhagavan and the lows hit us when He was away in Whitefield, Kodaikanal or elsewhere, and we were not able to behold Him, hear Him and receive His direct Grace. I must however point out that the education and exposure to Sai values that I received at Anantapur was within a simulated environment where almost everyone was like-minded in their devotion to Swami and His teachings. And surprisingly, despite the conducive environment, it wasn’t that easy to stay on path, razor thin as it has been described by the Vedas. It was only after six year’s of stay in Anantapur, when I returned home and got married did I really realize how much harder it is to live up to Sai ideals in the outside world. The challenge was to live in the world without letting the world suck me in. I suddenly realized that Swami had now enrolled me in the school of some really hard knocks. Till then, I had been subconsciously programmed to view the world from the Sai lens. Needless to say, my naivety and a serious lack of worldly wisdom proved my biggest challenges. I had so much learning and growing to do. And through my many failures, I