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

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

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

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