An Absolute Encounter!!! How wonderful are the ways of Bhagawan… calling His devotees, acknowledging His devotee of His protecting grace… He alone is the script writer and director…always donning the lead role… doing the right thing at the right time for the right person. An interesting tale from the life of Viswajith Singh of Allahabad…from Sanathana Sarathi, March 1980. I went to Whitefield on 30th of June 1979 to meet the Principal “Sri Sathya Sai Arts, Science and Commerce College.” I reached there at about 11 A.M. and went to the Principal’s office, but found that he had gone out and would come only on Monday. The day I went to see the Principal was Saturday. Then I went to bus station to catch the bus for Bangalore. When I went to bus station I found that the next bus would come at 12.30 P.M. So I went inside the Ashram because I was in very severe tension, and wanted a quiet place. So I went and sat behind the closed Information Office. As I was sitting I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. I looked back and saw clearly Baba standing behind me with an evergreen smile on His face. I neglected Him, because I thought I was dreaming. I could not believe it, because Baba was at Puttaparthi at that time. I again felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. This time as I looked behind Baba said, “Tum Bahut Pareshan Hota Hai, Utho, Utho,” (You are you worrying so much? Get up, Get up.) I could not believe my eyes but, stood, because it was Baba’s order. I was fully taken aback. I became nervous too. Baba then said, “Admission Ke Liye Aya Hai? Abhi Tum Vapas Ghar Jao! Jab Swami Tum Ko Bulayega Tab Tum Ayega. Swami Tum Ko Puttaparthi Me Hi Bulayega. Abhi Tum Vapas Apne Ghar Jao.” (You have come for admission. You go back home. Come only when Swami calls you. Swami will call you at Puttaparthi itself. You go back to your home) Then I said that I wanted to get admission now only. Hearing this Baba said, “Abhi Swami Tum Ko Nahi Bulayega. Abhi Vapas Ghar Jao. Jab Swami Bulayega Tum Aana.” (Swami will not call you just now. Return home. When Swami calls you, only then come). I again asked the same thing and Swami again gave me the same answer. Then I asked why He called me from Lucknow. He said, “Tum Ko Jis Kam Se Swami Ne Bulaya Tha, Woh Kam Pura Ho Gaya Hai. Ab Tum Ghar Jao.” (The work for which Swami had called you has been completed. Now, you return home). He further said, “Tumhari Ma Ko Kabhi Kabhi Pet Me Taklif Hoti Hai.” (Your mother suffers from stomach pain off and on). I said that I did not know. He said, “Accha, Accha.” (Yes, Yes). Saying this He produced Kum Kum and told me to give it to my mother. Then He asked me, “Aaj Swami Ke Charan Nahi Chuyega.” (Today, would you not touch the Lotus Feet of Swami.) I fell down at His Lotus Feet at once and when I got up, Swami had disappeared. If there had been no Kum Kum in my hand I would have thought it as a dream, but my hand was full of Kum Kum. So I had to believe it. After that I went back to Bangalore and Lucknow. My mother who was very ill has become normal. Afterwards, Swami did call me for admission in the newly started College at Puttaparthi.

Tripura Rahasyam Who is really Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba…? How best and authentic can He be described…? His mystery is beyond the understanding of the finite mind…why, attempting to glorify The Supreme Cosmic Godhood of Sri Sathya Sai, from Whom emanates millions and millions of Brahmands only to dissolve back unto Him, one can venture to say that His Supreme Truth is a mystery even the Trinities and Goddess Tripura… Read on a beautiful ‘revealing’ story of His Divine Mystery, the Real Tripura Rahasyam…as revealed by Bhagawan Himself…extracted from a speech by Sri Sai Giridhar Sai Ram in the immediate Divine Presence in Sai Kulwant Hall. Once a devotee asked Bhagawan: “Swami, what is Tripura Rahasyam?” Bhagawan smiled and said, “Let Me tell you a story.” He continued, “Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara once had a doubt. Now if we have a doubt we can go to our teacher, if great Masters have a doubt they approach Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara… but if these Lords themselves have a doubt Whom will they approach? Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara approached the Shakti or Tripura Devi Who created them, the Shakti that manifested them. Mother Tripura Devi humbly submitted and said, “Even I do not have answer to Your questions”. “But I do know where You can find an answer to this question of Yours. So She took Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara of that Brahmanda (universe) to a location. It had a huge gateway and She flung it open and in there they saw a long hallway.” Swami then said, “On the both sides of the hallway there were thousands of thrones and the four legs of the thrones were Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara and Tripura Devi. These three Gods Who had this doubt in their minds were stunned to see thousands of Brahmas, Vishnus, Maheshwaras and Tripura Devis. They thought they were alone but then they were more inquisitive to see Whom were they prostrating to. At the end of the hallway they saw a beautiful Lotus Feet and when they craned their neck to see Who that personality was, they saw Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is The Cosmic Avatar, He is the Adi Purusha Who manifested Himself to become Shakti and that Shakti in turn manifested into many Tripura Devis and each one initiated a creation. Even science recognizes today that there could be several universes in parallel. There are many Brahmandas (universes) and the Adi Purusha (Primordial Being) Who manifested the Adi Shakti to initiate creation, the Power Who willed to manifest into many Brahmandas Itself came here on this beautiful Earth as a Cosmic Visitor.” Such is the beautiful Form of our Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai!!!

The Oneness Of Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai… The unmanifest when decided to manifest in the Kali Age, He chose to don the garb of Shirdi Sai first, before coming back again as Sri Sathya Sai. How does one know the unity or oneness of the two Sai Avatars, Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai? To those fortunate and deserved ones, Bhagawan had given ample proof, convincing them beyond any doubt of the Oneness.  Sri Madhav Dikshit of Mangalore was one such lucky soul…writes Dr D J Gadhia narrating the experience of ‘proof beyond doubt’ happened inside the interview room. Extracted from Dr Gadhia’s book ‘Sai Smaran’. Madhav Dikshit was an accountant working for a firm in Mangalore and regularly had his lunch at the lodge. We often used to meet in this place and have interesting conversations about life in Shirdi and the final days of Shirdi Sai Baba. I told him about the valuable information that Shirdi Baba had given to his uncle before His ‘Maha Samadhi’, viz. I will leave My body soon and will come again as a boy of eight years of age. I further explained to him that Dabholkar wrote all these details in the Marathi version of the book Sri Sai Satcharita on the second page. Madhav Dikshit was fully aware of all these details, but what he did not know was that Shirdi Baba had already incarnated in the form of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He could not believe it as he said that he was constanly in touch with the devotees in Shirdi and they were not aware of this fact! I requested him to accompany me to Puttaparthi and told him of my experience with Beloved Swami, which he listened with interest. On my next visit to Puttaparthi during my holidays, Dikshit and his wife as well as some other devotees came along, making a group of twelve. After travelling about eight hours via Bangalore, we arrived in Puttaparthi just as Baba was coming out of the interview room. As soon as He saw me, He asked: “Have you brought Dikshit with you? He stayed with Swami for eight years, is it not so?” Madhav Dikshit was surprised and replied, “Yes Swami, You are exactly right.” He took us into the interview room and materialised Vibhuti and distributed it to all. Everyone was very happy to receive this Divine Vibhuti and also to see it being materialised! Swami put some questions to Dikshit in front of us, which we were not aware of at the time: “Do you get any more headaches after I slapped you on your forehead at Shirdi?” Madhav Dikshit was stunned; tears streamed down his cheeks and he fell at Swami’s Feet – performing sashtang pranam at His most Divine Lotus Feet. Baba said: “This is not enough, further proof will be given during the personal interview!” In the personal interview with Madhav Dikshit, Swami gave all the details of the incidents that happened in Shirdi. But the most important revelation was about Kakasaheb Dikshit. Beloved Swami said: Kaka was a lazy fellow. Shirdi Baba did not say that He would appear as a boy of eight, but that He would come after eight years. Kaka did not record these details straightaway and did not remember the imporatant facts correctly.  Swami revealed the minutest details about what happened with Madhav when he was in Shirdi, which convinced him beyond any doubt that Sathya Sai Baba is the incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba.

Three Minutes Late… Imagine a paradoxical situtation wherein one gets caught up to decide between two odd ends. Many of us get into these kind of situations often failing to handle the issue diplomatically. What would God do if he got into such a situation? Veteran devotees Dr. Vinayak Krishna Gokak and Dr. John Hislop had a unique experience of one such situation happened way back in 1974 just before Dr. Gokak’s return to India after his triumphant tour as Bhagawan’s ambassador to the Sathya Sai Centres of America. Read on the story as narrated by Dr. John Hislop in the January, 1975 issue of Sanathana Sarathi. After a triumphant tour as Bhagawan’s ambassador to the Sathya Sai Centres of America. Dr. V. K. Gokak’s return flight to India was scheduled by his California hostess, Mrs. Elsie Cowan for an 8:30 a.m. departure on Oct. 7, 1974. But, for the first time in his life he was late and the plane departed minus one distinguished Indian passenger, namely Dr. Gokak. How could this be? Could not Baba have delayed the plane for three minutes? Or, could He not have prodded Hislop, the driver of Dr. Gokak’s car to speed up a bit and thus gain a few minutes on the drive from Mrs. Cowan’s home to the airport? Or, on the other hand, could it be possible that Baba made obstacles in the way of the driver so as to make him slow and late? Some would say that missing the plane was just an accident. But what is an accident and why does an accident happen? Although it is true that Hislop resisted Mrs. Cowan’s proposal to depart Santa Ana at 5:30 a.m. with the argument that it was far too early for a short drive of 35 miles, nevertheless there still should have been plenty of time. Even though Hislop and Dr. Gokak did not wake up when they should have, Mrs. Cowan and Mrs. Hislop were up bright and early with coffee ready, and the party did get away by 6 a.m. The trip started out fine and for the first 15 minutes the car sped along fast and easy. But then the trouble started. First, the traffic got thick as glue and the highway became almost like a huge parking lot filled with cars that were either stationary or inching along only a few feet at a time. The minutes and half hours passed by, but the car made little progress and every time the watch was consulted the temperature of the passengers rose another few degrees. The driver berated himself for not heeding Mrs. Cowan’s 5:30 a.m. starting schedule and although the passengers were polite it was easy to see that they had the same thought as the driver! The slow pace became intolerable, and it was decided to leave the 8 lane highway and; take a chance on unknown side streets. What a relief it was to get off the highway! The first side street was almost empty and the spirits of the passengers rose along with the higher speed of the car. Surely now the airport would be gained in time to get Dr. Gokak on his plane. But no sooner the sigh of relief than a new, never imagined obstacle arose. First, earth bound highway vehicles had stopped all progress. And now the heavens themselves moved swiftly to maintain the level of resistance to the car’s progress. Southern California is a desert—dry, dry, dry. September October is the dry brush fire season. Yet, despite the season, it suddenly started to rain, not just rain—it poured down in torrents from a canopy of thunder and myriad lightening flashes. The roads quickly became dangerously slippery and the opportunity to drive fast was immediately lost. Still, at least the car was moving—but not for long! Now the inner city was reached and with it came the inner city traffic light system. One block of driving and then a red stop signal. Another block and another stop signal. Two minutes lost at each stop signal; miles still to go and only twenty minutes to plane departure. By now even the calm Dr. Gokak was urging. “Speed up! Speed up!” And Mrs. Cowan urged, “Make the signals, I’ll pay the fine if a policeman stops you.” The fifth passenger, a delegate from Hawaii warned, “Talking to a policeman will take longer than the traffic signal.” But the driver, throwing caution to the wind, did step on the gas and the last few miles of driving behaviour was surely no model for a law abiding citizen to copy! At last the airport was reached. Dr. Gokak and Hislop, leaving the parking of the car to the others, took .the luggage and ran. Porters at the outer doors said, “Stop. You cannot make it.” The ticket officer, however, shouted encouragement, “Run! You may make it—even though I doubt it.” As soon as the boarding ramp was sighted, the runners shouted, “Wait! We are here!” But the officers at the gate shook their heads, “Too late. The plane moved away from its mooring three minutes ago.” Well, that was that; Dr. Gokak turned to the information office beside the ramp and asked the time of the next departure. Armed with this information, he and Hislop made their way towards the passenger lounge to sit down and wait for the others of the party to arrive and ask, “What happened?”

A Question On Sadhana… Sadhana is essentially the pathway to God. To reach the destination one has to be devoted to the chosen path with all earnestness. ….and along with it comes certain pre-requisites and essentials that entail the spirited journey… Dr John Hislop writes in detail… extracted from Sanathana Sarathi. Janurary 1980. You say that you have been reading the various Sai books, but do not understand what Sadhana is, or what to do in Sadhana. Swami tells us that Sadhana is the process of getting what we want, and it has three aspects. First, there is “vritti”, which means attraction to that which we want. Without this longing for what we want, Sadhana cannot get under way. But this “vritti” is not enough. The second factor of Sadhana is confidence in oneself. We need self confidence, that we have the ability to get what we want. However, longing for that which we want and confidence that we have the strength and talent to get it is still not enough. The third factor is action. Without action nothing happens. We have to actually gain what we want and make it ours. Baba tells us that this triple Sadhana is as effective for worldly ends as for spiritual life. In other words, that which is the object of your longing and your action, you will get if you are brave and have strong confidence in yourself. The awesome power implicit in this triple Sadhana is a secret, unknown to the general public but revealed to devotees who study Lord Sathya Sai Baba. Triple Sadhana is a Divine guarantee, so to speak, that by the intense application of Sadhana to your life, you will get what you want. This being so, it is of the greatest importance to discriminate between your many desires before you engage in the Sadhana that will get what you want. What is worth wanting? What is worthy of Sadhana? Surely it is only that which will truly and fully satisfy your desire. What is desire? Desire is God, expressed as a vital force of your life. Who are you? You are the highest; in your inner most being your potential is Divine. Will the low satisfy the highest? No! No value that is lesser than the Divine will truly and fully satisfy, desire. Only God is worth wanting. Only the Highest is worthy to be the object of Sadhana. No beauty short of Him, no treasure short of Him, no power short of His; nothing that is lesser than He, will totally and finally satisfy and bring to an end the torment of unrequited desire. Lord Sathya Sai is the eternal Beloved in each person’s heart, and desire will not be fulfilled so long as there is separation between the Beloved and oneself. You are a Sai devotee, and thus you already have in your daily life the first two aspects of Sadhana. That is, you have sacred love for Him and are mightily attracted to Him. And your spiritual search is the evidence that you have the strength and confidence to do Sadhana. What you are puzzled about is the action aspect of Sadhana. Why are you puzzled even while studying the Sai books? If I may venture to guess, there are too many impressions coming all at once about what to do: Mentioned in the books are a number of different activities and each one is called “Sadhana”. In this context Swami has given us a very important principle which merits your best attention. Swami points out that a box may contain a hundred or more matches, each one of which is potential fire. But He asks us to consider that only one small feeble match is needed to start a huge forest fire that consumes everything in its path; even green and wet wood is burnt to ashes. There is no need to strike a hundred matches to start a big fire. A skilful and careful striking of one match will start a fire. By this example Swami is telling us to do one Sadhana action and do it with the whole heart and mind. And, that is enough; the rest will inevitably follow. For your Sadhana action, why not take the action of which Swami speaks most often. In this context He declares that sacred love is the Royal Highway td God. You already love and long for Sathya Sai; what is the action that corresponds to that sacred love? Well, by virtue of His Divine Grace, Swami even tells us this. He Whom we love, we wish to behold and be with, all the time. So all the time have Lord Sathya Sai, the Beloved, as your Guide, Protector, Constant Companion ever loving and affectionate, despite your human faults, call upon Him to bestow His Grace and be with you always. He assures us that He hears and ever responds if you repeat His Name with sacred love and visualize His Form in your mind.

Jnana Marga or Bhakti Marga…? Bhakti is Pure Love… and without Pure Love one cannot reach Godhood. Whichever the path one follows, everything sprouts from Bhakti, Pure Love… While all paths lead to the same goal, in a Divine discourse delivered on 21st August 1996, Bhagawan, through two beautiful stories, certifies Bhakti Marga over Jnana Marga, with the first being more easier owing to the complexities involved in the latter path, tor the men of present day to reach the Ultimate Goal… There were two brothers, Jnanadeva and Bhaktideva. Both were going on a journey. On the way, they felt thirsty. Bhaktideva asked Jnanadeva, “I am thirsty but I cannot see water anywhere.” Jnanadeva said: “Let us see whether there is any well nearby.” After going some distance, they noticed an old well with water deep at the bottom. Jnanadeva declared: “Jnanaath-eva-thu-kaivalyam” (Through Wisdom anything can be accomplished). He immediately assumed the form of a bird, flew down to the water in the well, quenched his thirst and came up. Jnanadeva had the ability to assume any form because of the supreme knowledge of the Self. Bhaktideva could not get down into the well. He sat near the well and prayed to God with intense love. After sometime, the water in the well rose to the level of his feet. Noting the wetness of his feet, he opened his eyes and saw that the water in the well had overflowed. Jnana requires a change in one’s form. Bhakti needs no such change. Intense loving devotion will suffice. What the devotee needs will come running to him. There is nothing greater than devotion. Bhaktideva wrote a letter to Jnanadeva. It was a blank piece of paper which he sent in a cover. When Jnanadeva opened the letter, he found there was no writing on it. Jnanadeva then started writing his reply in page after page. He could not come to the end of his writing. His entire life was spent on enquiry and investigation. There was no time for doing anything practical. The life of most scientists is spent this way: continuous experimentation, with no experience. This sort of endless pre-occupation with enquiry is of no use. Devotion is easier than Jnana marga (the path of Knowledge). Through devotion, constant chanting of the name and loving remembrance of God, anything can be accomplished.

You don’t have faith in your own words…? As the saying goes “Easier said than done” man of today tends to preach a lot with little practice. How often we boast of our so called faith only to find ourselves wanting, later… Read on a beautiful episode from the life of Ms Shiraz P. Pavri of Navsari, extracted from Sanathana Sarathi, Nov-Dec 1985. A friend, with whom I play and study, has listened to my endless tales of miracles and power of Bhagawan Baba with jest and plentiful teasing. But she didn’t hinder me in my spiritual life. Instead, for form’s sake, she once asked me for some of Bhagawan’s Vibhuti, which cured her mother of the disease of the spine. This created faith in her mind. It was the fourth day of our final examinations! As usual I went to my friend and asked her if she had prepared for it well. Instantly tears started pouring down her eyes. On that day she had the paper in Hindi in which she was very weak. In both the First and Second Terminal Examinations she had failed in this subject and even this time she was not at all prepared. I gave her a Vibhuti packet from my compass box and advised her to eat a little and sprinkle the Vibhuti on the question paper and on the answer booklets, before reading the question paper. This calmed her a bit. There was still half an hour for the bell to go and so being in a class lower to me she went away under a tree with her own class mates to read. But, I decided to follow her, in case she started crying all over again. But my supposition was wrong. She was silently reading away with a slight glint of satisfaction on her face. I left her. After finishing my paper, I was eager to learn the story of my dear Vibhuti. My mind was caught in doubt and worry. I ran to the room where my friend was appearing for the paper. I saw her coming out of the examination hall, beaming with joy. She ran forward and pressed a kiss on my cheek. She had done very well in the paper and apart from passing she was sure to get first class marks in Hindi. While I was following her homewards, I told her how I had run out of my class to hear the news! Now it was her turn to speak. She started scolding me saying, “So you don’t have faith in your own words and the Vibhuti. Why did you doubt and fear?” She gave me a long lecture and opened my eyes. I thought, “I talk like a devotee—but it is she who has the faith. How wrong I was, to feel superior!”

Depart Without Debt… Bhagawan is hailed in the Arathi song as “Sadgurudeva”. He is the Divine Teacher of Supreme Truth. He makes use of every conceivable occasion to drive home the profoundest truths in the most compelling and interesting manner. The students and small group of devotees who were present at the evening gathering in “Trayee Brindavan” after Bhagawan’s return from Ooty on 11 May were blessed in many ways. Besides Bhagawan’s darshan and prasadam at the end of the meeting, they had the unforgettable privilege of listening to Bhagawan’s informal discourses which were mainly concerned with what may be compendiously described as “practical spirituality”. Bhagawan spoke one evening on what is true friendship. On another evening, He illustrated from a crucial episode in the Mahabharata how it is sinful to be silent witnesses to the perpetration of a grievous crime. One evening, Swami related instances from the lives of Socrates, the Greek philosopher, and Prophet Mohammed to pinpoint the lesson that one should not leave any undischarged debts before one passes away. In relating the story of Socrates in His own gripping manner, Swami described how the young men in Athens were attracted to Socrates because of the way in which he inspired in them a deep interest towards the basic problems of life. Because too many young men chose to remain with Socrates, the authorities in Athens condemned him to death. Rather than allowing himself to be put to death by others, Socrates chose to end his life by drinking a cup of hemlock. Swami described the last scene in which Socrates was surrounded by his numerous young disciples. With no fear of death, Socrates spoke to them cheerfully. Before receiving the cup of hemlock from the hands of his disciples, Socrates told one of them that he owed a hen to a neighbour. He asked the disciple to give a hen to his neighbour so that he may be free from any debt to anyone before his passing. He then received the cup of hemlock from the disciples’ hands and drank it calmly. Incidentally Swami described how Alexander, a student of Aristotle—who was himself a pupil of Plato, the guru of Socrates—met an Indian ascetic during his invasion of India and learnt from the sage the supreme value of detachment (Vairagya) and the impermanence of worldly acquisitions. Referring to Prophet Mohammed’s life, Swami described how on one occasion when the Prophet was fleeing from Mecca, he had to use the services of a camel-driver for carrying him across the desert. The Prophet had no money to pay to him at the time. Later, when the Prophet was about to leave the world, he called one of his disciples and asked him to discharge the debt the Prophet owed to the camel driver. Swami related these incidents to the students to impress on them how important it is in life to discharge one’s obligations to others. The ancient Indian sages, Swami said, believed that if a person dies without discharging his debts he cannot escape the obligation to be born again to discharge the unpaid debts. Our ancients attached the highest value to honouring one’s pledged word. Harishchandra was the supreme example of one who was prepared to undergo every kind of trial and humiliation to fulfill the promise he had given. Swami recited a Telugu poem which says: The signature is vital to a promissory note;The army is vital to a fortress;Character is vital to a community;Truth is vital to speech. ] True Friendship One evening, Swami asked the students to define the characteristics of true friendship. Various answers were given and the examples of Krishna and Arjuna were cited. Bhagavan said that He wanted examples from human beings alone. The relation between Krishna and Arjuna was that of the Divine to man. Swami then gave the answer Himself and illustrated it with an example from ancient Italy. Swami said true friendship is present when the friends regard themselves as two bodies with one heart and soul. Swami then related the story of Damon and Pythias. Pythias had been sentenced to death by a ruler (of Syracuse) for an offence against the State. Pythias’s friend, Damon, came to the ruler and said that as the sentence was to be executed a month later Pythias might be released from prison to see his wife and children. The ruler agreed to release Pythias on condition that Damon agreed to be in prison for a month and was willing to suffer the death sentence in case Pythias did not turn up on the due date. Damon readily offered to take Pythias’s place. Pythias was freed and permitted to go home to meet his family. On the day prior to the date of execution a large crowd had gathered at the prison to see whether Pythias kept his word. Tension mounted as Pythias had not arrived by the evening. Damon was cheerfully ready to mount the scaffold in case Pythias did not turn up. Late in the night Pythias came running to the prison to save Damon from execution for his sake. The next morning the ruler was astonished at seeing both Damon and Pythias and was struck by the extreme devotion between the two friends. He pardoned Pythias and took both the friends into his service.

Blissful Smile… How Bhagawan often goes an extra mile to bring an extra smile on His devotee’s face… Sri N.V.N. Somayajulu shares an incident depicting His special touch of grace, fulfilling an earnest desire of one of His devotees. It happened in 1979. One year after arriving in Switzerland, my wife met by chance a Sai devotee in a super market. She recognised my wife as a Sai devotee by seeing Baba’s locket in her chain. She became friendly and later introduced us to another lady devotee, living at a distance of about 30 km from Berne. In a few months time, a housewife of a family living in the same building as ours started showing interest in Baba. One day my wife and I were going round shopping and found three small photo frames, oval in shape and made of brass. They were of the size 7 x 4 cm and had a little design on them. An idea occurred to my wife that it would be nice to present the three frames with Baba’s pictures to those three ladies on the occasion of Diwali. Incidentally only three of these photo frames were available in that shop. We took the frames home and realized, then only that they were too small to contain any picture of Baba, we had at home, even with necessary alterations. Around this time, interesting thing used to happen at the dressing table in our home. We kept a bunch of vibhuti packets in one of the drawers of the table. One vibhuti packet used to appear now and then on the top of the dressing table. I would keep it back inside, thinking that my wife might have by mistake kept it on the table. My wife would also notice the same thing from time to time and would keep the packet back inside the drawer supposing that I might have kept it, by mistake, on the table. We came to know from each other of this phenomenon only later. After having failed to procure picture of Baba of the requisite size, as Diwali was fast approaching, I decided to make use of the picture on the vibhuti packets, lying in the drawer of the dressing table. Those pictures were of ordinary quality. So, on one sunday morning, I went to the dressing table to take out the vibhuti packets from the drawer. But I saw on the table itself a vibhuti packet green in colour. As the packet carried a picture of Baba on it, I opened it to empty the vibhuti and to later cut out the picture. But, then what a surprise! I found three small colour pictures of Baba inside the packet. The pictures were nicely painted on a glazed paper and at the bottom of the pictures were printed the words “Blissful Smile”. I was so much shocked that I took a few minutes to call my wife to explain the incident. She was of course equally surprised at the event and told me about the phenomenon of one vibhuti packet appearing on the table now and then, which I explained earlier. To satisfy our curiosity we opened all the vibhuti packets lying in the drawer to see if they also contained any picture of Baba. There were none. As the three pictures were obviously meant for the three devotees mentioned above, we fixed the three pictures in the three frames and presented them in time for Diwali. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

Three Bags Full!!! Master punner He is… we have often seen Bhagawan doing jugglery of words, in His discourses and ‘casual’ conversations, only to give an impetus to His broader intentions… and how subtly He connects every word that He utters, aptly suiting the situation. Sri VK Narasimhan presents an Australian experience inside the Interview Room, with his editorial comments. From Sanathana Sarathi, May 1992. Peter Rae, an Australian devotee of Bhagawan, has been engaged for some years in erecting a Mandir near his home in New South Wales, for the use of devotees in the area. He has described an incident which happened during an interview at Prasanthi Nilayam, when he brought a pair of sandals to be blessed by Bhagawan before they were placed at the Altar in his Mandir. He writes: “Swami took us into the private Interview Room, where the sandals belonging to the Sai Temple of Peace were placed on Baba’s cushion for His Feet. When Baba came into the room and saw the sandals on His cushioned footstool, a beautiful smile came on His face and as He sat in His chair, He pulled up the lower part of His Robe and held up His Feet. Then placing both hands as in blessings, palm down, He said: Three bags full, three bags full, three bags full.” One of the ladies, Valmai, asked Swami, what He meant by “Three bags full.” Baba answered “the fullest of everything. The three worlds, Bhur, Bhuvas, Suvaha, Harmony, Happiness, Health, Full of happiness, Full of Love, Full of Santhi, Everything is there.” (The significance of Bhagawan’s use of the phrase “Three bags full” was apparently not clear to the Australian devotees. Bhagawan was indirectly reminding them of the words in the nursery rhyme:   “Ba-ba black sheep! Have you any wool?” The devotees had come from the land of sheep to Baba and Baba was giving them “Three bags full” of blessings, unlike the sheep in the poem which gave “three bags full” of wool.)