Easwaramma⎯An Homage The Lord said In the Gita:In every age when this EarthIs dominated by sinAnd evil prevails,I descend on EarthTo redeem humanity.However, while descendingEven the Lord has to followHis own laws;Even He has to decideWho should act as His parents.Imagine!How fortunate the couple.How lucky the homeWhere the Lord takes His birth. True, a mother is a mother,Holy beyond words for all timeEven if the son goes astray.But among them allThe one who begets Hari, the Lord,Is the holiest of all.Who has earned this honorAs the guerdonFor her relentless penance.Who can reckon the amount of punyaKaushalya could garnerIn her previous birthsBefore Rama chose herAs His mother?And who can gaugeThe depth of sufferingWhich Devaki must have undergoneTo receive Krishna? But O Easwaramma!Unparalleled is the sacrificeYou madeTo set an exampleFor women in every ageOf what motherhood is.Let’s open our heartsFor you to tread gently.O Mother Divine! It’s not everyoneWho can fathom your love,Your agony and your philosophy.Imagine the moment when Sathya,The darling of your heartStood confronting you and said,‘Maya Maya, it’s all Maya,’And you the mother stood confounded!The lips quivered.The tearful eyes betokenedAn ocean of surging love,But you restrained their flowNot allowing a drop to fall. Tell us O world tell usIf there’s a mother to compare with?—A mother, whose lotus feetMake you bow downA thousand times.“Kaushalya?” You say.You are surely mistaken.Kaushalya’s ordeal was limitedTo barely fourteen summers:And time flies—Years turn into months,Months into daysAnd days into minutes and seconds,And hope persists. ‘What? Devaki?’Devaki’s was no agony at allFor who’s that motherThat wouldn’t preferTo live away from her sonAnd see him happyThan to keep him with herAnd lose him?And did she not knowThat He whom she deliveredWas the Lord Himself, Easwaramma’s agony was unique.It’s the agony of a fishLiving in water and yet thirsty!The Lord said,“I belong to the bhaktas.They need me,How can l leave themAnd belong to you?If you need Me,Come and join the congregationAnd forget the worldly bondsOf mother and son.” The mother listened and listenedTo these heart‑rending words,But she neither shrieked nor cried,Rather looked straightAt her dear little SathyaShedding affection from her moistened eyes. Mother!The holiest of the holy ones,The Lord demanded your devotion;But what is devotion;If not the acme of Love—Pure and selfless Love—Which never gets dimEv’n in the darkest hour?Who could claim better devotionThan you? O Gentleness incarnate!You dived deepInto the agony of LoveAnd had it in full measure.Your decision was clear,“Let bhakti go to the bhaktasI need my son.Let those who aspire forDeliverance, get it;But the thirst of a motherShouldn’t go unquenched.”“If God is Love and Love is God,And all else on earthTransient,Then let Love prevail.”And it did prevail.The words of the LordWere rendered trueBy none else than the Lord’s Mother. In BrindavanWhen the elements wanted toDisintegrate,And you knew your time was come,You called, “Swami! Swami.”“Coming!” said theLord and rushed;But you outpaced Him.When He reachedThe nest was empty,The winged‑one had goneAs if to tell Him,“Here lies the Maya dead,”And the Mother merged with the Son;For Love is eternal,Steadfast and immortal,Whereas Maya assumesNew forms every dayAnd the wheel of life and death moves on. ~Bhagwat Prasad MisraPrasanthi Nilayam

Here He Is God’s World of Happiness,Is on the Verge of Tears;For all His Love and Workmanship,Has been devalued through the years. So now the time has come,For God to come on Earth,To save His dying creation,From the devil’s wretched curse. Here He is before youIn brilliant orange robes,To save ALL mankind,In many different roles. His face is full of beauty.His eyes are full of Love.His voice is soft and sweetLike the grace of a dove. We bow to His Lotus Feet,And pray to Him everydayThat He will save our Hearts and SoulsFor He is almighty God in the Human Way. ~Anita Saxena, California, Age 11 yearsSource: Sanathana Sarathi, Sept. 1978

A Bouquet for Beloved Sai I start this Prayer to Sri Ganesha, whokeeps us from all harm and sin:Dear Ganesha, Sri Ganesha, bless thisjourney we begin.Sweet Ganesha, Sai Ganesha, lead usto Lord Sai our King.…. To Sathya Sai our Divine King. Om to Earth and Heaven above, Om tothe dawning Sun within.Sai has come to Light our Heart,Illu­mine Love and Peace therein.Om to Earth and Heaven above, toSathya Sai, our Lord, we sing.His Light and Goodness fills our Heart,Illumines Love and Peace therein.O God Beautiful, O God Beautiful,Thank you for each perfect day.Thank You for Your gracious gifts,You care for us in every way.Dearest Lord, we feel Your Presence inour heart where You reside.May all our words, and all our deeds,and all our thoughts on You abide. At Your Lotus Feet we pray that neverwe from dharma stray.Help us, Lord, to see Your Form inevery creature that is born.You’re our Beacon, You’re our Shelter,You’re our Hope, we bow to You.Show us how to serve all mankind,Love all, seeing only You. Lord, we want no wealth or fame,Just give us strength to sing Your Name.When we search our heart, our mind,Beloved Sai, You’re all we find.You’re our Mother, You’re our Father,You’re our Brother, Sister too.You’re our Friend, and You’re our guru,You’re our God, we worship You. Brothers, Sisters, near and far,Come listen to the Avatar.When we share the love we feel,His Golden Age He’ll soon reveal.Start the Day, Spend the Day,End the Day with Love, Sweet Love.That’s the Way to come to Baba,merge with Him who’s purely Love.Start the Day, Fill the Day, End theDay with Love, Sweet Love.That’s the Way to reach Lord Sai, mergewith Him who’s purely Love. Praise God, remember God,Rejoice in God, be One with God.Let every breath be filled with God,within us is the Loving God.… Sri Sathya Sai our Living God.Lord, we want You. Lord, we need You.Lord, we give our lives to You.Lord, our Hearts are filled with prema.Lord, our Eyes see only You. Asatoma Tamasoma, from theDarkness lead us Home.Always shine Your light upon us,Give us Peace, Lord Hari Om.We open wide our Temple door,Let voice and heart to Heaven soar:Glory to the Blessed One,Whose Love is deep within our core.…. We have His Love forevermore. Joyfully we sing God’s Name,Proclaim God’s Truth, extol His Fame.Our Hearts receive the Aarti Flame,and taste the sweetness of His Name.We’re happy that on Earth He came.We’re ever grateful that He came.…. Dear Lord Sai, we’re glad You Came.OM ‑ Shanti ‑ Shanti ‑ Shanti. ~A. N. DruckerSource: Sanathana Sarathi, Sept. 1981

The Lazarus of Sai Baba O Christmas Season of recent past—Blessed by a drama that Baba directed:As Lazarus was raised, after breathing `his last’,Walter Cowan was thrice `resurrected’. When spirit left the body’s braceSai appeared at Walter’s side;O to look upon that Effulgent FaceIn life, and when one’s died! (His promise is our Treasure Grand:He will never desert a devotee—And through Death’s Portals holds our hand;We are never parted from Thee!) King David sang with steadfast faithTo the Shepherd of Human Flock:“No evil shall I fear, when throughThe Valley of Death I walk.” Walter’s experience proved this PsalmTo be a prayer of Truth—Swami is there, with the BalmWhen Yama smites without ruth. To the Hall of Judgement Baba ledThis man now serene, released;They met the Accountant of the Dead;Walter felt, not dismay, but Peace. Chitragupta, kindly and wise,Scrolls in hand, proclaimed,“Your works and character are here, column‑wise,From ages forgotten, un‑named.” Two hours of reading brought to lightThe good lives of our friend;His Soul felt Bliss of heavenly might—Though, on earth, grief had, no salt. Sai Baba announced at this crucial time,“He yet has My Work to do;His soul must now reverse its climbFor a mission of mercy and truth”. The Lord got custody of this ManFor return with Him to Earth!The Judge had to change the karmic planAnd say, “So be it. A re-birth.” Only God’s Love could eclipse Death’s MightAnd bring with It, he that Death’s borne;Soul returns to flesh, with new-won Sight,Much to the joy of those who mourn Walter’s wife, at the body, dressed rose-hue,Saw breath moving him that was ‘sleeping’.Walter whispered, “In pink! So lovely are you!”And she fell into sanctified tearful thanking. To have this Fortune, unique, to talkWith one who has died in the Lord,Erases our fear of the unknown walkAll must take through Transition’s Door. Generations will hear of this StoryThat beckons to all human‑kind:“Feast upon Sai’s Arch‑Glory!Marvel at His Love Divine!” —Karen ShultzSource: Sanathana Sarathi, June 1973

The Garden of my Heart I’ve laid out a garden in my heartRemoving all nettles, rocks and bushesSuch as anger, desire and pride upstartTo grow the rarest flowers fresh from blemishes. I water the plants with my pellucid tears;I tend the sacred plants with utmost care.They produce blossoms that last for yearsAs they are of the heavenly beauty rare. They are plucked for the special worship of Baba;They are of various kinds and colors loved of Baba;They are the white sweet-smelling ‘ahimsa’,The pale soft-perfumed ‘Indriya–nigraha’. ‘Sarva bhutha daya’ is another variety;‘Kshama’ is the red and glorious variety.‘Shanti’ is the flower, yellow in color;‘Tapah’ is the flower, violet in color. ‘Dhyana’ is the flower, orange in hue;‘Satyam’ is the flower, green in hue;All these eight varieties never fadeAs they are of immortality made! ~VaidyanathanSource: Sanathana Sarathi, Dec. 1959

Baba is Everything To me Baba is everything; I am but an insignificant thing; I write because He holds my pen; He alone sings and teaches all men. I echo when He sings or talks; I am nothing but a chatterbox; He alone helps all, good or bad; He has come to make all people glad. I always think of Him for my good; I always think that He gives me food; I always pray that all may be happy Healthy, wealthy, wise, and free.                                                 ~K. VaidyanathanSource: Sanathana Sarathi, April 1962

At Thy Feet Let me pray at Thy feetFor, here are love, bliss and benevolence; Let me learn at Thy feetFor, here are truth, knowledge, and prudence. Let me ail at Thy feetFor, here is the great physician; Let me disappear at Thy feetFor, here is the omnipresent magician. Let me sing and dance at Thy feetFor, this is the center of every art; Let me grieve and weep at Thy feetFor, here resides the kindest heart. Let me rejoice at Thy feetFor, here is the priceless pleasure; Let me beg at Thy feetFor, here is the inexhaustible treasure. Let me work and struggle at Thy feetFor, here my efforts are secure; Let me play truant at Thy feetFor, here’s One who’ll all endure. Let me bathe my soul at Thy feetFor here rumbles the Ocean of sanctity; Let me `live’ and ‘rest’ at Thy feetFor, here exist both heaven and eternity. ~Donn Dungaji, JabalpurSource: Sanathana Sarathi, June 1964

Dearest Sai, We Seek Thy Solace In a personal interview with Bhagavan Baba in 1979, the author told Him that she wrote poems occasionally to pour out her love for Him. Swami blessed her and said, “Write more poems on me.” Later she was blessed to write 75 poems on our Lord for His 75th Birthday called ‘Seventy-Five Blossoms’. Oh Listen, Dearest Lord Sai,As a babe seeks its mother with tears dripping down,As a blind man stumbles and falls in the darkness around,As the blithe bird in the sky above totters down, cruelly shot,As the sun, covered fully, removes its brilliance in a trice,So, do we, one and all, stand shattered, mute and helpless,Beloved Sai, none to seek, we pray to Thee for Thy mercy. Oh Hearken, Dearest Lord Sai,Thou art everywhere in Thy full grandeur, shining splendidly with Thy halo,Here and there, up and down, all pervading, Thy glory exists,Lord of creation, nameless and formless, Thou art fullness itself,Thy love, so divine, brim with compassion, in full embrace of us all,Shocked and silenced by this demonic virus, we all bow down,Beloved Sai, none to seek, we pray to Thee for Thy mercy. Oh Awaken, Dearest Lord Sai,Shall I tell Thee the havoc wrought by this vicious virus, so elusive,With a name so strange to utter, only a tiny speck in a deadly shape,With a stealth hard to detect, with such a will to strike all in its path,Merciless and mute, it sprung on us all, it jumped, nay it gallopedUntil we trembled and tottered, breathless we hid in our space,Beloved Sai, none to seek, we pray to Thee for Thy mercy. Oh Listen, Dearest Lord Sai,Shall I recount tales of woe, sights so strange, suffering so intense,With this virus, so invincible in its track, began its journey far away,Slowly but surely, its tentacles grabbed all on its way, far and wide,In its sojourn every nook and corner, trampling rich and poor alike,We stood, bereft of all that we knew, lost the freedom we enjoyed,Beloved Sai, none to seek, we pray to Thee for Thy mercy. Oh Hearken, Dearest Lord Sai,Shall I tell Thee what I see day long, what I hear, washing and masking,Intent not to succumb to the threat around us, we hide in our homes,Hospitals aflutter with the sick and the dying, medical warriors fighting,Fighting with all their skills yet young and old, elderly too turn a prey,Dead with none to mourn, nor to bury, adds to the count, a scary number,Beloved Sai, none to seek, we pray to Thee for Thy mercy. Oh Awaken, Dearest Lord Sai,Bewildered, I ask Thee oft from our hiding spots of these harrowed times,Did we err so strong to upset life’s balance? Is karmic law astir to action?Looking through the window, nature unperturbed in its calmness I see,Birds hopping merrily, worms wriggling beneath the grassy spot, so wet,Divine grace, plenty to behold, ready to shatter karmic law, Sai is here,Beloved Sai, none to seek, we pray to Thee for Thy mercy. ~Kanaga Ranganathan, March 30, 2020

Thanks to Lord Sai, Hope Eternal Springs in Our Hearts To Thee, dear Lord of all creation, I surrender all my fears and hopes, In my struggle for sanity in times of tragic tales and torrential tears, I see Thy smiling face sending forth love, eternal divine love to all, Like a beacon streaming light to forlorn sailors tossed in a stormy sea, Thou art everywhere, brighter than million suns, showing the path. A path to tread, lighted with hope born of faith, a lantern to guide us, Thanks to Thee, Dear Lord Sai, Hope eternal springs in our hearts. To Thee, dear Lord of the vast cosmos, I pray for Thy divine rules, What cannot be changed, what destiny decrees, graciously accept it, With flapping wings and flailing arms, our fierce fight ends in naught, As you dive deep within, thoughts miraculously stilled, silence sweeps, In that stillness, in that vast expansiveness, listen to the voice of Sai, That voice whispers words of courage, words of wisdom and hope, Thanks to Thee, Dear Lord Sai, Hope eternal springs in our hearts. To Thee, dear Lord of effulgence, I oft seek Thy refuge and succor, With my seeking, an energy so soothing envelops me with hope, I see Thy divine hand at work, I open my eyes to enjoy Thy breath, I strain my hearing to listen to Thy invisible footsteps everywhere, I open my heart, wide to welcome Thy Love that flows so fast, I feel so content and peaceful with all dark thoughts chased off, Thanks to Thee, Dear Lord Sai, Hope eternal springs in our hearts. To Thee, dear Lord beyond names and forms, I turn to thee often, With Thy walking beside me to hold me in Thy embrace, I rejoice Now I see all the beauty around me, spring is here with its bloom, Cherry blossoms a pretty pink canopy in my yard, a beauty to behold, Daffodils dancing in the breeze, peonies with the dormant buds Hint of a glory yet to be seen, maple bush spreading its red mantle, Thanks to Thee, Dear Lord Sai, Hope eternal springs in our hearts. To Thee, dear Lord of infinite compassion, I see Thy golden touch In every bit of nature’s glory, a glory that drives these fears away, The sun in the horizon awakening to the birds’ symphony, so melodious, Red Robin sat motionless beneath the branches, as if in sync with us all, Sensing our sadness for awhile but its innate joy made it hop and sing, Regaining its motion, it hopped from bough to bough, twittering loud, Thanks to Thee, Dear Lord Sai, Hope eternal springs in our hearts. To Thee, dear Lord of our strength and hope, Thou art our sole refuge, Though seemingly vanquished by this invisible foe, we shall arise soon, A nightmare dream that engulfs us now shall soon fade into shadow, A terrible ordeal that binds humanity in a happy unison, strong in love, Divisions losing its grip, families united in strength, money with no hold, That is the glorious picture I envisage, with Thee by our side for survival, Thanks to Thee, Dear Lord Sai, Hope eternal springs in our hearts.               ~Kanaga Ranganathan, April 4, 2020

God is Love, Live in Love Here is another poem by Kanaga Ranganthan, who recollects her response to the Sai call to His devotees, and how in just one darshan her life was changed forever as He came near her, looking deeply into her eyes while she was seated in the first row. Waking up one fine morning, I was gifted with a gem so rare,It shone on me with its brilliance, darkening all else to fade.As its meaning dawned on me, my true soul danced in glee,My childish innocence and my later ignorance retreated full,My mind expanded with a glow, with freedom from bonds,My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, truly divine. His call from afar beckoned me, beckoned with an urgency,His voice chided me with love so gentle, wake up, He said,Do you realize the gift of a human birth? Why then this sloth?Why this utter waste of a life that is meant for a glorious goal?Why groan and grumble with no knowledge of what is within?My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, truly divine. Come to Me, my dear child, He said, I shall teach you the Truth,Free yourself from the darkness around to see beauty in all,Cast away your gloom acquired from birth to birth, sad indeed,You are divine truly full of love within, let it spring forth to all,I ran to Him breathless and panting, adored His brilliant beauty,My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, so truly divine. As His eyes locked in mine with a gaze beyond time and space,I sat transfixed as His look seared my soul, deep into my depth,Unlocking the tight closed doors of my hidden soul open wide,Sending raptures of bliss in silence, He gazed and moved away.I sat enraptured with no sense of self, alone amongst so many,My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, so truly divine. He truly taught the meaning of Love, God is Love, He thundered,Love is God, He said, live in love, God does not reside externally.Search not for Him in caves or mountain tops, nor anywhere else,Deep within you, in the sanctity of space, free of all dross and dirt,He resides, that pure gem of love exists, in one and all, unknown,My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, so truly divine. As I set forth into the world, looked around, saw love in abundance,Saw the dazzling divine halo in everything I espied, I looked in wonder,The sun that arose tirelessly every morn to give love and light to all,The rain that splattered the roofs to grant life and energy to plants,The wind that embraced us all to give a cool breeze to all humanity,My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, so truly divine. Walking further, I looked with amazing eyes, ocean alive and loving,Birds twittering merrily on the boughs, blooms in a jocund dance,Squirrel mounting the steps for crumbs, dog with its pleading love,Our home, the planet earth, abounding in a bewitching, green mantleAll send forth a joyous message of love and life, enough to suffuse us,My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, so truly divine. Turning around, I saw the beauty and love in all I meet every day,My own children and their children united in a bond of deep love,Friends and companions whom I meet in the humdrum of daily life,The stranger who passes me with a smile after a day’s long work,In every single entity there awaits the joy of love eager for release,My Lord is here to teach me the beauty of love, so truly divine. ~Kanaga Ranganthan, May 1, 2020