Golden Age Avatar   In the wide-open frontierThat I Ama hint of vastnessembraces me From a balcony in the heavensSai Avatar surveysHis luminous creationWinged worldsSpiraling galaxiesTimeless superluminallight yearsorbit His celestial finger I gaze wonderstruck……Swami’s fathomless eyeseclipse the dark nighta thousand suns rise inevery atom of my beingAnd the Earth turns….Golden ~Sonya Ki Tomlinson-Warren “There is no force on earth that can delay for an instant the mission for which this Avatar has come. You are all sacred souls, and you will have your parts to play in the unfolding drama of the new Golden Age, which is coming.” ~Sri Sathya Sai BabaSanathana Sarathi, October 1996, back cover

From the Form to the Formless Almost half a century ago, in the midst of my earthly life was a call,That persisted doggedly causing an uneasiness in my monotony,I listened, listened intently with rapt attention, an ethereal call,That was above my mortal chains of family and entwined bond,That set to naught the human ties of normalcy, it made me search,Search for books that held sacred teachings of this wondrous Form. Gazing at the Form sent shudders of thrill through my entire body,My long-lost soul trembled with joy at this discovery, a wakening,From a slumber that human birth firmly tends to hold in its grip,From a slumber that knows not the true goal of one’s human fate,I woke up, casting away the deep illusion gathered through births,I decided with my consort in joy to search for that beloved Form. I remember the day when all of us longing to see that holy Form,With all travel plans underway smoothly achieved as we alighted,In that sacred grounds, an oasis of serenity in a far remote valley,Tucked away from maddening crowds and dense populous places,The abode of peace stood rising in its majesty of supreme splendor,Joyfully housed in its lodgings, we joined the devotees for darshan. As we sat in orderly lines, bathed in the warmth of the tropical sun,My daughters by my side while my dear consort and son opposite,Looking around, I saw thousands thronged, varied and happy truly,Mothers and fathers, babes and children, rich and poor, all present,With one fixed mind, one goal, to see the glory of the Form, Lord Sai,Lost in thoughts of the events that led us here, I stirred, saw the Form. At the pull of my seven-year old offspring, I looked where she pointed,And saw at a distance a sacred sight, the holy Form draped in orange,With a head of hair that defies description, gliding forth amongst us,With a countenance fully radiant, more than the glow of million suns,With divine love that embraced all those present, love beyond barriers,He came, walked, smiled, touched, blessed us all with His mystical signs. As He approached me with a gaze so piercing that flung my soul open,I sat transfixed, mute and empty, struck with silence, I gazed in awe,Time stood still, space annihilated, mind fully emptied, I alone existed,Trees around stopped blowing, babes sat fixed in their mothers’ laps,Nature was motionless, the sun in the sky marveled at the scene below,Sitting there immersed in the energy radiating from Him, I felt peaceful. Lord Sai in His brilliant Form had entrapped us all in His magical net,Surrendering to His Lotus Feet, we felt in Him the source and origin,A Divine guru, a compassionate avatar, descended to save humanity,Lord of Lords to lead us from darkness to light, from sin to security,Our annual trips to the sacred Abode of Peace in that far-away valley,Filled us with a peace beyond human ken, a joy that knew no bounds. His teachings taught us how to cleanse our inner self, free from foes,The six enemies that gripped us firm, then to fill pure place with love,He stressed to us, look within the divine spark that shines in one and all,He taught us how to find unity in diversity and to find joy in serving all,When laid low with life’s blows, He gave us solace with warm wisdom,He appeared in our dreams to draw us closer to His divine proximity. The years rolled on, lulled in the lap of the Divine Mother, we grew,Grew in spiritual maturity, dependent on the Sai Form, we survived,Away or near His presence, with His Form flashing every moment,With Sai Ram ever on our lips, we ably managed life’s meanderings,One day, rudely snatched from this pleasant Sai existence, we wept,Sai had taken on Himself a physical ailment, so severe and alarming. The climax reached that awful Sunday, Easter Sunday, nine years ago,He, our Lord, our Beloved Sai, our serene Swami planning every move,Left us all, spiritual orphans, as He left the body, the dear Form He took,Yes, a human form to walk amongst us, to teach the path of Divine love.Lying resplendent even in that lifeless state, nations all over mourning,He still shone with the splendor that He carried all along, a smiling Savior. Left alone to fend our way with assurance of His presence still firm in us,We pondered, why did our Divine Master leave ere His promised time?Based on His teachings, understanding the essence, go beyond the form,With spiritual maturity it dawns on us to seek the formless within us all,Why just the Form when it is the mere visible expression of the essence?An essence, the supreme consciousness that took a form to be with us. Blessed are we in an age when the Creator Himself chose to be with us,Chose to lead us back to our native state of purity, to our own divine self,With His teachings embedded deep in us, He said, go beyond the Form,Don’t be deluded, within you lies the essence, formless and so blissful,The supreme energy took a Form to show us the formless, creative core,With this spiritual truth fixed at my life’s sunset, I relaxed to look within. ~Kanaga Ranganathan, July 18, 2020

Reflections from A Garden Chair Seated in the garden in the summer months, a cherished time,On a chair strong and sturdy, made of steel and sedately white,After a short walk of ten and five minutes, a welcome respite,Every morn and eve when the sun’s rays seem more friendly,I enjoy my solitude spent with nature with its green abundance,A time that is aligned with the blessings I received from Lord Sai. At these times of communion with nature, my mind is stilled,The mind that is in constant chatter, flitting from one to the next,Takes a pause and lets the silence of joy to enter its own domain,What a lesson taught by Sai! In the deep silence the divine enters,Fills one with peace that is beyond human perception and reach,As such are these precious moments in my garden chair every day. Seated on this white chair made of steel and strength, in deep silence,In the front garden which bears so many lovely trees and floral bushesThat we had planted so lovingly with so much care and a warm touch,That which brings the nostalgic memories of my dear erstwhile partner,Whose loving labor entwined with mine, too, wove this garden’s magic,I let these memories pass undisturbed, leaving me with precious peace. I watch as the little seed buried in the ground sprouting in its birth,A gift from mother earth to all, a promise of a strong future floral bush,I watch the flowers already in bloom displaying their beauty in all hues,Didn’t Sai teach us the divine source that created all the wonderful glory?I watch the towering trees, maples, double cherries with its greenery,All displaying enchanting colors, all these, the creator’s divine charm. I watch as the birds fly from branch to branch, finally finding the feeder,Wherein the bird seeds entice them for a flitting feed to suffice their need,I hear their twittering sounds of songs from all directions far far above,Some melodious reaching loved ones, some querulous with a complaint,I watch the squirrels with a stealthy look hopping beneath the bushes,As they look for the seeds fallen on the grass, contented they run off. I watch as the passers-by walk on the road facing me, mask-covered,Sometimes with their family, sometimes alone jogging for a physical,At times walking a dog or two on a leash, waving me as they pass by,Mostly from the neighboring residence, drawing my attention to them,I see in them, as our Beloved Sai taught, that spark, that divine spark.Isn’t it a wonder that those under Sai charm learn this basic divine law? At times my child from the neighboring house, grown up with her family,Joins me for a maternal time as an offspring, a delightful time amidst all,Yes, amidst all my solitary reverie, a welcome interlude warmly offered,Makes life richer, more blessed with such divine gifts, more varied joy,Seated in my white garden chair, strong and sturdy, time ticks on and on,As I rise up from the chair, calm and contented, to wend my way back.            ~Kanaga Ranganathan, July 16, 2020.

The Advent of Sai Avatar With just three more days to celebrate the advent of Sai Avatar,My memory recalls the joyous day of His glorious, divine form,The multitude of eager devotees who came in droves to attend,Jostling with each other to catch a glimpse of our Dear Lord SaiAs He was feted and honored by all with pomp and divine gloryOn the twenty third of November with reverential pious worship,What a miracle, what a lucky destiny to be with Sai on that day!I bowed my head in gratitude to be alive to see heaven on earth. As the world plunged in darkness, losing ever its pristine purity,As the evil form of wickedness stalked humanity in hot pursuit,As hunger, disease, negative passions held full sway all around,As humans, the crown of creation, floundered in terrible agony,The supreme consciousness, the mighty Creator Himself stirredIn His divine compassion, at the earnest pleas of yogis and saintsMade His sankalpa [will] to appear amongst us to dispel the darkness,He appeared in the far, remote village five and ninety years ago. Nature rejoiced at the birth of the Divine descent, a sweet form,That drew with a magnetic charm all seekers of the eternal Truth,At the tender age of thirteen drew a multitude of eager devotees,Renouncing the worldly kith and kin, to teach all, poor and rich,He spent all His life on earth teaching us the path to pure Love,Showed us the glory of service, to find joy in the joy of others,His holy brightness cast its benevolent rays all around the world,Then on Easter day, nine years ago, His task done, He was gone. His life amongst us left an impact, unparalleled in its Divine nature,He taught us all, seekers and non-seekers as well, what true life is,To us who searched for Truth in places of worship, in scriptures too,Who went on arduous pilgrimages on hill tops and cavernous spots,He said, look within, deep within you, hidden under layers of sheathsLies that Atma, your own divine spark, that part of eternal brilliance,Once you find it, then all around you temples and scriptures of yore,Places of worship, birds and beasts, every atom shines in Divine aura.What a divine teaching sorely missed in our ignorance! We learnt anew,We dipped into the silence in our hearts, in that silence lost ourselves,We felt a peace beyond our understanding, saw such dazzling energy,That embraced all creation, our horizon vastly expanded to the beyond,He taught us how to purify our hearts within before the spiritual journey,Get rid of the internal enemies that bind you with iron fetters mercilessly,Anger, jealousy, hatred, and such poisonous traits that held you in sway,Cleanse yourself and in the space so purified, so sanctified, let love enter. Let your love expand, Sai taught us, a love without barriers and bonds,A love beyond your own kith and kin, a love that soars in the joy of all,A love that embraces the birds on the trees, the animals in the jungle,The plants and the blossoms that shed beauty around, all that crawl,Yes, He, our Lord Sai taught all this and more, Love is God, God is Love,“Experience the joy and grief of others, He taught, help ever, hurt never,See unity in diversity, our hearts cleansed with the teaching of Lord Sai,We saw and felt a new world, saw only the beauty and joy in one and all. Nine long years have passed since He withdrew His physical form forever,He taught us to seek Him formless in all the supreme Divine energy around,The beloved form had gone but true to His teachings we learn ourselves,To see and experience the formless Divine energy, the basis of all creation,In my life, my Divine Savior, Beloved Lord Sai, was the true goal of my life,He changed my life’s path to one of seeking always His sacred proximity,He taught me, my late spouse, and my four children ways to live righteouslyWith tears welling up in me, I thank Lord Sai for His sacred blessings to all.            ~ Kanaga Ranganathan, November 21, 2020

A Bouquet for Our 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 to the 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 fill our heart,Illumine 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,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 arthi 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.

Beloved Baba—Take My Hand Beloved Baba, take my handAs I hold it up to you;Dispel the cloud of MayaWhich obscures you from view. My haughty Self and You are OneWhich in my heart I know;I also know to reach that stateI must be pure as snow. But on my own, I cannot weldMy human will with Thine;So this is why I seek your helpTo relinquish all of mine. Help me, dear Baba, to let goOf my imaginary needsAnd I will try to turn from allOn which my ego feeds. And as I reach up high to youPlease take my hand in yoursUntil I’m empty of myselfAnd my lightened spirit soars. But when I first catch sight of thatWhich seers call the LightI may be overwhelmed by It;So hold me very tight. In pouring out my heart to youI’ve lost that cloud so darkAnd can relax in quiet reliefTill my soul soars like a lark. ~Phyllis Krystal Source: Sanathana Sarathi, March 1977

Easwaramma-A 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 heart,Stood 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 HimselfThe World’s deliverer? 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 holies,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. Thus O Mother,Your message of LoveIs the message of the motherIn every woman.It’s a boonTo strayed humanityAnd on this auspicious dayOf 6th MayWe all adore youPaying our homageAt the Lotus feet of Bhagavan.Om Shantih! Shantih! Shantih! ~Bhagwat Prasad Misra, Prasanthi NilayamSource: Sanathana Sarathi, April 1986

A Bird on the Tree Beneath the blue sky, the floating white clouds, a bird flew,Paused for a moment, fluttered its wings, sat atop the branch,The topmost branch of the cherry tree, sat alone in silence,It viewed the scene below from its high perch, a superb seat,Just for a little while, serene and splendid, in its isolation,It seemed to enjoy, in a mute minute, free of any twittering.I sat there in my white steel chair, bathed in the golden light,I watched the bird that morn, steeped in a reverie, it flew away. Spring season with its budding blossoms, with its tender leaves,Spreading a green mantle with its varied shades and shapes,Late frost retreats at the arrival of the joyous spring of hope,Men and women, kids and puppies ventured out with a sprint,Pandemic isolation had hitherto ripped apart their joy in life,Freed somewhat from the fetters that bound them so harsh,They all ventured forth in family groups to recapture that glory,That evaded them when this virus turned their lives into a mess. As is my wont these spring days, after my walk morn and eve,By the side of my house, shaded by the tall, spreading trees,A walk steady and slow as befits my declining age and strength,A walk that aids in keeping my joints supple for my daily move,I sit in my garden white chair, watching nature in its entire garb,Watch the scenes of those who pass by, some with kids and pets,Some with a smile, others lost in themselves wending their way.I sat alone, bereft of company, as the family pursues their own lives. A period mostly spent alone, a time in reminiscence of the past,Well aware that life’s toil must be endured to the last breathWith my own efforts, I turn to Lord Sai for direction to proceed,Musings on little things open up a wider vista of beauteous things,Bird on the treetop bring poignant vision of the flight of fancy,Which Keats flew on the wings of poesy to be with the nightingale,So did I wish to alight with the bird on the treetop to enjoy scenes,Alas, it cannot be, sensing my limitations, I am content with my lot. As Sai guidance jolts me from wandering mind to think deep and true,I see around me scenes of the lovely creation of the creator Himself,Rich foliage on the trees bewitching with their shades and shapes,Flowers red, pink, green and yellow with their petals neatly arranged,Who else but the Divine craftsman could arrange them so flawless?Seated on my white chair in the garden with the divine gift before me,With the bird on the tree teaching me joy with its silent meditation,I bowed in humility to Lord Sai for all His offering of Divine Wisdom.           ~Kanaga Ranganathan, US, May 22, 2021

  My Joy in Finding Lord Sai Life in this planet earth, a tiny dot in this vast racing galaxy,This galaxy one of so many, too numerous to be counted,This astronomical depth and width, a mystery to comprehend,This creation with its mystic origin hidden from human probe,The rotation and revolution of these heavenly bodies, a riddle.Death of these orbiting suns and stars occurring in due time,When I reflect at times of my deep confusion, I remain clueless,And I try to find solace in seeking Lord Sai for His Divine grace. A saintly poet moaning over the countless births he endured,From rocks and stones to primitive forms in the ocean’s depth.And other evolving species on the surface of the planet earth,Until the gift of a human form showed him the divine path,With a piteous cry he beseeches the Almighty to release him.So did my soul lost in the darkness of these forms and shapes,Ever since life began when this hot planet cooled to host life,Cries out to find solace in seeking Lord Sai for His Divine grace. Dear Lord Sai, I never knew of Thy glory, in my tiresome travelsWhen my soul cloaked in countless forms and miserable shapes,Travelled through dark tunnels that shed no divine light of yours,With no idea of the sparkling light hidden behind this coarseness,My long and arduous journey plodded on, ignorant of Thy glory,Till some hidden hand cloaked me in a human form many times,Until the present period when my soul woke from ages’ slumber.And I tried to find solace in seeking Lord Sai for His Divine grace. Thus my life encased in numerous forms existed in times of yore,When my life took a human form in a higher plane of existence,Armed with sensory aids to feel and sense the world around me,Aided with higher intellect to probe the creation and its source,Then it was when my search for Thee began, relentless I sought,I searched here and there, far and wide but found Thee not,An inner urge prodding me to seek till I found, held me in thrall,Exhausted, I came and found solace in Sai at the Abode of Peace. Blazing forth like million suns, Thy brightness reached the horizon.Basking in the divine light shed by Your sacred source of creation,Mingling with the devotees and singing in unison Thy grand gloryForgetting the travails endured in my long search through aeon,I found at last what I sought so tirelessly, my own Divine Teacher,Who unraveled the mystery of the universe and its single source,No longer confused, I found peace and joy permeating my soul,Surrendering at His Feet, I found solace in Sai at the Abode of Peace.         ~Kanaga Ranganathan, US, May 22, 2021

Birthday Bells Hark! The Parthi Bells are ringingEchoing o’er land and sea and sky! The Sun is hurrying up the hillsLest He be late with Light;The stars—they linger in the skyThey’d rather stay and watch!The moon is peeping Crescent‑eyesTo glimpse the glorious scene.The clouds are dressed in burnished gold;The sky has chosen pink and blueThe peaks that stand aroundAre happy in home‑made green! Since dawn, the lambs are friskingAnd every tree is full of glee.Each leafy twig is loud with songE’en the lowly blade of grassHas a lovely diamond in her ear!Proudest of the feathered throngIs the dove, He frees this mornThe crow, shooed off from perch to perchIs unafraid, unashamed, this day!It caws in raucous joy! Unharmed! The bees do take a holiday;The morning flowers are His, untouched.Sai Gita is full of gratitudeTo the trap which orphaned her,For she could hear the Bells todayAnd bow before the Lord! The sands do shine and scintillateTo win the tramp of pilgrim feet.The very air is tinglingWith God and Man, commingling. —Kasturi, Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Nov. 1971