His Own Words… What is Sathya Sai’s Sankalpam? How is His Avatarhood, Supra-Worldly Divinity as He calls it, so special for humanity today and for the morrow? When Bhagawan speaks about Himself… it becomes a rare treat of His Avataric Intention, that takes us to unknown realms of rare beauty, bright future ladden with Divine mystery… a compilation of His ‘own’ words about His ‘own’ Divine Self!!! This was My experience in previous Yugas also. The successors of Sisupala cannot remain idle; but consider to what low level human wickedness has descended. I do not care either for praise or blame, I only pity these people who, in order to scrape together a few paise from the poor resort to such venial tricks …I declare, “Even if all the fourteen worlds unite together, the work for which I have come will not suffer a bit; even if earth and heaven combine, My Truth can never be fully grasped.” Whenever there is a languishing of Dharma …I create Myself, for it is part of primal resolution or Sankalpa to protect the spiritual structure of the Universe. I lay aside My formless essence and assume a name and a form suited to the purpose for which I come. Whenever evil threatens to vanquish good, I have to come and save it from decline. The Avatar of Krishna was a full incarnation, with all the sixteen facets of glory. In the Avatar of Rama, out of sixteen, the three brothers had one each and Parasurama, the contemporary, had one, until Rama met and overpowered Him and drew within Himself the fraction of the Divine power that he had. Other incarnations were for ad hoc purposes, the suppression of evil represented by one evil person or group of persons. But, in this Kali age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed through love and compassion. That is why this Avatar has come unarmed; It has come with the message of love. The only weapon which can transform the vile and the vicious is the Name of the Lord uttered with love. At the present time Mahashakti, Mayashakti and Yogashakti have come all together in one human form; your endeavour should be to draw near and earn grace therefrom. In truth, you cannot understand the nature of My reality either today or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent inquiry, even if all mankind joins in that effort. But in a short time, you will become cognizant of the bliss showered by the Divine Principle, which has taken upon Itself this sacred Body and this sacred Name. Your good fortune which will provide you this chance is greater than what was available for anchorites, monks, sages, saints and even personalities embodying facets of Divine glory. Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded into the belief that this is but an instance of common humanity. Be warned against this mistake. I Am also deluding you by My singing with you, talking with you, and engaging Myself in activities with you. But any moment, My Divinity may be revealed to you; you have to be ready, prepared for that moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by humanness, you must endeavour to overcome the Maya (delusion) that hides it from your eyes. This is a human form, in which every Divine entity, every Divine principle, that is to say, `all the names and forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest.’ (Sarvadaivatwa Swarupaanni Dharinchinatuvanti Maanavaakaarame Ee Aakaaramu). Do not allow doubt to distract you; if you only install, in the alter of your heart, steady faith in My Divinity, you can win a vision of My Reality. Instead, if you swing like the pendulum of a clock, one moment devotion, another moment disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win that bliss. You are very fortunate that you have a chance to experience the bliss of the vision of the Sarvadaivatwa Swarupam (The Form which is all forms of all Gods) now, in this life itself. Let Me draw your attention to another fact. On previous occasions when God incarnated on Earth, the bliss of recognizing Him in the incarnation was vouchsafed only after the physical embodiment had left the world, in spite of plenty of patent evidences of His grace. And the loyalty and devotion they commanded from men arose through fear and awe, at their superhuman powers and skills, or at their imperial and penal authority. But, ponder a moment on this Sathya Sai manifestation; in this age of rampant materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that brings to it the adoration of millions from all over the world? You will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the fact that this is the Supra-Worldly Divinity in human form. Again, how fortunate you are that you can witness all the countries of the world paying homage to Bharat; you can hear adoration to Sathya Sai’s Name reverberating throughout the world, even while this body is existing…not at some future date but when It is with you, before you. And you can witness very soon the restoration of Sanathana Dharma to its genuine and natural status, the Dharma laid down in the Vedas for the good of all the peoples of the World. This Is the Sai Sankalpam.

That Touch Of Golden Grace 24 August 2007 shines forth as a red letter day, further imbued with the exhilarating colours of the rainbow, in the annals of Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, as the Lord of the Universe graciously decreed to bless this Institution on this date. The portals of the SSSBPT acquired a most privileged status by the sacrosanct touch of Bhagawan’s cherished Lotus Feet, on that wondrous morning. During that period of time, the prevalent custom was to pray for Divine blessings on the anniversary day, imploring Bhagawan to speak to His selected band of students. Thus, that particular year too, on 23rd August 2007, the members of the staff (most of them students from Bhagawan’s Institute) along with the Convener, with a fervent appeal in each heartbeat, traced their footsteps to His Divine Abode, seeking His amaranthine benevolence. …And Lo! The group was called in! After consecrating the anniversary cake, to the sublime joy of the gathering, Bhagawan browsed through the card offered to Him, which revealed the fervent feelings of each member of the workforce at the Book Trust – “Swami, it has been 6 years since You visited our office; We have been waiting for Bhagawan with a thousand eyes!” Incidentally, when Bhagawan had come to inaugurate the newly constructed building of the Publications Division, He chose to intermingle around the Book Stall area, blessing eager staff members. At that time however, the SSSBPT did not house an elevator and Bhagawan, for reasons best known to Him alone, preferred to bypass the mezzanine floor that housed the administrative section and the library. Subsequently, the facility of an elevator was provided, following which a prayer was offered to Bhagawan to sanctify the building with His footprints. To continue the narration, to the great delight of the Book Trust team members, Bhagawan pronounced, “I AM coming to your office tomorrow.” The promise was a bolt out of the blue!!! …Most unexpected!!! Someone then whispered in Bhagawan’s ear, as if ‘reminding’ Him about the next day’s scheduled festivity – Varalakshmi Vratam. Nonetheless, Bhagawan reaffirmed, “I AM coming!” The group came out of the Divine Abode, in extreme jubilation, perhaps akin to having just landed after an expedition to the moon, with their hearts filled and fulfilled! They put their heads together excitedly, to decide the course of action for the impending Divine visit. The Book Trust witnessed a flurry of activities throughout the preceding night to make sure that everything was spotless and picture perfect, vis a vis the ‘demands’ of the ‘high-voltage’ Divine visit.  The entire premises were decorated beautifully for the occasion. The next morning all hearts were anticipating the momentous moment, embracing a billion hopes, with ceaseless prayers. While each heartbeat was tuned in to Yajur Mandiram with a regular inflow of updates, some agile minds were busy with various permutations and combinations, as Bhagawan Himself had taught us to “Love His Uncertainty.” As a flashback, it would interest our readers to note that, following the inaugural visit in 2001, later when Bhagawan was ‘invited’ for the 1st anniversary, He had readily given a Divine acquiesce. Nevertheless, it so transpired that when the D-day – 23rd August 2002 dawned, after a prolonged wait through the day, it was communicated in the afternoon, well past 1400 hrs. – “Swami is not coming.” Reverting back to the 2007 story, at last, at 8:35 hrs, news flashed that Bhagawan had left Yajur Mandiram. As Bhagawan was wheeled into Kulwant Hall, He moved amidst rows of devotees, specially seated for the scheduled Varalakshmi Pooja. Bhagawan then went on to the dais, lit the lamp and sat for sometime glancing at the devotees. Even as the rituals commenced, Bhagawan signaled for His car…and the ‘wire’ reached the Book Trust through waves that beat the speed of lightning – Bhagawan is on His way! Notwithstanding time or place, devotees swarm like bees wherever Bhagawan is expected to arrive or pass by. On this morning, too, when the news flashed, roadsides were full of ‘rushing’ devotees, ever so keen to catch a precious glimpse of the Beloved One. At the Book Trust, the whole ‘family’ got on to its feet, gearing up for the final whistle, to embrace the glorious moment.  At 8:50 a.m., Bhagawan arrived in His ‘Porte’ to a customary, religious welcome with Poornakumbham, amidst electrifying Vedic chantings. The elevator that had made its debut after His maiden ‘inaugural’ visit, conveyed the Lord up to the mezzanine floor, the venue of the day’s programme. As Beloved Bhagawan came out of the lift, He was given a red-carpet welcome, flanked by staff members on both sides, some offering a rose, while many had their palms joined, in a gesture of deep reverence. He lovingly blessed all those who were present, glancing and smiling at everyone…and in between, while His chair was being maneuvered, He even looked up, seemingly to read the message displayed on the wall, profound words from the Divine lips, inscribed in shining gold, a timeless truth for mankind to practice – “There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love.” The programme commenced with lighting of the lamp by the Divine hands. The dais was ready with a big backdrop image of a beaming Bhagawan. Exuding tranquillity, it felt as though Bhagawan was portraying that this particular morning was exclusively reserved for the Book Trust. Bhajans were on and continued forth until Bhagawan asked the Convener to deliver an introductory speech. Speaking up, saying that Bhagawan’s visit would be written in golden letters in the annals of the Book Trust, Sri Rajan, the Convener, gave a brief account detailing the progress made by the Trust.  Sri Rajan reiterated that Bhagawan’s message was spreading to every nook and corner of the world through the medium of ‘Sanathana Sarathi’ as well as various books and audiovisuals. He went on to reaffirm that all this was possible only due to Bhagawan’s immense grace. Concluding his brief speech, Sri Rajan implored Bhagawan earnestly to bless the Trust with His

Don’t Worry; I will give him realisation… Great Masters with complete awareness know what they do… and so with Avatars… it will be foolhardy for man to attempt to gauge their actions, rather man should submit to the will of Great Masters and Avatars…  Years ago, Bhagawan Nithyananda of Ganeshpuri had direted one of His disciples to visit Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai… For Swami Shradhanand, the trip turned out to be an ‘enlightening’ one… enlightened to know that God Is One…and One Only!!! …narrates Dr DJ Gadhia. Swami Shradhanand, a disciple of Swami Nithyananda of Ganeshpuri (or Vajreshwari) near Mumbai, attended one of these programmes in 1962. Soon after the Arati, he went into meditation. Later, he came to us and said, “My Guru has suggested that I should have the Darshan of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba only with Dr Gadhia”. So, we proceeded to Puttaparthi on the very next day. A very memorable incident happened in the interview room. When Swami started waving His right hand to materialise Vibhuti, Swami Shradhanand caught hold of His hand! All devotees in the room were stunned. I was utterly shocked because it seemed to me that Swami was insulted by a person that I brought. This was the right time Swami taught us the lesson as He used to teach often, “My Life Is My Message.” He was not offended and on the contrary, He smiled and spoke softly and with loving care, “Why did you hold My hand?” Swami Shradhanand replied, “I have not come here to see peppermints and chocolates You distribute everyday to these children; I have come with a very great expectation from You!” Bhagawan replied, “Swami knows that you recite Gayatri Mantra everyday and your Sadhana has reached up to the point of saturation so much so that you are going to get liberation soon. So, continue with your Sadhana.” Nobody was aware of this. Swami Shradhanand was surprised and became happy and apologised for his mistake. Then Swami said, “Don’t worry, mistakes are like passing clouds. Let Swami distribute peppermint and chocolates to these children.” He waved His hand and materialised Vibhuti and distributed to all, except Swami Shradhanand! Bhagawan then asked Swami Shradhanand, “Would you mind if Swami gives interviews to these children first?” When I was granted interview, Swami assured me by saying, “Don’t worry, Swami will give him (Swami Shradhanand) realization.” When Baba granted him a personal interview, Swami Shradhanand started shedding tears of joy and prostrated at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan, saying, “Oh my Master! You Are residing here in the form of Sri Sathya Sai. I am very grateful to You for granting me this Vision!” Swami Shradhanand would just not stop crying. Having come out of the interview room, Swami Shradhanand gave a vivid description of his wonderful experience. He said, “Baba did not ask me anything nor did He give any opportunity to ask questions, but straightaway said, `Look here!’ and opened His gown (Kafni), revealed His chest and gave a vision of my Guru, Swami Nithyananda! I am really fortunate for having had such a realisation. I am also grateful to you, Gadhia, for having brought me here!” We learnt a great lesson. Swami can give realisation of any form or Guru or any incarnation to anyone deserving, and that is the reason why He is known as `Sarva Devata Swarupa’ (Sarvadevatateeta Swarupa, as Bhagawan Himself mentioned once). II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

Do Not Disrespect Any God-Form… Avatars Who live in the most exalted state of ‘Brahmam’ have nothing to differentiate between many forms and many names… All names and all forms belong to the One Supreme Godhood. …And when They continue Their sojourn on the physical plane they do leave indelible impressions in the human hearts and minds, teaching them the most subtle truth and lessons. In one such incident Bhagawan at Shirdi taught His devotees not to disrespect any God-Forms… an interesting episode from Sree Sai Samartha Satcharita, originall written in Marathi byGovind Raghunath Dabholkar a.k.a. Hemadpant. A beautiful lesson commemorating The Advent of Bhagawan at Shirdi. One day Baba returned from the Lendi and sat in the Masjid. The devotees began arriving for darshan. Amongst them was the great devotee Chandorkar whom Baba loved very much. He came with Biniwale, (his brother-in-law), eager for darshan. After doing obeisance to Sainath, both of them sat in front of Him. While they were exchanging generalities about the welfare and well being, Baba suddenly got ‘angry’. Baba said: “Nana, how is it that you have forgotten? After having spent such a long time in My company, is this only you have learnt? Is this the result of the time you have spent in My company? Tell Me in detail.” Listening to this Nana became dejected. He wondered about the reason for this anger but could not recall anything. He felt sad. He could not recall where he had erred. He could find no reason for the ‘anger’. But unless something had happened Baba would never ‘hurt’ anybody. Therefore, he clutched on Baba’s Feet and repeatedly entreated Him. Finally Nana supplicated earnestly and asked: “Why are You angry?” “Though you have been in association with Me for so many years, how could you have acted like thus? What happened to your senses?” Baba asked Nana. “When did you come to Kopergaon? What happened on the way? Where did you get down on the way? Or did you come here straight?” “Something strange happened on the way. I feel like listening to it in detail. Tell Me what happened and where, be it big or small incident.” Hearing this Nana realised his mistake and his face fell immediately. Though he felt ashamed to speak of it, he narrated it. Nothing could be concealed here! Having decided this, Nana told Baba whatever had happened in detail. There could be no lying before Sai. Falsehood does not gain Sai’s grace. Disharmony leads to destruction and ultimately lies lead one to hell. To deceive the Guru is a very great sin, from which there is no atonement. Realising this Nana described in detail to Baba whatever had happened. Nana said: “We hired a tonga to come straight to Shirdi, as a result of which Biniwale missed the darshan of Lord Dutta on the banks of the Godavari. Biniwale is a Dutta devotee. When we came across the Dutta temple on the way, he wanted to get down to have Dutta’s darshan. But I was in a hurry, so I prevented him and told him that we could take the darshan on our return journey from Shirdi. Thus becoming hasty and thinking it would get late to come to Shirdi, I tried to avoid the matter and disregarded Dutta’s darshan. Later, while bathing in the Godavari, a big thorn pierced my foot and gave me a lot of trouble on the way till I could pull it out with much effort.” Then Baba advised: “It is not good to be in such a haste. Thank your stars that you had only the thorn to contend with, though you had disrespected the darshan. When a very venerated deity like Dutta is on the way, awaiting darshan, unfortunate is he who has not taken the darshan! How can I help him?” II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

God cannot be a memory; He Is The Living Presence… We keep hearing many devotees, asserting with ‘thumping clarity’, looking at the ‘empty’ throne of Bhagawan that, ‘the chair is not empty’. How many of us, in reality, are able to feel Him and how many of us are able to see Beloved Bhagawan’s most enchanting physical frame…??? The Throne of Bhagawan at the Sanctum Sanctorum in Prasanthi Nilayam is definitely not empty…and is ‘undoubtedly’ full with Bhagawan’s ‘subtle’ presence… Post April 2011 Divine Drama, on the 1st of Oct 2011 as part of Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha, Dr PL Rani, Asst. Professor with Dept of English at Anantapur Campus of SSSIHL, addressed the Prasanthi assembly, beginning with a ‘revealing’ preface… Narrating her beautiful, revealing dream, Dr Rani ended her ‘preface’ with… God cannot be a memory; He Is a Living Presence, as ‘showed’ by Bhagawan Himself… Read on… I have had to make amendments to my talk overnight. I am compelled to add an unplanned preface to my talk due to a very small but significant episode that occurred this morning. It seems divinely ordained that I share it with all of you, due to the larger implications and universal message. Last night, after a particularly tiring day, I was planning this talk in my mind and putting my thoughts in order. At that point, there were two conflicting feelings that were filling my mind. On one side was the sense of gratitude, responsibility and loving duty that I owe to Swami, which is the motivation for this talk; and on the other hand lurked a tinge of sadness that this time, compared to every other time I have had an opportunity to be here. There is a ‘shade of difference’. I felt that it was very clever of me to think of the phrase ‘shade of difference’ because to me the shade of difference was the change from the vibrant orange to the sparkling white marble. Bhagawan, in His most inimitable manner decided to disprove it to me. I am not a person who gets frequent dreams of Swami or who works on a practical level based on some dreams. I haven’t had one for so many months and I definitely haven’t had any after April, in particular. But suddenly when I woke up this morning, I woke up with a pleasant feeling and I quickly recalled that I had had a beautiful message. In my dream, the scene was of those three painful days right here in the Mandir, when the Immortal One had decided to leave the mortal coil. In my mind, I was deciding that I was not going to see this because I can’t bear to see the lost luster on His face. My curiosity got the better of me and after a little while, I began to peep from a distance. I got a little closer and I saw that it was the same beautiful, effulgent, brilliant familiar face of Swami and I felt so relieved and satisfied. Just then Swami’s eyelids opened so vividly and in a fit of panic and fear, I sprang backwards. It is unusual that someone springs backwards on seeing Swami. He then raised His palm and beckoned me, making me even more frightened. When He beckoned me the third time, I went near, and He placed His palm on mine, and the immediate tangible sensation that I felt was the warmth of His Hand. The message was home immediately, even in my sleep, and I knew that in those moments of weak faith, we tend to believe that ‘the orange form’ has entombed itself in the ‘white marble’. Warmth is a sign of love and life and I thought, He was telling all of us today that God cannot be a memory; He Is a Living Presence. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

Sai Vani Is Sathya Vani… All that He speaks become Truth, for He Is verily Truth in human form… Who can fathom the mysterious mystery of The Master Supreme, Who plays His cards at an all-encompassing… supra-conscious level, far…far…far beyond human imagination??? For an earnest seeker, every single moment with Bhagawan is a revealing moment… Revealing His endless mystery… a flashback to a beautiful December evening in 1995, with Swami and His students…  “Name the book, SAI VANI”, Swami told the students on 28th of December, 1995. But that is not the complete story. The students had assembled in the Mandir that evening with a photograph of Bhagawan and the list of contents of the book. They had sent a letter to Swami that afternoon regarding the book. On seeing the boys carrying the paraphernalia in a tray, Bhagawan gave a curious and mischievous smile. The occasional glances and smiles continued till some of the boys started wondering if Swami would come near them at all. At last, Swami came, asking, “What is that?” The students told about the book and pleaded Swami to suggest a name. “Peru Enduku?” (Why Name?) Then Swami asked, “Did you think of any name?” “No, Swami”, the boys replied in a chorus, “You have to give the name” Graciously, Swami said, “Sai Vani Pettandi” (Name it Sai Vani). “Please write it with Your Own Hands Swami”, pleaded the students. “No, No” said Bhagawan and moved away. He would have gone a few steps before He paused. Sensing that Swami may agree to bless the book by writing down the name, a few students went up to Swami and gave Him the photograph and the list of contents. Swami gently wrote: “Sathya Vani”, and after a moment’s pause, He said, “Oh I have written ‘Sathya Vani’ instead of ‘Sai Vani’. Well, Sai Vani is better. Name the book Sai Vani”…. and thus the christening of the book left a mirthful impression on the students assembled there. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

My ‘trip’ to Puttaparthi… Bhagawan at Shirdi would often repeat that, let His man be at any distance, a thousand koss (an Indian unit, measuring distance) away from Him, he will be drawn to Him like a sparrow, with a thread tied to its feet. When He wills, His Will turns into accomplishment… He chooses the right time for the right action. This is all the more true for a fledgling pilgrim who is about to reach Him. How William Hwehu Ansah, Accra, Ghana was drawn to Prasanthi Nilayam and how Bhagawan cleared him out of one last bit of skepticism…?!? …An interesting experience from December 1979 issue of Sanathana Sarathi. Towards November 1977, our centre invited names of devotees who would like to make a trip to Puttaparthi. It never occurred to me to immediately give my name since I considered it would be presumptuous for a penniless public servant to think of making such an expensive trip. Soon after this, I started seeing Swami in my dreams. The first night I woke up with a rather vague feeling that I should think of going to Puttaparthi. I discarded the thought immediately. The next dream was more detailed and lengthier. I was in a little village living in rooms with a lot of people some of whom were from my centre and with whom I ate together. Next I saw myself in front of a tall building which had protruding platforms on the first floor. Bhagawan was on the ground floor and I was doing Namaskara. At this time I didn’t know that to dream of Bhagawan was a privilege and not an ordinary occurrence and I again dismissed the dream as my silly imaginings. My third dream was a most peculiar experience. I saw only the face of Bhagawan for an instance or two; whereupon I was forced awake in the middle of the night in a sweat with a clear command that I should go to Puttaparthi! After giving so much trouble to Swami in my inexperience and innocence, I finally gave my name to the planning committee without an inkling of where the money for the trip was coming from. I need not have worried! Within the next few days I made three times my annual salary simply because a friend of mine, for no compelling reason, decided to sell a huge consignment of imported goods through me and give me a percentage of the profits. So the stage was set and need I say that all other arrangements and requirements went through without a hitch? Need I also say that those from the centre I travelled with were some of the faces I saw in my dream? So, we got to the village late on the 21st of November. The last thing on my mind was my dreams but a friend decided to take me round and as we made the turn to the back of the bhajan hall, I stopped dead in my tracks. My friend asked what the matter was and I muttered something incomprehensible to him but what had stopped me was the fact that my dream was staring me right in the face in all its details—the two protruding platforms and rather surprisingly, the architecture and colours of the structure which I remembered very well. My surprise was not too great then when my private interviews were granted in a room on the ground floor and I did my Namaskara exactly where I had dreamt it! (I went to one of the interviews with my fingers shorn of all rings having made the wish that Bhagawan would give me a ring. As the interview progressed, my wish crossed my mind and at that instant Bhagawan interrupted His discourse, turned to me and said “Tomorrow I will give you a talisman!”) But all these surprises were nothing compared to what I experienced when I was bidding farewell to Bhagawan. “When are you coming again?” He asked. I was not expecting the question as the thought of being lucky to come again was far from my mind. I was therefore flustered and in my delighted confusion I blustered out that I didn’t know and that this time I came because I had had a dream and… Bhagawan interrupted in a tone which seemed as if He was irritated. I was recounting something He already knew about. “I know, I know,” He said shortly and patted my back. I cracked up emotionally and stumbled out. I had to sit on the short wall to recollect myself. Poor human beings that we are, after all that I had seen and heard, I guess my mind had still entertained a little doubt about the omniscience of Bhagawan or whether indeed He sent those dreams to me. The last evidence shattered me out of that skepticism once and for all! II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

I Learnt The Biggest Lesson… Look around optimistically and you will be ‘priced’ with precious life-lessons… Who said a poor street boy  who thrives on a loaf of bread cannot be your ‘teacher’??? Dr Derrick Angelsz writes what he experienced…what he learnt when he landed in India’s own Mumbai… The article is sourced from Sri Sathya Sai Newsletter, Pune…originally from the internet.. academictips.org/blogs/ (the banner image is sourced from the internet and does not bear any link with the story) A few days ago I landed at the Mumbai Airport and took a cab to my scheduled destination in South Mumbai. I was enjoying the busy traffic with people rushing in every possible directon when we got stranded at a very busy intersection. As we waited for the signal to turn green, my eyes saw a poor young boy, about 12 years old. He removed a piece of bread from his pocket and took a bite. As he was about to take his next bite, a stray dog wagged his tail looking at him. Without hesitation, he sat down and put the bread on the road for the dog to eat. The dog sniffed the bread and walked away. The boy waited until he was sure the dog was gone then he picked up the bread and ate it! My heart cried and I wanted to walk up to the boy but before I could open the door the signal turned green and our car drove away. I kept thinking about the boy and later during my evening meal I realised that I was thinking of approaching the boy but I never did, I could have stopped the car and walked up to him which again I never did. All I did was ‘thinking’ and this poor little boy who had only one piece of bread, without any hesitation shared it with the dog, though he himself seemed to be very hungry. I learnt one of the biggest lessons in my life which that boy taught me without a conversation. He taught me to share with love and happiness. I am so blessed to have learnt this beautiful lesson from my ‘little unknown master’. It is my moral duty to share this incident with all my friends across the globe and be blessed with happiness. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

Baba Is Lord Dattatreya… In every age He incarnates…. the Ancient One…Adi Guru Lord Dattatreya… Divine legends of yore has umpteen reference of Divine Incarnations…and about ‘The Oneness’ of all these varied forms… Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Who Is ‘The Adimoolam’, Supreme Divinty, Who described Himself as Shiva – Shakthi, Supreme Brahmam and Maha Maya in a Single Form…  has also revealed Himself to be Lord Dattatreya… verily He Is Lord Dattatreya… read on how Bhagawan revealed His original entity as Lord Dattatreya… O Bhagawan, “Swami, what is Your real form?” Baba smiled and replied, “Bangaroo, I will show it to you some day.” That day came when Baba visited Mudumalai forest. One day after breakfast, Baba walked on to the beautiful meadow in front of the guest house and posed for photographs with every member of the party. A Polaroid camera was used by a student to click the photographs. The photos were given to the members instantly. Finally, Baba asked the student to take a snap of Him standing alone. But, the lower part of His orange robe had been caught in the twigs of a bush. Before the camera clicked, Smt Ratanlal rushed forward to set right the folds of the robe. Everyone was astonished when Bhagawan shouted at her loudly “Don’t touch Me!” and she retreated quickly. After the camera clicked, Baba held the photo coming out of the camera and gave it to Joga Rao. As he held it in his palm, the black and white Polaroid picture developed gradually. But he was astonished at what did he saw. In the place where he had expected to see Baba’s form in the usual robe, there stood a young human form, which wore a white flowing garment, had three heads and six hands! Each arm was holding an insignia of Divinity. The lower right arm bent at the elbow, was resting on the back of a majestic young cow. The face in the centre was that of Baba! It was the form of Dattatreya as described in Puranas, the integrated form of Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara!. Baba had answered Joga Rao’s question. That was His real form! Bhagawan confirmed while speaking to the students at Brindavan the next morning that it was indeed His true form. He also clarified that Smt Ratanlal would not have survived if she had touched Him then. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

Mahatma Guru Nanak… Nowadays, if the children ask any questions about the aspect of Brahma, the parents will curb such curiosity by saying that they should not waste their time. They are told to think of such things only after getting old. Today, many people who are preaching the aspect of Brahman will go nowhere because they are subservient to the worldly desires. There is a small story here. On the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti today, a Guru Nanak story from Bhagawan. Nanak was propagating sacred ideas of God and even the Muslims were attracted by his teachings. It appeared as if the teachings of Nanak were acceptable to all religions. He was one who was clearly indicating the path that one should adopt. After some time, some religious leaders started worrying that all the Muslims may take to Nanak’s religion. They carried complaints to King Akbar and created tales about Nanak which would influence the King against Nanak. They wanted Akbar to punish Nanak. Akbar however had a very steady mind and a great respect for all religions. Even though the religious leaders complained about Nanak, he did not believe them. Akbar decided that he should talk to Nanak directly and assess the situation. He sent for Nanak, but Nanak would not come to meet kings who rule over the material world. He said that he would go only to devotees. He said that he is a free person moving in God’s Kingdom and would not come to meet Akbar. Such a reply further excited the religious leaders. They were planning and inquiring further to trouble Nanak. However, Akbar sent word to Nanak, again telling him that the next day there would be prayers in honour of God at the mosque and requested that Nanak attend the prayers. He also sent a palanquin to carry Nanak. However, Nanak thought it very arrogant to go to God’s abode in a palanquin and walked to the mosque. Much before others came there, he unobtrusively sat in a corner. The religious leaders began to recite prayers; and as soon as this started, Nanak laughed very loudly. All those assembled there felt very angry. Nanak was laughing so loudly that people were not even able to hear the prayers. After some time, Akbar began to pray and Nanak laughed even more loudly. All others who were assembled there felt angry that he was humiliating even Akbar. After that, Akbar went and asked Nanak softly why he had laughed, when the prayers were being recited. Nanak said, “Although the priest was reciting prayers, his thoughts were in his home where the child was having fever. The priest’s mind was directed towards his home. If the mind says one thing and he does something else, he cannot be a religious leader. This is not helpful at all.” Akbar went and asked the priest if, in truth, his mind was thinking of his son when he was saying the prayers. The priest confirmed that as the child was suffering from high fever, he was thinking of his son even while reciting the prayers. Akbar then asked Nanak why his laughter continued even when he started to pray. Nanak then said, “Surely you know why I laughed. Before you came here, several horses were sent to you by the king of Panchala, and you have a great liking towards horses. Although you were praying here, your thoughts were on the horses. Is this not true?” After Nanak gave this answer about his laughter, Akbar helped Nanak spread his religion and gave him all support. In the prayers, that we undertake, we go on striking at the mosquitoes soon after we start the prayer. Because religious leaders like Nanak of earlier days had the power to concentrate, they were called Mahatmas. Their thought, word and deed were totally united. II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II