Now you can go

shri sathya sai Now you can go

Om Sri Sai Ram

“Prof. N Kasturi in “Sathyam Shivam Sundaram” narrates this thrilling experience of Sri Seshagiri Rao, who served as the priest at the Mandir in Prasanthi Nilayam:

Seshagiri Rao, who tended the shrine at the Old Mandir and later at the Nilayam for full 14 years had been injured by a fall and was in the throes of death. He was declaring aloud with his last breath the amazing Truth (enshrined in the Isavasya Upanishad) which no one except sages recall at the moment of mortal crisis: “This body composed of the five elements is disintegrating into its components; I am being liberated!” I stood by admiring and envying the old man. “What great good fortune, to pass into the beyond with these words on one’s lips!” I told myself.

Suddenly, Baba appeared in the room, as someone had informed Him of the approaching demise of His trusted servitor. Baba chided Seshagiri Rao in firm tones. He said, “How dare you start on this journey, without taking a ticket from Me? Come down; do the task allotted to you. I order you to come to the Prayer Hall this noon and carry on with Arathi, as usual. We stood aghast at this ‘unkindness’ , but who are we to pit our judgement against the All-knowing One? Seshagiri Rao obeyed the order; he attended Bhajan and went through the allotted schedule of work.

Six months later, he fell ill, seriously ill and was admitted to the Sathya Sai Hospital; his condition worsened. His mental faculties began to fail, he lost all disgust for dirt and it saddened everyone that a faithful servant of God should suffer so. His brother came from Bangalore and prayed to Baba that he may be allowed to take him to the Victoria Hospital where he could be given personal attention by his son and his nephews, who were employed there.

But, Baba said, “Do not worry at his present plight. I am allowing him to work out the suffering he has to undergo. After this, he has the chance to die peacefully and quite happily. Otherwise, I could have despatched him months ago, when he had a fall.” And, it happened so.

A month passed. Seshagiri Rao recovered quite mysteriously. The sun shone around him in his apartment. He spent six weeks of bliss, doing his chores. Then he started to decline and took to his bed. His son was by his side, tending him lovingly.

One evening, Baba went into Seshagiri Rao’s room. I had the privilege of going with Him. He asked me to bring a cup of hot milk. Spoon by spoon, He fed him the entire cup, calling on him by name and telling him that it was his Baba that was feeding him! Then, He rose and moved; turning back at the door, He looked at him and said, “Now you can go!” And, Seshagiri Rao obeyed, within an hour! Baba knew when he had to come down and when he had to “go”. We can only watch and pray, only stand agape at the wonder and the meaningful “waywardness” of the wind of Grace”.

Reference: “Sathyam Shivam Sundaram”, Vol-II by Prof. N. Kasturi. Page: 224-225. (Chapter: ‘Signs and Wonders’). Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam.

Now You Can Go: A Sacred Message of Release, Peace, and Surrender

There comes a time in every spiritual journey when the heart must learn to let go. Holding on is easy when love is deep, but true devotion also teaches surrender, acceptance, and trust in the Divine plan. Now you can go is not just a simple sentence; it carries the feeling of release, blessing, and inner peace. It is the moment when pain becomes prayer, attachment becomes surrender, and the soul learns to accept what life is asking with courage.

In human life, we often hold tightly to people, memories, dreams, and expectations. We fear losing what we love because the heart becomes attached. But spiritual wisdom teaches that nothing truly belongs to us forever. Every person, every blessing, and every experience comes into our life for a purpose. When that purpose is complete, the heart must learn to say, Now you can go, not with bitterness, but with gratitude.

This sentence can be deeply emotional when spoken from a devotee’s heart. It may be said to a loved one, to an old pain, to a past regret, or even to a fear that has controlled life for too long. Sometimes the soul suffers because it refuses to release what has already served its role. Peace begins when we stop fighting reality and start trusting the higher wisdom behind every change.

Now you can go also reflects the beauty of blessing someone without holding them back. True love does not imprison. True love gives freedom. If someone’s journey must continue in another direction, love should not become a chain. It should become a prayer. The heart may feel heavy, but when love is pure, it wishes peace for the other soul. This is not weakness; it is the strength of selfless love.

In devotion, surrender is one of the highest teachings. A devotee may pray, cry, wait, and hope, but finally there comes a moment when everything must be placed at the feet of the Divine. The devotee says, “I have done what I could. I have loved, served, and prayed. Now I trust Your will.” In that moment, Now you can go becomes a sacred offering, not only to another person, but to life itself.

Letting go does not mean forgetting. It means remembering without pain controlling the heart. It means honoring the past without allowing it to destroy the present. Many people live trapped in old wounds. They replay the same memories again and again, asking why things happened the way they did. But sometimes there is no answer that satisfies the mind. The only healing comes through acceptance.

Now you can go can also be spoken to sorrow. Pain often stays longer than it should because we keep feeding it with regret, guilt, and fear. The heart must gently tell its sadness that it has taught enough. It must say that the lesson has been received, the tears have been offered, and the soul is ready to breathe again. This is how healing begins, slowly and silently.

There are moments when a devotee feels that the Divine is teaching detachment through difficult experiences. Something precious may be taken away, or a chapter may close unexpectedly. At first, the mind resists. It feels unfair. But later, the heart may understand that every ending is not punishment. Some endings are protection. Some separations are preparation. Some losses open the door to deeper faith.

Now you can go is also a message of forgiveness. Sometimes we hold people inside our anger for years. We believe that by remembering the hurt, we are protecting ourselves. But anger becomes a prison. Forgiveness does not always mean allowing someone back into our life. It means freeing our own heart from the burden of bitterness. When we forgive, we are saying, “Your action will no longer control my peace.”

The spiritual path teaches that life is a journey of arrival and departure. People come, moments pass, seasons change, and the body itself is temporary. Yet the soul continues its journey. Understanding this truth brings maturity. We begin to love more deeply, but cling less desperately. We begin to serve more sincerely, but expect less in return. This balance creates inner freedom.

Now you can go can be a powerful prayer at the end of a difficult chapter. It may mean releasing fear, releasing doubt, releasing ego, or releasing attachment. The words may sound simple, but they carry great strength. They show that the heart is no longer fighting the flow of life. It is ready to trust, ready to heal, and ready to move forward.

In the end, Now you can go is a sacred expression of peace. It is not rejection. It is not defeat. It is not coldness. It is the gentle acceptance that every soul has its path, every pain has its lesson, and every ending has hidden grace. When the heart learns to release with love, it becomes lighter. When the soul learns to surrender with faith, it becomes stronger.

Life becomes peaceful when we stop holding what the Divine is asking us to release. The greatest freedom comes when we can bless the past, trust the present, and walk into the future without fear. That is the quiet power hidden in Now you can go.