The One appears as Many

The One appears as Many

On Sunday, the 13th day of December, 1964, Baba was at Venkatagiri Town. He had reached the place a few days earlier in connection with a heavy schedule of discourses in the Chittoor and Nellore Districts, in Andhra Pradesh. But, Baba is not bound by the limitations of space and time. On that very day, about 8 a.m., “Baba surprisingly appeared in front of my house”, says, U. Ram Mohan Rao, Superintendent of the Junior Technical School, Manjeri (28 miles south of Calicut on the West Coast, in the State of Kerala). As the crow flies, the distance between Manjeri and Venkatagiri will be more than 600 miles! But, distance is only a game that Baba plays to keep us, poor mortals, apart.

We shall listen to Ram Mohan Rao describing this visit. “I and my wife were indoors with our daughter. The maid told us that a Sadhu had come. We went out to see who it was and we were surprised to see Sri Sathya Sai Baba! Baba said, Hari Om, Santhih Santhih Santhih”; we prostrated ourselves at His Feet. We led Baba into the office room, but, on the way, He saw our Puja room where His photo was hung, along with several holy pictures. He said He would sit in the Puja room itself. He told us that he had come to us that day, being very pleased with the Bhakthi of Sailaja, my daughter. He asked me to send word to devotees, if any were available, for Bhajan and Pravachan.” “He sent word to his neighbours and people collected immediately”, says Ramesh Rao, his cousin. He sang “Nandamukunda Sayinath”, “Om Bhagavan”, “Jayaram Jayaram”, along with the Bhakthas. After Bhajan, He talked to me in Tamil, to my wife in Canarese and to the others in the mixed dialect of Tamil-Malayalam. He Blessed us by the gift of a Sankhamala and placed His own photograph on it. He told me that my father had decided on a rite to propitiate the Snake-God (Sarpasamskaram) at Bangalore on 25th February, Thursday (‘My day’ He added), but he told me that he need not perform it, since He had ahead wiped off the calamity it was intended to avert and the sacrilege it was designed to atone.

He took some light refreshment. Then, told the persons around Him that all will be anxiously awaiting Him at Kalahasti. So, He took leave of us and asking us not to follow Him, went through the gate. He disappeared in a few seconds. We all felt happy at this unexpected Darsan and were struck by the ‘disappearing miracle’, within the twinkling of an eye.

Nor was this all. There are a few more paragraphs in the letter, which I am quoting: “24th December, Thursday, was a holiday; we felt lonely since our Sailaja was away at Mangalore. So we went out in the afternoon to visit some friends and returned home at 6.30 P.M. We were shocked to see the lights burning within the house. My wife asked me whether I had forgotten to switch off all the lights. I first examined the lock of the main door and, finding it intact, went round the house to see whether the other doors were bolted from within. They were o.k. Then, both of us came to the front door, opened the lock and walked in. We found everything intact; all the lights were on. We saw Baba sitting in our Prayer Room! We prostrated ourselves at His feet. He asked us (in Kannada) whether we were afraid! We replied that we were very lucky and that we felt very happy! Baba said that He had come because we were lonely and sad. ‘Let us sing Bhajans. If Sailaja were here, she would have liked to sing’, He said. He sang a few Bhajans, He took food and later, we discussed some general topics together. Then, Baba retired for the night.

Early next morning, Baba had His Bath; he had coffee with us and then, discoursed on Bhakthi and the Basic Truth of Nature. All of a sudden, we saw a rosary of Rudraksha beads in His Hand; He put it on my neck with His Blessing, with the direction that I should wear it during my Sandhya rites. After those rites, I was to place it on Baba’s photograph. We had breakfast together. The Puja room was decorated specially with garlands and flowers. Bhajan began. Meanwhile, devotees came to know that Baba had come; so they too assembled for Bhajan. Baba discoursed on Bhakthi in the Tamil-Malayalam dialect. He granted every one the coveted interview.

The One appears as Many – A Divine Reflection On Unity And Creation

The One appears as Many is a deep spiritual truth that helps us understand the mystery of creation and the unity behind all diversity. The world is filled with countless names, forms, languages, religions, cultures, beings, and experiences, yet behind all this variety there is one divine source. Just as one sun is reflected in many pots of water, the one Divine is reflected in countless hearts.

Human beings often become attached to outer differences. We notice the body, color, religion, nationality, language, status, and personal nature of people. Because of this, separation begins in the mind. But spiritual wisdom teaches that these differences are only outer coverings. The same life, the same consciousness, and the same divine spark shine within all.

The One appears as Many teaches that diversity should not create division. Variety is part of the beauty of creation. A garden becomes beautiful because it has many flowers of different colors and fragrances. In the same way, humanity becomes beautiful through different traditions, talents, and expressions. The problem begins only when difference turns into pride, hatred, or superiority.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba often emphasized the unity of all existence. He taught that all are embodiments of the Divine and that love is the natural bond connecting every heart. If we truly understand this, we cannot hurt others intentionally. To harm another is to forget the unity of life. To serve another is to worship God in that form.

The One appears as Many also helps us understand religion in a broader way. People may call God by different names: Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Sai, Allah, Jesus, Buddha, or another sacred name. The paths may look different, but sincere prayer reaches the same Supreme Reality. True religion should make the heart pure, not narrow.

In daily life, this truth can change our behavior. When we see the same divine presence in others, our speech becomes gentler and our actions become kinder. We become less eager to judge and more willing to understand. Compassion grows naturally because we begin to feel that others’ pain is not separate from our own.

The One appears as Many reminds us that the human body is temporary, but the inner Self is eternal. Bodies differ, minds differ, habits differ, and life situations differ, but the Atma is one. Spiritual practice helps us move from body-consciousness to divine awareness. When this awareness grows, fear, jealousy, and hatred slowly reduce.

Nature also teaches this lesson. One ocean appears as many waves. One earth supports many plants. One sky holds many clouds. One electricity lights many bulbs. The forms are many, but the underlying source is one. A wise person looks beyond the surface and recognizes the unity hidden behind variety.

The One appears as Many becomes meaningful when it inspires selfless service. If God is present in every being, then helping others becomes a sacred act. Feeding the hungry, comforting the sad, caring for the sick, teaching children, and serving society without ego are all ways of honoring the Divine in many forms.

This truth also removes loneliness. A person may feel separate from the world, but spiritually no one is truly alone. The same Divine that lives within us lives within all beings and all creation. When the heart connects with this truth, life feels more peaceful, meaningful, and protected by grace.

The One appears as Many finally reminds us that spiritual maturity means seeing unity while respecting diversity. We do not need to make everyone the same. We need to recognize the same divine light in everyone. Love does not destroy differences; it blesses them and holds them together in harmony.

In the end, this sacred theme teaches that all life is connected through one Divine source. When we live with this awareness, pride becomes humility, hatred becomes love, and service becomes worship. The world may appear as many, but the heart that sees with wisdom knows that all forms are expressions of the one eternal truth.

History of the Mandir