Sai Humour: Bloopers in the Divine Presence

Revisiting some of the wonderful Trayee sessions that have taken place over the years that I was blessed to attend, I am reminded of some episodes where speakers suffered from the ‘foot-in-mouth’ disease in the Divine presence! Those errors committed unwittingly, were a source of mirth and happiness as they were made and they continue to be inciters of laughter even today! The episodes are well known in the Sai-student community and it is with some delight that I recollect them.

The most famous among them is that of the devotee from the armed forces. He was narrating about the protective power of Swami’s name. The scene was in a helicopter during the infamous 1971 war between India and Pakistan. In the eagerness to impress the audience with Swami’s mercy on him, he said, “There was firing all around. Bullets whizzed past our helicopter and a few passed through it too.

I just called out, “Sairam, Sairam” and miracle of miracles, the bullet hit my ADC and not me!”

Talk about making Swami look like a biased God!

There was another devotee who was trying to glorify the compassionate aspect of the Lord. He began a talk, “In the Dwapara age, the mother of the Pandavas, Kunti, prayed to Lord Krishna to fill her life with troubles. For, it was only in situations of trouble that she would constantly remember God. In that age, she had to pray to the Lord."

"But in this age, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is so compassionate that he has gifted troubles made me think of Him even without me praying so!”

Oh My God! How we laughed! And he had a bewildered expression on his face.

This enthusiasm to portray Swami in the highest light often has made people convey exactly the opposite even without them realizing it. There is a devotee who was reliving the difficult times they faced when the floods washed away people and property in the state of Odisha in India. But when it came to conveying his gratitude to Swami, he said,

“It is only Swami’s grace that saved us. We all gathered in the home and did bhajans. Swami’s miracle was that all the trees fell on the neighbor’s house!”

Then, there is the classic case of an erudite and elderly devotee. He would often make use of high flowing Sanskrit terms and statements in his speeches. On one occasion, he wanted to glorify Swami’s name as, “Maha Abhayakara Sai Naamam” - meaning, that Name which confers fearlessness.

He ended up saying, “Mahabhayankara Sai Naamam” - meaning, that Name which is the most terrifying!

I shall never forget the shocked look on Swami’s face when he said that and the ripple of laughter that came about immediately after that.

The same speaker was once speaking during the Dasara celebrations. He was talking of the glory and story of the Divine Mother. And like any speaker would do, he wanted to say that Sathya Sai and the divine Mother were one and the same. The Mother is also known as Mahishasuramardhini ( one who annihilated the demon Mahishasura). As he spoke, he said,

“And in our presence today, we have Sai Mahishasura ( and stopped to take a sip of water before completing )- Mardhini !”

To those unfamiliar with Sanskrit, the sentence that was punctuated with a sip of water stopped at referring to Swami as the demon rather than the demon annihilator!

There was this student speaker who was narrating as to how he had found a small bird abandoned and helpless. He was prompted from within by Swami to take the bird to the zoology teacher. And unknowingly, he let a statement slip that made everyone put their heads down in embarrassment in Swamis presence,

“I went to the Institute and sir had not yet come. See, he usually is late to college!” Thank God the teacher was not sitting in the audience!

Another student became a little nervous as he spoke. He began to suffer memory lapses. He said, “....at this point, I am reminded of a famous story. It is so inspiring that it has become a mantra in my life. The story is.......the story is.......” -

Oops! He had forgotten the story!


But nobody will be able to better me am sure! I was speaking on the occasion of Sankranthi, after the Sports Meet. I began with,

"The annual Sports and Cultural Meet is an annual affair."

As if that was not enough, I began to describe the wonderful programmes put up by the Primary school children.

I said, "These small children, 2 year olds and 3 year olds..."

(They were a minimum 5 1/2 years old!). It elicited hearty laughter from everyone and I did not even realize what was happening! The complete and comprehensive details of that episode is subject of another article!

PHOTO IN POCKET - OF YOUR WIFE... MY INCIDENT

Long live such bloopers for they fill our beings with joy and laughter.

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: The Experience of a Disciple of Swami Sivananda with Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Whenever anybody speaks about how they first came to Puttaparthi or how their plan to come to Puttaparthi went awry, I am reminded of the experience of Mr. Arun Mandale. His experience borders between the realms of the bizarre and the fantastic. When I first heard it from my friend and classmate in University, I was simply dying to meet the man who experienced it. A few months later, Swami gave me the opportunity to meet him and hear the experience firsthand. My jaw simply dropped and my hairs stood on their end as the narrative came to a close. More than anything else, my heart sent prayers of gratitude to Swami. I shall simply narrate the story as he told me and leave the readers to experience it in their own ways.

   

Mr. Arun Mandale

Mr. Arun Mandale resides in the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh and was the Samithi convenor there for a long time. This story is based in the late 1990’s. I wish to confirm the exact dates the next time I meet him.

Being the convenor of the samithi, bhajans were a regular feature every Thursday in Mr.Mandale’s house. One day, he noticed that there were quite some strangers who had come for bhajan at his home. As weeks passed by, the number of such ‘strangers’ or first-timers kept increasing. Intrigued at this apparent sudden spurt of the ‘devotional quotient’ of his city, Mr.Mandale approached one such ‘stranger’ after a Thursday bhajan session.

“Sairam sir. You seem to be coming here for the first time. May I help you in any way?”
“Ah! Yesterday evening there was a sadhu (mendicant / monk / hermit) who came to me at the bus stand. He told me that if I wanted peace of mind, I should visit a certain address on Thursday. The address he gave me led me here!”
Needless to say, Mr.Mandale was pleasantly surprised.
But then, matters got more intriguing.
Everyone - each and every one - of the ‘strangers’ had a similar story of a sadhu guiding them to that home for bhajans! The only variable in the stories was the venue where they met the sadhu. For most however, the sadhu had accosted them at the railway station. Unable to bear his curiosity any longer, Mr.Mandale decided to investigate.

If anyone says that he/she is completely intrigued now, they better gear up for something much more wondrous! The story starts moving into the realms of the fantastic now.

Bhajans at the residence of Mr. Arun Mandale

With his daughter, the bewildered samithi convenor wended his way to the railway station in Indore. After some searching, his eyes fell upon the sadhu seated silently in one corner. Mr. Mandale told his daughter to fall at the feet of the sadhu in respect. The sadhu blessed her and now Mr. Mandale sought his blessings. As he started to move towards him, the sadhu looked up. Within a few steps of reaching him, the sadhu held up his hand and said in a stentorian voice,
“Stop!”
Mr. Mandale froze in his tracks as he continued to say,
“If you wish to come close to me, I have two conditions. The first is that you shall not fall at my feet. The second is that I shall fall at your feet! Are you game?”

Curiosity levels peaked in Mr.Mandale and he was ready “to do anything to get to the bottom of what was happening - even giving a padanamaskar (touch of the feet)!” Having fulfilled both conditions, he sat by the sadhu along with his daughter. The sadhu began to speak of his own volition.

A Story That Will Drop Down Any Jaw

“Listen to a story. I was barely aged 6 when my father submitted me in devotion to my Guru - Swami Sivananda. I joined his ashram (hermitage) and totally submitted myself to my Guru. My guru was my everything - mother, father and God too. It was then that a young lad with a thick black mop of hair arrived to our ashram at Rishikesh.”

This is an obvious reference to Swami’s visit to Swami Sivananda’s ashram on 22nd July,1957 which has been recorded in the first part of the biography, Sathyam Shivam Sundaram.

On the twenty-second of July Baba left New Delhi by car for Rishikesh. Swami Sivananda's monastic disciples escorted Him from Hardwar. When He reached Sivanandanagar at 6:30 that evening, Swami Sivananda called a special gathering of the disciples at the Ashram and offered Baba a hearty welcome. While Sivananda greeted Baba with folded hands, as was his custom, Baba acknowledged the greeting with His posture of the Hand which means, "Do not fear," a sign that has given peace to thousands of troubled souls.

Swami Sivananda with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

He then materialized by the mere wave of His hand a magnificent Rudraksha garland of 108 beads, a rosary made from a berry. It was of exquisite workmanship, each bead encased in gold, and all were strung in gold with a five-faced king-bead in the center. He presented it to Swami Sivananda Saraswati. He also manifested a large quantity of Sacred Ash and applied it to the sage's forehead. That evening when the Swami entered the Satsang Hall wearing the unique garland, everyone was awed by its lustre and workmanship and the miracle that brought it forth. Swami Sivananda spoke of Bhagavan and His message. He expounded on the efficacy of Namasmarana, the remembering of the Name of God, and appealed as a medical practitioner for a daily dose of dispassion to be taken by every person along with the regular diet of the Lord's Name.

Swami Sivananda

It came as a pleasant surprise to many in the Ashram when they saw, on the day Baba departed, Swami Sivananda enthusiastically taking Baba around his hermitage, for on the day Baba reached the Ashram, and for a number of days thereafter, the Swami had been pushed around in a wheelchair!

At that time Swami Sivananda was on a wheelchair. Swami in fact had pushed the wheelchair and had spent personal time with Swami Sivananda.

When my guru touched the feet of this orange-robed figure, much younger than him, I was shocked. How could he being the Master, bow down to anyone else? It was then that the guru revealed to us that the Krishna he had adored had finally presented Himself in his ashram. I was amazed at this yogi whom guru had called as Lord Krishna.”

This young boy now began to have strange experiences in his meditation.

“Whenever I sat in meditation, in the deepest moments, I would see this new yogi in my forehead, in between my eyebrows (Bhrumadhyastana as it is known). This went on for years. In 1963, my peerless guruji gave up his body. We continued to stay at the hermitage in Rishikesh, practicing our meditations and the master’s teachings.”

Now the story moves into fantabulous realms!

The sadhu, along with others in the ashram, would move to caves in the Himalayan mountains where he would spend the entire summer and spring months. At the onset of winter, they would all return to the warmth and safety of the ashram to continue their penances. It was during one of those sojourns in the cave that the sadhu met Sri Sathya Sai Babafor a second time.

“One day, in the cave, I noticed that there were no matches. Now, I had to traverse miles back to civilization for a piece of match. It was at this time that suddenly, the yogi I had seen long ago in my guru’s ashram, walked into the cave. He gave me the matches I needed and moved on. After that day, on many other instances, he came to my cave and gave me things that I needed.”

Our friend, the sadhu, had assumed that Swami was another hermit staying in the Himalayas. He was amazed that this lad was able to gauge his needs and was grateful for his timely appearances. One day he felt that it would only be basic courtesy to visit the yogi back in “his cave”! Was he in for a surprise!

“When I made some enquiries in Rishikesh, I came to know that this yogi was not a resident of the Himalayas but stayed in some place in South India. However, having determined to meet him, I decided to make the journey to South India. I was advised to take the train to the city of Madras (present day Chennai) and I did the same.”

The sadhu landed in Madras which was a big city and was lost. As he wandered about the city, he saw a photograph of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Hungrily, he rushed to the spot and made enquiries. Finally, a man helped him with directions.

“Take the train to Dharmavaram. From there, you will get regular buses to Puttaparthi. That is where Sathya Sai Baba resides.”

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba looks down from His small room in Puttaparthi

A Grand (Anti) Climax To The Sadhu's Search?

Very often, we think that we have come to Puttaparthi. And if anyone asks us how to reach Puttaparthi, we say, “Take a flight/bus/train/car to Bangalore/Puttaparthi” and so on. That is an answer of course. But is that the right answer? The story now moves into the realms of the completely bizarre. It is only fair that I allow the sadhu to complete his story in his own words.

“I took the train and reached Dharmavaram. It was late in the evening and I was told that the last bus to Puttaparthi had already left. I would be able to complete my journey only early the next morning. I slept on the comfortable platform in Dharmavaram. Being accustomed to sleeping on the icy rocks of the Himalayas, the platform was a soft bed for me!”

“The next morning, I woke up and it was pitch dark all around me. I was a bit confused. I waded my way in the darkness only to walk out of my cave in the Himalayas! I was shocked. I rushed back in and heard a voice from within. It said

‘Child! When your time comes, I shall call you to Parthi.’

I was simply dumbstruck”, the sadhu completed.

As Mr.Mandale sat in silence, digesting the profundity and magnitude of the experience this sadhu at the Indore railway station had narrated to him, the sadhu continued,

“I have never been to Puttaparthi till this day. You have been there, seen Him, talked to Him and touched Him. Tell me, is it not right that I touch your feet and not the other way round?”

As Mr.Mandale completed his narrative, there was a glimmer of a tear in his eye. I was too overwhelmed to speak.

One thing I know for sure - there is only one way to come to Puttaparthi and that is - if He calls!

The video above has all details of this story! 

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Last Divine Discourse - 22nd November 2010

The Setting For The 29th Convocation of SSSIHL.

The 29th Convocation of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning was scheduled for 22nd November 2010. The chief guest for the ceremony was the prime minister of the Indian Republic - Dr.Manmohan Singh. There were many eminent guests too - Sri K. Rosaiah, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Sri E.S.L. Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Y.S. Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri Shivraj Patil, Governor of Punjab and Administrator, Union Territory of Chandigarh, Sri M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Sri Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Minister for Power, Sri Ashok Chavan,  former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Dr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons, Sri N. Chandrasekaran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services.

At 11:10am, the University brass band began a majestic beat and a lively march led Swami and the Prime minister (PM) into the Kulwant hall. The whole contingent of the office bearers and the members of the academic council and the governing body followed Swami and the PM. They moved up the stage and took their positions. Swami ensured that the PM was comfortable. The Veda chanting began and the invocation was recited. The Institute Oath was then administered to the students by the Vice Chancellor. 

The gold medals to various degrees were presented to the students by the Chancellor.

The Hon’ble Chief Guest Dr. Manmohan Singh then delivered his Convocation Address. He was amazed at the progress that the Insititute had made since his last visit in 1995. His entire speech can be obtained at the official site of the Prime Minister’s Office.

After the speech, the brass band struck up the tune of  the national anthem. Everyone rose to attention. Then, the stage was vacated and Swami went into the interview room. The PM and his family too went in and they had a private interview. At the end, Swami told the PM that He would address the children and the PM decided to attend the discourse. Thus it was that the stage was once again occupied and Swami asked for His mikes to be brought. The translator arrived and the discourse began, the gist of which is given below:

People go to different pilgrim centres to see God. They are in quest of God. I tell you, Oh simpletons, you are God, God is within you, above you, below you and by the side of you. Do not consider Him to be separate from you. The very Self (Atma) is divine. Have this feeling ingrained in you. Right from a tiny tot to a grown up, from microcosm to macrocosm, God is present in everyone. If you have such feelings of unity, you will be successful in life. Therefore, you should repeatedly think that God is not elsewhere. God is in your heart. The heart is the centre of God. You are God. You and God are one. God resides in the altar of your heart.

There is no need to renounce the world. Remain in society with the awareness that God is within you. That is why it is said, Sahasra Seersha Purusha Sahasraksha Sahasra Pad (The Cosmic Being has thousands of heads, eyes and feet).

After being abducted by Ravana, it was only the power of her chastity which made Sita meet her husband Lord Rama. Mother Sita spent 10 months in Lanka. All the while she was thinking of Rama. She did not look at the face of anyone. She was even put to the test of fire, but she came out unscathed. Bharat is the land which gave birth to great women like Damayanti who reduced an evil-minded hunter to ashes by the power of chastity. This land also gave birth to Savitri who brought her dead husband back to life; Chandramati who extinguished wild fire with the power of truth. Can you show an example of a wife bringing her dead husband back to life? Have you seen such persons? She belongs to this land of Bharat. Today we do not find such women of chastity. 

Draupadi who never said ‘no’ to her husbands. She was always willing to serve them. She was totally contented. If the husband and wife live in harmony, the whole country will progress. Because of disharmony between the husband and wife, there is no peace anywhere. If there is adjustment between them, there will be peace. If such a life is lived, there will be no chaos. I want all householders to live in harmony and peace. There is no penance beyond this adjustment. Harmony at home is most important. Then all the rest will follow. If there is peace and harmony at home, there will be no anxiety. The path shown by these illustrious women should become the guideline of your life.

If you adhere to discipline in life, you will live a long and healthy life. The pure heart is the temple of God. Take care that negative thoughts do not enter your heart. The mind should not become perverted. Unity is possible only through spirituality. I want students to develop the principle of unity. Do not be narrow-minded. Youth should develop good character. The end of education is character. With good character, you can achieve anything. If you act according to the dictates of the mind, how can you expect to realise God? 

In the name of meditation, you sit while the mind loiters in the market. You should not allow the mind to waver. Even if you are angry, do not fight. If you fight with someone, you are hurting yourself. Rectify your thoughts. That is what students should do. Educare is essential today. Along with formal education, educare is needed. Do not deviate from the path shown by Bhagawan. Be humble, do not be arrogant. 

When Rama was in search of Sita, they found some jewels. Rama asked Lakshmana to identify the jewels as to whether they were of Sita’s. Lakshmana was one of immaculate character. He had never seen the face of Sita. He had seen her toe rings since he used to touch her feet. One should live an ideal life like Lakshmana. But today this sort of exemplary character is not noticed.  

There is no unity at the national level. There is no unity, but instead there is enmity. Everyone should work for the unity of this land. In fact, in every field of public life, unity is required. If one secures high percentage of marks, there will arise jealousy in others. Jealousy is the reason for all controversies. You may tell that you are a top ranker, but it is only written on a piece of paper. Your heart, integrity that makes you really great, not medals.  

All are the children of God. You should mingle with each other as brothers. This is the message of Bhagawan on this occasion of Convocation.

Who Is Sathya Sai Baba?

"Who is Mr.Swami?"

An interesting thing happened some years ago. As I was furiously plodding away at the keyboard, reliving my beautiful memories with Swami, I got a gentle prod. The prod came in as a message from Mr.Happy. He wrote in all sincerity and love - “Thank you for writing this. It was interesting and I can certainly appreciate your devotion for the Man in Orange. He does seem to command power.This was a great blog. I am not sure who Mr. Swami is - that is why I wanted to read more because I keep seeing his photo around lately …”

I was very touched with his interest. And I stopped typing, pausing to think. “I keep writing about the object of my love, adoration and worship. I bring Him completely into my conversations with my readers. But I do the error of not introducing Him! Many do not require an introduction and still many do need one. I must write about who Mr.Swami ( Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba) is.” And thus this venture. It is really so easy to say who He is - God. And yet so difficult, for the term “God” has different meanings for different people.

Before I begin, let me tell the readers that due to a wealth of information that can be provided, I stick to a skeleton framework providing links wherever necessary. You can, of your own volition choose to dive to the depths you want! Happy diving and splashing! Now, let me begin.

Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju as the eighth child in a poor family in the village of Puttaparthi, Andhra pradesh, India on the 23rd of November 1926. (He shed the mortal coil on the 24th of April, 2011.) His early life was one that was filled with miracles and experiences galore.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba at His Brindavan residence ( Bangalore) in the 1960s

The two voices waiting to talk aloud...

In the 86 years on earth, what He has achieved is monumental to say the least, Divine to say the Truth. And as I start to write about Him, I witness two voices within me. Both want to be heard. And I shall give them both an opportunity. The first voice is that of the head and the second is that of the heart.

Over to the head now.

Swami believes in the unity of all religions. He says that He has come not to start a new religion but to make a Hindu a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian and so on. He says that there is only one caste, the caste of humanity; only one religion, the religion of Love; only one language, the language of the heart and only one God though God responds to whatever name you call or form you ascribe.

He says that the summation of all the scriptures is contained in the phrases, “Love All, Serve All” and “Help ever, Hurt never”. And so, He exhorts one and all to serve for service to man is service to God. In accordance with these, He has pioneered some breathtaking service projects.

1) Starting small with a free general hospital, Swami has started two general hospitals and two super speciality hospitals which are absolutely free. The super specialty hospitals in Puttaparthi and Bangalore provide tertiary care to one and all - absolutely free of cost! And the response, especially from the poorest sections that earn less than a dollar a day has been one of unimaginable gratitude.


This has inspired medical service activities in over 120 countries of the world and healthcare is being provided to millions around the world. Some of the most amazing service has been carried out in the poor African continent! It has brought light to the dark continent!

But as I said, this is only a drop in the ocean. There is magnificent service going on in all countries. I have personally witnessed some, like this mind-blowing and heart-touching one in Trinidad and Tobago.

A view of the edifice of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Bengaluru. 

A view of the edifice of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi 

2) Swami has always defined education as something that brings out from within what is latent in a person. He says that education is not simply stuffing things external into a person! To achieve this, Swami has built schools and a university. And again, from the nursery to post graduation, the education is offered wholly free of cost! Mind boggling isn’t it? But Swami says, “When one has the pure intention to do good, there will be no shortage of men, materials, resources, money and good wishes. This is not miracle of God, but the miracle of Love. After all, Love is god and God is Love!”

The various temples of Education that He has started have inspired many others to do the same in His name and with His principles. A primary and higher secondary school also have begun at Puttaparthi. But that is not all!

The philosophy has inspired schools and educational institutions the world over like in Fiji
and Canada.

There are many more and I feel a sample should suffice.

The Puttaparthi Campus of the Sri Sathya Institute of Higher Learning

3) India is a huge country with many places lacking access to good drinking water. Swami built massive water projects to provide safe drinking water to over 700 villages in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, spending about 300 crores Indian rupees to millions of people in Medak & Mahboobnagar, to millions in the E and W Godavari districts and drinking water to the entire city of Chennai in India for which all the citizens and politicians came forward to express gratitude to Swami.

The pipelines being laid. ( More than 2000 kms of pipes were laid)

Water flowing out of the Kandaleru reservoir towards the city of Chennai.

The grateful villagers - beneficiaries of the massive Sathya Sai Drinking Water project

4) Service to the villages in making them self sustaining and happy has been another major effort from Swami. As in the other projects, starting small, He has achieved tremendous results. Among the hundreds of success stories, a sample would suffice to understand this.

That is quite a lot of talk from the head. I request the head to stop here and allow the heart too a fair share of talk time. So dear heart, start speaking now...

Talking of Sathya Sai Baba as a great humanitarian is like calling Lord Krishna a cowherd, Lord Jesus a Shepherd, the Buddha a prince and Prophet Muhammad a trader! Of course, He is a humanitarian, but He is much more.

He has taught me the greatest lesson of my life - the purpose of human life! I went to Swami seeking God. And then I heard him say, “Yes, I am God and so are you. The only difference between you and I is that while I am aware of this fact, you are not. “

I saw Him perform miracles - heal cancer, tuberculosis and blindness with a mere glance or a touch; create objects from thin air and heard about how He brought the dead back to life. But as I pondered on all these, I heard Him say that His greatest miracle was Love and that if one imbibed pure selfless love, anyone can do these so called miracles. And he said that truly everyone is nothing but love. Whenever He speaks, He addresses all as the embodiments of Love!

I stayed with Him and saw Him daily. It's more than 2 decades now and I cross my heart and say that He is my best friend who has showered on me the love of a mother, father and teacher, all rolled into one. He taught me that the individual is a part of society. Society is a part of nature and nature is the part of God! So if one claims to love God then one must love one’s fellow beings, serve the society and preserve nature. Reading what Swami has said about Himself tells us a lot about who He is.

Whenever I felt alone and lost, He came to me, not only physically but even metaphysically too! I have seen so many coincidences in my life and I know that a coincidence is also a miracle; just that God chose to remain anonymous! He found for me the love of my life and He has made me love life to the fullest. He taught me that Joy and Bliss is the nature of every soul and so we must be happy always. He made me realize that whatever is happening to me is for my good alone and therefore there is never the need for me to be sad. He has filled my life with love and taught me that everything I encounter in life is nothing but a reaction, reflection and resound of me. He has taught me to love me and therefore the whole world along with that! He is my world, nay my Universe. He embodies the most powerful force ever - that of Love - and so He is the most powerful. If you call that God, yes, He is my God!

How much ever I write on what He means to me, I shall never be satisfied for how can paltry words ever substitute an experience? But yet, like the salt doll that went to measure the depths of the ocean, I try to describe who He is with the hope that like that salt doll, I too shall dissolve in Him.

Millions are the ones who have experienced Him. And a few eminent people described Him variously. That should be an inspiring read in itself!

The Shiva-Shakti Avatar - Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 The feet that differed

Prof. Anil Kumar was a delighted man. He had just been beckoned into the ‘interview room’ by his master and god, his Swami, Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The term ‘interview room’ does not do any justice to what happens inside. Probably, the Hindi term for ‘interview room’ - Sakshatkar Kaksh - provides an indication of the powerful experiences that transpire within. Sakshatkar, on one hand, means a face-to-face interaction but, on the other hand, it also means experiencing the manifestation of the omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient divinity in a physical form. The interview rooms where Swami granted audiences and interactions to tens of thousands of people have witnessed millions of magical moments and the professor was in for one such moment. 

He went in and found Swami seated on His chair in the northwestern corner of the room. He rushed and seated himself at His feet. Even as Swami began to converse, the professor placed his hands on His feet and began enjoying the bliss of Padasevanam (service to the feet of one’s Guru/God). A few minutes later, he realized that there were some deep impressions in the flesh at the left ankle. Looking down, he realized that they were impressions that were probably created by a heavy anklet. Surprisingly, these impressions were absent on the right ankle. Unable to bear the curiosity, he interrupted the conversation and asked,

“Swami, what are these marks on your left ankle?”

Swami smiled and gave a reply that thrilled the genial professor to the core.

Anil Kumar sir on one of the several occasions when he got an interview from Swami.

The differential diagnosis

Dr. Narottam Maharaj Alreja had the greatest good fortune of being the ‘personal physician’ of his Avatar of the Age - Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He had earlier worked in the well known J.J.Hospital, Mumbai, as its Superintendent and had joined the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam as its Superintendent in the year 1975. 

One afternoon, at about 1:30 pm, he suddenly received summons to Swami’s residence. Wondering what the issue might be, he gathered his medical bag and rushed to the spot. Swami welcomed him with a smile and said that he was feeling uneasy. The one who is always at the most supreme easy sports uneasiness only to convey a message and grant an experience. That would be the doctor’s discovery that day. 

“Check my blood pressure”, the doctor was advised and he immediately readied his sphygmomanometer to do the same. Putting the cuff to Swami’s right arm, Dr. Alreja pumped the machine to take measurements. The blood pressure was 80/56 and pulse rate 48 per minute. This was not good but the doctor knew that he was face to face with God.

“Is there anything serious, Alreja?” Swami enquired.
“Swami, what can ever be serious with Swami?”
“But the expression on your face changed when you took the readings...”

“May I take the BP readings for the other arm?”

“Do whatever you need to form your diagnosis.”

Dr. Alreja removed the cuff from Swami’s right arm and slid it over His left arm. As he pumped up the machine and listened carefully in his stethoscope, the BP showed 120/80 with a pulse rate of 72 per minute. This was the perfect ‘normal’.

“Now what is your diagnosis?” Swami asked.

Alreja was a devotee first and doctor later. He prostrated to Swami and gave his diagnosis.

Dr. Alreja speaking in the General Hospital (2003)

“You got a heart attack with a blockage of the artery. You say that You are Siva Shakti Swarupa. Siva on the right side had taken over the heart attack of a Siva bhakta. On the left side, Shakti was unaffected. Am grateful that you provided me with medical proof that you are Shiva-Shakti.”

At that moment, Swami raised the robe and blessed the doctor with another beautiful revelation and experience.

“See on the right chest and arm, there is hair. On the left side of My chest and arm, there is no hair.”

The Shiva-Shakti Swaroopa

In the interview room, it was a similar experience that was granted to Prof. Anil Kumar. He immediately realized that the curtains had been parted for him to witness the Shiva-Shakti. Even as that realization dawned, Swami confirmed it, saying,

“That is the Shiva-Shakti swaroopa.”

The earliest recorded instance of Swami indicating the Shiva-Shakti is when, as a child, He would apply both vibhuti and kumkum to His forehead. The ‘parents’ and ‘friends’ would wonder what was happening, unaware that a revelation was in progress. Nobody probably even thought of this aspect of the Avatar till the magnificent miracle and declaration during the Guru Poornima of 1963 when Swami cured a paralytic stroke to the left half of His body by just sprinkling a few drops of water and then stood up to deliver the divine discourse, revealing the secret of Shiva-Shakti. (We have included that historic discourse in this issue of ‘The Eternal Companion’)

The name ‘Sai’ itself means Shiva-Shakthi. Etymologically, the first letter Sa(h) signifies the supreme Divinity (Eeshvara) or Shiva. Ayee, the second word signifies Shakthi, Ambaa or the universal Divine Mother. If the two letters are joined, the euphonic combination becomes Saayee: The great Vedic scholar and seer of the holy Mantra, the Sri Sathya Sai Gaayatri, the late Ghandikota Subramanya Shastri versified in Sanskrit as follows:

Shivah Sah Ithi Anena Ukthah

Ayee Ithi Ambaa Prakeerthithaa

Thath Samyogah Shivas-Saambah

Saayee Ithi Prathipaadhyathe

There is also the beautiful incident of Swami’s reminder to the great Sanskrit scholar. 

On one Shankara Jayanthi day ( the birth anniversary of the Indian guru, philosopher and Adwaitin, Adi Shankaracharya), Swami asked Sri Ghandikota Subramanya Shastri to address a large gathering of devotees in the spacious Poornachandra Auditorium. Being a master of Vedic learning and practice, he dwelt at length on the divine qualities and powers of Swami, comparing Him with several Vedic divinities - Gayatri, Dattatreya, Vishnu and the like. By a slip of memory, he forgot to mention the Shiva aspect of Baba, although Shiva happened to be his Ishta Devatha or favorite form of Divinity. Later, through the rest of the day he regretted this omission.

The next morning, after the regular bhajan was over, Swami graced the scholar and his son, with a memorable interview. The discussion centered on the triple Vedic paths of Karma, Bhakthi and Jnaana (Work, Worship, and Wisdom) and the triple divinities: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. At the end, Swami led them into the Bhajan Hall and showed them around the new decorative installations in the Bhajan Mandir. Stopping in front of the Shirdi Baba painting, He waved His right palm and lovingly materialized an unusual color picture.

The photograph materialised by Swami

"Idhi naa nija svaroopam (This is My True Form)”, He declared. This electrified the Vedic scholar.

If the word Esha (short for Eshwara or Shiva) is reversed in its Sanskri rendering, it becomes Shaayee, which further reduces to Saayee or Sai. Thus Swami's name as well as its meaning point in the direction of the Shiva-Shakti. 

Bhakti’s logic

I had once asked my 6-year old daughter, Bhakti (as named by Swami in my dream), 

“Why is it that we have Avatars of Vishnu but not of Shiva?”

Pat came the reply,

“That is because Vishnu is in Vaikuntha and needs to descend to the Earth. Shiva lives in Kailasa which is already on Earth. There is no need for an Avatar.”

A child’s spontaneity always holds a Truth. Indeed, Shiva-Shakti lives on Earth. And we are fortunate to have seen, touched and experienced our dear Swami. 

                                              The Story of Shiva-Shakti - Gurupoornima 1963