Time-travel to the days of declaration of Avatarhood of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Part 2

The renovated Sun-temple and Shiva-temple complex at Budagavi as it stands in 2014. The Shiva lingam in the sanctum
is presented as the inset. One can reach this place within 5 minutes of travelling along the Uravakonda-Bellary
road. This is where Sathya was on Shivarathri in 1943. 

Sathya looked up to His sister but did not speak anything. He just was clenching His teeth and clutching His foot.

“Oh my God! A scorpion stung you?” she exclaimed, rushing to help Him.

Again, He spoke nothing and slowly limped out of the bathroom. If a scorpion had stung Him, it must be pretty painful I thought.

(What you are reading now is the second part of this memorable time-travel series. If you have not read part 1, please do that first. The first part is located at the link below.

Time-travel to the days of declaration of Avatarhood of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Part 1)

It was a known fact that the Uravakonda region abounded in poisonous creatures - mainly scorpions and snakes. The place had actually been called Uragakonda. Uraga means snake while Konda means hill. Apart from being a home to snakes and scorpions, Uravakonda also had a huge hill right in the middle of the town. The hill is shaped like the hood of a cobra ready to strike. No wonder that the town was called Uragakonda due to these two reasons. Later, the name was modified to Uravakonda. The picture of the snake-hood hill has come to represent Uravakonda today. I am a decently big and powerful fly and yet, I found it hard to go around this hill! You can only imagine the proportions of this hill.

The magnificent hill at Uravakonda as seen from the grounds of the Karibasavaswami District Board
High School 

Coming back to the story, right now, I was keen to locate the scorpion that had stung my Lord. Maybe I could knock some sense into him/her about foolishly harming his/her creator. But to my surprise, there was no scorpion there at all! Then what had happened? As I was buzzing out of the bathroom, I saw Venkamma rushing in with a lantern. She too wanted to find the scorpion.

“There is nothing in there”, I screamed but my buzz fell on deaf ears.

Sathya was seated on the floor mat. Even in the darkness, there was a kind of serenity exuding from His face. Soon, Venkamma came to Him and asked,

“Is it painful? Are you experiencing a burning sensation in your leg?”

“I am absolutely fine. You please go to sleep and don’t worry.”

With that, Sathya calmed down His sister and all went to sleep. Everything seemed to return to normal and the ‘scorpion bite’ seemed like a minor aberration in an otherwise peaceful and well-spent Shivarathri day.

The next morning however, was one that would change history forever. Venkamma was the first to observe that Sathya’s lips and hands were quivering oddly. Something was definitely wrong and it was not be long before Seshamma Raju observed it when he gave Him the list of vegetables to be bought. But, Swami, as was His routine, took the bags and left to fetch vegetables from the market nearby after fetching water for the house. The vegetable shopping was His weekly schedule unlike the water-fetching which He did on a daily basis visiting the Gilakala Bhavi to get usage-water and the Bungalow Bhavi (3 km away) to get drinking-water.

When Sathya returned, He had in his bag a lot of brinjals (aubergines) and sweet potatoes. Apparently, these two were vegetables He relished I thought. ( A time travel into the future would reveal that He often called the humble brinjal as one that will ‘bring joy to all’! )

The elder brother, Seshamma, had chosen to ignore anything that he had seen in the morning. He had some work. Before leaving, he advised his sister Venkamma,

“Let Sathyam (that was how Sathya was referred to) have only some rice and rasam (South Indian soup).”

I saw the sister nod in strict obedience. I also saw her secretly keep aside some of the brinjal dish for the little brother who loved that vegetable. However, Sathya told her that He would be going to the nearby Sunkulamma (village deity) shrine. I saw that there were a few drops of the brinjal dish that had fallen on the floor. I could not resist going there and tasting it myself. I wondered what it was that my Lord saw in this humble vegetable. I buzzed now, escaping the swatting hand of Venkamma, to the tasty drops.

Swami's house as it stands today (March 2014). Bike parked in front of it to give an estimate of size.

The first signs

Soon, I had my fill. I knew that Sathya had gone to the Sunkulamma shrine but I did not know where the shrine was located. It must have been very far I thought because my Swami did not return home till late in the evening. I could see that the sister was quite worried because Sathya had not eaten anything the whole day. So, when He returned, she rushed to Him to see if all was well. She arranged a wooden plank for Him to sit on and served the food in a plate. However, Swami seemed so lost and different. I ventured as close to Him as possible. Even though I buzzed near His ear, He did not make the slightest movement.

Seeing that He was not partaking food, Venkamma sat beside Him. She physically took His right hand, put it in the plate and asked Him to eat. There was still no response. Now, she caught His hand, raising it to His mouth and said,

“Eat Sathyam! Please eat something...”

And then, it happened! It was so sudden and quick.

Swami just fell to the floor with a dull thud! The scream that Venkamma let out almost tore my wings apart. Seshamma Raju came running to the outer room. He immediately sent for a doctor. In the meanwhile, the neighbors had started streaming into the house. Things were happening very fast and I was in a state of utter shock. Some people splashed cold water on His face while a few others burnt an old newspaper and held the smoke to His nose. All their efforts to revive Him were in vain! Presently, a doctor arrived on the scene. This man, Seshamma Raju, was quite influential I felt to have summoned a doctor so quick.

(Above) Seshamma Raju's house in Uravakonda in the 1980s. (Below) The same house as it
stands today. The roof is completely gone. The 3 rooms can be seen from the separating walls.
The house is literally like 3 small bogies of a train. 

The doctor checked and rechecked but could find nothing wrong with the boy. He gave several injections, four to be precise, in the hope of reviving Him but nothing happened. A revered elder whom everyone referred to as Murthy garu (From later conversations I gathered that his name was Kasibatla Sriram Murthy), rose and suggested that my Swami be taken to a hospital. Seshamma Raju said nothing doing and sent summons to the parents in Puttaparthi.

I suddenly noticed Swami’s eyelids were stirring. My heart leapt in joy and I buzzed hard around people’s ears with the hope that they would notice. They had already noticed and were shaking Him up! Within a few moments however, without saying a word, their Sathya relapsed into unconsciousness. After this, He seemed to wake up a few more times but he went back to unconsciousness soon after. It was almost night now and someone suggested a remedy based on faith.

“Let us make an offering to our goddess Sunkulamma to revive Sathya.”

“Good idea”, everyone agreed and a group of people left with a coconut.

By now, I had flown to a crevice in the floor close to my Swami. I wanted to be by His side in this apparent time of crisis. A few minutes later, He stirred, opened His eyes and said,

“The coconut has broken into three.”

I wondered what that was all about but understood it in a minute as the group that had gone to the Sunkulamma shrine returned. They reported that ‘surprisingly’, when they broke the coconut in offering to the goddess, it had broken into three pieces.

I looked up at the supine Swami with awe and amazement. So, this was another of His many leelas. He may appear ill, unconscious, comatose or even gone but He is ever-aware in all periods of time. It would be sheer ignorance to think otherwise.

The Sunkulamma shrine has also been modified and renovated today. However, the deity within remains
the same. Legend is that the deity is a Swayambhu (formed naturally). 

Stage 2 towards declaration

I don’t know when I dozed off. It was late in the night when I was awakened by another awe-inspiring episode. As Kasibatla Sriram Murthy garu sat beside the comatose Sathya and kept praying for His welfare, Sathya stirred. He turned and held Murthy’s wrist. He was startled as the little boy said,

“Don’t worry! Sai Baba will take care.”

So the ‘Sai Baba’ name had been unleashed already. Murthy did not understand anything but was convinced for sure that his neighbor boy was no ordinary one.

The next day morning would witness new developments. My Swami apparently had decided to cast away His ‘unconsciousness’ episodes. He ‘woke’ up and sat up. Without a warning, He began to recite Telugu poems of great literary excellence. Seshamma Raju, being a Telugu teacher himself, was probably the most qualified person there to judge the quality of Sathya’s poetry. I saw that he had an absolutely stupefied look on his face. Though some of the poems were from highly regarded, well-known texts, many of them were original creations and Seshamma seemed to wonder when and where did the little boy acquire such knowledge? Ah! Does the fountain of all wisdom and knowledge in the universe need to ‘learn’ any time?

He decided to summon a few of his students to personally rush to Puttaparthi and fetch the parents. He had already sent two telegrams but he felt that more action was necessary. I decided that come what may, I would stay with my Swami. I was sure that all this was just another leela and did not want to miss a moment of it. My Swami ‘summoned’ Seshamma Raju.This was surprising apparently because till that day, Sathya had been highly respectful of his elder brother. Now, He was treating him as an equal.

Ah! The beauty of the Divine actions! He always treats everyone as an ‘equal’ for that is the only ‘mission’ of His earthly sojourn - to teach each one that he/she is no different from God. I don’t think Seshamma Raju understood this that day. However, he could not ignore the ‘summons’. Swami said,

“There is no need to send anyone. Grihamammayi (the girl of the house) and Grihamabbayi (the boy of the house) are already here, at the bus station. They do not know the way to this house. Go there and fetch them.”

Was I thrilled to hear this!

Sister Venkamma's diary notes - "When in Uravakonda, he was bitten by a scorpion and he fell unconscious. My brother sent two telegrams to our parents. They had not come. So, my brother called two students. explained the route to them and decided to send them to Puttaparthi..."

Seshamma could not not help but obey his ‘little brother’. By now, many people began to gather again at the house. Suddenly, a loud beeping sound was heard. I was startled and flew out my crevice. Nobody else seemed to be hearing this and I wondered whether I, a fly, had an antenna better than the human ear. I realized that it was my time-machine beeping. I soon would have to return to my ‘time zone’. The beeper was an indicator that I had one hour left. Oh! How time flies even for flies when with God?

Final episode witnessed before take-off

I settled back into the crevice. Seshamma Raju arrived home with the parents. The mother, Easwaramma, rushed into the house and hugged her baby boy. Swami just smiled and greeted her with an outpouring of what I got to know later as Vedantic philosophy. He went on this way for a while and then just collapsed to the ground exhausted.

The mother’s heart could not bear this. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she began to cry without any inhibitions. This was a new emotion that had been introduced to the room which had been filled with surprise, shock, fear, awe and wonder. Soon, several others too began lamenting what had been happening. I too could not help crying. A fly has no tear glands but it sure has feelings. At least I had. I felt very sad suddenly. The foolish thought that ‘something has happened to Sathya’ filled me too.

Amidst these tears, Sathya suddenly got up. He said aloud,

“Call that Narayan Shastri. He is misinterpreting the Bhagawatham.”

The tears dried up and sorrow was once again replaced by shock. There were murmurs all around. I gathered that this ‘Narayan Shastri’ was some well-known figure here. Curiosity overcame me and for the first time, I flew out along with Pedda Venkamma Raju, the father who exited the house towards Narayan Shastri’s house. I buzzed by his side. The house lay between Seshamma’s house and the Subramanya temple.

The house of Sri Narayana Shastri still stands at Uravakonda. 

Narayan Shastri, possibly the first scholar
to recognize Sathya as Swami. 

Turns out that Narayan Shastri is indeed a scholar and he is actually discoursing on a part of the Bhagawatham, the 11th canto named Hamsa Gita (also called Uddhava Gita). The father was almost shivering in fear as he conveyed what his son had told him to. Narayan Shastri flwe in a rage at being rudely interrupted at the whim of a chit of a boy.

“What on earth does he know of the Hamsa Gita?” he roared.

“FYI, He is the one who narrated it and gifted it to mankind”, I screamed but nobody heard my buzz.

“Please sir. I am also confused”, the father said with folded hands, “and I would be grateful if you come along and knock some sense into his head.”

“Definitely! That arrogant urchin needs to be taught a lesson.”

I had to buzz back in double the speed to keep up with the Shastri. He entered the house and at the very sight of the ‘scholar’, Swami began to expound complex verses, dilating on them with simple and lucid explanations. Apparently, they were all from the Hamsa Gita because Narayan Shastri was down on his knees now. He then bent and prostrated to Sathya as everyone watched in bated breath. He said,

“You are not an ordinary soul. You are a Great One and it is my privilege to have been summoned to your presence.”

This was beyond the understanding of the people all around.

“Not only is Sathya out of his mind, he seems to be infecting those that come close to him as well!”

“The scorpion bit has caused not only physical damage but also mental and psychological damages.”

“We need a doctor... a healer to help Sathya.”

These were the voices going around the house and I felt so bad for Swami. Could the people not realize that Swami was in no need of a doctor? He was, in fact, the Divine Doctor who had descended to the level of man to heal man of worldly diseases and ensure that he ascended to the level of God! And this was because man, in his greed, selfishness and ego had totally lost his mind and was infecting anyone and everyone who comes into his ambit.

But what a mere fly could understand, man couldn’t. Is it any surprise that Swami exhorts that man is becoming worse than an animal?

The general consensus in the room was to ‘cure’ Sathya. I knew that this would be a very painful period. And that is why I did not mind when the beeper indicating my return to my time-zone became persistent.

Whirrrrr...... Swooooooooshhhhhh...... Blip...

I looked at the humble dwelling that had witnessed so much of His-story. I bowed and applied the holy dust to my forehead. I vowed that I would come here again and again to derive inspiration and become a part of His story. After all, the house is just a 3-hour drive from Puttaparthi! With that, I turned to the greatest wonder that Uravakonda had to offer - the Sai Baba Gundu or the Sai Baba Rock. This was the rock that my Swami chose as His first throne when He guided man back on to the eternal highway to God, singing the bhajan - Manasa Bhajare Guru Charanam.

For that, I shall use my time machine again.... very soon...


continued in a new article whose link is given below: Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's life episodes at Uravakonda - a time travel Part 1

For all readers:

(If you enjoyed this and wish to subscribe to this blog, please go to the right hand side and choose the last 'box' which says subscribe. Also explore the 40-odd 'previous articles' listed month-wise on the top right here. Another blog which I maintain with more than 225 articles on it is at http://aravindb1982.hubpages.com. If you wish to be added to my mailing list, please email me via this page with the subject "ADD ME TO MAILING LIST".

"Why fear when I am here" - the story of Anantappa and Sathya Sai

The relationship between God and the devotee is the relationship between God and God!

God and devotee

It was one of those famous ‘Trayee sessions’ at Brindavan, Whitefield (Bangalore). Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, ‘Swami’ as He is affectionately called, was seated on the ornate swing in the jhoola room and all around were the students who had decided to stay back in the ashram even during the summer vacations. This was a ‘sacrifice’ that they had gladly made for they knew for sure that they would receive much more than they had ‘given up’. Nothing is greater than being near and dear to the Master, their Swami, whom many even considered as their Lord. I too was among those students who considered Swami as his Master and Lord and so, for me, every word that fell from His lips and every action that He did was of great significance.

That day, Swami asked one of the senior teachers, Sri.Sanjay Sahni, to address the boys. As always, Sahni sir had a unique style of blending stories with messages. That day, he chose a very reassuring theme - that God will never sit quiet when a devotee is harmed or subjected to injustice. He narrated the experience of a devotee who was not ‘worldly-wise’ or ‘smart’. Thus, he was naturally exploited by many in different ways - especially emotionally and financially. During the narration, I was lost in my thoughts of Swami as I was sitting quite close to the swing. So, I am unable to remember the details of the experience he narrated. However, I cannot forget the ending statement that Sahni sir made,

“If you criticize the Lord or even harm Him, God will forgive you but just touch His devotee and you are finished!”

I remember that statement because there was a spontaneous applause and Swami looked at Sahni sir as if asking him to repeat the final statement. Sahni sir repeated the statement with greater volume and greater emphasis and that message got firmly reinforced in my heart.

In times of trouble

Many have been the instances in life when I know that people are being unfair to me or are trying the cheat/harm me. Sometimes, these ‘people’ have been those who are apparently very influential, powerful and wealthy. What I mean to say is that when they decide to put you into trouble, it looks like nobody can save you. You feel a great fear in the heart and think that maybe the best way out would be to compromise your stance and bend in front of them. At such times, it feels as though it does not matter what is ‘RIGHT’ or ‘WRONG’. Might automatically becomes right and since you are a weakling, you just have to shut up.

It is precisely in those times that I always recollect this episode at Trayee Brindavan. There is definitely a reason why Swami made Sahni sir repeat that statement. He wants it to be drilled deep within me that come what may, when I am right, the greatest power in the Universe is on my side. And that is the power of goodness or the power of God. So, all that I have to do is ensure that I am good and on the right path. The Lord may be loving and forgiving enough to suffer pain and ignominy. But He will not tolerate it if such pain and ignominy befalls the one who is dear to Him; the one who is on the path of goodness and love. Before I dilate further on a few other points, I must relate the powerful experience of Ananthappa’s daughter. This has been recorded by the legendary Prof.N.Kasturi in his autobiography, Loving God.

Anantappa’s problem

Anantappa was one among the sixteen peons at the college in Davanagere, Karnataka, where Kasturi was the College Head. He was slow in his thinking and considered by everyone as a dullard. He had difficulty carrying out the simplest of commands and any shopkeeper who was unscrupulous could cheat him with the greatest ease. He slept when he was supposed to be on guard-duty and did not seem to understand whether he was being scolded or praised.

And yet, Kasturi employed his services because he was a very pious soul. He seemed to have all his mind and heart dedicated to Swami. He spent hours of sincere efforts when it came to things related to Swami. Kasturi felt that Anantappa would surely lose his job if he was in the service of any other. Kasturi felt redeemed in his choice when Swami reciprocated Anantappa’s love. Swami showered him with grace divine and, on one occasion when Kasturi had taken him along to Puttaparthi, told Kasturi that Anantappa was not an ordinary soul. In his slum dwelling surrounded by drunkards, drug-addicts and vagabonds, Anantappa was like the saintly Vibhishana in Lanka, Swami had said. Numerous were the miracles that Swami performed to safeguard Anantappa and his family. That was the reason why the world could not take him for a ride even though he was a dullard - Swami would never allow that!

Anantappa’s younger daughter was wedded to an employee of the Mysore Railways(which has today been replaced by Southern Railways). This son-in-law, though a smart and intelligent man was of a highly suspicious nature. He always felt that his wife was flirtatious and even suspected that she kept the window of the house to ogle at men on the streets! In spite of all her explanations and pleas, he did not listen to her and often locked her within the home without even allowing a window to be opened. He even beat her at times based on his suspicions. Anantappa tried a lot to convince his son-in-law that his daughter was chaste and pure but it was all in vain.

Doubt is such a deadly demon and there is absolutely not cure for it! And before we start to criticize Anantappa’s son-in-law for his dastardly acts, we should examine our own selves to realize how often we fall prey to this demon called doubt. As Swami says, when things do not ‘seem’ to be going our way, we begin to doubt even God! We wonder at times whether God, in His ultimate knowledge, actually knows what is good for us? The demon of doubt can be defeated only by the angel of faith. But hey wait! Faith is so ‘unscientific’ right? Faith implies taking things at face-value without deep inquiry. Faith is only for those that are irrational!

Please allow me a much-needed detour before I get back on track to Anantappa’s son-in-law’s story.

Faith is about being rationally irrational instead of being irrationally rational

A simple case to point here. How do you know that you are your father’s child? Isn’t it because your mother told you that and you have faith in her words?

“Nah! I have a birth certificate issued by the doctor in the hospital that I was born. So, its not as if I am my father’s child because of faith.”
That means that you have faith in the doctor and the hospital where you were supposedly born. How are you sure that the doctor is not lying? Or that he is hand in glove in a nefarious scam with your ‘alleged’ mother/father?

“I see where you are going. But don’t think that proves me to be unscientific in my conviction about my parents. There is this thing called parental testing which is scientific. I can get that done.”
But hey! Wait a minute! You mean to say that you have faith in the instrument that does the test? How are you sure that there is no malfunction of the instrument? Worse still, how do you know that the method works? Isn’t that confidence based on faith that every hospital in the world is using the method and so it must be true? How can YOU be sure? Have you personally checked it?

If one goes on this way, one will realize that the only way one can be scientific is to have all the knowledge in the world - biological, engineering, medical, chemical etc. Then alone one will not need to take anything on faith. Else, somewhere along the line, one would have to have faith. There is no other choice. Now, here is the ‘faith way’ of parental testing. It works this way - Accept the person as your father/mother and the way he/she treats you in life will prove to you that the person has to be a parent to be so loving and sacrificing!

That is why, when science screams, “Seeing is believing”, Faith softly but firmly proclaims,
“Believing is seeing.” All said and done, faith is the only cure for doubt.

Swami cures the doubt of Anantappa’s son-in-law

Frustrated with her imprisoned life, the wife told her husband,

“Take me to Puttaparthi and ask Baba about me. He will vouch that I am a faithful wife to you. Else, I shall put an end to my life by jumping into the well there and you will be rid of me forever.”

Hearing the drastic words, the son-in-law agreed to accompany Anantappa and his family to Puttaparthi. With great love, Swami immediately granted them a personal audience. Without even being updated of the state of affairs, Swami told the doubting son-in-law,

“Your wife is as pure as Mother Sita (consort of Lord Rama). She is as noble and loving as Mother Parvati (consort of Lord Shiva). Take care of her.”

The son-in-law was struck by Baba’s omniscience and he nodded. Swami told Anantappa,

“Don’t worry. He is a good fellow. They will live happily from now on.”

But Swami’s words somehow seemed to be going wrong as the son-in-law was again caught by doubts. He wondered whether Anantappa and Baba had conspired to create this drama of ‘omniscience’. He charged his wife of infidelity and said he would take revenge. He got up and stormed out of the room, without bothering about Swami’s presence. Swami just smiled.

That night itself, the son-in-law said that they should leave Puttaparthi. At Penukonda railway station, the four got into the Bangalore-bound train. The son-in-law, by virtue of being an employee of the Railways, could get a first-class seating for his family. However, doubts and thoughts of revenge made him place his in-laws and wife in the wooden-seater, third-class compartment. He himself got into the empty first-class compartment. Now, he could plan the remaining part of his revenge in the solitude of luxury he thought.

The next morning, Anantappa was shocked to see a completely transformed son-in-law. He spoke humbly and sweetly and treated his wife with the greatest dignity and respect. In fact, he never locked her up ever again and almost worshipped her. Every month, he even submitted his entire salary to her to use for the house as per her discrimination and just sought a paltry sum of 15 Rupees as his pocket expenses! And Anantappa’s family indeed lived happily after that, just as Swami had said.

The consequences of ‘touching’ a devotee

What had actually transpired was something that Kasturi got to know later in a strange sequence of events. When he was waiting for a bus, his student came along in a horse-carriage and offered him a lift. Then, this sworn athiest of a student asked Kasturi about Puttaparthi and Baba. He was actually eager to meet him. When Kasturi asked him the reason for such sudden spiritual thirst, the student, a Railway Guard by profession, related the happenings of that fateful night when Anantappa’s son-in-law was transformed. He had been a personal witness to the events as they transpired.

Anantappa’s son-in-law was deeply lost in his plotting and planning in the late hours of the night in the first-class compartment. When the train was about 10 kilometers from the Thondebhavi railway station, all the lights in the compartment suddenly were ablaze and turned deep red. Suddenly, he saw Swami. But there was not one Swami. There were Swami’s everywhere and He seemed so angry. Blows began to rain on him from all sides and he was wondering how could Baba get on to a speeding train? How did He multiply Himself and how did He know what he was planning to do? But all those thoughts soon vanished as the pain from the blows hit him. Swami said,
“Won’t you believe me when I say she is innocent? Stop beating her! She is my child! In fact, all those who suffer are mine…”

Such was the impact and pain from the blows that the son-in-law rushed out of the compartment at Thondebhavi seeking solace and protection. His face and body were badly battered and he complained to the Railway Guard. Moments later, the compartment was completely empty and there was not a single red light therein. Anatappa’s son-in-law had experienced a transformation, albeit a forced one.

Months later, Kasturi was with Swami when He said that in His previous Avatar at Shirdi, He even beat people with sticks in apparent ‘bursts of anger’. Kasturi asked,

“Swami, in this Avatar, have you hit any one?”
“No. This Avatar is all love.”
“Still Swami, if not directly, have you hit anyone indirectly?”
“That is also out of love”, replied Swami with a twinkle in the eye.
Kasturi also just smiled in understanding as his heart completed,
“Love showered on a poor, hapless daughter!”

Concluding thoughts

“Why fear when I am here”.

Swami’s statement takes on new meaning for me here. All that I have to do is ensure that I am on the path of goodness and purity. Swami’s protective bubble is around me always when I do that and I have nothing to worry. Great forces in the universe may conspire against me but they are no match to the greatest force in the Universe that is protecting me. That is why the ancient Indian scriptures emphatically stated,

“Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha. Dharma Eva Hatho Hanthi.”
(Righteousness/Goodness protects those that protect Righteousness/Goodness. Righteousness/Goodness destroys those that destroy Righteousness/Goodness.)

Now that gives us reason to be good and fearless. It gives us reason and need to realize the importance of being good. Right? And while I am being good and following righteousness, those that wish to malign, criticize or torment me, beware! I have a great good wonderful Lord watching over me! Hehehehehehehehehe!

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:

1. An amazing experience with Sathya Sai and the Suka Nadi

2. Sathya Sai fulfills a promise He gave as Shirdi Sai

3. Being an apple of the eye for God

4. The Sri Sathya Sai Education revolution sweeping across Karnataka

For all readers:

(If you enjoyed this and wish to subscribe to this blog, please go to the right hand side and choose the last 'box' which says subscribe. Also explore the 40-odd 'previous articles' listed month-wise on the top right here. Another blog which I maintain with more than 225 articles on it is at http://aravindb1982.hubpages.com. If you wish to be added to my mailing list, please email me via this page with the subject "ADD ME TO MAILING LIST".

Also, use the Tweet and FB buttons below here liberally to share with your friends and family! Thank you)

The final Namaskar - the ultimate message of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Prayers galore

The 27th of April 2011 saw poignant scenes - the like of which have never ever been witnessed on the face of this earth. As the Mahasamadhi of an Avatar was witnessed the world over by a number unmatched in human history, tears flowed unbounded. Being in the world at this point in time was such a cleansing experience for the whole atmosphere was washed with tears - pure, selfless, love-filled and grateful. They were sufficient to wipe out all sins committed by all humanity it seemed! A lot has been written about the Mahasamadhi of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and a lot more will be written for this is ‘His’tory! But here is a little thought I thought I would share.

The amount of prayers that have gone on in the world had been tremendous. The name of Sai filled every conceivable space for it had been enshrined in a billion hearts. Bhajans, service activities and spiritual sadhana of unprecedented proportions pulsated on Mother Earth. At the physical level, the best man and the best machines worked tirelessly day and night at the temple of Healing that He Himself had built. His most dear students constantly were by His side and aware of every breath He was taking. The sheer magnitude of the combined effort of every devotee was enough to bring life into an inert stone! And yet, the Lord took Mahasamadhi.

 

This thought had plagued me when I realized that prayer is not an act of asking God or telling God. It is silent communion with Him. When we either ask or tell God, we make the preposterous and utterly foolish assumption that we know better than Him. Swami often tells us the story of two farmers - one who prayed for rain for his crops, the other who prayed for a dry day so that his daughter’s wedding could go on uninterrupted. Whose prayers should God listen to?

Should He listen to the one who cries more? Or to the one who pines more? Should He give precedence to age or should He give precedence to status and influence?

Of course! He will listen to the one who loves Him truly. And who is that? Naturally, the one who has surrendered to His will. When one has surrendered to His will, is not prayer redundant? Our definition of prayer changes as we realize that the one who is always in sync with the Lord has his prayers answered for he always prays for what the Lord has already willed! This is indeed a very different way of thinking. If my prayer is answered, it is because I was in sync with God; I was in communion with Him. If my prayer has not been answered, I was not in sync with Him; I have to make efforts to be in communion with Him.

It is everyone’s experience that we feel some intuitive urges. And then, these urges just manifest themselves. Let us know that these are instances when we have been in communion with Him. And when these intuitive urges have manifested for me, I have felt the thrill of experiencing Him. I see Him, hear Him and feel Him and He speaks to me! I feel the thrill because I ‘know’ His plan. And I know His plan because I have been able to be in sync with Him for those precious moments.

A part of the greater plan

That is why, when I found some instances in my life where Swami indicated His Mahasamadhi, I felt so relieved. It felt wonderful to ‘know’ that it’s all part of His Masterplan. In the pages of my diary I discovered a dream where months before, He indicated that He would be leaving soon. Just like someone with white hair dyes it, or a person who loses teeth puts dentures, I too covered up my knowledge of the dream and went about my life. And then, Swami gave the most poignant indication!

It happened on the evening of 20th of March. Swami had not been ‘keeping well’ if I may use that term. His darshans were few and spaced between. And yet on this day, He took two darshan rounds. He called all the students who were seated for blessings and poured grains on their head. (About 40 students were blessed that day). He distributed a few sweets and smiled at all present. He even called the tiny tots from Primary school and blessed them. In the words of a very senior singer, “Today Swami seems so hyper active!!” There was rejoicing. And when He received Aarthi, everyone was thrilled with His tapping His hands rhythmically. And then it happened...

As the Samastha Loka chant filled the air, Swami raised His hands. But it was not the familiar Abhayahastha. He had FOLDED HIS PALMS IN SALUTATION!

He seemed to send a beautiful message, “Salute all for God is in all”. The Vedic chant “Sahasra sheersha Purusha” resounded in my heart. ( That hymn says that God has thousand limbs, heads and sense organs symbolic of the fact that God is in all.) In the Bharatiya custom, this is how one takes leave after a visit!

My hairs stand at their end and I have goosebumps when I realize how Swami had indicated the Mahasamadhi. But I did not see! Swami says, “Pashyan Api Na Pashyati Moodho” (You fool! You see and yet do not see!) That was the condition. But I took pictures that day.

And today, just seeing the pictures is so relieving and enthralling for it told me that Swami knows His plans. Even when He was fine and was a week away from being ‘admitted’ to the hospital, Swami had made shown us His decision. And in showing us this decision, He also showed us His expectations. He wants our lives to be His message and one of His final acts of benediction teaches us that we should see Him in all just as He saw Himself in all. We should bow to Him in all just as He bowed to Him in all. we should love all and serve all just as He did.

And in order to share the experience, ins(a)ight and blessings from Swami that day, I post the following five images.  Let us pledge to Him that we will in our lives imbibe His message of pure Love for all. And as a teardrop makes its way down my cheek, a  firm resolve forms in my blood - a resolve to Love Him and see Him in all!

A footnote

As a footnote, I must add that there is a wonderful 'Masterplan' as to how I happened to carry my camera on that day when there was no other camera in sight almost! I will definitely share that story too in due time. It is so marvelous that am in search of a proper occasion to share the same! :)

However, this much I shall say that my intention in clicking the images on that day was to get a 'direct look' blessing photo of Swami. And when Swami did the 'namaskar', my thought was, 

"Oh! Unique images... But no blessing today!"

Even as that thought flashed in my mind, Swami turned to me. He looked deep into my eyes. And soon, a thrill ran down my spine! He gave a 'direct look' blessing pose which got captured. That was direct proof that He knows every single thought that goes on in my mind. My heart rejoiced. He knew that I would be needing that assurance in the days to come. Ah! How loving my Lord is! How He plans everything. God has a plan for us... And that is all we need to know!

(If you enjoyed this and wish to subscribe to this blog, please go to the black bar on the right hand side and choose the last 'box' which says subscribe. Thank you)