How Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba helped me make my career choice (Part 1 of 4)

Tell God about your plans for life - it is sure to make Him laugh!

A problematic transition

One of the most challenging transitions in life is from a student to a working professional. Everything changes in a span of few days - teachers change into bosses, friends change into colleagues, marks change into money, exams change into deadlines, vacations change into overtime and, worst of all, freedom changes into responsibility. It is, therefore, no wonder that a lot of thought and discussion goes on before one makes this transition. As is inevitable for everyone, I too had to make this transition in life as I completed my MBA from the Business School at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. However, I had one little ‘problem’ - I was deeply in love with my Master, my god, my best friend in life - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

People use different terms to describe their love for God - adoration, devotion and dedication. It may seem funny that I was calling it a ‘problem’. Well, my love for my Swami (as Baba is known reverentially) was not a problem. The problem was that I wanted to stay in His presence and build my ‘career’ in Puttaparthi itself. In fact, it was only the strong urge to be with Him that had made me take up an MBA at the Institute after completing a Masters in Chemistry. There was not much correlation between the two fields but that did not deter me. I knew that the Institute is special because it conferred ‘Higher’ learning thanks to Sri Sathya Sai and that higher learning attracted me.

But ‘higher’ learning is a lifelong process and it is a rare few that are able to graduate with good grades within a single birth. And so, I wanted to stay near to my Master who is my only succour when it comes to grades in this field! That was my career choice - to be with and work for my Master. Without doubt it was a choice that He helped me make by bewitching me with His divine love - a Love, which I promise, experiencing which one will not find anything else more joyful in life. (That is why I use capital ‘L’ to denote it.)

The phenomenon of waiting

For those that are not familiar with the term, let me introduce the ‘waiting boys’. The waiting boys were students who had completed their studies from the University and sought to spend their life with their master and Lord, Bhagawan Baba. Sometimes, Swami would grant salaried jobs in the ashram itself to such waiting boys. Thus, some joined the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, some joined as teachers in His educational institutions, some joined as technical staff and managers at His hospitals and so on. However, in some other cases, Swami did not say anything at all to those who had completed their studies and wanted to be with Him. The students, on their part would continue to wait patiently for His instructions.

And I know a few of them who have spent seven full years awaiting His command! They would come in the morning to the mandir and participate in the Veda chanting, darshan and bhajans. Following that, they would spend time in satsangh, reading spiritual literature, service and doing their personal chores like washing clothes, cleaning etc. That would be followed by the evening session in the Prasanthi mandir after which would be dinner, satsangh and sleep. This schedule would repeat day after day. The waiting boys would go wherever Swami went - Brindavan or Kodaikanal. Their whole lives would literally ‘center’ around Swami.

They also serve who only stand and wait. - John Milton
(The waiting boys gave new meaning to this line.)

Now that you know the life of the waiting boys, you will be able to imagine the difficulties they faced. The fact that they were not earning a livelihood was the least of the problems. They faced tremendous emotional and psychological pressure from their peers, family, relatives and even random people.

“How long will you remain jobless in this manner?”

“Is it not your duty to take care of your family at home?”

“Why don’t you tell Swami what your problem is? Why do you not ask for anything when He passes by you in the darshan lines?”

Little did the questioning people understand the rich feelings of love that these waiting boys fostered for Swami in their hearts. That did not bother the waiting boys. They knew that He knew and that was enough for them.

My fear

In spite of knowing all this, I entertained a secret fear. I felt that I would not have the strength and patience to ‘wait’ in this manner for Swami though I wanted to spend all my life with Him! Paradoxical isn’t it? That was why I wrote letters to Him saying,

“Swami, I am ready for any test of yours except for the one of being a waiting boy.” You can understand how fearful I was.

This fear became more profound as I neared the completion of my education at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. I was in my final year of MSc (Chemistry) and I knew that when I passed out, within months I would lose my student badge. And with the badge would be gone my ‘privilege’ of walking into the darshan grounds ( Sai Kulwant hall or Sai Ramesh Hall) and occupying the prime seats. That was something I was very attached to and did not want to lose. So, my idea was, to get a ‘Staff’ badge even before I would lose the ‘Student’ badge.

But for that, I would need Swami to ‘notice’ me, give me attention and talk to me. In other words, I needed to get into ‘FORM’. (For those readers who are wondering what ‘form’ is, it would be a good idea to read the article on my first memorable interaction with Sathya Sai as His student.) And that ‘form’ seemed elusive to me.

A crazy idea but a solution nevertheless

A few months were left for me to complete my education and I had no idea of what I should do to quell my fears. That is when I came up with a crazy idea. As always, my idea stemmed from my observations.

I had noticed that a couple of years ago, when Swami built the magnificent Super Specialty Hospital in Whitefield, Bangalore, He had absorbed about a dozen students to act as technical staff and managers in that massive humanitarian project where thousands have been given tertiary medical care with love, totally free of cost. Those students who got jobs in the hospital had been ‘waiting boys’. Those waiting boys had a few ‘leaders’ in the sense that Swami regularly spoke to and interacted with a few of them. Those ‘leader’ students (alumni actually) always spoke to Swami on behalf of all the students. And therefore, when Swami gave jobs, He gave not only to those ‘form’ boys but to everyone as well. In fact, Vemula Praveen, whose story has been covered in three detailed parts, was also one among those boys.

My idea was to be a free rider!

Here was my idea. There was one student who was in heavy ‘form’ in my batch too. I was sure that Swami would definitely give Him a job in His institutions. (My assumption proved to be totally wrong as this alumnus is currently not even on Indian shores. The mind, when it tries to comprehend the Master, always turns out to be a fool!) So, I thought, I too would be in the group of students waiting for jobs along with him and he would surely represent our case to Swami. (Another mistake here because, as Swami says, He needs no agents between Him and the seeker. It is always a direct connection.) And my conviction was that when he represented our case, we would all get jobs!

Today, I look back at the stupidity of the idea. But I must confess that back then, it gave me lot of comfort and solace. I thus let go of my fear and was happy that a solution was at hand.

Unexpected twist in the plan

This apparently foolproof plan of mine was cut rather abruptly. Here is what happened - the student on whom I had pinned all my hopes of getting me to my job at Swami’s institutions, got into ‘super form’. Swami gave him the opportunity of dining at His residence. Many interviews followed through which Swami guided him to take up a job in the corporate world. Profusely blessed thus by Bhagawan, this boy went ahead with life. And I was stuck, without a plan!

That was when I decided to join for the MBA course in the Sri Sathya Sai University. If I succeeded in that, I thought, I would be able to extend my ‘Student’ badge for two more years during which I could plot to stay on with Swami throughout my life. While it was an easy decision to make, executing the same was no easy task. I knew that having been in the science-line all through my academic career, I would require some serious studying and preparations if I was to get an MBA seat in Swami’s college.

I put in my best efforts and even took a national examination, the MAT - Management Aptitude Test - and scored high there. By God’s grace, I did well in the entrance examinations also. The toughest challenge came when the no-nonsense-type vice chancellor, Sri A.V.Gokak, asked me,

“Why are you changing from a science stream, chemistry, to management?”

I knew that the true answer - So that I can extend my stay with Bhagawan for two more years - would simply be shot down. I quickly prayed and out popped the answer,

“Sir, I feel that rather than guide a few chemicals to a product, I should guide a few chemistry workers towards a societal goal. For that I need to learn man-management which is what our MBA is as Swami stresses. So, I am doing this as an augmentation rather than a career-changer.”

He was convinced and I got my seat.

But that was only step 1 of my ultimate plan. I had no idea about how I would be able to execute the rest of it.

A spark of hope

The two years as a student in MBA also seemed to fly by. Few months before I would pass out with the degree, came a ray of hope - an unexpected group interview during Ramzan in 2006! That was when Swami asked different students about where they came from. The various cities, towns and villages in India were named. I was also hoping to be asked. But Swami did not. Instead, He gave me a sort of ‘opening’. He said,

“Are there none from Puttaparthi here?”

Immediately, my hand shot up. I said,

“Swami, I am from Puttaparthi.” Swami smiled. He told everyone,

“This boy was born in Puttaparthi. He studied in Puttaparthi and he grew up in Puttaparthi.”

(On first look, that statement looks like it is filled with errors. But then, I can cross my heart and say that my ‘life’ truly began only after I came to know of Swami and came to Puttaparthi. What a difference He has made in my life! As for my ‘growth’ who can know better than Him?)

I was not satisfied with what Swami said. I added,

“Swami, I want to be in Puttaparthi always.”

Swami nodded to say yes.

“You will be in Puttaparthi always.”

The group interview during Ramzan which gave me hope to latch on to.

That statement gave me energy and enthusiasm to continue keeping my fingers crossed about getting a ‘Staff’ badge from Swami. Any time my mind gave rise to fearful thoughts and my heart palpitated about my future and career, I reminded myself of that single statement from Swami. Just meditating on that statement, I would feel so much at ease.

I must say that the Master’s words to us are like that. Let it be ANY word - it turns into a mantra because it has dropped from the divine lips. That is why, when anybody asks me as to which is the best teaching of Swami to follow to please Him, I tell them to follow anything that He said which resonates in our hearts. That will become a mantra for us without doubt!

Coming back to the story, I did not have the slightest idea that what I was considering as a very difficult situation to be in would be resolved so simply and superbly. That is the beauty of the Masterplan; when it unfolds you know that things just could not have gone better!

... Proceed to Part 2... Click on the title below God's masterplan works subtly and silently for each of us.

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Do your best and God will do the rest

Involvement without attachment

That should inspire us to be completely involved...

There is no scarcity of people’s stories where hard work has gone in vain, unrewarded. There is also no scarcity of such stories where results and gifts are handed on a platter to people who do nothing at all. Amid these two extremes, we find a broad spectrum of people who get results disproportionate to their efforts. Thus, we find people of the first extreme getting frustrated with making efforts and people of the second extreme wondering why efforts have to be made at all when ‘luck’ seems to be ‘gifting’ people at random. And there is confusion on the efficacy of efforts in the intermediate area of the spectrum.

Blessed is he/she who is able to stay out of and go beyond the spectrum mentioned above! It is indeed a great blessing to be able to persevere with one’s efforts without getting affected, positively or negatively, by the results the efforts bring. This holds good for all kinds of efforts - at home, at the workplace, in school and generally in life (which includes one’s spiritual efforts as well). This ability to separate oneself from the results of one’s efforts has been described in the Bhagwad Gita by Lord Krishna as Karma Phala Tyaga  (giving up the fruits of efforts).

My Lord and best friend, my Swami, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba explains this beautifully. He says that one must have the ability of involvement without attachment. And that - involvement without attachment - is precisely what I feel is the meaning of this famous proverb:

Do your best and God will do the rest.

Two reassuring incidents with Swami come to mind at this point. They are similar in the way they panned out and probably that is the reason why I always remember them together. Thinking about them, I feel that also carry the same message in slightly different ways.

Goodness and Godliness

This incident is set sometime in the years 2000-2001. It is the experience of a student who joined the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School for his XI grade in 1986. He graduated in 1991 with a Bachelors degree in commerce. Let us call this student Govind for identity sake.

Govind had decided to spend all his life with his Lord and master, his beloved Swami. Therefore, he continued to be closely associated in many ways with different projects that Swami undertook. Then came the time when his mother told Swami that it was time for her son to get married.

Swami always stresses to the children and youth to consider their parents as God. Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava He says - regard and revere your mother and your father as God. He called Govind and told him to get married. Govind was hesitant. He feared that the girl who would become his wife would also take him away from Swami. He expressed the same to Swami and said,

“Swami, I don’t care what kind of a girl she is. She should be a Sai devotee.”

When he said so, Swami slightly reprimanded him. Swami said that he should not simply say that he didn’t care what kind of a girl he married. The girls should be virtuous and good. It didn’t matter it she wasn’t a ‘Sai-devotee’. Govind was adamant about his point of view. He tried to reason out with Swami. His heart pounded harder even as he thought of the possibility of him being pulled away from his Swami in case his wife did not ‘believe’ in Him.

Godliness attracts goodness naturally.

That was when Swami made a statement that reassured Govind. That statement continues to be such an inspiration for me. I always think of it in many different contexts. Swami told him,

“Ay! You just look out for virtues. Ensure that you select a good girl. I will ensure that her goodness is attracted to my Godliness.”

Wow! What a statement! What a reassurance! There is the obvious message that when one has put in one’s best efforts and done his/her best, God is always ready to do the rest. However, there is also a different, subtle message for me who claims to be His devotee.

I realize that I become Swami’s devotee only when there is goodness in me. I don’t become a devotee because of ‘knowing’ Him for 50 years or having got dozens of interviews/opportunities to touch His feet/have darshan. At the same time, I also learn that if anyone does not ‘accept’ my God, it does not matter. As long as they are good people, it is enough. Goodness automatically gets attracted to divinity/Godliness in due course of time. So, I need not unduly worry if people criticize or ridicule my Lord - as long as they are good beings! Nothing taints the Lord.

Is there a shortage of ‘goodness’ in the world?

Well, it is indeed heartening that goodness gets attracted to godliness. But again, in the ‘practical’ world as we call it, we feel that this is not happening. Bad seems to be proliferating at such a pace that there seems to be no ‘sufficient goodness’ to get attracted to Godliness! What do we do? It is here that the importance of being good oneself cannot be overemphasized.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Now that is a cliche that we have heard again and again from many places, at many times. One of the most beautiful expressions of this cliche can be found as the epitaph of an Anglican bishop buried in the crypt of Westminister Abbey in AD 1100. On the grave are the following words:

“When I was young and had all energies, I wanted to change the world. I found it difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I realized that the nation was too large a place, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t even change the town and so I decided that changing my family would be sufficient. Now, on my deathbed, I know that the only thing I can change is myself.

Suddenly I realize that if,long ago, I had changed myself, I could have impacted my family. With its support,  I could have made an impact on our town. That impact could have changed the nation and, who knows, one day I could indeed have changed the world!”

Once again, the inspiration and reassurance from Swami is wonderful.

Role models and inspiration

Time and again, Swami exhorts the importance of one’s efforts. In fact, in the summer course discourse delivered on the 28th May 1993, Swami said,

“There is nothing that cannot be achieved through man’s efforts. He can even bring the whole ocean into a glass and drink it up completely. When he was born, he knew no alphabet but he is soon able to write complete books. However, the problem comes with one’s mind.”

A little more insight into this can be gained from a student’s experience.

It was one of those memorable Trayee sessions in which Swami had stressed on the importance of one putting in one’s best efforts. A student who was thinking ‘practically’ raised his hand and raised a doubt along with it. He asked Swami,

“Swami, you tell us that you will transform the world through us. But isn’t that such a tough task. There are so many people in the world and the number of students are so few. How can it ever happen?

Swami smiled at the student and then said,

“You take care of following and practicing the ideals I have taught. That is all that needs to be your worry. When you are ideal, I shall make sure that the world notices you and gets inspired by you. That is my job and you don’t worry about it.”

Isn't that another beautiful reassurance? Again, it carries a subtle for me. When I put in efforts, my focus and energies must be only on the efforts. Keeping an eye on when the fruit is coming or why it is not coming does not help. At the right time and circumstance, God will deliver the fruit for He always knows best.

That is where I feel that the monk’s epitaph can be slightly modified. Yes, it is indeed true that changing oneself can change the world one day. But for that to happen, one should change oneself only with the focus on changing oneself. If one changes oneself BECAUSE he/she wants to change the world, there might be a problem! That is precisely the Karma Phala Tyaga that Lord Krishna spoke about. In view of that has been discussed so far, I would like to modify the famous proverb in this manner-

Do your best and then just rest. God will do the rest and, whatever that is, it will always be the best!

For all readers:

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A real 'God of small things'

The God of small things

“Why is Sathya Sai Baba God for you?”

This is a question that people are often asked when it is discovered that they have placed their faith in a contemporary ‘God’, a being who seems as human as any of them. The answers the issue forth range from a grateful silence to a verbose chatter where the devotee seems to credit everything in life to his/her ‘Swami’ (as Sri Sathya Sai Baba is called lovingly). For a ‘rational’ mind and heart that has not yet been touched by the divine alchemy, any answer seems incomplete. While the stories of cancers being healed miraculously raise interest and curiosity, the narratives of Swami’s hand in the day-to-day affairs of His devotees seem to just be brushed off as figments of the devout’s imagination.

But those little instances; those small things are what make Him the personal deity for millions. If I am allowed to modify the statement of Henry Royce, an English engineer who is believed to have said,

“Small things make perfection but perfection is no small thing”, I would say,

“Small things make Divinity but Divinity is no small thing.”

Mr. Royce sure knew what he was talking about. He went on to become the co-founder of the Rolls-Royce company along with Charles Stewart Rolls. I sure know what I am talking about because I have met at least a hundred people who have their faith firmly entrenched in God and in Swami as their god because of the small things He does for them. These acts might mean nothing for the world but they mean the world to the people who experience them!

Henry Royce and his 'perfection' - the 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom

This conviction of mine got added strength when good fortune made my path cross that of Mrs. Poongody Ratnam from Canada (originally a native of Sri Lanka). She is a regular reader of my blogs and, out of motherly affection, took time out to visit me at my workplace, Radiosai studios. It was captivating to listen to her narrative of how Baba was and is her God because of the small things He did and continues to do for her.

Strength to brave a tsunami

The 26th of December, 2004 saw a major disaster strike several nations lying on the Indian ocean. The tsunami that hit the Sumatra-Andaman region was of such historic proportions that, as far as I remember, it was for the first time in my life that I heard the word ‘tsunami’! Though the ocean waves from the earthquake did not directly affect Mrs.Ratnam’s family house in Sri Lanka, the havoc wreaked all around was sufficient to cause a massive heart attack to her father.

It was at her home in Canada that she received the news of her father’s passing away. She was halfway across the globe and it was near impossible for her to be at her home in Sri Lanka for the funeral ceremony. But suddenly, she had a wishful thought.

Mrs.Poongody Ratnam at Prasanthi Nilayam
July 2013

She regularly sent greeting cards to her father, and that too ones which she procured specially from Prasanthi NIlayam, bearing Swami’s picture and message on it. Since these cards had Swami on them, her father had preserved each and every one she had sent. She had sent a card on the 23rd of December, just 3 days before. Since it usually took the mailman at least 15-20 days for delivery, there was no way that the card had reached its destination.

“If only the card reaches my father, it could be given to him. That would be like an assurance that Swami is ‘traveling’ with him. That would also give me solace because, as a daughter, am not physically there for the ceremony.”

That was her wishful thought.

Since she had not used a courier service, there was no way to track the card or hurry it to its recipient. Mrs. Ratnam did the only thing she knew for such times - she prayed to her Swami,

“Swami, please reach in time for my father’s ‘journey’. And let me know that you have reached via this card!”

We not only pray to God to grant our desires, but also pray for the desires to be granted in a way want!

What happened was simply unbelievable according to her.

“Just as the ceremonies were completed and the coffin was being moved out of the home for the funeral, the mailman arrived at the door in Sri Lanka! He had just one post for that address that day - it was my card... Swami’s card rather! The card was placed beside my father before the final cremation rites.”

That ‘small’ act by Swami, gave her the strength to bear the force of the emotional tsunami that hit her when she lost her father. She knew, he was ‘safe, happy and peaceful with Swami’.

The mother’s journey

The 27th of April, 2013 saw Mrs.Ratnam facing another emotional storm in Canada as her beloved mother in Sri Lanka breathed her last. Once again, she was not in a position to make it for the final ceremonies. In fact, she told me that she was on her way to her ancestral home in Sri Lanka having had the darshan of her Lord at Puttaparthi.

“Whenever I travel, it is only to India, to Puttaparthi and to my parent’s place. I am at home at these places and that is why I always wish to be here. Few months before, when my mother passed away, I could not travel to Sri Lanka. I felt very bad about it.”

Once again, she just prayed to her God.

“Swami, you showed me that you are with my father. In some way, you have to show me that you are with my mother too. You must.”

This time, she gave freedom to Swami regarding the way to show the same!

Nothing happened for a week after the funeral but she held on. Her prayers did not cease, nor did her determination. On the morning of the 5th of May, she had a dream.

In the dream, she walked into her ancestral home and saw her mother lying down on a platform. She was ‘dying’. Then, before her eyes, her mother’s body vanished and it was Swami lying down there. He spoke to her and though she was seeing Swami, she was hearing her mother. Swami said,

“I have completed all my duties. I am happy and satisfied. I feel free and am ready to go.”

“Yes Swami”, she said because she was seeing Swami in her mother’s place.

Then, her mother told a strange thing. She pointed out to a bell in a temple and said,

“That is broken. Replace it.”

The dream concluded with that.

When Mrs.Ratnam woke up, she contacted her sister in Sri Lanka. She knew that her mother always worshipped the ‘Mother’ aspect of God in the nearby temple of a local goddess. She wanted her sister to go to the temple and see the bell in there. Though intrigued by this request, the sister did as she was asked nevertheless. She visited the temple and then called up her sister in Canada.

Mrs. Poon Ratnam just had tears in her eyes as she heard her sister say,

“I visited the temple. There is indeed a bell where you said it would be. It is broken.”

A broken bell at the temple indeed did ring bells for Mrs. Ratnam

She managed to say,

“Please tell the concerned people there that I would be grateful for the opportunity to replace the bell.”

She had purchased a special brass bell from India and when she met me, she told that she would be taking it to that temple in Sri Lanka.

Thanking the God of small things for the small things

Well, replacing a bell in a small temple tucked away in a corner of Sri Lanka may not mean anything at all to the world. It definitely means a world to Mrs.Poon Ratnam. She did not stop with these incidents. She went on to narrate a few more. I too can go on writing about them.

However, that is not the intention of the post. The intention was to provoke in each and every one of us, memories of the many times when God showed that He was always there, taking care of us and loving us. Did we express our gratitude to Him/Her on all those occasions? If we start expressing our gratitude to God for every small thing that we are blessed with, will we ever have time in this life to complain? These ‘small things’ stand in good stead in our lives when we are faced with tough times. It will do us good to remember these ‘small things’ during the hard times.

After all, life is always made up of ups and downs. If it was a flat line, any doctor would call that as ‘death’ and not ‘life’! 

You may also enjoy the following

1. If you look to me, I look to you : A Christian's life-changing experience

2. The Independence Day 'drama' in Sri Sathya Sai's presence - 15th August 2004 - Part 1

3. The final namaskar: the ultimate message of Bhagawan Baba.

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. Another blog which I maintain with more than 200 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)