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Oct 8, 2004
Sathya Sai Baba's Discourses at Sai Sruti Kodaikanal during April 1996 [Part -1]
Sathya Sai Baba's Discourses at Sai Sruti Kodaikanal during April 1996 [Part -1]
1. PURIFY THE MIND TO REALIZE DIVINE BLISS [April 5, 1996; Good Friday]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
All names and forms are of the Divine. Every person is an embodiment of the Divine. The human body has been gifted in order to know the Divine.
Everyone wants peace, bliss and happiness; nobody wants misery, worries and problems. What is the nature of real happiness? Man has to make an effort to understand what true happiness is. If you ask anyone he would reply that it is freedom from troubles and anxieties. Sensual pleasure is not true happiness even though man considers it to be so. Sensual pleasure indulged in by man makes him equivalent to a beast and upon examination of the sensual pleasures; one can see that their duration is momentary. The ancient Rishis prayed and asked to be shown whether it is worldly pleasures or proximity to the Lord that gives true happiness and discovered that the Divine gives true eternal Bliss.
At one time, Germany defeated France in the Second World War. The French Chief Marshal stated that his country had been defeated because of the excessive sensual pleasures of the people. Since that time they have encouraged control of the senses.
True happiness comes from firm faith in the Divine and the full blossoming of body, mind and intellect. We should not allow our body, mind and intellect to take the wrong path.
Above and more subtle than the body is the mind, and above and more subtle than the thinking mind is the intellect. The intellect is the leader of the body and the mind, and the Master of all these three is the Atma or Spirit. We say "This is my body, my mind, my intellect." But who am I? The Master should see that the instruments are put to proper use so that true happiness which is union with God can be realized. Union with the senses brings about misery.
What is the nature of creation? God's Will transmits into creation. Everyone should have devotion to God, the Creator, so their will would be in harmony with His Will. Sita means the daughter of Mother Earth as well as all Divine qualities such as sacrifice, compassion, mercy, grace, and the Peace that is within one. In the world wherever one looks, one sees only pieces (diversity) but not Peace. Sita (see the Epic Ramayana) was always with Rama. As you are embodiments of Truth, Peace and Love (Rama), there is no need to search for Peace outside.
Napoleon had some spiritual development. In order to conquer the remaining countries during the war, he had to first conquer his sleep and hunger. He trained himself to sleep and wake at any appointed time. Once when Napoleon was wounded with arrows in the war, and the doctors wished to operate, he refused saying that he would first meditate. He allowed the doctors to remove the arrows only during meditation in the evening without an anesthetic. Napoleon had full control over his mind and thus was able to transcend it.
For the body, one's mind is the master; for the mind, one's intellect is the master; for the intellect, Atma is the Master. So the Master of life is the Atma. If we merge the intellect in God, all the senses would be subjugated. Mahatma Gandhi prayed that all should have a good intellect- "Sab ko sanmati do Bhagawan." A purified intellect reflecting the Atmic light confers true wisdom. When the intellect is full of God, naturally one will follow the correct path and experience Peace and Bliss. If the mind follows the senses, one is ruined.
Follow the Master;
Fight to the end;
Face the Devil;
Finish the game.
Who is the Master? Your conscience is the Master, so follow the conscience. To face the devil means to avoid bad company, thoughts and actions. To fight to the end means to work to subdue the unruly senses. Say, "O bad senses, don't go there, go only toward God; eyes, see only God; ears, listen only to God's glories, etc."
See no evil; see what is good.
Hear no evil; hear what is good.
Think no evil; think what is good.
Talk no evil; talk what is good.
Do no evil: do what is good.
This is the way to God.
The word "good" has two zeros. One zero stands for the world. If you remove this one zero (the world), only God will remain. So see good, do good, and be good to merge with God. Direct all of your actions toward God. In Christianity it is said, "All are One, be alike to everyone."
If you declare that your body belongs to you, then why can't you control it? If you cannot then the body. must not belong to you. How can you offer to God your mind which is also not under your control? If your body is paralysed why can't you make it move? If your body was truly under your control, then surely you would be able to make it move. Take the example of this handkerchief. If you hold it tightly, then it is in your grip. If you drop it, it is out of your control.
Buddhi (subtle intellect) has the power of discrimination. Discrimination is of two types: individual and fundamental. Fundamental discrimination has a universal nature as that indicated in the prayer "Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu" (May all the worlds be happy). Individual discrimination is only individually inclined; one thinks only of 'my body, my friend, my relative, etc. Individual discrimination is very limited, narrow, selfish, and represents untruth, whereas fundamental discrimination is based on Truth. The intellect should follow the path of fundamental discrimination having feelings of good will to all in order to reach God or oneness.
One's so called individual Atma is identical to everyone else's Atma. There are many tube lights here in this room, but the current flowing through them all is only 'One'. All of our bodies can be compared to light bulbs. The capacities of each body or bulb may be different, but the Spirit or Atma is only One in all of them. "Eka Prabhu Eka Naam” means there is only one God; so one Divinity is present in all.
One should always be charitable. The culture of Bharat (India) teaches giving and sacrifices. We must always discriminate what and how much we should give. Discriminate when you see the beggar on the street with his hand outstretched for money. Give him clothes or food but do not give him money because he may misuse the money to buy alcohol and cause fights. Your money would have been wasted; unity destroyed, and would be responsible for these problems. Encourage the needy to find employment and to develop unity as one's body has been given to do work. If, however, you see a handicapped person whom you can help through giving money, charity should be given with full knowledge of the consequences to avoid harm. "Help ever, hurt never," and in every aspect discriminate carefully.
Spiritual aspirants should not move about here and there but should keep the body still and spend time concentrating in solitude to experience Bliss. Bliss which comes through the experience of the unity of the Atma will redeem your life. Here is a handkerchief consisting of numerous threads. The unity of the woven threads gives the cloth its strength. Likewise, the unity of the body, mind, intellect and senses will confer strength and power.
Swadharma is the true dharma. Dharma is not only that which is related to a religion or faith. 'Swa' means Self or Atma. Dharma means conscience or witness. Sath and Chit mean eternal, total Being and Awareness, not fragmentary knowledge. Being or Sath may be compared to pure sugar which is always sweet; Chit to the pure water which goes on changing (moving, flowing). If you mix them you get syrup which may be compared to Bliss or Ananda. This is not the Bliss found in the material world. The material world can give you only impermanent happiness, not Bliss.
There are five types of knowledge to be found in the world. The first is bookish knowledge, the second superficial knowledge, the third general knowledge, the fourth discriminatory knowledge, and the fifth practical knowledge. Worldly happiness is termed santosha, which means only some happiness. For example, when you are hungry you eat two chapatis and after two hours you are again hungry; so the happiness you derived from eating was only temporary. The head has responsibilities; it is not a source of Bliss. Ananda (Bliss) comes only from the heart and is permanent. The highest goal of life lies in deriving happiness from the heart. The word for heart is hrudaya meaning heart (hru) and compassion (daya).
The proper study of mankind is man. Kindness should grow and fully blossom from man's heart. God has the quality of attraction and attracts to Himself whatever is good. Gold has value and attracts but brass does not attract. Iron alone attracts the magnet because of its relationship with the magnet. The magnet can be compared to Paramatma (Supreme Soul) and iron can be compared to the individual soul. The attraction between them is due to the unity of the individual soul and God. God is one. We should understand our own Divine nature. Sometimes when the magnet is unable to attract the iron many ignorant people may say that the magnet has no power. But this lack of attraction is due to the dust and rust accumulated on the iron. Similarly, bad company, bad talk, bad deeds are like dust and cause rust and do not attract Grace. God gives tests and punishes as well. We must welcome and pass a series of tests as they are the means for promotion. In order to pass examinations, one has to prepare for tests. Today from first class to tenth class there are no tests. Unfortunately today we don't want any tests due to laziness. Even if one wishes to apply for a job as a clerk he must have an interview. One should face with fortitude all tests in life.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is Love, enjoy it.
We are lucky to have this life; to be born a human being is very sacred. Make use of life in a sacred way after purifying the heart and eradicating anger. Lack of control over anger ruins discrimination and causes one to do wrong things. Anger is an animal quality not a human quality. When you become angry, go to a quiet place and repeat, "I am not a dog, I am a man." When confusion comes, repeat, "I am a man, not a monkey" ten times. Many people cheat, then repeat, "I am not a cheater, I am man"; "I am not a jackal, I am a man." The foreigners who have come here are all good devotees, but have a few weaknesses. They spend a lot of money on unnecessary things, have too many associations and do too much visiting from house to house.
The body may be compared to a house, the senses to windows, and the mouth the main door; keep it clean and sacred. Let the animal qualities go out; don't allow them into the residence. Don't follow other people, seeking sensual pleasures, but instead follow God. Unfortunately, we welcome bad qualities, and do not follow God's commands. When chanting Rama, as we say 'Ra' we open the mouth and bad qualities should go out and when we say 'm', God should enter to remain permanently. Why visit palm readers on the street who tell others' futures when they cannot tell their own. Devotees should use common sense. What is devotion? It is pure Love. Devotion to God develops from pure Love. Love between a husband and wife is attachment. Spiritual Love comes and grows whereas worldly love comes and goes. So follow God's commands until the end.
Once there was a young cowherd boy named Madhukar. One day as he was grazing his cows beside a river, he saw a Brahmin repeating, "Om Narayana Namaha" while doing pranayama in order to control his mind. After some time the boy went up to him and asked him what he was doing. The Brahmin explained that when one utters "Soham," he is declaring, "I am God." "So" (God) is uttered during inhalation and "ham” (I am) is uttered during exhalation. This is done in order to control the mind. The boy had full faith in the Brahmin and because he wanted to experience God he immediately put into practice the teaching. He put the cows on one side and sat down to begin pranayama (breathing exercises). He wondered, "How does God really look? In paintings I have seen Lord Shiva on a bull, and Lord Vishnu on an eagle."
The boy had full faith in the words of the Brahmin and began repeating the mantra, "Soham." He was ready to shed even his body for God. Where there is steady faith, there is success. One should care only for God. As the boy had this attitude, Narayana manifested Himself. The boy asked Him, "Who are You?" He replied, "I am Vishnu." The boy said, "I am not certain as I have never seen You before. I'll ask the Brahmin to come to identify You." This boy was very innocent. He feared that Vishnu might run away so he tied Him up and went to fetch the Brahmin. The Lord was very pleased with this boy's devotion. However the Brahmin could not believe the boy's story as he doubted how Vishnu could appear to a mere boy. The Brahmin’s faith was artificial whereas the boy's was heartful. Both went to the spot where Vishnu was tied up whereupon the boy exclaimed, "See, there He is." Unfortunately only the boy could see Lord Vishnu, not the Brahmin. The boy asked Vishnu, "Why can he not see the Lord?" The Lord replied that the Brahmin’s inability to see was due to his polluted mind and impure heart. The boy then requested the Lord, "At least for my sake, appear to the Brahmin.” As God was pleased with his selfless attitude. He also manifested to the Brahmin. This story illustrates the role of the Gum to show the way to God, and the effort of the devotee to develop faith and devotion.
In the culture of Bharat, the sacred axioms are:
Matru devo bhava. The mother is God.
Pitru devo bhava. The father is God.
Acharya devo bhava. The guru is God.
Mother, father and preceptor or teacher are the physical forms of God for us. We say that we have come from our parents, but this is not correct. We have come from God through our parents is correct. When you have God what more do you need? Please God by performing all actions for Him. Dedicate mind, body, senses and intellect to Him. If you have faith God will manifest in front of you.
Pray wherever you go by chanting His name. Work is worship; duty is God. God is present in all beings as Sath (Being), Chit (Awareness), Ananda (Bliss). You sit and say 'Sai Ram, Sai Ram', but your mind wanders to the dhobi's (washerman's) house, wondering whether he will bring your clothes today. Japa or meditation with an uncontrolled mind is a waste of time. Truth, Goodness and Beauty, three attributes of God, are all present in one's own heart. Pray wholeheartedly from your heart; have both compassion and Love. If you pray with Love but do not have compassion, it is useless. Coffee powder and water must both be present to make coffee. Speak softly, think of God constantly and avoid bad company and any other disturbances.
Swami concluded His Discourse by singing, "Hari bhajana bina sukh shanti nahi."
2. ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE [April 7, 1996, Easter Sunday]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
At one time Napoleon taught his soldiers, "Be clear and the rest will follow." He meant that pure feelings and actions will give one a pure heart. The whole world is a drama composed by God where every individual is an actor and God is the Director. Only the Director God creates the actors and designs all of the scenes. Whatever may happen is the manifestation of the Divine acts blossoming from the heart. Every human being is the spark of the Divine with Love as his natural trait and the goal of every living being and animal is to realize and manifest this Divinity. In this universal drama of life we are all acting to express Love; the end of transformation is to become the embodiment of Love. Prior to this Love is information and this information (knowledge) gathered throughout our lives culminates in individual spiritual transformation. Though everyone has been created out of Love, how unfortunate it is that man's responsibility and proper role to Love has been forgotten. In this drama everyone should play his role well, because if he does not, he will lose his reputation and respect. As everyone is a spark of the Divine, everyone should express the quality of Divine Love (Prema).
There is a "chinna katha," a small story. Once there was a very loving man swimming in a river. As there had been a heavy downpour, the water was flowing very turbulently. Suddenly he saw a scorpion floating in the water. Out of concern he gently picked it up and placed it in the palm of his hand. As it is the nature of the scorpion to bite, it bit the man and he quickly dropped it back into the river. But since he could not bear to see the scorpion drown, he again lifted it up to save it and again he was bitten. A cowherd boy came up to him and asked, "Why do you try to save it when its nature is to bite?." The kind man replied, "It may be the scorpion's nature to bite, but I am a human being and my nature is to Love. Why should I disregard my nature?"
See that you never change your nature and move away from Love. Love should never be converted into greed or anger. The whole world needs Love. At one time the Gopikas prayed to Lord Krishna:
"In this dry and parched land,
In order to grow the saplings of Love,
Send rains of Love. Let rivers of Love flow,
So we may reap the harvests of Love."
One's whole life should be full of Love. The true meaning of life is Love. Love is essential for life. The mind should be full of Love, the heart compassion.
True human life must have Truth and Love. Today man is dropping Love for pleasures because he does not understand the nature of Love. Worldly life is temporary, momentary and ephemeral. Earlier the ladies sang, "I am God." Everything is the form of God and God has an infinite number of forms. When one has determination concerning this Truth, then Love will naturally flow. Right from birth to death man is searching for Bliss. A boy is happy if he passes and goes to the next class in school. But how long does this happiness last? Soon he desires a first class standing in university, and when he achieves it he is happy. Then he wants to be a post-graduate. He achieves it and is happy, but for how long? He then desires and obtains a job and then a wife. After getting these he is happy, but for how long? Next he wants a son, then a daughter. He goes on struggling for happiness, desiring objects one after another until he retires. Then he wishes for peace. Thus happiness comes and goes; it is impermanent. All the worldly happiness is not equal to the spiritual happiness of the Atma.
What is Truth? Truth is evident when one expresses selfless Love. A life lived in Truth is Bliss. One's life should be full of Love. A heart without Love is poisonous. You may smile and say hello, but if it is not expressed from the heart, but only from the lips, it is not genuine or truthful. Today the world is behaving in such an artificial manner that all are only attracted by falsehood. For example, if you drop a handkerchief, someone retrieves it for you and you say thanks, it is often artificial thanks. Only pure selfless Love is Divine Love; all other love is artificial. Some only pray to God during difficulties and when they have no difficulties they forget God. Spending our life in gratitude and giving something back is the proper role in life's drama where God is the Director and His nature is Love. This Divine drama should not only be an _expression but also a propagation of Love and Truth. All this life that we think is real is only a dream and all the pleasures that one experiences and enjoys are not Truth.
There was once a poor man who had a wife and a son for whom he could not afford to provide. So he left home to earn money. In the meantime, unknown to him, his son died. One night he had a dream that he was a very rich man living in a large bungalow with five healthy sons, servants and all other amenities. After he awoke from the dream he couldn't find his bungalow and his five sons; he visited his wife who informed him of the loss of their only son. Now he thought, "Should I weep for the poverty and the loss of my only son that I am suffering from now, or should I weep for the loss of my five sons and riches in my dream?. Which of these is the Truth?" Neither is the Truth. "I" am the Truth. In the waking state I have problems and in the dream state I had no problems, but both are false. The Truth is God and "I" am that God. Past is past and it can never return and tomorrow is uncertain. Today is the present; but it is not the ordinary present, it is the omnipresent. Both the waking and dreaming states exist in the mind, but don't follow the mind as it is like a mad monkey. Don't follow the body; it is like a water bubble that may burst at any time. You are truly the form of Supreme Bliss, non-dual, eternal, pure, unsullied, the witness, beyond comprehension, attributeless. Sai is the Supreme Preceptor. God is the eternal witness, but such Divinity is forgotten today and man struggles for the fleeting things.
Who is near God? The one who follows God's commands and manifests Divine attributes. The secret is to have full faith in God; then one is a true human. The word for man is "manaci" (ma-na-ci). Man is the embodiment of Love. If we reverse the syllables in manaci, it becomes "ci- na- ma." Today's man is a cinema man; he is artificial and lacks compassion. But if he would follow the commands of God, everything else would follow. Though you have gold (God), from which you can make any type of jewellery (receive any Grace), you pray, "I want Bliss, Grace and Love." But all of these are ignorant utterances. The correct goal is in the prayer, "God, I want You." Everything is nothing without God. Everything material in the world is really nothing. Listening and experiencing this Truth is true Happiness and Love.
Start the day with Love,
Spend the day with Love,
End the day with Love,
This is the way to God.
But we are starting and ending the day with sadness and weeping instead. Napoleon has said, "Be clear and the rest will follow." Napoleon had great control over his mind. When one has mind control work can be transformed into worship. Do all acts, whether of service or in one's profession, to please God.
How does one experience God? You are wrong to say that you are the one who is working. For example, if you make a plan for a house, the idea has first come from the heart (God) and all that comes from the heart is Divine. You are not the doer, God is the Doer. When you are hungry you satisfy your hunger for yourself. When you love a child it is for your own satisfaction that you kiss him. So all works are done to satisfy your own self. This truth is not recognized. One should perform all acts only for God or Atma and not to satisfy the mind and the inert body. When a doctor performs an operation he uses a knife, but who did the operation? The knife? No! The doctor performed the operation with the knife as the instrument. Similarly, you are the Master (the Atma), so make proper use of your instruments the body, mind and intellect.
It is our good fortune to play a part in this drama designed by God; it is not possible for all to act in this play. In this play, every role is assigned by God; there is selection. Today in the worldly life, there is no selection, but only election. What happens in an election? You are not a candidate selected by God but you have to give a note (money) to get a vote. In selection God is in you as conscience. If we have been selected by God, we are most privileged to listen to Him. Love is the most important; there is nothing beyond Love. Everything is Love, so live in Love. Be happy; serve and worship God, then you will gain Eternal Bliss. None should put on castor oil faces. Smile, because Baba likes to see smiling faces. There are two types of smiles. One is a smile and the other is the loud laughter as in a cinema. You should not laugh loudly. The language of God is silence. Be pure of heart and steady in devotion. When the heart is full of Love, there is sweetness. The ladies sang, "Lord, Your Love gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by...." One should recognize that such sweetness cannot be found anywhere except in God. Put into practice all that is learnt in the texts or else that learning is useless. As all acts are performed through the body. Love should emanate through you. In a tumbler of water, the tumbler is only a container. Without the tumbler you cannot contain the water. Likewise, the body is like a tumbler full of Divine Love.
Jayadeva prayed, "O tongue, the one that knows the taste and talks of God is the only worthwhile one. O tongue, no one has your quality of patience. How carefully and peacefully you move amidst the enemies (thirty-two sharp teeth). Knowing the taste of both sweet and bitter things, you eat the sweet and throw out the bitter."
The tongue has the sacred quality of discrimination between what is good and bad, what should go in and what should stay out. It is has no associations and visits no one; it remains in the mouth. Some people go from house to house like rats and cats. The tongue should not accuse others and spend time in falsehood. Let only the name of God dance on the tongue. The tongue is "nataki," a dancer. What does nataki mean? It is a vehicle of Maya or illusion. It dances continuously. How can one control natakfl reverse the syllables to "kitana" (continuous singing). Continuously singing the glory of God with Love is the only way to reverse the illusion, not by force but by "source" (realizing the Atma). This is the role that one should play in the Drama to gain a very good reputation. One should deserve God's Love; when you are not accepted by God, you are cheap. God's Love is immense like a Divine mother's Love, so through your exemplary conduct and by following His commands He will submit Himself to you. God creates the devotee', and the devotee also creates God by constant remembrance. The devotee has no value without God and without the devotee there is no God. The unity of God and the devotee exalts the human quality and proves that God and the devotee are one and the same. This Sacred Truth is made unsacred today.
When we take birth we cry, "Koham? Koham?" (Who am I ?). When we die we should have the answer, "Soham" (I am He). In an exam when you write the correct answers you will get good results. Learn well, pass the grades, earn the degrees, and then God will claim, "You are Mine." When God says this it is our greatest fortune. In order to safeguard this fortune, think of God continuously and sing His name with Love.
Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama..."
3. SADHANA [April 8, 1996]
Embodiments of Divine Love,
In order to attain and experience Divinity it is necessary to have Divine thoughts and Divine actions. Many people pursue various paths to spirituality and expect results, but at times they become disappointed and frustrated. What is the reason? Everyone has to examine whether he is obeying God's commands or not. People behave in a wayward manner and therefore do not gain freedom (liberation). Everyone should know all the aspects of Sadhana (spiritual practice). Most aspirants today consider Sadhana to be Japa (repetition of a mantra), Bhajan (singing hymns), meditation, etc., but these are merely worldly practices as they involve the use of the body, the mind and the intellect. We should transcend these three, for the body is temporary and the mind is wavering.
What does the word "sa" - "dhana" mean? "Sa" means identity or proximity. "Dhana" does not mean worldly wealth, power, etc., but it means Divine Wealth or Truth, and oneness with that Truth which is eternal, ancient, pure and unsullied. This wealth is called Sadhana. Spiritual practices do not consist only of sitting with eyes closed and limbs controlled. We should also understand the environment in which we live and then we would gain God's Grace. We must bear all opposites such as heat and cold, rain and sun, pleasure and pain, profit and loss and sin and merit, equally. Vyasa taught the essence of the Vedas in just two sentences: Helping others is meritorious. Hurting others is sin.
The word "paraupakara" is divided into three syllables - "para," "upa" and "kara." "Para" means the Supreme or the Highest Abode; "Upa" means nearness and "kara" means to do or to go. Upakara, therefore, means that one should do good and help others in order to go near God. This is the proper spiritual path, the essence of the Upanishads. In the word "Upanishad," "upa" means near and "shad" means sit. What is the meaning of sitting near? The significance is that a disciple must sit down at the Feet of God (Guru) who is on a higher level. All the spiritual texts teach how to go near God. Just as one goes near an air conditioner to get coolness and comfort when it is hot, similarly, when one goes near God, he would develop Divine qualities. This is Sadhana.
What is "papa" or sin? Harming others is sin; classifying and diversifying and forgetting the unity is a sin. Names and forms may vary, but the Spirit is only one. The words from the hymn, "Eka Prabhu, eka nam... Eswara sarva bhutanam," say that God is in every being. God and nature are in union where God is the cause and nature is the effect. There cannot be an effect without a cause. To consider unity (Atma) as diversity (nature) is a sin. The spiritual path is very easy but due to our ignorance we are confused. Accept that whatever happens is for your own good and for the good of the world. If your desire is not fulfilled, don't consider it to be bad.
You are not one, but three: The one you think you are (the body), the one others think you are (the mind or the ego), and the one you really are (the Atma). Take for example, a piece of cloth. It consists of the unity of the cotton, threads and cloth. Our many desires may be compared to threads. If you remove them one by one, the cloth would disappear. Likewise, the mind would disappear after the removal of all desires. Less luggage, more comfort, makes travel a pleasure in the journey of life. Have only the desire for God. Develop this unique novel desire and also follow the commands of God. We should develop the faith and determination to desire only God, to follow His commands and trust that whatever God says is for our own good.
Once there was a king in India whose custom was to drink sugarcane juice during a certain festival. The king desired to cut the sugarcane himself. As he had no experience in this, by mistake he cut off his finger. His minister declared, "O king, this is very good for you." The king became very angry and had the minister imprisoned. The minister declared that to be imprisoned was good for him. One day the king decided to journey into the forest, and after some time he stopped to take rest under a tree. While resting he overheard a nearby tribal king and his tribe members discussing their need for a perfect human being for a sacrifice. They soon discovered the king and expressed great happiness. They captured him, gave him a bath and made all the preparations for the sacrifice. Suddenly they spotted the place on his hand where the finger had been accidentally cut off. They decided to release him as he was imperfect, and the king returned to his kingdom. He mused, "What the minister has said was true. Indeed, it was for my own good that my finger was cut off." He went to the prison cell, told the minister that what he had said was true and released him. The minister replied, "Yes, the prison was also good for me. If I had followed you into the forest, they would have sacrificed me instead." The king now believed that everything that happened was due to the Divine command. He said, "Pleasure and pain are good for me. Whatever God chooses for me is good for me." Everyone should have full knowledge of this truth. This is Sadhana.
Sadhana is not only Japa, rituals and Bhajans etc.. The essence of all rituals is to obey God's commands. In God's treasury there are many gems and valuables. What is God's nature? It is to give more than we can understand; but if you ask your request may not be fulfilled. "O mind, without asking did Rama not fulfill Sabari's wish? Without asking did He not send the bird, Jatayu to heaven? O mind, why ask?" God gives more than you could ever ask when you follow His commands; worship Him wholeheartedly and with full surrender. That is true Sadhana.
Once Rama, Lakshmana and Sita were walking towards Chitrakoot. Rama was tired so He asked Lakshmana to build a hut for the evening's sojourn. Lakshmana asked Him where he should build the hut. Lakshmana was very pained and said, "What sin have I committed that You should ask me to choose the place? I have no desire other than to follow Your command. All is Your Will." Rama bugged Lakshmana and said, "It is easy to get a wife or a mother, but to get a brother like you is not possible." Divine Love has no limits.
The world is ephemeral and full of misery, but there is Eternal Divinity within it. Today, love, worship and other acts are merely a show; true spirituality is not being practiced. If you cannot follow the command of God, your worship is of no use. One should not have a dual mind; a man with a dual mind is half blind. Do not have feelings of mine and Thine as in a business partnership; between God and the devotee there should be only a Divine relationship; always give without expectation of return. Maintaining the spiritual heart in purity is spiritual practice. The dualistic attitude is one of no wisdom. What is wisdom? Non- dualism, recognizing the One without a second, is wisdom.
Freedom! Nowadays you are enjoying freedom by doing as you like. You are having numerous unfulfilled desires and as a result, you are not able to know your own Atmic nature. Therefore, you are not receiving God's grace. The word for freedom is "Swaicha." "Swa" means Atma or "of the spirit" and "icha" means will (God's Will). So "swaicha" is not the freedom of the body, mind or intellect, but rather the freedom of the Atma. The body is like a water bubble and the mind is like a mad monkey; by following them you would go the wrong way. We don't have God's grace due to undisciplined freedom of body, mind and intellect. Once we know this, we would be able to gain God's grace. So Sadhana is not only spiritual practices like meditation, but comprises many other aspects as well.
We should- know that pleasure and pain are not separate in that without pain, pleasure has no value. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. All experiences are like passing clouds. Sadhana comprises actions associated with purification. Another important aspect of Sadhana is to maintain equanimity at all times.
God is totally unselfish. God gifted the body to the devotee to do pure actions. Man should practice selfless Love, as God is selfless, and not question to whom this Love should be given. Man should have firm determination in this. As God is the complete totality, to reach this God, man should surrender totally.
In Italy there was a certain man who made violins. He took an entire year to make only one violin. When asked why he took so long, he replied that he was not making it for the money. He said that since God is perfect, whatever one does should also be perfect and that he desired God's Grace. A whole-hearted devotee should offer full Love. "Om, Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornath, Poorna madhacyathe." This means that, "God is full and infinite, the nature of the devotee is fullness and infinity; all are full and infinite." Always have the feeling of fullness. Obedience to God's command leads to spiritual freedom.
In this Kali Yuga, though it is difficult to have good friends, have only good friends. So long as you have wealth, all will say, "Hello," but when you lose everything your friends will run away. The greatest friend is God alone who is above, below, around and inside you. So long as there is water in a tank, there are a thousand frogs around that tank but when the tank becomes empty, the frogs will disappear. Worldly friendship is similar. The only true friend is God who embodies true freedom; when we understand this we will achieve oar goal. For this we need to surrender and for surrender we need steady faith in God.
Life is a challenge - meet it.
Life is a game - play it.
Life is a dream - realize it.
Life is love - enjoy it.
Do not discriminate in Love. Enjoy it! For example, when you visit the market to purchase vegetables, if you start to enquire where they came from, etc., you may have doubts and imagine that they came from dirty places or dirty water and then you won't enjoy them. Why bother making too many inquiries, just enjoy them (God's Love).
Once Ramakrishna took his disciple, Pramananda, to a river and held his head under the water. When he pulled him out, he asked him, "What name of God did you think of?" Pramananda replied, "I could not think of anything except how to get out of the water" (gasping for air). Once you are drowned in Divine Love, you will only think of God. That is real concentration. Time waste is life waste, so love God more and more- every moment.
Swami ended His Discourse by singing, "Prema Mudita Manase Kaho, Rama, Rama, Ram."
CONTINUED…
http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/kodaikanal96/
Posted at 12:28 pm by saiavatar
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Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees
Posted at 10:22 am by saiavatar
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Baba's Miracle
"If you know about Sai Baba what I know about Him. You will call Him the Master of all creation" - Meher Baba
The incident herein described bears ample testimony to the above-quoted assertion of Shri Meher Baba regarding Baba's absolute mastery over all creation, animate and inanimate.
Indeed, we can realise that in reality the Creator and Creation are one, the latter being but the ocular demonstration of the former. This is in consonance with the latest discovery in the light of the post nuclear research in the frontiers of science according to which all manifested nature is only a phenomenon of throught behind which is The Thinker. This in turn reflects and reiterates the Biblical enunciation regarding the origin of creation viz., "Let there be light" said God and there was light and the Upanishadic axiom viz., "Swayam Samkalpa Sam Siddhi" i.e., God's manifestation in concrete form according to His will. It is as God's incarnation that Baba has repeatedly, both during His Incarnate stay at Shirdi and after His Mahasamadhi, given recurring proof of this divine aspect. As a direct corollary of this, forces of Nature like rain, storm, lightening, fire etc., bowed to his will. The present instance is an example of this.
We celebrated the marriage of our youngest son Dr. V Satyanarayana Sai, now a lecturer in the A.PS. University, Rewa, MP, on April 5, 1981 at Rayagada in Orissa. The other members of the family having dispersed to their respective Places, we were returning to Rewa via Raipur by the morning Passenger train from Waltair on the 7th of the month. We had not known that apart from the inconveniecnes incidental to travelling long distance by passenger train, we were wittingly in for an ordeal. We learnt later that people of the region avoid this train as a rule. The route traverses a tribal area more or less entirely dependent for sustenance on the sale and export of the forest produce without arm middleman by the tribals themselves. The Summer is the season of mangoes and the jack fruit in unbelievable abundance of Nature's bounty which has to be seen to be believed. At every stop came an unending stream of the girijans carrying the maximum possible load of the above items and literally hurling themselves and their burdens helter - skelter through the doors and windows into the compartments nearest to them. No railway control (even if tried) could stem that onslaught, as it were, at any cost. The result was the compartments were literally jam-packed and choking. It was a frightful situation in which one did not have any space to move at all. Even the lavatories were full so that we were obliged with unshed tears to possess our souls in patience till we reached Raipur, a matter of twelve hours of torture since to detrain too was physically impossible.
However, that is not only anticipating things too soon in vain, but also overlooking the terrible ordeal of near annihilation of the compartment in a burst of flames before that. For, this is what happened all of a sudden without any one knowing it.
One of our party consisting of my eldest son, the newly married couple and my wife besides myself, (I think it was the first,) said that smoke was emanating from the fan above, from a few wisps at first, later it suddenly swelled to clouds, slowly filling the entire compartment. It took a little time to realise the potential danger it portended. It was obvious, that there was spontaneous ignition in the wiring possibly due to a short circuit, which if not checked at once would prove dangerous. My son Satyanarayana immediately tugged & the chain to stop to the train.
Unfortunately it gave way. We became frantic. It is imperative to mention here that even in such a situation pregnant with danger, the girijans filling the compartment just continued sitting with their sphinx-like faces, and far away looks, unmoved, unflappable, as if lost in contemplation like 'tapasvins' entrenched in their firm faith that "God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world!" It was an object-lesson for us to understand what it is to trust God in toto, this was what Baba meant when He beseeched His devotees to cast their burdens on Him and keep QUIET letting Him to take care and provide every protection we need. Indeed, it shamed me into knowing how much too far below their standard-in truth how hypocritical-my fickle faith was. Their's was RESIGNATION flowing from complete SURRENDER.
Presently, the train stopped at a station and the guard happend to pass by. When he was told of our predicament and requested for urgent redress, he just remarked with the utmost callousness, "Marjao! (go, die) and passed on as if he were Fate's minion. He clearly smelt of liquor. We had no alternative except to fall back upon our Unfailing Eternal Source of Succour and to pray. Rightly has Dr.Alexis Carrel, the great medical scientist and savant averred, that it is not the Atom that will provide the infinite source of power for the future of the humanity but PRAYER, for, when you pray with all your heart, you are linked to that DYNAMO THAT SPINS the Universe.
The All-Merciful and solicitous Baba ever on the alert as Bhaktha Paraadina did come to the rescue in a most unexpected and dramatic manner before despair complete by overwhelmed us. In a spilt second, the skies darkened with gathering clouds and there began a downpour which continued for over an hour, lashing on all sides, partly floooding the compartment and completely smoothering out the smoke and the threatened configuration!
Glory be to Shri Shirdi Sai - Grace be to all
(Adopted from the book Divine Miracle of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba - A record of thrilling experiences of (late) Dr.P.S.Ramaswamy (An ardent devotee of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba) This book can be read at www.saileelas.org)
Posted at 09:53 am by saiavatar
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Baba cured the Injury of a Child Miraculously in Shirdi itself
Baba cured the Injury of a Child Miraculously in Shirdi itself
The following incident was related to Shri Arvind J. Mehta, Bombay by a couple in Shirdi, "while we, myself, and my wife had gone to Shirdi in the beginning of the month of March, 1979 (9 and 10-3 -1979), in fact the couple was in the same train rather in the same compartment while we went to Shirdi, On, Friday 9-3-1979 in the morning while the couple was in the temple with their child, he was pulling his mother's hand, and he had a fall. For sometime the child did not feel any pain in his hand. On the advice of the Shirdi Sansthan authorities the child was taken to Shri Sainath Hospital where the Resident doctors could not diagnose definitely whether the child had a crack or dislocation in his hand and hence the parents were advised to wait till the next day when X-Ray would be taken. Since the couple had a great faith in Shri Sai Baba, they applied Baba's UDI to the affected hand and placed their child before Baba's photo saying "Baba we have got this child by your grace and we place him at your feet and it is upto you to relieve him from pain and from any after effect of the injury. You would hardly believe that within short time, the child stopped crying and began to play as usual. After sometime, while was once again examined by the resident doctor, he found that the child's hand was quite normal.
Was not the child's recovery from his injury a miracle and that too by our Baba's UDI?
Surrender Shri Sat Completely !! Stupendous Delectation and Deliverance be there !!
(Adopted from AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI by Ramalingaswamy, Life Member of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi at Munja Baba Sthan, Shirdi for more literature on Sai Baba and consolidated stories of "Ambrosia in Shiridi" before Mahasamadhi and after Mahasamadhi please visit www.saileelas.org)
Courtesy: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shirdi_sai_baba_divine_grace/
Posted at 09:36 am by saiavatar
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Oct 7, 2004
Testing limitless Faith
"It is to be noted here that doubts and difficulties surround us, just to move us and confirm our faith. we are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba, with full faith, and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success." -Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. XXIX.
Milarepa, the great Tibetan yogi! Whose name has run around the globe. There is a touching incident. One day, Milarepa comes to his Guru and begs to be accepted as a disciple. The Guru, Marpa, says to him: "Do you have sufficient faith?"
Milarepa answers: "Master, my faith in you is beyond words."
"How much faith do you possess?" asks the Guru.
"As much as the limitless skies," is the answer.
The Guru hears the words but wants to put the disciple to a test!
"Here are some bricks," he says to Milarepa, "with them build a platform at this spot."
Milarepa sets to work immediately. He builds a beautiful platform which he feels should please his Guru. When the Guru arrives, he exclaims: "What a fool you are, Milarepa! You have wasted all your time and energy. I did not want a platform here, at this corner, but at the other corner."
Milarepa says to himself: "I clearly remember the Guru pointing to this spot; bet let not my faith be shaken. I must be wrong. The Guru is always right!" He dismantles the platform and starts building a new one at the other corner.
After a few days, the second platform is ready and Milarepa approaches his Guru.
Once again, the Guru is dissatisfied and says: "What a silly fellow you are! I never wanted the platform here."
Milarepa feels irritated, but controls himself and says: "Let me not doubt the Guru!" He builds a third platform.
The process is repeated several times. And now Milarepa can take it no longer. He loses his patience. His faith is completely shaken. He wants to run away from the Guru. The Guru’s wife learns of it: she comes to his rescue.
"The Guru is only testing you!" she says to him. "It was you who told him that your faith was limitless as the skies. Where is your faith gone?"
Milarepa’s faith renewed. He builds yet one more platform. When it was ready, the Guru embraces him, saying: "You are truly my child. Let me share with you the secret which I have shared with none else."
Milarepa sits at the feet of the Guru and receives from him what only a Guru can pass on to his disciple. He is enlightened. He is emancipated from the seemingly endless cycle of birth and death which is, inevitably, a cycle of suffering and pain, but from which, alas, many of us do not yet wish to be liberated.
May some of us be inspired to cultivate this great quality of faith. The Guru is too loving to punish and too wise to make a mistake. Therefore, let us learn to accept all that comes out of his hands as Prasadam. In sun and rain, in pleasure and pain, in loss and gain, let our trusting heart learn to pray: "Give me a place at Your Lotus Feet, Baba!"
Om Sai Sri Sai Jaya Jaya Sai.
Posted at 03:30 pm by saiavatar
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Jewels from afar
One evening in Brindavan, we were all gathered at Swami's feet, listening with rapt attention as He told us a fascinating story of an artisan's love for Lord Krishna. He described a magnificent gold statue that the artisan had made of his beloved Lord. He said the statue had been designed by divine inspiration. Lord Krishna, Himself, had guided every movement of the artist's hand during its creations.
Suddenly, Swami asked us: "Would you like to see it?" "Oh, yes!" we eagerly answered in union. Swami waved His hand and in it appeared a resplendent gold statue. many brilliant precious gems adorned Krishna's head and body. The graceful figure sparkled and glowed as though alive. The precious statue was then passed around and each person was able to hold and admire it. When it returned to Swami, He held it in His hand a moment. Then it disappeared.
Swami then told us a story about a treaty which India had made with another country. He explained that the entire treaty had been carved on a huge emerald that was presently being kept in the same museum as the Krishna statue. "I will get it for you," He said. When he stopped waving His hand, there appeared in His palm a very large emerald. We were all breathless! What an extraordinary, magical evening this was! We passed the emerald among ourselves slowly, not wanting there rare moments to end.
"Pass it quickly," Swami gently prodded us, "I have to return it to the museum before the guard realizes it is gone."
- Diana Baskin
http://www.saibaba.ws/miracles2/jewelsfromafar.htm
Posted at 08:41 am by saiavatar
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The Miraculous Appendix
From: Sathyam Shivam Sundaram, XLV
The Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
by Prof. N. Kasturi
"Dear Sri Kasturi! Your telegram cancelling your promised visit to Ceylon has helped to render our faith in Baba firmer than before!" This was not a particularly polite reply to receive from a Secretary of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi. Baba had permitted me to accept an invitation to visit Ceylon, on a Sai Pilgrimage, meeting devotees in villages and towns, to share experience and delight. My passage was booked by rail and plane; so with my bag and portmanteau I went to Whitefield to take leave of Baba and to receive His Blessings. The Mail Train or Madras, from where I had to emplane was leaving Bangalore within an hour. When I touched the Lotus Feet, Baba asked me, "Where are you going?" I said that I was on my way to Ceylon. He said, "Why Ceylon? Send them a telegram cancelling your visit and come with Me to Goa tomorrow."
That was the telegram which placed the faith of Sai devotees in Ceylon upon an unshakeable basis! Later, Sri Thyagarajiah, the Secretary, set my mind at rest, explaining the cryptic comment. Dr. Nallainathan, the President of the Samithi, had read out my first letter accepting the ten-day schedule, before a large gathering of devotees and when he finished, he did a very un-Nallainathan-like thing. He heard himself say, "Of course, Mr. Kasturi has very kindly agreed to come and be with us for ten days. But listen, he may not come at all! There is many a slip betwixt the cup and the lip. At the very last moment, we may get a telegram, cancelling his visit." Six days later the telegram arrived! And Ceylon knew that it was Baba who had persuaded Dr. Nallainathan to utter those words that day, for He shapes the future, recasting His projected plan. When we cannot predict about our own selves, how can we predict about Baba? He says that no one knows that He is going to do in the next five minutes; therefore we must learn to remain content, witnessing the Divine play.
At noon the next day, I accompanied Baba on a circuitous journey to Goa. The three cars moved towards Jog Falls. The party included three lady devotees from the United States, June Schuyler, who describes herself as a simple, middle-aged teacher of young children; Indra Devi, celebrated as the 'First Lady of Yoga in America,' and Mrs. Rajagopalan, an Italian living in the United States with her Indian husband. As usual, while leaving Brindavan, devotees lined up on both sides of the road, anxious to get a glimpse of Baba and to see the Hand that waves out of the window, until a turn makes it impossible to fill the eye with it.
The afternoon was quiet and bright. "As the cars entered the tranquillity of the vast countryside," writes June, "my mind was jumbled with a feeling of incredulousness! For many years, peace of any kind seemed an unlikely prospect for me. God was my only hope; and now, wonder of wonders, I was happy, with the Lord lifting my burdens off my mind."
On the way Baba signalled the cars to turn towards a lane off the main road, so that we could drink coffee and consume some snacks. He Himself opened the tins and cans, containers and flasks, and served snacks and coffee to all. The chauffeurs too, joined the party and they were also served snacks and coffee to all. The chauffeurs too, joined the party and they were also served. A few tillers of the soil who had taken up positions to stand and stare received extra attention from the Master.
When we resumed the journey, Baba's car seemed to grumble a bit, but it was persuaded by mild and gentle pushing to take to the road. It had to be persuaded again thrice during the next fifteen miles: Jog falls were still a hundred miles away! At 8.00 p.m. the car stopped and refused to budge, despite inducements or threats. It had, indeed, to be led back in Tiptur for attention at a local workshop. Then Baba decided to go back to Brindavan. Baba was quite unconcerned, He did not speak about it with any feeling of disappointment. Among the eight attributes of Divinity, Vairagyam, absence of attachment, is one.
June writes, "A star fell; Baba who misses nothing saw it fall. He commented on it. I was grateful that I too had seen that bright thing falling where the Lord had come. While in the car, His glorious voice filled the night, for He was singing, drawing stars down to earth! Dinner was ready at midnight when we reached Brindavan. Baba's affection made Him appear anxious about our hunger. He took particular care to see that all were fed and sent to sleep, before He retired for the night. We felt that we were tiring Him even more, drawing His attention upon ourselves. Is that precious Body sustained purely by the Love It showers? We wondered." June writes, "I lay down with a feeling of anxiety. I feared that Baba might go now ahead of us, by plane to Goa. I was anxious not to miss the happy sojourn. I was sorry we had to return as a result of the breakdown of the car. Many things were battling in my brain that Sunday morning when I awoke, I pondered over them. Why had the Lord, Who produces all manner of things by the exercise of His Will, not repaired His car? He could have anticipated and never allowed it to happen! The question had great importance to me, since I was convinced that spiritual power has the mastery over matter. Perhaps Baba had willed the breakdown and the return, in order to provoke this question in me, so that I might seek answer. Every word, every act of Baba is a lesson. Here was a lesson - I wasn't sure for whom.
We knew even before we started that Baba was not keen on Jog Falls. He had ridiculed the name as 'Joke Falls' and even as 'Joke False'! He said, the route, if Jog Falls is included in the tour, will be lengthened too far. He will have to pass through many villages on the road, after nightfall. The villagers, would, He argued, be very sad when they learn that Baba had passed that way without their getting Darsan. Someone told us that Baba had questioned the driver who had supervised the 'servicing' of the 'historic car' about the quality and extent of the servicing. "He must have known that it will give a poor performance," he said.
Of course, if He had willed it, the car would have gone on to Jog; He willed a Joke instead! A day later we all left in two cars for Goa. On the way Baba spoke long, on spiritual matters. Alighting en route for breakfast, He gave us sweet, ripe, wild berries plucked by Him from the trees around saying, "Berries, such as I used to eat and pick with My comrades at Gokul on the banks of the Yamuna!"
The cars co-operated wonderfully, and we reached the grounds of the Karnatak University at Dharwar, and entered the bungalow of the Vice-chancellor, Dr. Adke at 2 p.m. There we found about 500 people singing Bhajans under a Shamiana. They had learnt about the arrival of the Lord! After lunch, Baba sat among them, silent, for a few joy-filled minutes!
June writes, "Those University Deans and Dons looking at Baba with devout childlike expressions, twanged the chords of my heart." Suddenly someone asked a question and broke the silence. For an hour thereafter, Baba related to them parables and tales from legends and folklore. "God is ever to respond, whenever there is a call for help. Yes, you seek the Grace of God, but can you get it, when you do not respond to the call of the distressed?... God waits on the doorstep, like sunlight, eager to slip through the narrowest slit, and spread light where there was darkness, warmth, where there was biting cold. So too, you must wait for the chance to brighten and lighten the lives of others, deprived of cheer and charity... Awaken the people to the Glory of the Creator through Nagar Sankirtan," He said.
June writes, on the occasional bursts of laughter which shook the room. "I felt, this is no dull sober God. When I think of Baba, I picture Jesus, with the same sense of humour. Baba was speaking in an Indian Language which I do not understand; yet in some mysterious way I too was receiving illumination."
It was a Fiat 1500 in which Baba, Mr. N.D.M. Appah, Chairman, Mysore State Electricity Board, and myself were travelling. The road was stony and rough, so the drive was full of jerks and bumps - this caused Baba to reprimand the driver for not being circumspect enough. "You do not know how much pain I get in the abdomen when it bumps," He said. We wondered why Baba who withstood worse roads better, was insisting on slow driving that day.
The last rays of sunshine cast long and slanting streaks through the tall heavily crowned trees of the Western Ghats, which we were climbing. When we were on top, the sun went down into the sea! There is a certain grandeur, albeit pathetic, in this daily drama - the inevitability of a sunset; its noiselessness and the panic it creates when you foolishly fear that it may not come up again. The forces of darkness quickly overwhelming the earth sometimes give one an eerie sensation of despair. But, we soon remember that the wise earth manages to keep one half of her lit and warm; and so, we sleep in hope and happy dreams!
When the cars reached Goa, it was night. The stars came forthy; they came with us, every yard of the road, keeping pace. When the border of Goa State was reached, Lt. Governor, Sri Nakul Sen, the host, received Baba and let us into a Rest House, where china gleamed in the shelves by the wall and geraniums glistened on the window sills. We had coffee; from then on Baba sat in the State car, with the Head of the State.
Hurrying around the rambling roads, towards Panjim Town, the cars finally arrived at Coba Raj Nivas, the Palace of the Governors-general of the "Portuguese Possessions in India and the Far East" for many centuries, but now, the official residence of the Lt. Governor. The time was 9-15 p.m. We had motored 385 miles, since morning, over good and bad roads, but Baba looked lithe and lily-like when He hastened up the red-carpeted flight of steps, 28 in all, to the flower-decked apartments, set aside for His stay. Very soon, Baba presided over the dining table to which we were led by the Lt. Governor. He watched with amusement the contingent of waiters, and the beautiful chinaware, which the Portuguese had brought from Macao.
Though Mrs. Sen made bold to remind Him of His duty to Himself, He did not eat anything. He appeared to be anxious to send every one to bed. "Go, go! You are all very much exhausted," He insisted. I protested that travelling with Him can never exhaust anyone, but He repeated that I was really in immediate need of rest. When we rose Mrs. Sen was informed by Baba that coffee need be ready for Him only at 8 a.m. the next day! She knew that at Prasanthi Nilayam, He had His coffee at 6 or 6.30 p.m. but despite appeals for revising the order, Baba gave instructions that it was to be brought only at 8 o' clock.
Baba was alone in the suite reserved for Him. Nakul Sen pleaded for permission to be within call, but Baba sent Him away to his own room. We from Bangalore were in rooms on the ground floor.
About what occurred that night, Baba wrote later to Dr. S. Bhagavantham, in a letter I carried to him on the 12th, "On the night of the seventh, strange events happened. I could not lie in bed, I could not sit upon it, nor turn, from one side to another. Nor could I speak or call. I did not like to cause anxiety or trouble to anyone. So I kept silent, pretending that all was well with me!
Next morning when the Sens grew aware of the truth it became clear, why He had abstained from dinner, and postponed the coffee hour, wanting only to hurry away to bed! I knew why He had come away from Dharwar, and why He had taken the driver to task. Obviously, He had been 'ill' when He started out from Dharwar!
Mrs. Sen felt that Cabo Raj Nivas was an 'unlucky' place since He had fallen 'ill' there, but Baba immediately corrected her. "No, it is a house of good luck! I brought the 'illness' with Me to Cabo, so that I could get rid of it here."
By daybreak on the 8th, Baba appeared to be in great pain and Nakul Sen called in doctors from the Medical College at Goa, and some leading physicians of the City. Soon an imposing medical team surrounded the sick bed; their report read as follows, "History of pain, right lower quadrant of the abdomen since 3 p.m. on the 7th December. To begin with, the pain was all over the abdomen, progressive in intensity; towards the night, it localised in the umbilical region, and the right lower quadrant. Had difficulty in extending the right lower limb. Pain is exaggerated by movement. 8th December morning, had nausea and fever." No one could be definite about the illness; there were too many experts and Baba was amused at the clash of their conclusions.
The American ladies were sent to visit the ancient Churches of Goa, redolent with history, and vibrant with spiritual power. The Sens were aghast at the turn of events for, among other reasons, the local Sathya Sai Seva Samithi had announced, that He would deliver a discourse at the large Maidan in the heart of the city, at 5 p.m. that evening.
June Schuyler writes, "Back at Cabo, we ate lunch, without Baba. It was a gloomy affair. Each person was wondering why He did not come; I did not know that some among them knew, and were too full of distress to speak. It is very strange for Baba not to come out of His room; at Prasanthi Nilayam, or wherever He is, He gives of Himself, plentifully at all times, from early morning till late evening. I knew that Baba was scheduled to go out into the city to address a public meeting. We had passed the very Maidan on our way to a Church, and noticed people streaming in, hours before the time announced for its commencement. I took heart because we would see Him then. Perhaps we would go with Him to the meeting! At ten minutes to five we gathered on the porch, dressed in our very best; my heart beat loud and rapid, as a clock ticked on, for the time was drawing near when we would see Him for the first time that day... My thoughts went back to the time when I first heard about Baba. A friend urged me to revere Him. I replied, "How can I, belonging to Jesus? I am sure about Jesus. If Baba is one with Jesus, it is to Him I pray. If He is not I won't have anything to do with Him." And, I added, "If Baba is all that you feel He is, I am sure He won't hold this against me!" The electrifying moment when I beheld Him for the first time came to my mind. I remembered the flood of awe and joy that overwhelmed me. His first comment when He saw me, assured me that He knew, and approved of my feelings about Jesus... that He was, certainly One with Him. My mind returned to the present; I watched Baba's door, intently."
Meanwhile, pain, nausea and fever kept Baba in bed all day. Information came that 20,000 people crowded the Maidan, awaiting Baba; and half the number had come from far off villages. Baba endeavoured to rise and don fresh clothes to keep the appointment, and not disappoint thousands of people. But Cabo Raj Nivas had no lift; for reaching the Maidan, Baba would have had to get down 28 steps and walk up some distance in order to give Darsan to the people. And then, climb the 28th steps up!
Baba directed me to tell the assembly to disperse quietly, and to assure them that He will be addressing them in a few days at he same place. I was to tell them that He had taken over the illness of a devotee, for I had witnessed such instances of healing and saving, in the past years.
June writes, "Baba's door opened!... Mr. Kasturi came out! Why Mr. Kasturi? Why not Baba? We sat sadly, watching a large blood-red sun sinking into the Indian Ocean."
The gathering heard my announcement with amazement and admiration, for they had heard many stories of Baba and His miracles, but this mystery of taking on an illness and saving a devotee from its consequences was something they had never heard, nor imagined as possible. Could such compassion exist? How does Baba assume the illness, and how does He rid Himself of it? How has He done it in the past? Many came up behind me to find the answers, and I could tell them of the great Guru Pournima Miracle, when Baba took upon Himself the cerebral thrombosis and heart attacks of a devotee, and after undergoing them for eight long days, rejected them before 4,000 people, becoming in a moment, His fresh, free and full Self. I could tell them that rescuing the good was as much the mission of the Avatar as Chastisement of the wicked. He atones for the Karmic debt of the devotees when they plead sincerely for Grace, I said. That is the measure of His Divine Compassion.
At 8 o'clock that night, the doctors reported, "Lying supine in bed, with legs drawn up. On examination, the right side of abdomen not moving with respiration; abdomen tender on the right side, and the lower flank... point of maximum tenderness in lower flank... no rebound tenderness... guarding present over right lower quadrant, with rigidity of flank. Temperature 100o F; pulse 100 M; respiration 16m. Total blood count 22,000; neutrophils 88%. A diagnosis of acute paracolic appendicitis was made. Unwillingness for surgical intervention."
Pressmen approached the doctors, anxious to report the reason for the postponement of the announced Public Meeting, alarmed at the news of the illness of the world-renowned Personality. The doctors told them that Baba was suffering from an acute attack of appendicitis. This news was flashed all over India and spread through the early morning editions and the papers issued from Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore and Madurai. Telegrams and telephone calls poured in from all over the country, praying and pleading, and denying - disbelieving, hoping, weeping and wailing. There were many offers to accept the 'illness' from Baba; some devotees said they would fast until Baba was free from the illness. Devotees having firm until Baba was free from the illness. Devotees having firm faith in His Divinity were convinced that just as the illness had been taken on miraculously, it will be thrown off miraculously, too.
The doctors told us Baba must be suffering excruciating pain, but He said, "If I have to acknowledge that it is paining Me, how would I have taken it on Myself? I have taken it on with Love and Love knows no pain!" June writes, "Mrs. Sen confided in me that she has been praying all day to Baba asking that she be allowed to share the pain. We all caught this idea and trooped into Baba's room with the same request. He sent us back, saying, "I do not feel any pain, and even if I do, I am never in the habit of distributing pain as Prasadam, (Gift from God)."
Indra Devi had with her a container with an idol of Ganesa on the lid given to her by Baba. It had Vibhuti in it, and Baba had declared whilst placing it in her hand, "Give this to people who suffer; it will alleviate the misery. The Vibhuti will never be exhausted. "She now offered some of it to Baba; He sent her away, saying, "That would be selfish. I want only you for the sake of others," "O Baba!" June implored silently, "You are so sweet, so completely good. The rest of us deserve this pain, but You, do not, please take this condition away from your precious Body."
June writes, "Finally, hesitantly, I prayed to Jesus, "If Baba will not heal Himself, won't You heal Him?" but I realised that this prayer was one without an answer, for Jesus and Baba were One! I fell back on metaphysics. Recognition of the Truth might cast out the illness. It was easy to behold the Christ in the Christ Himself!" Baba! You are the Light, and in the Light there is no darkness." I said this silently over and over again. I knew this statement was absolutely true, but, I also knew that, on the physical plane, Baba had allowed Maya free play for the sake of someone who had surrendered to Him. He would not let my feeble metaphysical falterings influence a step that He had determined upon. I was afraid my approach was quite wrong."
The doctors filed in and out of Baba's room. Indra Devi sat in the Cabo Shrine applying the curative Vibhuti Baba had given her, on the right flank of the Abdomen of a large sized picture of Baba, praying that He may soon heal Himself! Mrs. Sen alternated between confidence and concern.
June writes, "Mr. Kasturi oozed quiet confidence. He was certain that this was another miracle of miracles; that Baba was suffering for the sake of another; that He would concentrate into a few hours the suffering that the devotee was destined to suffer for weeks; that we would soon behold the end of another Divine Leela. We warmed ourselves often, in the warmth of His optimism. Mr. Sen too was certain that Baba would confront the doctors with another astounding and confounding miracle!
Suddenly it flashed on me that Mr. Kasturi was asked to cancel his engagements in Ceylon and join us on our journey to Goa, precisely for this reason. To spread assurance, whenever doubt raised its fearful hood! His role was to laugh the serpent off, and to restore courage. Tell us about the time when Baba took on the paralytic stroke, we begged, and Mr. Kasturi with genuine enthusiasm, plunged into that story of the eight appalling days and nights, the sudden doffing of the fell symptoms, the final triumph! The infinite compassion - the infinite power!"
The devotees came out of Baba's room. They looked solemn and serious, as if weighed by an insoluble problem. June writes, "I had once asked Baba a question, and I remembered His answer. 'Baba, why did Jesus allow Himself to be crucified?' "Because the Great Ones never use spiritual power for themselves." Ah! Baba had not set the car right on Saturday night because it was not imperative for the good of some one other than Baba." "Baba! Baba!," I exclaimed, "I adore you; I utterly love you. Imperfect as I am, I give my heart to you completely!"
Precisely at this very moment I became aware that Mr. Nakul Sen was motioning to Mrs. Rajagopalan, Indra Devi and myself to step inside the doorway of Baba's room. I could not believe it was true. We crossed the threshold half expectant, fixing our eyes on the bedstead where the Master was suffering for His dear devotee. He was not there! He was standing before us, feeble and frail, with eyes full of love and mercy - charming in spite of it all.
He drew back the orange robe, and permitted us to touch those precious Feet. The lovely feet were warm because of the fever. The beloved face was pale and etched with pain. The cheeks had been hollowed for want of sleep and refreshment. But He stood there for our sake. "Do not worry," He said tenderly, in a soft, soothing voice, "It is a little upset, that is all," indicating the right side of the body.
"Swami! accept what the doctors prescribe," We prayed. "What do the doctors know? What can they prescribe? I only want your Love," He said, quietly, almost wishfully. He stepped out of the room into the adjacent drawing room where several others anxiously waited. He stood for a few minutes, looking languidly, lovingly, at them all, reassuring the timid and charging them with courage. Then He returned to the bed. None of us knew that the appendix was very near bursting point, and the doctors had said that He must not rise from his bed at any cost."
Later in Bombay, on Christmas Day, Baba referred to the "illness He had taken on at Goa" and the suffering it caused to many. "The other day, a serious illness came upon this body in Goa. Many who are devoted to Me were plunged into anxiety and despair when they learnt of it. Illness can never afflict this Body. It cannot even approach it! If it should come sometime - believe this - it belongs to someone; not Myself. And it goes just as it came, of My free Will. I have no contact with it; I am not affected by it." The fact is that when a devotee prays for relief, Baba bestows upon Him His Grace directly or indirectly. At times, the devotee is unable to apprehend an impending illness. The All-knowing Baba at that stage intercedes between the devotee and the illness, as Lord Siva did in the case of Markandeya.
On 9th December, the doctors decided to put tubes down the nose to relieve the hiccough which was complicating matters, for taking the gas out of the stomach. They talked also of the urgent need that had arisen to puncture the lump and syringe off the pus from the abscess. It must indeed have given a terrible gash of pain for Baba, every time the hiccough pulled the muscle tight and affected the lump round the inflamed appendix! But eventually the doctors left Cabo Raj Nivas with their tubes and bottles, as Baba refused to accept their proposals.
On the 10th, a Bhajan meeting had been announced at Government House, and word had gone round indicating that Baba would attend the meeting! Baba too said "Yes! Arrange it." The doctors could not believe their ears. They did not foresee any possibility of a public appearance that day. There was doubt, wonder and amazement in the minds of various people, a few of them believing that whatever He says will come to pass. At tea time Mrs. Sen looked rather serious, as time was running out and already people were streaming towards the meeting place. Goa which had been previously shocked by the news of the agonising illness was now jolted by the impact of such good news.
Baba's condition may be described in His own words: "The doctors were unanimous that an immediate operation was necessary, or they would not be held responsible for what might happen. They said the inflamed appendix had burst, and the pus had entered the blood - a situation that is fatal for all mortals!"
Baba had to move across His own room, across the drawing room, walk along the veranda, ascend a low step, get across to the doorstep of the Hall which He had selected for Bhajan, traverse its length, reach the dais, climb two low steps - and finally sit upon the chair placed there. A total distance of 200 feet! A floral carpet stretched all this length.
Sri Nakul Sen spoke later during the Bhajan sessions. "The doctors became panicky, and I could feel that they were absolutely against what Bhagawan had said to me. My sixth sense somehow assured me that Bhagawan was showing one of His Leelas in Goa and that through His Sankalpa He would get rid of this trouble as quickly as He had assumed it."
Dr. Varma, the chief of team of doctors came at about 4 p.m. and finding a floral carpet covering a distance of 200 feet, protested that it was too long a walk. He suggested some short cuts through other doors and passages making the journey a distance of only 40 feet. He said, "The dais itself will have to go; let the chair be on the floor, for He cannot get up the steps however low they may be - and please, have the dais on the near side, not at the farthermost end of the hall."
At 5 p.m. Baba was led into the bathroom, and twenty minutes later He came out of it, clean shaven, wearing a new robe! Fresh as a new blossomed rose.
When the doctors examined Him again, they could not locate any abscess, nor could they find any trace of big lump of flesh near it. The whole area of the appendix was as soft and as normal as it could be.
"Lo and behold," said Nakul Sen, in the speech he delivered as soon as Baba sat on the dais at 6 p.m., "Bhagawan walked from His bedroom to the dais, a distance of about 200 feet without any aid. He sat down erect on an Office Chair."
June writes about that historic moment of ecstasy: "Bhajan began, and my heart was pounding a joyous tune of expectancy. Love for Baba filled the hall. Ah! There He was, moving majestically down the hall, although He had required the assistance of two men all day. He now moved as if nothing had ever happened. His steps were as sure and graceful as ever. The cheeks which had been hollow when I last saw them were completely filled out. His love flooded the hall. It was overpowering. He swung into the room, and when He saw someone leaning against the wall, with a sick child the Hand began the familiar circular motion to create the cure.
Baba's eyes which plumb the depths, His eyes which pour out love and compassion, His eyes which flash when he speaks of cruelty, falsehood, hypocrisy and injustice, eyes which can be full of quips, were as eloquent as ever. He took His place on the divan in front of the gathering and began keeping rhythm with the Bhajan being sung, with His head and hand. Mrs. Rajagopal whispered in my ear, "Look! Those eyes are more beautiful than ever. There is an ethereal expression, not of this world, in them; a look of radiant joy and adoration."
"Baba's eyes caressed the gathering, which was watching Him without even a wink, apprehensive that the cure He had effected on Himself, might be only partial or temporary."
Mr. Nakul Sen was full of gratitude and wonder! While welcoming Baba, and introducing the gathering to Him as convention demanded, he said, "Bhagawan lives in the inner recesses of the hearts of His devotees; there is nothing He would not do for them. He has simultaneously appeared in this Form at different places, to help His devotees in distress, or to save them from impending calamities, of which He alone has the precognition! Through His Sankalpa or Will, He has assumed the illness of His devotees and suffered it from them, because they would have succumbed to it, if left alone."
We have witnessed this now, a Leela which has greatly perplexed the medical experts of Goa. It leaves no doubt in our minds that there is nothing on this earth which is beyond Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. His Leela is Adbhut - unprecedented; it is Romancha Kari - exhilarating; it is Madhumaya - sweet in memory; Mangalamayi - promoting the happiness and welfare of mankind; Manoharini - overpowering the mind and turning it to truth, beauty and goodness. It gives Ananda!"
The Governor also spoke in some detail about Goa and associations it had with Rama and Krishna and their careers on earth. He spoke of the legends that enrich the holiness of the two rivers, Mandavi and Aghanasini that enter the sea right in front of Cabo Raj Nivas.
Nakul Sen concluded his descriptions of the ancient glories of Goa and its sacred contacts with Siva, Rama, Krishna, and Parasurama, the Divine Avatars, with these words: "No wonder the Lord decided to visit this ancient and sacred land again, in the form which He has assumed now, with the name of Sathya Sai Baba; He has loved Goa in His previous incarnations and Goa continues to be dear to Him even now."
Baba spoke for over forty minutes with His usual emphasis and elan. The gathering listened spellbound, for it was a message of triumph, benevolence, and benediction.
The illness that had vanished an hour ago was still uppermost in the minds of all, and so, Baba spoke of the significance of its 'entrance and exit' and its place in the scheme of the Avatar's Activities. "There are many who doubt the existence of God or deny Him, or dismiss the idea of God as a silly outworn superstition. To make them discard their conceit, the Divine, out of Its Innate Grace, reveals Its superhuman glory. The doubters receive the reply without asking, the door is opened without even a knock; for those who deny will not knock at all. The 'superstition' will be illumined into divine status by a concrete experience, an indisputable fact. The human body generates diseases as a result of faulty food or frivolous habits, or foolish rashness or fanatic emotions. The illness that was witnessed by you during the last two days was quite different. That was an illness taken over by Me, voluntarily put on, in order to save a victim who could not have survived it! His continued existence, in good health in desirable for the task dear to Me. Pouring Grace on the devout is one of the functions of the Avatar. The appendix was inflamed, it turned into an abscess which the doctors could cure only by removal... He could not have survived it, I know. I have come with this Body in order to save 'other bodies' from pain. This Body is ever free from pain. Disease can never affect it.
I had to go to the rescue of a person who had surrendered to Me - even his judgement. I took over his illness and went through it. It shall not recur again in him. You refer to this incident as a miracle, but remember, each one is a miracle! Every breath is a proof of the Providence of God. Each event is the consequence of Divine Omnipotence. Wherever you find truth, beauty, goodness, justice, wisdom, compassion - God is present, and active. An atheist denies God, with the very breath that God has given him! He closes the eyes that God has opened in Him, and declares that there he could see no God. Therefore, such amazing events have to be accomplished and made known to man everywhere, so that mankind can be saved from over-fond involvement with the world, and lovingly drawn towards the Master of the World."
For us, who adore Baba, and for all mankind who are deriving the benefit of this Advent (Whether they acknowledge it or not) it was great day, the 10th December. Baba was here with His majesty, magnificence and munificence, not only unimpaired, but enhanced, as a result of the world becoming aware of the deeper aspects of His mission.
Baba sang a few Bhajans and returned to His room. The completeness of the restoration can be gauged from one interesting incident. Baba had asked two young men from Brindavan to join Him at Bombay. We telephoned them on the 9th asking them to come to Goa itself, they rang back a few hours later to tell us that the Indian Airlines strike had spread to Bangalore as well. So they were told to proceed to Goa by car. They reached Goa at 6-30 p.m. on the 10th! Hearing Baba's voice over the loudspeaker, they entered the garden of Cabo Raj Nivas, ran up the steps and entered the hall. They heard Baba saying, "Now I shall tell you about the illness which agitated the whole country and caused great anxiety in the minds of millions, for they feared I was hospitalised and operated upon!" That was the first intimation to them of the illness that had come and gone.
Thereafter Baba was surrounded by us, the Sens and the doctors in His room. The Doctors asked Him some spiritual complexities, and He clarified them. While talking of Dattatreya, the God who represents the Trinity, the Trimurti so imposingly sculptured at Elephanta, Baba waved His palm, as He announced that He was Dattatreya, and lo, there was in His hand a picture of the three-headed God, the Trinity in Unity but, wonder of wonders, the picture Baba created showed the same head thrice, on the right, centre and left, Baba Himself, as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva! It was a picture which we were privileged to see, for the first time in our lives!
On the 11th, Baba called the doctors to His presence, created gifts of Grace for them and blessed them. Each one received a momento of the event. Every evening thereafter Bhajan Sessions were held at the Raj Nivas, attended by devotees who came from long distances. The promised meeting in the heart of the City was arranged on the 18th evening; the gathering was twice the size of the one that was sent away disappointed on the 8th; for there were many thousands who wanted to take the Darsan of a Baba who could take on and throw off illness, in order to save a devotee. Sri Nakul Sen presided; he spoke of the wide range of tasks on which the Formless Divine Principle had come 'with Form' as Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Baba spoke about Yoga, and all activity as Ud-Yoga, that is to say, the higher Yoga of putting Yoga into practice.
The devotees in Bombay were getting restless, awaiting Baba's arrival. The strike of the pilots and the ground staff of the Airlines rendered them desperate; attempts to persuade Baba to sail by steamer failed, as it meant, spending long hours cooped up in the vessel! At last a privately owned plane was chartered to transport Baba and a few of us from Goa to Bombay, on 21st December.
http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/askbaba/sathyamsivamsundaram/s1045.html
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Oct 6, 2004
Education is for life and not just for a living...
Education is for life and not just for a living...
In these days of communal and sectarian strife, the message clearly sent down in the Sathya Sai system is - there is only one religion - the religion of love; only one caste - the caste of humanity; and only one language - the language of the heart. The students live this precept out; for the festivals of all religions are celebrated. A student of this system is equally at home singing Christmas Carols, chanting the Vedas and reciting the Suras of the Holy Koran.
A parable often retold by Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the story of a little boy who tore up his father's world map into bits. While the father was furious, the boy decided to make amends and starts putting the pieces back in place to stick them up. Even as he puts in all his efforts he fails to put the world together again. Then he notices that on the reverse of the world map there are bits of drawings of the human body; a nose here, a ear there, a foot here and an eye there... and then an idea strikes him. He reverses all the torn pieces and puts the parts of the human body together so that they form the complete picture of a man. Then he turns the picture to have the whole world again! Likewise says Baba, in these troubled times when the whole world is going into pieces, the only way to make the world united is by making each human being a wholesome person. There are no other short cuts to it.
It was precisely with this aim that Sri Sathya Sai Baba, revered as a World Teacher, began his educational mission in 1969 with the establishment of a women's college at Anantapur. Over the past three decades, the mission has grown to include a Deemed University (the Sri Sathya Sai University) under which come the Anantapur campus, the Brindavan campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Commerce College, Whitefield and the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) at Puttaparthi itself, besides a dozen schools and colleges elsewhere in India and abroad following the Sathya Sai system of education.
The Ministry of Education, Mauritius, has adopted the Sathya Sai system of education. Likewise educationists in Zambia, U.K., Thailand, Brazil and many other countries around the world have taken up this programme entitled ``Education in Human Values'' (EHV). In fact it has created so many ripples that the UNESCO is organising a conference at Puttaparthi in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education, the Institute of Sathya Sai Education (Thailand), and the Flinders University Institute of International Education, Australia, this year. The conference will discuss the roles of teachers and parents in value education and debate on value education for the 21st Century and the evolving of a practical curriculum for value education. Importantly, the youth will also have their say at the conference.
EHV programme
Historically the EHV programme has its roots in the Bala Vikas programme started by Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the Sixties. Women, usually housewives, were the Gurus and once a week they would interact with children sent to them by willing parents. These sessions usually included retelling stories from the puranas and bhajan singing; discussions on how to tackle anger, envy and so on; enacting plays on nature, conservation etc.
This EHV programme, with suitable modifications, was made an integral part of the curriculum when the Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisation started educational institutions; and with the establishment of the Sri Sathya Sai University, of which Baba is the Chancellor, the EHV programme has blossomed to fullness.
Two thirds of a student's education takes place outside the classroom; therefore to ensure that there is no dilution of the EHV programme, these institutions are strictly residential.
Admission to the institutions is based only on merit; and beyond the primary school stage, there is segregation of the sexes; no fee is collected; even hostel accommodation is free; the students only pay a nominal sum for food. Except during vacations when they are sent home, everyday is a working day; even festivals and holidays are converted into learning opportunities.
Academically speaking, these institutions compare with the best in the world in terms of qualified faculty and facilities; besides, classes and examinations are held very studiously. Naturally, the results are enviable and many of the alumni are scholarship students with the CSIR, Indian Institute of Science and so on.
Sports and games also get pride of place. But the main thrust of the Sathya Sai system of education is on moulding the personality of the student, for Baba says, ``The end of education is character; education is for life and not just for a living.'' The watchwords in the Sathya Sai institutions are cooperation and harmony. Discipline, orderliness and patience needed for this are assiduously cultivated.
I asked an old student how this was achieved. She smiled and said, ``Standing silently and waiting patiently for one's turn - be it for a bath, breakfast, games or class and back; well, this disciplined routine itself is a great teacher!'', Time management is another concept learnt by practice. There are no holidays to laze around; no whiling away over a pack of cards; no watching the idiot box; no gossipping. A key factor that ensures the success of the programme is that the teachers lead from the front.
Practical training in living together as a community is imparted by Self Reliance programmes. Although there are cooks, electricians, plumbers and so on at the hostels, the running of the mess, cleaning of rooms, maintenance of hygiene, electricity and water supply maintenance, keeping music equipment and sports equipment in good condition - all these activities are done by the students. A history student may thus learn how to change a fuse; a literature student may learn how to take care of overhead tanks; a physics student may learn how to cook and so on. Within one hour, five hundred students eat noiselessly in a mess and leave after all the plates and glasses are washed.
EHV is infused into the teaching of academic subjects as well. Products from trees are used in the manufacture of perfumes, for example is converted into a fantastic EHV opportunity when the social studies teacher says, ``Look at the mango tree - you throw stones at it and yet in return it gives you delicious mangoes. And as for the sandalwood tree - it imparts fragrance even to the very axe that fells it. See their spirit of sacrifice! That is what we too should cultivate.''
The biology teacher while teaching about bacterial diseases explains how the loss of pain sensation leads to the mutilation of hands and feet in leprosy patients; as a spin off, he adds ``So pain and suffering also have beneficial role on life.''
The chemistry teacher while teaching about subatomic particle says, ``Just as electrons exist unseen in all matter, living or nonliving, so does divinity exist unseen in all things.''Another facet of the EHV programme is the awareness module. Adolescence and youth are biologically explosive times when hormones race through the system and cause violent emotions and feelings. The awareness programmes help students understand themselves better. Fear, ambition, success, failure, inferiority complex, birth, marriage, death - students thrash out all these issues with teachers; often the Chancellor too participates and guides. For a practical exposition, the epics of various religions, the lives of saints and the scriptures of various faiths are also studied. In these days of communal and sectarian strife, the message clearly sent down in the Sathya Sai system is - there is only one religion, - the religion of love; only one caste - the caste of humanity; and only one language - the language of the heart. The students live this precept out, for the festivals of all religions are celebrated. A student of this system is equally at home singing Christmas Carols, chanting the Vedas and reciting the Suras of the Holy Koran.
An in-depth exposure to Indian culture and spirituality is another exercise that contributes to the success of the EHV programme. Be it Adi Sankara, the Sufis, Buddha, the Thirthankaras or Gandhiji, the students are exposed to everything; and to make the exercise more meaningful, the lessons are driven home through mime, theatre, plays and concerts. Fine arts are also given great importance; for it is art that uplifts and refines man. At the Puttaparthi campus, on every Tuesday, the boys have a fine arts session, aptly named ``Saama,'' when everything ranging from Carnatic music, Kathakali, Bach'n Beethoven, and tribal music & dance are demonstrated and discussed.
The flagship of the Sathya Sai university is the MBA course. Total Quality Management and Re-engineering, the mantras of modern management schools are suitably modified here. TQM translates as ``Total harmony in the quality of thought, word and deed'' and RE as humility combined with co-ordination of head- heart-and-hand for without the former one would not accept the need for change and bench-marking; and without the latter the change would never take place. The cold, market economics usually taught at business schools acquires the warmth of compassion and human values at this institute.
DR. HIRAMALINI SESHADRI
The Hindu, Sept. 12, 2000
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Who is Superior?
Baba said, "It is not good to dispute and argue, so don’t argue, don’t emulate others" in Sri Sai Satcharitra, ch. X.
Once upon a time the senses quarrelled among themselves as to who was superior, each saying: "I am superior, I am superior."
They went to Prajapati, their father, and said: "Sir, who is the best of us?"
He replied: "He by whose departure the body looks the worst – he is the best of you."
Speech then departed and, having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?"
They replied: "Like the dumb - not speaking, but breathing with the breath, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived." Then speech entered in.
The eye then departed and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" They replied: "Like the blind – not seeing, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, hearing with the ear and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived." Then the eye entered in.
The ear then departed, and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" They replied: "Like the deaf – not hearing, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived." Then the ear entered in.
The mind then departed and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" They replied: "Like children – not thinking, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and hearing with the ear. Thus we lived." Then the mind entered in.
Now, when the breath was about to depart, tearing up the other senses, as a strong horse about to depart might tear up the pegs to which he is tethered, they gathered round him and said: "Sir, remain. You are the best of us, do not depart."
Then speech said to him: "If I am the most prosperous, so are you the most prosperous." The eye said to him: "If I am the firm basis, so are you the firm basis." The ear said to him: "If I am success, so are you the success." The mind said to him; "If I am the abode, so are you the abode."
Hence these are not termed organs of speech or eyes or ears or minds.
They are termed signs of life.
For life itself becomes all these.
(From the Chhandogya Upanishad, XIII. v. 1, Translated by Professor D.S.Sarma)
Courtesy: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sabkamalikek/
Posted at 05:04 am by saiavatar
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Oct 5, 2004
Shirdi Sai Baba's Sayings
Shirdi Sai Baba's Sayings
Why fear when I am here?
I am formless and everywhere.
I am in everything and beyond.
I fill all space.
All that you see taken together is Myself.
I do not shake or move.
If one devotes their entire time to me and rests in me, need fear nothing for body and soul.
If one sees me and me alone and listens to my leelas and is devoted to me alone, they will reach God.
My business is to give blessings.
I get angry with none.
Will a mother get angry with her children?
Will the ocean send back the waters to the several rivers?
I will take you to the end.
Surrender completely to God.
If you make me the sole object of your thoughts and aims, you will gain the supreme goal.
Trust in the Guru fully. That is the only sadhana.
I am the slave of my devotee.
Stay by me and keep quiet. I will do the rest.
What is our duty?
To behave properly. That is enough.
My eye is ever on those who love me.
Whatever you do, wherever you may be,always bear this in mind:
I am always aware of everything you do.
I will not allow my devotees to come to harm.
If a devotee is about to fall, I stretch out my hands to support him or her.
I think of my people day and night. I say their names over and over.
My treasury is open but no one brings carts to take from it. I say, “Dig!” but no one bothers.
My people do not come to me of their own accord; it is I who seek and bring them to me.
All that is seen is my form: ant, fly, prince, pauper.
However distant my people may be, I draw them to me just as we pull a bird to us with a string tied to its foot.
I love devotion.
This body is just my house. My guru has long ago taken me away from it.
Those who think that Baba is only in Shirdi have totally failed to know me.
Without my grace, not even a leaf can move.
I look on all with an equal eye.
I cannot do anything without God’s permission.
God has agents everywhere and their powers are vast.
I have to take care of my children day and night and give an account to God of every paise.
The wise are cheerful and content with their lot in life.
If you are wealthy, be humble.
Plants bend when they bear fruit.
Spend money in charity; be generous and munificent but not extravagant.
Get on with your worldly activities cheerfully, but do not forget God.
Do not kick against the pricks of life.
Whatever creature comes to you, human or otherwise, treat it with consideration.
Do not be obsessed by the importance of wealth.
See the divine in the human being.
Do not bark at people and don’t be aggressive, but put up with others’ complaints.
There is a wall of separation between oneself and others and between you and me. Destroy this wall!
Give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and clothes to the naked.
Then God will be pleased.
Saburi (patience) ferries you across to the distant goal.
The four sadhanas and the six sastras are not necessary. Just have complete trust in your guru: it is enough.
Meditate on me either with form or without form, that is pure bliss.
God is not so far away. He is not in the heavens above, nor in hell below.
He is always near you.
If anyone gets angry with another, they wound me to the quick.
If you cannot endure abuse from another, just say a simple word or two, or else leave.
What do we lose by another’s good fortune? Let us celebrate with them, or strive to emulate them. That should be our desire and determination.
I stay by the side of whoever repeats my name.
If formless meditation is difficult, then think of my form just as you see it here.
With such meditation, the difference between subject and object is lost and the mind dissolves in unity.
If anyone offends you do not return tit for tat.
I am the slave of those who hunger and thirst after me and treat everything else as unimportant.
Whoever makes me the sole object of their love, merges in me like a river in the ocean.
Look to me and I will look to you.
What God gives is never exhausted, what man gives never lasts.
Be contented and cheerful with what comes.
My devotees see everything as their Guru.
Poverty is the highest of riches and a thousand times superior to a king’s wealth.
Put full faith in God’s providence.
Distinguish right from wrong and be honest, upright and virtuous.
Do not be obsessed by egotism, imagining that you are the cause of action: everything is due to God.
If we see all actions as God’s doing, we will be unattached and free from karmic bondage.
Other people’s acts will affect just them. It is only your own deeds that will affect you.
Do not be idle: work, utter God’s name and read the scriptures.
If you avoid rivalry and dispute, God will protect you.
People abuse their own friends and family, but it is only after performing many meritorious acts that one gets a human birth. Why then come to Shirdi and slander people?
Speak the truth and truth alone.
No one wants to take from me what I give abundantly.
Do not fight with anyone, nor retaliate, nor slander anyone.
Harsh words cannot pierce your body. If anybody speaks ill of you, just continue on unperturbed.
Choose friends who will stick to you till the end, through thick and thin.
Meditate on what you read and think of God.
I give my devotees whatever they ask, until they ask for what I want to give.
You should not stay for even one second at a place where people are speaking disrespectfully of a saint.
If you do not want to part with what you have, do not lie and claim that you have nothing, but decline politely saying that circumstancesor your own desires prevent you.
Let us be humble.
Satsang, that is associating with the good, is good.
Dussaya, or associating with evil-minded people, is evil and must be avoided.
What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get.
Recognize the existence of the Moral Law as governing results. Then unswervingly follow this Law.
All gods are one. There is no difference between a Hindu and a Muslim. Mosque and temple are the same.
Fulfil any promises you have made.
Death and life are the manifestations of God’s activity. You cannot separate the two.
God permeates all.
Mukti is impossible for those addicted to lust.
Gain and loss, birth and death are in the hands of God.
When you see with your inner eye. Then you realize that you are God and not different from Him.
Avoid unnecessary disputation.
The giver gives, but really he is sowing the seed for later: the gift of a rich harvest.
Wealth is really a means to work out dharma. If one uses it merely for personal enjoyment, it is vainly spent.
To God be the praise.I am only the slave of God.
God will show His love. He is kind to all.
Whenever you undertake to do something, do it thoroughly or not at all.
One’s sin will not cease till one falls at the feet of sadhus.
Be ashamed of your hatred. Give up hatred and be quiet.
The Moral Law is inexorable, so follow it, observe it, and you will reach your goal: God is the perfection of the Moral Law.
I am your servants’ servant.
Always think of God and you will see what He does.
Have faith and patience. Then I will be always with you wherever you are.
May the Merciful Sri Sai Baba always shower His grace on us and our families and remove our problems and anxieties by giving us all - strength, goodluck, success and happiness with peace of mind.
Posted at 08:43 am by saiavatar
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