BABA:

THE LIFE BREATH OF EVERY SOUL

 Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “God is the Life Breath Of Every Soul”. But the author proclaims, “BABA IS THE LIFE BREATH OF EVERY SOUL” which is basis for the title of this book. Has the author declared this out of his own imagination?  Or has he done this, for the sake of his love, adoration and devotion for Bhagavan Baba? Or is he announcing this to enhance the name, fame and glory of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba ? No, the author is fully convinced about the advent of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, as the POORNA AVATAR, descended from heaven and taking this human form for the sake of protecting DHARMA. He is the Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent God. The author never needed  any further corroboration in this regard, having himself realised and experienced the above truth. He is now eager to convince others - through this book. Hence the above title - the most appropriate for this book.

 The proof of the pudding lies in its eating. The truth often in spiritual matters is beyond proof through sensory perception but can certainly be realised and experienced. Although butter is always present in milk, we cannot see it and need a certain churning process for it to appear. My sole purpose of writing this book is not only to make people realise and experience this truth, but to also make them see with their own eyes, that God is truly amongst us to talk, love, console, care and act, like any other human being on Earth. Swami please bless me, so that Your own declaration that, “God lives in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India”, can be conveyed to the people of the entire world through this book, which You have motivated me to write. I am only an instrument, playing this small role, as assigned to me by Your Will, in this great grand drama of life. Swami, ‘Thy Will Be Done’.

 I will now move step by step to prove and convince the readers about the Divinity of Bhagavan Baba and the purpose of His Incarnation.  First of all to start with, let me quote what Bhagavan Baba has been saying about Himself, in His various discourses, rendered at various places:-

 n “There are four types of persons : the ‘dead’, who deny the Lord and declare that they alone exist, independent and self-directed : the ‘sick’, who call upon the Lord when some calamity befalls them or when they feel temporarily deserted by the unusual source of succor : the ‘dull’, who know that God is the eternal companion and watchman, but who remember it only off and on when the idea is potent and powerful : and lastly the ‘healthy’, who have steady belief in the Lord and who live in His Comforting Creative Presence always”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, Vijaya Dasami, 1953)

 n “Note this also. In this Avatar, the wicked will not be destroyed, they will be corrected, reformed and educated and led back to the path from which they have strayed. The white ant infested tree will not be cut : it will be saved. Again this Avathar will not select some place other than the place where the nativity took place for the centre of Its Leelas, Mahimas, and Upadesa. This tree shall not be transplanted : it will grow where it rose from the Earth. Another speciality is this : the Avatar has no affinity or attachments in Its Career to members of the family wherein It appeared. Unlike the appearance as Rama, Krishna etc., where the life was played out mostly among and for the family members, this Avatar is for the Bhaktas, the Aspirants, the Sadhus and Sadhkas only. It has no Japa, Dhyana or Yoga : It knows no worship : It will not pray to anything, for It is the Highest. It only teaches you to worship and pray.

To a wordly man, a God-intoxicated person will appear mad and he will laugh at him, But to the God-intoxicated man, the wordly appear insane, foolish, misled, blind. Of all the insanities that harass man, God-madness is the least harmful, the most beneficial . The world has suffered untold damage due to its “mad” guides : but nothing but harmony, peace, brotherliness and love has come out of the ‘God-madness’ of man.”

(Prasanthi Nilayam, Maha Shivarathri, 1955).

 n “The Lord too has to come in human form and moves about among men, so that He could be listened to, contacted, loved, revered and obeyed. He has to speak the language of men and behave like human beings, as the member of the species. Otherwise, He would be either negated and neglected or feared and avoided”. (Peddapuram, 03/09/1958).

n “Until about an hour ago, the organisers of  this function were nervous that I may not come. They had reconciled themselves to the disappointment in store and they were feverishly engaged in making alternative arrangements, for they had heard that the Godavari was in high floods and that I was at Rajahamundry. So they feared that I may not be able to cross the floods and come south in time for this engagement. From the fact that I had permitted them to announce My arrival for the function, they could well have inferred that the floods would subside and that I would be in their midst, for, once My word goes forth, it must happen accordingly. Do not doubt it. The furious waves calmed before Rama, the floods went down in time for Me.

 Nothing can hold Me up or agitate Me or cast a shadow on Me, come in this Human form : be certain of that. Not even a hair can be touched by forces of calumny or distrust or ignorance, My sankalpa must prevail. My task must be accomplished. My mission will succeed. I have come to illumine the human heart with the Light of Divine and to rid man of the delusion that drags him away from the path of Shanti, the perfect equanimity born of realisation”. (Venkatagiri Town 09/09/1958)

 n “That is My path, the path of Prema, along which I shall take you. This I offer as my visiting card to everyone of you when you come to Me. I know your name, your degrees, your profession, your status and your history. But you do not know Mine. I have no need to know all about you from perusal of your cards: but I want you to know something of My glory : and so I give you a glimpse of it, as a Mahima. But I also give you enough of My Prema so that you can mix a little of it with whatever you do or feel or think and make it sweet and palatable”. (Venkatagiri, Adyantic conference, 12/04/1959).

n “The Lord had announced that He would come down for the restoration of Dharma and that He would assume human form so that all might gather around Him and feel the thrill of his companionship and conversation. And the Lord has come as announced” (Markandeya Sanskrit College, Aukiri Palli, 22/01/1960).

 n “I must tell you that you are luckier than men of previous genarations. The accumulated merits of many previous births must have granted you this luck. You have got Me and it is your duty to develop this relationship that you have achieved by sheer good fortune. In four or five years time, you will see Yogis and Maharishis and Munis crowding here and you may not have such chances of asking Me questions and getting the answers, or approaching Me and directly speaking to Me”. (Prasanthi Nilayam, 27/09/1960).

n “As a matter of fact, Puttaparthi is a name revered and remembered with gratitude by millions today and it will be treasured in history as an immortal name. There have been many occasions on which Bhaktas have pleaded with Me to move out of this miasma and settle down in Bangalore or Madras or some such town, or if I preferred, some other quiet rural spot. But let Me tell you here and now : this tree has to grow at the very spot where it sprouted: it will not be transplanted : I shall not give up this place, no, not I. This place will be transformed into Tirupati and those who are little boys and girls today will surely see it in all its magnificence”. (Puttaparthi, 23/11/1960)

n “Can Paramatma assume human form ? Well, man can derive Ananda only through the human form: we can receive instruction, inspiration, illumination only through human language and human communication”. (Prasanthi Nilayam, Birthday Festival, 23/11/1960).

n “You all are waiting to hear from Me about the journey to Badri and what happened there. These people went to Badri and returned Bhadram (safe). That is the story in a nutshell.

For danger lurked all the time from fire, water, wind, sky and Earth - all the five elements in fact. Every moment these people felt the Lord’s grace : 150 persons, mostly old men with indifferent health, to accomplish this Yatra without a single moment of even headache was due to Swami. Swami also went to Badri because the Netralingam which is the central source of Holiness there had to be revived with spiritual efficiency. Sankaracharya brought five lingams from Kailas and installed one each at Dwaraka, Sringeri, Badri and Puri and the fifth he placed at Chidambaram. Of these, the one at Badri has the Narayan-amsam and that had to be consecrated afresh. That was My task and these people who came with Me saw Me doing it.

The Netralingam laid by Sankaracharya underneath the idol there, was “taken” out by Me and Abhisheka was done with Gangotri water which I fetched by the wave of My hand. It was worshipped with golden Bilva leaves and Thumbe flowers, both created by Me on the spot, and sent back to its original place.” (Prasanthi Nilayam, 04/07/1961).

n “Rama, Krishna and Sai Baba appear different because of the dress each has donned. But it is the Self-same Entity, believe Me. Do not be misled into error and loss. The time will soon come when this huge building or even vaster ones will be too small for the gathering of those who are called to this place. The sky itself will have to be the roof of the auditorium of the future : I will have to forego the car and even the aeroplane when I move from place to place, for the crowds pressing around them will be too huge: I will have to move across the sky: yes, that too will happen, believe Me.

You will witness this Puttaparthi becoming Mathura Nagara. No one can stop this development or delay it. I will not give you up, nor can anyone of you give Me up. Even if you loose faith, you will repent and come to this refuge very soon, clamouring for admission. I shall be in this body for 58 more years: I have assured of this already. Your lives are intertwined with My Earthly Career. Act always in accordance with that great privilege”.  (Prasanthi Nilayam, 21/10/61).

n (Baba was brought down the winding stairs into the private room on the ground floor, because he insisted on giving Darshan to the thousands of devotees who had come on that auspicious day. He had an attack of Cerebral thrombosis (or tubercular meningitis ?) and was in bed for eight days from the morning of Saturday, 29th June, to the evening of 6th July. His left hand, leg and eye were affected : His right hand was also slightly palsy; the tongue was indistinct and the face was twitching. He was placed on the silver chair in the prayer hall and His hand and leg were kept in proper position. As soon as He was seated, He communicated the following message which was interpreted and announced: )

 “This is not Swami’s illness : this is an illness which Swami has taken on, in order to save someone. Swami has no illness, nor will He get it at any time. You must all be happy : that alone will make Swami happy; if you grieve, Swami will not be happy. Your joy is Swami’s food”.

 (Then Baba signaled Kasturi to speak, and after his short speech was over, Baba wanted the mike to be held before Him. He asked through it, “Vinipisthundaa”. But, though he asked again and again, the voice was so indistinct that no one could make out what it meant.

 He then signaled for water and when it was brought, He sprinkled a little with His shaking right hand on His left leg. He stroked his left hand with the right. Immediately, He used both hands to stroke His left leg: that touch was enough to cure it. He doffed the disease in a trice: He started to speak : it was the same musical voice.)

 “Dikkulenivaniki devude gathi:” for those who have no refuge, God is the refuge. That is exactly the reason why I had to take on the disease that one helpless Bhakta was to get. He has to suffer this dire illness, as well as the four heart attacks that accompanied it. So according to My Dharma of Bhakthasamrakshana, I had to rescue him. Of course this is not the first time that I have taken on the illness of persons who I wanted to save. Even in the previous body at Shirdi, I had this responsibility. The suffering that you saw was too much for this particular devotee and so, I had to save him, by Myself going through it. This is My Leela: My Nature. It is part of the task for which I have come. Sishyarakshana.

 This is perhaps the longest period when I kept the devotees wondering and worried. That was because of the heart attacks which had to come later on to the Bhakta from which also he had to be saved. Then, there is another reason too, why the 8 - day period had to be observed. Well : I shall tell you why. That means I must tell you about Myself, about something I have not disclosed so far, something which I was keeping within Myself, for the last 37 years. The time has come to announce it. This is a sacred day and I shall tell you.

 You know I declared on the very day when I decided to disclose My Identity, My Mission and My Advent that I belonged to the Apasthamba Suthra and the Bharadwaj Gothra. This Bharadwaja was a great sage, who studied the Vedas for full one hundred years: but finding that Vedas were Anantha (endless) he did Thapas for prolonging life, and from Indra he got two extensions of a century each. Even then, the Vedas could not be completed, so, he asked Indra again for another hundred years. Indra showed him 3 huge mountain ranges and said, “What you have learnt in 3 centuries are only three handfuls from out of the 3 ranges, which the Vedas are. So, give up the attempt to exhaust the Vedas. Do a Yaga , instead, which I shall teach you: that will give you the fruit of Vedic study, full and complete.

 Bharadwaja decided on performing the Yaga : Indra taught him how to do it: all preparations were completed. The sage wanted that Sakti must preside and bless the Yaga. So he went to Kailasa but, the time was not opportune for presenting his petition. Siva and Sakti were engaged in a competitive dance, trying to find out who could dance longer. Eight days passed thus. Before Sakti noticed Bharadwaja standing in the cold. She just cast a smile at him and danced along as before: The sage mistook the smile as a cynical refusal to notice him: he turned his back on Kailasa and started to descend. To his dismay, he found his left leg, hand and eye put out of action by a stroke. Siva saw him fall: He came up to him and consoled him; Bharadwaja was told that Sakti had indeed blessed  him and his Yaga. Then Siva revived him and cured him, sprinkling water from the Kamandalu. Both Siva and Sakti granted the Rishi boons: They would both attend the Yaga, they said.

 After the Yaga was over, they were so pleased that they conferred even more boons on the sage. Siva said they would take Human Form and be born in the Bharadwaja lineage or Gothra thrice: Siva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Siva and Sakti together at Puttaparthi as Sathya Sai Baba, and Sakti alone as Prema Sai, later. Then Siva remembered the illness that had suddenly come upon Bharadwaja at Kailasa on the eighth day of his waiting in the cold, on the ice. He gave another assurance, “As expiation for the neglect which Sakti showed you at Kailasa for 8 days, this Sakti will suffer the stroke for 8 days, when we both take birth as Sathya Sai Baba and, on the 8th day, I shall relieve her from all signs of the disease by sprinkling water, just as I did at Kailasa to cure your illness.”

 It was the working out of this assurance that you witnessed today, just now. This had to happen. This stroke and the cure. The assurance given in the Thretha Yuga had to be honoured.

Let me tell you one more thing: Nothing can impede or halt the work of this Avatara. When I was upstairs all these days, some people foolishly went out saying, “It is all over about Sai Baba” and they turned back many who were coming to Puttaparthi: Some said I was in Samadhi, as if I am a Sadhaka: Some feared I was the victim of black magic, as if anything can affect Me: The splendour of this Avatara will go on increasing, day by day. Formerly when the Govardhanangiri was raised aloft by the little boy, the Gopis and Gopakas realised that Krishna was the Lord. Now it is not one Govardhanagiri, a whole range will be lifted, you will see: Have patience, have faith”.

(Guru poornima day, 06/07/1963 ).

n “You might ask Me to speak about My own  mystery.  It is not easy to understand it. When you have the chance, gather all the joy that you can. There is no use bolting the door when the thieves have robbed and fled. Seize the chance and do not repent later that you have missed the opportunity. Remember, you have to come to Me, if not in this birth, at least within ten more births : strive to acquire Grace: Grace is the reward for Sadhana: the highest Sadhana is to follow the instructions of the Master”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 12/02/1964).

 n “The Lord comes as Avatar when He is anxiously awaited by saints and sages. Sadhus prayed - and I have come. My tasks are three, or rather two, Dharmarakshana and Vedarakshana both practically the same. The two are therefore : Vedarakshana and Bhaktarakshana : fostering of the Vedas and fostering of Bhaktas. Now what is Bhakti? Who are Bhaktas? It is faith, steadiness, virtue, fearlessness, surrender, absence of egoism. Puja done however elaborately and pompously, is sheer waste of time and energy. Why pluck flowers and hasten their death ? Some of you go round this Nilayam and satisfy yourselves that you have done so many pradakshinas, but they can be called so only when your mind circles this place along with your feet. I notice that while your feet are taking you round by force of habit, your tongue blabbers about the faults of others, or the price of the vegetables, or the dish you propose to cook for lunch. Before you start on your rounds which you call Pradakshina, give your mind a dakshina (thanksgiving offering) to the Resident of the Temple, the Lord. That is the first thing to do, and perhaps, the only thing to do. Pradakshina is not to be taken for loosening the limbs or giving them some exercise.

 Be confident that you will be liberated. Know that you are saved. Go and tell all that you had gone to Puttaparthi and got there the secret of liberation”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 25/01/1963).

 n “It was declared that Rama was born of the payasam which was brought by the Diety from out of the sacrificial fire. No Avathar is born flesh and blood, including this Avatar. The body of the Avatar is chit substance: it is not jada like other materials. The embryo of ordinary mortals is encased in ‘Jalodakasayi’ enveloped in watery stuff; the embryo of the Avatar is encased in ‘Kshirodakasayi’, the pure white milk of holiness. That is why in the make up of the Avatar, there is no blemish, there is no trace of Guna. Dasaratha wept, for he had no sons to offer ritual food when he moved out into the next world. When all are of the form of God and of the substance of God, who is son and who is father, who is to offer food to whom, when that high stage of wisdom is reached ? Kshama is the father, Santham is the mother, renunciation is the wife, and the Lord is the son, the male issue to save him from perdition. This desire brought his spirit before Rama, when Sita was about to enter the fire in Lanka.

Ravana was killed and Rama asked Sugriva and Lakshmana to crown Vibhishana as Emperor of Lanka; he pleaded that Rama Himself should bless him on that auspicious occasion, but Rama insisted that His vow of hermithood prevented Him from entering an inhabited city. Rama sent Hanuman and requested him to bring Sita to the camp in a palanquin. Vibhishana had not thought of that; he was too immersed in other affairs. Hanuman bowed before Sita and got a vision of Lakshmi rising out of the waves of the ocean of milk. He felt that that vision was enough compensation for all the births he had to undergo. While the palanquin neared the camp, there spread everywhere a sublime splendour from it, which astonished the varana hordes. Rama sent word that Sita may alight and walk the remaining distance, so that they may fill their eyes with her glory. This is not mentioned in the books.

When Sita was about ten yards away, Rama, who is butter when He melts and steel when He hardens, said, “Stop, I can accept you only after you pass through Fire”. Lakshmana swooned at this thunderbolt; the monkeys who had to bring the fuel for the Fire bent under the weight of seven twigs. The Fire ordeal served two purposes: to scorch the slanderous tongues, which haunt the tracks of Avatars at all times: and, to retrieve from the Fire the real Sita who had entered into it, prior to abduction by Ravana”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 04/02/1963).

n “The aeroplane has to land at certain places in order to take in those who have won the right to fly, by the tickets they have purchased. So too, the Lord has to come down so that those who have won the right to be liberated may be saved; incidentally, others too will know of the Lord, of His grace and ways of winning it, the joy of liberation. There are some who deny even today the possibility of air travel; they curse the contrivance; they cavil it. Similarly, there are many who cavil at the Avatara that has come to save”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 05/02/1963).

n “You can call me on the phone, but I will not be available for all those who do not have the sincere and steady yearning for the Lord. For those who say  “No, you are not my Lord,” I say ‘No’ for those who say ‘yes’. I too echo ‘Yes’. If I am available in your heart, I will be available over the phone, but, remember, I have my own special  postal and telephone systems. They operate from the heart straight to the heart. There are rules and regulations for the operations of that system, which the Sastras declare. You can find them there”. (Prasanthi Nilayam, 29/07/1964).

n “Krishna-Avatara is a Sampurna Avatara, the Lord appearing with all the 16 Kalas; Rama shared the Kalas with other brothers. Rama appeared as if He was associated with gunas or qualities, or as having qualitative behaviour, whereas Krishna was above and beyond such. Krishna never prayed, not even in the direst crisis: But Rama does so, to Aditya, for instance; the intent of that Avatar was different. Krishna was unaffected by gunas, His relationship with the Gopis was pure. A person like Dharmaraja selected Him above all the sages and saints of the day for special worship at the Rajasuya sacrifice”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 26/11/1964).

n “Some of you may imagine that it is source of joy for the Lord to take a human form. If you are in this state, you will not feel so. I am always aware of the future, the past as well as the present of everyone of you. So, I am not moved so much by pity. Not that I am hard-hearted, or that I have no pity or daya. If you bolt the door fast, how can the rays of My grace be available to you? “Swami”, you cry, I have no eyes, I am yearning to see you. Won’t your heart melt at your plight? Of course, his pitiable condition melts your heart; will it not melt Mine ? But since I know the past, the background, My reaction is different. If only you knew, you too will react differently. It is the consequences of the evil, deliberately done in the previous births, and so I have to allow the suffering to continue, modified often by some little compensation. I do not cause either joy or grief; you are the designer of both the chains”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 26/11/1964).

n “When people forget the One and run after the many, Dharma declines; for, there can be no love, no sacrifice, no detachment in human affairs then. So, the Lord takes the human form and comes amongst men to restore his sense of values. You may ask, why should the Lord Himself incarnate? Why can he not set about the task of restoring Dharma through the many minor Gods He has at His command? This question was posed before the courtiers by Akbar himself, for, he laughed at the Hindu idea of the Formless adopting Form, the descending into the world as an Avatar to save Dharma. Birbal asked for a week’s time to furnish the answer and got it granted by his Imperial Majesty. A few days later, when he was in the pleasure boat of the Emperor sailing across the lake with his family, Birbal cleverly threw overboard a doll made to look like the Emperor’s little son, crying at the same time. “O, the prince has fallen into the water:” Hearing this, the Emperor jumped into the lake to rescue his son:

Birbal then disclosed that it was only a doll and that the son was safe. He allayed the anger of Akbar by explaining that he had perforce to enact this drama in order to demonstrate the truth of the Hindu belief  why God takes human form Himself, to save Dharma, without commissioning some other entity to carry out the task. Dharma is as the son, God loves it so dearly. Akbar could have ordered one among the many personnel he had on board to jump in and rescue his son; but his affection was so great and the urgency so acute that the Emperor himself plunged into the lake to pull out the “son”. The decline of Dharma is so acute a tragedy; the intensity  of affection that the Lord has for good men is so great that He Himself comes. The Lord is love itself. He comes in human form so that you can talk to Him, adore Him, move with Him, serve Him and achieve Him, so that you can recognise your kinship with Him.”

(Venkatagiri Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha, 13/12/1964).

n “The  newspapers have a great role to play; but they are content to cater to the vulgar tastes and become waste papers soon. I was, during the last month, in Maharashtra state, in Bombay, where lakhs and lakhs of people satisfied their thirst for Darshan and while I was discoursing to the several thousands on the fundamentals of the Vedas and Sastras and directing the members of the Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha (Maharashtra Branch) to resuscitate the glorious value culture of our land. I was discussing with ministers, judges, business magnates, doctors, lawyers, editors and others belonging to Maharashtra, Saurashtra  and Delhi about the programme of Dharmasthapana. And here, in this part of India, certain newspapers were wallowing in the lies that they invented   and circulated about what had happened to Me. They print without  any shame their despicable inventions displaying malice and envy of the lowest order. Of course, such calumny is quite an ancient experience for the eminent, this is My experience in previous Yugas also. The successors of Sisupala cannot remain idle; consider to what low level human weakness has descended. I do not care either for praise or blame; I only pity these people who, in order to scrap together a few paise from the poor, resort to such venial tricks. For all who are pained by these subhuman antics I declare, “Even if all the fourteen worlds unite together, the work for which I have come will not suffer a bit; even if Earth and Heaven combine. My truth can never be fully grasped”.

(Anantpur High School for Girls, School day., S.S.S,Vol.V)

 n “It is only in Sanathan Dharma that the importance of Karma in shaping the destiny of man, the fact of the individual undergoing many births in his progress towards birthlessness and mighty grace of God’s coming as man among men to gather them around Him in Holy companionship for saving them and saving the world through them, is so strongly and clearly laid down. If you doubt any of these great truths, you are to suffer and grieve. Every one of you must be saved, sooner or later, by the grace of the All-Merciful. Make it sooner than later. Keep the goal clear before the eye and march on”.

(Dassara, 1966. 17/10/1966).

 n “I am also the target of such comments: people do not understand the way of God. How can they know why particular event takes place at a particular time in a particular manner? He alone can know. But people try to sit in judgment and talk ill, when for example one dies of illness at this place: how can anyone escape death? Even Avatars cast off the physical form when the task for which they have come is over. It is the height of foolishness to loose faith in God when someone you care for dies. The sentence that he earned is over and he is released. No one is born and allowed to live for the sake of another. Each has his own burden to carry and lay down. Do not therefore allow any circumstances to affect your faith in God, who is your strength and solace.” (Mahashivrathri, Prasanthi Nilayam, 09/03/1967).

 n “You must have noticed that I do not speak about Sai in My Discourses, nor do I sing of Sai during the Bhajan with which I usually conclude My discourses. And you must have wondered why. Let me tell you the reason. I do not want the impression to gain ground that I desire this name and this Form to be publicised. I have not come to set a new cult. I do not want the people to be misled on this point. I affirm that this Sai form is the Form of all the Various Names that man uses for the adoration of the Divine. So, I am teaching that no distinction should be made between the names Rama, Krishna, Iswara, Sai?, for they are all My Names”.

(World conference of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, Bombay, 17/05/1968) .

 n “Since at this place, those who have devotion have gathered and people of all nations have come, I cannot but tell you one fact. World conferences dedicated to religion or spiritual problems have, no doubt, been held before; also, Conference of Followers of Spiritual Faiths. But these have been held only after the demise of the founders and divine inspirers. This is the very first time that a world conference is held of the persons devoted, while the Incarnation is present before every one, with the Body assumed for the purpose, bearing the Name that is chosen for it by itself. I must tell  you  this fact, because ninety nine persons out of hundred among you do not know my Reality. You have come here drawn by various needs, a taste for spiritual matters, eagerness to develop the institution to which you are attached, admiration or affection, love or reverence or spurt of enthusiasm to join others and share with others your own exultations.

 In truth, you cannot understand the nature of My Reality either today, or even a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent enquiry even if all the mankind joins in that effort. But, in a short time, you will become cognisant of the Bliss showered by the Divine Principle,  which has taken upon Himself its Sacred Body and this sacred Name. Your good fortune which will provide you this chance is greater than what was available for Anchorites, monks, sages, saints and even personalities embodying facets of Divine Glory.

 Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded in the belief that this is but an instance of common humanity. Be warned against this mistake. I am also deluding you by My singing with you, talking with you,  and engaging Myself  in activities with you. But, any movement, My Divinity may be revealed to you; you have to be ready, prepared for that moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by humanness you must endeavour to overcome the Maya (delusion) that hides it from your eyes.

 This is a human form in which every Divine Entity, every Divine Principle, that is to say, all the names and forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest. (Sarvadaivathwa Sarvaroopaalanu dharinchina maanavaakaarame ee aakaaram). Do not allow doubt to distract you; if you only instal , in the altar of your heart, steady Faith in My Divinity, you can win My vision of My Reality. Instead, if you swing like a pendulum of a clock, one moment devotion, other moment disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the Truth and win the Bliss.  You are very fortunate that you have a chance to experience  the Bliss of the Vision of the Sarvadaivathwa swaroopam (The Form which is the all Forms of all God) now in this life itself.

 Let me draw your attention to another fact. On previous occasion when God incarnated on Earth the Bliss of recognising Him in the incarnation was vouchsafed only after the physical Embodiment had left the world, despite plenty of patent evidences of His Grace. And the loyalty and devotion they commanded from men arose through fear and awe, at the superhuman powers and skills, or at the imperial and panel authority. But, ponder a moment on this Sathya Sai Manifestation; in this age of rampant materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that brings to it the adoration of millions from all over the world? You will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the fact that this is the supra-worldly Divinity in Human Form.

 Again, how fortunate you are that you can witness all the countries of the world paying homage to Bharat; you can hear adoration to Sathya Sai’s Name reverberating throughout the world, even while this body is existing - not at some future date, but when it is with you, before you. And again, you can witness very soon the restoration of Sanathana Dharma to its genuine and natural status, the Dharma laid down in Vedas for the good of all the people of the world. The revival of Vedic Dharma is the Sai Sankalpa (the resolve that Sai has) not only drawing people towards Me, attracting them by the manifestation of My Sakti (Power) and Samartya (capability). This is not a Bhramatatwam (phenomenon of delusion). This phenomenon (thatwam) will sustain truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that victory may all of you exult in ecstasy. This is the Sai Sankalpam”.

(World Conference of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, Bombay, 17/05/1968).

 n “Then we have this programme of Nagarsankirthana. It is nothing new, for Jayadeva, Gouranga, Tukaram and Kabir used this type of Namasmarana as a means of self- improvement and mass spiritual awakening. Gather in the early hours before dawn, say about 4.30 A.M or 5.00 A.M., and proceed slowly along the streets, singing Bhajan songs glorifying God. Carry the name of God to every door: wake the sleeping with it, purify the atmosphere of the streets, rendered unclean by angry shouts of hate or greed, faction or fight. Let the day dawn for you and others with thought of the Almighty, the Compassionate, the Omnipresent self-knowing God. What greater service can you do to yourself and others? This will give you health and happiness. Your egoism will be shattered when you sing in the streets in full view of your neighbours. You will  forget in your enthusiasm all pride and self-esteem. Thus, this Nagarsankirthana is a great Sadhana, a great piece of social service.

 Another point too was raised  yesterday, a small one about Prasadam (the edible that is usually offered to the Lord after Bhajan and distributed as consecrated food for the participants). Well, the edible offering is to be avoided; the Name itself is the best consecrated offering to be shared. You can give Vibhuti as Prasadam; that is enough. That is the most precious and effective Prasad.)”.

(World conference of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Organisation, Bombay evening of 18/05/1968).

 n “Another point; you desire that I should come to your houses : you pray to Me to do so, you grieve when I do not come, you start reviling yourself that you are poorer than others, that you are spiritually underdeveloped perhaps, and so on. Now, all  this is irrelevant. I have no place in My heart for such distinctions and differences. You may believe this or disbelieve. But, I must reveal the real response of My heart. I have no enthusiasm to visit the houses of the people; nor have I any  disinclination to do the same. I do not care for the brick and mortar structures in which you live; I care to visit and reside in your hearts. This Prasanthi Nilayam is not My residence. When your hearts are transformed as Prasanthi Nilayams, they are My residence. When you pray that I should visit your village, I think of the facilities it has - not for Me. I need only standing space - for the sake of thousand, the tens of thousands, the hundreds of thousands that gather to have My Darshan. How can I tolerate the slightest inconvenience to them, the women, the children, the  sick, the aged, the blind, the decrepit, that come for counsel, consolation, courage and cure?

 Let me tell you another point also. Do not delay any more; take hold of this unique chance, even while you  can. Ask me about the Sadhana you should adopt about your liberation; begin practicing from this day. Later it may be difficult to approach Me and ask Me. For, people are coming towards Me in full unending streams, and you may have to take Darshan of Me from miles away: This is bound to grow into a Viswa-vriksha, a World-tree that sheds shade and shelter on all. This has come down in this Form with that very purpose. It knows no halting, no hesitation. My name is Sathya (Truth). My teaching is Truth; My path is Truth; I am Truth.

 In each yuga, the Divine has incorporated itself as an Avatar for some particular task. This Incarnation is different in that it had to deal with the crisis which is Worldwide and World-shaking. Intellectual conceit has grown so wild that men have become foolish enough to ask, “What and where is God?” Immortality has put of the garb of mortality and is enticing man into the morass of sin. Truth is condemned as a trap; justice is jeered at; saints are harassed as social enemies. Hence this Incarnation has come to uphold the Truth and suppress the False. I behave like you, moving, singing, laughing, journeying, but watch out for the blow I inflict all of a sudden, to chastise and to warn. I shall scorch the wrong doer for his wrong and soothe the virtuous for his righteousness. Justice shall be meted out to all”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 18/08/1968)

 n “I shall not change my course even by a hair’s breadth, as a result of what people may say about Me. I am not afraid of any one or thing. Truth has no fear; untruth shivers at every shadow. This body of Mine is named Truth (Sathya); the principle that is in this body is also Truth. Truth enclosed in Truth has been rendered the Truth of Truths (Sathyasaya Sathyam). This form has been assumed, in order to lead mankind from untruth to truth.

 

I eat as you do,  move about as you do, talk in your language, and behave as you can recognise and understand, for YOUR sake - not for My sake:. I turn you towards Divine, winning your confidence, your love, your submission, by being among you, as one of yourselves, one whom you can see, listen to, speak to, touch and treat with reverence and devotion. My plan is to transmute you into seekers of Truth (Sathya-anveshakas). I am present everywhere at all times; My will must prevail over every obstacle; I am aware of the past, present and future, of your innermost thoughts and carefully guarded secrets. I am Sarvaantharyami, sarva Saktha and Sarvajna. Nevertheless I do not manifest these powers in any capricious manner or merely for display. For, I am an example and as inspiration, whatever I do or omit to do. My life is a commentary on my message.

For example, you must have noticed that I  never call a woman alone for interview. I call women only into group of ten or fifteen. I want that you should note this and infer that one has to be extremely cautious in dealing with the other sex, for, though I am above and beyond, the Gunas, since this body is obviously masculine, I want to teach both men and women how they have to regulate their social behavior and be above the slightest tinge of suspicion, or of small talk.

Again, I am active and busy all the twenty-four hours of the day. Everyday, the mail brings the thousands of letters, and you hand over to Me personally hundreds more. Yet, I do not take the help of anyone else, even to open the envelopes. For, you write to me intimate details of your personal problems, believing that I alone will read them and having implicit confidence in Me. You write, each one only a single letter, that makes for Me a huge bundle a day; and I have to go through all of them. You may ask how I manage it? Well I do not waste a single moment.

And, all this I do, not for personal gain, but only because I have come for your sake. I never seek another’s help, never receive it. My hand always gives; it never takes. Conclude from this that this must be Divine, not human power.

 Some of you may be wondering, ‘How does Swami arrange these elaborate festivals and functions? Who does He charge with the various items of work?’ I do not allot work to this person or that, or consult anyone for ideas and suggestions. All this is done by the Divine Will, operating through the force of love. For example, though there are thousands gathered here, absolute silence prevails. Under what compulsion? Only the compulsion of love. In other places, where a hundred people collect, a hundred and fifty constables are present to keep them quiet: Here there is no need for any one to see that silence is maintained. For, here God is the Master, and Creation dances in joy. There is no third entity here. Only Purusha and Prakriti are here. A glance from the corner of the eye is enough to get things done towards successful conclusion. Love activates, love fulfils.

 When the Giver of Grace is here, you run after persons who claim that they got this or the other article from Me or were blessed with this gift from Me: When you have Kamadhenu here, why seek to know and secure a cow? Kamadhenu can give you all that you need. When you have Kalpataru here, why bother about fruits on a tree? Kalpataru can give you all that you ask. When you have the mountain of gold and silver, Meru, why cringe for silver and gold from persons who are themselves beggars? When you have God come amongst you to support and sustain you, why grovel through crude vulgar entities? Avoid places where they bargain in terms of gifts, donations, for Spiritual guidance and Transmission”.

(Dassara, Prasanthi Nilayam, 11/10/1970).

 n “Once Hislop asked me a question whether inanimate things too had emotions and feelings of disappointment and despair? The occasion was at Dharmakshetra: I asked that about a hundred sarees he bought, so that I could select some, for distribution to the women workers at Anantpur who are helping to build a Sathya  Sai College there: I selected 96 and asked them to return 4 to the shop. I kept the 4 aside and the 96 were placed in my room. Later, when I passed the table on which the four discarded sarees were kept (Hislop was standing by the side of the table), it was noticed that the card board box which contained the four was dripping tears: The sarees were weeping; that they could not get appreciation from Me and were declared unfit. Yes: They had shed tears. You may ask whether this is ever possible. I answer, there is nothing in this world which has no heart, which is incapable of feeling joy or grief: Only you must have the eye to see, the ear to listen, the heart to respond”.

(Prasanthi Nilayam, 14/01/1971).

 n “But those who profess to have understood me, the Scholars, the Yogis, the Pundits, the Jnanis, all of them are aware only of the least important the casual external manifestation part of that power, namely the “Miracles” : they have not desired  to contact the source of all Power and all Wisdom, that is available here at Brindavan. They are satisfied when they secure a chance to exhibit their book learning and parade their scholarship in Vedic lore, not realising that the person from whom the Vedas emanated is in the midst, for their sake. They even ask, in their pride, for a few more chances.

 This has been the case, in all ages. People may be very near (physically) to the Avatar, but, they live out their lives unaware of their fortune: they exaggerate the role of miracles, which are trivial, when compared to My Glory and Majesty, as a mosquito is in size and strength to the elephant upon whom it squats. Therefore, when you speak about these miracles, I laugh within Myself out of pity, that you allow yourself so easily to loose the precious awareness of My Reality.

 My power is immeasurable; My Truth is inexplicable, unfathomable. I am announcing this about Me, for, the need has arisen. But, what I am doing now is only a gift of a visiting card: Let Me tell you that emphatic declarations of the truth by Avatars were made so clearly and so unmistakably only by Krishna. In spite of the declarations, you will notice in the career of the same Krishna that He underwent defeat in His efforts or endeavours, on a few occasions you must have also noted that those defeats too, were part of the drama which He had planned and He Himself directed. For example, when many kings pleaded with Him to avert the war with the Kauravas, He confessed that His mission to the Kaurava court for ensuring peace had failed: But He had willed that it should not succeed : He had decided that the war would be waged: His mission was intended to publicise the greed and envy of the Kauravas and to condemn them before the whole world.

 Now, I must tell you that during this Sai Avatar, there is no place for even such ‘drama’ with scenes of failure and defeats: What I Will must take place; what I plan must succeed. I am Truth; and Truth has no need to hesitate, or fear or bend.

 ‘Willing’ is superfluous for Me. For grace is ever available to devotees who have steady love and faith. Since I move freely with them, talking and singing, even intellectuals are unable to grasp My Truth,  My power, My glory or My real task as Avatar. I can solve any problem however knotty; I am beyond the reach of the most intensive enquiry and the most meticulous measurement. Only those who have recognised My love and experienced My love can assert that they have glimpsed My reality. For, the path of love is the royal road that leads mankind to Me.

 Do not attempt to know Me through the external eyes. When you go to a temple and stand before the image of the God, you pray with closed eyes, don’t you? Why? Because you feel that the inner eye of wisdom can alone reveal Him to you. Therefore, do not crave for from Me trivial material objects; but, crave for Me. And you will be rewarded. Not that you should not receive whatever object I give as sign of grace out of fulness of love.

 I shall tell you why I give these things, talismans, rosaries etc., it is to signalise the bond between Me and to those whom they are given. When calamity befalls them, that articles come to Me in a flash and return in flash taking from Me the remedial Grace of protection. The Grace is available to all who call on Me in any name or form, not merely to those who wear these gifts. Love is the bond that wins that Grace.

 Consider the meaning of my name, Sai Baba. Sa means ‘Divine’; aye means ‘mother’ and Baba means ‘father’, just as Sambasiva, which also means the divine mother and father. Your physical parents exhibit love with a  dose of selfishness; but this Sai ‘ Mother and Father’ showers affection or reprimands only for leading you towards victory in the struggle for self-realisation.

For, this Sai  has come in order to achieve the supreme task of uniting the entire mankind as one family, through the bond of brotherhood, of affirming and illumining the Atmic Reality of each being in order to reveal the Divine, which is the basis on which the entire cosmos rests, and of instructing all to recognise the common Divine Heritage that binds man to man, so that man can rid himself of the animal, and rise into the Divine which is his goal.

I am the embodiment of Love; Love is my instrument. There is no creature without Love; the lowest loves itself, at least. And its self is God. So, there are no atheists, though some might dislike Him or refuse Him, as malaria patients dislike sweets or diabetic patients refuse to have anything to do with sweets: those who present themselves as atheists will one day, when their illness is gone, relish God and revere Him.

I had to tell you so much about my truth, for, I desire that you should contemplate on this and derive joy and reform so that you may be inspired to observe the disciplines laid down by Me and progress towards the Goal of Self-realisation, the Realisation of the Sai that shines in your heart”.

(Brindavan, 19/06/1974).

n Swami declared, “Why is it that so many lakhs of people have gathered here today? There must be some compelling reason for it. You must be seeking something which you have not found in your native place. Here there is Divine Love, It is this powerful magnet of Divine Love that has been attracting all the iron filings in the form of human beings. Not a single invitation was sent to anyone. No one was asked to come. What has drawn all the people here is power of Divine Love, the bond uniting hearts. At the root of all this is purity. Where there is purity there love grows. When purity and love come together, there is bliss (Ananda). Whatever work we do, whatever sacrifices we perform, they are not of much use in the absence of love.

 NEW HOSPITAL PROJECT : With this object in view (Providing free medical facilities), we decided to establish a big hospital here. Many persons appealed to Me to set up the hospital in an urban centre. There are many medical institutions run as business in several cities. When any educational or medical institution is established, the sole aim is to make a business out of it. There are only a few who are ready to set up such institutions to provide free facilities for the poor. Therefore from the start we decided to set up a hundred crore hospital near Prasanthi Nilayam itself. Even as higher education is free here ‘higher medicine’ also is free. People spend some lakhs to get heart surgery done in the U.S. What is the plight of the poor? Who looks after them? If they go to the cities, they will not get even coloured water (Mixture). Recognising this fact, we have launched this big hospital project, whether it is heart by-pass operation, or a kidney transplant, or a lung operation or brain surgery, everything will be free here. THE HOSPITAL WILL BE OPENED ON NOVEMBER 22,1991. No one can understand Sai Sankalpa (working of the mind) Thought and action are simultaneous, like the light and sound that come out when a gun is fired. Hence it is not easy for every one to understand Sai’s resolve.

 In the case of earlier Avatars their fame grew only after their passing. In the case of the present Avatar, in His own life time a UNIVERSITY, BIG HOSPITAL, AN AERODROME, AND MANY OTHER THINGS, have been established, for the benefit of the villagers, and many more will follow in the years ahead. Many persons have doubts as to how all these things are being accomplished. The ADVENT (OF THIS AVATAR) took place 64 years ago. All these years this hand has not been stretched, at any time, to seek anything from anyone. I will never ask anyone and there will never be an occasion for it. How then are these things happening? For any good work, there is not any impediment in Bharat. When you want to do any good work whole-heartedly, money flows in torrents.

 The narrow-minded who undertake any work will never be satisfied. They cannot understand the actions of those who are large hearted and broad-minded.”

(65th Birthday Celebrations, Hill View Stadium, 23/11/1990)

 n “Today I have just made a beginning with the exposition of Vedanta. Every Mantra in the Vedanta is pregnant with meaning. I shall take up every day one Mantra and explain its meaning in simple and easily intelligible terms. The essence of the Vedanta can be compressed in a small message, but that small message is composed of 15000 Mantras. I shall reveal to you the meaning of these Mantras. This cannot be done by anyone except the Divine.

You have not known even a fragment of My reality. The full nature of this reality can  never be understood by anyone. I am a man amongst men, when they see Me, I appear as a man. Amongst woman, I am a woman. Amongst children I am a child. When alone, I am God. This is the truth about Me. The reason is I have to act towards each section at their level.

You must realise that all this is coming to you because of your extreme good fortune. This kind of blessing has not been given to anyone by any previous Avatar.

Your good fortune will fructify immensely if you make good use of this opportunity to learn and benefit from Swami’s teachings.

You will see in the due course that even the blind declare, “Swami is God”.

 In the human condition, occasionally Maya enters and subjects people to various tests. Do not submit to Maya in any way.

 Succeed in all tests. Then you will become tasty for Bhagavan. Immerse yourself in the love principle. Its true nature is beyond description.

 Give up all bad qualities in you, banish the ego and develop the spirit of surrender. You will then experience Bliss.

(Sai Kulwant Hall, 31/07/1996).

 After reading all this about Baba’s declarations about Himself that He is an Avatar (God descended in human form), the readers must have been hopefully, fully convinced, discarding any doubt that may have lingered in their mind. Nevertheless there may still be a few doubting Thomases and so-called rationalists who need some more authentic proofs, before they are able to accept this truth in all its totality. Hence in the next chapter, the author would like to delve upon the characteristics of an Avatar, and the prophesies made about an Avatar, particularly in context to the present Avatar Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.