PROPHESIES
ABOUT
Bhagavan
Baba further confirms by saying :
“There
was no one to know, who I am,
Until
I created the world,
At
My pleasure, with one word,
Immediately
mountains rose up,
Oceans,
seas, lands and watershades,
Sun,
Moon and desert sands,
Sprang
out of nowhere,
To
prove My Existence.
Then
came all forms of beings,
Men,
Beasts and Birds,
Speaking,
hearing, flying,
All
powers were bestowed upon them,
Under
my orders.
The
first place was granted,
To
mankind.
And
my knowledge was placed,
In
man’s mind”.
The
author, here. Would like to apprise the readers that as per the above
declaration, the Avatars come, once in a Yuga. They are known as descending
Avatars. The present Poorna Avatar has come after 5000 years, in Kali Yuga. The
descending Avatars take the human form, out of their own Will (Sankalpa), for
protecting Dharma and in response to the yearning of their devotees. The
descending Avatars even choose their own parents and the place of birth in
advance as per their own Will. They have a Divine symbol, like Chakra or Shank
etc., on their body or feet. They are not born like mortals. They enter the body
through Pravesh, taking birth as per their own Will. Their embryo is encased in
pure white milk of holiness and not like ordinary mortals enveloped in watery
environment. Some extraordinary things take place as the time of their birth
which are not ordinary phenomena but Divine occurrences that substantiate the
advent of an Avatar. They are born with supernatural powers, innate to them and
not acquired by them by any Siddhis during their life time. They have full
control over all the five elements of which the entire Universe is composed of.
They are the Masters of the entire cosmos. Whatever they Will
takes place instantly. Though they take a human body, they are not
restricted by the physical body but are instead the Masters of the body and can
leave the body (extracorporeal activities) any time at their Will or Command.
Again,
there are ascending Avatars also. But they are born through sex. They have taken
the present body, due to their Karmic effect. And they have ascended and
elevated themselves to Brahma Gyanis, due to their constant austerities and
“Tapas” done during their life time, and partly due to merits acquired in
their many past lives. They die a normal and natural death. They acquire some
Siddhis, due to their Tapas and Sadhana, which grant them certain powers, over
the five elements and the Universe.
“Now
again, amongst the descending Avatars, there are POORNA AVATARS. Poorna Avatars
are the Masters of the sixteen Kalas. The fifteen Kalas are : The five Karma
Indriyas or working organs which have to do with talking, taking, walking,
rejecting (exertion) and eating. The five Gyan Indriyas or sense organs:
hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell, and Panch Mahabhootas or the five elements:
earth, water, fire, air, space. The 16th Kala: the all - knowing
Paramatma (the Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent aspect)”.
(These
are Swami’s words, quoted in ‘Conversation With Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba’ by J.S.Hislop).
So
far there have been only two POORNA AVATARS, LORD KRISHNA, some 5000 years ago,
and now BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA, endowed with all the 16 Kalas.
PROPHESIES
(a)
Sri Maha Vishnu’s tenth incarnation is that of Kalki. He will be born towards
the end of the Kali age, the age replete with all kind of vice and godlessness.
Dharma will limp only on one foot. Even that will gradually vanish.
At
this time Sri Maha Vishnu will incarnate in the world as Kalki Deva, assuming
black complexion. The wicked will perish and Dharma will regain its supremacy
ushering in a new age.
(Predicted
by Sri Pandrimalai Swamigal : taken from the book Dasavatara, by Shri S.
Ramakrishna, Bharathi Vidya Bhavan).
(b)
Dr. E.V.Sastri, a prominent member of the Indian Astro Occult Research
Association, New Delhi, during the course of his research, found out ‘Nandi
Grantham’ available in Tamil Nadu, which had all the indications about Sathya
Sai Baba’s horoscope written by a famous erudite Pundit, some five hundred
years ago. It was written on a piece of palm leaf of the size 36 centimeters
long and 2 ½ cms broad. It reads : ‘The person to whom this horoscope relates
and whose name is Sathyanarayana Raju will renounce the world in his boyhood,
will start schools and hospitals, will publish books for the upliftment of the
World, will spend every day of his whole lifetime for the establishment of
Dharma, which is his ideal and objective’. It is further mentioned that, “He
will be an Avatar amongst the Avatars”. (Taken from the book ‘The Grace of
Sai’ by R.Lowenberg).
(c)
The advent of this Avatar Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was uniquely prophesied
not only in some ancient books of Indian origin but also in books of other lands
and religions. It is found that Baba’s horoscope has been extolled in the
Indian palmyra “Nadi” scrolls of hundreds of years antiquity, containing
prophesies by celebrated sages like Agastha, Brahma, Bhrigu, Buddha, Shuka and
Shukra. Since there is said to be remarkable accord amongst the different Nadis
interpreted by different and independent readers, we can confidently ascribe
genuineness and credibility to those Nadi predictions. The following are the
highlights of the prophesies contained in the Nadi scrolls as mentioned in Sai
literature by various authors:
·
He will be a great
incarnation of the Godhead Vishnu, Shirdi Sai and several other Gods and
Goddesses and will have all powers of God.
·
He
will be born for protecting and propagating Dharma (righteousness) and he will
have a mission to fulfil.
·
He
will have healing powers and the power to cure himself by sprinkling water. He
will use his healing powers not only for the people of this world, but also for
the beings of the other worlds and on the higher planes of existence.(Devas,
i.e. celestial gods and goddesses). At times He will take on the illness of the
others.
·
He
will have power to extend the life of deserving persons. When the Kali yuga
influence grows even more intense, people will see His true might and will
acknowledge that He is the Supreme Power. Then mankind will bow to him as a
great Emperor and He will be revered as the greatest living being, MAHAPURUSHA,
in the world.
·
Sri
Sathya Sai Baba will perform great miracles.
·
He
will also retain youthful look, age notwithstanding.
·
He
will be Brahmachari. He will establish Ashrams, educational and medical
institutions.
·
He
will have equal attitude towards all men and women. His glory will spread and
many people will get near him. But all cannot have His grace due to past sins.
·
He
will be PREMASWAROOPA, ANANDASWAROOPA, AND JNANASWAROOPA. (Personification of
Love, Bliss and Wisdom)
·
He
will show Himself in many places simultaneously, though He will actually be in
one place and there will be many divine acts and manifestations.
·
He
will have the power to die whenever He wants.
(d)
In an ancient Arabic book by name “Mehdi Moud” in which the prophesies made
by Prophet Mohammed were recorded many centuries ago, it was mentioned that God
Himself would descend on earth in human form with the following signs by which
He could be recognised:
“His
hair will be profuse. His front teeth will be spaced apart. He will have a mole
on His cheek. He will not have beard but will be clean shaven. His clothing will
be like flame. He will wear two robes. The colour of His face will sometimes be
like copper, sometimes yellow like gold and sometimes like the moon. His legs
will be those of a young girl. All the teachings of all the religions of the
world will be in His heart from birth. All the science and knowledge of the
world from the beginning of time will be in His head. He will give gifts that
are light in weight, His devotees will crane their necks to see Him. He will
live for 95 years on earth. In the
last twenty years of His life time He will be the king of the whole world but at
that time (A.D. 2000) only two-thirds of
the world will believe Him. Muslims will only recognise Him nine years before
His passing away from the world”.
(e)
According to the world famous prophecy-maker Nostradamus who recorded his
prophecies in his book “Centuries”, some 400 years ago, a very great leader
would be born in South India (land surrounded by the three seas) He would have
unlimited wisdom and power, and He would be an immortal ruler. With His efforts,
world war would be over, and India’s spiritual message to humanity would
spread far and wide. He would observe Thursday as the Holy Day.
(f)
Sri Aurobindo, the great seer of modern India, who was in total penance for the
descent of the Supernatural Power upon this Earth for the uplift of humanity,
terminated his outside activities and went into complete solitude on 24th
November, 1926. His reason for the withdrawal
was that the embodiment of the Overmental Delight Consciousness, Lord
Krishna, had once again come down to the terrestrial sphere. Suffice it to note
that the advent of the Lord of our narrative had occurred just on the preceding
day.
(Bhagavan
Sri Sathya Sai Baba is born on 23rd November, 1926)
(g)
Bhagavan Baba has also overwhelmed
the Christian world by declaring that it was He who sent Christ to the world,
and that His incarnation had, indeed been prophesied by Christ and recorded in
the Bible over 1,900 years ago. The extract of that startling revelation made by
Sri Sathya Sai Baba before a group of Christians on the Christmas Day in 1975 is
given below:
“There
is one point that I cannot but bring to your special notice today. At the time
when Jesus was merging in the
supreme principle of divinity, he communicated some news to his followers which
has been interpreted in a variety of ways by commentators and those who relish
the writings on writings and meaning upon meaning, until it is all swelled up
into a huge mess. The statement itself has been manipulated and tangled in a
conundrum. The statement is simple : “He who sent me among you, will come
again”, and he pointed to a lamb.
The lamb is, merely a symbol, a sign. It stands for the voice ‘Ba-Ba’; the
announcement was of the advent of Baba. ‘His name will be truth’. Christ
declared. ‘Sathya means Truth’. ‘He wears a robe of red, a blood
red robe’. (Here Baba pointed to the robe He was wearing). ‘He will be
short, with crown (of hair)’. The
lamb is the sign and symbol of love. Christ did not declare that He would come
again, He said ‘He who sent me will come again’. That Ba-Ba is this Baba’.
( pointing to Himself)”.
(The
matter contained in paras from (c ) to (g) is taken from the book ‘Uniqueness
of Swami And His Teachings’ by Dr. A.Adivi
Reddy.)
(h)
In the Bible Revelation 19 speaks of the God incarnate having come on a white
horse which coincidentally is also the description of the Kalki Avatara
predicted by the Hindu scriptures several thousands years ago. “ Its rider is
called Faithful and True.” Sathya,
the first name of Baba means Truth. “His eyes were like a flame of fire”.
Baba’s eyes have such an intensity, are so full of life and seem to indicate
with dazzling glow. “He wore many crowns on his head”. Baba’s Afro style
hair gives it the appearance of a crown. “The robe he wore was covered with
blood”, alludes to ochre robe that Baba wears. “His name is the word of
God” is incidentally the meaning of Bhagavan.
(i)
An article published in the November, 1985 issue of “Expans” magazine
reported thus: Among the various prophesies made in ancient scriptures of world,
and those by sages and seers as contained in palm leaf volumes carefully
preserved by Sanskrit Scholars, none appears to be so amazing as the detailed
account of the advent of Sai Baba, as an incarnation of God in 20th
century as reported to have been given by Prophet Mohammed. According to the
article published in “Two Worlds” magazine of London, an Iranian writer,
browsing, in a book stall in Teheran, was irresistibly drawn to a huge volume.
It was the 14th edition of the discourses of Mohammed, in 25 volumes
“The Ocean Of Light” . It is claimed that these discourses were collected
together some seven hundred years after the prophet’s death. Volume 13 of
these discourses is called “ Mehdi Moud”
in Arabic, which means “The Great Teacher that was promised”. The
teacher is also referred to as “Master of the World”, “Master of Time”
..etc., Mohammed is quoted by Peggy Mason as having indicated a large number of
signs by which the great teacher could be recognised. Prominent amongst these
hallmarks, which remarkably tally with Sai Baba, are as follows: All things you
will ask from God, He will give you. All the treasures of the world are under
His feet. He will give gifts that are light in weight. His devotees will collect
under a great tree ( the huge Banyan tree, that has been since removed in
Brindavan campus). Many of them will have a spot on their forehead (the Hindu
Kumkum dot). He will go around amongst the devotees and touch their heads with
His hand. Every eye that sees Him will be happy, not only humans but disembodied
souls. His devotees will crane their necks to see Him. He will live for 95
years. He will live at hill (Prasanthi Nilayam is on a hill). His house will be
square. He will make the world light and full of peace. So as not to be
deceived, you should know that the Master of the World will bring things out of
His body and through His mouth.
Sri
Sathya Sai Baba has assured us that there is no reason for mankind to be
extremely worried about the future, for the golden age of humanity is soon
dawning. He has assured that Satya Yuga shall start from 1999 and during the
days of His next Avatar as Prema Sai which will be from 2030 onwards, the world
will see the best period of human civilisation. However, Baba says from now till
1999 there will be many natural calamities, but He will exercise His powers and
influence as Avatar to prevent Nuclear War. He has told His devotees not to get
out of the umbrella of His Divine Protective Grace lest they be subjected to
harm at the hands of nature’s fury which will indeed be raging till 1999. (The
matter contained in paras (h) and (I) above, has been taken from the book
“Pralaya 1999”, by M. R. Narendra).
The
author has mentioned in the beginning of this chapter about the characteristics
(Signs) of an Avatar. Let us delve more on this: The story of Sri Krishna,
universally accepted as Poorna Avatar - the Total Advent - is the clearest proof
of the immaculate conception of the Divine Child. As the Bhagavatha narrates,
the agony of Mother Earth compels the compassions of the Omniwill into the
resolve to incarnate as Sustainer, Solace and
Saviour of mankind. Brahma hears the voice of the all pervasive God
Vishnu that conveys the blessing and the boon to the suffering supplicants who
have come before Him. He announces: “The
Bhagavan Himself, the Almighty Resident in All, moved by His own Will ,
takes birth in the house of Vasudeva” (Vasudeva “Griha”).
After
Devaki, the consort of
Vasudeva, had given birth to seven children and had offered each one of them to
her brother as she had promised, the Will decided that it was time for the
Advent to take place. The Bhagavatha says : “The Lord who is the Sovereign of
the Universe desired to enter the mind of Vasudeva as a facet of Himself in
order to confer fearlessness on good and Godly”. ‘Amsa’ , the Sanskrit
word used in the text rendered here as ‘facet’, is usually interpreted as
meaning ‘part’. But the Universal Absolute cannot be partitioned; the
ancient commentator Anandagiri elucidates the word as ‘Svechha nirmithena
maayaamayena Swaroopena’ (with a body moulded by His own Will and capable of
deluding the World into the belief that it is human). “Then, that
indestructible Divine principle which was destined to establish peace and
prosperity in the World, was accepted into her mind, as the Eastern sky accepts
the moon or as the pupil receives the illuminating mantra from the guru” .
The
emphasis on the ‘Mana (mind) of both the father and the mother announces to us
that the Avatar’s advent occurs in ultra-physical ways. The mother serves as
the inaugural Vessel to contain the Cosmic Essence and allows it to unfold as
its Will dictates.
The
incarnation of the Buddha too was equally marvellous. The following lines are
from the epic poem ‘Light of Asia’ by Edwin Arnold: ‘The Devas knew the
signs and said, “Buddha will go again to help the World”. “ Yes” spoke
He. “Now I go to help the World. I will go down among the Sakyas under the
Southward snows of Himalaya where pious people live and a just king”. That
night the wife of king Sudhodana, Maya, the Queen, asleep beside her Lord dreamt
a strange dream, “that a star from Heaven, splendid, six-rayed, in colour
rosy-pearl, whereof the token was an Elephant, six tusked and white as milk of
Kamadhenu, shot through the void and, shining into her entered her womb upon the
right”. The Buddha formed the body for Himself within that maternal niche,
conferring the status of father on Sudhodana, and Maya meditated on the
Sidhartha moon, in the sky of her womb until the time when all could witness the
glory of the child in the cradle.
Mary,
the mother of Jesus, was similarly blessed. “The Angel Gabriel was sent from
God to Virgin spoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David, and
the Virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel said unto her, “Fear not, Mary,
for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in the
womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus”…. Then said Mary
unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not of a man?” And Angel
answered unto her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the
highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also the holy thing which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God. And so it did come to pass as the World
knows.”
Swami
has often declared that this Sai Avatar descended because the Saints and Sadhus
of all the lands prayed for His arrival. “I chose the mother who was to
experience My closeness during gestation. The Avatar alone has this freedom of
choice. In other cases Karma determines the time and space, the group and the
grade.
Years
later as Swami sat one day surrounded by his devotees, there was an abrupt
interruption. A Pundit well versed in the holy Puranas felt a sudden urge to ask
a question. “Swami; was your Incarnation a Pravesa (an entrance) or a Prasava
(Enciente) ?” Shri N.Kasturi could not quite understand the relevance of the
interruption that jolted everybody away from the jocular mood of the talk, but
Swami knew the reason. Turning to Easwaramma seated in front, He said, “Tell
Rama Sarma what happened that day near the well after your mother-in-law had
warned you”. Mother said, “She had dreamed of Satyanarayan Deva and she
cautioned me that I should not be frightened if something happens to me through
the Will of God. That morning when I was at the well drawing water, a big ball
of the blue light came rolling towards me and I fainted and fell. I felt, it
glided into me”. Swami turned to Rama Sarma with a smile. “There you have
the answer; I was not begotten. It was Pravesa, not Prasava”. (Thus a divine
incarnation takes place by a process of impregnation which occurs by the Divine
Will itself and not by the natural and normal
human process)
To
get back to the period when Easwaramma was pregnant. Kondama Raju had dreams of
Venka Avadhootha in which he was instructing him to be prepared - but for what
he was not told. And Pedda Venkapa Raju, the father, was awakened at night by
sweet musical notes emanating from the string and percussion instruments kept in
the ‘rehearsal room’. Angels, Gandharvas, Kinnaras? Musical Ancestors? He
knocked at the doors of astrologers. Telling them about his attempts to know
what these meant, he described his tension at the time and the comforting
explanation of an astrologer at Bukkapatnam was, “Is the music sweet and
soothing?” he asked. “The notes and beats were thrilling,” Pedda Venkapa
Raju answered. “Is there a pregnant woman in the house?” When told
“Yes”, he predicted that the Gods were playing music to charm the baby in
the womb. He recited a verse in Sanskrit from a book on horoscopes to please the
bewildered father.
It
had come at last, that moment chosen by the Lord to appear on Earth in His
incarnated form. It was the month of Karthika. Monday. The day of worship for
Siva, was about to glide into Tuesday, the day dedicated to Ganesh. It was 5.06
A.M. I.S.T. on 23rd November,1926, and the reigning star was Ardra.
From 4 O’clock that morning Lakshamma, the mother-in-law was at the
Satyanarayana Pooja at the home of the priest. She was called back home more
than once as the delivery neared but she was determined not to return until she
could bring back the deity’s Prasad for Easwaramma which she could procure
only at the conclusion of the ceremony. At last she came, she gave. It was
accepted and relished. And the son was born.
A
mat covered with a thick bedspread had been readied in the corner of the room,
when the labour had begun and now the baby was placed on it, by the grandmother.
All of a sudden, they found the bedspread rising up and falling down, on either
side of the baby. She grasped the child and held it close. A serpent was coiled
beneath : of course snakes there were in plenty at Puttaparthi, creeping through
crevices, crawling along the walls and hiding in the holes. But the serpent in
the living room pretending to be in
bed! - it was the role of Adisesha for Vishnu who rested on its coil; this was
the Incarnation’s first miracle. When Easwaramma was asked about this epic
event, she confessed that she had been so filled with joy at the birth of a son
that she had never even noticed the agitation all around.
The
child was named Satyanarayana. The association and affiliation of the human and
divine were made plain by the Name. It announces that the child being Narayana
was Sathya (Truth). God as Satyanarayana had entered the minds of the mother and
grandmother and filled the house of the Ratnakara Raju with Divine Melody and
Fragrance. Narayana coming as Sathya was the consummation for which the world
had long yearned.
(The
entire matter is taken from the book ‘Easwaramma, the chosen Mother’, by
N.Kasturi, Ex- Editor, “Sanathana Sarathi”).
As
regards the birth-marks on the body of the Avatar, a few persons, including some
students, who live very close to Swami, have
noticed the eagle-shaped birthmark on the chest of Swami.
Another
strong evidence of the Divinity of Sai Baba comes from an altogether different
source, Frank Baranowski, a Professor at the University of Arizona in the United
States. He has the distinction of being an undisputed expert in the study of the
halo that surrounds each person. According to him the aura surrounding the face
of a person speaks volumes about his personality and character. The aura around
the faces of ordinary mortals is nondescript and often null and void. But in the
case of a person who is superhuman
and embodiment of love, the aura is expansive and its luster extends to the sky
which is limitless. Frank Baranowski was bewildered and enthralled to see the
aura surrounding the face of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. According to him, it was a
white and pink aura, the colour of love. The aura became golden like the Sun and
turned into the blue colour of love when the Bhajans were sung. This aura
signified the boundless energy of love. The eyes shone with diamond like
brilliance. Professor Baranowski had no hesitation in affirming that the
aura-wise Sri Sathya Sai Baba is God. During his long career, he had the
occasion to see the aura of many famous and illustrious persons. But never
before had he witnessed the white, pink and blue aura stretching upon the azure
sky above, spreading the golden hues of Sun and the diamond-like brilliance
transmitting the tremendous energy of love.
(Taken from the book “Sai Baba, the Rose Fire Of Heaven”, by Krishna Nandan Sinha).