Mother's
Role in Human Values
Date:
23 November 2003
Occasion:
77th Birthday of
Bhagavân
S'rî Sathya Sai
Baba
Place:
Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi,
India
(Links
and pictures by
Vahini.org)
Bereft
of truth, righteousness, love and peace,
the value of all your education is
zero,
Bereft
of truth, righteousness, love and peace,
the result of all your good deeds is
zero,
Bereft
of truth, righteousness, love and peace,
the utility of holding positions of
authority is zero,
Bereft
of truth, righteousness, love and peace,
the sanctity of all your acts of charity
is zero,
These
four qualities are the four pillars that
support the mansion of Sanathana
Dharma.
(Telugu
Poem)
Embodiments of Love!
The
mansion of human life rests on the four pillars
of truth, righteousness, love and peace.
The safety and security of life depend on these
four values. Since ancient times, the culture of
Bharat has been able to sustain itself as it is
built on the bedrock of these values. Our
ancestors led their lives strictly adhering to
these eternal values. Bereft of these values,
the mansion of life will collapse in a moment.
Humanity continues to exist till this day only
due to the fact that he/she is practicing these
four values at least to a certain
extent.
The
individual child's life is greatly influenced by
the qualities of the parents. The loving care of
Jijabai made Shivaji a great warrior.
Râma's divinity blossomed because of the
noble qualities of His mother Kausalya [see:
Ramakatha
Rasavahini chapter
4].
The twins Lava and Kusa [see:
Ramakatha
Rasavahini chapter
13]
could become powerful and famous due to their
noble and virtuous mother Sîta. The same
can be said of our ancient sages and seers. They
could sanctify their lives because of the noble
influence of their parents. Today, people
neglect their parents as they fail to recognize
the impact and influence they bear on their
lives. They forget the fact that they could
attain exalted position in life only because of
their parents. Gandhi became a Mahatma because
of his pious mother Putlibai. She used to
observe a strict vow wherein she would wait for
the cooing of the cuckoo before partaking of her
food. However, on one day, she had to wait for a
long time for the call of the cuckoo without
taking food. The young Gandhi could not bear to
see his mother fasting for such a long time.
Hence, he went out of the house and imitated the
cooing of the cuckoo. Then he came inside and
told, "Mother, now that the cuckoo has made its
call, please take your food." She at once
recognized that her son was telling a lie.
Unable to contain her grief, she slapped Gandhi
on his cheeks and said, "What sin have I
committed that such a liar should be born to
me!" She was shedding tears as she spoke. Gandhi
repented and prayed for her forgiveness. He took
a pledge that he would never utter a lie
thenceforth. In this manner, our ancients
developed virtues and attained exalted position
only because of their mothers. Today, the
country is facing hardship as people have no
regard for truth and are indulging in falsehood
in their thoughts, words and deeds. The welfare
of a nation depends on the teaching that the
mother imparts to her children. When parents
tread the path of truth, the children would
naturally emulate them.
In
olden days, it was a common practice among the
women of Bharat to perform the sacred ritual of
Sathyanarayana Vratam, on every full moon
day. [see also: SB,
Canto 8:18 on payo
vrata]
Likewise, mother Easwaramma used to
perform Sathyanarayana Vratam every full moon
day in the company of Karanam Subbamma, who was
her neighbour. Karanam Subbamma would often tell
Easwaramma, "You are performing Sathyanarayana
Vratam. With His blessings, you will bear a son.
I want you to name him Sathyanarayana." On a
particular full moon day, Easwaramma did not
have food till very late in the afternoon as she
was participating in the Sathyanarayana Vratam
being performed in Subbamma's house. The family
members including her husband Pedda Venkama
Raju were very much upset to see her remain
without food for such a long time. Pedda Venkama
Raju argued that there was no need to observe
such severe austerities. But Easwaramma was
determined. She told them not to wait for her
saying, "I am not at all hungry. Sathyanarayana
Vratam is more important for me than food."
After the ritual was completed Subbamma brought
prasadam (blessed food) for Easwaramma.
Only after partaking of the prasadam did
Easwaramma have her food that day. Women in
those days used to perform such rituals with all
sincerity and devotion. It was only after
partaking of prasadam could Easwaramma conceive.
Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati (as is the
feeling, so is the result). Some people have
faith in scriptural injunctions and adhere to
them with earnestness whereas some others ignore
them. Easwaramma was the one who followed the
injunctions strictly. Only after performing the
vratam and partaking of the prasadam
would she commence her household chores. She was
unlettered. But she had unflinching faith in
God. During the seventh month of her pregnancy
one day Subbamma told her "Easwaramma the child
in your womb is safe only due to the grace of
Lord Sathyanarayana." She extracted a
promise from her that the child would be named
Sathyanarayana. The mother of Pedda Venkama Raju
was also a great devotee of the Lord. She too
was of the opinion that the child should be
named after Lord Sathyanarayana.
(**)
Prior
to the birth of the child a very significant
incident took place. Puttaparthi was then a tiny
hamlet. In the centre there was a well from
which people would draw water. One day
Easwaramma was fetching water from the well. All
of a sudden she saw a white luminous light
emerging like lightning from the sky entering
her womb. There was a sudden gust of wind.
Subbamma who came out of her house at that time
saw the light entering the womb of Easwaramma.
Till this day I have not revealed this to
anyone, I am disclosing this today so that you
may understand the significance associated with
the advent of the avatar. A day prior to
this as Pedda Venkama Raju was passing in front
of Subbamma's house she called him inside and
told him, "Venkama Raju tomorrow when the child
is born name him as Sathyanarayana." But he
brushed her advice aside saying it was her
foolish imagination.
At
3 o'clock in the morning (November 23,
1926) at an auspicious moment the child was
born. It is natural for any child to cry when it
is born. But this child did not cry at all. The
midwife and the people in the household were
anxious that the child might be stillborn.
Easwaramma too was very much worried. Without
anybody noticing her she pinched the child to
make it cry. On the contrary to her utter
surprise the baby started smiling. Everyone was
mystified to see the newborn babe smiling. Just
then Subbamma entered the house and said
"Easwaramma, I heard that you have given birth
to a male child at an auspicious moment. Can I
have a glimpse of the child?" Easwaramma wrapped
the child in a cloth and placed him in front of
Subbamma. Subbamma was an orthodox brahmin
lady.
In
those days orthodox brahmins would maintain
distance from others. If they happened to touch
them inadvertently they would at once have a
bath. That was the reason why Easwaramma kept
the baby at a distance from Subbamma. Watching
this the mother-in-law said, "Easwaramma she has
come here with a lot of love and concern to see
the child. Why don't you let Subbamma hold the
child in her arms? Why do you keep him at a
distance?" Easwaramma said "Oh mother! Subbamma
is a very pious and orthodox brahmin lady. She
may not like to touch the newborn baby. Hence we
should maintain distance from her." In fact
Subbamma herself had no such discriminatory
feelings.
Mother
Easwaramma looked after her child with love and
care. Days rolled by and the child grew into a
boy. He was mithabhashi and mithaahari
(one who spoke less and ate less).
Easwaramma was mystified by the strange behavior
of her son. Usually children are fond of eating.
Especially some people would prefer
non-vegetarian items like fish or meat. But her
son was totally averse to non-vegetarian food.
He would not even visit the houses where
non-vegetarian food was cooked. Seeing his noble
qualities, Easwaramma realized that the child
was not an ordinary one, but one of divine
nature. Her eldest daughter Venkamma also
recognized the divine nature of the child.
Together, they brought up the child with love
and care. They would sing devotional songs as
lullabies. The child was brought up in such a
noble environment.
As
there was no proper school in Puttaparthi,
Seshama Raju, the elder brother of this
body, took Me to Uravakonda and admitted Me in a
school. The then municipal chairman of bellary,
Rama Raju was a friend of Seshama Raju. He took
us to the Virupaksha (*)
temple in Hampi during holidays. I was reluctant
to enter the temple. Hence, Seshama Raju
instructed Me to keep a watch over their
belongings as they went inside to have
darshan of the deity. I readily agreed
and remained outside. The priest was giving
arati to the deity. To their utter
astonishment, they found Me standing inside the
sanctum sanctorum in place of Lord Virupaksha.
Seshama Raju could not believe his eyes. In
fact, he was very angry thinking that I was
transgressing My limits. He thought it was
improper on My part to have entered the sanctum
sanctorum. He at once came out of the temple
only to find Me there! He again went inside and
found Me there also! Still he was having doubts.
He told his wife, "You go outside and keep a
watch over Sathya. Do not allow Him to go
anywhere. Meanwhile, I will go inside and see
whether He is still there." She did accordingly.
He again saw a smiling Sathya standing in the
sanctum sanctorum. He wondered whether it was a
dream, hallucination or reality. At that time,
his friend Rama Raju noticed a brilliant aura
around My face. He revealed this only to his
wife and not to anybody else including Seshama
Raju. In fact, Seshama Raju was full of doubts.
[Photo: part of the Virupaksha temple in
Hampi]
The
vacation was over and we were returning to
Uravakonda. Rama Raju brought a pair of knickers
and a shirt for Me as parting gift. But I
refused to accept them. In those days, wearing a
collar pin was considered a fashion. Hence, Rama
Raju presented a gold collar pin to Me with the
prayer that I should remember him
always.
I
remained there for some time. Many people came
to Me and put all sorts of questions like "Are
you a ghost or a demon? Who are you?" I told
them, I am neither a ghost nor a demon. "Know
that I am Sai Baba in reality." They asked Me,
"How are we to believe that you are Sai Baba?
Can you prove your claim?" In fact in those days
nobody in Anantapur District had even heard the
name of Sai Baba. I took some flowers in My hand
and threw them on the floor. As people were
watching wonderstruck the flowers arranged
themselves as the letters Sai Baba in
Telugu. Somebody brought a camera and took a
photograph of Me sitting on the rock. There was
a small stone in front of Me which appeared like
Shirdi Sai Baba in the photograph. Many
copies were made of the photograph and
distributed to all.
The
same rock on which I sat that day remains there
even today. At the same place the Andhra State
President of Sri Sathya Sai Organizations,
Anjanaiah has built a beautiful mandir with a
spacious hall.
Gradually
My fame spread far and wide. People from various
villages and cities started to flock around Me.
People possessed by evil spirits were brought to
Me in bullock-carts. They believed that I could
drive away the evil spirits. People who were
mentally retarded were also brought to Me. True
to their faith the evil spirits were driven away
and the patients were cured of their mental
ailments. Then they started believing in My
divinity.
As
people were coming in large numbers it was not
possible for Seshama Raju to keep Me with him.
Hence he wrote a letter to Pedda Venkama Raju to
come and take Me away to Puttaparthi. In those
days Puttaparthi was such a remote village that
it would take several days for letters to reach.
However Pedda Venkama Raju received the letter
in Bukkapatnam where he had gone to make
purchases in the market. The letter said "Father
it is not possible for us to keep Sathya with us
any longer. Please come and take him home at
once." Pedda Venkama Raju came to Uravakonda
from Bukkapatnam straightaway. He did not have
sufficient money in his pocket. He took the bus
fare from Seshama Raju and brought Me to
Bukkapatnam by bus. From there we had to walk
all the way to Puttaparthi as there was no
transport facility. In fact, the name of
Puttaparthi was hardly known beyond the closest
localities.
When
we reached Puttaparthi, Kondama Raju
(grandfather of this body) was at home. He was
very austere and God-minded. He told Venkama
Raju, "Venkappa let Him do whatever He wants, do
not raise any objection. He is immersed in
divine consciousness. Let him stay with me for
some time." He kept Me with him and looked after
Me with great love and care.
The
four brothers - Pedda Venkama Raju, Chinna
Venkama Raju Venkatarama Raju and Venkata Subba
Raju decided to live separately. Kondama
Raju divided the property equally among
them. Pedda Venkama Raju then asked, "Father,
whom are you going to stay with? "Kondama Raju
replied, "I will not stay with anyone. I do not
want any property for myself. Give me Sathya.
That is enough. He will look after me." In those
days, nobody used to call Me by the full name
Sathyanarayana. Everyone used to address Me as
'Sathya'. From then onwards, I stayed
with Kondama Raju and served him. Everyday
morning and evening, Venkamma (Sathya's older
sister) used to come to Me. Sometimes she would
ask, "Sathya, do you get dreams? Does anyone
appear before you and talk to you?" However, I
would not say anything to her. She had immense
faith in Sai Baba. One day, she prayed, "Sathya
please give me a photograph of Sai Baba." I at
once materialized a photograph of Sai Baba and
gave her. She kept the photograph with her till
her last breath.
One
day Kondama Raju called Venkamma and told her,
"Our people are living in ignorance, they are
unable to recognize the divine nature of Sathya.
He is verily God Himself. He is never hungry,
never thirsty. He has transcended hunger and
sleep."
Namagiriamma
was the actual name of Easwaramma, given by her
parents. As Kondama Raju recognized My divinity,
he told his son, Pedda Venkama Raju to change
her name to Easwaramma as he was very well aware
that she was the mother of Easwara
Himself.
In
the middle of the night, Kondama Raju would
quietly place his hand near My nostrils just to
see whether I was breathing or not. Sometimes,
he would not notice any breathing process taking
place. He would only hear the sound Soham
coming from Me. People started pouring into
Kondama Raju's house to see Me. If anyone
questioned them, they would reply "The grandson
of Kondama Raju is one of divine powers. He
appears in our dreams and solves our
problems."
Once
Seshama Raju came to Puttaparthi during
holidays. He did not like so many people
visiting the house of Kondama Raju. At that time
he was thoroughly skeptical. He argued with
Kondama Raju and told him not to allow anybody
to come to his house. In those days the educated
were highly respected in the villages. Seshama
Raju had just completed teachers' training.
Hence people in the village considered him to be
highly educated. He told Kondama Raju
"Grandfather do not allow anybody to come near
this boy. He does not have any divine power. He
is suffering from hysteria." In this manner he
spoke derisively about Me.
There
used to be an exorcist in Kadiri who was
considered to be an expert in driving away from
people the evil spirits that had taken
possession of them. I was put in a cart for
transporting Me to Kadiri and Venkamma
accompanied Me. At no time would she be parted
from Me. This so-called exorcist of Kadiri was a
thorough drunkard. He asserted that I was
possessed by some powerful spirit and boasted
that he would rid Me of the evil and belabored
Me with canes sticks whips and the like. He even
went to the extent of pouring some highly
corrosive liquids into My eyes expecting to
drive away the spirit in this manner. I
submitted Myself to all this torture without
demur. In the evening when I got free I
approached Venkamma and asked her to put a
little fluid of cow dung dissolved in water.
With this treatment overnight her house started
overflowing with the throng of visitors. So,
once Venkappa approached Subbamma and said, "Why
should you undergo this kind of ordeals on
account of my son? Let us put Him in a separate
house." Then Subbamma gave some land between the
Sathyabhama and Venugopala Swami temples. A
small room was constructed there. They used to
lock Me up in the room, but, in spite of the
locked closed room, I used to get out and sit on
the top of the hill. These kinds of wonders were
of daily occurrence.
Meanwhile,
those who were opposed to Subbamma on caste
grounds decided to get rid of Swami by poison. I
was very fond of vadas (Indian delicacy)
in those days. So, these people made some
vadas and mixed some virulent poison in
some of them. Subbamma was warning Me all the
time against visiting those houses. But, I used
to go to all places despite her objection. On
this occasion, I visited this house and picked
up the specific vadas that had been
poisoned and ate them. The sequel to this
attempt is already known. Another attempt of
this kind was when some of them set fire to My
improvised house. The house had a thatched roof.
Some miscreants set fire to the house. As the
fire was raging, people were worried as to what
would have happened to Me inside. Suddenly,
there was a cloudburst which poured down just
above the house and put out the fire. There was
however, not a drop of rain anywhere else,
Venkamma, Subbamma and Easwaramma came there
weeping. The roof was fully burnt and only the
walls were standing. They peeped over the wall
and found Me sleeping peacefully. I was totally
unharmed. Then Subbamma had the lock broken open
and took Me away to her house. After several
such trials and tests, people developed greater
faith in Sai Baba.
In
Penukonda, another person started claiming
miraculous powers, saying that he was a devotee
of Sai Baba. Several others started imitating My
dress and manners, started going about trying to
collect a following at different places. Merely
assuming My name and manners, one cannot have a
following indefinitely. People realized the
truth very soon.
After
this, My sojourn to Bangalore began. Easwaramma
and Venkamma entreated that I should not forsake
Puttaparthi. I promised them that I would never
abandon Puttaparthi. Various royalties including
the Maharani of Mysore used to visit
Puttaparthi. Those days Chitravathi was flowing
most of the time. They used to cross the river
by putting planks and driving the cars over such
improvised causeways. As such following by the
high and low of the land increased, all
opportunities for creating obstacles by the
local opponents vanished.
All
great men have been molded by their mothers. It
is the high moral character and behavior of the
mothers that would result in the greatness of
their progeny. It is the virtues of Kausalya
that resulted in the greatness of Râma.
Similarly, Sîta brought up Lava and Kusa
to be great. In this manner, virtuous mothers
were responsible for ideal children. After I had
promised Easwaramma, I never abandoned
Puttaparthi. The whole world may flock here but
I shall not leave Puttaparthi. Generally, the
avatars adhere to their place of birth. If you
uproot a plant from here and plant it elsewhere,
how long will it survive? A tree should grow
where the seed sprouted. In this manner only,
Sathya Sai Baba has retained His roots in
Puttaparthi and has made Puttaparthi a place of
pilgrimage. When the High School at Bukkapatnam
was established, they requested Me for a prayer
song and I composed a suitable verse emphasizing
the unity in diversity of the people of
Bharat.
The
power of motherhood is indescribable. It is the
righteous observances and strict adherence to
moral values of the mothers that manifest in
their children. They (mothers) may be
unlettered. Their greatness does not depend on
literacy or book learning. It is the unlettered
Easwaramma's virtues that have brought about
this greatness of the name and fame of
Puttaparthi. It is a matter of regret that
Easwaramma is forgotten, while her son is
extolled. Without Easwaramma, how could there be
such a phenomenal power? Never neglect your
parents.
What
is the origin of the name of this village
Puttaparthi? There is a strange story associated
with it. Near the temple of Venugopala Swami
there used to be an anthill in which there was a
snake [see SSS
- the serpent
hill]
Everyday the cowherds would take their cows for
grazing to the outskirts of the village. One of
the cows would go to the anthill and the snake
would drink milk from its udder. Everyday the
cow would return home with its udder empty. The
cowherds found out the reason behind this and
planned to kill the snake. One day as the snake
was drinking milk from the cow they hit it with
a boulder. The snake got enraged and pronounced
a curse on them saying the cowherds and their
cows would no longer be able to live in the
village. That is why the cowherds left
Puttaparthi village and built their houses near
Gokulam. Even today you can see it for
yourselves. The boulder with which the cowherds
tried to kill the snake is now being worshipped
as Venugopala Swami idol.
Today
I narrated at length all this in order to make
you aware of the significance of the names Sai
Baba and Puttaparthi. Puttaparthi has a great
history behind it. Many eminent people visited
this place. Many people of affluence lived here
and brought great name and fame to this village.
In those days the Mysore Maharaja and his mother
used to come here quite frequently. Many such
eminent personalities recognized the greatness
of Puttaparthi and revered it.
The
Lord of Puttaparthi will protect you
always,
He
is the embodiment of compassion,
He
will hold your hand and take you across the
ocean of life,
He
will never forsake you under any
circumstances.
(Telugu
Poem)
Embodiment
of Love!
You
are really fortunate having done great merit for
you are able to enjoy the divine proximity of
Sai. It is your great good fortune that you are
able to sing with Swami and play with Him. You
are with Sai and Sai is with you. That is why I
often say "and you are one." The power and glory
of God is beyond the ken of human understanding.
Develop unwavering faith in him.
Students!
Having
come to Puttaparthi and studied here you should
make every effort to uphold the prestige of
Puttaparthi. I want to bring to your notice one
important thing. Usually students like to spend
their vacations at their respective homes. But
here the students do not like to go home even
after the vacation starts. Only very few of them
go home. Most of them like to stay back even
after completing their post graduation. What is
the reason for this? Here is the greatest Divine
magnet. God attracts one and all. His power is
beyond all estimation. In the years to come you
will experience the power of this magnet more
and more.
(Bhagavân
sang the Bhajan "Hari
Bhajana Bina Sukha Santhi
Nahi
/ text"
and continued the
discourse.)
(Pointing
to Dr. Anjanaiah Swami said) He has constructed
a Mandir in Uravakonda. The Mandir enshrines the
rock on which I sat when I gave the first
teaching to mankind. He completed his M.Sc.
Ph.D. and was doing a job. Later on he resigned
and dedicated himself to the service of Swami.
At present he is the State President of Sri
Sathya Sai Seva Organizations Andhra
Pradesh.
(Pointing to an elderly devotee) He is the
father-in-law of Dr. Anjanaiah. He also stays in
Uravakonda. He has kept aside 100 acres of land
for Swami. He is growing various types of fruits
there and sending them to Puttaparthi. At
present he has completed 100 years of his
life.
I
want to tell you another important thing. Here
in Prasanthi Nilayam all the devotees who
dedicate their lives to Swami live for full 100
years. Kasturi
came here and lived a full life. Similar was the
case with Pujari Kistappa. All of you might have
heard of Kamavadhani. He was a great
Vedic scholar. He came and stayed here
for 30 years. Never did he leave Puttaparthi.
One day after performing Rama Kalyanam here in
the Mandir he told Me "Swami I am going to my
room. I will have a sacred bath and come back."
I told him "You don't need to come back. After
bath have your food and sleep peacefully." He
went home and had a bath. As instructed by Swami
he had his food and rested. He died peacefully
in his sleep. The name of Sai was always in his
mind. He never had any illness. There was
another devotee by name Soorayya. He was a
bachelor. He had no desires. Prior to coming
here, he was working for Venkatagiri Raja. One
day he expressed his desire to the Raja that he
wanted to go to Puttaparthi. The Raja was very
happy and made all the arrangements for his
coming here. He stayed here for more than 30
years and served Swami. He too lived for 100
years and died peacefully in his
sleep.
(Swami
called Sri Gopal Rao to the dais) Many of you
might have heard of Gopal Rao. He is also
completing 100 years. Even at an advanced age he
used to go to the canteen regularly and serve
water to the devotees. When he was the Chairman
of Andhra Bank there was a major strike. Many
big people were arrested. Indira Gandhi sent him
a telegram. That day I happened to go to his
house for lunch. I told him "Gopal Rao do not
yield to political pressure. What you have
chosen is the path of truth. Do not budge from
it." He obeyed My command. Nobody could touch
him. At present he is living in Prasanthi
Nilayam happily doing Namasmarana. Dr.
Padmanabhan's father Seshagiri Rao came here at
the age of 63 after his retirement. He also
lived for 100 years and had a peaceful death.
All these devotees led a happy and healthy life.
At no point of time did they seek the service of
others. I told Gopal Rao that he would die
peacefully without depending on others for
service. I told him to be courageous. In this
manner many devotees led a long and peaceful
life in Divine proximity. Physical body is bound
to perish one day or the other. But one should
leave the body peacefully without being wholly
dependent on others. (At the end Swami permitted
Sri Gopal Rao to speak a few words.)