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- Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part IV
The Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Written by N. Kasturi M.A., B.L.
Between You and Me
The Song He Sings
In Confidence
Love on the March
The Call and the Echo
Words with Wings
Moves in His Game
Closer and Closer
Dabbling and Diving
Tomorrow
(short) Glossary
References added to SSS by Vahini.org
Reference to "The All, in All"
* Esoteric Significance of the Veda Purusha Jnana Yajna, by G.V. SubbaRao, from Sanathana Sarathi, December 1997
Reference to "Love on the March"
* Esoteric Significance of the Veda Purusha Jnana Yajna
* Divine Discourses on Dasara by Bhagavân Sathya Sai Baba
Reference to "Facets of Truth"
* Bhagavad Gîtâ, Chapter 11, verse 12: The Yoga of the Universal Form; on the confrontation with the complete of His reality.
Reference to "Festival of Light"
* How Kasturi received his name.
(taken from the book "Loving God" by N. Kasturi)
Reference to "Sign and Signature"
* The Story of Dhruva, in text and pictures.
(Source: Srîmad Bhâgavatam, Canto 4, Ch. 8-13)
Reference to "White Man's Burden"
* The Crucifix (Taken from: 'My Baba and I' by John Hislop, pp. 17-21.)
I should apologize for allowing ten eventful years to pass by since placing Part III of 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram' in your hands before doing the same with Part IV, although Bhagavân has been keeping me alive and attentive beyond my expectations. But since I have never felt that I am the writer, I plead 'not guilty' and desist.
It has become well-nigh impossible to keep pace with the ever-expanding manifoldness of the manifestation of Divinity that is Sai. That almighty Love overwhelms us into blissful silence; the all-encompassing Power makes us aware of our inadequacies. Nevertheless, the Divinity in us draws us to Him, even while He seeks us, the straying as well as the steady one, to keep us in His cosy custody.
Lord Krishna describes to Arjuna those who had received the impact of His grace, thus: "My sweetness has soaked into every level of their consciousness. They live in Me, by Me, for Me. They take delight in narrating stories centred around My sport and My compassion. They share with others the love, the wisdom and the power I impart, and all reap immense gain thereby."
I invite you to participate in this holy sharing. Travel from page to page as a pilgrim, with humility, faith and hope, tarrying at every turn to fill your hearts with visions of the many-turreted Citadel of God and of God Himself. With each vision of His glory, we shall gain nearness and dearness to Him, who has come to accept us as His own nearest and dearest.
N. Kasturi
Thirty five years ago, when Baba was emerging from teenage, He sang this song while at the mandir (temple) on the outskirts of the village where He was born. He has been, since childhood, a stream of sweetness, singing His way into the hearts of all around Him. Since He was not of the earth, but very concerned to transform the earth into Heaven, His songs then, as now, were designed as a call to man to benefit from the mystery, the majesty and the magnificence of His incarnation. This song, in Telugu, emerged from Him spontaneously, on the morning of Vaikunta Ekadasi (the holy day in the Hindu calendar celebrating the opening of the doors of Heaven), in 1945, while devotees were busily stringing thick garlands of tulsi (basil) leaves to worship Him.
I have heard it sung since 1948 by those to whom He dictated it. It was also printed in 1946, along with other songs sung by Baba in those early days, at Venkatagiri by the Raja Saheb.
"Choothaamu, Ra Ra," it exhorts us. "Come! We shall see! Come! Awake!" it warns. "Arise!" it commands. "Advance!" it pleads. And through this song, in cosmic compassion, the call comes to each one of us even today.
Come brothers! Come sisters! We shall go
To holy Puttaparthi now. It seems
He wears a lovely robe of orange silk.
His is heavenly glory; He is the Lord Himself.
He calls to give us freedom.
He says, they say, "I shall shower grace."On the Chitravathi sands,
In the shadow of the hill,
This Baba, they say, daily reveals
That He is God in human form.
It seems He was at Shirdi last,
And is here, for our sake, again.Come brothers! Come sisters! We shall go.
They say He waves His hands
As He often did, while there.
'Tis said they offer all you ask of Him.
He is, they say, Siva and Rama,
Krishna and Maruti too.
All forms of God are one in Him;
You can see Him as such and such,
When you are good and true.
He is the God the Kaliyuga doth need;
That's why, they say, He's come
To cleanse the world of lie and sin.
Of mercy, he is the ocean vast.Come brothers! Come sisters! We shall go.
They say He is resplendent,
Resting on a floral swing.
Our hallelujah is the swing;
Adoration, the plank; homage, the chains;
Hymns in praise, the fragrance of the flowers.
Whenever one prays in agony,
It seems He heals in a trice;
Like the cow, when the calf does moo,
He hurries, hastens, runs.
His glance, they say, is soft and soothing;
His words are nectar-sweet.
Those who go to Puttaparthi
Are on the royal road, they say,
While we, they say, tarry in lanes, cursing destiny,
Caught in maya, with none to liberate us.
As soon as He Wills, 'tis said, His palm is full
Of vibhuti, which He gives at once
To those who struggle, suffer, stray.
Do not say, "We are busy now; some time later."Come brothers! Come sisters! Let us go.
We'll go to holy Puttaparthi
For the darsan of the Lord.
Join us, you uppish pseudo-wise,
And learn a little of His glory.
He digs His fingers into a heap of sand,
With a chuckle on the lip
And a twinkle in the eye;
Wet balls of sand become laddus round!
From far, far away, some dim-eyed dons
Pronounce it magic, mantra, tantra.
Be deaf to them; get up and start.
Don't reckon hardships; the reward is great
In Parthi mandir, now, on this holy day,
Tulsi leaves are strung into garlands galore,
While He sings this song to bless the happy throng.This call has brought the world to Puttaparthi where the Third World Conference delegates, numbering about ten thousand, from various units of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi, are meeting during the Birthday festival, 1980.
This tulsi leaf - Part IV of 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram' - is offered at His Lotus Feet by a humble garland stringer.
N. Kasturi
Prasanthi Nilayam
27-7-1980 (Guru Poornima)From Baba, His Story
At Ootacamund in the Nilgiri Hills, when the Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spirituality for college students came to a close, Baba held an exclusive session with the student participants. He was then in an unusually jovial and reminiscent mood. He desired to thrill the students with an account of His early days at school, so that they might realize that His oft-quoted statement, 'My Life is My Message', was true even when He was physically emerging into boyhood, and even before He had announced His advent as an avatar. He related to them how He moved among his cousins and classmates, His teachers and comrades, and also the villagers of Puttaparthi, Bukkapatnam, Uravakonda and Kamalapura. He would exhort them to ponder over this chapter of His story and implant in their hearts the ideals He had placed before Himself even as a child. When the summer course of 1978 held at Bangalore concluded, students who had heard of the Ootacamund discourse pleaded with Him to disclose to them episodes of His boyhood days, at school and outside, in which He provided glimpses of His Leela (divine play); and Baba graciously revealed to them a few more incidents of the past which laid bare His mission and His divinity.
In the pages of Part I of this series, I have mentioned that even as a child of five summers, He had earned the epithets, 'Guru' and 'Brahmajnani', because He corrected and counselled the children who gathered around Him as playmates, and because His conversation and conduct were on a level of consciousness higher than even the adults who sought to guide Him. Even as a child and later at school, He was meek but morally fearless, abhorred violence, vengefulness and falsehood, and preferred simple living to gaudiness and ostentation. He could easily sing, dance, and compose hymns and poems, while other children of the same age were still struggling with the first few letters of the alphabet. He also demonstrated ready compassion for birds and animals. He avoided meat and eggs, and shed tears of sympathy when drought animals like bullocks were mercilessly beaten. He stood forth as the leader of a band of children to whom He taught the ways of God and the means to win His grace.
He stayed most days at the house of the Karnam (village accountant) where the mistress, Subbamma, tended Him with maternal care. Baba sought shelter in her affection in order to avoid the sight of slaughtering fowl in His family home nearby and to watch the Puja (worship) conducted by that Brahmin lady in the room set apart for ceremonial rites. Baba never played truant at school. Rather, He relished the company of children, whom He helped to get the best out of school.
Towards Upper Primary School
At Ootacamund, Baba narrated the story of a journey in a crowded cart drawn by a pair of bullocks from Puttaparthi to Bukkapatnam, and from Bukkapatnam to Penukonda, sixteen miles away. He was then ten years old. He and the other children could scarcely squeeze into the cart; a few spilled over. They were in the lower primary class and could join the upper primary school only when they had passed an examination which was to be held at Penukonda town. There were eighteen children in all, overcrowding the vehicle. Whenever the road rose to negotiate a bump or a hill, the bullocks could not drag the cart behind them. So the children were pulled out and made to walk up. There was also no brake to hold the cart in check as it rolled downhill and, as a consequence, the children had to walk the road downhill also! The children were sent to the 'distant, unfamiliar town' from their homes, after propitiatory prayers to the family deities, prayers that were also meant to help them pass the examination.
At Penukonda they stayed together, and the teachers who led them gave last minute lessons. Baba agreed to be in charge of the kitchen. Lunch and dinner for the party were cooked by Him and He did not demand or welcome help from anyone. This arrangement continued on all the three days of the examination. Baba had no time to revise His texts, nor could He attend the special classes held by the teachers. Yet, when the results were announced a few weeks later, He happened to be the only candidate declared fit to proceed to the upper primary school! The good people of Bukkapatnam, the village three miles away, warmly welcomed Baba into the school situated in their village, taking Him through the streets on a chair placed on a flower-bedecked cart that was drawn by caparisoned bullocks, right up to the doorstep of the school. They were all happy, even proud, that the 'wonder-boy' of Puttaparthi, already famous as 'God's Son', was attending classes in their school.
Baba was the cynosure of all eyes at Bukkapatnam. Though He seldom listened to the lessons and rarely opened His textbooks, He was hailed as the brightest pupil of His class. This drew upon Him the envious looks of the ones who trudged along with Him every day from Puttaparthi. They often overpowered Him physically while on the Chitravathi sands and dragged Him along, ruffling His shirt and knickers and damaging them out of shape. When the Chitravathi was flowing, they dowsed Him with gusto. Baba said that He neither protested nor complained, but bore all this as the pardonable sport of ignorant youngsters. His refused to name any of the tormentors nor did He bear any ill will against them.
As Monitor
In those days every classroom echoed with the swish of the teacher's cane, which was busy falling on the backs or palms of the luckless little brats. When the teacher got too exhausted to inflict the punishment, this privilege was transferred to the brightest boy in the class. Baba said that one day the question presented before the pupils was: "Describe the glory of India." The answer had to be in English. The other boys knew little of India, and less of English. Baba, however, tersely but confidently replied, "Consisting of high mountains, large rivers with many branches and many plains, India is beautiful with all these grand contents." Baba then related to us details of the rest of this episode:
"The punishment the others deserved according to the teacher was my slapping them on their cheeks. I was to hold their noses tight with the left hand and then give them the resounding slaps. There were about thirty students in the class, some far taller than me, and I had to climb upon a bench to fulfil my most unpleasant and unpopular duty. But I could not bring myself to slap them as forcibly as the teacher wanted and my blows fell softly on their cheeks. So the teacher was angered. He called me near and shouted, 'Did I want you to apply Haldi (turmeric, used as a cosmetic) to their cheeks? I asked you to beat them. I shall show you how.' He held my nose and counted the slaps he gave me, about thirty or so, before he stopped. I bore it all in silence, for a teacher should not be insulted or let down. It was my fault for having annulled, by softness, the purpose of the punishment he desired to inflict, however absurd the prize for my superior knowledge of Indian geography and history."Baba disclosed that, being the monitor of the class, He was burdened with duties and clothed in authority.
"I undertook to show the students and the monitors of other classes how a monitor should conduct himself. I would reach school a few minutes earlier than the rest. I cleaned the blackboard before the class commenced and often had to clean even the benches and desks,"Baba explained.
"Rama sat at the feet of Vasishta and attended class with other boys [See Ramakatha Rasavahini, Ch. 5]. Krishna, too, had Sandeepa as his guru, [see Bhagavatha Vahini Ch. 41] while Sudama and others were his classmates. When the formless, attributeless Divine Principle takes human form and appears among men, It has to conduct Itself as an agreeable companion and as an understandable example to contemporaries."In His discourses Baba confirmed that He had 'willed' the incident at the Bukkapatnam school when the chair stuck to the posterior of Kondappa, one of His teachers. He confessed that His intention in reducing him to a ridiculous figure was not to avenge His having been made to stand up on the bench for hours. He had designed it only to reveal a little of His uniqueness, give a glimpse of His divinity, and to make the world around Him sit up and ask, "Who is this boy?"
When Kondappa's hour of teaching was over, he naturally had to vacate the chair for Mehboob Khan who was to take the next class, but he could not get up because the chair stuck to him. [see The Rhythms of His Feet] The boys suggested that the calamity had happened because Sathya was punished. Then Mehboob Khan, who loved and adored Baba, and who had glimpses of His divinity, revealed to Kondappa, "You do not understand. Raju is not an ordinary person; He is a divine boy and I have seen divine brilliance in Him many times. Withdraw the punishment you have given Him immediately and your own punishment will disappear." Then Mehboob Khan asked Baba to step down from the bench and Kondappa, too, could get up and walk away.
The Classmates
Swami narrated the events at Uravakonda (about thirty miles away from Anantapur), where He spent about two years with His elder brother who was a teacher of the Telugu language in the high school there. [N. Kasturi:] I myself visited Uravakonda a year and a half ago. There I walked along the long, broad verandas of the high school, hallowed by His footprints. I spent some times in the room which was once His classroom and sat on the same desk that had been used by Him as student - a bench-cum-writing desk, with a makeshift shelf underneath the incline of the top. Three pupils could sit on each bench with their books in the bottom shelf. I sat on the bench and imagined little Baba seated next to me!
Dr. Moinuddin, now a medical practitioner at Uravakonda, was with me at the school that day. He had been a contemporary and classmate of Baba. He said, "I was allotted a seat on the bench directly behind Baba, and I could tease Him by whisking away His cap. He would then implore me to return it to Him, for no student could attend class without a cap. I knew that Baba would not fight or complain to the teacher or whisk away my cap in turn; He was so quiet, soft and non-violent. So I would insist on His creating some sweetmeat for me - a rasagolla, a laddu or a Mysore pak. I was tired of taking sugar-candy. Baba would then circle His palm twice or thrice and produce for me my favourite sweets. But this invariably set all tongues dripping. So a general clamour would arise for a repetition of the act and the noise would bring in the teacher. Then, he too, would have his share before the lesson began." Another of His classmates, Sri Sitha Rama Rao, told me that Baba had confided in him that He would set the world right and establish the reign of truth in all lands.
I saw the tangled branches of the old dwarf trees right in the centre of the quadrangle. Baba had described to us how He used to play the monkey game on five trees in that quadrangle. Two of the trees have now been axed, but Providence has spared the rest. The monkey game involved two rival bands of primates. They crawled along the branches, then dangled without dropping, moving from one hold to another, trying to unnerve and to demoralize members of the rival band, until one of them was touched and declared 'out'. They snarled and growled at their rivals as angrily as they could. They swung and swayed, clung and clambered, slid and slithered. If they fell, they 'died' and were pronounced 'down and out'. They shook the branches with all their might to unseat the 'monkeys' of the opposite gang, loudly jeering and cheering all the while. If any of them slipped into the vocabulary of homo sapiens and revealed his true identity, he 'died' at that instant. Baba gave each one of them some sweets at the end of the game. Many like Dr. Moinuddin, who had once frisked and frolicked on those trees, are even today chewing the sweet cud of memories of the game.
The Scout Troop
Swami related in a discourse the story of His 'boy scout' days.
"We had a physical instructor," He said, "who formed a school scout troop. He was very insistent that I should enrol, and though I, too, was eager to use the chance to direct the 'good turns' of scouting towards the path of Sadhana (spiritual discipline), I could not join because my family was too poor to afford the uniform and other contingent expenses. To make you aware of the depth of their poverty, I shall relate an incident: I used to attend classes every day wearing the same shirt, for I did not have a second. Some of the boys who discovered this fact started laughing at me. They teased me on the way to school and back and, pulling at my worn-out shirt, they tore it. As I had no pin to even keep it together, I was forced to use a cactus thorn plucked from the fence of my neighbour's field to serve the purpose."Realising the reason which held me back from the troop, my chums were very sad. The boy who always sat to the right of me was the son of the chief accountant at the revenue office. He went to his father and persuaded him to make two pairs of uniforms comprising a khaki half-sleeved shirt along with khaki knickers. He rolled up one pair and put it on the shelf of my desk with a note that was addressed to me which read: 'You must take this and wear it. We are brothers, so do accept this from me.' But I was not happy, and decided to refuse this gift. I left the uniform on the shelf of his desk along with a note saying, 'If you wish our friendship to last, you must not indulge in such games of giving and taking material objects. When a needy person accepts something from another, anxiety lurks in his mind as to how he might return the favour, while pride enters and pollutes the mind of the giver over his act of charity. True friendship should be from heart to heart. If we build friendship on a give-and-take basis, the person who takes feels small and he who gives feels proud. Such friendship does not last. So I am not accepting the clothes you left on my desk and am returning them to you with this note.' The next day that boy pleaded, 'You can return them to me after leaving the scout movement.' But I did not agree even to that. 'I do not need nor seek help,' I told him. 'I seek only the chance to help and show others the best way to help. Besides, your father got the uniforms made for you - they were not meant for my use. I am Truth, as my name indicates. If I wear it instead of you, I will be setting Truth aside.'"
I am tempted to relate in this context what happened to a kinsman of mine about twenty years ago. He had bought in Rangoon, a Burmese umbrella, flat-topped, with a bright, garish-coloured cloth cover, as a birthday gift for his sister living in Bangalore. But as she refused to accept it, it was lying unused. Later his parents placed it before Baba as an offering. Baba told them, "Why do you bring Me stolen articles? This belongs to your daughter, whether she uses it or not." Anything offered to Baba must be 'ab initio' intended for and dedicated to Him.
The Thursdays
At Uravakonda, I looked into the well from which Baba used to draw water for His home everyday and carry it, slung across His shoulder, in big mud pots. The well is at least one kilometer away, and Baba trudged the distance six times a day. The well, the only potable water well in the village, being very deep, He must have gone through great physical strain to get the pots filled. "The time spent in supplying water for the home did not leave me any time for other activities," says Baba. I was also able to see Mr. Mehboob Khan, the teacher who loved and revered Baba as a boy, and who had foreseen that He would one day become a World Teacher.
The house where Baba lived with His elder brother is now a jumble of mud blocks. We scrambled in and stood reverentially before the sacred spot where Baba had started sitting every Thursday after declaring Himself as the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai. Even as we were standing lost in reverie, an old resident of the village related a story of those years: "One night, a group of women from an adjacent village journeyed to Urvakonda by bullock-cart to witness a movie. They were huddled in a thick cluster in the cart. Taking advantage of the oncoming night, a woman unfastened a gold ornament from the hair of the woman sitting beside her. The loss was discovered only when the women alighted, but none suspected the other, since they knew one another well. Some suggested that the ornament might have got loosened by itself and fallen on the road, while others asked the lady to recollect whether she had worn it at all. Then an old man ventured to say, 'There is a 'miracle boy' here whom we can consult. He is the brother of the Telugu teacher.' As soon as they trooped in, Baba sighted them and said, 'Eh Janakamma! Give the jewel back!' The startled Janakamma did as Baba had ordered, her head bent in shame. Baba told the others, 'Go! Take her also to the movie with you. Repentance is enough punishment. Forget this lapse. It was your fault, tempting the weak-minded woman. I am sure she will not do it again, for she has been blessed by Me.' "
The Rocking Chair
Baba told the students how He had borne poverty and hardship in His childhood and youth, in silence and without complaint. There was a rocking chair in the house, upon which Baba sat one evening. When His brother's brother-in-law saw Him rocking Himself in the chair, he was very incensed and remarked, "Who gave you permission to sit on that precious chair and rock back and forth like a Maharaja! Get up and go out of here." Baba replied, "The day is coming when I will be a Maharaja sitting on a silver chair. You will live to see the day." This angered him all the more, but he did not pursue the persecution. About seven years later, the Rani of Chincholi, who could not bear to see her Swami sitting on a wooden chair, brought a silver chair for Him. But Swami did not permit the chair to be unpacked even during the Shivaratri or the Dasara celebrations. On the occasion of Swami's birthday, His brother's brother-in-law came to Puttaparthi. Then Baba asked him, of all people, to unpack the silver chair and place it in position on the dais of Prasanthi Mandir which was then ready for Bhajan gatherings. The man shed tears of repentance and asked to be pardoned. Baba soothingly told him not to worry. This was, perhaps, the only instance when Baba reacted, for He usually bears others' anger with remarkable indifference and restraint. He told the boys that He was ever alert to guard the honor and reputation of the family in which He was born, and to ward off the derision of cynics and carpers.
The General Stores of Kote Subbanna, from where Baba got His apparel and items of stationery in return for songs and slogans, was still there as I could see. It is now being run by Subbanna's grandson. Subbanna had once sought Baba's help for boosting the sales of his baby foods and ayurvedic drugs. Baba agreed, and in return got from the shop the articles He most needed but could not purchase. The publicity value of Baba's lilts was great, for, as I was told by the contemporaries of Subbanna, when these were sung in chorus by several boys carrying placards advertising a product, it would be sold in no time. Venkapa Raju, Baba's father, thanked Subbanna for the help he was rendering Baba, as a result of which He could replenish His wardrobe and get a few notebooks. Whenever a new product (like 'Balamrit' of Pundit D. Gopalacharlu of Madras) had to be introduced to the people of Uravakonda, it was done by means of such street music. There was a weekly fair at the town, and on such days, when the villagers from surrounding areas assembled, Subbanna had a hey-day with his placards and his merry 'choirboys'. [see for this story 'The Cattle Fair']
The Mentor
Swami said that even as a boy He had been intent on correcting the vagaries, vices, defects and deficiencies of society, by means of ridicule and satire expressed in drama and poetry. 'Cheppinattu Chesthara?' which means, 'Are your deeds in accordance with your words?' is a fine example of His educative experiments. It exposed the hypocrisy of parents and teachers - an evil which children and pupils spontaneously absorb. So also today, Baba exhorts us to coordinate thought, word and deed. He tells us that when He spent vacations at Puttaparthi, He composed long lampoons in folk metres, on the evils of drink, the absence of literacy and the irresponsible accumulation of debt by the villagers. These songs were quickly learnt by the children who were taught by Baba, and were recited by them in groups in front of every house. Some householders were angered at this onslaught on their shortcomings and fixations, but many encouraged the boys to continue their reformatory task.
The village accountants also were a target of Swami's lampoons. There was one who prided himself on his 'Hitler moustache', on his watch with its shining strap and even on his Don Juan diversions. Swami told the students how he had composed a satire in verse on him and trained a band of urchins to parody his pomp. They stood opposite the door of his house and sang it till their voices turned hoarse. The butt of their ridicule came out to thrash them, but the members of the gang fled into the many lanes and could not be impounded. Such shout-and-run tactics were continued until he shaved off the horror under his nose, removed the leather-strap from his wrist and gave up his secret visits. Baba also wrote a play in Telugu entitled 'New Times', which revolved round a poet who was ignored and insulted while alive, but whose stirring poems provided his son enough ammunition for a rousing victory in an election a few years after the passing away of his father.
The house where Thammiraju, the teacher who persuaded Swami to produce the play entitled 'Cheppinattu Chesthara?' on the annual day of the school, still stands intact opposite a heap of mud that was once the house of Seshamaraju. It is indeed a thrice holy spot, for Swami spent many hours there with His teacher and his devoted wife, engaged in providing them precious glimpses of His Leela, while also playing with their son who was His own age. By merely calling out their names, He had made to appear on a wall of that house images of the Ten Incarnations of Vishnu (see: Bhagavân on Bhâgavatam) and various other deities and saints revered by the teacher's wife. She wrote a poem about this incident in the monthly magazine published by the Sai Samaj, Madras. The house of Narayana Sastry, immortalized as the person who had witnessed the golden aura around Swami when He left home to 'carry on the task for which He had come', is almost adjacent to the place where Seshamaraju lived. Narayana Sastry had once the pride of his scholarship pricked by Baba when, as a little boy, Baba had questioned Sastry on his exposition of the classical texts. We could get some idea of the ecstasy that must have overpowered Sastry that day, when we met and heard Dr. Baronowski of the University of Arizona, who was wonder-struck and delighted by the aura he saw around Baba for days together at Brindavan, Whitefield, when He gave Darsan to the thousands gathered on the grounds there.
Teaching Prayers
Swami told the students that He had seen what we would call 'hard days', at Uravakonda, though He was the favourite of the school and the town. He was the 'hewer of wood' and 'drawer of water' for the family of His brother. He collected dry twigs and branches from the hills around and tied them up into a head-load bundle which he brought home every two or three days. He drew water from a well, the only potable source, which was not too near. In spite of these and other exhausting chores, He was ever fresh and vibrant and full of infectious humor. His neighbors were anguished at His plight and entreated Him to write to His parents asking them to take Him away. Some even offered to write the letter themselves. But He told every one not to worry for He was happy that He could be of service. "Why are you bothered? I enjoy being useful," He would say.
I stood on the very dais from where Swami used to sing, everyday before the lessons began, the school prayers before the assembled students. It was from that very dais that, one historic morning, Swami had announced, "I do not belong to you henceforth. I belong to them who need Me and call on Me." [See The Serpent Hill] Swami said that He came down the steps even before the congregation realized the significance of what He had declared. Then He walked to the house where His brother (Seshamaraju), the Telugu teacher lived. Throwing His books aside, He moved on to the edge of the town, where stood the house of Anjanajulu, the government inspector of Excise Revenue. Anjanajulu loved and adored Baba. Perhaps he was one of those who needed Him and called on Him to illumine and liberate. But He did not enter the portals of that house. There are dozens of round, flat-topped boulders obtruding among the trees in the open ground in front of that house. Swami sat atop a medium-sized one, right opposite Anjanajulu's house. The congregation that followed Him from school had swelled now to a sea of heads all around. Anjanajulu had a vision that the trek from school marked the inauguration of a World Revolution. So he had a Mantap (a commemorative structure) constructed over the stone, for it had to be marked out from the rest. Recently Baba permitted the good men of Uravakonda to purchase and take possession of the land around, and to erect a community hall for carrying on service activities under His inspiration.
The Announcement
Seated upon that boulder, Swami revealed that His devotees were calling Him and that He could no longer pretend to be a student or even a member of the Raju household. "I have My task to complete," He declared, indicating that a part had been accomplished while He was at Shirdi. He then directed the congregation to sing Bhajans (devotional songs) and to recite the name of the Lord. He stood forth as the Teacher of Teachers, whose message can liberate man from grief and greed. "Manasa Bhajare" He sang, "Guru Charanam, Dustara Bhava Sagara Taranam" (Adore in song with sincere devotion the feet of the divine teacher, for they can take you across the ocean of misery). Who was the divine teacher whose feet He was referring to? Those who knew Him (but they were only a few) recognized that they were in fact the feet of Sai. Swami was emphasizing even in those early years that union with God demands communion with man. Swami saw the helplessness, the distress and the disease that sapped the happiness of people all around Him. He was moved with compassion. The candle was no longer under the bushel. Its light was soon to spread, bright and blazing, in every heart and home, school and sanctuary, village and town. Swami had made the clarion call to the entire world to clasp the feet of the Divinity which had condescended to encase Itself in human form, and to be saved from pollution and perdition. Those Lotus Feet which He presented in their magnificence that day, have walked on rose petals, snowy mountain terrain, rain-soaked slush, fair-weather tracks and sandy seashores, ever carrying consolation to grief-stricken people in all lands.
During the short time He was at Uravakonda, Baba had installed Himself in the hearts of both the old and the young. He had brightened their eyes with laughter and sweetened their ears with song. He was the bard and the boast of the school, the pride and paragon of the populace. Every family had some story to tell about His mysterious power, His love and His wisdom. So when He left home and school and talked of His task and of those waiting for Him the world over, their courage failed and their tongues were tied in unspeakable sorrow.
The Tiger Skin
His return from Uravakonda and the announcement at Puttaparthi that He was the Sai Baba of Shirdi, came when He was only fourteen years of age. But the villages around, and even far off Anantapur (forty miles away), knew of His being Sai Baba. (photo: on throne in mandir)
One day a jeep-driver crossed the river bed and walked the streets of Puttaparthi, trying to locate Swami. His master, a young English sub-divisional officer, had gone for Shikar to the forest on the other side of the Chitravathi, and while returning to Anantapur the vehicle had stopped right opposite Puttaparthi village. The driver did his best, as did the officer, to get the vehicle moving, but failed. The driver suggested that there was a 'Boy' at Puttaparthi who could materialize Vibhuti (sacred ash). Yes, "create, by a circular movement of His palm, the very panacea for all ills, even for the jeep!" Stranded halfway, the Englishman agreed and let the driver go to the village, while he himself sat in the jeep. The driver bumped into the Boy at last, but was astounded to hear Baba say, "I am coming, myself, to the jeep." He walked across the sandy bed, and on reaching the road, peeped into the vehicle and saw the carcass of a tiger that the officer had shot barely two hours ago. Swami's deep love for all beings could not tolerate animals being killed or tortured. He said,
"I stopped the jeep at this place, for it is a mother, whose three small cubs are at this very time loudly wailing and calling out to her, that you are carrying. Go back! Recover those cubs and gift them to some zoo where they will be well looked after. And do not shoot wild beasts again, for they have caused you no harm. Why do you kill them, surround them and lay traps to catch them. Shoot them instead with a more superior weapon, your camera. That won't maim or kill them."The Englishman was at once enlightened, and he never carried a firearm again. Shooting wild beasts armed with a camera, he discovered, was far more adventurous and Sathwic (pure). He presented the orphaned cubs to the zoo, and when the tiger skin came back from the taxidermist, he brought it to Puttaparthi. Prasanthi Mandir was then under construction. He met Baba and placed the skin at His feet. Sakamma of Coorg pleaded with Him to sit on it in Yogic fashion, with a rosary between His fingers. She had a photographer ready. And Baba obliged, though He has never sat in Dhyana (meditation) or held a rosary!
A Book On Him
Smt. Nagamani Purnaiya has written a book in Telugu (later also translated into and printed in English), entitled, 'Divine Leelas of Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba'. In the foreword to the book she says, "I have availed myself of every opportunity of witnessing His divine powers." The book describes more than 140 miracles, of which she says "more than 115 were witnessed by me with abundant joy." Nagamani Amma was the wife of Sri Purnaiya, the chief commercial superintendent, southern railways, and the miracles she records were revealed at what is called the 'old' Mandir (temple) in the village, in the first few years after Swami's announcement. When the present Mandir called Prasanthi Mandir was inaugurated in 1950, the Mandir at the village became old! The miracles described relate to cures effected by the administration of Vibhuti created by Swami, and of raging floods subdued at His command. Baba revealed to her, "It is because of your faith and trust in Me that your bus could cross the river in spite of the surging floods." Swami created Tulsi (basil leaf) garlands, rings and pendants for personal wear. He also performed surgical operations. "One day I saw Swami throwing something like a banana peel over the wall," narrates Nagamani Amma. "Then He came towards me and asked for water to wash His hands which were red with blood. 'You had prayed to me to cure that man, so I operated upon him,' He said. That night I could not sleep due to my anxiety for the man, since he was operated upon without cocaine and in full consciousness. I was very troubled by the thought of the pain he must be suffering in the adjacent room, and so I stayed wide awake. At daybreak Swami called me and asked me to give the patient some surgical cotton. 'Go and give the cotton at once' He commanded. When I went in, after hesitating at the door for a while, I found the patient eating a plate-ful of idlies and chutney. Swami stood behind me. 'This is not an operation by a doctor,' He chuckled. 'I have done it; so there is no pain caused, no rest required and no special diet prescribed. He can eat whatever he wants.' I was shown a long mark on the stomach but could discover no stitches. Swami said, 'The Vibhuti I created and applied on his brow acted as an anaesthetic. I created a Trisul (trident) and a knife for the operation. After I had finished, I smeared Vibhuti, and it was all over.'
"On another day, four men came to Prasanthi Nilayam with the intention of testing Swami," continues Nagamani Purnaiya. "When they reached Bukkapatnam, three miles away, they exchanged the wrist watches they wore, deciding among themselves to find out whether Baba would discover what they had done. 'If He is God, He should know,' they thought. Swami called them and said, 'I know why you have come and what you were talking on the way. One is wearing the watch of the other. I know that you have come to test Me, but this is a place for devotees. You can go back to where you have come from.' "
The Song He Made Them Sing
Baba had not only to encourage Bhajan and give a boost to the declining Bhajan Mandalis (groups of Bhajan singers) in the village, but He had also to compose Bhajans and Namavalis to satisfy the demand for new songs. During those early years He wrote quite a few. The four pillars of the mansion of Sai Dharma were first demarcated in one such song composed by Him when He was seventeen years of age.
With Sathya, Dharma, Santhi and Prema
Let, step by step, the pilgrim road of life be trod.
Your duty is to but trudge and try;
Whether you win or lose the game - 'tis the Will of God.
Fill your mind with God, be devoted in full to Him;
'Twill grant you freedom from grief and pain.
Janaka was king, but he lived in God;
He ruled his realm and gained Moksha (liberation) too.
Why yearn for superhuman skills? Have faith, O man!
They swell your ego and blind your wisdom eye.
While passing through this trackless jungle,
The name of God is the only guide.
Your heartland is a precious field;
Plough it with your mind; and use
Your virtues as animals yoked.
Hold the intellect as the whip to urge them on,
And gather the harvest of love and light.Why Colleges?
The Avatar had illumined the world for forty-five years when this narrative was completed up to Part III of 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram'. That name, which flashed into my consciousness when wondering what title to adorn His biography with, now brings to my memory a prophetic declaration by Swami Vivekananda. During his discourses on Bhakti Yoga he announced,
"Religion, which is the highest knowledge and the highest wisdom, cannot be bought; nor can it be acquired from books. You may turn your head in all directions, you may explore the Himalayas, the Alps and the Caucasus, you may search the bottom of the sea and pry into every nook and corner of the world, be it Tibet or the desert of Gobi, yet you will not find it anywhere till your heart is ready for receiving it and your teacher has come. And when that Divinely appointed teacher comes, serve him with childlike confidence and simplicity. Freely open your heart to his influence and see in him God manifested. Those who come to seek truth with such a spirit of love and veneration, to them the Lord of Truth reveals the most wonderful things regarding truth, goodness and beauty."Translators of this passage into Indian languages have, even without the knowledge of the Sathya Sai Avatar, interpreted truth as Sathyam, goodness as Sivam and beauty as Sundaram! The Lord of Truth is, best translated as Sathya Sai. Baba has revealed the most wonderful thing about human beings - that the core of every individual is Sathyam-Sivam-Sundaram, and that this awareness alone can confer liberation. I had no inkling of this truth. Vivekananda himself must have led me to the teacher, the Lord of Truth.
Baba blessed the city of Anantapur, headquarters of the district of which Prasanthi Nilayam is a part, with the College of Arts and Science for Women, not with the intention of adding one more to the hundreds already dotting the land. His plan was to create an educational institution which would mould the girls entering its portals into daughters revering the spiritual traditions of Bharat (India), sisters eager to serve the ever-expanding circle of their kith and kin in the villages of this land, wives wedded to simplicity and sincerity, and mothers skilled and eager to instil ideals of service and spiritual discipline in the hearts of children. Before long, Bhagavan blessed Anantapur with another structure dedicated to the furtherance of 'higher living', a Kalyana Mantap (wedding hall). "When love is the lever that operates the mind, only good can result. I have come to restore love among mankind, to cleanse it of meanness and restrictive attitudes," He declared, while inaugurating the building. The Mantap is used as a community hall of service. Baba Himself arrived a few years later, when devotees celebrated therein the wedding of four indigent Harijans, and showered grace on the happy couples. He created for each bride a gold Bottu (a sanctified ornament, worn to indicate wedlock) that the groom had to place around her neck as part of the ritual [see 'With Wounded Wings' for an example of a gold necklace Baba materialized], and for each groom a gold ring which the bride had to put on his finger. The Harijan families were entertained to a hearty feast which they shared with the devotees and with Bhagavan Himself.
Seventy Apartment Flats
In the month of August 1971, when thousands gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam for offering homage on the sacred day commemorating the birth of Krishna, Baba declared,
"People tell me that mankind is today on the brink of destruction, that the forces of hypocrisy and hate are spreading fast over all the continents, and that anxiety and fear are stalking the streets of every country. There is no need to tell Me this, for I have come here for this very reason. When the world is on the verge of chaos, the avatar comes to still the storm raging in the heart of man."The Dasara festival in September afforded an opportunity for the vast gathering of seekers to benefit by what it has actually become - a course of divine lessons on the mystic symbolism in Vedic culture. Baba explained that the Yajna (ritual sacrifice) was a reminder of our essential duty to sacrifice the self in order to visualize the Over-Self. The body is the altar; the world we live in, the oblation; Bhakti (devotion) and Jnana (knowledge), the sacrificial flames which accept, transmute and sanctify the oblation; and the sublimation of the consciousness (Purusha) into the Absolute (Purushottama), the fruition thereof. Bhagavan also announced,
"This year Dasara marks a new chapter in the history of the Nilayam. Recognize that Divinity is its core; yearn for that Divinity and strive to reveal It in yourselves through Sadhana, to which this campus is dedicated."The prayer hall had a new frontage added to it, besides an extended porch with silver doors and traditional temple sculptures and ornamental domes having golden finales. The Mandir was proclaiming the presence of the Avatar. The residents and visitors were to be conscious of the presence and to mould their daily schedules in conformity with the spiritual upliftment that they could partake in the sanctified atmosphere. Baba blessed by His divine presence, more than seventy flats which were allotted to devotees who were anxious to spend their days in Sadhana. The allottees had come from different parts of India and even from overseas. They professed different faiths and spoke different languages. But Bhagavan showered grace on them all for, as he declared,
"There is only one caste, the caste of humanity;
there is only one religion, the religion of love;
there is only one language, the language of the heart;
there is only one God and He is omnipresent."The flats have since increased in number to about 300. Sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) eager to spend their days, or at least some months every year, in this atmosphere of silence, self-reliance and surrender to the Divine Will, are fast increasing in number.
Sivam Arising
October saw Bhagavan at Hyderabad, enthusing the citizens into Nagarasankirtan, inspiring them to instruct their children in the rudiments of Sadhana and transforming the baser ideas and goals of the elite by His discourses at the Academy of Vedic Scholars, growing in strength and usefulness under His benign guidance. On 25th October 1971, Baba laid the foundation for a Lingam-shaped temple at Hyderabad, the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh.
"I am consecrating this temple for devotees who, instead of following Me from place to place, can now gather here, assured of Darsan,"He said. At Dharmakshetra in Bombay, the divine residence is named 'Sathyam'. 'Sivam' is second in the series, while 'Sundaram', in Madras, was raised last. Of the three, Baba said,
"Sathyam is the feet, Sivam is the trunk and Sundaram the head. On Sathyam we stand, on Sivam we act and on Sundaram we think. In Truth we are born, in Goodness we live and into Beauty we merge."Bhagavan inaugurated 'Sivam' on the Telugu New Year Day in April 1973. This architectural gem, enshrining the cosmic message of emergence from and mergence into the One, was completed in eighteen months. Here He materialized a Lingam for continuous worship by devotees who may be so inclined, and installed it in the hall which forms the Peetha (base) of the Lingam structure. For seven days thereafter, large concourses of people listened in rapture to the recitation and exposition of the glory of Shiva and of the Lingam which He is, as described in the Shiva Purana texts. The event marked the dawn of a cultural and spiritual revolution, with 'Sivam' as the fountain of inspiration.
During the Birthday celebrations, 1971, Bhagavan explained,
"Life is a challenge; meet it.
Life is love; share it.
Life is a dream; realize it.
Life is a game; play it"- a message which thousands now cherish and live by. He spoke of the three bodies which each one is encased in - the gross, the subtle and the causal. He said that intelligence is master of the gross body, intellect of the subtle and intuition of the causal. Every day during the celebrations, all those who were alert to the proceedings could advance a few steps towards self-control, self-knowledge and self-realization. Christmas came soon after, and in His discourse Bhagavan emphasized omnipresent Christ, saying "All are One in Christ and the One Christ is in all," He assured.
The Conference Did Meet
The Eighth All India Conference of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization was held at Abbotsbury, Madras, in the last week of December 1971. Baba had encouraged the organizers to proceed with the preparations in spite of the country being involved in a war with Pakistan, for He said that the war would be over by that time. "The civil war in Pakistan, between its western and eastern halves, forced millions of terror-stricken people to take refuge in India. They prayed in their agony that we should help them. True to our culture and tradition we sacrificed a great deal, gave them food and shelter and sent them back to their homes after ensuring that they could be safe and live there in peace. "We do not wish to expand or dominate or injure anyone," Baba said after the conflict ended. His Will prevailed. The Pakistani army surrendered, administering indeed a pleasant surprise to India. This happened barely a week before the conference was due to start with more than 3000 delegates gathering at Madras from all over the country.
Many had come from outside India. The Cowans - Walter and Elsie, Dr. John Hislop and many others came from the USA. The Cowans returned home in April 1972. At a gathering of 'Friends and Fellow Seekers' Elsie said, "We have come from India, my husband and I, brimful of the most astounding news that can happen to anyone. It is so fantastic that many of you may doubt it, because hardly any of us realize the great importance and the tremendous power of this Great High God, who not only walks the earth but cares for all the planes from earth to eternity. Walter died at Madras. Sai Baba resurrected him." And Walter confirmed, "While in the Connemara Hotel at Madras, two days after I arrived, I was taken very sick with pneumonia and was in bed. As I gasped for breath, suddenly, all the body struggle was over. I died."
During the conference, Bhagavan inspired the devotee-delegates to endeavor to translate the love they bore for Him into acts of service for those less fortunate than themselves. He exhorted them to share their resources, power and skills with others who are also integral parts of the same God whom they revere equally. Service must not become a routine gesture, an exhibitionistic activity or mere oral outpourings of sympathy. 'All for one, one for all' is the ideal towards which society should march. Bhagavan castigated institutions and individuals who deride holy festivals, defame holy men, deny God and thereby undermine the faith, charity, sincerity and honesty in man. He pointed out that man had mastered vast fields of knowledge, yet he had no knowledge of himself. He limped, though his legs were strong; he was insane, though his inside was sound; he was deaf, though his ear was sharp. The time had come to awaken him to this absurdity and infuse confidence into his behavior. Before the delegates left for their homes, He directed that all traces of dislike or distrust they may have had in their hearts for Pakistan be drowned in the flood of Universal Love that they had experienced. "All mankind must be welcomed into the warm fold of your love," He said.In a letter to the residents of Prasanthi Nilayam on the New Year Day 1972, about the Madras conference, Baba said,
"The sessions of the conference gave Ananda (bliss) to all. But more time and attention was devoted to the needs of the tongue and the stomach than to the needs of the Atman. For those who have appetite for the Atman, these cravings are trivial. It is best to keep feeding and feasting at a low key. In Madras this did not happen." Baba is uncompromising in His emphasis on values. He also explained, "Where material comforts are overstressed, Ananda escapes. Sadhakas should reckon that idle talk, voraciousness, indulgence in backbiting and scandalmongering, the denigration of others and the exchange of flattery, are inveterate enemies. Only those who avoid these evil tendencies can earn Swami's grace. May you deserve that grace in the year ahead. Determine today to get out of the old ruts and move along the paths laid down by Sanathana Dharma. (universal eternal ancient wisdom)"A College for Boys
The foundation stone for a Sathya Sai College was laid on 16th March 1972 on a vast piece of land lying adjacent to Brindavan, near Whitefield. This building was planned by Bhagavan as a unique architectural gem, comparable in its magnificence to the one which houses the women's college at Anantapur. It had been designed as a reservoir of Jnana (spiritual knowledge, wisdom), promising to transform the land into a place of peace and prosperity.
"Parents, politicians and teachers are all responsible for the extent to which the educational system has deteriorated," Baba said. "In education, as in all sectors of modern life, borrowed ideals, imported systems and fickle loyalties have brought disaster in their train. Everyone is engaged in offering advice or criticism, but none in actual execution to set an example. When the students of this college become leaders and teachers, the number of persons able to voyage happily on an even keel over the turbulent sea of life will increase. Injustice, untruth and unrighteousness will be recognized as disgraceful and demeaning social evils, instead of being tolerated and even appreciated. Truth, justice, love and grace shall soon return to earth. The reorganization of education is one of the means towards this end," Baba declared.His People in Delhi
On 25th March 1972, Bhagavan arrived in Delhi for a ten-day stay. Baba often begins His discourses to the mammoth crowds before Him with the benediction, "I am most happy to share your Ananda and to find you sharing My Ananda." Those ten days were spent in sustained ecstasy and inexpressible, divine delight. After His return to Prasanthi Nilayam, Baba spoke to a gathering of devotees on the Delhi visit thus:
"The longing of My people in Delhi was so poignant that it took nearly half an hour for Me to alight from the plane. Lakhs of people presented themselves before My residence and clamoured at all hours of the day and night for Darsan. Unless one group moved on, there was no room for the next to get Darsan. I had to climb up to the terrace so that the huge concourse could get a glimpse of Me... Drawn by the Ananda that the Darsan gives, masses of people from Meerut, Jullunder, Patiala and some other distant towns and villages gathered for Bhajan and the discourses. On 1st April I agreed to go to Kurukshetra during the hotter hours of the day, since I did not like to disappoint the Delhi crowds and deprive them of Darsan. There, Gulzarilal Nanda had arranged a meeting of ascetics and students at the university campus. But there were three Lakh people waiting for Me on that ground that was familiar to Me as a field for corrective teaching. I warned the Sanyasis (ascetics) of the corrupting influence of institutionalism and hierarchism. I told them to keep away from the contamination of political involvements."Jogendranath Joshi, an eye witness of the Kurukshetra meeting writes, "Until Baba arrived, thousands of students were surging in confusion and evidently getting increasingly restless and unruly. But as soon as He ascended the dais and looked around, the wild emotions were soothed; apparently menacing hordes were instantly transformed into brigades of peace."
The U. S. Ambassador at Delhi, Professor Keating, was so impressed by the reverence that motivated the Delhi crowds, that he said, "I cannot grasp the full impact of Indian culture through the study of books, nor can I vouchsafe for the authenticity of the scriptures of this land... but when I see in the capital city of this land, in the seventh decade of the 20th century, a phenomenon like this - five Lakh ardent men and women milling round to get a heartening glimpse of this five foot personality - I feel that I can hear the heartbeat of this ancient people."
Khushwant Singh, then editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, wrote thus on this unique wave of adoration that stunned the bustle of Delhi into silence: "A traffic jam is a rare occurrence on Delhi roads as kerbs are broader than in any other city. But here it was - a traffic jam with cars and buses snarling up all avenues within a radius of two miles, the focal point being the house where Sri Sathya Sai Baba was staying."
Baba explained it as the natural manifestations of the longing for light and love. He deprecated expressions such as 'Triumphal Entry', 'He Took Delhi by Storm', etc., which the journalists used, as also the word 'invaded' used by Ariel in his column: "Last week Delhi was invaded by one of India's most renowned mystics and seers, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who received a welcome from the classes and the masses, more rapturous than most welcomes Ariel has witnessed over the years."
Baba said at Prasanthi Nilayam,
"We went to Meerut one evening, but the gathering was so vast and thickly packed that the car could not proceed to even within a mile of the dais. We were advised to return to Delhi, but the moans of the multitude persuaded Me to appear before them on the platform. I sang a few Bhajans, which the huge gathering repeated after Me, line by line. Having satisfied their thirst, I got back to the car as mysteriously as I had ascended the dais. I have been telling you since six or seven years that the day when millions will gather to benefit from the Avatar is approaching close. I advise you to garner and to treasure all the Upadesh (teaching) and bliss that you can today, so that you can sustain yourselves ruminating on the sweet memories of the experience."For Baba, as for the millions, it was love, light and bliss every moment. The News Chronicle reported an incident which symbolizes the divine love: "Baba's car was moving at quite a speed near India Gate, when He suddenly asked the driver to stop. Everyone was surprised at this. Baba got down, crossed the road, went to an old man in tattered clothes sitting on the pavement and, bending down before him, materialized a ring which He Himself put on one of the man's fingers before returning happy to the car." Sri Ramanujam of Newsweek fell in with a scooter driver named Ashok Kumar, who had resolved to give up his evil practice of overcharging his customers the moment he had Baba's Darsan. The impact of the divinity cleansed his heart of vicious greed. Another incident worth recording happened when Baba was at the American Embassy with Professor Keating. He materialized a ring and put it on the Ambassador's finger, but the recipient was rather unhappy since it was quite loose. Noticing the embarrassment, Baba said, while sitting at the table for tea, "It will be tightened. You may ask how? Just as it came unexplained, the ring will also be tightened by itself." When he rose after tea, Keating found, "It was tight."
Baba Invaded
Instead of Baba invading Delhi, He offered Himself to be invaded! He addressed a gathering of the capital's elite at Kamani Hall and another of over one hundred and fifty thousand citizens at the play grounds of the Modern School. He spoke to members of the Seva Samithi and the Seva Dal who were engaged in various service activities as part of the spiritual upliftment process recommended by Him.
Back at Brindavan, Baba decided to initiate another great movement for teaching the wayward world that God is not a tyrant up in Heaven, but a way of life.
Shower of Light in Summer
He planned the month-long Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spirituality in order to instil into students the qualities of humility and reverence. Three hundred students from various colleges all over India, as well as seniors from the Sai college, stayed in a camp and went through a spiritually-oriented curriculum which centred round our heritage of moral and spiritual wisdom, intensive practice of positive secularism and the study of the lives and messages of mystics and saints of all creeds and countries. More than all, Bhagavan Himself graciously took on the role of author, producer, director, preceptor, participant, provider and instructor. Meera Bharani, a student at the course, said, "We were inspired to adopt nature as our teacher, life as our school and service as our task." Onita Bahl, another participant, said, "Bhagavan was the most taxed teacher at the camp. He talked to us every evening and on some days, in the morning hours also. He spent most of the day with us - watching, consoling, warming, cajoling and clarifying. He personally supervised every detail of the daily schedule - the recitation of Om (the Primordial Sound) in the early hours of the day, the Nagarsankirtan, the classes and the daily Bhajans, besides conducting question-answer sessions every Sunday. We asked him, 'Where does the soul reside?' 'How can one conquer ignorance or delusion (Maya)?' 'How should one meditate?' 'How is one to engage in action (Karma) without being involved in consequence?' 'How does one practise Pranayama (breath-control)? And so on. He listened with compassion and analyzed our problems in order to still the waves of doubt in our minds through His highly illuminating expositions. He filled our hearts with the gift of grace. None of us can ever be the same again."
The array of intellectuals who had arrived from all parts of the country, included pundits, professors, vice-chancellors, writers, judges, administrators, artists and poets all of whom were thankful and happy for this opportunity provided them. They, too, felt the impact of divinity and benefited from the unique experience. On the valedictory day Bhagavan told the students,
"You are all bright and beaming with inspiration imbibed from the atmosphere of peace and self-control, the vision you have gained of your own reality, the sense of mission you have acquired, the inner resolutions you have formed and the invigorating lessons you have assimilated. Now cherish with reverence what these elders have taught you out of their love for you. Go back happily with the courage born of self-confidence. Share your Ananda with your parents, friends, companions and teachers. I shall be with you wherever you are; you can never be alone and helpless hereafter."The Mother's Role is Over
On 6th May when the summer course was progressing ahead full steam, mother Easwaramma cast off her mortal coil at about 8.00 a.m. at Brindavan, in the very presence of her son, the Divine Avatar. She was happy and in good spirits till the last. When I paid my respects to her the previous night, I had found her surrounded by children. She was then narrating stories about Puranic heroes, and the children kept insisting for one more story before they unwillingly crept into bed.
The passing away of the Mother did not cause even a flicker in Baba's demeanour. The left half of the mausoleum at Puttaparthi wherein lay the body of the Father, had been demarcated to serve as the tomb for the Mother. So Baba had the sacred body sent with a few volunteers to Puttaparthi, where it was buried that same evening. The sudden death plunged the village in gloom, as residents of Prasanthi Nilayam bewailed the loss of their Prema Matha (loving mother). The women devotees had been orphaned by the death. They led the long line of mourners who were invoking the Lord through Bhajans, to grant them strength to bear the loss. Meanwhile, at Brindavan, every item in the schedule of the camp remained undisturbed. "Duty-Devotion-Discipline," Baba always emphasises. The few who knew what had happened, dared not spread the news without the specific permission of Baba, for whom death was but a curtain drop, a wink in the wakefulness of the eternal, a footstep to be followed by another in the soul's march to its source. Even when the Father passed away at Puttaparthi, the event did not disturb the normal routine at Prasanthi Nilayam. Baba's emphasis on duty and discipline as the two banks of the stream of devotion, was seen in action that day, the sixth of May.
On 20th July Baba inaugurated, at Puttaparthi village, the Easwaramma High School, a fitting memorial to the universal affection with which Easwaramma had evoked the goodness dormant in thousands of rural and urban women and children. Baba declared, "This village will certainly be uplifted when more of its children receive higher education. The new teachers who will reside in the village will spread both knowledge and the enthusiasm to earn it."
Prema Putras
The conference of the Sri Sathya Seva Dal comprising about 3000 members from all over India, met at Prasanthi Nilayam in the fall of 1972, only a few days prior to Dasara. Bhagavan received them as His prema putras, children fostered with (His) love! He wanted them to lead the resurgence of spiritual yearning among the youth. He encouraged them to develop faith in Sai, for each dal or petal can be alive and active, colorful and fragrant, only if it is attached to the torus. He directed them to practise the teachings of Sai and to be shining examples revealing their worth to the world. The lesson that one must learn from the yajna that lasted seven Dasara days is, Baba said, that, "Yajna alone gives Jaya" (sacrifice alone can confer glory). During the festival, on 17th October, Bhagavan announced that the auditorium at Prasanthi Nilayam - the most beautiful and spiritually vibrating hall in the East, with soul-inspiring sculptures and paintings - would be called Poornachandra, in memory of the late Poonamchand Kamani whose dream it was, which was realized through Baba's grace.
The birthday celebrations followed in November. Bhagavan conferred valuable boons on the thousands who had gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam - the divine darsan, the revitalizing smile of recognition and compassion, the gift of sweets from His own hand and, more than all, the message of the atman to be enshrined in the heart.
The Mew is Heard
One incident which occurred on the 23rd of November deserves to be highlighted in the Sai chronicle. About sixty devotees had arrived from far-away Gauhati, the capital city of Assam. They had travelled in a special railway coach for seven days before they reached Bangalore, and they had before them another week-long ordeal to get back home. Baba appreciated their devotion and gave them darsan and a short spiritual discourse at the prayer hall. He filled their hands with the precious gift of vibhuti. He saw in the group a girl named Lakhi and he gave her vibhuti a second time, saying, "This, for the cat."
The cat was Minkie, whom she had rescued from the city drain on a rainy day and brought home to keep warmed and fed. The kitten was not, however, welcomed by her elder sister who was a nurse in the biggest hospital in the city, but who could not stand cats. She blamed Lakhi for bringing the horrid thing and keeping it as a pet. One night when a few guests had arrived for dinner, the cat stole into the kitchen and ran off with a bite of fish. This enraged the lady so much that all her bellicose adjectives exploded in one burst at Lakhi's face. Lakhi could bear it no longer. She caught Minkie by the neck and spanked her severely with a longish stick. The poor thing yelled in pain. Suddenly, every picture of Sai Baba in the house - there were sixteen of them hanging with garlands after the Thursday bhajans - fell on the floor! The guests ran out of the house into the open courtyard, for they were sure that an earthquake had struck.
But the lady noticed that only the pictures of Baba had dropped; all others were intact on the walls! It was then that she realized that Baba had given a sign to save the cat. She shouted to her sister, "Lakhi! stop! stop! Don't kill it! Baba is angry with us!" Lakhi placed Minkie on the table. She was in tears, and her sister, too, was sobbing. The cat tried to allay her pain by shaking in quick quivers. The guest had come back by now and they too witnessed the struggle of the cat to regain her poise. Lo and behold! When Minkie shook herself, puffs of fragrant vibhuti emerged from her fur and fell thick on the table! The fragrance announced that Bhagavan had blessed the cat.
Six months later, on 23rd November, when Lakhi was present with many other devotees from Assam at the Prasanthi Nilayam prayer hall, Bhagavan, in His infinite compassion, remembered Minkie, the unwelcome cat, and sent to her His most valuable prasad. He instantly detects every denial of love and warns us when we miss our way. His hand reaches beyond the horizons of space and the chronologies of time. He teaches us, by example, to wish well for every form of life, be it man, beast, bird or plant. His love has no limit, for He is in all.
Christmas 1972 was a festival during which Baba further elaborated the concept of Cosmic Christ. He traced the expansion of the Christ consciousness right up to Christ's declaration, 'I and my Father are One' and said that this was the acme of Advaithic (non-dualistic) experience. Baba said, in addition, "This is the truth of Jesus and also of every one of you. You are all, fundamentally, the Cosmic Christ."
On 5th January 1973, Baba addressed the ASC(S) army personnel at Bangalore. He seldom misses an opportunity to bless the members of the armed forces, for He likes them to know, more and more, the glory of the land that they have vowed to defend. He instils inspiration and courage in their hearts. Since He can and does accompany each one of them, however far or near, His grace is much sought after by soldiers. On 14th January, Baba advised a large gathering of devotees,
"Fill yourselves with awe and reverence at the handiwork of God, the manifestation of His power, love and wisdom that is called the 'universe', and upon which the great expanse of space, the huge nebulae, the stars, the satellites and comets, the birds, beasts, insects and plants, all contemplate. They can give enough instruction and inspiration to you."In January Baba was at Guindy, Madras, to unveil a monumental pillar at the temple where He had installed an image of Sri Baba of Shirdi, 25 years earlier. On the sides at the base of this pillar are inscribed Bhagavan's directives for the regeneration of man.
Kakkara Halla Linga
Since the biggest shed (there were only three then) could not hold even half the number of pilgrims who came to Prasanthi Nilayam (abode of eternal peace) for Shivarathri (night of Shiva), Bhagavan quietly motored to the Bandipur forest on the border of Karnataka. The warden of the jungle brought news that there was a quiet spot on the Kakkara Halla stream, with a patch of dry sand. So Baba, and the few who were chosen by Him, drove in a van into the forest. A herd of twelve elephants had been spotted minutes earlier, but had discreetly made itself scarce. As Bhagavan alighted from the van He stood and broke a stalk of jungle grass, about an inch and a half long, and another about half its length, and bound them together in the middle with a bit of stalk skin. It became a cross. He was about to drop it into Hislop's open palm but He desisted. "No! I must give you another," He said. Holding the grass cross before His face, He blew upon it. This became a wooden cross having the same dimensions, with a small silver icon of Jesus on it.
"This is the wooden cross on which Jesus was crucified; this is the correct image of Jesus on the cross," He said, and gave it to Hislop who was kneeling, and in tears. (Later he got the wood examined, and was informed that it was at least twenty centuries old. He had the silver icon photographed and the photographs enlarged. He was surprised to note that there were marks of sweat on the brow and signs of froth at the corners of the mouth. It had all the signs of pain heroically borne). (See: Reference to White Man's Burden for this story by Hislop). Then Baba moved down the bank of the stream and sat on the sand with those who had accompanied Him, including the warden, guards and a few tribals attracted by these mysterious happenings in their part of the world.
From the sand that was heaped as a raised bed, Baba created a translucent lingam, five inches long and four inches across, seated on an eight-inch-high base. "Straight from Kailas where it was being worshipped. See the sandal paste, the kumkum dot, the bilva leaf," He said. He transformed the sand into an icon of Shirdi Sai Baba, an idol of Laksmî (goddess of happiness and eternal companion of Nârâyana) and another of Durgâ (wife of Lord Shiva). And, finally, He created before the wonder-struck gathering, a casket which was full to the brim with Amrith (nectar)-sweet beyond imagination and with a divine fragrance. Even the tribals who had huddled around him received their share of prasad from His hands.
The lingam was at Brindavan the next day and Baba allowed a large number of devotees to participate in the puja. I could recite the Rudra-adhyaya from the Vedas, in praise of Shiva, during the ritual ablution of the lingam. And I can still recall the thrill of my pouring on the lingam the holy water of the Ganges, transported by Baba with a wave of His hand from the very source of the river in the Himalayas.
The Land of Valour
Baba responded to the prayers of the residents of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, first visiting the town of Mogha near the country's border. He was there on the 15th and 16th of March. He inaugurated the Muralidhar hospital, where more than two hundred thousand people had gathered for His darsan. "It is remarkable how the news of Bhagavan's arrival spreads at such short notice and with such great speed in every direction by word of mouth," said Sri Sohan Lal, who had witnessed the phenomenon. Baba advised the devotees:
"Punjab has earned a reputation for valour. It should make a name for spiritual courage, which comes from faith in God... Pray to God asking Him to endow you with an intellect that does not waver and a mind that is balanced."Baba left Mogha for Simla by car. Forty thousand people had gathered on the ridge, many from the suburbs and the homesteads in the villages lying amidst the mountains. Simla had not seen such a massive assembly in living memory. Baba told them that though man had probed outer space and explored the deep, he had yet to learn to be at peace on earth. Man wants peace and happiness but he does not know how to acquire them. He runs after petty desires and short-lived pleasures. "There is a surfeit of preachers but a shortage of practitioners," Baba said. He advised and directed the people to concentrate on fundamental gains rather than superficial ones. He gave two discourses the next day - one on the ridge and the other at the grounds of 'Woodville', His residence. On another day Bhagavan paid a brief visit to Kufri and Phagu, past the snow-covered road. A magnificent view of the silver-robed Himalayan peaks can be had from these hamlets. Though the snow was knee-deep, about 200 men and women followed Him. Baba picked up a little snow and changed it into a pair of gold earrings for a tribal girl. He blessed many with vibhuti, and an old lady with a ring. The visit of the Lord to the Himachal Pradesh marked a turning point in the lives of many. Groups of seekers from many of its towns and villages continue flowing into Prasanthi Nilayam to be in His presence for a few days.
At Delhi, a pandal (an outdoor auditorium) which could seat more than two hundred thousand people, was found inadequate on some days. Bhagavan was present there during morning and evening Bhajans, moving amidst the thousands and showering grace on the sick in the form of curative vibhuthi. He also addressed a select gathering of ministers, academicians and others at Vigyan Bhavan. He spoke to them on the urgency of moral regeneration and of the role of the individual in the process. Bhagavan was very liberal with His time and conferred the fortune of personal conversation and counsel on hundreds who yearned for the chance.
Next, Bhagavan motored to Jaipur, instead of going by air as had been earlier planned, thus allowing thousands to have Darsan as He drove by. At Jaipur, Bhagavan laid the foundation stone for the Sri Sathya Sai College for women and for a temple. He also addressed a gathering of 50.000 on the need for selfless service.
From the 28th to the 30th March Baba was in Bombay, making a short visit to Poona on the 28th. He addressed a packed assembly of two lakh Bombayites at the Vallabhai stadium. Next, He flew by a chartered plane to Rajkot, in Gujarat, to bless the Raj Kumar College during its centenary celebrations and to open the Digvijaya Singh wing of the college buildings to commemorate the late Jam Saheb of Nawanagar. "The youth need colleges, for there they can learn to live and move with others of their own age, coming from different social and economic backgrounds. They can learn tolerance and cooperation and realize their talents and virtues," He told the gathering.
Sivam
On the Telugu new year day Baba was at Hyderabad for the inauguration of the holy 'Sivam' mandir.
"Let the new year bring you Ananda. You can get it by serving the poor, the disabled, and those who earn their livelihood by strenuous physical labor," He said. Baba blessed the juveniles at the remand home in Hyderabad. "I like children. I take great care of them, insisting on discipline, reverence to parents, moderate food and allotment of time to study, prayer and meditation. I also recommend some form of service," He said.The main topic on which Baba focussed His discourses in the summer school was the Moha Mudgara or Bhaja Govindam of Sankaracharya. In July, Baba was again in Bombay for visits to the central school for the deaf and the Sathya Sai Service Centre at Koliwada, a hamlet of fishermen which had been adopted by the Seva Samithi. He also attended a Bal Vikas programme featuring the children of the mill workers at Worli.
The Dasara message was one of "sacrifice, detachment and renunciation" through positive and constructive activity.
"Do every deed as an act of worship to Him; let every thought be a longing for Him; make every word a hymn of thanksgiving for His benevolence."Bhagavan has been repeating in His discourses, the Vedic exhortation to the youth to "revere your parents as God," for reverence is fast disappearing in Indian families. He emphasized that the home is the earliest and best school, where one's most enduring skills and habits are imbibed. It is the place where one's heart should always be, wherever one might physically wander. We love our country because the tombs of our fathers, the temples of our God, the fields which have fed us and the rivers we have bathed in, all exist therein. To demonstrate the value of reverence, Baba inaugurated the birthday festival by His visit to the mausoleum of the parents, where His 'sisters and brothers' joined Him along with their children and grand children. Every act of His is a lesson to us.
Baba and Godavari
The year 1974 witnessed a miraculous event in Rajahmundry, a small town on the bank of the Godavari river. Rajahmundry is a town that revives nostalgic memories of ancient glories, sheltering many religions and cultural institutions, and entering contemporary history once every twelve years when lakhs of pilgrims from all over India travel thither for a holy bath in the river. Bhagavan willed that an All India Conference of office bearers of the Sathya Sai organizations be held there for three days. Over 6000 delegates attended the conference and the gurus who taught Bal Vikas children comprised an additional 750 persons. Swami Karunyananda, the life and soul of all service activities in the Godavari districts, who had discovered in Sathya Sai Baba the God that he had been seeking, was certain that devotees of Baba in the delta region of the Godavari would participate wholeheartedly to make the conference a phenomenal triumph. From every village, young men arrived at Rajahmundry before the new year. They put up pandals, levelled the grounds, dug drains and raised dining halls and kitchens, singing bhajans all the while. They filled the stores with provisions until Swami Karunyananda insisted on "no more" and many villagers returned disappointed and sad that their offerings could not be accepted in the pool. Women streamed into the kitchen and took up the task of preparing elaborate menus. Large quantities of milk, curd and ghee (clarified butter) arrived at the campus in buses reaching Rajahmundry town from every corner. The delegates were guests of the Godavari region and the hospitality bordered on worship. It was a revelation of the deep roots that the Sai message had taken in their hearts and how it had blossomed as love and service. Bhagavan's discourses helped integrate the office bearers into an effective instrument for the revival of dharma. He also blessed the Bal Vikas movement describing it as the basic activity of the Sai movement, and the gurus as its most useful pioneers. Bhagavan's presence during all the three days of the conference induced pilgrims to come to the Godavari from places as distant as Calcutta, Bhopal and Patna.
Prasanthi in Villages
On 3rd February 1974, Bhagavan visited the village of Kannamangala, about six miles from Brindavan. He announced that He had started a college in that region, so that students hailing from its villages could become leaders of the ideal of total revival and reconstruction which He called Janata-Kalyan (peace and prosperity for the people). He advised the students to revere the village and to live there with their kith and kin. "Encourage the formation of the Bal Vikas, the Seva Dal, the Mahila Vibhag and the Seva Samithi in your region," He said. The visit to Kannamangala was indeed historic, for Bhagavan has since visited more than ten villages in that area. He has renovated temples, provided shelters, expanded school buildings, tapped underground water and deepened existing water wells. He has helped promote literacy and has laid the foundation of moral reform by awakening the conscience of the people.
Bhagavan has directed the 4000 Seva Samithis in India to adopt a village each and to serve its people with love and understanding. The old boys association of the Sathya Sai colleges, called 'The Kingdom of Sathya Sai', is shaping itself into an efficient and sincere instrument for continuing this seva (service) in the villages. Bhagavan's grace has reached the villages around Puttaparthi in the form of medical and educational facilities.
Sivarathri '74 was celebrated by Bhagavan at Prasanthi Nilayam. A shed which could seat over 20.000 people had by then risen on the grounds. Speaking about the lingam and its mystery, Baba said, "The Lingam is that which has neither beginning nor end, that towards which all beings move, and that in which all beings merge." The atmosphere at the Nilayam was vibrant with awe and adoration, awaiting the arrival of the lingam. Thousands prayed as one when the first pangs began to show on Baba's face, announcing the great event. A heavy unreasonably large oval, the symbol of the Shiva principle, was persuaded by their sincere yearning to take birth in Baba's physical body and gradually rise along the gullet, to emerge from the mouth and drop into His hands. Holding it aloft for everybody to see, He announced that it was the symbol of cosmic space, the space-time-causation continuum, in concrete form. It represents both the cause and the final effect. It had a luminous trisul (trident usually referred to the one wielded by Lord Siva) inside it. Ecstasy shone on every face. There was no tear of regret for the past, no sigh of anguish for the present, no grimace of anxiety for the future. All were at once alight with delight. Then they heard the voice of Bhagavan,
"Cherish this vision of the emergence. Nourish the Ananda that now gushes in your hearts. I assure you that you have indeed been rendered immortal. You need not pass from birth to death again."No one in that mammoth assembly could have been the same when he rose and walked away. It took days of ministration by Bhagavan to send the longing, lingering devotees home.
In 1974 Baba visited Bombay twice, in early March and in mid May. In March, He blessed a rally of 2500 Bal Vikas children, addressed a gathering of teachers from the university and various colleges, and inaugurated the extension projects of the Industrial Training School and the Agricultural polytechnic at Dharmakshetra. Speaking during the rally, He said, "Parents today are not competent to guide their children. They utter lies, accept bribes, indulge in gambling and spread scandal. They use foul language and boast aloud. Children must make elders ashamed of their habits." In May, He presided over the annual day of the Dharmakshetra school, and flew to the town of Ratnagiri in answer to the prayers of devotees there.
After 27 Years
On His way back from Bombay in March, Bhagavan spent two days at Sandur, in the Bellary District of Karnataka. He inaugurated one of the factories set up by the Raja Saheb to exploit the mineral wealth of that area. The Raja Saheb welcomed Baba, who had last graced the erstwhile kingdom 27 years ago. He related how, in 1949, when he gave up the reins of the state, Baba had assured him, "Don't worry. You will found an organization bigger than the state of Sandur!" And Baba had now come to bless that organization.
The summer course in May-June was widely acclaimed as a must for young people who were about to confront the comedies and tragedies, the follies and frivolities of the human situation, for it strove to equip them with the knowledge of the sages and seers of every land, and bring them into contact with the Avatar of the age. On 19th June, two days before the close, Baba answered a question that was baffling analysts - Who is Sai? He revealed Himself in as much as our dull and dithering reason can accept.
"I have come to unite all mankind into one family and to affirm and illumine in each of you your Atmic Reality... Do not crave from Me trivial material objects. Instead crave for Me, and you will be rewarded,"He declared. No wonder! General Cariappa, former commander-in-chief of the armed forces of India, then called upon the thousand participants for three full-throated cheers of 'Jai Sai Dharma', which echoed all around.
The Dasara festival commemorates the victory of the gods over the demons, of light over darkness, of knowledge over ignorance. So the thousands who throng to His presence are involved in disciplines which help them advance towards that victory. The women's college at Anantapur staged the play, "The Bishop's Candlesticks" and the boy's college at Brindavan (Bangalore) staged a Telugu play 'Pandava Vijayam' (triumph/victory of the Pandavas). Both plays were based on the sovereign cure that selfless love and devotion can effect. The Bhagavata Bhakta Samajam, a group of musicians and speakers drawn together by the bond of brotherhood and the common purpose of fostering 'the perennial philosophy of theism', and which holds three-day sessions of its activities comprising Vedic homa(ge), Puranic readings, devotional songs, folk dances, dramas and musical recitations, was affiliated to the Academy of Pundits by Bhagavan. They added many attractive items of educative and entertainment value.
It was during the birthday festival in 1974 that Baba spoke strongly against the use and abuse of funds. He has always been against public appeals for money, and has warned devotees against both, asking for and giving such donations. He declared that nothing should be brought for Him, because He needed nothing. "Those who bring or advise others to bring, will be kept away," He said.
In March 1975, Bhagavan visited Delhi, spending a week to confer darsan on the multitudes there, besides making short visits to Amritsar, Chandigarh and Simla. He made a visit to Jaipur to see the progress made by the Sathya Sai college in that city. Then He boarded the plane to Bombay, where He unveiled the 40-foot-high pillar erected on the Dharmakshetra hill, depicting the harmony of religions. He was at Prasanthi Nilayam on 20th March, where thousands were waiting to be blessed by darsan of the divinely wrought Sivarathri lingam. On the 25th, when He blessed, by His presence, the Sathya Sai College for women at Anantapur, He advised the residents:
"Women students and teachers must be very vigilant that they do not attract the eyes and tongues of men by their dress, movement, or behavior. Be a little behind in fashion, it does not matter; but do not outrage the traditions and conventions of our culture."With Cows to Gokulam
On 29th August, the Birthday of Lord Krishna, the pages of the Bhagavatha [Bhagavatha Vahini] which describe His boyhood were re-enacted at Puttaparthi. The cows, buffaloes and camels, and also Sai Geetha, the elephant, were taken in procession from Prasanthi Nilayam to their new home, about a kilometer away. Rural pipes and drums led the line. Sai Geetha followed in regal splendor, and the cows, with their attendant seva dal members, came next. Calves, frisking, jumping and butting, were held in check by the college students, while the immovable buffaloes stood and stared until they were pushed and pulled forward. Students of the women's college and others from Prasanthi Nilayam followed behind, singing bhajans. Sai Krishna was also there, with devotees singing around Him in joy. They had witnessed, three days earlier, another page of the Bhagavatha come alive. Incessant heavy rains had brought the Chitravathi into the village, and she swelled into swirling anger. Indra, the God of rain, appeared to cast his anger on the cowherd village again, but unlike as in the Bhagavatha days [see BV, chapter 38], this Krishna did not lift a mountain on His palm to shelter man and beast. He disappointed the peaks, by walking up to the open terrace of the east Prasanthi flats and cast a look at the turbulent waters seeking entry. That was enough. The flood began to recede steadily. During the Dasara festival Prasanthi Nilayam was quiet, except for a few extra ceremonies that the inmates were allowed to observe. For Bhagavan could not, in His boundless love, impose on the devotees, however eager, a ten-day stay Dasara and another ten-day stay on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the Advent, scheduled from 14th to 24th November.
Slice of all the Maps
"All Roads Lead to Puttaparthi" was the headline in the daily papers. Special trains, reserved coaches, omnibuses, trucks and tractors, scooters and cycles, horse-drawn vehicles and bullock carts, all unloaded thousands of pilgrims in a continuous flux at the Nilayam. From overseas, thousands alighted at Bangalore and taxied to the place. The prophecy that Baba would be an orange speck in the distant eminence, well nigh came true. Besides the construction of seven gigantic sheds, hundreds of ad hoc shelters hastily contrived, and scores of tents and pandals were permitted to fill every patch of available space in and around the township. 5000 members of the seva dal stayed on duty night and day, cooking, serving, sweeping, cleaning, guarding, guiding and helping. Teams of doctors were stationed in temporary clinics and at the hospital. Kitchens for serving eastern and western food were set up.
A rally of bal vikas pupils (about 1000, selected from every state) was held. These children had the privilege of marching past Bhagavan Himself. More than a thousand bal vikas gurus attended a two-day conference which was inaugurated by Bhagavan. For the world conference of off