Cities
Aflame
Charles Penn writes
from Los Angeles, "Across the oceans, Baba reaches to each one of us,
time after time. He blesses; He leads. He gives strength to those
needing support. He smiles His acknowledgement to a whispered "God
bless..." and beckons those He wants to guide to Prasanthi Nilayam.
He teaches us that life is endless, not punctuated by nights, days,
months and years - for all are one, in the eternal stream." [See SB: Canto 3 : 11]
Bhagavan
on the Sun chariot
This was the lesson
Baba gave to the gathering at Prasanthi Nilayam also on the
Uttarayana Day, January 14,
1966. Festivals based on the calendar, solar or lunar, celebrating the
apparent change of movement or direction of the sun or the moon have
been devised, He said, in order to emphasize the need for mind-control
(the moon is the presiding deity of the mind) and
intelligence-regulation (the sun is the presiding deity of
intelligence). (*) and (**).
Placing disproportionate faith in material wealth and objective
pleasures, man has lost the art of tapping the resources of joy within
himself, within his own mind and intelligence. One need not wait for
Uttarayana to arrive, for resolving upon the process of mind-control
and intelligence-control. Every moment is the right moment - that is
Baba's Message. His is the urgent, the insistent Call for wakefulness,
for action, for gaining the joy of spiritual progress, without delay or
diminution.
He thrills our hearts
with this Message, as no one else can; for, who else can say, as He
does: "The kinship between Me and you is ageless; it is eternal. It is
not based on worldly relationships; it is based on the aspiration of
the heart for the very source and spring of inexhaustible joy. I see
you all, as waves of the sea, when the moon rises in the sky. I see the
Ananda shining on your faces. The love you have for the source of
love is the real root of that Ananda."
Every year, since 1940
when He announced that He was Sai Baba 'come again', the emergence of
one Linga (or many)
from His Body through His mouth has taken place, during the Lingodbhava
muhurtha (the auspicious moment for the exterior manifestation of the
symbol of the all-pervasive Divine Principle). This is an inscrutable
mystery: how the Lingas of various types of stone or metal are formed
within Him and how they emerge at that particular moment, every year,
calculated according to the ancient texts of Jothishasastra! Nine
lingas, of 'silver' have come out one year; in other years, there have
emerged five or seven or three or two, all in a lump or in succession.
Until that illustrious moment, no one can pronounce on the number,
size, or composition of the lingas that are undergoing concretization
in Him. It is all so normal, until the Lingodbhava muhurtha
arrives.
The gathering of 20 or
25 thousand sit expectant and worshipful, listening to the discourses
by Pundits on some scriptural text or spiritual discipline. The talks
are mostly on Siva, the Aspect of the Godhead that destroys the basic
ignorance, that awards enlightenment, overwhelms the accumulated
consequences of the past, and wipes off all traces of one's ancestry,
in order to cleanse the mighty stream, called the mind. When the
Pundits have finished, Baba takes up the trend and sweetens the
programme with one of His inimitable discourses. At some point during
that discourse or at the end of it, during the Bhajan sessions which
Baba leads with a few songs, people become aware of His slight cough
which, as many of them know, is the harbinger of the precious Linga.
The empyrean eloquence is interrupted off and on, by gasps until the
internal thrust can no longer be checked. Then, amidst the paean of
Praise, Om Namah Sivaya, [Om, I bow with devotion for Siva]
rising from many thousands of hearts, the Lingas travel to the mouth
and fall on to a silver plate. Baba invariably holds them aloft for all
to see and revere; they are kept for public view the whole night and in
the morning, Baba takes them in His Palm and passes along the serried
ranks of bhakthas, who are stunned by the size which could not, without a
miracle, pass through the tiny passage of His throat.
In 1966, after about 20
minutes of swaying and heaving, gasping and coughing, in order to ease
the passage, an emerald Linga, three inches high, fixed on a pedestal
five inches broad, that had formed itself in Him emerged from His
mouth, to the unspeakable joy and relief of the huge gathering, which
was watching His face with single pointed attention. Thousands were
exhilarated by this Divine event, which took place in the newly built,
magnificently lit Santhi Vedika. The entire night was spent by the
gathering in Bhajan. Baba appeared again at the Santhi Vedika at dawn
the next day, when the Bhajan was closing. He reminded the people, on
the meaning of the vigil and the paen, the lesson of sense-control, of
mind-control, and the elimination of the ego, by rigorous discipline.
Then He moved along the lines of pilgrims with the unique illustration
of His Glory, so that their eyes could feast on It. [The Sugar and the
Ants]
In the last week of
February, 1966, Baba presided over the School Day Celebrations of the
Zilla Parishad High School, Bukkapatnam, which grew into a High school
because of His Blessings, since He had given it the privilege of
calling Him an 'old boy'. In grateful acknowledgement of His fostering
care, the school is named, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba High School.
Baba exhorted the parents to hold forth for emulation by the children,
good examples of virtue and humility, and service to fellowmen. On the
2nd day of March, He was at Hyderabad, for a three day session of the
Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha. About 50 to 60 thousand people listened
eagerly each day to the discourses of scholars like Prof. Vinayak
Krishna Gokak and Sri.D. Venkatavadhani, and to the alchemic addresses
of Bhagavan
Himself.
Baba is by far the most
moving speaker in the world today, for, He keeps hundreds of thousands
listening for hours in rapt attention to the highest philosophical
truths, which He analyses and presents in the sweetest of styles; each
one feels that the speech is directed at him, in order to help him out
of the intellectual or moral tangle into which he has been drawn by
circumstances; each one rises with a lessened load, happy and strong,
for having had the experience of listening to that melodious voice
which opens the gates of heaven to the poorest in spirit as well as to
the richest. No wonder Prof. Gokak was inspired to sing in verse:
Have
you seen Baba,
Who sets cities aflame with longing.
And, drenches them, with the delight of existence?
You have missed the very meaning of your life,
If you haven't seen Him and heard Him!
Baba made it clear that
the Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha was designed by Him to remind men of the
road they have missed and of the paltry lane of pitfalls into which
they have strayed. The patient has now no respect for the doctor who
alone can cure him or the drug which alone can give relief. Imitative
condemnation and superficial cynicism are destroying the faith of the
children of the land in their own invaluable culture; they are becoming
victims of alien attitudes and fashions of dress, behavior and mental
outlook! The Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha will pave the way to peace,
though not to the competitive achievement of glory.
Baba reached Bombay, on
His third visit to the City, on the 13th day of March, 1966. As Baba
has said, "Maharashtra is a holy land, where the stream of
Bhakthi has fertilized
social, political, and philosophical fields for ages. Ramdas, Tukaram,
Jnaneswar and many others have filled the hearts of the people with
reverence for God and love for man; this was also the field of
activity, the center from which radiated the grandeur, of the Sai Form
of this present Sathya Sai. "Do not doubt that Maharashtra will soon be
a center of Dharmic Revival". During the fortnight that He stayed in
Bombay, Baba established Himself in the hearts of hundreds of thousands
of its citizens, through His simplicity and sweetness. As Dr. Gokak has
described it, He becomes noiselessly and naturally the patriarch of
each family
That
gathers around His knee,
And drinks the golden honey of His love.
He's the eternal Child playing in the garden.
Winning back the adults of an erring world,
Through sheer simplicity and innocence of heart.
He is the healer of a world in pain;
The blue-throated God,
That drinks the poison of the world's suffering,
To make it happy and whole.
Bhagavân and Dr. V.K. Gokak
His speech with even
casual visitors becomes a pat on the back, often a prick to the bubble,
a stab to the ego, a candle in the darkness, a stick to the lame, a
path in the wilderness, a rose amidst the thorns, a beacon that beckons
to nobility and divinity. A smile from Him is a cherished treasure that
one would nourish in the silence of the shrine. The stories and similes
with which He illumines philosophical conundrums are valued possessions
for ever. People clamour for the chance to touch His Feet, to have
their children named, or initiated into spiritual disciplines according
to scriptural rules by Him, to receive some token of His Grace, and to
lay before Him their mental and physical illness so that He may render
them whole. His Grace grants 'colour to the painter, notes to the
composer, voice to the singer, strength to the athlete, endurance to
the climber, and bliss to the Yogi!' So, all roads led to Gwalior
Palace, Worli Beach, for full two weeks in Bombay, for Baba gave Darsan
in the morning and the evening of every day, there, during
Bhajan Sessions.
Bhajan! Baba has given,
like Chaithanya Mahaprabhu centuries ago, an extraordinary impetus to
the congregational singing of the praise of God. He declares that when
one breathes in the atmosphere rendered fragrant with the name of God,
all egoistic impulses are eliminated: He has emphasized that when the
name is sung, the way in which the name originated, the halo which it
carries, the nuances of its meaning have also to be recalled to memory.
It is not just gymnastics for the tongue; it is gymnastics for the
mind, anemic, malformed and maimed, in order to strengthen it with the
tonic of the tone of Heaven, correct it with the pressurized massage of
beat and tal, and cure it with the drug of divine joy that the
association with good men bring. The sweetness of the human voice is
never more apparent than when it is used to sing the majesty of God;
the highest bliss is won when one merges, with thousands of others, in
the flood of Ananda, which the
Darsan of Sathya Sai Baba,
moving among the thirsty, the pining, the sick, the distressed, and the
divinely oriented, confers.
As Dr. K. Bhaskaran
Nair writes, "the deafness of our soul is cured and the heavenly
harmony is again audible to the ear of faith! The humblest life is
lifted to the skies and acquires the aura of eternity. Man is enabled
to find sense in this chaos of experience, and discover the meaning and
measure of this incomprehensive flux of perpetual 'flourishing and
perishing' which we call Time."
As Hon'ble Sri P.K.
Savant, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra and
erstwhile Chairman of Shirdi Samsthan said, "Bhagavan is the
Avathar of Sai Baba of
Shirdi, to whom millions look for strength and solace. Baba belongs to
Maharashtra in a special sense, though He has come for all humanity."
The Bhajan Sessions provided splendid chances for Sai devotees to serve
the people of Bombay. Hundreds of trained volunteers served visitors
with humility and loving regard; Baba selected from the gathering,
children and old persons who were ill beyond repair by medical skill
and, calling them aside after the Bhajan, diagnosed and dealt with
them, with Divine Love to bless them with relief and health.
Baba addressed mammoth
gatherings, the like of which even Bombay has seldom seen in its long
history, at the Sardar Vallabhai Stadium, on the 16th, 17th and on the
23rd of March. The last meeting was on Gudi Padua Day, the Festival of
the New Year in Maharashtra and lakhs of people directed their steps to the
stadium to have His Darsan and to hear His Voice, as their inaugural
experience for the coming twelve-month-period of their lives. Baba too
gave them a message that, as Sri Page, the Chairman of the Maharashtra
Legislative Council said, could "sweeten and lighten" the burden of
life. Baba said, "Man is tossed about by every wind and wave; he has
weakened his will and warped his vision. So, he drifts into the shoals
und whirlpools. He is the child of immortality, heir to Divinity -
destined to be the master of the mind and its waywardness - the crown
of creation. He is not a monkey that has taken but a few steps towards
civilization. Realize the God that is immanent in the Universe, that is
calling out for recognition from every flower, every dewdrop, every
star that twinkles in the sky; realize Him as the source of the Ananda
that you project on the objects around you, so that you may enjoy them.
That realization will clothe the world, and you, in a new and glorious
vesture; it will make you unafraid; it will render death a pleasant
passage to birthlessness."
Baba found time, while
in Bombay, to discuss with the members of the Maharashtra Branch of the
Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha as well as other seekers and aspirants,
personal, and philosophical problems. He stepped into the hearts of all
who sought solace and sustenance.
Baba left Bombay on the
26th of March, for Poona, where the city had arranged a grand welcome
for Him. On the 27th, He addressed a gathering in the premises of their
Association. "There are thousands before Me here, listening to My
words, but, fundamentally, you are all one; you are but a thousand
waves on the face of the Ocean. Food is earned by the combined efforts
of all the limbs and skills of body. It is converted by the stomach
into sustenance and strength, and given back in that form to all the
limbs that helped to produce it. You are all limbs of that One body,
the Purusha, who is far more expansive than this Universe, which is a
fraction of His physical manifestation." He spoke about the attempts to
limit oneself by name and form, as belonging to this nation or that,
speaking one language or another and building a cage around oneself.
Referring to the remark made by some one, while welcoming Him, that it
was a 'family gathering', Baba said, "Yes; this is a family gathering.
As a matter of fact, all gatherings into which I come are family
gatherings for Me; the entire mankind is My family. I carry no labels
assigning a country of origin or residence for Myself. I am above all
labels."
Baba reached Gulbarga,
in the State of Mysore, late at night on the 28th, and by sunrise He
saw sitting in long lines all over the vast maiden, people from far and
near, eager to carry away in their hearts the picture of His smiling
face. Baba moved among them and distributed
Vibhuti to one and all.
Later, at the Public Garden where another mammoth gathering awaited His
Presence, Baba sang a few Bhajans and gave the Gulbargians a taste of
the sweetness of His Heavenly Voice. Baba reached Hyderabad, in time to
give Darsan to devotees on the Day dedicated to the Advent Of Sri Rama. That day is sacred to devotees for another
reason too, for, it was on that day that Baba gave the land the
institution round which has crystallized the faith and hope of the
custodians of the Vedic culture of India, namely, Prasanthi
Vidwanmahasabha. Therefore, the Hyderabad Branch of the Prasanthi
Vidwanmahasabha inaugurated on Sri Rama's Birthday monthly discourses
on the ancient but timeless texts of spiritual discipline. Baba
returned to Prasanthi Nilayam on the 4th day of April, after assuring
lakhs of people that Divinity has not given up Humanity, but, has only
to be discovered within man himself.
Baba is a unique
phenomenon and therefore, no one can identify Him or understand Him. In
1960, He said, "I have not come to Madras for personal propaganda or
publicity; I have not come to collect disciples or devotees. I am
yours, though you may doubt, discard or deny Me. You are mine, though I
am far away in space or time. What then is the need for publicity or
propaganda? I am in you; you are in Me; we are inseparable. This truth
can be known by you only when you know yourself". But, the world has
foolish men who can feed their ego only by slandering those who are
superior to them. Even in His 20th year, Baba assuaged the resentment
of His elder brother, who feared that the role which Baba had taken up
will draw upon Him the evil eye of envy and hate. Baba had replied that
He would never be affected by praise or blame, that He was beyond the
bounds of time and space, and that He would pursue the task upon which
He has come unintermittently. "I invite all to come, experience,
discriminate and judge and benefit from Me. Dive before you pronounce
your estimate of the depth; eat before you declare the taste," He
wrote.
This demand is beyond
people who dip their pen in tar and revel in the gloom of night.
Pathetic efforts have been made since the very first annunciation of
Baba to wean people away from His Feet, by those who saw thousands
trekking to Puttaparthi and returning home happier, healthier and more
convinced of their own liberation from bondage. But, Baba has dismissed
these with Divine Disdain and planted His Feet on Earth and Sky as He
planned when He arrived in this Human Form. "To grasp My Meaning, you
have to tear into tatters the doubts and diversions that you now
indulge in, and develop Prema.
For, the embodiment of Prema can be known only through wisdom and pure
Prema."
Microscopic brains
exaggerate the colour of the gown that Baba wears and the curly hair
that forms His distinctive crown and adjectives and expressions such as
'mediaeval potentate', 'luxurious silk' etc., as if Baba is an ascetic
attempting laborously to travel along the path of Sadhana! Baba says, "The
jnani will not look upon Me
as wearing this dress, a yellow gown today, pink gown tomorrow, cotton
in summer, silk in winter; He will penetrate to the Truth behind this
Name and Form and he will know that this Body is a 'dress' worn for a
purpose! The Avathar that will take place next, of this same Principle,
will have another dress". This was said by Him in 1960.
In 1962, during the
Birthday Festival, He said, "I have often told you not to identify Me
with this particular physical build-up. But, you do not understand. You
call Me by one Name only and believe I have only this one Form.
Remember, there is no Name I do not bear; there is no Form I do not
fill. You have not understood me at all, if you come one day and go
away the next, saying, 'I have seen Sathya Sai Baba; He wears a fine
long gown; He has wonderful hair! Determine to discover, decide to
learn, dive deep and then, it will be made known to you, for, it is the
right of such as you."
Baba is aware that mean
men sneer at Him, as a 'magician'. At Vyasasram, established by the
renowned Malayala Swami at Yerpedu, He said, "People say that mine is
all magic, black or white. Well, they can say with equal truth that
Krishna held aloft the Govardhana Mountain [Bhagatha Vahini, Chapter 38] or that Rama built the bridge across the
sea, [Ramakatha Rasavahini, Chapter 7a and 7b] through black magic! The manifestation of
the Divine can only be through inexplicable means, or miracles. They
cannot be equated with magic. How can the egg of the cuckoo be equated
with the egg of the crow? Magic thrives on deceit, the tricks are
rooted in falsehood and are used for appeasing the greed for food,
clothing and shelter. This Body, which has come through Divine Will to
uphold Truth can never stoop to that depth. No. Never."
The miracles which are
spontaneous expressions of Baba's Divinity patent in His Presence, as
well as where His physical Presence is not evident, are not for
advertisement or publicity. Baba said at Venkatagiri in 1964, "These
miracles, as you call them, are but means towards the establishment of
Dharma, which is My Task. Some people remark that Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa has said that miracles produced by the faculties earned by
Sadhana are obstructions in the path of the
Sadhaka and they should be
avoided by those who want to reach the goal of self-realization.
Ramakrishna said that the Sadhaka will be tempted to overdo the
demonstration and so inflate his ego. This is correct advice, so far as
Sadhakas are concerned. But, the absurdity lies in equating Me with the
Sadhaka whom Ramakrishna wanted to warn."
The miraculous cures
that Baba effects when His Grace is sought after by people are also
incidental and secondary, according to Him. "The removal of misery and
distress is not the main plank of My Mission. My task is not merely to
cure, console, and remove individual misery. It is something far more
important. For the plantain tree, the fruit is the chief consummation;
but, the leaves, and the trunk are also useful to man. My main task is
to promote, preserve, and propagate Sanathana Dharma."
Do not hunger for comfort, for continuous bonds with the outer world,
for more and more things to worry about; hunger for Ananda, deep and
full! I know that most of you come to Me for tinsel and trash, petty
promotions and profits, status symbols and short-lived fame. Very few
ask from Me the thing I have come to give, namely, liberation from
grief and pain, worry and fear, anxiety and agony."
Since the vile
insinuations that are circulated by the calumniators are the products
of envy at what they consider to be the luxurious living standard of
Baba, it is good to remember that Baba eats the food of the poorest of
this land, without any milk or curds or butter or ghee and that He has
no tastes for sweets. He sits and sleeps on the same mattress, at
Prasanthi Nilayam and uses dilapidated cars or taxis in cities, lest
the masses recognize Him and follow Him, for the coveted Darsan! Baba
gives another reason also to infer that His lot is unenviable, to say
the least. "Some of you may feel that it is glorious for the Lord to
come in human form. If you were in My place, you would not feel so
glorious. For, I am aware of the past, present and future of every one
of you. Therefore, I am not moved so moved by mercy; I know why a
person suffers in this birth, what it is the consequence of. So, I
react differently from you; you may call Me either cold-hearted or
soft-hearted. I do not cause joy or grief; you design these chains that
bind you with gold or iron."
He is the most tireless
worker at the Nilayam, planning, designing, arranging and supervising
every little act that conduces to the proper functioning of its various
world-wide activities. Nothing is done, there or in other places where
organizations function in His Name, without His express permission and
blessings. At the Nilayam, He is busy day and night, teaching,
training, consoling, comforting and counseling, the hundreds who come
to Him for light and guidance. Even while on tour, He uses what little
time He can spare for the amelioration of the suffering and the
distress of the poor and the downhearted. "Make every moment holy by
filling it with loving service" He advises, by example more than by
precept.
Baba curbs the
enthusiasm of devotees and does not allow them to display the fruits of
the Grace they have received from Him. He declares that such display is
highly unspiritual, for it promotes egoism. He condemns in very strong
terms those who try to earn popularity and profit by erecting Mandirs
and Temples for Him! Speaking at Kakinada in March 1965, Baba said, "I
strongly discourage attempts to build temples for Me. I ask, instead,
that existing temples be renovated and used more. This mania for
Mandirs has become a popular business adventure! People, armed with
lists, search for likely victims and squeeze donations out of them, by
using My Name. A great deal of back-biting, envy and greed is generated
in this process; pushing your Master's name forward easily degenerates
into tarnishing the name of the other man's Master." At Madras too, He
harped on the same theme. "I do not appreciate this enthusiasm. Worship
any Form, under any Name, in any Temple! You neglect the ancient
temples of this City and build new ones, only to neglect them, also
when you discover some reason to give up these new ones. People who run
helter-skelter clamoring for donations for Mandirs are really promoting
Atheism, for they are urged by greed, malice and egoism, rather than by
the dedicatory spirit of devotion. When these self-styled promoters of
the cause come to you, do not give even a paisa. Why do you need a hall
for japam or dhyanam? Make your house a small mandir for
yourself; meditate in your shrine room. Sing Bhajana with your
children. Impress others by your sweet speech, your humility, your
universal love, your steady faith, your truthfulness. Then, others will
come into the fold of believers, in numbers larger than any hall could
bring."
Baba is ever on the
watch to stop the overflowing of devotion into absurd channels. For
example, there was a man who devised a series of discourses on Baba and
the Prasanthi Nilayam, in which he sought to win popularity and money
by attributing sacred properties to every tree and well, every stone
and stump at the Nilayam, representing them as 'gods' and 'sages'! Baba
sent me to his field of activity and directed me to warn his fans and
to scotch his campaign of absurd adulation! He is ever alert to condemn
the hysterical outpourings of adolescent and childish devotees, who
affect to be 'possessed' by Him and to reply to questions asked, as if
they are Himself! Any behavior that weakens man, that trades upon the
signs of Grace, that sets up pompous symbols of the simple truth is
immediately condemned by Baba, in His discourses or through a note in
the Sanathana Sarathi magazine and its subsidiaries.
To misuse the freedom
of speech and expression that we have won in India after a hard
struggle and to taint with foul tongue and pen this Sublimely Sacred
Phenomenon, with so much power, wisdom and love is, we know, undiluted
wickedness! But, Baba will only say that it is a part of His Play.
"Without this dark slander, the splendor of My Glory will not shine
bright".
Expecting Baba to be
just another itinerant Fakir, who trades upon his esoteric skill, many
mean and small men, who can see only meanness and smallness, are
slandering Him, wherever His Glory shines. All men must hang their
heads in shame that human beings like themselves sit in their dens and
concoct outrageously despicable fiction about a person whose movements
and utterances, attitudes and manners are so impeccably divine. It is a
measure of the fortitude and self-control that Baba has instilled into
those whom He has drawn towards Him that the rags which revel in this
gutter are left alone, to die of starvation. All who have tasted His
sweetness are pained by this exhibition of acute malign phobia. Many
newspapers howl pitiably against the Moon of His Majesty, and silence
themselves when their throats get too sore, or when their hunger is not
appeased by blackmail. Some men in Bombay unaware of His Glory, once
pitted a practitioner of yogic feats, like consuming nails and acids,
against His Majesty and, when He passed unconcernedly by, tried to
raise a laugh, which recoiled on themselves.
Baba referred to it at
Anantapur, where He presided over a School Day, soon after His return.
"Last month, I was in Maharashtra State, in Bombay, where lakhs and
lakhs of people were able to slake their thirst for Darsan; I was
discoursing to several thousands on the fundamentals of the Vedas and
the Sastras and directing the members of the Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha
(Maharashtra Branch) to resuscitate the great culture of our land. I
was discussing with Ministers of Maharashtra State and the Home
Minister of the Central Government, Sri Y.B. Chavan, and also judges,
business magnates, doctors, lawyers, editors and others, besides
spiritual leaders of various religions about Dharmasthapana, or
the revival of Dharma. But, here, in this part of India, newspapers
were wallowing in the lies they invented and circulated, about My being
all the while in prison. Yes! I am imprisoned in the hearts of My
devotees."
"Of course, such
calumny is the experience of Eminence everywhere, at all times. This is
My experience, in previous eras also. The successors of Sisupala must
even now fret and fume, vomiting brimstone and fire, against truth and
right. I pity these unfortunates who, in order to scrape together a few
paise from discontented and diseased minds, stoop to such venial
tricks! These sub-human antics might pain some of you; so, I declare,
'Even if all the fourteen worlds unite against Me, the work for which I
have come will not suffer a bit; even if earth and heaven continue, My
Truth will remain unshaken'".
Perhaps in response to
the first rumblings of this tale of gall, Baba had said during Dasara
1965 itself, "There are some who write and speak as if they have known
Me. I can only say this: They can never know Me, for, to know Me, one
has to rise to this Stature. Again, listen to this: My activities and
movements will not be altered whoever may pass whatever opinion on
them. People may remark disparagingly on My dress, on My gown of
colored fabric, on My hair - but, I am not affected at all. Does a
person become holier by wearing rags? Pay attention to what is grown in
the heart, not on the head. I shall not stop My plans, My
Dharmasthapana, My Bhaktharakshana,
My discourses, My miracles, which are but expressions of My
miraculousness; nor shall I retrace or retract. For the Past 26 years,
I have been carrying on alone the task of inculcating Prasanthi in the
hearts of those who have lost the art of gaining it. I am ever happy,
full of joy. I smile at those who deride Me and invent lies about Me; I
smile at those who praise Me."
Baba advised those who
were afflicted by this irresponsible but futile mudslinging, to be calm
and unconcerned. "Do not damage your health by anger or worry. Be
happy, on the other hand, that while you call on Me in your shrines,
these men shout My name, along the dark squalid bye-lanes and by the
busy bus-stops, where they hope to find victims for their salacious
ware. Many people who read the rag, through sheer craving for the
sensational, will be turned towards the Truth, by the very absurdity
and unbelievability of the lies". He instanced the story of Bhasmasura,
who won from Siva the power of causing a conflagration on the body of
anyone, upon whose head he places his hand. He tried to kill Siva
Himself by this newly won capability: but, God so manipulated events
that, unaware of what he was doing to himself, Bhasmasura was tempted
to place his hand upon his own head; he died in the conflagration that
he caused upon himself. So too, their wickedness and their pride will
be reduced to ashes in the fire of repentance". [See also: Sandehanivarini] In fact, a gentleman, who ignorantly equated Baba with his
own species of exhibitionistic yogis and who challenged him to do a
much-advertised feat, was humiliated by his own conceit; his promoters
suffered dramatic discomfiture!
Baba analyzed the
motives of these men afflicted with pride. He said, "Egoism is the
seed-plot of a host of down dragging tendencies, like greed, anger,
malice and hate. It clouds the intelligence and distorts the face of
the real into the disgusting features of the false. It hides truth in a
cloud of dust and urges man on into immoral deeds, in the effort to
cater to the claims of self-aggrandizement". During Dasara, 1966, Baba
spoke of some yogis who boast that they can walk on water and challenge
others to do likewise. "It is a far greater and far more useful vital
attainment, if a yogi can rid himself of envy, pride, greed and
malice".
Speaking of men of
little faith, Baba said on Krishna-janmashtami,
1966, "Do not give ear to what others say; believe your own experience,
your own eyes. Whatever gives you joy and peace, believe in that as
genuine. Why should you go about asking all and sundry, whether
something is salt or sugar? Having judged it as sugar, why should you
revise your opinion, when some one cavils at it and says it is salt?
Put a little on your tongue; that will clinch the issue. Do not deny
with the tongue, what you have relished in the heart; do not bear false
witness to your own conscience. Do not adjust your opinion to the
company you fall into", He advised.
Only the Divine can
evince such Love and such Mercy, towards error and mischief. Baba
forgave His traducers, for they were as He said, "moths whose nature is
to bore into fabrics. They cannot but do anything else; they have an
inner impulse, which they have not been taught to overcome. They
slander all who come in their purview. The moth bores into cotton
saris, woolen cloth, silken vestments; it has no discrimination in its
make-up. So, be happy that they are deriving joy by reviling Me. My aim
is to render all men joyful. If these men can derive joy through such
means, why should you deny them that avenue for the expression of their
nature? I am glad that they are able to feed their wives and children
with the income which the stink sheets give them. Why should you be
miserable, when they are eating their meal?"
Baba is Premaswarupa;
He is Love, in every limb and look, in every glance and stance; in
every gesture and vesture of thought. So, He pardons these dealers in
untruth and asks all good men to pray for their correction. "Sooner or
later, they are bound to repent; no man can wander in the wilderness
for long; when he discovers that he has lost his way, he will stop and
retrace his steps, until he regains the highway. Pray for their
transformation into Sathwic individuals, for the speedy cure of their blindness, for
their tongues to cognize the taste of Truth. Direct your love to these
misguided brothers; they will rejoin the pilgrim path, soon", Baba
said, addressing the Dasara gathering in 1966. He gave the example of
the leech which relishes diseased blood from the w9und, but drops off,
when it is too bloated to suck further. "They too will fall off, when
they have had their fill".
"When water is poured
into milk, the water too acquires value and fetches a price! When lies
are manufactured about the great, people who prefer nauseating food
will pay cash for them".
Baba mentioned also a
positive advantage, which these traducers confer. He said, "When the
winnowing is done, the husk falls afar, and it can be thrown into the
furnace. The grain forms a mound, it can be stored and made into bread
that sustains and gives strength. These men fanning the empty air
separate the chaff from the grain. Persons without deep-rooted faith
fall off at the first whisper of scandal, but persons who have their
faith deep-rooted, stand up against the storm; they get only tougher
and harder in fiber."
In May 1966, Baba spent
about ten days in a coffee plantation in the charming Hill District of
Coorg, in Mysore. Coorg is the home of a hardy race of stalwarts in the
fields of sports and battle. It is the nursery of heroic soldiers. The
Coorgs are hospitable and pious. They trekked long distances, up hill
and down hill, along the winding roads, in order to have a glimpse of
the Lord staying in their midst. Baba had a smile and a blessing for
everyone of them; He visited a number of Coorg houses and spread
sunlight and joy. The bungalow where He stayed became the target for
cars and omnibuses, from miles around. Later, Baba left for Madras and
from thence, He accompanied some devotees to Kodaikanal, another
salubrious Hill Station. Every day, at Kodaikanal, as at Coorg, Bhajan
sessions were held, so that hundreds and thousands could imbibe the joy
of singing the glory of God in chorus and the thrill of the Darsan of
Baba. Baba said, "The good luck of these people on the hills brought Me
here; else, I had no plan to come".
Soon, Baba drove down
to Madurai City where devotees had completed the construction of a new
suburb around a Sai Baba Temple, which was named Sathya Sai Nagar in
reverential gratitude. Discourses were given by Pundits from Tamilnad
on three evenings and Baba, who presided, supplemented them with His
elucidations.
The
Gift of Nectar (Kasturi is holding the sacred vessel)
Returning to Prasanthi
Nilayam, with the first rains of the monsoon, Baba was available for
Darsan to about 10.000 people who gathered for Darsan on Guru Pournima;
He gave each of them a few drops of Amrit, Nectar, with the exhortation that the
tongue which has tested Amrit should no longer relish Anrit
(False-hood). Baba inaugurated the Branch of the State Bank at
Prasanthi Nilayam Township an amenity to help the residents as well the
thousands who visit the place. Baba transmutes each such occasion into
a spiritual harvest; so, in His Discourse, He compared the Bank where
money is taken and given, to the Bank where Love alone is accepted and
given. "That Bank", He said, "receives deposits and maintains accounts
strictly and confidentially. Every little is entered and accounted for,
thoughts, deeds, words, good, bad, indifferent. Develop the saving
habit, for saving yourself. Here they take Dhanam (money); there, they
take Dhyanam (equanimity) as deposit". Each sentence was a brilliant
flash, revealing the deepest Truth.
On the third of August,
Baba presided over the Opening Day Celebrations of the Primary Health
Center at Kothacheruvu, a village seven miles by road from the Nilayam.
Baba was welcomed enthusiastically by the villagers, as well as by the
Hon'ble Minister for Panchayath Raj, Dr. Lakshminarasiah from
Hyderabad, and leaders elected to Local Bodies by the people of
Anantapur District. One of them, Sri T. Ramachandra Reddy, the
President of the District Board, Anantapur, confessed "I must admit
that it is only after His fame has spread allover the world that we,
who are living so near Puttaparthy have come to realize His Divinity!"
The Minister also, said "He is so near us but, we commit the mistake of
dealing with Him as if He is distant". There were many officers of the
District on the dais. So, Baba said, "The Cabinet of Ministers, the
Officers and the People are like the three blades of the fan rotating
here, to give us cool comfort; they must all be activated by the
current, (the spirit of service) in order to give happiness and peace."
The mention by the Doctor in charge, of the need for family planning by
means of artificial aids drew from Baba a forthright condemnation of
the movement, that is bound to undermine morality and let loose
buffeting storms of passion, "It is only rigorous self-control through
Sadhana that can ensure the acceptance of parental responsibility;
general movements to spread artificial aids will bring about the fall
of moral standards."
The fourth of August,
1966, is an important date in the history of Prasanthi Nilayam for, on
that day, the Minister for Panchayath Raj, Andhra Pradesh ceremonially
declared that the area was separated from the village of Puttaparthi of
which it was but a 'ward' and, constituted into an administrative unit,
named the Prasanthi Nilayam Township. This was because the Nilayam was
fast developing into the spiritual hub of India and the world; its rays
were heralding the dawn of a bright new Day in all the continents of
the earth. Baba called upon the residents of the Colony to "use the new
administrative set-up, for the benefit of this as well as neighboring
areas".
In September, on the
Birthday of Krishna, Baba gave Amrit to all who had gathered and also
the Amrit of His Discourse on two days. "Edison", He said, "the great
scientist and inventor, used to spend hours and days in his laboratory
concentrating on some experiment or problem; milk, bread or tea was
pushed into the room from under the closed door, but, they were
untouched until he solved the riddle that was in his mind. So great is
the concentration that science demands. Consider then how much more
should the Sadhaka be fixed in single-mindedness, in order to achieve
success in the subtler and the more sublime sphere of spiritual
conquest. Man must be both bright and light, like the lamp that floats
on the Ganga at Hardwar. If the weight of worldly desire is added, the
lamp will sink and the light will go out."
Dasara, 1966! While
discoursing prior to the Hoisting of the Prasanthi Flag, Baba gave a
new message to the thousands before Him: "I shall tell you of one form
of worship which will endow you with divine strength". It was the
reverential and grateful use by man of the five elements that are his
constituents and His Manifestations, earth, water, fire, air and ether!
"Use them all intelligently", He said, "use them to promote your own
welfare and the welfare of others; use them in moderation and for the
service of humanity".
The Hospital Day
Celebrations were presided over by Opal Macrae, a famous writer and
social worker from United States who had come to the Nilayam for her
Sadhana. She spoke of her attempts to cure insanity, feeblemindedness
and other defects by the therapy of music in New York and Hongkong.
Baba said, "Music is the instrument by which passions are sublimated,
emotions tamed, and impulses directed to higher purposes. India has
recognized the therapeutic excellence of music long, long ago." Baba
declared that medicine and hospitalization are for those who hesitate
and argue in doubt. For those who rely on the Supreme Doctor, His Name
is drug enough.
In His Discourses on
the significance of the Yajna,
on the activities of the Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha, on the occasion of
the recitation of poems by poets, on the drama, 'Radhabhakti' which He
wrote and directed (containing as He said 'the quintessence of a dozen
discourses of Mine') Baba was continuously harping on the pathetic
condition of the world and of India, which He has come to heal. "The
world is now narrowly compartmentalized, on the bases of religion,
color, convictions etc. Those who question the validity of compartments
are themselves in a compartment! Metal pieces gathered in a heap are
still pieces; they have not been fused; fuse the peoples by the heat of
Love into One. The heart must be purged of hate. when God is installed
therein, hate will flee. The thinkers of the West are turning to the
East to learn the art of keeping peace and winning peace - lasting,
satisfying peace - Prasanthi. The sun is a minute dot of light, when
compared with some of the stars; but, it does give illumination and
drives away darkness. So too, India may be a poor and weak nation but
it can give light and grant peace." Baba also spoke of the social
illnesses of maladjustment that are infesting the world, in the wake of
mechanization and industrialization. He said they smother man's divine
nature, which struggles to blossom into Service, Sacrifice and
Sadhana.
On the Deepavali Day,
1966, Baba said that Festival of Lights is ordained to celebrate the
victory of heavenly over hellish impulses. Many thousands had gathered
that day at the Nilayam to have His Darsan and to listen to His
Discourse. Asking them, after the Festival to return to their places,
Baba said, "I know your love towards Me; you know My affection towards
you. But, yet, you have to leave to your places, where duties and
obligations call you, where your services are needed by individuals and
institutions. They are also Mine; service to them is service to Me. I
desire also to give you the experience of My being everywhere, wherever
you are, not restricted by time or space. If you are here always before
Me, how can I grant you that joy?", He asked.
Baba's 41st Birthday
came soon after. In the birthday message He graciously wrote and gave
for publication in the Sanathana Sarathi, Baba said, "What do the many
wars, that man has indulged in, teach him? They teach that lust, anger,
hate, and envy are evil forces that haunt him. Examine the anarchy and
the lawlessness, the chaos and the killings that are raging in the
world today. They are the consequences of these evil forces. Why, even
the illness your bodies suffer from and the unrest nestling in your
homes are, due to the viruses of lust, anger, hate and envy. He
condemned those who "impute faults and foist failings on others and
indulge in blaming and hurting them. Hate and envy distort the charm of
the human face. A person having greed, lust, anger and envy will suffer
digestive and nervous illness. Therefore, learn to expand your love and
your devotion to God, until the whole of mankind has entered that
fold", He advised.
When Baba came to the
Auditorium during Bhajan on His Birthday, preliminary to the anointing
that is the ceremonial rite of the day, He wore over His silken gown a
resplendent shawl of gold-thread, into which was woven the letters
Sairam, 1008 times, by a weaver devotee who, like Kabir, recited that
sacred Name of his Lord when the shuttle was moving to and fro forming
the fabric for the God whom he adored. He wore it, since the yarn was
the gold of devotion. Baba went among the vast concourse of devotees
and placed in the hands of each a 'laddu' (an Indian sweetmeat) as the
Birthday Gift of Grace. It was nearly 3 P.M. when Baba returned to the
Nilayam after a long 5-hour nonstop distribution. One small incident
may be mentioned here to illustrate His Omniscience and His Mercy. One
man among the 15.000 tried to collect more than one from His hands. At
last, Baba told him, while giving him the laddu, "This is the fifth I
am giving you! I believe that is enough for you!" He knew how often he
had given him; He had no harsh words against his greed.
In the discourse that
Baba gave that evening, He gave a new interpretation to the words,
Sathyam Sivam and Sundaram. Those who were identifying them with Sath Chith and Ananda opened their eyes at the novel meaning: "Follow the
Karma-marga with the harmony and charm of Sundaram; follow the
Bakthi-marga with the exhilaration and exaltation of Sivam; follow the
Jnana-marga with the directness and steadfastness of Sathyam."
Three days later, He
inaugurated a Public Library at Bukkapatnam, the village where as a
boy, He had attended school. Years ago Baba had opened a park there and
later He had switched on electric lights in the Temple. He chided the
villagers for being content with the contemplation of His Glory from a
distance without taking earnest steps to get near Him and enjoy the
warmth of His Heart. Speaking about books, Baba cautioned them against
books that excite emotions and arouse passions and dull discrimination.
Books must add strength to the will, and curb the evil inclinations and
urges in man. He spoke of the increasing neglect of classical
literature and exhorted writers and readers to develop a taste for the
basic excellence of our ancient culture.
Bhagavan:
Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha, Trichinapally
On the thirteenth of
December, Baba left for Trichinapally on the Kaveri river, where
devotees had arranged a three-day session of the Prasanthi
Vidwanmahasabha. The Principal of the Institute for the training of
teachers of Hinduism at Madras welcomed Baba, in a speech replete with
quotations from Tamil classics. He spoke of the supreme and sovereign
Grace of Baba. "His look will grant illumination, His touch will
communicate revelation, His word will awaken us to realization," he
said, quoting the sages of the distant past. Baba called upon all
scholars and students to take up the task of their own moral uplift by
their own efforts and of others by their example. He spoke of the
devaluation of man into a mere nut in a mammoth machine whereas he is
the heir to the heritage of immortality. "You claim to have won Swarajya (self-rule), because the men who ruled this
land for centuries have gone home. But, the inner masters who rule
tyrannically over you, have yet to be forced to quit. Until then, you
have no Swarajya. When once that is done, no enemy can overpower you.
That is the moment of your independence. Now what you have won is only
the rind, not the kernel". On the 17th, Baba found time to go to the
village of Budalur, where thousands had gathered round the Sathya Sai
Vihar, to welcome Him. Baba moved among them in the thickening dusk and
while doing so, He noticed here and there some sick people to whom He
gave vibhuthi out of His own Hand. The first to get the precious drug
was a dumb boy, the second was a deaf riot and the third an old farmer
with an ulcer in the stomach!
On the 18th He left
Trichinapally and stayed at Pollachi for the night. Next day, He
motored to the Parambikulam Forest, the home of elephant herds, in
order to show the people who were with Him the grandeur of that sylvan
scene; but, it also enabled the simple dwellers of the jungle to fill
their eyes with His never-to-be-forgotten Beauty.
Truth,
Goodness, Beauty
Baba entered the State
of Kerala on the 20th and after two days at Palghat, He visited
Ernakulam, Trippunittura and Alleppey, before reaching the Nilgiri
Hills during Christmas. At Devi Vilas, Palghat, Baba moved among the
devotees with His benign smile and courage-granting Abhaya-mudra. He
spoke to many in the Malayalam language and drew the hearts of all
towards Him. At Kollengode, when a cyclonic gale gathered heavy dark
rain clouds over the gathering and rain came down in thick drops, Baba
said: "Do not worry. These are not rain-drops! They are drops of
Ananda, Sudhabindu!" And, the rains held off, for full one hour! This
miracle was highlighted in the newspapers of Kerala the same day. At
Trippunittura, a Christian couple, deeply devoted to Baba, prayed to
Him to lay a foundation stone for a Prayer Hall they had planned to
built. At Olavakkot, too, a Sathya Sai Nagar (suburb of bungalows where
Sai devotees live) had grown; so, Baba, out of His Infinite Mercy,
blessed it, laying the Foundation for a Prayer Hall. The twenty third
of December was Vaikuntha Ekadasi, the Day when Baba showers Grace, as
Nectar to all. He spent the day with devotees at Allepey. Hundreds
gathered there to taste the nectar of His talk and imprint His
beauteous form on their hearts.
(*) See Srimad Bhagavatam:
Canto 5, Chapter 16 to 26
and
(**) Time Sciences by The Order of Time
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