Attention
- World at Prayer
"Engage
in Karma, under the shade of Dharma;
practice Dharma with the awareness of Brahma.
March along the path of Karma and
reach Dharmakshetra where Brahma-realization awaits."
On 12th May, 1968, the
'Dharmakshetra,' an architectural jewel built on an elevated spot
commanding a panoramic view of the environs of Bombay as the
International Center of the Sai Family, was inaugurated by Him. This
Palace of God is also intended to serve as the residence of Bhagavan
while at Bombay.
'Dharmakshetra' is
the first word in the first Sloka of the Bhagavad Gita [see: Bhagavad Gîtâ of Order and Gîtâ
Vahini, Chapter 1]; it is
used there as an adjective to describe the battlefield where the
Kaurava might was pulverized by the Lord and His Grace showered on the
Pandava 'righteousness'. The field was known as Kurukshetra, but, the intervention of God to succor the
cause of Truth, Justice, Peace and Love transmuted it into
Dharmakshetra. The word summaries the history of the two clans who were
in mortal combat on that field: it symbolizes the beginningless
conflict between good and bad in the human heart, a conflict that ends
in the triumph of the good when, as the Pandava did, we accept and
install in our heart God as the charioteer; and, now, it elaborates the
role of Baba in human history one step further, for, He had already
declared Himself as Sanathana Sarathi,
the Person at the Wheel of Life (since Time began and Space rolled out)
for every Being that Became!
We see
before our mind's eye Sri Krishna holding the reins, while Arjuna
listens and learns. We see the Lord, as Baba is seen by us today,
guiding and guarding, assuaging and asserting, reminding and
reprimanding, revealing and reviving the wayward and the wavering!
Dharmakshetra evokes in our memories a surging gratitude for all those
who discovered and delved into the pellucid streams of Dharma, for all
who adored Dharma by living it and demonstrating how it can confer joy
and peace, and for all those who sacrificed their all for it in all
lands, in all ages.
Baba named that
building so, not just arbitrarily; He declares that no word of His is
devoid of spiritual potency; it is a call, an intimate invitation to
you, to give ear to the Gita; He whispers from your own heart to cure
you of your brand of delusion, to sublimate your inner battlefield into
a playground of spiritual endeavor; it is a spell, a benediction, a
blessing; it is an Announcement that the Lord has come, that His
mission has begun. His charioteering is available for all who seek, now
and here, on this sad stupid struggling earth which He has adopted as
His Dharmakshetra, for, this is the place where
Dharma can be learned, and
practiced and harvested. "Engage in
Karma as regulated by Dharma.
Practice Dharma with the awareness that all is Brahman. March
along the path of Karma to Dharmakshetra, where Brahman-realization
awaits," Baba says.
Thousands from all
parts of India and even overseas witnessed the Inauguration. From
far-flung lands they came, wafted by winds of grace. More than fifty
thousand eager souls gathered that evening at the Bharathiya Vidya
Bhavan Campus at Versova, Bombay, to express their joy at the momentous
occasion. The magnificent structure was completed in 108 days after the
first trowel of concrete was laid, the number 9 being the theme of the
holy structure, of the 18 petals of the lotus which encloses the
apartments where Bhagavan would stay, of the pillars, steps and trellis
squares, all in multiples of 9, the Brahman Number.
'Dharmakshetra'
- Bombay
Sri P. K. Sawant
reminded the audience that Baba blessed Maharashtra while in His
previous body at Shirdi and it is Maharashtra's good fortune again that
His Dharmakshetra is established here itself. Baba said that everyone
is living, moving, acting and accumulating merit or demerit as a
consequence, in Kurukshetra, for, 'Kuru' means 'to do'. In this process, if the current
of Dharma illumines every moment of life, then the Kurukshetra becomes
Dharmakshetra. This, He said, is the lesson that Dharmakshetra will
radiate round the world.
Baba took up residence
at Sathya Deep, the big rotunda with the lotus and a moat filled with
water all around; the place immediately became a hive of spiritual
activity, a prolific purveyor of sweetness and light. There, children
brought together in Sathya Sai Bala Vihars, boys and girls of the Seva
Dal, adult workers in the Bhajan Mandalis and Seva Samithis, all
receive Love and learn reverence. Baba speaks to seekers and social
workers who gather in the Prayer Hall; and they return with a deeper
understanding and a wider outlook.
Meanwhile, scores of
omnibuses spilling over with the Sai devotees sped into Bombay from
distant towns, the occupants singing Bhajans at the top of their
voices, making the pedestrians believe that Prasanthi Nilayam was
passing by! Every train that drew up at the Victoria Terminus, Bombay
Central or Dadar brought special coaches from Madras, Trivandrum,
Bangalore, Vijayawada, Nagpur, Navasari, Delhi, Calcutta, Lucknow and
Dehra Dun and the villages around, coaches packed with men, women and
children happy beyond measure, racing against time to have Darshan of
the Bhagavan they adore. The journey was strenuous and irksome, but the
tedium vanished as the vitamin 'G' released by the Bhajans acted fast
on both body and mind. And not just by land! The sea and air too helped
in transporting the joyous lot who came into Bombay by ship and plane
from Ceylon, Singapore, Djakarta, Manila, Kuwait, Dubai, Casablanca,
Mombasa, Nairobi, Kampala, Arusha and Malta, from Hongkong, Fiji,
Teheran and Tokyo, the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of America, the
islands of the West Indies, Peru and Brazil.
For, the First World
Conference of those who chose to accept Baba as their Master and
Preceptor was to be inaugurated on 16th May, at Bombay, in the
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Campus. Baba declared that this was the first
time in the history of the world that a World Conference of the
devotees of an Avatar was being held, in the immediate physical presence and
under the direct supervision and observation of the Avatar Himself! No
wonder they flew India-wards in flocks, like birds on the ocean's open
roof, winging towards the sheltering mast!
As the delegates
streamed into the Hall that day at sunrise, they found a friendly
fragrance beyond all memory, a warmth of welcome seldom known before.
Behind the dais, on the wall, were two murals, one depicting
Chaitanya lost in the ecstasy
of Sankirtan, and the other, Thyagaraja, the saint who sang from the depth of his
heart of the Compassion, the Majesty and the Might of the Rama Form of God he had ever before his eyes!
Behind the chair that Baba was to grace was a mural of the Lamp: the
Flame of Light and Love, straight and bright, which no wind could shake
or dim! At 9 a.m. Baba came in, showering the fresh petals of His
gracious smile on all present. The sight of Him emitting Light and Love
thrilled and delighted every one of them. Soon, the heavenly echoes of
Vedic chants tingled in the ear; then, after certain preliminaries,
Baba called upon the delegates from each State to speak on the
organizational aspect of Sadhana in their respective regions. In response, judges,
vice-chancellors, scientists, doctors, poets, administrators and
businessmen rose and presented reports of the activities of the Seva
Samithis, Study Circles and Bhajan Groups engaged in Sadhana prompted
by devotion in their States.
Howard Murphet from
Australia said, "Australia needs Your Love, Your Light." Tideman
Johanessan from Norway confessed, "Your Teachings, Your guidance are
urgently needed in Scandinavia, where dogma has very nearly suppressed
genuine spiritual yearning." Dr. Nallainathan from Ceylon pleaded, "We
are children groping in the dark. Make us see!" Dr. C.G. Patel from
Kampala prayed, "Africa needs You most." Indira Devi from Tecate,
Mexico, said, "When I speak about Bhagavan to the students of Santa
Barbara, Berkeley, Chicago, and other Colleges, they refuse to disperse
after the talk unless I promise that I would bring Baba to America;
they are hungry for Him." Charles Penn from Los Angeles asserted, "We
look to India for spiritual guidance; we pray that Baba will come to
us. When He is with us, He will be with everyone else too!"
The Public Meeting at
the Campus held later in the evening was attended by over a hundred
thousand, and Sai could be seen seated firmly in the hearts of every
one of them. The Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sri Morarji Desai, the
most puritan of the lieutenants of Mahatma Gandhi, presided over the
meeting. He had earlier met Baba at Dharmakshetra and sensed His Divine
Compassion for world struggling in the deepening bog of hate and greed.
He was visibly moved when he saw before him, squares upon squares of
thickly packed aspirants, women on the right and men on the left,
silent, expectant, full of ardour and adoration, from all over the
world, from the steps of the temple, the mosque and the church, the
Gurudwaras and other shrines, feasting their eyes on the charming face
of Baba. Sri Morarji Desai said that the best teacher of man was the
Gita, since it exhorted him to work for the betterment of the world to
his utmost capacity, and at the same time to be unconcerned with
success or failure, for God, to whom all work is dedicated, knows best
how it should be rewarded. (See: Bhagavad Gita)
Kasturi
translating...
Baba began His address
in Sanskrit! He had directed me to translate His speech into English
and I stood behind a mike at the other end of the dais. But, as 'the
language of the Gods' flowed so mellifluously from those Divine Lips, I
was almost struck dumb with admiration and apprehension. How, I
wondered, am I to canalize this surging Ganga into the Thames? Soon,
Baba continued in Telugu: "The body is the shrine in which the 'I' is installed; the
country is the temple of the 'We,' the collective will; the world is
the temple of the 'He,' the sum total of the 'I' and 'We'.
"This
is a gathering of people of all faiths and so it is fitting that I
assert here that every faith is but an endeavor to cleanse the impulses
and emotions, as part of the process of discovering the Truth, both
seen and unseen. The search is for the same Treasure; The Summit is
one; only, the tracks are many. The guides too are many, clamoring and
competing for pelf and prestige,"
Baba said.
"Even
those who swear that they did not find any trace of God in the depths
of space, or who aver that God is dead, or that even if alive, He has
outlived His use for man, that He has ever been a handicap and a costly
nuisance for man, these too have to admit that there is something
inscrutable beyond the reach of reason, something which pervades the
world and reveals itself in Love, Renunciation and Service. That
something is God," Baba
declared, in the course of a rousing discourse on the Divinity inherent
in the Universe.
Appreciating the
efforts of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to resuscitate the ideals and
practices of Sanathana Dharma, Baba said, "This Conference is the Confluence of three
holy streams - the Atmavidya which the delegates and visitors held
primal for successful living, the Satsang provided by the aspirants
from all races and religions, and the basic principles of Bharathiya
Culture which the Bhavan helped them to remember."
Seven Subcommittees,
which were discussing the topics allotted to them, presented their
recommendations and suggestions to the Open Conference at noon on the
17th. They dealt with:
1.
Bhajan, Namasmaran and Nagarasankirthana, [see also: Purify the world by Sankirthana]
2. Vedic and Sanskrit Education,
3. Moral Instruction in Schools and Colleges,
4. Enrollment and Training in Seva Dals,
5. Establishment and Working of Mahila Vibhags,
6. Coordination of the Units of the Organizations at all levels, and
7. Relations between the Indian and Overseas units of the Sathya Sai
Organization.
Dr. V. K. Gokak [see also: Cities Aflame, for a song by Dr.
Gokak and Facets of Truth]
then addressed the gathering on the Avatarhood of Baba. "We have met
here with the common purpose of affirming the supremacy of
consciousness over matter, subject over object, seer over the seen,
charioteer over the chariot, and the transcendental over the trivial;
so, we will not be baffled, as others are bound to be, by the
phenomenon of the Human Form which the Formless Absolute has donned,"
he explained.
As He Himself announced
the previous evening, Baba spoke on the grandeur and glory of the Name
of God, be it any name, and the steady influence for good its
repetition generates in the individual.
"In
this age of materialism," Baba said, "the constant repetition of the
name of God is the one hope which man has, to rise up to him or to
bring Him near. Repeating the Name brings down Grace; Meera quaffed the
cup of poison with the name on her tongue; it turned into nectar.
Sanctify every minute of your day and night with the unbroken
recollection of the Name. I do not want you to think that I desire this
Name and this Form to be publicized. I have not come to set afoot a new
cult. Know that this Sai Form is the Form of all the various Names that
man has used, and uses now, to identify and adore the One Divine. So, I
teach that no distinction should be made between the Name - Rama,
Krishna, Iswara, Sai - for, they are, all of them, My Names. Of what
avail is it if you worship My Name and Form without attempting to
cultivate My Samathva (Equal love for all), My Santhi (Unruffled
equanimity), My Prema (Love), My Sahana (Forbearance), and My Ananda
(Perpetual state of supreme bliss)? Many of you plead for a Message
from Me! Well, My Life is My Message. You will be adhering to My
Message if you so live that your lives become evidences of dispassion,
courage and confidence, revealing eagerness to serve those who are in
distress."
As Bhagavan cast His
Grace-filled eyes on the thirsty faces before Him eager to drink in the
Truth He was vouchsafing to pour into their hearts, suddenly His eyes
softened in compassion. His voice rose, the speed of His words doubled
and trebled. Everyone present sensed, almost, instinctively, that a
great moment in their life had come; in ecstatic thrill they prepared
themselves to listen to a great Revelation, to a Benediction that the
world can hope to receive but rarely in its history. He said,
"Gathered
here today are people who have devotion, people from all sections of
society; I must tell you about My Reality because ninety nine out of
every hundred among you do not know. You have come here drawn by
diverse needs or interests, by a taste for spiritual matters, by
eagerness to develop the institution to which you are attached, by
admiration or affection, by love or reverence or loyalty, or just in a
spurt of enthusiasm to join others in their exultation or to share with
them your own."
"In
truth, you cannot understand the nature of My Reality, either today or
even after thousands of years of steady austerity or ardent inquiry,
even if all mankind were to join in that effort. But, shortly, you will
become cognizant of the Bliss showered by the Divine Principle which
has taken upon itself this sacred Body and this sacred Name. Your good
fortune in having this chance is greater than what was available to the
anchorites, monks, sages, and saints and even to personalities, that
embodied facets of the Divine Glory!"
"Since
I move with you, eat like you, and talk to you, you are deluded into
the belief that this is but a human phenomenon. Be warned against this
mistake. I am also deluding you by singing and playing with you and
engaging Myself in activities with you. But, any moment My Divinity may
be revealed to you; you have to be ready, prepared for that moment.
Since Divinity is enveloped by humanness, you must endeavor to overcome
the Maya (delusion) that hides it from your eyes."
"This
Human Form is one in which every Divine Entity, every Divine Principle,
that is to say, all the Names and Forms ascribed by man to God, are
manifest. (The statement in Telugu was: Sarvadaivathwaswaroopalanu
Dharinchina Manavaakarame Ee Aakaramu. Do not allow doubt to distract
you. If you only install in the altar of your heart steady faith in My
Divinity, you can win a vision of My Reality. Instead, if you swing
like the pendulum of a clock, one moment of faith, another of doubt,
you can never succeed in comprehending My Truth and win that Bliss.
Fortunate are you, that now, in this very life, you have a chance to
experience the Bliss of the Sarvadaivathwa Swaroopam (the Form of God
in all Forms)."
"Let
me also draw your attention to another fact. In the past, on the
occasions when God incarnated on earth, the Bliss of recognizing Him in
the Incarnation was vouchsafed only after the physical embodiment had
left the world, despite plenteous evidences of His Grace. Moreover, the
loyalty and devotion which those Incarnations commanded while in the
physical embodiment, arose through fear or awe at their superhuman
powers and skills or at their imperial and penal authority. But ponder
for a moment on this Sathya Sai Manifestation. In this age of rampant
materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that
brings to It the adoration of millions from all over the world? You
will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the fact that this
is Divinity in Human Form."
"Again,
how fortunate you are that you can witness all the countries of the
world paying homage to Bharat; that you can hear, even while this body
is existing, adoration to the Name of Sathya Sai reverberating from
even the nooks and corners of the world, when this Form is amidst you,
with you, before you!"
This thrilling
declaration stunned the delegates; and as they left the hall and
reached their rooms, each one found inches added to his height, for
each felt blessed with a Unique Vision. Often had Baba spoken of His
being the Incarnation of God, of being God Himself in human form, but
this time, He had emphatically identified Himself with all Names and
all Forms of God that man ever moulded in his mind in the course of his
history on earth!
The next day, in the
morning hours, the reports of the subcommittees were considered by a
meeting of all the delegates, and a few more delegates addressed the
gathering. Baba summarized the conclusions, and spoke on the basic
approach to service through the Sai Organization. In these days when
the world is safe only for hypocrisy, Baba's directives had to be
straight and sharp.
"It
is wrong," He clarified, "to believe that all have equal rights and
duties and obligations and responsibilities. You cannot say that all
cows are equal and purchase them by the dozen. Some may be dry, some
may clamor for more feed, some yield less milk, some are young, some
decrepit, some tame and some wild. Nor are all men equal. The code of
conduct, for each and towards each, is decided by changing factors,
like age, profession, status, authority, scholarship and sex, and
considerations as to whether the person is a teacher or pupil, master
or servant, father or son, sick or healthy, etc. As far as I am
concerned, there is only one rule that binds Me: Love. That Love will
quieten you, it will comfort you, it will inspire you to merge with Me."
When the Conference met
for the evening session, speeches in Sanskrit were delivered by four
Pundits of the All India Prasanthi Vidwanmahasabha founded by Baba.
Mrs. Osborne addressed the gathering in English. She was introduced as
the wife of the author of the book 'Incredible Sai Baba' written about
the previous incarnation of the Inexplicable Sai Baba now with us!
Baba offered to sum up
the suggestions for spiritual uplift that emerged from the
deliberations among the delegates, as also the gist of His talks with
representatives from the various States. He spoke about Bhajans, Dhyana
Sittings, Study Circles, and particularly about Nagarsankirtan which
received attention as a very important activity of the Units. "This was
how", Baba said, "Jeyadeva, Gouranga, Tukaram, Kabir and Purandara Das
led God into every heart. Gather together in the hours before dawn, and
walk slowly along the streets, singing Bhajans glorifying God. Carry
the Name to every doorstep. Wake up the sleeping. Purify the air
polluted by day-long angry shouts of hate and greed, faction and fear.
What greater service can you render than this - beginning the day with
the Name of God and helping others to remember Him?"
The Valedictory Meeting
of the Conference was held at 10 a.m. on the 19th. Baba wanted that all
those who had come from far and near be informed of the major decisions
of the Conference, which were rare directives aimed at the spiritual
upliftment of the common man. Dr. Gokak in his address found himself
saying, "Sai is the gateway to all the greatness, all the effulgence of
the spirit," for, he was too overwhelmed to be silent. "Sai is no
blinding word; Sai is no binding word; Sai is no limiting word," he
said. "It is a word that contains the meaning of every other word. In
the beginning was the Word! That word is He." Mr. Bharde, Speaker of
the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly said that Baba was fast
transforming Bombay from a Bhoganagari into a Yoganagari (from the City
Sensuous, to the City Divine). It could well be said that this process
of transmutation is on, not just in Bombay, but the world over! Baba
too spoke of the urgent need for man to be aware of his immortality and
to draw courage there from as Arjuna (*)
did, when overcome by despondency.
Dharmakshetra, where
Baba stayed during the Conference, was the venue every day, for a
number of gatherings where Baba was busy explaining, elaborating,
elucidating and emphasizing the fundamentals of spiritual discipline
and wisdom, regardless of time and unmindful of the exhaustion His
physical body was likely to get. Besides this, Baba was guiding there a
Prasanthi Youth Camp of over 65 University alumni. There was held a
special gathering of the Lions of Bombay City who sought from Him
guidance regarding the basic attitudes that will help their activities
and the philosophy that can sustain them. It was noticed that Baba
granted audience to the overseas delegates more often. It was because
they had fewer chances of personal contact with Him, and they were
eager to be as near Him for as long as He permitted.
Among those whom Baba
drew to Himself during the Conference was the veteran Gandhian, the
scholarly statesman, the patriotic writer, the practical administrator,
the devoted student of Bharathiya Culture, Kulapathi Dr. K.M. Munshi.
He had realized, more than most of the doughty warriors led by Gandhiji
in the struggle for Swaraj, that India had to be independent so that
she can gain self-respect and adore her own culture and thereby make
her invaluable contribution to the progress of humanity through her
adherence to the ideals embedded in that culture. The Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan is the institution through which Munshi sought to achieve the
revival of Indian culture, and so implant in the hearts of the Indian
Youth a genuine appetite for living their lives as true sons of
Bharatha Mata, as legitimate inheritors of the peerless wisdom gathered
by the sages of this land. Baba agreed to have the Conference in the
Bhavan Campus, a fertile field wherefrom a rich harvest of Vedic and
Upanishadic culture was to be reaped in the near future. This fact Baba
mentioned with appreciation. So Dr. Munshi visited Dharmakshetra as
well as the Conference Hall, and he said, "All my life I have taken a
keen interest in personalities to whom supernatural powers are
attributed; I have tried to understand their ways how they project
their personality and release streams of faith and transform their
followers into dedicated persons."
When Dr. Munshi met
Baba for the first time in Dharmakshetra, hope met fulfilment;
aspiration met achievement and prayer met the boon desired; for, Baba
has come. Come, He has, to install Bharathiya Vidya, that is to say, Atma Vidya, on the throne of Science, to
reinstate India as the Guru of humanity, to help Indians to win the
fruits of India's independence, teaching them the way to master the
self, and through Indians, the rest of the world.
Baba observed that Dr.
Munshi's right hand was trembling slightly on account of chronic
Parkinson's disease. Then, in Dr. Munshi's words, "Baba rose from His
seat, took my fingers and covered them with His own, and rubbed them
with sacred ashes which came out of His hand. Then He waved with a
sweeping gesture and caught a ring He had materialized; He slipped it
on the little finger of my right hand. I immediately perceived the
stiffness of my fingers almost gone; so had the trembling in the right
arm and leg." It needs to be mentioned here that the cure was permanent
and not a passing phase, for as the science of medicine says,
Parkinson's disease (Paralysis Agitans) is one of the least tractable
of maladies, even as regards the relief from its symptoms!
More than this
miraculous relief from a physical handicap which he was stoically
tolerating, Baba removed the handicaps which stood in the way of the
septuagenarian savant accepting Baba as the Guru he was seeking. Baba
visited Munshi's home, and all the members of the family found
themselves confiding in Him. He assured them that He was with them
through all the turbid years of torture and sacrifice, martyrdom and
power, disillusionment and determination, revival and recuperation. He
told Munshi's son that He was with him, years ago, when he had to take
refuge with a wayside station master while traveling by train! He took
upon Himself the burden of bringing health and happiness upon his kith
and kin, for, none is there beyond the pale of His Love. Dr. Munshi
writes, "He has the capacity to plant seeds of faith in men - seeds,
which, when they sprout, will liberate them from greed, hate and fear."
No wonder, then, that
all the mental reservations, with which Munshi approached Baba, whom he
had taken to be just another in the array of Babas he had encountered
during his chequered career, disappeared the moment he recognized the
Reality, and he did not hesitate to declare this in the pages of the
Bhavan's Journal, one of the leading Indian Periodicals commanding a
circulation of 50.000 copies. Describing his campaign in Britain,
Julius Caesar said in a historic phrase, "Veni Vedi Vici," "I came, I
saw, I conquered"; here, "I went, I saw, I was conquered!" This is the
experience not only of Dr. Munshi. Every one who goes to Baba and sees
Him through eyes that are clear and keen, wins the same experience.
On the 18th, at the
special request of Indra Devi who had planned a "Crusade for Light in
Darkness" aimed at illumining the hate-ridden hell within the human
heart, Baba lit a Perpetual Lamp at Dharmakshetra. That Lamp and other
lamps lit from that scared flame, will serve to shed the Light of Love
on all who meditate on them.
The rising of the Sai
Sun made certain vested interests feel ill at ease. Bewildered at the
millions milling towards wherever Baba was, calculating practitioners
who traded in religion feared that the traditional tithes and offerings
would soon dry up, threatening their very sustenance. Little did they
know that Baba has come to water every plant in the Garden of Faith,
that He was no sower of schism but the Great Harmonizer, the Mountain
Peak that appeared to some as Siva, to some others as Vishnu, to some
as Christ, to some others as Allah, or as Buddha, according to the
angle from which they viewed. The yellow section of the Press yielded
to the temptation of blasphemy and scandal mongering; the more
responsible periodicals tried to probe and understand. They requested
that their representatives meet Baba and try to measure the depth of
the rare Phenomenon in their midst. About 30 special correspondents
representing leading English and Indian Language Newspapers came to
Dharmakshetra on 21st May. The questions they asked were naturally
prompted by curiosity; they wanted to know the purpose and modus
operandi of the "miracles" performed by Baba. In reply Baba declared
that these were evidences rather than demonstrations of the Divine. "It
is Love that prompts Me to give and when I want to give, the thing is
ready," He said. "I can, by My Sankalpa, change the earth into sky and the sky into
earth, but that is not the only sign of Divine Might. It is the Love,
the Compassion, the supreme Patience to deal with all this frailty and
fanaticism, it is the Resolve to cure them all - that is the Unique
Sign," Baba explained.
Those who came to probe
were prompted to sit and learn. He advised the newspapers to stress the
unity of Indian culture, to emphasize the values of the Indian way of
Life, instead of playing up the differences and defects. He wanted them
to indulge neither in flattery nor in mudslinging; He asked them not to
inflame or burn incense, but portray and highlight all examples of
service and sacrifice.
On the 24th, Baba left
by car towards Gujarat, where a large number of Study Circles and
Bhajan Mandalis, and the miracles emanating from His will, had soaked
the people in Sai Devotion. He visited Navasari and Surat on His way to
Baroda where he spent a day, meeting devotees from the area around,
like Nadiad, etc. Baba then returned to Bombay and left for Poona. The
Andhra Association of Poona welcomed Baba at the premises of their
Association (but it was not owing to any linguistic or regional label,
for, which geographic region can claim to contain Him more than
another? He belongs to all humanity). Baba spoke of the problems that
afflict mankind, and of the valid and valuable solutions thereto,
discovered by sages millennia ago. The people of Poona felt blessed at
the chance to have the Darshan and imbibe the nectar of His Discourse.
On His way to Hyderabad, Baba halted at Sholapur, where He urged the
people to investigate into their own inner resources and learn to
develop them.
"Develop unshakeable faith in yourself, in your capacity to live well
and long, in your capability to be of use to others," He exhorted. At Hyderabad, too, His message
was a tonic to the wayward and the vacillating:
"Be
cheerful and sprightly. Cultivate faith in God, keep virtuous company,
nourish discipline and cherish lofty ideals of service. Control the
senses; avoid seeing evil, hearing evil, relishing evil thoughts and
sights, words and news. Go straight, not along a crooked path. Do not
read trash, or see foul films. Discipline the wavering mind by means of
Bhajan, Nagarasankirtana and Namasmarana,"
Baba directed.
On the 10th of June,
Baba returned to Prasanthi Nilayam.
This chapter may well
be closed with an extract from a letter from Charles Penn, on his
return to America, after being exhilarated by his first physical
Darshan of Baba, having his faith and devotion enriched by the
experiences at Dharmakshetra and the World Conference at Bombay -
especially Baba's Revelation of His being the One Divine Principle come
in Human Form.
Baba appeared before
him at his US residence and said,
"You,
Charles, saw at Bombay the tens of thousands of seekers of Liberation,
striving to catch at least a glimpse of Me. These numbers are but a
drop in the ocean, compared to the countless unseen souls who try to
reach Me from beyond mortal bounds. To all I give My Light and Love,
and help each forward, towards Liberation."
"All
who come to me in their concrete form have fortunately reached the
stage when they are beginning to 'see' the reality. Those who cry for
the chance to see Me in the concrete form have their prayers answered;
to each I give every opportunity for Darshan, for they deserve and receive My Love."
"Then,
Charles, there are those who may never see Me in the concrete form.
They have, all the same, reached Me through a friend, a book or a
photograph. To each of these, if they yearn deeply, I give My Darshan
inwardly. These too I love as deeply for they have begun to see
themselves, as being beyond their body, as Divine Souls. This is true
advancement towards self-realization. Liberation and Peace can be
theirs through loving the Lord in meditation. All who meditate upon Me
as the One with many Names and Forms will have Santhi."
(*)
See for example the Gita, Chapter 2.
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Bhajans