The
Miraculous Appendix
"Dear Sri
Kasturi! Your telegram canceling your promised
visit to Ceylon has helped to render our faith
in Baba firmer than before!" This was not a
particularly polite reply to receive from a
Secretary of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi. Baba
had permitted me to accept an invitation to
visit Ceylon, on a Sai pilgrimage, meeting
devotees in villages and towns, to share
experience and delight. My passage was booked by
rail and plane; so with my bag and portmanteau I
went to Whitefield to take leave of Baba and to
receive His blessings. The mail train of Madras,
from where I had to emplane was leaving
Bangalore within an hour. When I touched the
Lotus Feet, Baba asked me, "Where are you
going?" I said that I was on my way to Ceylon.
He said, "Why Ceylon? Send them a telegram
canceling your visit and come with Me to Goa
tomorrow."
That was the
telegram which placed the faith of Sai devotees
in Ceylon upon an unshakeable basis! Later, Sri
Thyagarajiah, the Secretary, set my mind at
rest, explaining the cryptic comment. Dr.
Nallainathan, the President of the Samithi, had
read out my first letter accepting the ten-day
schedule, before a large gathering of devotees
and when he finished, he did a very
un-Nallainathan-like thing. He heard himself
say, "Of course, Mr. Kasturi has very kindly
agreed to come and be with us for ten days. But
listen, he may not come at all! There is many a
slip betwixt the cup and the lip. At the very
last moment, we may get a telegram, canceling
his visit." Six days later the telegram arrived!
And Ceylon knew that it was Baba who had
persuaded Dr. Nallainathan to utter those words
that day, for He shapes the future, recasting
His projected plan. When we cannot predict about
our own selves, how can we predict about Baba?
He says that no one knows what He is going to do
in the next five minutes; therefore we must
learn to remain content, witnessing the Divine
play.
At noon the
next day, I accompanied Baba on a circuitous
journey to Goa. The three cars moved towards Jog
Falls. The party included three lady devotees
from the United States, June Schuyler, who
describes herself as a simple, middle-aged
teacher of young children; Indra Devi,
celebrated as the 'First Lady of Yoga in
America,' and Mrs. Rajagopalan, an Italian
living in the United States with her Indian
husband. As usual, while leaving Brindavan,
devotees lined up on both sides of the road,
anxious to get a glimpse of Baba and to see the
Hand that waves out of the window, until a turn
makes it impossible to fill the eye with
it.
The afternoon
was quiet and bright. "As the cars entered the
tranquility of the vast countryside," writes
June, "my mind was jumbled with a feeling of
incredulousness! For many years, peace of any
kind seemed an unlikely prospect for me. God was
my only hope; and now, wonder of wonders, I was
happy, with the Lord lifting my burdens off my
mind."
On the way
Baba signaled the cars to turn towards a lane
off the main road, so that we could drink coffee
and consume some snacks. He Himself opened the
tins and cans, containers and flasks, and served
snacks and coffee to all. The chauffeurs too,
joined the party and they were also served
snacks and coffee to all. A few tillers of the
soil who had taken up positions to stand and
stare received extra attention from the
Master.
When we
resumed the journey, Baba's car seemed to
grumble a bit, but it was persuaded by mild and
gentle pushing to take to the road. It had to be
persuaded again thrice during the next fifteen
miles: Jog falls were still a hundred miles
away! At 8.00 p.m. the car stopped and refused
to budge, despite inducements or threats. It
had, indeed, to be led back in Tiptur for
attention at a local workshop. Then Baba decided
to go back to Brindavan. Baba was quite
unconcerned, He did not speak about it with any
feeling of disappointment. Among the eight
attributes of Divinity [See
the eight
perfections],
Vairagyam,
absence of attachment, is one.
June writes,
"A star fell; Baba who misses nothing saw it
fall. He commented on it. I was grateful that I
too had seen that bright thing falling where the
Lord had come. While in the car, His glorious
voice filled the night, for He was singing,
drawing stars down to earth! Dinner was ready at
midnight when we reached Brindavan. Baba's
affection made Him appear anxious about our
hunger. He took particular care to see that all
were fed and sent to sleep, before He retired
for the night. We felt that we were tiring Him
even more, drawing His attention upon ourselves.
Is that precious Body sustained purely by the
Love It showers? We wondered." June writes, "I
lay down with a feeling of anxiety. I feared
that Baba might go now ahead of us, by plane to
Goa. I was anxious not to miss the happy
sojourn. I was sorry we had to return as a
result of the breakdown of the car. Many things
were battling in my brain that Sunday morning
when I awoke, I pondered over them. Why had the
Lord, Who produces all manner of things by the
exercise of His Will, not repaired His car? He
could have anticipated and never allowed it to
happen! The question had great importance to me,
since I was convinced that spiritual power has
the mastery over matter. Perhaps Baba had willed
the breakdown and the return, in order to
provoke this question in me, so that I might
seek answer. Every word, every act of Baba is a
lesson. Here was a lesson - I wasn't sure for
whom.
We knew even
before we started that Baba was not keen on
Jog
Falls.
He had ridiculed the name as
'Joke
Falls'
and even as 'Joke
False'!
He said, the route, if Jog Falls is included in
the tour, will be lengthened too far. He will
have to pass through many villages on the road,
after nightfall. The villagers, would, He
argued, be very sad when they learn that Baba
had passed that way without their getting
Darsan.
Someone told us that Baba had questioned the
driver who had supervised the 'servicing' of the
'historic car' about the quality and extent of
the servicing. "He must have known that it will
give a poor performance," he said.
Of course, if
He had willed it, the car would have gone on to
Jog; He willed a Joke instead! A
day later we all left in two cars for Goa. On
the way Baba spoke long on spiritual matters.
Alighting en route for breakfast, He gave us
sweet, ripe, wild berries plucked by Him from
the trees around saying,
"Berries,
such as I used to eat and pick with My comrades
at Gokul on the banks of the
Yamuna!"
"Krishna
resembles the heart of a lotus,
and the boys around Him resemble the
leaves..."
The cars
cooperated wonderfully, and we reached the
grounds of the Karnatak University at Dharwar,
and entered the bungalow of the Vice-chancellor,
Dr. Adke at 2 p.m. There we found about 500
people singing Bhajans
under a shamiana. They had learnt about the
arrival of the Lord! After lunch, Baba sat among
them, silent, for a few joy-filled
minutes!
June writes,
"Those University Deans and Dons looking at Baba
with devout childlike expressions, twanged the
chords of my heart." Suddenly someone asked a
question and broke the silence. For an hour
thereafter, Baba related to them parables and
tales from legends and folklore.
"God
is ever to respond, whenever there is a call
for help. Yes, you seek the Grace of God, but
can you get it, when you do not respond to
the call of the distressed?... God waits on
the doorstep, like sunlight, eager to slip
through the narrowest slit, and spread light
where there was darkness, warmth, where there
was biting cold. So too, you must wait for
the chance to brighten and lighten the lives
of others, deprived of cheer and charity...
Awaken the people to the Glory of the Creator
through Nagar
Sankirtan,"
He said.
June writes,
on the occasional bursts of laughter which shook
the room. "I felt, this is no dull sober God.
When I think of Baba, I picture Jesus, with the
same sense of humor. Baba was speaking in an
Indian language which I do not understand; yet
in some mysterious way I too was receiving
illumination."
It was a Fiat
1500 in which Baba, Mr. N.D.M. Appah, Chairman,
Mysore State Electricity Board, and myself were
traveling. The road was stony and rough, so the
drive was full of jerks and bumps - this caused
Baba to reprimand the driver for not being
circumspect enough.
"You
do not know how much pain I get in the abdomen
when it bumps,"
He said. We wondered why Baba who withstood
worse roads better, was insisting on slow
driving that day.
The last rays
of sunshine cast long and slanting streaks
through the tall heavily crowned trees of the
western ghats, which we were climbing. When we
were on top, the sun went down into the sea!
There is a certain grandeur, albeit pathetic, in
this daily drama - the inevitability of a
sunset; its noiselessness and the panic it
creates when you foolishly fear that it may not
come up again. The forces of darkness quickly
overwhelming the earth sometimes give one an
eerie sensation of despair. But, we soon
remember that the wise earth manages to keep one
half of her lit and warm; and so, we sleep in
hope and happy dreams!
When the cars
reached Goa, it was night. The stars came forth;
they came with us, every yard of the road,
keeping pace. When the border of Goa State was
reached, Lt. Governor, Sri Nakul Sen, the host,
received Baba and let us into a rest house,
where china gleamed in the shelves by the wall
and geraniums glistened on the window sills. We
had coffee; from then on Baba sat in the state
car, with the head of the state.
Hurrying
around the rambling roads, towards Panjim Town,
the cars finally arrived at Coba Raj Nivas, the
Palace of the Governors-general of the
"Portuguese Possessions in India and the Far
East" for many centuries, but now, the official
residence of the Lt. Governor. The time was 9.15
p.m. We had motored 385 miles, since morning,
over good and bad roads, but Baba looked lithe
and lily-like when He hastened up the
red-carpeted flight of steps, 28 in all, to the
flower-decked apartments, set aside for His
stay. Very soon, Baba presided over the dining
table to which we were led by the Lt. Governor.
He watched with amusement the contingent of
waiters, and the beautiful chinaware, which the
Portuguese had brought from Macao.
Though Mrs.
Sen made bold to remind Him of His duty to
Himself, He did not eat anything. He appeared to
be anxious to send every one to bed. "Go, go!
You are all very much exhausted," He insisted. I
protested that traveling with Him can never
exhaust anyone, but He repeated that I was
really in immediate need of rest. When we rose
Mrs. Sen was informed by Baba that coffee need
be ready for Him only at 8 a.m. the next day!
She knew that at
Prasanthi
Nilayam,
He had His coffee at 6 or 6.30 p.m. but despite
appeals for revising the order, Baba gave
instructions that it was to be brought only at 8
o' clock.
Baba was alone
in the suite reserved for Him. Nakul Sen pleaded
for permission to be within call, but Baba sent
Him away to his own room. We from Bangalore were
in rooms on the ground floor.
About what
occurred that night, Baba wrote later to Dr. S.
Bhagavantham, in a letter I carried to him on
the 12th, "On the night of the seventh, strange
events happened. I could not lie in bed, I could
not sit upon it, nor turn, from one side to
another. Nor could I speak or call. I did not
like to cause anxiety or trouble to anyone. So I
kept silent, pretending that all was well with
me!
Next morning
when the Sens grew aware of the truth it became
clear, why He had abstained from dinner, and
postponed the coffee hour, wanting only to hurry
away to bed! I knew why He had come away from
Dharwar, and why He had taken the driver to
task. Obviously, He had been 'ill' when He
started out from Dharwar!
Mrs. Sen felt
that Cabo Raj Nivas was an 'unlucky' place since
He had fallen 'ill' there, but Baba immediately
corrected her. "No, it is a house of good luck!
I brought the 'illness' with Me to Cabo, so that
I could get rid of it here."
By daybreak on
the 8th, Baba appeared to be in great pain and
Nakul Sen called in doctors from the Medical
College at Goa, and some leading physicians of
the City. Soon an imposing medical team
surrounded the sick bed; their report read as
follows, "History of pain, right lower quadrant
of the abdomen since 3 p.m. on the 7th December.
To begin with, the pain was all over the
abdomen, progressive in intensity; towards the
night, it localized in the umbilical region, and
the right lower quadrant. Had difficulty in
extending the right lower limb. Pain is
exaggerated by movement. 8th December morning,
had nausea and fever." No one could be definite
about the illness; there were too many experts
and Baba was amused at the clash of their
conclusions.
The American
ladies were sent to visit the ancient Churches
of Goa, redolent with history, and vibrant with
spiritual power. The Sens were aghast at the
turn of events for, among other reasons, the
local Sathya Sai Seva Samithi had announced,
that He would deliver a discourse at the large
Maidan in the heart of the city, at 5 p.m. that
evening.
June Schuyler
writes, "Back at Cabo, we ate lunch, without
Baba. It was a gloomy affair. Each person was
wondering why He did not come; I did not know
that some among them knew, and were too full of
distress to speak. It is very strange for Baba
not to come out of His room; at
Prasanthi
Nilayam,
or wherever He is, He gives of Himself,
plentifully at all times, from early morning
till late evening. I knew that Baba was
scheduled to go out into the city to address a
public meeting. We had passed the very Maidan on
our way to a Church, and noticed people
streaming in, hours before the time announced
for its commencement. I took heart because we
would see Him then. Perhaps we would go with Him
to the meeting! At ten minutes to five we
gathered on the porch, dressed in our very best;
my heart beat loud and rapid, as a clock ticked
on, for the time was drawing near when we would
see Him for the first time that day... My
thoughts went back to the time when I first
heard about Baba. A friend urged me to revere
Him. I replied, "How can I, belonging to Jesus?
I am sure about Jesus. If Baba is one with
Jesus,
it is to Him I pray. If He is not I won't have
anything to do with Him." And, I added, "If Baba
is all that you feel He is, I am sure He won't
hold this against me!" The electrifying moment
when I beheld Him for the first time came to my
mind. I remembered the flood of awe and joy that
overwhelmed me. His first comment when He saw
me, assured me that He knew, and approved of my
feelings about Jesus...
that He was, certainly One with Him. My mind
returned to the present; I watched Baba's door,
intently."
Meanwhile,
pain, nausea and fever kept Baba in bed all day.
Information came that 20.000 people crowded the
Maidan, awaiting Baba; and half the number had
come from far off villages. Baba endeavored to
rise and don fresh clothes to keep the
appointment, and not disappoint thousands of
people. But Cabo Raj Nivas had no lift; for
reaching the Maidan, Baba would have had to get
down 28 steps and walk up some distance in order
to give Darsan
to the people. And then, climb the 28th steps
up!
Baba directed
me to tell the assembly to disperse quietly, and
to assure them that He will be addressing them
in a few days at the same place. I was to tell
them that He had taken over the illness of a
devotee, for I had witnessed such instances of
healing and saving, in the past
years.
June writes,
"Baba's door opened!... Mr. Kasturi came out!
Why Mr. Kasturi? Why not Baba? We sat sadly,
watching a large blood-red sun sinking into the
Indian Ocean."
The gathering
heard my announcement with amazement and
admiration, for they had heard many stories of
Baba and His miracles, but this mystery of
taking on an illness and saving a devotee from
its consequences was something they had never
heard, nor imagined as possible. Could such
compassion exist? How does Baba assume the
illness, and how does He rid Himself of it? How
has He done it in the past? Many came up behind
me to find the answers, and I could tell them of
the great Guru Pournima Miracle, when Baba took
upon Himself the cerebral thrombosis and heart
attacks of a devotee [see 'This
Sivasakthi'],
and after undergoing them for eight long days,
rejected them before 4.000 people, becoming in a
moment, His fresh, free and full Self. I could
tell them that rescuing the good was as much the
mission of the Avatar
as chastisement of the wicked. He atones for the
Karmic debt of the devotees when they plead
sincerely for grace, I said. That is the measure
of His Divine Compassion.
At 8 o'clock
that night, the doctors reported, "Lying supine
in bed, with legs drawn up. On examination, the
right side of the abdomen not moving with
respiration; abdomen tender on the right side,
and the lower flank..., point of maximum
tenderness in lower flank..., no rebound
tenderness... guarding present over right lower
quadrant, with rigidity of flank. Temperature
100o F; pulse 100 M; respiration 16m.
Total blood count 22.000; neutrophils 88%. A
diagnosis of acute paracolic appendicitis was
made. Unwillingness for surgical
intervention."
Pressmen
approached the doctors, anxious to report the
reason for the postponement of the announced
public meeting, alarmed at the news of the
illness of the world-renowned Personality. The
doctors told them that Baba was suffering from
an acute attack of appendicitis. This news was
flashed all over India and spread through the
early morning editions and the papers issued
from Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore
and Madurai. Telegrams and telephone calls
poured in from all over the country, praying and
pleading, and denying - disbelieving, hoping,
weeping and wailing. There were many offers to
accept the 'illness' from Baba; some devotees
said they would fast until Baba was free from
the illness. Devotees having firm faith in His
Divinity were convinced that just as the illness
had been taken on miraculously, it will be
thrown off miraculously, too.
The doctors
told us Baba must be suffering excruciating
pain, but He said,
"If I have to acknowledge that it is paining Me,
how would I have taken it on Myself? I have
taken it on with Love and Love knows no
pain!"
June writes, "Mrs. Sen confided in me that she
has been praying all day to Baba asking that she
be allowed to share the pain. We all caught this
idea and trooped into Baba's room with the same
request. He sent us back, saying,
"I do not feel any pain, and even if I do, I
am never in the habit of distributing pain as
Prasadam."
Indra Devi had
with her a container with an idol of Ganesha on
the lid given to her by Baba. It had
Vibhuti
in it, and Baba had declared whilst placing it
in her hand, "Give
this to people who suffer; it will alleviate the
misery. The Vibhuti will never be
exhausted.
"She now offered some of it to Baba; He sent her
away, saying, "That
would be selfish. I want only your Love. The
gift of Love, not the thing I gave you for the
sake of others,"
"O Baba!" June implored silently, "You are so
sweet, so completely good. The rest of us
deserve this pain, but You, do not, please take
this condition away from your precious
Body."
June writes,
"Finally, hesitantly, I prayed to Jesus, "If
Baba will not heal Himself, won't You heal Him?"
but I realized that this prayer was one without
an answer, for Jesus and Baba were One! I fell
back on metaphysics. Recognition of the Truth
might cast out the illness. It was easy to
behold the Christ in the Christ Himself! "Baba!
You are the Light, and in the Light there is no
darkness." I said this silently over and over
again. I knew this statement was absolutely
true, but, I also knew that, on the physical
plane, Baba had allowed
Maya
free play for the sake of someone who had
surrendered to Him. He would not let my feeble
metaphysical falterings influence a step that He
had determined upon. I was afraid my approach
was quite wrong."
The doctors
filed in and out of Baba's room. Indra Devi sat
in the Cabo Shrine applying the curative
Vibhuti
Baba had given her, on the right flank of the
Abdomen of a large sized picture of Baba,
praying that He may soon heal Himself! Mrs. Sen
alternated between confidence and
concern.
June writes,
"Mr. Kasturi oozed quiet confidence. He was
certain that this was another miracle of
miracles; that Baba was suffering for the sake
of another; that He would concentrate into a few
hours the suffering that the devotee was
destined to suffer for weeks; that we would soon
behold the end of another Divine
Leela.
We warmed ourselves often, in the warmth of His
optimism. Mr. Sen too was certain that Baba
would confront the doctors with another
astounding and confounding miracle!
Suddenly it
flashed on me that Mr. Kasturi was asked to
cancel his engagements in Ceylon and join us on
our journey to Goa, precisely for this reason.
To spread assurance, whenever doubt raised its
fearful hood! His role was to laugh the serpent
off, and to restore courage. Tell us about the
time when Baba took on the paralytic stroke
[see: 'This
Sivasakthi'],
we begged, and Mr. Kasturi with genuine
enthusiasm, plunged into that story of the eight
appalling days and nights, the sudden doffing of
the fell symptoms, the final triumph! The
infinite compassion - the infinite
power!"
The devotees
came out of Baba's room. They looked solemn and
serious, as if weighed by an insoluble problem.
June writes, "I had once asked Baba a question,
and I remembered His answer. 'Baba, why did
Jesus
allow Himself to be crucified?'
"Because
the Great Ones never use spiritual power for
themselves."
Ah! Baba had not set the car right on Saturday
night because it was not imperative for the good
of some one other than Baba." "Baba! Baba!," I
exclaimed, "I adore you; I utterly love you.
Imperfect as I am, I give my heart to you
completely!"
Precisely at
this very moment I became aware that Mr. Nakul
Sen was motioning to Mrs. Rajagopalan, Indra
Devi and myself to step inside the doorway of
Baba's room. I could not believe it was true. We
crossed the threshold half expectant, fixing our
eyes on the bedstead where the Master was
suffering for His dear devotee. He was not
there! He was standing before us, feeble and
frail, with eyes full of love and mercy -
charming in spite of it all.
He drew back
the orange robe, and permitted us to touch those
precious feet. The lovely feet were warm because
of the fever. The beloved face was pale and
etched with pain. The cheeks had been hollowed
for want of sleep and refreshment. But He stood
there for our sake.
"Do
not worry," He said tenderly, in a soft,
soothing voice, "It is a little upset, that is
all,"
indicating the right side of the
body.
"Swami! accept
what the doctors prescribe," We prayed.
"What
do the doctors know? What can they prescribe? I
only want your
Love,"
He said, quietly, almost wishfully. He stepped
out of the room into the adjacent drawing room
where several others anxiously waited. He stood
for a few minutes, looking languidly, lovingly,
at them all, reassuring the timid and charging
them with courage. Then He returned to the bed.
None of us knew that the appendix was very near
bursting point, and the doctors had said that He
must not rise from his bed at any
cost."
Later in
Bombay, on Christmas Day, Baba referred to the
"illness He had taken on at Goa" and the
suffering it caused to many.
"The
other day, a serious illness came upon this
body in Goa. Many who are devoted to Me were
plunged into anxiety and despair when they
learnt of it. Illness can never afflict this
Body. It cannot even approach it! If it
should come sometime - believe this - it
belongs to someone; not Myself. And it goes
just as it came, of My free Will. I have no
contact with it; I am not affected by
it."
The fact is
that when a devotee prays for relief, Baba
bestows upon him His Grace directly or
indirectly. At times, the devotee is unable to
apprehend an impending illness. The All-knowing
Baba at that stage intercedes between the
devotee and the illness, as Lord
Shiva
did in the case of Markandeya.
[See also Bhagavatam
(Canto 12, ch. 8, 9 & 10)]
On 9th
December, the doctors decided to put tubes down
the nose to relieve the hiccough which was
complicating matters, for taking the gas out of
the stomach. They talked also of the urgent need
that had arisen to puncture the lump and syringe
off the pus from the abscess. It must indeed
have given a terrible gash of pain for Baba,
every time the hiccough pulled the muscle tight
and affected the lump round the inflamed
appendix! But eventually the doctors left Cabo
Raj Nivas with their tubes and bottles, as Baba
refused to accept their proposals.
On the 10th, a
Bhajan
meeting had been announced at Government House,
and word had gone round indicating that Baba
would attend the meeting! Baba too said "Yes!
Arrange it." The doctors could not believe their
ears. They did not foresee any possibility of a
public appearance that day. There was doubt,
wonder and amazement in the minds of various
people, a few of them believing that whatever He
says will come to pass. At tea time Mrs. Sen
looked rather serious, as time was running out
and already people were streaming towards the
meeting place. Goa which had been previously
shocked by the news of the agonizing illness was
now jolted by the impact of such good
news.
Baba's
condition may be described in His own
words:
"The
doctors were unanimous that an immediate
operation was necessary, or they would not be
held responsible for what might happen. They
said the inflamed appendix had burst, and the
pus had entered the blood - a situation that
is fatal for all
mortals!"
Baba had to
move across His own room, across the drawing
room, walk along the veranda, ascend a low step,
get across to the doorstep of the hall which He
had selected for Bhajan,
traverse its length, reach the dais, climb two
low steps - and finally sit upon the chair
placed there. A total distance of 200 feet! A
floral carpet stretched all this
length.
Sri Nakul Sen
spoke later during the
Bhajan
sessions. "The doctors became panicky, and I
could feel that they were absolutely against
what Bhagawan had said to me. My sixth sense
somehow assured me that Bhagawan was showing one
of His
Leelas
in Goa and that through His
Sankalpa
He would get rid of this trouble as quickly as
He had assumed it."
Dr. Varma, the
chief of team of doctors came at about 4 p.m.
and finding a floral carpet covering a distance
of 200 feet, protested that it was too long a
walk. He suggested some short cuts through other
doors and passages making the journey a distance
of only 40 feet. He said, "The dais itself will
have to go; let the chair be on the floor, for
He cannot get up the steps however low they may
be - and please, have the dais on the near side,
not at the farthermost end of the
hall."
At 5 p.m. Baba
was led into the bathroom, and twenty minutes
later He came out of it, clean shaven, wearing a
new robe! Fresh as a new blossomed
rose.
When the
doctors examined Him again, they could not
locate any abscess, nor could they find any
trace of big lump of flesh near it. The whole
area of the appendix was as soft and as normal
as it could be.
"Lo and
behold," said Nakul Sen, in the speech he
delivered as soon as Baba sat on the dais at 6
p.m., "Bhagawan walked from His bedroom to the
dais, a distance of about 200 feet without any
aid. He sat down erect on an office
chair."
June writes
about that historic moment of ecstasy:
"Bhajan
began, and my heart was pounding a joyous tune
of expectancy. Love for Baba filled the hall.
Ah! There He was, moving majestically down the
hall, although He had required the assistance of
two men all day. He now moved as if nothing had
ever happened. His steps were as sure and
graceful as ever. The cheeks which had been
hollow when I last saw them were completely
filled out. His Love flooded the hall. It was
overpowering. He swung into the room, and when
He saw someone leaning against the wall, with a
sick child the Hand began the familiar circular
motion to create the cure.
Baba's eyes
which plumb the depths, His eyes which pour out
love and compassion, His eyes which flash when
he speaks of cruelty, falsehood, hypocrisy and
injustice, eyes which can be full of quips, were
as eloquent as ever. He took His place on the
divan in front of the gathering and began
keeping rhythm with the
Bhajan
being sung, with His head and hand. Mrs.
Rajagopal whispered in my ear, "Look! Those eyes
are more beautiful than ever. There is an
ethereal expression, not of this world in them;
a look of radiant joy and adoration."
"Baba's eyes
caressed the gathering, which was watching Him
without even a wink, apprehensive that the cure
He had effected on Himself, might be only
partial or temporary."
Mr. Nakul Sen
was full of gratitude and wonder! While
wellcoming Baba, and introducing the gathering
to Him as convention demanded, he said,
"Bhagawan lives in the inner recesses of the
hearts of His devotees; there is nothing He
would not do for them. He has simultaneously
appeared in this Form at different places, to
help His devotees in distress, or to save them
from impending calamities, of which He alone has
the precognition! Through His
Sankalpa
or Will, He has assumed the illness of His
devotees and suffered it from them, because they
would have succumbed to it, if left
alone."
We have
witnessed this now, a
Leela
which has greatly perplexed the medical experts
of Goa. It leaves no doubt in our minds that
there is nothing on this earth which is beyond
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba.
His
Leela
is
Adbhut
- unprecedented;
it is
Romancha Kari
- exhilarating;
it is
Madhumaya
-
sweet in memory;
Mangalamayi
-
promoting the happiness and welfare of
mankind;
Manoharini
-
overpowering the mind and turning it to truth,
beauty and
goodness.
It gives Ananda!"
The governor
also spoke in some detail about Goa and
associations it had with Râma
[see
Ramkatha
Rasavahini]
and
Krishna
[see
Bhagavatha
Vahini]
and their careers on earth. He spoke of the
legends that enrich the holiness of the two
rivers,
Mandavi
and
Aghanasini
that enter the sea right in front of Cabo Raj
Nivas.
Nakul Sen
concluded his descriptions of the ancient
glories of Goa and its sacred contacts with
Shiva,
Râma [SB
9:10],
Krishna,
and
Parasurâma
[SB
C9:15],
the Divine Avatars,
with these words: "No wonder the Lord decided to
visit this ancient and sacred land again, in the
form which He has assumed now, with the name of
Sathya Sai Baba;
He has loved Goa in His previous incarnations
and Goa continues to be dear to Him even
now."
Baba spoke for
over forty minutes with His usual emphasis and
elan. The gathering listened spellbound, for it
was a message of triumph, benevolence, and
benediction.
The illness
that had vanished an hour ago was still
uppermost in the minds of all, and so, Baba
spoke of the significance of its 'entrance and
exit' and its place in the scheme of the
Avatar's
Activities.
"There
are many who doubt the existence of God or
deny Him, or dismiss the idea of God as a
silly outworn superstition. To make them
discard their conceit, the Divine, out of Its
Innate Grace, reveals Its superhuman glory.
The doubters receive the reply without
asking, the door is opened without even a
knock; for those who deny will not knock at
all. The 'superstition' will be illumined
into divine status by a concrete experience,
an indisputable fact. The human body
generates diseases as a result of faulty food
or frivolous habits, or foolish rashness or
fanatic emotions. The illness that was
witnessed by you during the last two days was
quite different. That was an illness taken
over by Me, voluntarily put on, in order to
save a victim who could not have survived it!
His continued existence, in good health is
desirable for the task dear to Me. Pouring
Grace on the devout is one of the functions
of the Avatar. The appendix was inflamed, it
turned into an abscess which the doctors
could cure only by removal... He could not
have survived it, I know. I have come with
this Body in order to save 'other bodies'
from pain. This Body is ever free from pain.
Disease can never affect it.
I
had to go to the rescue of a person who had
surrendered to Me - even his judgment. I took
over his illness and went through it. It
shall not recur again in him. You refer to
this incident as a miracle, but remember,
each one is a miracle! Every breath is a
proof of the Providence of God. Each event is
the consequence of Divine Omnipotence.
Wherever you find truth, beauty, goodness,
justice, wisdom, compassion - God is present,
and active. An atheist denies God, with the
very breath that God has given him! He closes
the eyes that God has opened in Him, and
declares that there he could see no God.
Therefore, such amazing events have to be
accomplished and made known to man
everywhere, so that mankind can be saved from
over-fond involvement with the world, and
lovingly drawn towards the Master of the
World."
For us, who
adore Baba, and for all mankind who are deriving
the benefit of this Advent (whether they
acknowledge it or not) it was a great day, the
10th December. Baba was here with His majesty,
magnificence and munificence, not only
unimpaired, but enhanced, as a result of the
world becoming aware of the deeper aspects of
His mission.
Baba sang a
few
Bhajans
and returned to His room. The completeness of
the restoration can be gauged from one
interesting incident. Baba had asked two young
men from Brindavan to join Him at Bombay. We
telephoned them on the 9th asking them to come
to Goa itself, they rang back a few hours later
to tell us that the Indian Airlines strike had
spread to Bangalore as well. So they were told
to proceed to Goa by car. They reached Goa at
6.30 p.m. on the 10th! Hearing Baba's voice over
the loudspeaker, they entered the garden of Cabo
Raj Nivas, ran up the steps and entered the
hall. They heard Baba saying, "Now I shall tell
you about the illness which agitated the whole
country and caused great anxiety in the minds of
millions, for they feared I was hospitalized and
operated upon!" That was the first intimation to
them of the illness that had come and
gone.
Thereafter
Baba was surrounded by us, the Sens and the
doctors in His room. The doctors asked Him some
spiritual complexities, and He clarified them.
While talking of Dattatreya, the God who
represents the Trinity, the Trimurti so
imposingly sculptured at Elephanta, Baba waved
His palm, as He announced that He was
Dattatreya, and lo, there was in His hand a
picture of the three-headed God, the Trinity in
Unity but, wonder of wonders, the picture Baba
created showed the same head thrice, on the
right, center and left, Baba Himself, as
Brahma,
Vishnu
and Shiva!
It was a picture which we were privileged to
see, for the first time in our lives!
See
also: Srîmad Bhâgavatam, Canto 2,
Chapter 6
On the 11th,
Baba called the doctors to His presence, created
gifts of Grace for them and blessed them. Each
one received a momento of the event. Every
evening thereafter
Bhajan
sessions were held at the Raj Nivas, attended by
devotees who came from long distances. The
promised meeting in the heart of the city was
arranged on the 18th evening; the gathering was
twice the size of the one that was sent away
disappointed on the 8th; for there were many
thousands who wanted to take the
Darsan
of a Baba who could take on and throw off
illness, in order to save a devotee. Sri Nakul
Sen presided; he spoke of the wide range of
tasks on which the Formless Divine Principle had
come 'with Form' as
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba.
Baba spoke about Yoga,
and all activity as
Ud-Yoga,
that is to say, the higher Yoga of putting
Yoga
into practice.
The devotees
in Bombay were getting restless, awaiting Baba's
arrival. The strike of the pilots and the ground
staff of the Airlines rendered them desperate;
attempts to persuade Baba to sail by steamer
failed, as it meant, spending long hours cooped
up in the vessel! At last a privately owned
plane was chartered to transport Baba and a few
of us from Goa to Bombay, on 21st
December.
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Bhajans
The
socalled eight perfections or siddhi's are:
animâ: smallness, mahimâ: greatness,
garimâ: weight, laghimâ: lightness,
prâpti: free access, prâkâmya:
doing at wish, vasitva: control over the
elements, and isvara: lordship over all.
