|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Closer
and Closer
The
Interview
On the ground
floor of the Mandir at
Prasanthi
Nilayam,
the room at the western end of the long veranda
through which one has to pass to arrive at the
steps leading to the first floor, is known as
the Interview Room. Persons blessed by Baba with
a chance for private conversation and guidance,
sit outside the door of this room till He
directs them to come in.
Since the day
of the Annunciation (23rd May 1940) when
Satyanarayana declared Himself to be Sai Baba
[See also: Serpent
Hill],
suppliants from all quarters have been streaming
into the village of Puttaparthi to have His
darsan,
to participate in the
bhajans
and to earn counsel, consolation, confidence and
courage from Him. And on the 23rd of November,
1950, the twenty-fifth birthday of
Bhagavân, was inaugurated the
Prasanthi
Mandir.
Earlier, Swami
was residing with a few devotees in the village
itself, at a mandir constructed on a small plot
of land gifted by Subbamma, the 'foster-mother',
on the eastern outskirts [see also:
Serpent
Hill
and Sai
Baba Again].
When the seekers swelled in number, a long
extension with a corrugated sheet roof was added
as a shelter, and a separate structure with a
sleeping room and a bathroom was built behind
the mandir for Baba's use.
 Baba,
who was then in his teens, moved among the
pilgrims either in the kitchens, where they
would be working, or in the extended shelter
where they stayed. Persons anxious to win the
precious gift of His grace, or those wishing to
benefit from His premonitory warnings and
preparatory guidelines for spiritual progress,
followed Him from one room to another, until He
finally sat down somewhere upon a bedroll on the
floor. They gathered in a semicircle at His feet
and prodded Him with prayers, petitions and
problems. On most evenings, Baba moved to the
sandy bed of the Chitravathi and, while
bhajans
were being sung, called a few to follow Him into
the thickening dusk so that He could grant them
interviews.
The shrine
before which bhajans
were sung, was on an elevated platform at the
western end of the long shed. After the
bhajans
it was 'closed', a thick blue curtain being
drawn across the shed from south to north.
Pilgrims proposing to depart were often granted
interviews in the mornings and afternoons on the
other side of that curtain. Then, as now, all
hours of the day were spent by Him in the task
of repair, reconstruction and reform of the
individuals whom His Will had drawn to His
presence. Repair of physical abnormalities and
subnormalities was also carried out by divine
surgery during such interviews.
Pada
- Puja
During the
years at the old mandir (and for about five
years after the new mandir was occupied by
Baba), every person or family leaving the
presence for a substantial length of time was
blessed with the opportunity to offer
Pada-Puja
to Swami. Pada-Puja means 'worshipping the
feet'. Seated on a silver chair in a room at the
eastern end of the veranda, Baba graciously
placed His feet on a silver plate. The devotees
poured water on the feet while
Vedic
hymns were recited. They then placed flowers on
the feet while the 108 names of their chosen
deity were repeated. After this they waved
incense and lighted camphor. They offered fruits
or sweets, bits of which were tasted by Swami
and blessed, to their immense satisfaction. On
such occasions Swami would initiate a boy into
the
Gayatri
mantra
or a child into the alphabet, would 'christen' a
baby or bless a couple about to be married.
There were days on which as many as three or
more such pujas
were performed - a measure only of the extent of
Baba's compassion. After the
puja,
people would linger longingly, until Baba had
answered the questions which tormented them and
solved the riddles which baffled them. Days
might melt into weeks and weeks into months, but
the afflicted would await the great experience.
Each day was 'the day'; each moment, 'the
moment'. There were no definite days or hours
when one could expect to converse with Him and
undergo the 'conversion'. However, if one had to
leave before one had been given this golden
opportunity, one would sadly depart, hoping for
better luck next time.
In spite of
Prasanthi
Nilayam
being imposing and spacious, it did not have,
until 1974, a separate, secluded room for
personal conversation with the Avatar.
The persons selected by Bhagavân from the
rows of eager devotees, were called into the
room at the eastern end of the veranda, fifteen
or twenty of them at a time. Baba would first
address them as a group on the various aspects
of sadhana,
giving them inspiration and insight. Then he
would meet each one individually to impart His
message, providing them solace and strength.
After diagnosing their ailments, He would
prescribe the antidote for their cure in a soft,
unobtrusive atmosphere of love.
The events
that take place during the interview are
recorded only in the tablets of memory. Baba
delves into personal feelings and inbuilt
agonies, and is ever engaged in revealing and
correcting faults, disinfecting habits,
filtering emotions, fumigating passions and
fostering virtues - a process that discourages
publicity.
The
First Interview
Dr. John
Hislop writes,
"When
he had his first interview with
Bhagavân, this writer was seated in a
small room with his wife and several others
who were part of the interview group. All
attention was on the slender, elegant,
graceful form of Bhagavân - His deep,
luminous eyes, the sweet, warm smiles, and
the charm. The critical and questioning mind
stopped its restless activity. Anxiety about
the world and its problems faded away from
the consciousness. There remained just a
feeling of quiet happiness. Although Baba was
speaking, one was surrounded by quietness. In
that peaceful state of being, one's awareness
deepened without effort. There was a
perception that something alive, something
unknown, was in one's heart. In a moment, the
realisation came that a current of love was
moving in this writer's dry, 'western' heart,
and then it was very clear that the source of
that love was Bhagavân - nay, more -
that the sweetness of Bhagavân Himself
was there, with life, in the
heart."
How could
Srî Sathya Sai Baba, a stranger never seen
before, come into the heart of a mature man and
bring about a change from within, a change from
which there is no turning back? Surely, God is
the only stranger who can do
this.
Hislop
writes,
"On
that memorable day when I first came into the
presence of Sathya Sai Baba, I reached the
end and goal of my forty-seven years of
search for the One. Who could say the truth
so directly that I could see for myself that
it was true. Never can I forget that
day."
Hislop and his
wife contacted Theosophy from Dr. Annie Besant
and J. Krishnamurthi, through Thray Sithu U Ba
Khin and Mahesh Yogi - a series of splendid
teachers who struggled on the path of
jnana.
"But when I came into the presence of Baba on
that ever-memorable day in 1968," writes
Hislop,
"I
made the totally surprising and unsuspected
discovery that I was a
Bhakta!
Never had I shown that tendency to myself and
I was truly amazed." "The Lord has to come in
human form to move among men," says Baba, "so
that He can be listened to, contacted, loved,
revered and obeyed. He has to speak the
language of men and behave like human beings
do. Otherwise He will be either neglected and
negated, or feared and avoided."
Thus the Lord
revealed Hislop to Hislop, and directed him on
to that road within himself which leads to
Him.
Doubts
and Defects
Another person
who underwent a similar revelatory experience
was Swami Abhedananda, for long a resident
sadhaka
at the ashram of Bhagavân Ramana Maharshi.
He wrote to me on 23rd December 1961, "To be
frank, I must admit that I have been hearing of
Srî Sathya Sai Babajî and about his
mahimas
for a long time. But hearsay does not convey a
good opinion about Him. Recently, nearly a week
or ten days ago, I got your book,
'Sathyam
Sivam
Sundaram'
from a devotee of His, and I went through it. It
is very interesting and illuminating, and is
driving me to have a
darsan
of the Divinity. Will you let me know whether
and when I shall be able to have the
darsan?"
"Although I
have been living my life in this fashion for
over twenty years now, I still have doubts and
defects. This body is at the fag end of its
life, having passed the age of seventy-six. I
cannot delay relishing the
summum bonum,
the certainty of which my doubts do screen. May
I request you also to help me earn His grace and
thus be liberated from these doubts and defects,
this sinuous, unending samsara."
Even before my
reply reached him, he had had a vision of both,
Ramana Maharshi and Sai Baba, on the 27th at 4
a.m., while fully awake at the Ramana ashram.
Baba spoke to him in clear Telugu, and directed
him towards a new process of meditation. He came
to
Prasanthi
Nilayam
and was immediately blessed with an interview.
His letter to me dated the 5th February 1962,
gives an account of the grace Baba conferred on
him:
"I
must thank you for being instrumental in
exposing me to Baba's grace, which helped
clear all my doubts. I was really astonished
to find my old-age infirmities disappear and
my weakened limbs regain strength merely by
His touch. His clear exposition, with
analysis and analogies, not only put an end
to my long-harbored doubts, but made me see
Truth face to face in its sublime
nature."
"Not only
this, but His transformation at the time of
my leave - taking into Muralidhara
Krishna (Krishna with the flute) in
dazzling splendor, is a sight I shall never
forget. The darsan
of
Saguna
Brahman
(the Universal Absolute incarnated as a
'limited' being), was a blessing bestowed on
this poor soul to reveal the oneness of
Saguna
and Nirguna."
Hislop, too
was very prone to accept God only as the
Universal Absolute; the limited, temporal,
particular incarnation, was to him less glorious
and divine. So Baba gave Him, also, a vision of
Himself as Krishna,
in order to make him aware that the Divinity is
full and free, and that It cannot be diminished
or devalued if It takes the form of an
avatar.
Abhedananda
continues in his letter,
"I
was still a believer only in
Nirguna
Brahman,
and considered everything that was visible to
be mithya.
This gracious transformation of His changed
me, and made me see everything - visible and
imagined - to be
Sathya,
a part of that same Absolute
Principle."
"Baba had
anticipated all the difficulties and doubts
which I carried to Him regarding my efforts
in sadhana, and He cleared them all. He
instructed me, convincing me about the
validity of His advice, and how to proceed
further. I am not quite convinced with the
popular view attributing
Avatarhood
to Baba. He seems to me to be the perfect
Poorna [purna: complete, full]
Brahman,
personified to end the unsettled state of the
world by making man realise his own real
nature, which is Bliss."
Sri
Maharajakrishna Rasagotra, presently India's
envoy to France, writes of moments he has spent
in Baba's presence:
"Words
cannot sum up the quality of such moments
spent in Baba's company. He sits there, a
picture of compassion, nay, the very
embodiment of Love transforming each fleeting
fraction of time into a moment of revelation,
enlightenment and release. When He enters a
room, you feel enveloped in the warmth of His
love. You feel a part of Him, and the
identification of one with the other is
complete. Perhaps that is why there is
nothing in one's past, present or future
which is hidden from His gaze."
No
more Cobwebs
"Years
ago, when I first sought Him out in a remote
place, without prior appointment,
acquaintance or introduction, he brought up,
without any suggestion or provocation from
me, the subject of death, saying, 'The loss
of your child weighs upon your heart still.
The living must get reconciled to the
inevitability of death.' He then proceeded to
bring into my vision an altogether new
horizon with which I was not acquainted
before," says Sri Rasagotra.
I heard Him
gently ask a devotee thus: "What is the cause
of your worry? What are all your fears based
on?" And He continued, "Your worry and fear
is based on your experience in the past,
experiences of yesterday. But today is not
yesterday. And tomorrow will be different.
You do not know what tomorrow will bring. Why
do you then give fresh life in your heart to
the ghosts of yesterday?"
The interview
is an occasion when Baba cleans the cobwebs from
the brain, erases the wrinkles on the brow and
cures the myopia of the intellect, by removing
the distractions from the mind. He advises us to
pay attention to the breath and listen to the
'Soham'
it recites. He fixes a silencer to the tongue.
He sweetens and softens the speech, he lightens
the burden on our shoulders and gives us hope
for the future. He gives new meaning to our
actions and places, new goals for us to achieve.
In fact, he sublimates our emotions and
sanctifies our passions. Sri Rasagotra, who has
experienced the grace that Baba confers during
an interview upon those who go to Him with
constant yearning, writes,
"A
man who goes in for a meeting with Him,
seldom comes out the same. He emerges from
the encounter, exalted and radiant, as if
Baba has stripped him of his motley cloak of
many patches and fitted him out in Love's
pure raiment, for a fresh journey towards a
bright, new destination."
"The
transformation begins almost at the first
moment of contact with Baba and the process
of irresistible uplift never slackens
thereafter. Perhaps this is His greatest
appeal, which draws to Puttaparthi and
Brindavan, men and women of all faiths and
beliefs from every part of the world. The
impact of His personality is instantaneous,
electrifying and elevating. In His luminous
presence, one feels part of a higher order of
reality, lifted out of oneself, as if one
were on a different, altogether purer plane
of existence, where there is no lust, greed,
anger or falsehood, and where, while there
may be suffering and pain, there is no
fear."
William Penn
writes,
"That
is the wonderment of Baba; once He enters
your life, He fills it completely. It becomes
totally different, totally
delightful."
Baba installs
Himself as the Master in every heart that is
warm with love. No problem is beneath His notice
or beyond His benediction. He challenges us with
dilemmas, and when the effort fails and the ego
surrenders, He deals with our personal problems
with intimate sympathy. So most of what happens
then - the counsel He bestows, the courage He
installs, the dilemmas He reconciles, the
despair He overcomes, the symbols of grace He
gifts, the revelations He vouchsafes and the
doubts He resolves - is not recorded to be
retold. Some idea of what those whom Baba
selects, earn during an interview, can be gained
from the following account received from a
participant.
What
Does Happen
"There
were seven others in the batch which Baba
called into the room that morning. A doctor
from Bombay, a lady from Sri Lanka, an
American couple from Los Angeles, two
American scientists from the Psychic Research
Society in New York, and a gentleman from
Hong Kong. A remarkable assortment indeed,
and a good sample of the variety in the eager
rows of visitors sitting before the mandir
awaiting this stroke of luck. There was an
ornate chair in the room, but Baba sat on the
floor, with us sitting around Him. As He sat
down He created vibhuti,
and gave us each a share, He called on me to
translate His Hindi into English, though my
Hindi was poor and His English was
unexceptionable. It was a unique experience
for me and I was genuinely happy at getting
the chance. Perhaps that was the reason why
He asked me to do so. Baba made us feel quite
at ease, as if we had gathered before our
family hearth. He appeared extremely youthful
and handsome, cheerful and buoyant - the very
embodiment of graceful charm."
"He
suddenly turned towards the American couple
and asked them if that day was not the 33rd
anniversary of their wedding. They were
stunned. It took a few seconds for them to
say yes. He then created a ring with His
portrait embossed on it, and placing it on
the trembling palm of the lady, He asked her
to put it on her husband's finger. He waved
His hand yet again: a gold chain, with a
golden lotus suspended from it, emerged. He
directed the gentleman to put the chain
around the neck of his wife. Their joy knew
no bounds; they had never dreamt that Baba
would remind them of the significance of that
day. How could He, when they themselves had
forgotten it in His presence. And Baba had
now celebrated it with such unforgettable
grandeur!"
"Baba asked
the scientists, 'What is your explanation for
the materialisation?' They sat silent. 'The
laws of physics,' Baba said, 'do not allow
something to be created out of nothing. But
they do not hold good as far as I am
concerned.' They asked, 'How is that?' Baba
said that science was limited to the world
that could be perceived, that was manifest.
But the spiritual eye can see matter where
even the most powerful microscope can find
none. 'I need no X-rays or chemical graphs to
diagnose a disease. You, too, can develop
such spiritual insight. I am here to reveal
to man this possibility and to lead him to
new vistas of peace and potence,' Baba
said."
Why
Bring to Life?
"The
scientists asked Baba whether He had gone out
of His body to rescue a man who was drowning
in a well at Kuppam village, as was reported
by Murphet. Baba said, 'I did save the man,
Radhakrishna, from drowning; but I did not go
from here to there to do that. I was there
already. I am everywhere at all times. I need
not go or come back.' "
"They asked
Baba, 'On what basis do you bestow grace upon
people?' Baba replied, 'I bestow grace when a
person has fully surrendered to Me and when
the situation so demands. At Madras, Walter
had three attacks of heart failure, full and
fatal, but I saved his life all the three
times, for that was needed. I also brought
Radhakrishna back to life for just ten days,
because I deemed it necessary. You ask Me
about death and the extension of life; but I
say that you are neither born, nor can you
die.' "
" 'Can you
grant grace to a country as a whole?' asked
an American. 'I can,' said Baba, 'if I
desire. I have granted these two scientists
special grace, giving them many chances to
watch Me and listen to Me, for they are
interested and have the capacity to help
humanity by the knowledge gained from these
experiences.' Just then, one of the
scientists observed that the stone on a ring
materialised earlier by Baba, was missing.
All of us started looking for it; but Baba
indicated, with a smile, that He had
dematerialised it."
"Then Baba
rose and gave short personal interviews to
each of us. Within minutes, all my doubts and
uncertainties had been resolved. He injected
into my life a new sense of purpose. As I
stood speechless before Him, He reassured me,
holding my hands in His, saying, 'Do not
worry. I will take care of you. I am always
with you, beside you, in your very heart.'
"
"A few days
later Baba called the two scientists, two new
couples from America, a British citizen and
myself into the interview room. He enquired
about the missing gemstone. Then He took the
ring back from the scientist and, holding it
before His mouth, gently blew upon it three
times. The missing stone reappeared, firm and
beautiful. 'It is
Sankalpa,
the Will, that does it' Baba
explained."
Ring,
with the face of Krishna,
materialized by Baba at another occasion
"Baba then
spoke of the need for the cultivation of
compassion and humility, self-control and a
virtuous character, among scientists. He
spoke of the atom bomb and other destructive
weapons, and described the holocaust wrought
by such weapons. As He began speaking,
'Seven
thousand years ago, on the historic
battlefield of Kurukshetra..'
an American intervened with the question,
'How does Baba know of events that took place
seven thousand years ago? From books, or
through other means?' Baba smiled,
'I
know what happened seventy thousand years
ago!
I can go forward and backward in time, and
learn of anything I wish. Time and space can
impose no limitation on Me.' "
"Someone
questioned Baba about the halo that Hislop
had written He saw around Baba's head.
'Thousands have seen the halo,' Baba said.
'You must be both, near Me and dear to Me, to
be able to see it,' He added."
"This
question led to many others, and Baba
answered them all in a short talk He gave us:
'You are surprised that I can be in two
bodies at the same time, or in a thousand
different places. When I give you a ring or
any other object materialised by Me, it
instantly informs Me whenever you are in
imminent danger. I can reach you immediately
and render all necessary help. However, even
if you have only genuine love and devotion
for Me, My response will still be immediate.
I respond to every sincere prayer, no matter
what form or name of God you may adore and
worship.' "
"Once, in
this very room, Indra Devi of Tecate (Mexico)
was sitting with others, listening to Me. She
had an American gentleman, whose wife was in
the States, sitting here. I knew that her car
had met with serious accident while she was
in it. Even while engaged in conversation
with them, I saved her and gave all necessary
assistance. Here, I told her husband not to
worry, and to go home as planned."
" 'Now
science and technology have advanced
tremendously, but man has no peace of mind.
Tranquillisers and sleeping pills have become
a must for everyone. A simple and regulated
life which includes natural foods and plenty
of physical exercise, is the best remedy for
the complicated diseases that haunt man in
all lands. I do a lot of work as you must
have seen, and take a small quantity of
simple food. I do not take milk, curds,
butter or fruit-juice. This body will
continue to be in good health until its
ninety-fourth
year.
I must admit that, occasionally, I take upon
Myself the ailments of My devotees, but these
only pass through My body without having any
effect on Me.' "
Helping
Thousands
"Someone
asked how many hours Baba slept at night.
'I
do not sleep at
all,'
He replied. To a question about gesticulating
with His hands, Baba said, 'During bhajans,
when I am seated, you find Me gesticulating
with my hands or fingers. Sometimes it
appears as if I am writing in the air. People
are curious to know why. At such times I am
communicating with people you cannot see. I
am engaged in tasks that you cannot
understand. I write replies to questions
asked by someone far away, and help thousands
of people in every part of the world.'
"
"Then He
called us into the antechamber, one by one,
and spent some time with each, healing and
heartening, comforting and correcting. I
secured a second chance to touch His feet and
to draw strength and spiritual sustenance
from another assurance of His ever-present
grace."
"An
American asked, 'When will I have another
chance?' Baba smiled and, patting him on his
back, replied, 'Today, a group of villagers
has come. I give Myself first to the needy
and the poor. Most of the people who come
here have no money to spend for a long stay,
I'll give you another chance when I am free.'
"
" 'The
material is only a baser state of the
spiritual, of the divine. It is the
fulfilment of God's Will, the measure of His
power. Creation can take place only when the
power of the spirit is channelled properly.
Sai Baba is bringing this truth into our
awareness today,' said the octogenarian, Dr.
Sigfried Knauer, MD, of Mexico. Speaking
about the interview he was granted, he told
an audience at San Diego, 'He called me in.
After some minutes of talk, which I will keep
to myself, Baba asked me to cup my hands, and
he slowly dropped one by one, thirty-three
tiny amber-colored pills. (Thirty-three
vertebrae, He explained.) The pills had
formed in His palm, one after another.'
"
"At Bombay,
before my departure from India, Baba called
me into one of the rooms at
Dharmakshetra,
where He was alone. He circled His hands a
few times, and turning His palm up, He showed
me how a liquid was slowly filling one hand.
'Oil,' He said. It had an exquisite
fragrance. Then He rubbed both palms to
spread the oil evenly on them, and He gave me
treatment with the oil. In gratitude, I
wanted to touch His feet, but He did not let
me do so."
No
Reaching
"By
what path can we reach You soonest?" once
asked a doyen of Hindu metaphysics. Baba
replied, "I am too near to you to prescribe a
path for you. You cannot reach Me. If you
need Me, I am yours." W.G. Steve, an
architect from Honolulu, narrates, "The
little interview room was crowded, and Baba
launched into a spiritual discourse, with
specific comments directed towards some but
seemingly applicable to all. Then came the
individual session during which He quickly
cut into the secret depths of our being - our
problems of health, previous meetings when He
had contacted Irene in a dream (!) and, would
you believe, the details of that dream,
difficulties we encountered in our individual
efforts in sadhana,
the personal desires of each of us, and our
own internal turmoils.
Vibhuti
was also manifested. All this was quickly,
naturally and spontaneously delivered and
conferred with love and understanding, which
rendered new meaning to old words. Here was a
confidante, guide, doctor, friend, father,
mother and god beside us both, as
One."
How is this
supremacy of the spirit attained? When Baba says
that we, too can attain it, what does He really
mean? Dat Pethe sheds light on
this:
"Whenever
a meeting of two individuals takes place, it
is really two separate psychological setups
that meet, each set-up confronting the other
with a complex of innumerable experiences,
stored memories, sentimental attachments,
bias towards various matters and situations,
and countless idiosyncrasies. These form the
background and the source from which the
words used in conversation by the two
individuals originate. But when Baba is
talking to somebody, one is struck by the
discovery that on His side there is no such
set-up at all. And He gives us the power to
get over the handicap of our own confused and
disorganised set-up."
Once, to an
earnest aspirant clamouring for an interview,
Baba said,
"I
am giving you interviews every day (through
the inner voice). It is you who always avoid
granting Me an interview, an enter-in-view,
from viewing you as Me, in
Me."
When we
realise the truth in Baba's declaration,
"I
am in you and you are in Me; we are really
One,"
the so-called 'interviews' with Him become
superfluous. Jerry Bas writes,
"A
fellow pilgrim from the United States, when
about to return home, prayed to Baba for an
interview. Baba stood before him for a few
seconds and said, "Be great! Be great! In
reality, you are great!... Interview?
Interview is small; it makes you separate."
That reply is worth pondering over in silence
for some time.
|Previous
|Next
|
Bhajans
|
|
|
Written by
N. Kasturi M.A.,
B.L.
|
|
