WOODEN PADUKAS
When I was in sorrow, thinking about this
separation, Swami looked right into my eyes and said that duty was more important.
He asked me if I had any specific wish. I washed His feet with my tears, for
having given me so much affection and grace. All that He had given me, in all
these years, can never be compensated with anything in the world. So, I begged
Him to give me what was suitable for me, as willed by Him. He blessed me with
the Padukas (wooden chappals, with only one grip in front), used by Him in
those days. Somehow, I felt that these wooden sandals did not belong to this
period, at all. From wherever they came, there should be some big history
behind them. I knew that He loved to wear them and seen Him even run wearing
them, as they made crackling sounds.
CHITIKALU
Besides the Padukas, Swami gave me one pair of Chitikalu
(two wooden pieces, with bells and small circular plates, with brass grips
attached to them), that was used, by Him, in the singing sessions. In spite of
many other instruments in front of Him, He would love to use this pair of Chitikalu,
while singing. As the tempo of the song increased, these would literally fly in
thin air and dance to the beat. I can never justify this description, in any
number of words. I was fully satisfied with these rare gifts.
As the time passed by, it was not congenial for
me to worship these, so I handed them over to my sister Kumaramma, to perform
daily worship. This was all His divine will and grace. As she would sing for
hours, without any time schedule, the Chitikalu has landed at the right place.
The wise had stated that life was a difficult
ocean to cross. Though man could swim and cross channels, this ocean of life
would be very difficult. Day by day, the family issues became a problem and
went beyond control. As the family multiplied, expenses had its toll. At such
difficult times, our only consolation was Swami's letters of encouragement,
which made us sustain and live. Though the great devotees of Lord Krishna, the
Pandavas had to face a lot of difficulties, with His grace, they could be happy
wherever they were and whatever they did. This was also true in our case.
MY MARRIAGE
Once, Swami surprised me with my marriage issue, which
struck me like a rod out of the blue. When I asked Him He was joking, He asked
me if I had not come of age. Without any savings, without proper income, unable
to stand on my own feet, how I could ever think of marriage? I begged Swami not
to dump me in such mess. I expressed that if my would-be wife does not
understand our situation, what would happen to the unity of our family? Once
Swami decides something, it had to happen! I spent sleepless nights, thinking
of some means to escape. My parents were also keen to get me married, and Swami
also joined them. Ultimately, Igot
engaged to a girl from Coimbatore. I fell at His divine feet for blessings, got
married and reached Kuppam.
Instead of solutions to the already existing
troubles, more troubles cropped up. A lot of misunderstandings erupted among
brothers, and it went to such an extent that I had to leave my home at Kuppam.
This was very difficult for me, as I did not have any other place to stay, and
the thought that Icould not succeed, in simple things in life, bugged
me. Before leaving the house, I went to Puttaparthi and washed Swami's feet
with warm tears. He consoled me with all His compassion, “I shall be with
you always, never forget you and never leave you. Just do your duties properly,
and your goodness shall become your protector!”From then on,
not only service to Swami, but service to my parents also disappeared.
I was not in a position to visit Puttaparthi
freely, as before, and even Swami did not write to me, like before, asking me
to come there. He was fully aware of my plight and did not want me to escape
from it. The showers of His love could be felt by me, in many ways. A mother
shall never desert her children and even if she wished, she would not be able
to succeed. Unable to decide what to do, I
kept moving and landed in Podanur, a small town near Coimbatore. When I
went through untold misery at the new place, I remembered the plight of the
Pandavas, during their exile. If they felt the presence of Krishna with them
always, I felt the presence of Sai Krishna, protecting me, always, as promised
by Him. But the close affection of those days was lost. Every moment, with
moist eyes, I silently complained as to why He forced me into marriage. As the
old saying goes, 'What is the use of applying medicine after the hands are
burnt, when you could have avoided getting burnt'! Even with all the mumbling
and grumbling, I remained in safe hands, and He continued to grant protection
silently. That was His greatness.
DACOIT TERROR
During 1983, the state of Tamilnadu was swept by
the menace of a gang of dacoits. It was said that they were backed by a strong
group from the state of Punjab. One night targeted my house at Podanur. Without
knowing what was happening outside, I opened the front door and came out. Two of
them held me captive, and the three others started beating me, like a dog. With
the first blow on my head, I shouted 'Baba', and prayed for His help. He was
the only refuge! My head was broken, and blood started oozing out. I observed
that they were conversing in Hindi. With the little Hindi I knew, I begged them
to spare my life. The language worked like magic, and they seemed to halt.
Their leader told them to leave me alone, and all of them went away, with
whatever little we had.
After some time, listening to our shouts, the
police arrived and took me to the hospital. The doctor shivered, looking at my
condition. With the broken head and so much bleeding, an ordinary person would
have been dead, but I was alive, conscious and able to talk. He treated me and
put bandages all over. The first thing I did after this was to send a telegram
to Swami, regarding this incident. Not that Swami was not aware of this, but it
was my habit to keep Him informed of such things. He was the One Who would
pinch and also console! This must have been a punishment, due to some fault of
mine. Yet, I was His devotee and He had saved me! Incidentally, my cousin
sister Susheelamma was there at Puttaparthi during that time, and Swami had
showed her and a few other devotees, the blood marks on His hands. They said that
were horrified to see His hands soaked in blood. "All this was due
to that buffalo Murthy. Last night some dacoits entered his house and beat him
up nicely. Instead of keeping quiet he called Me, so I had to go.
He had already received one vital blow, and because he could not withstand any
more, I received the rest of it. He shall come here shortly", Swami
had explained to them. On the very second day, somehow I reached Puttaparthi,
with all the pain, and fell at His feet. He scolded me nicely, "Your
pride has not yet come down! After receiving such a beating, why have
you come so soon? What was the harry"? Saying like this,
He made everyone laugh. That naughty laugh and that mighty affection made me forget
all my pains. After so many years, I had the opportunity to enter His room, and
the very next day bid farewell. Like this, He had saved our family many-a-time.
For those with firm belief, He shall always remain in their hearts. Please do perceive
this great Lord of our Kali era, Who has saved millions of people, and safely
keep Him in our hearts!
MUMBAI TRIP
For the first time, I landed in Mumbai on a
business trip. As I was warned about cheaters there, I was very cautious. Though
I reached at early morning 5 o'clock, I was surprised to see such a crowd, so
many trains and busy people, all over the station. I was flabbergasted to see
thousands of people and just stood in a comer. After some time, some
plain-clothed policemen questioned me, and I explained that I was new to this place
and was waiting for a friend. In the meantime, a Telugu speaking porter volunteered
to help me out. Though he looked like a good person and spoke my language, I
remained cautious. As the policemen started chasing a thief, he stress me out
of the railway station. Somehow the policemen came back towards us and took us
to the nearby police station, on some suspicious grounds. The way some people
were being beaten up there, made me shudder. The sub-inspector arrived and put
many of them into lockup. When my turn came, he spoke to me in Hindi, and I
could not understand anything. When I offered to speak in English, he obliged
and treated me with respect. Strangely, one higher officer arrived and asked
me, in English, when I had arrived. When I obediently replied, he spoke
something to the sub-inspector and left. When the sub-inspector asked me for how
long I knew the higher officer, I just shook my head like a dumb person. He
ordered the porter to lead me to the correct place, and at last we came out. I
could not understand immediately what had happened, but after some time it
flashed to me who the higher officer must have been! Those with firm faith
would understand His divine play. Divine could be fully believed, but not so
all men. This made me realise that there could be no better friend than Swami.
To get such firm belief, by itself would be a great blessing, and I was
fortunate to have this. That was not due to my past merit alone, but also the blessings
of my parents.
DIVINE SURGEON
In those days, Swami had removed poison that was
fed to my father and revived him. Hearing about this, many. of our relations
started coming to Puttaparthi. One among them was my cousin sister Adilakshmi's
family, from Karur. Her husband was suffering from some illness. Swami
identified his illness as Hernia. It was decided that he should be operated
upon immediately, but there was no facility at Puttaparthi. They decided to
reach Bangalore, as soon as possible. As Iwas there at Puttaparthi, I explained to them about Swami's curing
skills. Unable to tolerate pain, he approached Swami for help and He joked
asking if was having labour pains? All these days, Radhakrishnayya had such
pain, and now you are taking his place, Swami said with a smile. Materialising
vibuthi and applying it, He said everything shall be alright. For the next four
days, he was perfectly all right and did not have any pain.
But, after some time, he developed the same
complaint and started wriggling in pain. If he was not operated upon immediately,
his life would be in danger. His family members became pale with fear, and they
were not in a position to take him to Bangalore, in this condition. When they
were deeply engrossed in their thoughts to solve this issue, Swami asked me to
bring the patient to His room and we made him lie on Swami's cot. His family
members were not aware of this as they were not there. As advised by Swami I
brought one bowl of hot water, a knife and bandage cloth. As soon as Swami gave
him some Vibhuthi in water, it worked like anaesthesia, and he lost
consciousness. Within no time Swami cut a
small portion under his naval and slowly removed something like the intestines
and kept it in an empty bowl. He sprinkled some Vibhuthi on the cut,
which may have worked like antibiotic, and told me to tie a bandage on that
place nicely. The First Aid course I had undergone in school many years back,
came in handy. Satisfied with what had been done, Swami left the room with
a smile. After the evening prayer session, his family people came to know that
the operation was already over, and they ran to Swami's room. When I told them
that the operation was successful they could not believe what I said. Their
eyes popped out when Swami showed them the blood-stained pieces in the bowl.
After some time, he was shifted to the hall below, as if he was being shifted
from the ICU to the general ward. Needless to say, for many years he was in
good health.
OPERATION WITHOUT KNIFE
Once, an old devotee, by name Tirumala Rao, came from
Bangalore. There was some growth on his back that had become big and painful.
In Telugu, people would call it 'Raja Kurupu', a malicious growth that was
deemed to be dangerous. Though many doctors had recommended an operation to remove
it, he was afraid to get the operation done. Hearing to this, Swami joked with
him, saying if all his efforts had failed and what He could do for him? As he
was in much pain Swami took him into His room immediately. The growth had
matured, and it was so red, I thought that it may burst at any time. Swami confirmed
that there should be no further delay, so I got ready with hot water and other
things, as usual. His room became the operation theatre, once again. Before the
operation would start, Vibuthi and water worked like anaesthesia, as before. He
made him lie facing down, and instead of a knife, Swami used His nimble
fingers. As He pressed on the growth, pus and blood started flowing out in all
directions. For nearly one hour, this process continued, slowly, and steadily.
All the while I was wiping away the liquid with cotton dipped in hot water.
Finally, Swami sprinkled some more Vibuthi, that may have acted like an
antibiotic, and went out. Devotees were eagerly waiting outside, and the Divine
Doctor announced that Tirumal Rao's operation was successful. The old devotees
were amazed, and the new devotees watched in surprise and doubt. After some time,
when they entered the room, they were surprised to see so much blood, pus, and
pieces of flesh in the bowl. Swami advised him rest for three days, and on the
third day, he boarded the bus like a normal person and left to Bangalore with
his friends and relatives who had come to see him. On reaching Bangalore, even
his family doctor was surprised at his fast recovery and agreed that it was a
major operation, as the cut was quite deep. What was so great about this, for
the Creator! Would He require instruments or assistants? This was all child's play
for Him and wonders for us! He had just played this game to open our eyes and
prove to us He was the Almighty! Without such revelations, many people would
not believe, as they were immersed in heaps of doubts; otherwise, with just one
touch or just one glance He could have cured him fully! Having done all this,
He would go around as if He had not done anything. Bala Sai's decent was for
the protection of many such people, and who can ever describe His greatness!
Dear readers, to write all about our Bala Sai,
the Young Saviour, one's lifetime would not be sufficient, or even many births!
So, only a few such nectarine Leelas actually seen by me, I place before you.
SPINAL INJURY
A rich married couple landed at Puttaparthi, but
Swami had gone to Bangalore on some visit. They were received like any other
people, by the inmates of the Old Mandir. They observed that the husband looked
after his wife like his very life. More than wealth, the heart plays as
important role. Some years back, she had a fall, and her spine was partially
damaged. From then on, in spite of all possible treatments, she could not walk
without help and stand straight, without support. Her husband looked after all
her needs. They had even travelled abroad for proper treatment, without
success. Having heard about Bala Sai's miracle curing, they had come here.
After two days, Swami returned from Bangalore. Without self-experience, it
would not be easy to believe in anyone! Swami moved around as usual, and the
rich couple were disappointed, as He did not give them any special attention.
Little did they know about our compassionate Lord's ways! His compassion was
not openly visible to all, and only when in action, many would come to know of
it. Though Swami did not talk to them, they waited, patiently. When they got
the opportunity, they narrated their misery, and Swami wittingly asked them as
to why they had kept quiet all these days. The lover of surrender does not
yield, till we surrender, and without as application, He would not take notice.
The right example for the world would be Draupadhi, though Krishna was ready to
save her from shame of being stripped of her sari, He swung into action only
when she sought His help. Similarly, Swami swung into action when they came out
with ardent prayers.
“Dear ones! With all the medical care,
nothing could be achieved. Then, why come here for help? There are no great
doctors here, and there is no question of magic! Poor things, what can be done?”
This
comment made by Swami, disheartened them so much, they got ready to leave and
asked for His permission. “What! Ready to leave! For anything, the right
time should come. For having come so far, you may stay for a couple of days more”, Swami
replied. As usual, we reached Chitravathi that evening. After the daily routine
of song and entertainment, we started our return journey, after it was quite
dark. The couple took a lot of time to follow us. I hinted to Swami that they
were lagging behind and got a rebuff that they did not require my compassion.
We reached the Old Mandir and started our singing session. Shortly thereafter,
the husband came running into the Mandir and informed us that a herd of cattle had
come towards them, and his wife was trampled by a cow. The devotees rushed to
help her and brought the wounded lady into the Mandir. She looked fearful, with
so many injuries.Swami gave her Vibuthi and told her to rest.
After two days of complete rest, she got up,
before her husband was awake, had her bath and sat in the Mandir. Though she
had not moved without help all these years, that day it was a different story
all-together. Her husband got totally confused, looking at her. This change was
not noticed by her, but all the people there looked at her with astonishment.
When she did realise this change, she fell at Swami's feet and cried like a child.
But our great Master of Maya, pretended not to know anything! Then it was her
husband's turn to cry, in gratitude.
Unless such games of Swami are witnessed, it
would be difficult to understand His ways. When they cooled down, Swami
explained, that in her previous birth she had tortured a cow for not yielding
enough milk. That cow had suffered a spinal injury due to her beating, and for
that sin, she had to suffer in this life, and she had been revived by the kick
of a cow. All this was possible, because she had repented badly. It was
necessary for all to undergo punishment for the past mistakes committed, and
repenting for this, would always yield results. This was an eye-opener for all
of us.
HOT VIBUTHI
A poor Muslim family, having heard of Bala Sai,
landed at Puttaparthi from a far-off place. Unexpectedly, they had lost a
baggage holding all their money, and a small boy had guided them to reach
Puttaparthi and had assured them that they would get shelter. Though they could
get shelter at the Old Mandir, their minds were bugged about the lost baggage.
After a few days, that same boy returned the lost baggage to them, intact,
informing them that the thief was caught, and disappeared from there, before they
could react. This happy development made them comfortable, and they decided to
stay for a longer period, at the Old Mandir. A beautiful girl, in this group
had lost her voice, due to an attack of acute smallpox. Bala Sai had His own
way of treating any disease and that could never be described or understood by
any medical experts. With a smile, He gave her some Vibuthi which was not
objected to by the Muslim family. With just a pinch of that Vibuthi, she
wriggled in pain and shouted that it was too hot! At first, they were
perturbed, but noticing that she had regained her voice, they were delighted.
The devotees had never observed that Vibuthi materialised by Swami could be so
strong and pungent! When the family members fell at Swami's feet, for giving
her the long-lost speech, Swami sprinkled some water on her, and she started
talking in a normal way. How many would have seen such a rare treatment,
anywhere else in this world?
Swami explained that bad deeds of the past births
would take many shapes and have their toll. The people who confront divine
values and insult others, maybe born as deaf or dumb, and those who had been
crueller, may be born blind. Swami narrated one small story, in this regard.
When Shiva and Parvathi were going around the earth, they saw some people
enjoying the cool waters, in a pond. One blind boy, sitting on the bank, was
enjoying their play, just by listening to their excited shouts. The universal
Mother, Parvathi, felt pity for the blind boy and asked Shiva to grant him
vision. The all-knowing Lord said that this could be done by her and the
compassionate Mother restored him vision. That boy jumped in joy and danced in
delight. After some days, when Shiva and Parvathi were crossing over the same
place, they saw a crowd in distress near the same pool! The water in the pool
had turned red with blood, because, the people who had jumped into the pool had
got stuck on lethal arrows. The reason for all this was the boy, who had
regained his sight, by the divine grace of Mother Parvathi. With cruelty, and
just for the fun of it, he had planted sharp arrows at the bottom of the pool,
pointing upwards. Hurt by this, Parvathi cursed that boy to become blind again
and asked Shiva to pardon her. The definite reason for the boy to have lost
sight was known to Shiva, and when the divine grace of Mother Parvathi was not
respected and utilised in a good manner, the worst had to follow. Because
Parvathi had asked Shiva to grant sight to that blind boy out of compassion,
Shiva had not declined Her request! But, the effect of Her request was realized
only later. Thus, without divine grace of the Almighty, nothing could be
achieved, but when granted, it should be utilized properly.
The next day, when the Muslim family asked for
Swami's permission, to leave, He did not reply, and they stayed back. In the
meantime, an orphan Muslim teacher arrived from Anathapur. He was a devotee and
a regular visitor to the Ashram. When Swami saw him, He addressed him as
'Bridegroom', and his eyes popped out Swami introduced him to the Muslim family
and told them that he was a good match for the girl. They were even more
pleased at this new development, and the marriage was fixed in Swami's presence.
Bala Sai could accomplish many tasks in one shot and in moments, everything
would change. Restoring the girl's voice, getting her engaged, relieving her
family from misery of her marriage, and rewarding the orphan teacher with a
suitable bride, made everyone happy! Bala Sai's nectarine divine games were
very strange and deep, also.
DIVINE DIRECTIONS
A famous sadhu of Mysore visited the Old Mandir
with a group of his devotees. They could converse in Kannada and did not know
any other language. As Swami usually spoke in Telugu, they thought that He did
not know Kannada. That evening, when we were seated at Chitravathi, Swami
looked at me and joked, “Why has your grandfather not come?”As
I was dumbfounded, everyone started laughing. Swami said, “You buffalo,
instead of sitting down, you could help him!”Now, I understood
that He was referring to the aged sadhu, who was lagging behind. I ran up to
him, to help him, and told him in broken Kannada that Swami had sent me to
guide him to the place where all were seated. We were surprised to note that
his own devotees were afraid to even touch him. Swami made him sit close to
Him. Every· move of Swami had some reason! Swami engaged us with jokes, and
when all were laughing, He asked if the sadhu had donated all his clothes to
his followers? Someone in the crowd translated this into Kannada. Hearing this,
the sadhu, with tears flowing down, held Swami's hand and said, “I thought You
were just a small boy! When You were in the womb itself, You knew, You would be
the ruler of this earth, and You made it known. But, my case is very different.
Even my followers do not know about me; but because of You, they shall come to
know about me today. I do not know about my birthday. Without mother and
father, no one can take birth, but I do not know my parentage! Till I could
identify myself, I was cloth-less, and a great woman covered me with one
loincloth. She also fed me, for several years, and entrusted me to a recluse.
After that recluse attained Samadhi, I took over his place, and now, that has
become a small Ashram. One by one, many followers started joining me, and I
have become a Guru. But, from now on, You have to guide me.” When he begged
Swami like this, He said, “At this small age, what do I know?
Actually, you are greater than Me!” Hearing this, the joy of his
followers knew no bounds. Sakammagaru was also helping in translation into
Kannada.
Swami asked me to distribute holy water to
everyone, from the vessel that was there, and I obeyed. The sadhu and his
devotees had never tasted such water ever before. When the sadhu asked for
more, I gave him some more from the same vessel with Swami's consent. This
time, it had a different taste, and he looked at Swami, with a puzzled look on
his face. Swami explained that the first serving was Ganga water and the second
serving was Chitravathi water. This took them by surprise! They were in more
illusion and ultimately drowned in illusion. We reached back to the Mandir. The
next clay, when they wanted to leave, Swami held them back. As they were
Shivites, followers of Lord Shiva, they were not interested in any other God,
except for their cherished Lord Shiva. Was this not known to Swami, our Sai
Brahma, the very embodiment of knowledge? Swami started talking like this, “Who is Bhagvan? Where is He? How is He?
Why does He descend? Answers to all
these questions are important. Shiridi Sai Baba was the Avatar of Lord
Shiva, and now I am His Avatar. I am one among you all, and we are all part of
Lord Shiva. Then what would he the difference? I always do good to everyone, and all My deeds are for
the welfare of the whole of humanity. I am the self-effulgent divine
light and dwell in the infinitesimal.
Bhagawan stands for auspiciousness, goodness, happiness, knowledge, and all the
virtues. Then, what is the difference between you and Me? Just like you, I
also feel happiness, pleasure, sorrow, affection, etc. What is all this for, and for whose sake? Only for the sake of the devotees!”
They were already happy when Swami had praised the sadhu, and now, when
Swami concluded like this, they were happier to know that they were part of
their Lord Shiva.
HOT AND COLD LINGAM
We reached the Chitravathi as usual, in the
evening. After all of were seated, Swami asked the sadhu to remove some sand in
front of him and take what was there. The sadhu assumed that this was a joke
and kept quiet. But, when Swami insisted, he obeyed and removed some sand. When
he tried to remove something from within, he screamed, 'Shiva Shiva', in shock
and said there was something very hot in there. When we looked in, there was
something glowing red hot. Swami sprinkled some water on it and told the sadhu
to try again. He started shivering in disbelief, and when he tried again, his
body became so cold and frozen like ice. Swami took out a Lingam from there and
no one could describe its beauty. Swami handed the Lingam to the sadhu and told
him to keep it on a plate. Everyone was allowed to do Abishekam to the Lingam.
Later, Swami explained that what was seen first was Atma Lingam, that was why
it was very hot, and the second was Kilasha Lingam, which was cold, like Mount
Kailash. He said that there were many such Lingams, in holy places, especially
down South.
When all this was happening, one madman was
looking from a distance. When we thought that the madman must be waiting for
something to eat, Swami looked at us, as if we were mad. When Swami signalled
something to him, he rushed so fast towards Him, we all got worried. But, he
stood before Swami with reverence, and when Swami nodded, he also did Abishekam
to the Lingam, in a way that no one had done before. He held the water to be
poured on the Lingam in his hand and went around Swami. Then he poured that
water on Swami's feet, prostrated before the Lingam, lifted it and held it on
his head. He started dancing in delight, holding the Lingam with great
reverence. Such delight was not felt by us. After sometime, he kept the Lingam
at Swami's feet and literally did Abishekam to it, not with holy water, but
with his warm tears, and left from there. The best part of it was that he just disappeared,
as he walked away from there. When the devotees asked Swami about this strange
thing, He said, “He was
a Gandharva, a heavenly being, caught
in the earthen sphere, for nearly 30 years, due to some curse. On this day,
by doing this Abishekam, he has been
redeemed”. Surely, this was the day of surprises for everyone
there, old devotees· and newcomers.
Seeing all this, the sadhu and his disciples left
behind the idea of leaving Puttaparthi and were shedding tears of joy all the
time. As it was quite late, by the time we reached the Old Mandir, instead of
the usual long singing session, Swami Himself performed Harathi. As soon as He
turned towards the people the sadhu shouted 'Lingaraja', 'Nagalingaraja', and fainted.
Swami sprinkled some holy water on him and told him to rest. We had not known
that it was the auspicious day of 'Masa Shivaratri', the auspicious month of
Lord Shiva, until Swami informed us. Even the group of ardent Shivites who had come
there, were not aware of this auspicious month. Having come to know of this, we
all started singing together:
Atma
Lingam Bhajore, AthiAdbutha Lingam Bhajore.
aga Lingam
Navamani Lingam, NaabhiKamala Udbhava Lingam.
Beshara
Lingam Bhajore, Saieshara Lingam Bhajore.
Eeshwara
Lingam Bhajore, Parthieslwara Lingam Bhajore.
The next day, the sadhu and his disciples had to
leave, and you would understand how they must have felt, to leave such a divine
place! Swami spoke to each one of them separately, in the hall, and bid
farewell. Their joy, no one could ever describe' With sweets memories of all
these incidents, with tears of joy, half-heartedly, they left Puttaparthi. In
those days, we had seen many sadhus, sanyasis, pundits, heads of religious
institutions, Shivites, Vishavites, great singers, etc., but all of them
bad to bow down to our universal Lord, Bala Sai, in total surrender, and, for
sure be humbled. Any ego that reigned supreme was trampled by Bala Sai in such
a way and with so much love, that transformation that took place was not even
felt, and without any trace of disgrace to anyone. All His efforts were to put
them on the right path, for the welfare of humanity.
KOTIARCHANA SWAMI
A sadhu, by name Kotiarchana Swami, and his
disciples came from Andhra. They were experts in chanting the million names of
the Almighty, singing His glory, performing homas, archanas, and conducting
various forms of worship. Though they were more famous than Bala Sai, in
Andhra, they had come to see Him, hearing about His miracles. They had expected
a great welcome, but Swami was not in the Mandir at that time, and we were not
in the habit of talking to the newcomers. When they asked for more facilities,
Seshagiritata expressed his inability to accept their demand and somehow they
spent the night in the Mandir.
The next day, when all were seated in the Mandir,
one disciple announced the arrival of a great Guru, Kotiarchana Swami, and our
Swami causally told them to be seated. When the anticipated red carpet welcome
did not take place, the sadhu went out. Though there was lack of facilities as
expected by them, they stayed back in the Mandir, to observe the ways of Bala
Sai, closely. It was uncommon for any newcomers to approach the inmates or
enter our area of work, but one disciple approached Konamma for something, and
she shouted at him. Our lover of
discipline intervened and cajoled her for having been rude to him. When she
expressed that he should not have come like this, Swami told her that she
should put some sense in his head in a suitable manner, but not by shouting.
Swami would not bear anything like this and would not spare even the old
devotees. Swami also appraised the intruder to be satisfied with what they had
and not to wander around.
In the evening session, when a disciple
approached Swami and asked Him if his Guru could come, Swami explained that all
were welcome, and there was no need for any specific invitation. At that
juncture one villager fell at Swami's feet and pleaded Him to save a child's
life in danger. Swami gave him some Vibhuthi to be fed to the child and told
him to bring the child, the next day. The newcomers did not understand what was
happening and what would be the outcome. Needless to say, the child became well
and the newcomers witnessed the magnificence of His Vibhuthi for the
first time.
The next day, the egoistic sadhu pestered Swami
to grant him permission to perform a grand Archana in the Old Mandir, in His
presence. Swami would not give His consent without any purpose, and He had His
own way of dealing with such issues. He summoned Sakammagaru and Seshagiritata
and asked them if they would like this Archana to be performed here. Having
been drawn into the game, the experienced devotees preferred to maintain
silence. Though Swami explained to the sadhu that such Archanas were not
performed here, the sadhu remained adamant. He was also aware that there would
be no help from the inmates. This was how Swami protected the devotees from
getting involved into some unnecessary things and end up in some controversies.
When Swami granted him the consent for Archana, he asked for two days time, to
get ready with it.
The sadhu's disciples swung in to action; one
group went to Bangalore, to get all the necessary items; one group started
spreading the message to the villages, and one group started arranging
everything in the Mandir. As they were famous in Andhra, many surrounding
villagers started coming to participate in such an auspicious worship. Due to
some disturbances and non-availability of transport, the group from Bangalore
did not arrive on time. Somehow, the Archana started in a big way, and the
whole place was full with people. Every action was being observed by Swami, and
the onlookers were excited at the way the worship was being performed by this famous
group. The sadhu was very happy with the meticulous way of organising things.
When the time came for Poorahuthi, the vital sacrifice to the Fire God,
everything went hay-wire. The most important items required for offering the
holy flames were not to be found. The anger of the sadhu made his disciples shed
tears of blood. In spite of all the care and caution, his reputation was at
stake. As this was the most important aspect
of worship, anything that went wrong would be
considered as being most inauspicious and would bring down the wrath of the Gods
invoked and also the on-looking crowd. But our compassionate Bala Sai pardoned
all their mistakes, came to their rescue and pointed to one small basket that
was lying there. When they opened it, all the items necessary for the Poornahuti
ritual were in it. His disciples clearly recalled that this basket was not
brought by them, and the sadhu bowed to Swami in gratitude, for having saved
him from disgrace. They also gave Harathi for Swami, in absolute humility, for
His compassion. Even though the sadhu had escaped from such a calamity, his ego
was still reigning supreme, and this could be considered as the power of Maya.
The sadhu and his disciples felt that they had accomplished
some great task and got ready to leave the next day. Would the divine director
of this Kali era ever let them go so easily? He would go to any extent to bring
about total transformation, of all beings! With a smile Swami praised their efforts,
and He had already arranged for flowers, betel-nuts, betel leaves, shawls,
etc., to honour them. Seshagiritata was given the task to distribute these
items, neatly arranged on plates. When the Sadhu touched the plate offered to
him, he behaved in a strange manner. Swami, with a smile, told him to wear the
shawl over his shoulder. As soon as he did this, tears flowed from his eyes;
with folded hands, he fell at Swami's feet, saying that He was the all-knowing
Lord! No one could understand the sudden change in him. He also declared
that such an auspicious moment shall never come again, in his life, and he
wanted to stay back, for one more day. Compassionate Bala Sai expressed that
this was his house, and how He could say no to such a request! When compared to
all the great heads who had visited, our Bala Sai might have looked like a fly
to start with but, our hearts were proud of Him and His achievements and the
way He made them become humble flies. Bala Sai might have been short, like, Vamana
in looks, but if Vamana had pushed Emperor Bali deep into the earth, our small
Lord could hold many beings in His fist, crush their ego, and squeeze the pride
out. This process was not rough, but filled with love. He would make them
realise their mistakes and enable them to move on the right path. Those, who
came like a mighty elephant, became goats at His feet. Those, who had imagined
Him as a fly, would respect Him, like a mighty lion. No one could ever fathom
His deeds and His foresight. Just because many such people kept coming and
going, we could witness the showers of His preaching in different ways. All
those who witnessed this were really fortunate, and it was not so easy to get
such opportunities. Such sequences have been mentioned in plenty, in the
Puranas and the Holy Texts, and suitable lessons were being taught for ages. If
such great realised souls had to face all this, then what were we? Swami
clearly proved how harmful the ego could be!
If any of these people felt that they had come to
know everything, Swami would continue to give them the right medicine. Swami'
started talking about worship and rituals, “Though
worship is sacred, if you perform this for many hours daily, considering it as
a ritual, it would be of no value. It is essential to know the inner aspect of
worship. Karma can be considered as doing some work, and if it is done without proper
concentration, it would be of no use. Here, concentration would mean, what is
done with dedication and full-heartedly. Thus, there can be no Sadhana without determination
and dedication. Just being satisfied for having done something for hours, does
not yield fruit. Worship is considered as offering of some flowers, fruits,
water, and Prasad to God; but what belongs to Him is being offered back to Him.
Such rituals were prescribed by the wise, to imbibe belief to the non-believers
and as something to start with. There is nothing in the world that can be
considered as ours. It is ego that makes you think otherwise. What God likes is
only pure devotion, but ego covers this fact and makes you offer what is His,
back to Him.”Could we ever forget the value of His
teachings, even after 60 years has passed by?
Swami explained further, “No-a-days, worship is being done out of competition. Though man is
fully aware of this, he starts spending lots of money for worship. Looking at the
extravagance of the rich, the poor, who could not afford, resort to raising of
loans to perform such unwanted worship. This is really wrong! Whatever worship
is done, even in a small way, it should be done with satisfaction, but you
should not put yourself to misery. Man also differentiates Deities, like Vishnu
for this, Shiva for that, and Brahma for something else, but all the powers are
one. How many really understand these facts?”Swami followed
this up with a small story.
“In the
old days there were some priests bound by strict discipline and spiritual
knowledge. In one village there was one such priest, offering worship to Devi.
He would take care of all the requirements for the worship, in person. One day,
rice porridge was prepared as Prasad and was distributed after worship. Except
for one person, all others had left to their homes. When he enquired, that
person informed that he had no one at home, as he was an orphan, and would eat
the Prasad, only after offering ii to Devi. The priest smiled at his ignorance
and asked him again as to who would come to share with him? The orphan insisted
that Devi would surely come. The priest decided to stay back and watch him. At
about midnight, he watched the orphan clean the place before him, offer the
Prasad and question someone, 'Mother why are you so late, you must really be
hungry'? He started using his towel, as if to fan someone in front of him, but
the priest could not see anyone! After some time, when he approached the orphan,
he informed that Devi had her share and what was left was her Prasad. The
priest did not understand anything, but wizen he tasted the rice porridge, it
was so delicious that it should have come from Heaven. The priest fell at the orphan's
feet for his absolute belief that could draw Devi to have some of his offerings.Thus, a pure heart is
always important.” Such small stories instilled determination, faith, and love. People
who were proud of doing some great rituals had something more to think about.
HARIDASU
One Haridasu, a singer of the Lord's glory, came
with some of his followers. His short hair, three vertical stripes on the
forehead. like Lord Venkateshwara, informed us that he was a follower of Lord
Vishnu. His smiling face, cloth neatly running from the waist to the feet and
nice behaviour, looked good to everyone. He mingled with everyone, freely, but,
we remained tight lipped and reserved, as usual. Taking Swami for granted, he
talked about his skills, though in absolute humility. Commenting that too much
humility was not good, Swami went into His room. When Haridasu tried to follow
Swami, the devotees cautioned him to remain iii the hall. Not liking this, he spokesomething
loudly, and Swami said, from inside His room, “Silence is golden!”
The next day, Haridasu asked Swami if he could
give a performance in· the Mandir, Swami chided him by saying that there were
enough number of stories in here, and why would people be interested in his
stories? Little did he know that Swami knew everything! Actually he was
expecting that Swami would reward him profusely for his skills, but he was not
given a chance to exhibit his talent! Though he had not performed anything
Swami gave him a cover containing Rsl08/-, through me, and the Haridasu was
depressed to see this small amount. At that very moment, Swami appeared and bid
him farewell. When Swami looked at me, I nodded in confirmation that the cover was
handed over to him. With a compassionate smile, Swami said, “Poor things! You people have spent so
much money to come so far, and this
shall be sufficient!” When Swami went into the village, the
depressed Haridasu thought, as to how this meagre amount would cover their
expenses, and once again, he opened the cover. He could not believe his eyes when
he found Rs1018/- in it. How lessons should be taught how people could be
satisfied, how to make them go mad – was as art well known to Bala Sai. Though
I had experienced so many things, this incident caught me by surprise, as Swami
exactly knew the purpose of his visit. We can fathom a big ocean, but can we
fathom the heart?
After the Haridasu and his troop left, Swami
said, “To help others, maybe it would be an important task, but to go out of
"the way to give alms, was never preached by anyone. You may give alms
to anyone, in the form of wealth,
or knowledge, or service. Whatever hard work you do for the others, you shall be suitably rewarded
by the Lord, whether you ask for
it or not, but the reward may
not be visualised by you. It is only by
experience that you shall get to know of this. Money stacked
away for the self is not of much value,
but when it is utilized for
others, it removes sins. At the
same time, it is very important to realise what is essential for
you, in this world: wealth, knowledge or power? It is necessary to apply the principle of the Atma and keep
your body fit, to maintain it. Thus, to maintain your body, some amount of wealth, knowledge
and power are necessary, to a certain extent. But if all these are considered as important, how
could you arrive at the balance? You should contemplate on the importance and necessities of each of these, to
arrive at the right balance.”
“There is no
use of giving a beautiful garland to a monkey,
as it would just pull it apart into pieces.
It is also usually believed that intelligence descends with the clan, but at the same time, you cannot consider mighty
Hanuman for a simple monkey. Can anyone underestimate his level of intelligence, though having descended as a
monkey? During Rama's coronation, Seetha gifted a pearl necklace to Hanuman. When Hanuman
looked at it this way and that way, looking at it from different angles, people thought, 'how can a
monkey know its value'? To their surprise, he went further, broke the necklace
and started biting the pearls, one by one. Looking at the way he discarded the
pearls, Seetha repented for having given him such a valuable necklace of pearls!
Rama knew exactly what Hanuman was up to, but preferred to remain silent, so
that the world should come to know about the depth of his act. When
Hanuman was asked to explain about this act of his, he explained, 'Lord
Rama, there is nothing You are not aware of! Every cell of my body
utters Thy name, so, I was verifying if the same was the
case with each of these pearls. When I did not find this I started
discarding them, one by one. I do not require anything in this world,
however valuable it may be that does not utter Thy name'. Compassionately, when
Rama confirmed to Hanuman that He was always in his heart, he tore it open, and
Rama was clearly visible. This was how Rama proved to the world that Hanuman
was His great devotee. Having heard of this, if you tear open your
heart, you are bound to die", Swami joked. "For a good
pancake, the quality of flour used, is important. We should undertake certain
tasks that are within our reach. There are too many who would go beyond their,
capacity and get into unwanted trouble”,Swami concluded. Though
Haridasu was a good person, he had a big troop that was beyond his capacity to
maintain, so he was expecting more and more funds to manage the large group.
The Old Mandir of Sai Prabhu could never be
compared to any other Ashram. It was like a small bundle of love, and the
various types of people living there were bound by love, like one single
family, Caste, creed, religion, or education did not interfere in their unity
and many had sacrificed all their worldly life to serve here. They had adapted
themselves in their own way, without being forced into some particular norms
and conditions. Though there were meagre amenities, they were all happy. Now.
this small family has grown into a huge banyan tree, living with all amenities,
never ever dreamt before. However big it may grow, the values would remain
unchanged.
HINDI SADHU
Once, a sadhu arrived from North India, and he
did not know any other language, except Hindi. He was friendly with everyone,
and, as this was his first visit, he did not know anything about Swami. Like
any other Ashram, he expected that some administrators would be running the
Ashram. He was yet to realise that in this kingdom, Swami was the King and the Ministers.
When he asked some devotees to introduce him to Swami, he was surprised to note
there was no such practice. When Swami gave him a smile, he seemed to cool down
and become ice. The way Bala Sai looked at the sadhu, that bundle of love, that
mountain of affection, hit him so badly that he broke down in tears and fell at
His feet. Well, you already know how Swami would console and handle the ones
who surrender. The sadhu slowly recovered from this web of Maya and started talking
about himself, with the help of a translator.
Though he was born in a rich family, he had left
his home with one sadhu, at a young age, with no interest in worldly things. He
had not thought of his family members for the past twenty years and was in
search of God. He was guided by his Guru to go down South, to find an Avatar,
Who could speak English. Thus, he had started the journey to South India. Swami
interrupted him and asked him in fluent English, why he would not tell his
story, in English? Hearing this, the sadhu became even more numb, and the gathering
was also surprised, as many of them had not heard Swami speak in English!
Little did they know that He would speak in one language and by His will,
convert it into many languages at the same time! Some of us bad experienced
this already, but never could explain.
Smt. Sakamma intervened and said that Swami had spoken just like an
Englishman. Swami smiled and confirmed that He had spoken in Telugu, only. Who
could understand the divine? The sadhu had visited many Ashrams down South, but
was not satisfied. Disappointed for not having succeeded in his journey to find
the Avatar, he had reached Bangalore for his return journey. There, he had seen
someone holding Swami's picture and putting forth his problems, As soon as his
eyes fell on that picture, he was attracted by Swami's form and felt that He
was calling him from the picture. Fortunately, he could travel with them to
Puttaparthi, instead of going back up North. As the sadhu was speaking, Swami
gestured to me to bring the 'Kamandalam', the holy water pot. Immediately, it
flashed to me what He meant, and I brought it from the storeroom. This was the
same Kamandalam that was brought by me from the cave. He told me to give it to
the sadhu, and for some silly reason not known to me, I gave it to Swami.
This was not my first mistake, and I had already
done many such mistakes, for which I repent even to this day. Ihave to tell you about these
mistakes, before I continue with this sadhu episode. Great beings, may not
shower their blessings directly, but indirectly, without giving any hint
whatsoever. When a person had come to the Old Mandir with a snake bite, Swami
had asked me to squeeze the juice of Tulasi, Basil leaves, lying on the altar
of the Deities and apply it on the place of the snake bite. I did the first
part faithfully and let Swami do the second part of applying the juice. While I
was tying it in place, Swami said, “Even if grace is granted,
some people do not know how to take it!” Only later in life did I come
to realize how many such opportunities I had lost. Though He had not got angry
at me, He had given me some clear advice to obey His command, without any
hesitation or second thoughts.
I would like to mention, one such similar
occasion. When someone came to the Old Mandir, stung by a scorpion, Swami had
told me to do the same thing. I obeyed, crushed the Basil leaves, and applied
the juice on the bitten spot; and the poison disappeared. From that day,
whenever I repeated this treatment, even at my native place, Kuppam, it worked,
and many such cases were treated by me. It would be necessary for me to think
of Swami, while doing it. Just by obeying His command, a great skill was
bestowed on me. In the same way, if I would have obeyed Him, to treat that
snake bite or given that Kamandalam to the sadhu, some good things may have happened,
but there was no use of repenting about it later. Now we shall get back to the
sadhu episode. When I had brought the Kamandalam from the storeroom, it was
empty, but when Swami handed it over to the sadhu, nectar had materialised, in
it. He was told to have some of it, and he was wonder-struck, as he had tasted
nothing like it before. Swami said that it was nectar and not some spring
water. Well, I wondered what would have happened if I had obeyed. His command
and handed it over to him myself! This was some long loss in my life, and I had
lost the fortune that was given to me. When the sadhu asked for some nectar for
his Guru, Swami told him that nectar would appear in the Kamandalm whenever
they would pray for it, with a good heart, but what was there in the it right
now was for him alone.
FRENCH LADY
Once, a lady by name Mamita, arrived from France
for the first time. She, may have been about 50 years old and was attached to
the Anne Bezant Institution. She had gone round the world speaking about
religion. As she had come from a cold country, the hot climate of Puttaparthi
made her uncomfortable, and there were no fans at the Old Mandir. On that day,
when Swami finished the singing session quite early, no one could guess the
reason behind it. Only when she arrived, could we understand that Swami already
knew about her trip, and He had also arranged a room for her to stay. As she
was very tired, He asked her to take rest right away.
Next day, when all were seated in the Mandir,
Swami had arranged a chair for Mamita, as she would not be comfortable to sit
cross-legged on the floor, like all others. When she sat, Swami started talking
in Telugu, as usual. We though, she could not understand anything, as per our perception,
but, she kept looking at Swami, in deep concentration. We did not know what she
saw in Bala Sai; what she heard, or what she understood, she started crying,
shedding tears of joy. Such Ananda had no relevance to caste, creed, religion,
nationality or anything. It must have been deep Atmic relation! She did not
even try to understand· what Swami was saying; did not insist for any
translation, but Swami very well knew what was happening in her. Suddenly,
Swami looked at her with such compassion and how many expressions were there in
that one look of His, no one can ever guess. She burst out, saying, "This
secret is known to my Jesus and me alone! Now that You know about it You must
be my Jesus! You also spoke, in my language"! Everyone was surprised at
her deep yearning and devotion for the Lord. People having stayed close to
Swami for so long, may not have observed, His divinity, but the people who came
from far off places, could realise this, with His grace, in no time. She
continued to be immersed in Ananda and drifted into a world of her own.
The next day, when she was ready to leave, she
was in so much tears, and Swami took a lot of time to console her. She was
repeatedly saying, how she could ever go away from her Jesus and cried even
more. To make people cry, laugh and console was an art known to Him only. The
lover of devotees would make them come from any part of the vast world. For those
who believed in Him, and for those who always thought of Him, He would remain
close to them, love them like His own children, protect them at all times and
dip them in Ananda. For people who witnessed these things, it was like lessons
of devotion, given to them, to reach higher levels. Having declared that all
Gods are one, He would appear in any form, as wished by the devotee, talk in
any language suitable to them, and make them really fortunate.
ASHTAWADHANI
A famous Ashtawadhani of Andhra Pradesh arrived
with his disciples. He was a great scholar with good knowledge of the Vedas, so
this title of Ashtawadhani was inferred on him. Looking at the small Old
Mandir, they were not impressed with its looks or the small group of devotees
there. How could they know that the devotees here were well versed in all the
fields, as trained by Bala Sai? As usual, we maintained our distance, and we
were aware of their pride. They arranged their own tents and settled down.
Swami returned from the village and went into His room, without noticing them.
This went on like this, till the next day. When one disciple tried to say
something to Swami, He was asked to be seated.
A proper time and reason had to come, to teach
them a lesson! As usual, I was handing over pan to Swami, but for some unknown
cause, drifted into some thoughts and was distracted. Observing this, Swami
said, “For any work, concentration is a must. Why enter into unnecessary thoughts?
You may be doing work, but all the time you should think if you are doing the
right thing. When such is not the case, animals would be better than man.
Animals would hunt only when they are hungry, and once they were full, they would
not disturb any. But man, overcome by pride, would do so many brainless things.
In spite of having good brains, he would stoop low to do something useless. In
spite of being here for so long, it has not yielded any results. What is learnt
by you, whether big or small, it is necessary to understand the essence of it.
Knowledge is a divine gift; thus, bad use of it would be harmful. Even though
Bhagawan is having so much power, He would not unnecessarily talk to unwanted
people. Even a large insect could be caught by tiny ants. 'Sumathi Satakam',
written by the wise, way back in those days, could be easily understood, even
by children. But, the present-day man does not seem to care for simple basic
values! A man's mind is moulded by the way he has been brought up. But, with the
passage of time, things have to be viewed in a different way, and only the wise
would realise this. Just because you are close to Swami, if you swell in pride,
it would cause danger!”If Swami had plagued me like this, in
front of so many people, could you understand the reason for it? He would not
ridicule anyone, especially in front of so many people, or hurt their feelings
unnecessarily. He would target some old devotee, with some specific purpose, or
narrate some stories to highlight some issues of virtue. Like this, a stage would
be set for the subject of discussion and the·foture course of action. Once
again, that evening, the same disciple informed Swami about the arrival of
Ashtawadhani and that he wished to be introduced to Swami. Swami said, "Who
is there at par with scholars
like you here? Why are you so anxious to meet some innocent people? What shall
you gain by it"?Listening to such praise, he was
dumbfounded. After the singing session, Swami, with compassion, distributed
Prasad to all the devotees, equally.
They observed the impartial love of Bala Sai.
During the next scession, Swami continued, “Life
is a Sadhana that can be divided into four parts: wisdom, freedom from desire
(expecting the fruits of action), firm determination and love.
These are the most important and can be deployed in a variety of ways.
People of various religions, great beings, great scholars, describe these in
many ways, but the goal is one. Sun
or Moon may be called by different names, in different languages, but they do
not change. Human efforts can
make man learn many arts like sculpture, poetry, science, yoga, etc., to help him to make money and
become great. There is nothing wrong in declaring someone as
great in some skill of his, but he should never decide that there would be no one
greater than him. That was why the wise said that there was no meaning
for the word 'l'. That is why a man, however learned he may be, in spite of all
his experience, should remain as a humble servant of the Lord. Thayagaraja
would be a perfect example for this.”
When all this was being intently heard by the newcomers, Swami
continued, “Is there anyone who can excel Lakshmi and Saraswathi, the
embodiments of wealth and knowledge? The plight of the mighty elephant
Gagendra, caught by the crocodile, explains the danger of pride. If theelephant is a king
on the ground, the crocodile can be considered as the king in water. But the
struggle continued on the river side, and both were on half ground and half
water. Thus, their might became futile, and the fight continued for long. As
Bhagawan is impartial, both were granted salvation. People who had read this
small verse, should understand this aspect clearly.” The way Swami
recited that verse, in a rare tune, I can never describe.
In spite of listening to all this, Ashtawadhani
did not seem to understand and realise the depth of Bala Sai's preaching. But
he was surely stunned at the way Swami had recited the verse, at such a young,
age. With all their experience, they would not have succeeded to match Him.
This made them feel His divinity, and slowly their attitude changed, and for
the first time, they revered Him, with folded hands. Swami with compassion,
made Ashtawadhani sit close to Him, and when he wished to say something, Swami
obliged. With tears flooding his eyes, he expressed that he has now surrendered
to Bala Sai, the embodiment of knowledge, and the people here were really fortunate
to stay close to Him. He accepted that he was proud with his studies of Vedas,
Puranas, and Shastras, and the way he had vanquished many pundits in arguments.
He accepted that all those awards won by him were without realisation of essence
or its importance. After seeing the divinity in Bala Sai, his life seemed to
have changed suddenly, and he fell at Swami's feet, with humility. We could not
understand what struck him when he touched Swami's feet; he just refused to let
go and get up. Swami, as usual, like a mother, consoled him, patting lovingly
on his head, and new chapter in life had been granted to him. Swami gifted him
with silk clothes and a sealed cover. There was no way of escape from the
compassionate Lord of Puttaparthi, and He would go to any extent, to bring about
the right change.
KABUL FAKIR
Once, a fakir of Kabul, after travelling all over
the world, came to visit the holy places in India. He had met many great
people, saints, and sadhus, and at Varanasi he was informed by his Guru, about
an Avatar in South India. He was under the impression that such a great Avatar
would be heading a huge Ashram and must be quite old, to have gained so much wisdom.
In spite of travelling all over the South, he could not find the Avatar, as
described by his Guru. Divine Leelas could be quite strange! With disappointment
he settled in a depleted structure and went into deep contemplation. He came
across one lady from Utter Pradesh, who had settled in a nearby village, many
years ago. She had been leading her life, by performing Homas to the Fire God,
daily, and lived on the food offered to her be the villagers. The villagers
regarded her as a doctor, as she could cure many ailments, by giving the ash
from the holy fire-pit. When the fakir told her about the purpose of his visit,
she had remained silent, with a strange smile on her face. This made him even
more disheartened.
Due to years of Sadhana, the fakir could invoke
certain powers, and wherever he went, he could get some followers to serve him.
People were impressed by his powers and informed him about the miracles of Bala
Sai. Without knowing that this was his destination, he reached Puttaparthi and
settled near Sathyamma temple. Our mischievous Lord very well knew about his
arrival, but went about giving him causal glances and smiles, on His way into
the village. The fakir had a huge build, and though he looked like a demon, he
had an attractive face, and people of Puttaparthi evinced much interest in him.
By using his powers, he started giving them Kumkum, turmeric, flowers, fruits,
holy-water, etc., but the inmates of the Old Mandir kept their distance. It was
not without reason that Swami had guided him into this place, but preferred to
play His divine game, in His own style!
When I was passing by, the fakir asked me how to talk to Swami, but I
escaped from there, with a smile. Our all knowing Lord, with a thousand eyes,
would have taken note of this! As soon as I entered His room, without scolding
me, He asked me what was wrong with the fakir. When I muttered that he wanted
to speak to Swami, He asked me to bring him for the evening prayer meeting.
When I mentioned this to the fakir, he got excited and lifted me towards him. I
felt like a doll, in his mighty hands. It would not be necessary for me to
mention how interesting that evening session came to be.
Swami started singing in a high pitch, making the
Chitikalu dance on His fingers with high speed. After some time He asked
the fakir if he could sing. Without wasting time he started singing some Hindi
tunes, and his voice reached the skies. He played the Patties (steel strips
holding many types of bells, and small circular plates) very well, and Swami
closet! His eyes, listening to his singing. After the session when the fakir
kneeled before Swami, He created Vibuthi, and put some in his mouth and the
remaining was rubbed on to his forehead, All this while he was saying Ananda,
and now he seemed to float in absolute Bliss. His fate seemed to have transformed
completely, statue, even though Swami had left1 Slowly, he recovered and went back to his place, near Sathyamma
temple.
The next day, he humbly touched Swami's feet, for
His blessings and asked for His permission to leave. Swami looked at me and
told me to bring that 'Mala', the chain of Rudraksha beads that was brought by
me, from the cave. As soon as I heard His command, it flashed to me I had
safely kept it in the store room and brought it to Him. When Swami put
it on the fakir he started shouting 'Mere Badrinath', (My Lord of Badri), with
all excitement. He fell at Swami's feet, for granting him the divine vision
of Badri Narayan of the Himalayas and announced that he did not require
anything more in this life, shedding tears of Ananda, Swami lovingly
lifted him and said, “In future you need not roam around the world, serve
your Guru with dedication and you shall achieve salvation.”
In all things whether big or small, you can
observe the greatness of Bala Sai. Is it not true that He had incarnated, in this
era of Kali, to bring about a change in everyone? AIJ the clever people
who had witnessed such incidents, in spite of having realised His principles
and having heard His preaching. some questions would always arise in
them. Such questions tale birth because of Him as He makes these take shape,
and He also ends up giving the answers that are interpreted in different ways by
different people. We should never loose the opportunity to grasp and
fully understand enunciates. what He demonstrates and With regard to the above
incident, many questions did flash in the minds of the people who witnessed it:
Though his Guru told him that God had incarnated in South India, why
could he not reach Puttaparthi directly? How did the Guru in North India know
about the incarnation Down South?
Why did he take such a long time to find the
incaranation? Why did the fakir shout loudly when the Mala was put on to him?
Why did Swami present that 'Mala' to the fakir?
Why was the Mala not given to some other greater being? Why do people not
understand many things, though Swami clearly shows and explains? Swami had a
specific purpose to reveal such things in front of everyone, in such a special
manner. All the answers to these questions should come from within, with a
broad mind and full faith.
Whenever we saw such incidents, one thing was
sure, the way Swami poured out His compassion swept us in tears of Ananda;
looking at such a loving Lord Sai, more and more, Ananda flodded our hearts.
Divine decisions are like bold carvings on the rocks, and not like something
written on the sands, that could be changed or wiped away easily. It cannot
retract, and it is as good as God's command. It is like a sharp arrow that
pierces into the heart perfectly! The great fortune of being hit by these
arrows can never be described. We should pray for such fortune to continue,
life after life, to remain at His divine feet, and to have the fortune
of serving Him, with body and soul.
THE ESSENCE OF GEETHA
The way Swami describes anything in such a simple
manner, can never be described by anyone. Even parents may get angry and loose
patience, but our Mother Sai is the great Mother of Mothers. Seeing His cool
approach, affection, care, tender heart, full of love, anyone would conclude
that in this era of Kali, there could be no Avatar like this! We would wonder how
our golden Lord could accomplish so many tasks! He would put the devotees into
service and watch them in delight In the beginning, we were not used to
service. We learnt what service was by seeing our Bala Sai in action, serving
one and all. Service is not bound by any particular field of action.
Whatever we do for the others, should make them
happy. Even if we guide someone to the right place, this could be considered as
service, Swami had mentioned. To listen to His words and put it into action,
can also be considered as service. He proves to us, in every action of His,
that making others happy would bring the best satisfaction. Swami placed the
very essence of Geetha, in such a simple manner.
Swami said that listening to the preaching of
great people would yield wisdom. Lord Krishna may have preached Geetha to only
Arjuna, but Swami preaches the same to millions of people, all over the world.
If Krishna had preached Geetha on the battlefield, Swami preaches the same, in
every field on this earth. If Krishna had granted Vishwaroopa Darshan to
Arjuna, Swami grants His divine vision, everyday, to everyone, for which we
should consider ourselves as fortunate. If readers derive some happiness by
reading this book, it would be due to His grace. I can never forget this Telugu
poem of Swami that highlights the importance of the Sadguru:
Be alert to Sad guru's words, hear about His divine play,
Perceive the divine light within, with patience as the best companion
in life.
Pray for Guru's command and put it into action.
Learn to live among the masses and observe every minute action of His.
He stands as a mighty example; join His band of music.
Listen to His nectarine words, with deep concentration.
There would be no end to praise the loving form of Sai Bhagawan. He
has been calling everyone with love, ‘Come! Come!’ This is the
clear proof of His immense love, but we should be fortunate to hear this call.
Though the divinity dwells in everything, everywhere, it is necessary to know
what lies within, through Him. He makes His presence felt in many ways: like
appearance of Vibuthi, Kumkum, turmeric, holy-water, honey, nectar, etc., on
the photos of Deities, in many places all over the world. There is no discrimination
of caste, creed or religion, and this is divine grace for all. There is no need
specifically to be His devotee for this, for only a pure heart would be
sufficient. Sai Gopala would be bound by such love. Is it not true that the
Gopikas ran madly after Krishna, due to His love? That selfless love could make
everyone go round like a top, without any discrimination of male, female,
recluse, young, or old! In the same way we also ran after Sai Krishna, at such
a young age. Why did we shout, like small children? It was all due to the
attraction of His love that was so powerful, making us forget about everything!
Saint Thayagaraja sang. “Who can praise You!
Great One! The lotus-eyed Lord with form and the formless Almighty!” No one
ever imagined that such a Lord would incarnate at Puttaparthi, in this era of
Kali. When someone asked Krishna about His caste, He said 'Gokulam', the place where
He was born! Going a step further, if anyone would ask to which caste Bala Sai
belonged, the answer would be clear: 'The caste of love'! If Rama was
considered as the sustainer of Dharma, Krishna, as the Lord of Love, Christ, as
the forgiver of sins, our Lord incarnate Bala Sai had proved all these aspects,
in every action of His! It is our fortune to experience this with our own eyes,
in this birth. Now, it would our duty to share these experiences and spread His
message to the whole world. You may listen to whatever is being said.
Without proper understanding, decisions should not follow!
Whatever has been seen and observed as truth, Man
would be the ultimate decider.
Those who digest such sayings of Swami, shall
cross the ocean of life, however difficult it might be, provided he is bound by
the Truth. Love has been described in two ways: the selfless love at the Atmic
level that paves the way for salvation. Then, the love at the body level, in
the worldly way is bound by illusion.
Pure love at the Atmic level can converge as
service and sacrifice, but the worldly love is always engulfed by illusion, and
no one can escape from it easily. Just to enact His divine play, Bhagawan had
created us and enjoys this game of His. We are puppets in His hands, and for
this, we should consider ourselves as most fortunate.
There can be no one on this earth without action.
No one can exist without action. Man is bound by Karma, action, and cannot
escape from it. Even if the body may remain without action for some time, mind
can never rest. Similarly, there can be no one, without desires. If a worldly
man asks for luxury, a recluse would pray for salvation. There is only one with
no desires, and that is Bhagawan. Though Ile is so unattached, He does listen
to the call of those who desire Him! I sincerely hope that everyone would usurp
the love of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, without any delay, and be in Ananda.
MY PRAYER
I did not ask for wealth.
I did not ask for salvation.
I did not ask for anything in particular.
I did ask for the service of Thy feet.
I did ask for this relation in every birth.
I shall never let go the divine feet, washed by Brahma.
I shall never forget Thy loving affection.
Always protect, Oh embodiment of love.
Om Tat Sat. Salutations to Thy feet.
Humble servant of Thy sacred feet, Murthy (Krishna Kumar)
