Thought For The Day
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A devotee was feeling very
troubled by all the horrible rumours that have been circulating
in recent months about Sai Baba. He felt that it was so sad
that Divine energies were being denigrated by all the unproved
stories being spread by the media. He was wondering how to
reply to them when a friend phoned him and relayed to him the
following story. The friend said that only last week the former
vice chancellor of Sai Baba’s college was giving a talk to their
Sai Baba group in Connecticut and he had related this story.
The vice chancellor said that
recently he was sitting on Sai Baba’s veranda in the ashram in
Puttaparthi next to a very important Indian politician. Sai
Baba came by and called the politician by name and asked him to
come into his private interview room. The man went inside and
came out ten minutes later sobbing. Then the sobbing turned
into deep uncontrolled crying. Sai Baba came by and said to the
man “What’s wrong?”. Then Sai Baba waved his hand and made some
vibhuti (sacred ash) and gave it to the man who took it and ate
it. A short time afterwards when the man had regained his
composure he turned to the vice chancellor and said “Because you
have witnessed all of this, I will explain it to you.”
The politician explained that his
wife had been very sick and she had told him that she wanted to
go to see Sai Baba for one last look, for the very last time.
However the politician had been very busy and while he was away
his wife died. All this had happened ten days previously and
the man was now coming to see Sai Baba after cremating his
wife. When Sai Baba came into the interview room, the man said,
Sai Baba had scolded him and had reminded him what a wonderful
wife he had had, of how she took care of his every need, cooked
his food, looked after the house, even to laying out his
clothes etc. But when she had made her one last request to be
taken to see Sai Baba, he had been too busy. Sai Baba then said
“I went to her and I comforted her, and now she is with me. Here
I will let you see her now.” At that moment the man’s wife
emerged from inside Sai Baba and stood as a live being in front
of him, no longer appearing thin and sickly. She smiled and
took his hand and said “Do not be sad, do not grieve for me, I
am happy, happy.” Then the man’s wife merged again inside Sai
Baba.
I tell you this beautiful story,
because it seemed to come as an answer, just when I was thinking
how best to answer the question concerning all the bad rumours
about Sai Baba that were circulating. It seemed to me that this
was what I would call a synchronous wink from the Lord to help
me have an answer to all these questions. I think the story
speaks volumes.
'Mataji, can you go to India tomorrow? Warner Brothers will pay your passage if you will go to ask Sai Baba's permission to make a documentary film on His life...' Somehow, I wasn't even surprised and answered very calmly, 'Tomorrow is Sunday and all the offices are closed, but I can leave on Tuesday.'
'Who is paying for my ticket?' I asked the Air India manager in Los Angeles.
'Warner Brothers,' he replied.
I arrived just in time for the celebrations which began early in the morning when Bhagavan hoisted the Prashanthi Nilayam flag on the roof of the temple. He then declared that He was Shiva-Shakti incarnated in human form, in order to lead men towards God. He exhorted people to cleanse and purify their hearts - to make Discrimination (Viveka) their flag post, unfurl the flag of Love on in and let it flutter joyfully in the wind of Grace. He also said that He is born in each of us as Love.
'Only that day, when love is born in you, can it be my Birthday.'
At eleven o'clock Swami went from the temple to the auditorium in procession. His mother, Easwaramma, started the ceremony by first garlanding the Sai, then anointing His head with a flower dipped into a cup of fragrant oil. She was followed by several others chosen by Baba from among His old devotees. The procession then moved, headed by the temple elephant Sai Gita.
The day before I was ready to return home, Bhagavan called me in to give His blessing. At parting he produced, with the familiar circling motion of His hand, a beautiful golden medallion of the Goddess Lakshmi.
'I don't want anything, Bhagavan,' I pleaded.
'This is not for you... for the protection of the house - no more fires.'
I did not know at that moment how badly we would need His protection a few months later when we were about to loose the ranch.
After returning from India, I went to the Warner Brothers Studio, but not a soul there had ever heard of Sai Baba let alone my trip to Him!
'Another leela of Baba?' wondered Dick Bock when I told him about it.
Indra Devi - Canada
America's foremost yoga authority - taught Sai Yoga under guidance of Sri Sasthya Sai Baba. A close associate of Baba; personally witnessed many wonderful miracles of Bhagawan.
"You elaborate in your lectures the
unique powers of Sai, the incidents that are described as
'miracles' in books written about Me by some persons. But I
request you not to attach importance to these. Do not exaggerate
their significance, the most significant and important power is,
let Me tell you, my Prema (Love) and My Sahana, (fortitude). I may turn
the sky into earth or earth into sky but that is not the sign of
Divine Might. It is the Prema, effective, universal, ever-present,
that is the unique sign. When you attempt to cultivate and
propagate this Love and this Fortitude, trouble and travail will
clog your steps. You must welcome them, for without them, the best
in you cannot be drawn out."
"I use My Shakti
(power) to attract people and to draw them towards the Godward
path. These miracles are merely baits with which I lure them
towards Me. Once their faith is firmly established, they begin to
look beyond the miracles and slowly start stretching their hands
out for what I have really come to give- Knowledge and Bliss."
"There can be no
limit for Sai Power, no hindrance, no opposition or obstacle.
You may believe it or you may not, but, Sai Power can transform
earth into sky, the sky into earth. only there is no call for that
transformation. This Divine behaviour is far distinct from the
mean exhibitionistic tricks of the inferior powers. This is
spontaneous manifestation, not those that are calculated to
collect customers and exploit the ignorant."
"Those who
profess
to have understood me, the scholars, the yogis, the
pundits, the
jnanis, all of them are aware only of the least important,
the
casual external manifestations of an infinitesimal part of
that
power, namely, the miracles! They have not desired to
contact the
source of all power and all wisdom that is available here.
They
are satisfied when they secure a chance to exhibit their
book-learning and parade their scholarship in Vedic lore,
not realising that the person from whom the Vedas emanated is in their
midst, for their sake. They even ask, in their pride, for a
few
more chances. This has been the case in all ages. People
may be
very near (Physically) to the Avatar, but they live out
their
lives unaware of their fortune; they exaggerate the role
of
miracles, which are as trivial, when compared to my glory
and
majesty, as a mosquito is in size and strength to the
elephant
upon which it squats. Therefore, when you speak about
these miracles , I laugh within myself out of pity that you allow
yourself so easily to lose the precious awareness of my
reality."
"I am determined to
correct you only after informing you of my credentials. That is
why I am now and then announcing my nature by means of miracles,
that is, acts which are beyond human capacity and human
understanding. Not that I am anxious to show off my powers. The
object is to draw you closer to me, to cement your hearts to me".
"You may infer from
what you call my miracles that I am causing them to attract and
attach you to me and me alone. They are not intended to
demonstrate or publicize; they are merely spontaneous and
concomitant proofs of divine majestys."
"This Sathya Sai
Incarnation is one where you see the full manifestation and
exercise of all the sixteen attributes of a Poorna Avatar. This
happened only once before, at the time of Krishna Avatar. I am the
Embodiment of Shiva and Shakti, that is Universal Consciousness
and Universal Energy. And I show evidences of both to the fullest
and maximum extent".
"Do not crave from
me trivial material objects: but crave for Me, and you would be
rewarded. Not that you should not receive whatever objects I give
as signs of grace out of the fullness of love. I shall tell you
why I give these rings, talismans, rosaries, etc. It is to mark
the bond between me and those to whom they are given. When
calamity befalls them, the article comes to me in a flash and
returns in a flash, taking from me the remedial grace of
protection. That grace is available to all who call on me in any
Name or Form, not merely to those who wear these gifts. Love is
the bond that wins grace.
My miracles are part
of the unlimited power of God and are in no sense the product of
yogic powers which are acquired. They are natural, uncontrived.
There are no invisible beings helping me. My divine will bring the
object in a moment. I am everywhere."
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