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Baba’s Self-Realized Devotees Source:
http://www.saibaba-aclearview.com/contents2.htm
[Copyright 2001. Dated August 2001.
This material may be downloaded, reproduced and distributed
freely, as long as the source is
clearly attributed.
By R.D. Awle
Baba is said to have many Self-Realized
devotees quietly doing His work in various locations around the
globe. So far I’ve personally met four of them – and to my mind, nothing proves Baba’s
perfection more clearly than His divinized devotees. (As Jesus said,
“By their fruits you shall know them." These are very sweet
mangoes!)
Gopalakrishna Baba
The first is
a man named Gopalakrishna Baba, who lives in a small Sai Baba
temple in Bangalore. His parents were ardent Sai devotees, but
from his early childhood Gopalakrishna was intensely drawn to the
local Sri Ramakrishna Temple, where he would spend all his time
absorbed in devotion and meditation, cherishing the dream of
becoming a monk in the Sri Ramakrishna order. He became so
immersed in God that he almost never felt the need to sleep, and
would remain awake throughout the night repeating the Divine Name.
In his mid-teens, when Gopalakrishna was alone in the house one
day, vibhuti began miraculously manifesting on Sai Baba’s
photos in his parents’ puja room, leaving a strong impression on
the young man. Soon
afterwards He visited Baba’s ashram, and, as he tells it, “My heart instantly
recognized in Sai Baba the same Divine Being who had lived as Sri
Ramakrishna.”
His devotion for Baba soon became the overwhelming force in his
life, and in the coming years he often visited Baba’s ashrams, and
received many blessings from Him. However, in 1990, when
Gopalakrishna went to Baba’s ashram for the Birthday celebrations,
due to the massive crowds he was unable to see Baba the way he
wished, and therefore told Baba internally, “Next year I will
celebrate Your Birthday in my own home, so please come there to
receive my worship!” Clearly the Lord was
listening, for the next year on Baba’s birthday, while
Gopalakrishna was
performing a puja in his home, Baba suddenly
appeared before him in a living form, manifested a beautiful
Lingam, and gave it to Gopalakrishna, an event witnessed by
others. In
those precious divine moments Baba told him, “Every Monday, perform worship to
this Lingam. I am with you always.”
And so it is. Gopalakrishna
is now established in changeless Peace, knows the thoughts of all
around him, and possesses many miraculous powers. His foremost Western disciple, a
beautiful man from Holland, told me an interesting miracle story.
It seems that on one of his first trips to India, he had come down
with dysentery, and when he reported to Gopalakrishna that the
medicine prescribed by a doctor could not be found in the local
shops, Gopalakrishna simply
waved his hand and instantly manifested a strip of the required
tablets. Some people have
reported that by drinking the water used in Gopalakrishna’s
worship of the Lingam they have been healed of
long-standing diseases; others say they have had their personal
problems solved, while others say that his grace has enabled them
to find the most precious gem of all, peace of mind. It seems
that Gopalakrishna Baba is a genuine wish-fulfilling tree.
Devi Amma
The second great devotee is a woman named Devi Amma, who lives
near Baba’s ashram in Whitefield. She is radiant with saintly
Love, and my intuition is that she is a fully-Realized Saint of
the highest order. Devi Amma speaks fluent English, and tells
delightful stories, often bubbling over with laughter. She humbly says that on the inner
plane she often finds herself in a group of Spiritual Masters
gathered around Sai Baba, saying it has been given her to keep one
foot in that realm, and the other in our realm!
She speaks with great familiarity about the various forms of God,
and the ancient Sages and celestial beings, for it seems they
visit her on a regular basis.
“There are many levels of angels,” she said to one questioner. “They look very beautiful, so
beautiful! When they reach the highest level of angel, they
become almost as beautiful as Lord Jesus.”
Devi Amma’s life story is amazing. When she
was 15, her uncle died unexpectedly, and the tragedy led her into
deep introspection on the meaning of life. In the spontaneous
meditations that followed, she began hearing the sound “OM”, and
soon after this, a blazing sun of spiritual light appeared in her
room. From within that effulgence gradually
emerged the form of a divine man with a radiant aura, who
introduced himself as the ancient Sage Agastya,
the first of the great Rishis. (She
says, with all humor and humility, that in a previous incarnation
she was Agastya’s daughter.) Agastya declared that he was her
Guru, and began appearing before her on a daily basis, instructing
her in meditation and the secrets of spirituality, and by the age
of 20 she had attained Enlightenment. One night, Sathya Sai Baba
unexpectedly appeared in her room,
His form repeatedly changing into the form of Lord Subramaniam (her
family’s chosen Deity) and then back into the form of Sai Baba,
thus revealing His oneness with God. Some years later, when she
finally saw Sai Baba in person, she had the same experience: “Sai
Baba - Subramaniam! Sai Baba - Subramaniam!” She says that while Agastya is her
Guru, Sai Baba is the Poornavatar, and is now working
through her to bless and uplift humanity.
Little Heart
The third great devotee is an Australian woman who calls herself
“Little Heart.” She says she
attained union with Baba through the path of Love, and now sees God everywhere, and is
always aware of her true Being as all-pervading Consciousness. She lives near Baba’s
Brindavan ashram, writes beautiful books, and gives sage
advice, so to speak, to those with questions.
I
recently had an interview with her, in which she said, among other
things, "A Poornavatar like Baba doesn't
exactly come along at every tick of the clock!"
(We are indeed fortunate to be alive at this time, and be aware of
His presence on the Earth!)
Having
lived a very full life in the world before coming to Baba,
including two marriages and two divorces, Little Heart is in an
unusually good position to know the struggles Westerners go
through in making the transition to a life of spirituality. I
always find it encouraging to meet a Self-Realized Westerner. (Yes, it is possible...!)
Sai Lakshmi Ma
Then there is Sai Lakshmi Ma, who says that in 1980 Baba came into
Her body and has never left.
In the several hours I spent in her presence, I witnessed a steady
stream of delightful miracles.
As soon as she placed a garland on the altar, amrit began
trickling from a large photo of Baba. Then she held her palm
towards Baba’s photo, and it was instantly filled with amrit,
which was passed out to all.
I had brought her a bag full of grapes and laid it in front of her
altar;
five minutes later she opened the bag, and showed me that a number
of the grapes were now half-eaten, a sign that Baba had received
the offering directly! She held
up to Baba’s photo some bananas which my friend had brought, and
after ten seconds, showed us that each banana now had clear teeth
marks in the skin! Another friend of mine put three laddus
(sweets) on the altar in a bag. A few minutes later Sai Lakshmi
Ma indicated he should open the bag - and one of the laddus
had a large bite taken out of it! (The specially blessed food was
passed out to all.) Necklaces handed to her for blessings were
returned a minute later, smelling of rose perfume or dripping with amrit. Empty containers passed to her would be returned
miraculously filled with vibhuti or kumkum. When
questions were asked, her responses seemed to indicate that she
was hearing Baba’s answer directly and then passing it on. I was told that many people have
received healings through her prayers to Baba.
Although it
wasn’t clear whether or not she is fully Self-Realized, the miracles
were definitely genuine. At the very least, she
is a great servant of God, and an extraordinary channel for Sai
Baba’s blessings.
Vasantha Sai,
Vijai Shankar & Others
I’ve also read about an elderly woman in Madurai named Vasantha
Sai, who has attained God-Realization through her intense devotion
to Baba, whom she considers to be “the reincarnation of Sri Krishna.” She says that Baba has told her
internally that she is the reincarnation of Radha, the childhood
consort of Lord Krishna; this identity has been confirmed by
several ‘palm-leaf prophecies.’
She is now giving subtle help to many seekers. (My psychic friend
Mary visited her and reported that she is truly a Saint, and does
indeed have an Enlightened aura.)
I’ve also
heard reports about a man named Vijai Shankar, based in Houston,
who realized the Self through Baba’s grace, and is now traveling
the world teaching advaitha (the philosophy of non-duality) and Atmic abidance.
In
addition, I've heard that among Baba’s devotees today is the
reincarnation of Saint Francis, the reincarnation of Mira Bai, the
reincarnation of Sarada Devi, the reincarnation of Swami
Vivekananda, and the reincarnation of Paramahansa Yogananda! (Hey, could be...)
It’s always inspiring to have the darshan of those who have
reached life’s goal by following my own chosen guide. Jai Sai
Ram!
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