"…And I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he that sat upon was
called Faithful and True and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."
John 17:Revelations
The above passage appears in the New Testament of the Holy Bible (John
Ch.17). This description of the descent of God is strikingly similar to
that of the description appearing in the Puranas of Hinduism, heralding the
coming of the Kalhi Avathar - the soldier with a sword, mounting a white
horse, at the dawn of the Kali Era. Though the scriptures are from
different religious backgrounds, the message, once again seems to be that, "God
is One." Is it just pure coincidence or the prediction of the future?
Examining the evidence, one comes to the conclusion that the avathar who is
spoken of in the scriptures is no other than Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
himself.
In the Song Celestial or Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna, the 9th incarnation
of Godhead declares, "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious
practice, O descendent of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion - at
that time I descend Myself(4:7)." Presently, the world is in the throngs of
evil and violence, a turbulent times desperately needing a deliverer. Hence,
it seems an incarnation of God is inevitable.
Referring again to the verse from the Bible mentioned earlier, it speaks
of He who is called Faithful and True, and he in righteousness, judges and
makes war.
Bhagwan Sai is hailed as the personification of Truth and is known as
Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Sai of Truth. Furthermore, the verse from the
Bible goes on to say, "…His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head
were many crowns. He had a name written that no man knew but he himself,
and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood…" It is a well known fact
that Bhagwan Sai wears orange robes, his hair is curly and appears as a
crown and is known to, miraculously, cure the diseased and the unbelieving
with his vision, unparalleled by any other. Hence, Was St. John, the
apostle of Jesus, granted a vision of the future Sai Avathar thousands of
years ago, during the time of Christ? Even if the answer is a "No," the
striking similarities of the details mentioned in the Revelation section of
the Holy Bible is too significant to be ignored as pure coincidence.
"To deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants, as well as to
re-establish the principles of religion, I myself appear millennium after
millennium (4:8)" declares Lord Krishna at the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
Similarly Swami speaks of his mission "…to spread happiness or ananda and so
I am always ready to come among you, and to correct the buddhi or the
intelligence. I have come to counsel, help, command, condemn and stand by
as a friend and well-wisher to all, so that they may give up evil
prosperities and recognize the straight path" of Dharma or righteousness.
It is clear how Swami emphasizes the importance of right conduct and truth
in our personal lives, leading to the realization of the soul.
Hilda Charlton, a foreign devotee of Swami, had the fortune of seeing a
vision of a white horse above Bhagwan Baba's head during bhajans at
Prashanthi. Though at the time she was unaware of its significance, she
inquired among her Indian devotees of the vision's meaning and later found
out the white horse is the mount of Lord Kalhi, the tenth and final
incarnation of Vishnu at the end of the Kali Yug. Therefore, it is without
doubt that Lord Sai is indeed the Kalhi Avathar, as predicted by the ancient
Hindu scriptures such as the Puranas and Ithihasas.
Hinduism, one of the world's oldest living faiths, relies mostly on the
word of God passed down through the vision of the sages. According to such
ancient scriptures an avathar of Godhead can be recognized by his seven 'cosmic
characteristics'. Surprisingly not, Bhagwan Baba displays the seven
characteristics of splendour, wisdom, powers to create, preserve and destroy,
prosperity and non-attachment thoroughly in his daily life. His miracles of
various nature; from materializing vibhuthi, gem stones and necklaces to
manifesting himself at foreign lands, quoting and speaking eloquently of any
ancient scriptures, languages known to man to even interfering with nature
to protect his devotees are true testaments of his Supreme Consciousness.
He is constantly in a state of ananda or bliss and possesses an aura of love
upto thirty feet, curing diseases and past karmas of everyone that comes in
contact with him. Hence, Bhagwan Baba meets all criteria of avatharhood as
outlined by the sacred scriptures of Hinduism.
However, one can raise the question that "Why does Baba not look like a
soldier and ride a white horse as mentioned in the scriptures, if he is the
Kalhi Avathar?" The pundits of India respond that the form of a soldier and
the white horse are symbolic and are not to be taken literally. Imagine, at
the present time, someone mounting a white horse dressed as a medieval
Indian soldier, complete with a sword and a shield? Baba has often joked
that if he were to appear on earth as Vishnu portrayed in our shrine
pictures, with a blue complexion, four hands, the changku, chakra and katha
and padma, we would put him in a museum and charge fees to see him! Hence,
the Lord takes on the form that can be related to by humans, so that we too,
may inspire to become God. But, Baba's discourses and teachings are
representative of the sword that destroys all evil, his white Benz in the
earlier days of the white horse mount and he is indeed a soldier of peace
and deliverance.
If one is still unconvinced, the declarations made by Swami himself
reveal his true divine nature. On a fateful day in July of 1980, Bhagwan
Baba declared that he is the incarnation of the divine couple Shiva and
Shakti, a union of the male and female aspects of Godhead. He also revealed
that this avathar was promised to a rishi thousands of years ago as his boon
for his penance.
Subsequently, Swami revealed to all on June 17th, 1996 that the Padma
Purana written by Sage Paraasara contained the information of the Sai
avathar, being born in a village called Parthi in South India and would be
called Sathya and that the avathar will attract millions like a huge magnet.
He also mentioned that a European scholar Wilson was the one to translate
the prediction in the 1800's.
Sir George Trevelyan, a Nobel-laureate of Britain declared in 1983 at the
First International Sai Conference that, "…an energy of love has been
released into the planet and is operating now, actively transforming Man.
This supreme possibility is Sai Baba. In him truly God manifests upon Earth."
Hence all prophecies of sacred scriptures and revelations of seers and
enlightened souls point to Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai as divine incarnation of
God in the Kali Yug. His teachings of truth, righteousness, peace, love,
non-violence, and unity of all faiths reflect the mission of the previous
avathars - Krishna, Rama, Buddha etc. The Bible contains a description of
the Kalhi Avathar as strikingly similar to the Puranas. Swami's mannerisms
and leelas reflect the nature of a divine incarnate.
His discourses and knowledge of the most profound truths of the universe
reveal his omniscience. Hence it is undeniable that Sai Baba is the veda
purusha, agni purusha, the leelavathara, Shiva-Shakthi incarnate and Lord
Kalhi, the deliverer of peace and righteousness at the dawn of the new
millennium.