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Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai are One
and the Same
By Arjan D. Bharwani
57. THE TRUTH OF TRUTH!
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba has
said, "This body of Mine is named Truth (SATHYA):, the principle
that is in this body is also Truth. Truth enclosed in Truth has
been rendered the Truth of Truth (SATHYASYA SATHYAM). This form
has been assumed, in order to lead mankind from untruth to truth.
. .. My plan is to transmute you into seekers of Truth (SATHYANVESHAKS).
I am present everywhere at all times; My will must prevail over
every obstacle:, I am aware of the past, present and future of
your innermost thought and carefully guarded secrets. I am
SARVANTHARYAMI, SARVA SAKTHA and SARVAJNA. Nevertheless, I do not
manifest these powers in any capricious manner, or merely for
display. For, I am an example and an inspiration, whatever I do
or omit to do. My life is a commentary on My message. I shall not
change My course even by a hairs breadth, as a result of what
people may say about ME. I am not afraid of anyone or thing. Truth
has no fear:, untruth shivers at every shadow...'
In the DwaparaYuga, Lord Krishna
played the 'flute' which reverberated His Divine Message. The '
melody' that issued forth was symbolic of what the Divinity is
giving to us in the form of upadesh a today.
The Divine discourses of Bhagavan
Sri Sathya Sai Baba are the echo of what is contained in the
Eternal Wisdom and the Perennial Philosophy. Each word that He
utters is the TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH. We quote here a few
paragraphs from Sri Sathya Sai's Divine Discourses. Readers may
please appreciate that such authentic sayings about one's previous
avatarhood, can only be possible by a reincarnation of the SAME
Divine Principle.
Bhagavan graciously spoke on 23rd
October, 1961, after Vijayadashmi, "When this Mahasakthi decided
to leave the previous body in 1918, I had said: "I will come again
af ter eight years". Kaka Saheb Dikshit has written it down, as if
I said, 'I will appear as an eight year old'" That is a mistake.
It was recorded so, because Kaka Saheb relied on his memory and
wrote it down only much later. Having cast off that body on the
Vijayadashmi Day, 1918, I granted actual concrete Darshan off and
on to various Bhaktas, during about six years. Once, I appeared
before Abdul Baba and told him, ' The body has been disposed off:,
but, who can dispose Me off ':, I had revealed to Abdul Baba the
news of the coming Advent and informed him that in 7 years this
will appear in Madras State. Three months after the Samadhi,
appearing before a house at Kirkee, the declaration was made in
answer to a query that the body had passed away. 'The body has
gone, but I will appear again. It was said six months after the
Samadhi, when there svas an appearance at Dwarkamayee with the
familiar tin can. Word was sent to Das Ganu and Mahalsapathi. The
figure 7 came true, for this body incarnated in 1926, after
spending ten months in the womb. So, even the statement of 8 years
made to Kaka Saheb is true".
On 6th September, 1963, Baba said at
Prasanthi Nilayam, "The Lord is all Prema. He has no anger or
Dwesha in Him, Once at Shirdi, a certain Dr. Pillai came with much
suffering, and he prayed that he might be given ten births with
the chance of dividing the pain into ten parts, so that he could
suffer a little each time and to pay off his Karmic debt, without
being hard put t to it having to pay it all off in one' He was
informed through Kaka Saheb that He should fall at the feet of
Baba and as he did so, Baba got the pain transferred to Himself.
For ten minutes, Baba suffered, at the rate of one minute for each
Janma, and thus He rid Dr. Pillai of his obligation. Baba was
quite normal, as soon as the 10 minutes were over".
On 8th October, 1964, Sri Sathya Sai
Hospital Day, Baba said at Prasanthi Nilayam , "Minister (P.K.)
Sawant said that faith in Sai Baba is keeping him fit, in mind and
body, all these years. He was the Chairman of Shirdi Samasthan for
many years. His devotion and attachment to that Deha and this Deha,
are known only to him and Me. So, when he says that Baba has been
keeping him healthy and strong, I know that it is true and that
his faith is deep and sincere. If you have sincere devotion, you
will fix the responsibility for your health on Him and He will
also accept that responsibilits. Your mind will be so full of
happiness that your body will be a fit instrument for
Sadhana". Baba said on His 36th Birthday, "This day, the 23rd
November, 1961, is significant in more senses than one, it is not
only the day which marks the date of birth of this Avatar:, the
previous Sai Avatar was also inaugurated on a Thursday, and on the
day after the 'Karthika Deepam' or 'Karthika Purnami'. Today also
it is the day after the Kartika Deepam and a Thursday"'
On 6th July, 1963, GURU POURNIMA DAY
at Prasanthi Nilayam, Baba said, "Even in the previous Sariram at
Shirdi, I had this responsibility of ‘Bhakthasamrakshana', taking
on the illness of persons, when I wanted to save". He went on to
say, "When I save a person, I save him completely. I do not wait
until he gets the disease and I do not leave in him a fraction of
the disease, so that he may be identified later. Even in Shirdi,
Dada Saheb, Nandaram, Balawanth all were saved by these means.
Balawanth was destined to get plague, but the bubo was taken over
and the boy saved".
Speaking on the theme, 'The Guru is
the Guide', Baba said at Prasanthi Nilayam on 6th September, 1963,
"When I was in the previous body at Shirdi, there was a woman
named Radhabai who yearned to get a Manthraopadesam from Me. That
day was also Vyasa Pournami. She was so anxious to get a Namam
that she refused to take even food until she got it Three days
passed like this, but Baba did not yield. At last, Shama who was
with the previous body spoke about her and pleaded for her and
feared that she might even die of hunger. He said that if she a
died, it would be a poor reflection on the broad-mindedness for
which Baba was known. Radhabai was brought to the place in a weak
condition. Baba asked her to go to some Guru and get initiated
into the name:, she asked, 'I know of no other'. Baba asked her
the meaning of the sloka "Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Guru Devo
Maheshwarah, Gurushakshath Parambraman Tasmai Sri Gurave Namah".
He asked her, "Why not take the Guru's name, then? Why demand
another name from the Guru?" "If the Guru is God, obeying His
orders, walking in the path He has shown, these are as effective
as the japam of the Name."
"Once you have secured a Guru, leave
everything to Him, even the desire to achieve liberation. He
knows you more than you yourself ever can. He will direct you as
best as is good for you. Your duty is only to obey and to smother
the tendency to drift away from Him". You may ask, how are we to
earn our food, if we attach ourselves to a Guru, like this? Be
convinced that the Lord will not let you starve:, He will give you
not merely Annam but even Amritham, not only food but immortality".
Blessing the gathering at Prasanthi
Nilayam, Baba said on 15th October, 1964, "When I was in the
previous Sarira, Das Ganu, who was a Police Officer, came to
Shirdi on account of his good luck. That visit transformed him.
Moreover, Baba accosted him as Das Ganu, as soon as He saw him,
and this stunned him. He asked Baba that some parties that were
opposed to him might be put down and that he might get promotion
in his official career. Baba invited him to remain in Shirdi
itself and escape all bother. He told hi m, "Do not wonder why I
am suggesting this, when you craved for something else". Later,
when promotions came, he ignored Baba and his promise to come
away, as soon as his honour was vindicated by official promotion.
So, Baba had to bring about circumstances which compelled him to
come at last, as per Baba's Plan. He composed a number of songs
and stotras:, he began performing Hari Kathas on Baba everywhere
and he was lnstrumental, in bringing the news of the advent of
Baba, to thousands in the land. His life was spent in and through
the Lord.
Upasini Baba was also a similar
personality. He was born in 1869, and was known as Kasinath. He
married thrice:, practised as a doctor:, earned much money and
lost all:, and after hard penance, chanced into Shirdi:, where
Baba accosted hi m, 'Hello, Kashinath!" He directed him to do
Upasana and guided his Sadhana and so he was called Upasini Baba.
He too was a part of Baba's Plan".
While delivering His Divine
discourse on I 19th May, 1962, in whitefield, Baba said, "Children
have unselfish Love, they are innocent onlookers:, they observe
the action of the elders and they learn their lessons from the
home much earlier than from school. So, parents have to be very
careful in their behaviour with the children and between
themselves. There was a Judge who used to come to Shirdi:, he
asked his wife and child to stay with Baba and left for home for a
few days. He said to the boy when he took leave, "This is God
Himself". After some days the mother left for Manmad with the boy.
There, they fell in with a Kathak who was reciting musically some
Puranic story. Within a few minutes, they heard him revile Sai
Baba as a madman and a cheat; the child could not stand it any
longer. He tugged at the sari of his mother and forced her to
return to Baba.
Next morning, they approached Baba
for His blessings and He asked them, why they had returned. The
incident of the Kathak was duly reported. The boy heard everyone
addressing Baba as the Lord. Remembering the harsh words of the
Kathak, the boy wept, but Baba pacified him humorously, "I am only
a Man. What the Kathak said is true:, I am mad and I am cheating
people of what they consider very valuable, but what I feel is
useless". Then, even as they were talking, one Shri Patel came
there and related how Baba had saved his child from a serious
accident. Baba told him, "Yes, I held him when he fell, with My
Four Hands". Patel shed tears of thankfulness, but the boy cried
out, "Ah, I told you, you are God:, You have four hands like
Vishnu". Baba laughed, He took the boy inside and gave him a
vision of Himself, as having Four Hands.
That boy stayed on in Shirdi for 26
years after this and left it only after Baba 'left'. He then took
sanyas and became a great sage". In His morning discourse on His
37th Birthday (23-11-1962) Bhagavan said, "Let me tell you an
incident which happened while in the previous body at Shirdi.
There was a lady from Pahalgam, a simple, illiterate devotee. She
stored water in her kitchen in three clean, brightly polished
brass pots from three separate wells and she had named the
pots-Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. She always referred to them by
those names Whenever any thirsty wayfarer called at her door, she
mixed water from all three and offered it to the person as Triveni
Tritha Neighbours used to laugh at her faith, but her belief that
the three wells were connected underground with the three rivers
that joined at Prayag, was unshakeable.
Her husband started on a pilgrimage
to Kasi. His mother while blessing him on his departure, put on
his finger her own gold ring and directed him to take good care of
it, for it would be a talisman for him. When he was talking the
ceremonial bath at the Manikarnika Ghat, the ring slipped into the
waters and could not be retrieved. When he returned and related
this story, he said, "Ganga wanted it:, she took it ,' just to
console his mother. When the wife heard this,she said, "No, no'
Mother Ganga will not hanker after the property of a poor old
lady. She will accept only what is offered out of love. She will
give us back the ring, I am sure. I shall ask Ganga:, she is in
our kitchen". So saying, she went in and with folded hands, she
prayed before the particular pot named by her as Ganga. Putting
her hand in, she searched the bottom. . . . sure enough, she got
the ring back ' She had come to Dwarkamayi with her husband and
mother-in-law. It is faith that matters:, the form and the name on
which it is fixed do not matter. For all names are His:, all forms
are His".
On another occasion Bhagavan Baba
said, "I was the Sai Baba of Shirdi:, I had declared I would
appear eight years after the Shirdi manifestation merges in
Brahman:, I am incarnating again, after finishing, the task I have
laid upon Myself".
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