Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 4/25

There were two brothers, Jnanadeva and Bhaktideva. Both were going on a journey. On the way, they felt thirsty. Bhaktideva asked Jnanadeva, "I am thirsty but I cannot see water anywhere." Jnanadeva said: "Let us see whether there is any well nearby." After going some distance, they noticed an old well with water deep at the bottom. Jnanadeva declared: "Jnanaath-eva-thu-kaivalyam" (Through Wisdom anything can be accomplished). He immediately assumed the form of a bird, flew down to the water in the well, quenched his thirst and came up. Jnanadeva had the ability to assume any form because of the supreme knowledge of the Self. Bhaktideva could not get down into the well. He sat near the well and prayed to God with intense love. After sometime, the water in the well rose to the level of his feet. Noting the wetness of his feet, he opened his eyes and saw that the water in the well had overflowed. Jnana requires a change in one's form. Bhakti needs no such change. Intense loving devotion will suffice. What the devotee needs will come running to him. There is nothing greater than devotion. Bhaktideva wrote a letter to Jnanadeva. It was a blank piece of paper which he sent in a cover. When Jnanadeva opened the letter, he found there was no writing on it. Jnanadeva then started writing his reply in page after page. He could not come to the end of his writing. His entire life was spent on enquiry and investigation. There was no time for doing anything practical. The life of most scientists is spent this way: continuous experimentation, with no experience. This sort of endless pre-occupation with enquiry is of no use. Devotion is easier than Jnana marga (the path of Knowledge). Through devotion, constant chanting of the name and loving remembrance of God, anything can be accomplished.

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 4/24

You say that you have been reading the various Sai books, but do not understand what Sadhana is, or what to do in Sadhana.

Swami tells us that Sadhana is the process of getting what we want, and it has three aspects. First, there is "vritti", which means attraction to that which we want. Without this longing for what we want, Sadhana cannot get under way. But this "vritti" is not enough. The second factor of Sadhana is confidence in oneself. We need self confidence, that we have the ability to get what we want. However, longing for that which we want and confidence that we have the strength and talent to get it is still not enough. The third factor is action. Without action nothing happens. We have to actually gain what we want and make it ours.

Baba tells us that this triple Sadhana is as effective for worldly ends as for spiritual life. In other words, that which is the object of your longing and your action, you will get if you are brave and have strong confidence in yourself.

The awesome power implicit in this triple Sadhana is a secret, unknown to the general public but revealed to devotees who study Lord Sathya Sai Baba. Triple Sadhana is a Divine guarantee, so to speak, that by the intense application of Sadhana to your life, you will get what you want. This being so, it is of the greatest importance to discriminate between your many desires before you engage in the Sadhana that will get what you want.

What is worth wanting? What is worthy of Sadhana? Surely it is only that which will truly and fully satisfy your desire.

What is desire? Desire is God, expressed as a vital force of your life. Who are you? You are the highest; in your inner most being your potential is Divine. Will the low satisfy the highest? No! No value that is lesser than the Divine will truly and fully satisfy, desire. Only God is worth wanting. Only the Highest is worthy to be the object of Sadhana. No beauty short of Him, no treasure short of Him, no power short of His; nothing that is lesser than He, will totally and finally satisfy and bring to an end the torment of unrequited desire. Lord Sathya Sai is the eternal Beloved in each person's heart, and desire will not be fulfilled so long as there is separation between the Beloved and oneself.

You are a Sai devotee, and thus you already have in your daily life the first two aspects of Sadhana. That is, you have sacred love for Him and are mightily attracted to Him. And your spiritual search is the evidence that you have the strength and confidence to do Sadhana. What you are puzzled about is the action aspect of Sadhana.

Why are you puzzled even while studying the Sai books? If I may venture to guess, there are too many impressions coming all at once about what to do: Mentioned in the books are a number of different activities and each one is called "Sadhana". In this context Swami has given us a very important principle which merits your best attention.

Swami points out that a box may contain a hundred or more matches, each one of which is potential fire. But He asks us to consider that only one small feeble match is needed to start a huge forest fire that consumes everything in its path; even green and wet wood is burnt to ashes. There is no need to strike a hundred matches to start a big fire. A skilful and careful striking of one match will start a fire.

By this example Swami is telling us to do one Sadhana action and do it with the whole heart and mind. And, that is enough; the rest will inevitably follow.

For your Sadhana action, why not take the action of which Swami speaks most often. In this context He declares that sacred love is the Royal Highway td God. You already love and long for Sathya Sai; what is the action that corresponds to that sacred love? Well, by virtue of His Divine Grace, Swami even tells us this.

He Whom we love, we wish to behold and be with, all the time. So all the time have Lord Sathya Sai, the Beloved, as your Guide, Protector, Constant Companion ever loving and affectionate, despite your human faults, call upon Him to bestow His Grace and be with you always. He assures us that He hears and ever responds if you repeat His Name with sacred love and visualize His Form in your mind.

This is the action to complete Sai Sadhana, the repetition of the Sai Name with love and reverence, "Sai Ram, Sai Ram, Sai Ram,” and the visualization of the Sai Form—this Sadhana action from the working hour to the sleeping hour. When duty calls during the day and you must concentrate on your work, then in your mind address the Lord and tell Him that you are dedicating every moment of the work to His glory—then go ahead with full confidence and do your work. Swami says that dedication of your work and the result of your work to Him is tantamount to the repetition of His Name, and in this way the Name continues in mind and heart from the working hour to the sleeping hour.

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 4/23

Madhav Dikshit was an accountant working for a firm in Mangalore and regularly had his lunch at the lodge. We often used to meet in this place and have interesting conversations about life in Shirdi and the final days of Shirdi Sai Baba. I told him about the valuable information that Shirdi Baba had given to his uncle before His ‘Maha Samadhi’, viz. I will leave My body soon and will come again as a boy of eight years of age. I further explained to him that Dabholkar wrote all these details in the Marathi version of the book Sri Sai Satcharita on the second page. Madhav Dikshit was fully aware of all these details, but what he did not know was that Shirdi Baba had already incarnated in the form of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He could not believe it as he said that he was constanly in touch with the devotees in Shirdi and they were not aware of this fact!

I requested him to accompany me to Puttaparthi and told him of my experience with Beloved Swami, which he listened with interest. On my next visit to Puttaparthi during my holidays, Dikshit and his wife as well as some other devotees came along, making a group of twelve. After travelling about eight hours via Bangalore, we arrived in Puttaparthi just as Baba was coming out of the interview room. As soon as He saw me, He asked: "Have you brought Dikshit with you? He stayed with Swami for eight years, is it not so?" Madhav Dikshit was surprised and replied, “Yes Swami, You are exactly right.”

He took us into the interview room and materialised Vibhuti and distributed it to all. Everyone was very happy to receive this Divine Vibhuti and also to see it being materialised! Swami put some questions to Dikshit in front of us, which we were not aware of at the time: "Do you get any more headaches after I slapped you on your forehead at Shirdi?" Madhav Dikshit was stunned; tears streamed down his cheeks and he fell at Swami’s Feet - performing sashtang pranam at His most Divine Lotus Feet. Baba said: "This is not enough, further proof will be given during the personal interview!"

In the personal interview with Madhav Dikshit, Swami gave all the details of the incidents that happened in Shirdi.

But the most important revelation was about Kakasaheb Dikshit. Beloved Swami said: Kaka was a lazy fellow. Shirdi Baba did not say that He would appear as a boy of eight, but that He would come after eight years. Kaka did not record these details straightaway and did not remember the imporatant facts correctly. Swami revealed the minutest details about what happened with Madhav when he was in Shirdi, which convinced him beyond any doubt that Sathya Sai Baba is the incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba.

Penang State Sadhana Camp

The Penang State held a Sadhana Camp on 29th September 2013 at SSBC Gelugor, between 9.00am - 1.00pm.  The main speaker was Dato J Jegadhesan and he elaborated on the following topics : Drops of the Ocean and Surrender.

Human Values Drama Festival 2013

The Sri Sathya Sai Youth of Penang organized a Human Values Drama Festival, an inter-racial programme for H.O.P.E. (Honor Our Parents Everyday) at Wawasan Open University, Penang, on 28 September, 2013, from 3.00 - 7.00pm.

The programme included a drama competition between three secondary schools, a multi-cultural dance and several multi-media presentations and talks on honouring our parents.

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 4/22

Once a devotee asked Bhagawan: “Swami, what is Tripura Rahasyam?” Bhagawan smiled and said, “Let Me tell you a story.” He continued, “Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara once had a doubt. Now if we have a doubt we can go to our teacher, if great Masters have a doubt they approach Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara… but if these Lords themselves have a doubt Whom will they approach? Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara approached the Shakti or Tripura Devi Who created them, the Shakti that manifested them. Mother Tripura Devi humbly submitted and said, "Even I do not have answer to Your questions". “But I do know where You can find an answer to this question of Yours. So She took Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara of that Brahmanda (universe) to a location. It had a huge gateway and She flung it open and in there they saw a long hallway.” Swami then said, “On the both sides of the hallway there were thousands of thrones and the four legs of the thrones were Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara and Tripura Devi. These three Gods Who had this doubt in their minds were stunned to see thousands of Brahmas, Vishnus, Maheshwaras and Tripura Devis. They thought they were alone but then they were more inquisitive to see Whom were they prostrating to. At the end of the hallway they saw a beautiful Lotus Feet and when they craned their neck to see Who that personality was, they saw Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is The Cosmic Avatar, He is the Adi Purusha Who manifested Himself to become Shakti and that Shakti in turn manifested into many Tripura Devis and each one initiated a creation. Even science recognizes today that there could be several universes in parallel. There are many Brahmandas (universes) and the Adi Purusha (Primordial Being) Who manifested the Adi Shakti to initiate creation, the Power Who willed to manifest into many Brahmandas Itself came here on this beautiful Earth as a Cosmic Visitor.” Such is the beautiful Form of our Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai!!!

Sai Spiritual Showers - Issue 4/21

I went to Whitefield on 30th of June 1979 to meet the Principal "Sri Sathya Sai Arts, Science and Commerce College." I reached there at about 11 A.M. and went to the Principal's office, but found that he had gone out and would come only on Monday. The day I went to see the Principal was Saturday. Then I went to bus station to catch the bus for Bangalore. When I went to bus station I found that the next bus would come at 12.30 P.M. So I went inside the Ashram because I was in very severe tension, and wanted a quiet place. So I went and sat behind the closed Information Office. As I was sitting I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I looked back and saw clearly Baba standing behind me with an evergreen smile on His face. I neglected Him, because I thought I was dreaming. I could not believe it, because Baba was at Puttaparthi at that time. I again felt someone's hand on my shoulder. This time as I looked behind Baba said, "Tum Bahut Pareshan Hota Hai, Utho, Utho," (You are you worrying so much? Get up, Get up.) I could not believe my eyes but, stood, because it was Baba's order. I was fully taken aback. I became nervous too. Baba then said, "Admission Ke Liye Aya Hai? Abhi Tum Vapas Ghar Jao! Jab Swami Tum Ko Bulayega Tab Tum Ayega. Swami Tum Ko Puttaparthi Me Hi Bulayega. Abhi Tum Vapas Apne Ghar Jao." (You have come for admission. You go back home. Come only when Swami calls you. Swami will call you at Puttaparthi itself. You go back to your home) Then I said that I wanted to get admission now only. Hearing this Baba said, "Abhi Swami Tum Ko Nahi Bulayega. Abhi Vapas Ghar Jao. Jab Swami Bulayega Tum Aana." (Swami will not call you just now. Return home. When Swami calls you, only then come). I again asked the same thing and Swami again gave me the same answer. Then I asked why He called me from Lucknow. He said, "Tum Ko Jis Kam Se Swami Ne Bulaya Tha, Woh Kam Pura Ho Gaya Hai. Ab Tum Ghar Jao." (The work for which Swami had called you has been completed. Now, you return home). He further said, "Tumhari Ma Ko Kabhi Kabhi Pet Me Taklif Hoti Hai." (Your mother suffers from stomach pain off and on). I said that I did not know. He said, "Accha, Accha." (Yes, Yes). Saying this He produced Kum Kum and told me to give it to my mother. Then He asked me, "Aaj Swami Ke Charan Nahi Chuyega." (Today, would you not touch the Lotus Feet of Swami.) I fell down at His Lotus Feet at once and when I got up, Swami had disappeared. If there had been no Kum Kum in my hand I would have thought it as a dream, but my hand was full of Kum Kum. So I had to believe it. After that I went back to Bangalore and Lucknow. My mother who was very ill has become normal. Afterwards, Swami did call me f or admission in the newly started College at Puttaparthi.