Sai Geeta - A Devotee Par Excellence

Bhagavan's beloved elephant, Sai Geeta which served Him for over half a century and was part of all celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam for decades breathed its last on 22nd May 2007.  It was a painless and peaceful end of a life dedicated totally to Bhagavan whose motherly love and divine grace it received in abundance all through its life.  With its death, a sage of unmatched, unique and sublime love between Bhagavan and Sai Geeta came to an end, filling the hearts of thousands of devotees with a sense of irreparable loss.

Bhagavan came to its shed at 7.30 a.m. on 23rd May 2007, materialised Vibhuti and sprinkled it on its body.   Later, Bhagavan came again at 10.30 a.m. when a crane was requisitioned to put its body in a specially made pit.  The body was lowered into the pit amidst Veda chanting and Bhajan singing by the students of Sri Sathya Sai University while Bhagavan stayed there for nearly two hours, supervising the arrangements of its burial with full honours.

Sai Geeta was a small calf when it was brought to Prasanthi Nilayam.  Though it had lost its mother just after its birth, what it received from Mother Sai was the love of a thousand mothers.  In the beginning, it was housed in a specially constructed shed attached to the Prashanthi Mandir on the western side of the wall from wherBhagavan could see it any time from His bedroom.  But as the number of devotees increased, another shed was made for it on the northern side of the Prasanthi Mandir where the idols of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman are now installed.  However, its residence was shifted again on the north-western corner of the Mandir and later to Sri Sathya Sai Gokulam.

As the number of cows increased in Gokulum and the need was felt to provide it more space and better attention, a spacious high-rise shed was specially constructed in front of the Senior Boys Hostel to accommodate it.  It was shifted to its present location in November 2006 when Sri Sathya Sai Indoor Stadium was constructed.

Though it was sent to a forest for nearly three months, it never mixed with other elephants.  On its return to Prasanthi Nilayam, some experts predicted that it could give birth to a calf.  But nothing of this sort happened.  It, as Bhagavan said, was a perfect celibate.

Though born as an animal, it had no animal instincts and its entire focus throughout its stay at Prasanthi Nilayam for more than 50 years was Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.  It led its life as though it lived only for Bhagavan and dedicated its life to Him with one-pointed devotion, an example worth emulating by all human beings.

Sai Geeta was, no doubt, a devotee par excellence who reached the pinnacle of devotion, surrender and self-sacrifice in spite of its birth as an animal.

(From Sanathana Sarathi - June 2007)