So Kind! So Kind!!

Two conferences were held in Prasanthi Nilayam, during 1970 - the Seva Dal Conference in October during the Dasara celebrations, and the All India conference of Office Bearers of the Units of the Sathya Sai Seva Organisations in November, during the Birthday celebrations. Both contributed much to stabilise and spread the Mission and Message of Baba. Just as all rivers automatically incline towards the ocean, likewise all individuals for their self-improvement, should voluntarily co-operate with each other, breaking the shackles of individuality and reaching the goal of spiritual unity: this is the plan of action designed by Baba for the individual to merge in the Universal. He considers the lone seeker, avoiding fellowmen and involvement in society, as a poor Sadhaka. A single drop of water gets evaporated soon. It cannot reach the sea from which it was raised by the rays of the sun, unless it moves with its kith and kin, joining a rivulet, entering a stream, falling into a river, and flowing on. Baba says, "Do not consider society a trap or a trick or a tantalising contraption. Premayoga, Path of Love insists upon service to fellow-beings as the best Sadhana."

Service is the natural expression of a person who has realised that I and He are One, that there is no distinction between That and This, Creator and Creation, Energy and Matter. This Unity of all in the One, is the philosophical basis for the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would be done by."

"Prema, Love is My distinctive mark, not the creation of material objects, or the granting of health and happiness by exercise of Will. You consider what you label 'Miracles' as the sign of the Divine. But, the Prema that welcomes you all, that rushes Me to the presence of those who seek God, of those who suffer from handicaps on the pilgrim route, where they are, is the real Sign, Fill every act with Love. Let no one suffer the slightest pain, as a result of your thought, word or deed. Let this be your Sadhana, for, you are all; you injure yourself when you injure another. You are Sai and all others too are Sai. How can the hand pluck out the eye of the body to which it belongs? I have come to light the Lamp of Love in your hearts so that you can, with that Light, see Sai in everyone."

Inaugurating the Conference of the All India Sri Sathya Sai Seva Dal, Baba said, "Feel that everyone is Thryambakam, three-eyed, manifesting as Will-Work-Wisdom, Doer-Dury-Deed, Strength-Sweetness-Light. Feel the God in them, and offer whatever service you can, with discriminating skill, with no fear of compulsion and no thought of compensation. You need wear no uniform, nor parade a badge. A person in distress need not plead for help. Since it is your nature to give and forgive, look into his eyes with compassion and lend him the hand of a brother. Love is borne in the womb of Seva; Love grows through Seva; God is Love: Love is God. This is the truth I have come to teach. Scatter the seeds of Love in dreary hearts and these will sprout into blossoms of Love, which will fill the air with fragrance; when drops of Love are rained, river of Love will murmur ecstatically through the vales; and, every child, bird, beast and pebble with sing the song of Love." The 700 young men and women who heard Him that day were spellbound by the Love-charged message of Baba.

An American Sadhaka summarising the mood declared, "Let us become dedicated workers imbued with the Sai Spirit. Let us become practitioners of Yoga, the union of the Individual with the Divine." Reports were read before the Conference of the work being done by the Service Units in various districts, and the Convenors of Subcommittees placed their recommendations for consideration. Sri Nakul Sen, I.C.S., reminded the Dals of the spiritual ideal of Seva.

Baba insisted that every Seva Dal member must have a good grounding in Dhyana and an unquenchable avidity for Japam. "Without being at peace with yourselves, you can not be at peace with others. And, is not peace the greatest of gifts, the most precious of possessions?" He asked. Baba said that the Subcommittees have listed a variety of items of service which the Dal can take up - the donation of blood, literacy classes, slum clearings, cleaning the premises of temples, Bhajans in jails, classes in remand homes, visits to inpatient wards in hospitals, first-aid, fire fighting, assisting passengers alighting from trains in pilgrim centres, etc. "Each such activity must be undertaken with the conviction that you are serving Sai in all Forms."

Perhaps, at this stage, it is best to quote from a letter written by Hilda Charlton, "Baba told me - walk this earth, with your head held high, your spirits soaring, your heart open to Love. Believe in yourself and in God within you. Then all will go well. Wherever you look, I am there. Wherever you walk, I am there. Whomsoever you contact, I am in that person. I am in each. From each, I will respond. You cannot see Me in one place, and miss Me in another! For, I fill all space. You cannot escape Me, or do anything in secret, for there are no secrets with Me or from Me. Live in perfect accordance with My Laws, and wonders will ensue!" This was the clarion that echoed in every young heart, during the Conference.

The 700 stayed on for Dasara and so had a practical course of instruction from the Master Himself. During the evening gatherings, He spoke about the Self, its Unity, the Identity of all Selves. "Today, every school boy knows about the sun, the moon, the stars and even the outermost regions of space. But not even the most encyclopaedic scholar knows the answer to the very elementary query: "Who or what am I? I is the most frequently used word, it recurs many times in conversation, I saw, I went, I heard, I have a cold, I am a pilot, I am angry, I hate it, I am tall - who is this I that has these attributes, these possessions? The Upanishads declare that the I is not the personalised individual; it is not limited to the body which it inhabits or operates. It is the most universal of categories, the eternal absolute, the Paramatma, It is the omnipresent Universal Consciousness, the Sath-Chith-Ananda." Baba spoke another day in great detail about Sath-Chith-Ananda. "There are three desires or urges which every 'I' has to fulfil: (1) I must live. This is the prompting from the core Immortality, Sath. (2) I must know. This is the reminiscence of the omniscience of which the 'I' is a spark. (3) I must be happy. This is the evidence of the Ananda which is innate in the individual."

The day after Vijayadasami, when the devotees were leaving, Baba told them, "I eat as you do, move about as you do, I talk in your language, and behave as you can understand, for your sake, not for My sake. I direct you towards the Divine, winning your confidence, your love, your loyalty, by being among you, as one of you. My aim is to transmute you into spiritual aspirants so as to enable you to know your true being, becoming aware of the Truth of the Universe, which is but a projection of your own Truth. I am the inner spring in all that moves and exists. I am the energy, the power that propels and impels. I am the knower, the known and the knowledge. But, I do not display capriciously or confound you. I am an example, and inspiration, an instruction. My Life is a commentary on this message."

Birthday Celebrations, 1970! Baba directed the Office Bearers of the Sai Seva Organisations to assist devotees organise efficiently Bala Vikas, Seva Dal, Mahila Vibhag, Study circles, Bhajan groups and Nagarsankirtan.

Baba said, "This Organisation has spread far and wide. About 3,000 persons participated in the Conference, although only the Presidents and the Secretaries were invited, and no proxy attendance was permitted. Select your path after mature deliberation, then adhere to it to reach the goal. The Sathya Sai Organisation is established to translate the principles of Love and Non-violence into daily practice. It also promotes inquiry into four basic problems! The Body, What is it? Deham. (The Body) Am I it? Naham. (No) Then, who am I? (Koham) And finally, Is This That? Are This and That separate and distinct? The correct answer given by the sages is Soham. (That is I) I am That. Instead of identifying yourself with the perishable body and the fleeting mind, know yourself to be a witness to the passing show."

All religions recommend Love and Non-violence, and encourage this inquiry. The Sai Organisation has to work with persons of all faiths. "If you have love in you, you will be welcomed by all men everywhere. I have come for ensuring Lokasangraha - (promotion of the Welfare and Happiness of the entire world) and so, when you live in concord, then there will be no discord, and your activity will certainly please Me." On the final day of the Conference, Baba had with Him a list of questions from the delegates. He spent about two hours elaborating the answers. What is the nature of the mind? How did creation come into being? How can service to others become Sadhana? What name is best for Japam? Which Yoga can take us quickest to God? Are classes in Meditation necessary? How far can a Muslim Office-Bearer share in Bhajans? Baba said that no person should act against his conviction; that would be hypocrisy, which is a sin against God.

Premayoga would lead man Godwards. No one can train another in meditation, or claim so to train! It is a function of the mind. God is one, without a second. He does not change, He is not affected, when the Name by which you adore Him is changed. Service removes the veil of the illusion of manifoldness. Sleep causes dreams; Maya, the deluding power of the Divine, causes the apparent multiplicity. The mind is a bundle of desires that has formed itself around the ego. Resolve to achieve success in the Sadhana of Japam and Dhyanam, Bhajan and service. Be an example to others in these matters, that is the way to inspire and lead.

With a rambling, rampant ego, you have to keep your mind balanced. You should not yield to emotion or passion. The attachment to the senses and the sensory world must be transmuted into attachment to the Lord, so that the sweetness of Bliss may fill the heart.

"The conviction that I am everyone and watching everything must keep you on the straight path of Sadhana through service and study. I would like every active member of these Organisations to bubble with joy at the work already achieved and with enthusiasm for the work ahead. Love, respect, tolerance, mutual co-operation, forbearance - these must flow from the hearts of all towards all. You are all limbs of one body - the Sai Body."

No wonder the devotees from across the seas were caught in the mood of Divine Adoration, and sang in chorus during the Dasara Festival:

"Sai Baba! Sai Baba! So kind! So kind!
He is our mother, sister and brother -
All in One!
He is the earth, air and water
Moon and Sun,
Sai Baba, Sai Baba,
So kind, So kind -
He is the all we shall ever be -
That we have ever been -
We are here today and tomorrow,
So that He can help us see!
Sai Baba! Sai Baba! So kind! So Kind!!

Sadhana, according to Baba, helps to discover the Inner Reality of our being; which appears to be encased in subtle and gross elements. Although we are under the spell of these elements, the Avatar is beyond them and controls them. Our descent commences when we identify ourselves with these elements, and believe in the obvious frivolity of difference. These elements have to be pierced, through Viveka (discrimination), Vairagya (detachment), and Vichara (enquiry) in order to lift ourselves from the plane of animality. Sometimes this process lands us into the most deep-rooted falsehood, the Ego (the Ahamkara) which is the last hurdle keeping us away from the awareness of God. With a mind withdrawn from without, and steadied in silence, it can be conquered."

Soon after the Birthday Festival was over, Baba went to Bangalore, and stayed at Brindavan. What happened in the month of December is an epic in itself.