Love on the March

Why Colleges?

The Avatar had illumined the world for forty-five years when this narrative was completed up to Part III of 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram'. That name, which flashed into my consciousness when wondering what title to adorn His biography with, now brings to my memory a prophetic declaration by Swami Vivekananda. During his discourses on Bhakti Yoga he announced, "Religion, which is the highest knowledge and the highest wisdom, cannot be bought; nor can it be acquired from books. You may turn your head in all directions, you may explore the Himalayas, the Alps and the Caucasus, you may search the bottom of the sea and pry into every nook and corner of the world, be it Tibet or the desert of Gobi, yet you will not find it anywhere till your heart is ready for receiving it and your teacher has come. And when that Divinely appointed teacher comes, serve him with childlike confidence and simplicity. Freely open your heart to his influence and see in him God manifested. Those who come to seek truth with such a spirit of love and veneration, to them the Lord of Truth reveals the most wonderful things regarding truth, goodness and beauty." Translators of this passage into Indian languages have, even without the knowledge of the Sathya Sai Avatar, interpreted truth as Sathyam, goodness as Sivam and beauty as Sundaram! The Lord of Truth is, best translated as Sathya Sai. Baba has revealed the most wonderful thing about human beings - that the core of every individual is Sathyam-Sivam-Sundaram, and that this awareness alone can confer liberation. I had no inkling of this truth. Vivekananda himself must have led me to the teacher, the Lord of Truth.

Baba blessed the city of Anantapur, headquarters of the district of which Prasanthi Nilayam is a part, with the College of Arts and Science for Women, not with the intention of adding one more to the hundreds already dotting the land. His plan was to create an educational institution which would mould the girls entering its portals into daughters revering the spiritual traditions of Bharat (India), sisters eager to serve the ever-expanding circle of their kith and kin in the villages of this land, wives wedded to simplicity and sincerity, and mothers skilled and eager to instil ideals of service and spiritual discipline in the hearts of children. Before long, Bhagavan blessed Anantapur with another structure dedicated to the furtherance of 'higher living', a Kalyana Mantap."When love is the lever that operates the mind, only good can result. I have come to restore love among mankind, to cleanse it of meanness and restrictive attitudes," He declared, while inaugurating the building. The Mantap is used as a community hall of service. Baba Himself arrived a few years later, when devotees celebrated therein the wedding of four indigent Harijans , and showered grace on the happy couples. He created for each bride a gold Bottu (a sanctified ornament, worn to indicate wedlock) that the groom had to place around her neck as part of the ritual, and for each groom a gold ring which the bride had to put on his finger. The Harijan families were entertained to a hearty feast which they shared with the devotees and with Bhagavan Himself.

Seventy Apartment Flats

In the month of August 1971, when thousands gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam for offering homage on the sacred day commemorating the birth of Krishna, Baba declared, "People tell me that mankind is today on the brink of destruction, that the forces of hypocrisy and hate are spreading fast over all the continents, and that anxiety and fear are stalking the streets of every country. There is no need to tell Me this, for I have come here for this very reason. When the world is on the verge of chaos, the avatar comes to still the storm raging in the heart of man."

The Dasara festival in September afforded an opportunity for the vast gathering of seekers to benefit by what it has actually become - a course of divine lessons on the mystic symbolism in Vedic culture. Baba explained that the Yajna (ritual sacrifice) was a reminder of our essential duty to sacrifice the self in order to visualise the Over-Self. The body is the altar; the world we live in, the oblation; Bhakti (devotion) and Jnana (knowledge), the sacrificial flames which accept, transmute and sanctify the oblation; and the sublimation of the consciousness (Purusha) into the Absolute (Purushottama), the fruition thereof. Bhagavan also announced, "This year Dasara marks a new chapter in the history of the Nilayam. Recognise that Divinity is its core; yearn for that Divinity and strive to reveal It in yourselves through Sadhana, to which this campus is dedicated." The prayer hall had a new frontage added to it, besides an extended porch with silver doors and traditional temple sculptures and ornamental domes having golden finales. The Mandir was proclaiming the presence of the Avatar. The residents and visitors were to be conscious of the presence and to mould their daily schedules in conformity with the spiritual upliftment that they could partake in the sanctified atmosphere. Baba blessed by His divine presence, more than seventy flats which were allotted to devotees who were anxious to spend their days in Sadhana. The allottees had come from different parts of India and even from overseas. They professed different faiths and spoke different languages. But Bhagavan showered grace on them all for, as he declared, "There is only one caste, the caste of humanity; there is only one religion, the religion of love; there is only one language, the language of the heart; there is only one God and He is omnipresent." The flats have since increased in number to about 300. Sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) eager to spend their days, or at least some months every year, in this atmosphere of silence, self-reliance and surrender to the Divine Will, are fast increasing in number.

Sivam Arising

October saw Bhagavan at Hyderabad, enthusing the citizens into Nagarasankirtan, inspiring them to instruct their children in the rudiments of Sadhana and transforming the baser ideas and goals of the elite by His discourses at the Academy of Vedic Scholars, growing in strength and usefulness under His benign guidance. On 25th October 1971, Baba laid the foundation for a Lingam-shaped temple at Hyderabad, the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh. "I am consecrating this temple for devotees who, instead of following Me from place to place, can now gather here, assured of Darsan," He said. At Dharmakshetra in Bombay, the divine residence is named 'Sathyam'. 'Sivam' is second in the series, while 'Sundaram', in Madras, was raised last. Of the three, Baba said, "Sathyam is the feet, Sivam is the trunk and Sundaram the head. On Sathyam we stand, on Sivam we act and on Sundaram we think. In Truth we are born, in Goodness we live and into Beauty we merge." Bhagavan inaugurated 'Sivam' on the Telugu New Year Day in April 1973. This architectural gem, enshrining the cosmic message of emergence from and mergence into the One, was completed in eighteen months. Here He materialised a Lingam for continuous worship by devotees who may be so inclined, and installed it in the hall which forms the Peetha (base) of the Lingam structure. For seven days thereafter, large concourses of people listened in rapture to the recitation and exposition of the glory of Siva and of the Lingam which He is, as described in the Siva Purana texts. The event marked the dawn of a cultural and spiritual revolution, with 'Sivam' as the fountain of inspiration.

During the Birthday celebrations, 1971, Bhagavan explained, "Life is a challenge; meet it. Life is love; share it. Life is a dream; realise it. Life is a game; play it" - a message which thousands now cherish and live by. He spoke of the three bodies which each one is encased in - the gross, the subtle and the causal. He said that intelligence is master of the gross body, intellect of the subtle and intuition of the causal. Every day during the celebrations, all those who were alert to the proceedings could advance a few steps towards self-control, self-knowledge and self-realisation Christmas came soon after, and in His discourse Bhagavan emphasised omnipresent Christ, saying "All are One in Christ and the One Christ is in all," He assured.

The Conference Did Meet

The Eighth All India Conference of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation was held at Abbotsbury, Madras, in the last week of December 1971. Baba had encouraged the organisers to proceed with the preparations in spite of the country being involved in a war with Pakistan, for He said that the war would be over by that time. "The civil war in Pakistan, between its western and eastern halves, forced millions of terror-stricken people to take refuge in India. They prayed in their agony that we should help them. True to our culture and tradition we sacrificed a great deal, gave them food and shelter and sent them back to their homes after ensuring that they could be safe and live there in peace. We do not wish to expand or dominate or injure anyone," Baba said after the conflict ended. His Will prevailed. The Pakistani army surrendered, administering indeed a pleasant surprise to India. This happened barely a week before the conference was due to start with more than 3000 delegates gathering at Madras from all over the country.

Many had come from outside India. The Cowans - Walter and Elsie, Dr. John Hislop and many others came from the USA. The Cowans returned home in April 1972. At a gathering of 'Friends and Fellow Seekers' Elsie said, "We have come from India, my husband and I, brimful of the most astounding news that can happen to anyone. It is so fantastic that many of you may doubt it, because hardly any of us realise the great importance and the tremendous power of this Great High God, who not only walks the earth but cares for all the planes from earth to eternity. Walter died at Madras. Sai Baba resurrected him." And Walter confirmed, "While in the Connemara Hotel at Madras, two days after I arrived, I was taken very sick with pneumonia and was in bed. As I gasped for breath, suddenly, all the body struggle was over. I died."

During the conference, Bhagavan inspired the devotee-delegates to endeavour to translate the love they bore for Him into acts of service for those less fortunate than themselves. He exhorted them to share their resources, power and skills with others who are also integral parts of the same God whom they revere equally. Service must not become a routine gesture, an exhibitionistic activity or mere oral outpourings of sympathy. 'All for one, one for all' is the ideal towards which society should march. Bhagavan castigated institutions and individuals who deride holy festivals, defame holy men, deny God and thereby undermine the faith, charity, sincerity and honesty in man. He pointed out that man had mastered vast fields of knowledge, yet he had no knowledge of himself. He limped, though his legs were strong; he was insane, though his inside was sound; he was deaf, though his ear was sharp. The time had come to awaken him to this absurdity and infuse confidence into his behaviour. Before the delegates left for their homes, He directed that all traces of dislike or distrust they may have had in their hearts for Pakistan be drowned in the flood of Universal Love that they had experienced. "All mankind must be welcomed into the warm fold of your love," He said.

In a letter to the residents of Prasanthi Nilayam on the New Year Day 1972, about the Madras conference, Baba said, "The sessions of the conference gave Ananda (bliss) to all. But more time and attention was devoted to the needs of the tongue and the stomach than to the needs of the Atman. For those who have appetite for the Atman, these cravings are trivial. It is best to keep feeding and feasting at a low key. In Madras this did not happen." Baba is uncompromising in His emphasis on values. He also explained, "Where material comforts are overstressed, Ananda escapes. Sadhakas should reckon that idle talk, voraciousness, indulgence in backbiting and scandalmongering, the denigration of others and the exchange of flattery, are inveterate enemies. Only those who avoid these evil tendencies can earn Swami's grace. May you deserve that grace in the year ahead. Determine today to get out of the old ruts and move along the paths laid down by Sanathana Dharma."

A College for Boys

The foundation stone for a Sathya Sai College was laid on 16th March 1972 on a vast piece of land lying adjacent to Brindavan, near Whitefield. This building was planned by Bhagavan as a unique architectural gem, comparable in its magnificence to the one which houses the women's college at Anantapur. It had been designed as a reservoir of Jnana, promising to transform the land into a place of peace and prosperity. "Parents, politicians and teachers are all responsible for the extent to which the educational system has deteriorated," Baba said. "In education, as in all sectors of modern life, borrowed ideals, imported systems and fickle loyalties have brought disaster in their train. Everyone is engaged in offering advice or criticism, but none in actual execution to set an example. When the students of this college become leaders and teachers, the number of persons able to voyage happily on an even keel over the turbulent sea of life will increase. Injustice, untruth and unrighteousness will be recognised as disgraceful and demeaning social evils, instead of being tolerated and even appreciated. Truth, justice, love and grace shall soon return to earth. The reorganisation of education is one of the means towards this end," Baba declared.

His People in Delhi

On 25th March 1972, Bhagavan arrived in Delhi for a ten-day stay. Baba often begins His discourses to the mammoth crowds before Him with the benediction, "I am most happy to share your Ananda and to find you sharing My Ananda." Those ten days were spent in sustained ecstasy and inexpressible, divine delight. After His return to Prasanthi Nilayam, Baba spoke to a gathering of devotees on the Delhi visit thus: "The longing of My people in Delhi was so poignant that it took nearly half an hour for Me to alight from the plane. Lakhs of people presented themselves before My residence and clamoured at all hours of the day and night for Darsan. Unless one group moved on, there was no room for the next to get Darsan. I had to climb up to the terrace so that the huge concourse could get a glimpse of Me... Drawn by the Ananda that the Darsan gives, masses of people from Meerut, Jullunder, Patiala and some other distant towns and villages gathered for Bhajan and the discourses. On 1st April I agreed to go to Kurukshetra during the hotter hours of the day, since I did not like to disappoint the Delhi crowds and deprive them of Darsan. There, Gulzarilal Nanda had arranged a meeting of ascetics and students at the university campus. But there were three Lakh people waiting for Me on that ground that was familiar to Me as a field for corrective teaching. I warned the Sanyasis (ascetics) of the corrupting influence of institutionalism and hierarchism. I told them to keep away from the contamination of political involvements." Jogendranath Joshi, an eye witness of the Kurukshetra meeting writes, "Until Baba arrived, thousands of students were surging in confusion and evidently getting increasingly restless and unruly. But as soon as He ascended the dais and looked around, the wild emotions were soothed; apparently menacing hordes were instantly transformed into brigades of peace."

The U. S. Ambassador at Delhi, Professor Keating, was so impressed by the reverence that motivated the Delhi crowds, that he said, "I cannot grasp the full impact of Indian culture through the study of books, nor can I vouchsafe for the authenticity of the scriptures of this land... but when I see in the capital city of this land, in the seventh decade of the 20th century, a phenomenon like this - five Lakh ardent men and women milling round to get a heartening glimpse of this five foot personality - I feel that I can hear the heartbeat of this ancient people." Khushwant Singh, then editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, wrote thus on this unique wave of adoration that stunned the bustle of Delhi into silence: "A traffic jam is a rare occurrence on Delhi roads as kerbs are broader than in any other city. But here it was - a traffic jam with cars and buses snarling up all avenues within a radius of two miles, the focal point being the house where Sri Sathya Sai Baba was staying." Baba explained it as the natural manifestations of the longing for light and love. He deprecated expressions such as 'Triumphal Entry', 'He Took Delhi by Storm', etc. which the journalists used, as also the word 'invaded' used by Ariel in his column: "Last week Delhi was invaded by one of India's most renowned mystics and seers, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who received a welcome from the classes and the masses, more rapturous than most welcomes Ariel has witnessed over the years."

Baba said at Prasanthi Nilayam, "We went to Meerut one evening, but the gathering was so vast and thickly packed that the car could not proceed to even within a mile of the dais. We were advised to return to Delhi, but the moans of the multitude persuaded Me to appear before them on the platform. I sang a few Bhajans, which the huge gathering repeated after Me, line by line. Having satisfied their thirst, I got back to the car as mysteriously as I had ascended the dais. I have been telling you since six or seven years that the day when millions will gather to benefit from the Avatar is approaching close. I advise you to garner and to treasure all the Upadesh (teaching) and bliss that you can today, so that you can sustain yourselves ruminating on the sweet memories of the experience."

For Baba, as for the millions, it was love, light and bliss every moment. The News Chronicle reported an incident which symbolises the divine love: "Baba's car was moving at quite a speed near India Gate, when He suddenly asked the driver to stop. Everyone was surprised at this. Baba got down, crossed the road, went to an old man in tattered clothes sitting on the pavement and, bending down before him, materialised a ring which He Himself put on one of the man's fingers before returning happy to the car." Sri Ramanujam of Newsweek fell in with a scooter driver named Ashok Kumar, who had resolved to give up his evil practice of overcharging his customers the moment he had Baba's Darsan. The impact of the divinity cleansed his heart of vicious greed. Another incident worth recording happened when Baba was at the American Embassy with Professor Keating. He materialised a ring and put it on the Ambassador's finger, but the recipient was rather unhappy since it was quite loose. Noticing the embarrassment, Baba said, while sitting at the table for tea, "It will be tightened. You may ask how? Just as it came unexplained, the ring will also be tightened by itself." When he rose after tea, Keating found, "It was tight."

Baba Invaded

Instead of Baba invading Delhi, He offered Himself to be invaded! He addressed a gathering of the capital's elite at Kamani Hall and another of over one hundred and fifty thousand citizens at the play grounds of the Modern School. He spoke to members of the Seva Samithi and the Seva Dal who were engaged in various service activities as part of the spiritual upliftment process recommended by Him.

Back at Brindavan, Baba decided to initiate another great movement for teaching the wayward world that God is not a tyrant up in Heaven, but a way of life.

Shower of Light in Summer

He planned the month-long Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spirituality in order to instil into students the qualities of humility and reverence. Three hundred students from various colleges all over India, as well as seniors from the Sai college, stayed in a camp and went through a spiritually-oriented curriculum which centred round our heritage of moral and spiritual wisdom, intensive practice of positive secularism and the study of the lives and messages of mystics and saints of all creeds and countries. More than all, Bhagavan Himself graciously took on the role of author, producer, director, preceptor, participant, provider and instructor. Meera Bharani, a student at the course, said, "We were inspire to adopt nature as our teacher, life as our school and service as our task." Onita Bahl, another participant, said, "Bhagavan was the most taxed teacher at the camp. He talked to us every evening and on some days, in the morning hours also. He spent most of the day with us - watching, consoling, warming, cajoling and clarifying. He personally supervised every detail of the daily schedule - the recitation of Om (the Primordial Sound) in the early hours of the day, the Nagarsankirtan, the classes and the daily Bhajans, besides conducting question-answer sessions every Sunday. We asked him, 'Where does the soul reside?' 'How can one conquer ignorance or delusion (Maya)?' 'How should one meditate?' 'How is one to engage in action (Karma) without being involved in consequence?' 'How does one practise Pranayama (breath-control)? And so on. He listened with compassion and analysed our problems in order to still the waves of doubt in our minds through His highly illuminating expositions. He filled our hearts with the gift of grace. None of us can ever be the same again."

The array of intellectuals who had arrived from all parts of the country, included pundits, professors, vice-chancellors, writers, judges, administrators, artists and poets all of whom were thankful and happy for this opportunity provided them. They, too, felt the impact of divinity and benefited from the unique experience. On the valedictory day Bhagavan told the students, "You are all bright and beaming with inspiration imbibed from the atmosphere of peace and self-control, the vision you have gained of your own reality, the sense of machine you have acquired, the inner resolutions you have formed and the invigorating lessons you have assimilated. Now cherish with reverence what these elders have taught you out of their love for you. Go back happily with the courage born of self-confidence. Share your Ananda with your parents, friends, companions and teachers. I shall be with you wherever you are; you can never be alone and helpless hereafter."

The Mother's Role is Over

On 6th May when the summer course was progressing ahead full steam, mother Easwaramma cast off her mortal coil at about 8.00 a.m. at Brindavan, in the very presence of her son, the Divine Avatar. She was happy and in good spirits till the last. When I paid my respects to her the previous night, I had found her surrounded by children. She was then narrating stories about Puranic heroes, and the children kept insisting for one more story before they unwillingly crept into bed.

The passing away of the Mother did not cause even a flicker in Baba's demeanour. The left half of the mausoleum at Puttaparthi wherein lay the body of the Father, had been demarcated to serve as the tomb of the Mother. So Baba had the sacred body sent with a few volunteers to Puttaparthi, where it was buried that same evening. The sudden death plunged the village in gloom, as residents of Prasanthi Nilayam bewailed the loss of their Prema Matha (loving mother). The women devotees had been orphaned by the death. They led the long line of mourners who were invoking the Lord through Bhajans, to grant them strength to bear the loss. Meanwhile, at Brindavan, every item in the schedule of the camp remained undisturbed. "Duty-Devotion-Discipline," Baba always emphasises. The few who knew what had happened, dared not spread the news without the specific permission of Baba, for whom death was but a curtain drop, a wink in the wakefulness of the eternal, a footstep to be followed by another in the soul's march to its source. Even when the Father passed away at Puttaparthi, the event did not disturb the normal routine at Prasanthi Nilayam. Baba's emphasis on duty and discipline as the two banks of the stream of devotion, was seen in action that day, the sixth of May.

On 20th July Baba inaugurated, at Puttaparthi village, the Easwaramma High School, a fitting memorial to the universal affection with which Easwaramma had evoked the goodness dormant in thousands of rural and urban women and children. Baba declared, "This village will certainly be uplifted when more of its children receive higher education. The new teachers who will reside in the village will spread both knowledge and the enthusiasm to earn it."

Prema Putras

The conference of the Sri Sathya Seva Dal comprising about 3000 members from all over India, met at Prasanthi Nilayam in the fall of 1972, only a few days prior to Dasara. Bhagavan received them as His Prema Putras, children fostered with (His) love! He wanted them to lead the resurgence of spiritual yearning among the youth. He encouraged them to develop faith in Sai, for each dal or petal can be alive and active, colourful and fragrant, only if it is attached to the torus. He directed them to practise the teachings of Sai and to be shining examples revealing their worth to the world. The lesson that one must learn from the Yajna that lasted seven Dasara days is, Baba said, that, "Yajna alone gives Jaya" (sacrifice alone can confer glory). During the festival, on 17th October, Bhagavan announced that the auditorium at Prasanthi Nilayam - the most beautiful and spiritually vibrating hall in the East, with soul-inspiring sculptures and paintings - would be called Poornachandra, in memory of the late Poonamchand Kamani whose dream it was, which was realised through Baba's grace.

The Birthday celebrations followed in November. Bhagavan conferred valuable boons on the thousands who had gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam - the divine Darsan, the revitalising smile of recognition and compassion, the gift of sweets from His own hand and, more than all, the message of the Atman to be enshrined in the heart.

The Mew is Heard

One incident which occurred on the 23rd of November deserves to be highlighted in the Sai chronicle. About sixty devotees had arrived from faraway Gauhati, the capital city of Assam. They had travelled in a special railway coach for seven days before they reached Bangalore, and they had before them another week-long ordeal to get back home. Baba appreciated their devotion and gave them Darsan and a short spiritual discourse at the prayer hall. He filled their hands with the precious gift of Vibhuti. He saw in the group a girl named Lakhi and he gave her Vibhuti a second time, saying, "This, for the cat."

The cat was Minkie, whom she had rescued from the city drain on a rainy day and brought home to keep warmed and fed. The kitten was not, however, welcomed by her elder sister who was a nurse in the biggest hospital in the city, but who could not stand cats. She blamed Lakhi for bringing the horrid thing and keeping it as a pet. One night when a few guests had arrived for dinner, the cat stole into the kitchen and ran off with a bite of fish. This enraged the lady so much that all her bellicose adjectives exploded in one burst at Lakhi's face. Lakhi could bear it no longer. She caught Minkie by the neck and spanked her severely with a longish stick. The poor thing yelled in pain. Suddenly, every picture of Sai Baba in the house - there were sixteen of them hanging with garlands after the Thursday Bhajans - fell on the floor! The guests ran out of the house into the open courtyard, for they were sure that an earthquake had struck.

But the lady noticed that only the pictures of Baba had dropped; all others were intact on the walls! It was then that she realised that Baba had given a sign to save the cat. She shouted to her sister, "Lakhi! Stop! Stop! Don't kill it! Baba is angry with us!" Lakhi placed Minkie on the table. She was in tears, and her sister, too, was sobbing. The cat tried to allay her pain by shaking in quick quivers. The guest had come back by now and they too witnessed the struggle of the cat to regain her poise. Lo and behold! When Minkie shook herself, puffs of fragrant Vibhuti emerged from her fur and fell thick on the table! The fragrance announced that Bhagavan had blessed the cat.

Six months later, on 23rd November, when Lakhi was present with many other devotees from Assam at the Prasanthi Nilayam prayer hall, Bhagavan, in His infinite compassion, remembered Minkie, the unwelcome cat, and sent to her His most valuable Prasad. He instantly detects every denial of love and warns us when we miss our way. His hand reaches beyond the horizons of space and the chronologies of time. He teaches us, by example, to wish well for every form of life, be it man, beast, bird or plant. His love has no limit, for He is in all.

Christmas '72 was a festival during which Baba further elaborated the concept of Cosmic Christ. He traced the expansion of the Christ consciousness right up to Christ's declaration, 'I and my Father are One' and said that this was the acme of Advaithic (non-dualistic) experience. Baba said, in addition, "This is the truth of Jesus and also of every one of you. You are all, fundamentally, the Cosmic Christ."

On 5th January 1973, Baba addressed the ASC(S) army personnel at Bangalore. He seldom misses an opportunity to bless the members of the armed forces, for He likes them to know, more and more, the glory of the land that they have vowed to defend. He instils inspiration and courage in their hearts. Since he can and does accompany each one of them, however far or near, His grace is much sought after by soldiers. On 14th January, Baba advised a large gathering of devotees, "Fill yourselves with awe and reverence at the handiwork of God, the manifestation of His power, love and wisdom that is called the 'universe', and upon which the great expanse of space, the huge nebulae, the stars, the satellites and comets, the birds, beasts, insects and plants, all contemplate. They can give enough instruction and inspiration to you."

In January Baba was at Guindy, Madras, to unveil a monumental pillar at the temple where He had installed an image of the Sri Baba of Shirdi, 25 years earlier. On the sides at the base of this pillar are inscribed Bhagavan's directives for the regeneration of man.

Kakkara Halla Linga

Since the biggest shed (there were only three then) could not hold even half the number of pilgrims who came to Prasanthi Nilayam for Sivarathri, Bhagavan quietly motored to the Bandipur forest on the border of Karnataka. The warden of the jungle brought news that there was a quiet spot on the Kakkara Halla stream, with a patch of dry sand. So Baba, and the few who were chosen by Him, drove in a van into the forest. A herd of twelve elephants had been spotted minutes earlier, but had discreetly made itself scarce. As Bhagavan alighted from the van He stood and broke a stalk of jungle grass, about an inch and a half long, and another about half its length, and bound them together in the middle with a bit of stalk skin. It became a cross. He was about to drop it into Hislop's open palm but He desisted. "No! I must give you another," He said. Holding the grass cross before His face, He blew upon it. This became a wooden cross having the same dimensions, with a small silver icon of Jesus on it. "This is the wooden cross on which Jesus was crucified; this is the correct image of Jesus on the cross," He said, and gave it to Hislop who was kneeling, and in tears. (Later he got the wood examined, and was informed that it was at least twenty centuries old. He had the silver icon photographed and the photographs enlarged. He was surprised to note that there were marks of sweat on the brow and signs of froth at the corners of the mouth. It had all the signs of pain heroically borne). Then Baba moved down the bank of the stream and sat on the sand with those who had accompanied Him, including the warden, guards and a few tribals attracted by these mysterious happenings in their part of the world.

From the sand that was heaped as a raised bed, Baba created a translucent Lingam, five inches long and four inches across, seated on an eight-inch-high base. "Straight from Kailas where it was being worshipped. See the sandal paste, the Kumkum dot, the Bilva leaf," He said. He transformed the sand into an icon of Shirdi Sai Baba, an idol of Lakshmi and another of Durga. And, finally, He created before the wonder-struck gathering, a casket which was full to the brim with Amrith (nectar)-sweet beyond imagination and with a divine fragrance. Even the tribals who had huddled around him received their share of Prasad from His hands.

The Lingam was at Brindavan the next day and Baba allowed a large number of devotees to participate in the Puja. I could recite the Rudra-adhyaya from the Vedas, in praise of Siva, during the ritual ablution of the Lingam. And I can still recall the thrill of my pouring on the Lingam the holy water of the Ganges, transported by Baba with a wave of His hand from the very source of the river in the Himalayas.

The Land of Valour

Baba responded to the prayers of the residents of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, first visiting the town of Mogha near the country's border. He was there on the 15th and 16th of March. He inaugurated the Muralidhar Hospital, where more than two hundred thousand people had gathered for His Darsan."It is remarkable how the news of Bhagavan's arrival spreads at such short notice and with such great speed in every direction by word of mouth," said Sri Sohan Lal, who had witnessed the phenomenon. Baba advised the devotees: "Punjab has earned a reputation for valour. It should make a name for spiritual courage, which comes from faith in God... Pray to God asking Him to endow you with an intellect that does not waver and a mind that is balanced."

Baba left Mogha for Simla by car. Forty thousand people had gathered on the ridge, many from the suburbs and the homesteads in the villages lying amidst the mountains. Simla had not seen such a massive assembly in living memory. Baba told them that though man had probed outer space and explored the deep, he had yet to learn to be at peace on earth. Man wants peace and happiness but he does not know how to acquire them. He runs after petty desires and short-lived pleasures. "There is a surfeit of preachers but a shortage of practitioners," Baba said. He advised and directed the people to concentrate on fundamental gains rather than superficial ones. He gave two discourses the next day - one on the ridge and the other at the grounds of 'Woodville', His residence. On another day Bhagavan paid a brief visit to Kufri and Phagu, past the snow-covered road. A magnificent view of the silver-robed Himalayan peaks can be had from these hamlets. Though the snow was knee-deep, about 200 men and women followed Him. Baba picked up a little snow and changed it into a pair of gold earrings for a tribal girl. He blessed many with Vibhuti, and an old lady with a ring. The visit of the Lord to the Himachal Pradesh marked a turning point in the lives of many. Groups of seekers from many of its towns and villages continue flowing into Prasanthi Nilayam to be in His presence for a few days.

At Delhi, a Pandal (an outdoor auditorium) which could seat more than two hundred thousand people, was found inadequate on some days. Bhagavan was present there during morning and evening Bhajans, moving amidst the thousands and showering grace on the sick in the form of curative Vibhuthi He also addressed a select gathering of ministers, academicians and others at Vigyan Bhavan. He spoke to them on the urgency of moral regeneration and of the role of the individual in the process. Bhagavan was very liberal with His time and conferred the fortune of personal conversation and counsel on hundreds who yearned for the chance.

Next, Bhagavan motored to Jaipur, instead of going by air as had been earlier planned, thus allowing thousands to have Darsan as He drove by. At Jaipur, Bhagavan laid the foundation stone for the Sri Sathya Sai College for Women and for a temple. He also addressed a gathering of 50,000 on the need for selfless service.

From the 28th to the 30th March Baba was in Bombay, making a short visit to Poona on the 28th. He addressed a packed assembly of two Lakh Bombayites at the Vallabhbhai Stadium. Next, He flew by a chartered plane to Rajkot, in Gujarat, to bless the Raj Kumar College during its centenary celebrations and to open the Digvijaya Singh wing of the college buildings to commemorate the late Jam Saheb of Nawanagar. "The youth need colleges, for there they can learn to live and move with others of their own age, coming from different social and economic backgrounds. They can learn tolerance and co-operation and realise their talents and virtues," He told the gathering.

Sivam

On the Telugu New Year Day Baba was at Hyderabad for the inauguration of the holy 'Sivam' Mandir."Let the New Year bring you Ananda. You can get it by serving the poor, the disabled, and those who earn their livelihood by strenuous physical labour," He said. Baba blessed the juveniles at the Remand Home in Hyderabad. "I like children. I take great care of them, insisting on discipline, reverence to parents, moderate food and allotment of time to study, prayer and meditation. I also recommend some form of service," He said.

The main topic on which Baba focussed His discourses in the summer school was the Moha Mudgara or Bhaja Govindam of Sankaracharya. In July, Baba was again in Bombay for visits to the Central School for the Deaf and the Sathya Sai Service Centre at Koliwada, a hamlet of fishermen which had been adopted by the Seva Samithi. He also attended a Bal Vikas programme featuring the children of the mill workers at Worli.

The Dasara message was one of "sacrifice, detachment, and renunciation" through positive and constructive activity. "Do every deed as an act of worship to Him; let every thought be a longing for Him; make every word a hymn of thanks giving for His benevolence."

Bhagavan has been repeating in His discourses, the Vedic exhortation to the Youth to "revere your parents as God," for reverence is fast disappearing in Indian families. He emphasised that the home is the earliest and best school, where one's most enduring skills and habits are imbibed. It is the place where one's heart should always be, wherever one might physically wander. We love our country because the tombs of our fathers, the temples of our God, the fields which have fed us and the rivers we have bathed in, all exist therein. To demonstrate the value of reverence, Baba inaugurated the Birthday festival by His visit to the mausoleum of the Parents, where His 'sisters and brothers' joined Him along with their children and grand children. Every act of His is a lesson to us.

Baba and Godavari

The year 1974 witnessed a miraculous event in Rajahmundry, a small town on the bank of the Godavari river. Rajahmundry is a town that revives nostalgic memories of ancient glories, sheltering many religions and cultural institutions, and entering contemporary history once every twelve years when Lakhs of pilgrims from all over India travel thither for a holy bath in the river. Bhagavan willed that an All India Conference of Office Bearers of the Sathya Sai organisations be held there for three days. Over 6000 delegates attended the conference and the gurus who taught Bal Vikas children comprised an additional 750 persons. Swami Karunyananda, the life and soul of all service activities in the Godavari districts, who had discovered in Sathya Sai Baba the God that he had been seeking, was certain that devotees of Baba in the delta region of the Godavari would participate wholeheartedly to make the conference a phenomenal triumph. From every village, young men arrived at Rajahmundry before the new year. They put up Pandals, levelled the grounds, dug drains and raised dining halls and kitchens, singing Bhajans all the while. They filled the stores with provisions until Swami Karunyananda insisted on "no more," and many villagers returned disappointed and sad that their offerings could not be accepted in the pool. Women streamed into the kitchen and took up the task of preparing elaborate menus. Large quantities of milk, curd and Ghee (clarified butter) arrived at the campus in buses reaching Rajahmundry town from every corner. The delegates were guests of the Godavari region and the hospitality bordered on worship. It was a revelation of the deep roots that the Sai message had taken in their hearts and how it had blossomed as love and service. Bhagavan's discourses helped integrate the office bearers into an effective instrument for the revival of Dharma. He also blessed the Bal Vikas movement describing it as the basic activity of the Sai movement, and the gurus as its most useful pioneers. Bhagavan's presence during all the three days of the conference induced pilgrims to come to the Godavari from places as distant as Calcutta, Bhopal and Patna.

Prasanthi in Villages

On 3rd February 1974, Bhagavan visited the village of Kannamangala, about six miles from Brindavan. He announced that He had started a college in that region, so that students hailing from its villages could become leaders of the ideal of total revival and reconstruction which He called Janata-Kalyan (peace and prosperity for the people). He advised the students to revere the village and to live there with their kith and kin. "Encourage the formation of the Bal Vikas, the Seva Dal, the Mahila Vibhag and the Seva Samithi in your region," He said. The visit to Kannamangala was indeed historic, for Bhagavan has since visited more than ten villages in that area. He has renovated temples, provided shelters, expanded school buildings, tapped underground water and deepened existing water wells. He has helped promote literacy and has laid the foundation of moral reform by awakening the conscience of the people.

Bhagavan has directed the 4000 Seva Samithis in India to adopt a village each and to serve its people with love and understanding. The Old Boys Association of the Sathya Sai colleges, called 'The Kingdom of Sathya Sai', is shaping itself into an efficient and sincere instrument for continuing this Seva (service) in the villages. Bhagavan's grace has reached the villages around Puttaparthi in the form of medical and educational facilities.

Sivarathri '74 was celebrated by Bhagavan at Prasanthi Nilayam. A shed which could seat over 20,000 people had by then risen on the grounds. Speaking about the Lingam and its mystery, Baba said, "The Lingam is that which has neither beginning nor end, that towards which all beings move, and that in which all beings merge." The atmosphere at the Nilayam was vibrant with awe and adoration, awaiting the arrival of the Lingam. Thousands prayed as one when the first pangs began to show on Baba's face, announcing the great event. A heavy unreasonably large oval, the symbol of the Siva principle, was persuaded by their sincere yearning to take birth in Baba's physical body and gradually rise along the gullet, to emerge from the mouth and drop into His hands. Holding it aloft for everybody to see, He announced that it was the symbol of cosmic space, the Space-Time-Causation continuum, in concrete form. It represents both the cause and the final effect. It had a luminous Trisul inside it. Ecstasy shone on every face. There was no tear of regret for the past, no sigh of anguish for the present, no grimace of anxiety for the future. All were at once alight with delight. Then they heard the voice of Bhagavan, "Cherish this vision of the emergence. Nourish the Ananda that now gushes in your hearts. I assure you that you have indeed been rendered immortal. You need not pass from birth to death again." No one in that mammoth assembly could have been the same when he rose and walked away. It took days of ministration by Bhagavan to send the longing, lingering devotees home.

In 1974 Baba visited Bombay twice - in early March and in mid-May. In March, He blessed a rally of 2500 Bal Vikas children, addressed a gathering of teachers from the university and various colleges, and inaugurated the extension projects of the Industrial Training School and the Agricultural polytechnic at Dharmakshetra. Speaking during the rally, He said, "Parents today are not competent to guide their children. They utter lies, accept bribes, indulge in gambling and spread scandal. They use foul language and boast aloud. Children must make elders ashamed of their habits." In May, He presided over the Annual Day of the Dharmakshetra school, and flew to the town of Ratnagiri in answer to the prayers of devotees there.

After 27 Years

On His way back from Bombay in March, Bhagavan spent two days at Sandur, in the Bellary District of Karnataka. He inaugurated one of the factories set up by the Raja Saheb to exploit the mineral wealth of that area. The Raja Saheb welcomed Baba, who had last graced the erstwhile kingdom 27 years ago. He related how, in 1949, when he gave up the reins of the State, Baba had assured him, "Don't worry. You will found an organisation bigger than the State of Sandur!" And Baba had now come to bless that organisation.

The summer course in May-June was widely acclaimed as a must for young people who were about to confront the comedies and tragedies, the follies and frivolities of the human situation, for it strove to equip them with the knowledge of the sages and seers of every land, and bring them into contact with the Avatar of the age. On 19th June, two days before the close, Baba answered a question that was baffling analysts - Who is Sai? He revealed Himself to the extent our dull and dithering reason can accept. "I have come to unite all mankind into one family and to affirm and illumine in each of you your Atmic Reality... Do not crave from Me trivial material objects. Instead crave for Me, and you will be rewarded," He declared. No wonder! General Cariappa, former Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of India, then called upon the thousand participants for three full-throated cheers of 'Jai Sai Dharma', which echoed all around.

The Dasara festival commemorates the victory of the gods over the demons, of light over darkness, of knowledge over ignorance. So the thousands who throng to His presence are involved in disciplines which help them advance towards that victory. The women's college at Anantapur staged the play, "The Bishop's Candlesticks" and the boy's college at Brindavan (Bangalore) staged a Telugu play, 'Pandava Vijayam'. Both plays were based on the sovereign cure that selfless love and devotion can effect. The Bhagavata Bhakta Samajam, a group of musicians and speakers drawn together by the bond of brotherhood and the common purpose of fostering 'the perennial philosophy of theism', and which holds three-day sessions of its activities comprising Vedic Homa, Puranic readings, devotional songs, folk dances, dramas and musical recitations, was affiliated to the Academy of Pundits by Bhagavan. They added many attractive items of educative and entertainment value.

It was during the Birthday festival in 1974 that Baba spoke strongly against the use and abuse of funds. He has always been against public appeals for money, and has warned devotees against both, asking for and giving such donations. He declared that nothing should be brought for Him, because He needed nothing. "Those who bring or advise others to bring, will be kept away," He said.

In March 1975, Bhagavan visited Delhi, spending a week to confer Darsan on the multitudes there, besides making short visits to Amritsar, Chandigarh and Simla. He made a visit to Jaipur to see the progress made by the Sathya Sai college in that city. Then He boarded the plane to Bombay, where He unveiled the 40-foot-high pillar erected on the Dharmakshetra hill, depicting the harmony of religions. He was at Prasanthi Nilayam on 20th March, where thousands were waiting to be blessed by Darsan of the divinely wrought Sivarathri Lingam. On the 25th, when He blessed, by His presence, the Sathya Sai College for Women at Anantapur, He advised the residents: "Women students and teachers must be very vigilant that they do not attract the eyes and tongues of men by their dress, movement, or behaviour. Be a little behind in fashion, it does not matter; but do not outrage the traditions and conventions of our culture."

With Cows to Gokulam

On 29th August, the Birthday of Lord Krishna, the pages of the Bhagavatha which describe His boyhood were re-enacted at Puttaparthi. The cows, buffaloes and camels, and also Sai Geetha, the elephant, were taken in procession from Prasanthi Nilayam to their new home, about a kilometre away. Rural pipes and drums led the line. Sai Geetha followed in regal splendour, and the cows, with their attendant Seva Dal members, came next. Calves, frisking, jumping and butting, were held in check by the college students, while the immovable buffaloes stood and stared until they were pushed and pulled forward. Students of the women's college and others from Prasanthi Nilayam followed behind, singing Bhajans. Sai Krishna was also there, with devotees singing around Him in joy. They had witnessed, three days earlier, another page of the Bhagavatha come alive. Incessant heavy rains had brought the Chitravathi into the village, and she swelled into swirling anger. Indra, the God of rain, appeared to cast his anger on the cowherd village again, but unlike as in the Bhagavatha days, this Krishna did not lift a mountain on His palm to shelter man and beast. He disappointed the peaks, by walking up to the open terrace of the East Prasanthi flats and cast a look at the turbulent waters seeking entry. That was enough. The flood began to recede steadily. During the Dasara festival Prasanthi Nilayam was quiet, except for a few extra ceremonies that the inmates were allowed to observe. For Bhagavan could not, in His boundless love, impose on the devotees, however eager, a ten-day stay Dasara and another ten-day stay on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the Advent, scheduled from 14th to 24th November.

Slice of all the Maps

"All Roads Lead to Puttaparthi" was the headline in the daily papers. Special trains, reserved coaches, omnibuses, trucks and tractors, scooters and cycles, horse-drawn vehicles and bullock carts, all unloaded thousands of pilgrims in a continuous flux at the Nilayam. From overseas, thousands alighted at Bangalore and taxied to the place. The prophecy that Baba would be an orange speck in the distant eminence, well nigh came true. Besides the construction of seven gigantic sheds, hundreds of ad hoc shelters hastily contrived, and scores of tents and Pandals were permitted to fill every patch of available space in and around the township. 5000 members of the Seva Dal stayed on duty night and day, cooking, serving, sweeping, cleaning, guarding, guiding and helping. Teams of doctors were stationed in temporary clinics and at the hospital. Kitchens for serving eastern and western food were set up.

A rally of Bal Vikas pupils (about 1000, selected from every State) was held. These children had the privilege of marching past Bhagavan Himself. More than a thousand Bal Vikas gurus attended a two-day conference which was inaugurated by Bhagavan. For the world conference of office bearers, 8000 delegates came from over fifty nations.

On the 18th, the imposing and inspiring 'Gopuram', built by devoted hands in the South Indian Style of temple architecture, was inaugurated. Baba had the ancient temples of Puttaparthi, rebuilt including the Gopalakrishna temple, associated with its history through the ages. That day all the new silver idols of the deities installed in the temple were placed on a huge chariot and taken in procession through the village - a great day in the annals of the holy hamlet. The Vedic rite of Purushottama Yajna was also part of the Jubilee celebrations. The final ceremony of offering the last oblation in the sacred fire, delighted the huge gathering on the Jubilee day.

The world conference was an inspiring experience. Devotees from a multitude of nations and affiliated to various religions, humbly walked up to Bhagavan and offered garlands of flowers. Edgar Mitchell, the astronaut who had watched the tragedy of the human race from the moon and remarked, "When will civilisation make man realise mankind?" could have derived faith and hope that day at Prasanthi Nilayam. The huge concourse offered Bhagavan the solemn pledge of loyalty to His teachings. They promised to cultivate truth, peace and love, and progress along the path of duty, devotion and discipline.

On Sivarathri in 1976, Baba announced, while hoisting the Prasanthi flag to mark the inauguration of the festival. "The Lingam that emerges from the Universal Absolute, Brahman, is the cosmos - first conceived as a wish, later formed as an idea and finally adopted as a will. The cosmos is the Will of Siva concretised. You, too, are therefore, willed by Siva and formed by Siva from Himself."

God's Vesture

During the last week of March, Bhagavan flew to Hyderabad and stayed at Sivam. The elite of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad were invited by the Sathya Sai Seva Samithi to share the grace of Bhagavan. The meeting was presided over by Shri Mohanlal Sukhadia, then Governor of Andhra Pradesh. He said that the task for which Bhagavan had incarnated was to "put humanity back on the rails." In His discourse Baba emphasised, "There is no East or West distinguishable on the globe. All mankind is one. The cosmos is energy felt as matter. Man relies on his sensory experiences and on the inferences that he draws from those experiences. Therefore he lacks the knowledge and awareness of experiences beyond the sensory world." On the Telugu New Year Day Bhagavan addressed a vast gathering of devotees at 'Sivam'. He blessed the Seva Dal members who had established all over the cities on that day no less than a hundred First Aid centres for rendering service to the ailing and the distressed. He inaugurated a boarding school for children on Castle Hill, where a historic building had been acquired by the Samithi for the purpose. The school is run on the lines laid down by Bhagavan, who insists that children must learn humility, service and reverence, imbibe our ancient cultural heritage, be disciplined and devoted, participate in Bhajans and take only Sathwic food, even while mastering the prescribed academic curriculum. Dedicated teachers serve the children, adoring their assignment as the 'worship of Sai'. Referring to the arrogant vandalism of modern man which has led to the pollution of rivers and oceans, the advance of deserts into arable areas and the desecration of forests, Bhagavan said in a discourse on 6th May, "Nature is God's vesture. The universe is a 'university' for man. Man should treat nature with reverence. He has no right to talk of conquering nature or exploiting the forces of nature. He must proceed to visualise in nature, its God. All are but temporary, short-term tenants in God's estate."

Bombay had the good fortune of welcoming Baba on 12th May, the anniversary of the inauguration of Dharmakshetra, which also happened to be sacred Thursday and, luckily enough, the triple holy day of the Buddhists - the day Gautama was born, the day he became the Buddha and the day of His Parinirvana (Liberation).

The Blue Mountains

The 1976 Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spirituality was held at Nandanavanam in Ootacammund, in the Nilgiri Hills. It was scheduled to last fifteen days, and the participants, who numbered about two hundred, were selected from the Sathya Sai colleges. One feature of the course was that the role of lecturers was assigned to the senior students, who spoke on the Vedanta, the Gita, the Purushottama Yajna, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Hanuman, the Bhagavatha, etc., after deep study and reflection, with clear understanding. Dr. S. Bhagavantham pronounced the project " a resounding success." Subsequently the students spread out for social service to the city bus stand, railway station and the market area. Their Sadhana of cleaning the area was so efficient that the Municipal Council passed a resolution expressing its grateful appreciation, and communicated it to the organisers. When the camp was concluding, Bhagavan disclosed to the students at a special meeting, details about His school days, and His relations with His parents, teachers and schoolmates, and with the brother who was His 'guardian'. As he was describing the role that He had planned for the students seated before Him and exhorting them to cultivate such qualities as fortitude, detachment, sympathy, humility and reverence that He Himself had held forth as a living example even as a child, He waved His hand and created a silver plaque with the map of India embossed on it, which had Puttaparthi, Bombay, Bhubaneshwar, Madras, Delhi, Calcutta, Shillong, Hyderabad and other cities marked on it by means of brilliant gems embedded in the silver. Bhagavan announced that those were some of the places from where the Sai message would be propagated by them in coming years. Bhagavan's discourses were mainly on the strategy of Lord Krishna in relation to the Kaurava-Pandava conflict, as depicted in the Mahabharata. Since we have Lord Krishna with us now, and since the conflict between the two forces of Dharma (righteousness) and Adharma (unrighteousness) symbolising Daivic (godly) and Asuric (demonic) tendencies was even today confronting mankind, Bhagavan's analysis of His methods and motives in the epic was part of His present message itself.

Sri Sailam

While at Ootacamund, Baba motored down the Ghats (slopes) on the Kerala Coast to the historic town of Calicut, famous as the town where Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, had landed in 1498 AD Thirty miles north of Calicut, on a hill that is embraced by the sea on three sides, and which was named 'Sri Sailam' by Rabindranath Tagore who spent some days there, the Sri Sathya Sai Trust in Kerala had planned to construct a Vidya Peeth (public school) to provide education on Sai lines. Bhagavan graciously laid the foundation stone and blessed the project. More than 30,000 people had gathered to be blessed by His Darsan and Sambhashan (speech).

Gurupurnima, a time when spiritual aspirants all over the world welcome their preceptor into their hearts, found Bhagavan at Puttaparthi. The students and teachers of the high school which had been established there to commemorate Mother Easwaramma, who bore the Avatar, were blessed by Bhagavan on that auspicious day. The state Minister for Education declared that it was a significant step forward in Bhagavan's programme of increasing facilities for educating rural folk. Bhagavan proceeded to Puttaparthi village where a new hamlet of a hundred houses had been built for the Harijans whose hutments had been washed away by the angry floods of the Chitravathi some six months earlier. Bhagavan told the huge gathering of devotees present that every living being is a cell in the cosmic body of God, and that castes that are described in the Vedas as forming the limbs of God, form an integral part of the whole. He said that worshipping the feet of God is best done by serving the poorest and lowliest among men.

On all the ten days of the Dasara festival 1976, Bhagavan spoke on the mind, its vagaries, its potentialities and on the Sadhana which can straighten and strengthen it. In the midst of the busy schedule of the Vedic Yajna, Bhagavan found time to meet more than three hundred district presidents of the Sathya Sai Seva organisation who had journeyed thither from all the states of India. They had two sessions with Him during which Bhagavan stressed the need for discipline and gave them advice on many aspects of their duties and responsibilities.

This Dasara was rendered memorable when Bhagavan defined what He characterised as the 'Sai Religion', while elaborating upon the impact of the Mathi (mind) on Matha (creed). "The religion that feeds and fosters all religions and emphasises their common greatness is the Sai Religion," He said.

Global Bhajan

During the Second World Conference, held during the Golden Jubilee week at Prasanthi Nilayam, a cardinal decision was taken by the devotees that a twenty-four-hour Bhajan emanating from devout hearts gathered in more than 8000 centres in over forty-five nations from New Zealand to Iceland and from Taiwan to Trinidad, would girdle the globe. The day for this universal prayer was fixed as the Saturday-Sunday immediately preceding the birthday of Bhagavan every year. To a Bhajan gathering at Prasanthi Nilayam Baba said, "Bhajan must be as continuous as breathing. In fact, the breath is ever engaged in Bhajan for it is constantly repeating the fundamental mantra, 'Soham' (I am That). Twenty-four hours is just a wink when measured against a lifetime. Your life is a song on the glory of God. Sing it from your soul, sing it aloud, sing it in chorus so that the atmosphere polluted by greed, hatred and envy can be purified by the holy vibrations."

All the villages around Puttaparthi now look forward to the Birthday week. For them, this sacred occasion is heralded by the chariot festival, in which the idols of all the deities worshipped in the temples of Puttaparthi are taken in procession through the crowded streets of the village to the delight of everyone - men, women and children - whatever their caste or creed. On the Birthday itself, Bhagavan proceeds to the Samadhi (tomb) of His parents and distributes food and clothes to the villagers.

On His birthday in 1976, Bhagavan declared that miracles are the spontaneous and natural expressions of Avatarhood: "Rama means, 'He who confers joy'; Krishna means, 'He who attracts'. Every act of Mine conferring joy or attracting the heart, becomes a 'miracle' in your phraseology. The avatar comes to reform and reconstruct, and his 'miracle' invariably has this result. The Chamatkara (miracle) has as its aim the Samskara (refinement) of mankind. How is that achieved by the Avatar? Everyone so drawn is persuaded through love, to love all (since all are the same Atman encased in distinct bodies), and to transform that love into Paropakara (service). As a result, their minds get sanctified, their intellects clarified and their hearts purified. Thus they are able to realise their core, the Atman, which is but a wave in the ocean, the universal, eternal, absolute Paramatman. This is Sakshatkara (realisation), the goal of human life."

Every December, on the fifth day of the month, the Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisation celebrates 'Medical Service Day', each centre drawing up its own programme according to the needs of the area and the resources - human and material - that it can command. Gifts are made of oxygen cylinders to hospitals, wheelchairs for the physically handicapped and Bhajan cassettes and books for the blind, besides projects of medical check-up for slum dwellers and rural folk that are initiated on that day. In 1976 Bhagavan blessed those who gave and those who received. He sounded a warning against the indiscriminate use of medicines and medical drugs. He advised the people to resort to the cheaper and often more effective methods of fasting or dieting, Yogasanas (postures prescribed by Yoga) or physical exercises, and desist from such deleterious habits like smoking and drinking. "Anxiety, worry and tension have to be overcome in order to gain and preserve health," He said.

Large numbers of Christians from the East and the West come to spend Christmas and New Year in the immediate presence of Bhagavan for, as they have found, this is the only place where "peace on earth and goodwill among men" can be experienced. " 'Christ' is only another name for the Ananda principle in the heart of man," Baba said. "Meditate on Him and seek His love for all living beings. Let Him be born in all His Divine splendour in your heart. Then you can celebrate Christmas in humble thanksgiving and sincere adoration, with penitence and prayer. Do not desecrate the day with drink and dance, revelry and gluttony," He said to the gathering of devotees on the New Year Day, 1977. He created a medallion that had Mary and the child Jesus on one side and Joseph on the other. It showed the sanctity of Mary and the sturdy simplicity of Joseph. It was indeed an exhilarating moment.

Sivarathri 1977 was celebrated at Prasanthi Nilayam. Bhagavan called upon the devotees to "strive, for that is your duty; struggle, for that is your assignment; yearn, for that is the path." He exhorted them to overcome sloth, dullness and prejudice, which hide, in the darkness that they create, the beauty of the unity of every individual consciousness in the Divine. "All i's are only reflections of the One I," He explained. Meanwhile a crystal oval, the Sivarathri Lingam, emerged from within Him, interrupting the Bhajan He was singing to enthuse the gathering. He held it before the gathering of astonished devotees. "It is the symbol of emergence of the five primordial elements," He clarified. "The Lingam is the essence of all attributes and names. It is the formless with form, the nameless with name, the primal emergent from the Divine," He explained. Next morning He announced the unpleasant news that He had decided against continuing, in subsequent years, the celebration of Mahasivarathri, which was drawing from all over the world countless numbers of pilgrims eager to benefit from Darsan of the Divine manifestation, and to look on the 'symbol of the cosmos', created by Siva Himself. But, seeing that thousands, unable to get even a near glimpse, were returning disappointed every year after journeying long distance over sea and land, spending large sums of money and suffering much hardship, Bhagavan, out of His infinite mercy, directed that in the coming years they might celebrate the 'Night of Siva' in their own native places, where He would certainly be with them.

Walter Cowan Block

On 28th April, the Cowan Block of the hostel at the Brindavan campus was inaugurated by the President of India, Sri B.D. Jatti, himself an ardent devotee of Bhagavan ever since the days when he was in the ministerial cabinet of Karnataka. The hostel was built within the campus itself, because Bhagavan could not deny the students of His college the proximity to Him that they ardently prayed for. Elsie Cowan was present at the function and expressed her immense joy at the name which Baba had given to the hermitage of Saraswati (the goddess of learning), to commemorate her husband, Walter Cowan, whom He Himself had resurrected. "We, too, who reside in this hostel, are awaiting resurrection," said a student in his exaltation that day. The President was elated at the increasing pace of the Sai era in education. He welcomed the Sai colleges which emphasise moral and spiritual progress, highlight a variety of skills and promote projects of social service. He praised all those students who had won high academic distinctions and, at the same time, mastered with equal enthusiasm the techniques of farming, animal husbandry, dairying and canteen management, besides Yogasanas, elocution, music, nursing, histrionics and photography. Architecture is said to be the art of perpetuating song in stone; the Cowan Block is indeed a Bhajan in brick and mortar. One cannot but sense the presence of both, penitence and grace in the dormitories, corridors and halls. "Fill your heads and hearts with light and love, rather than mere facts and figures," says Baba. The hostel is reservoir of both, the light of knowledge and the delight of Seva.

Since some years, the sixth of May, the day the mother of the Avatar bade farewell to the world, is known the world over as Easwaramma Day, and is dedicated to the service of children by children. It has grown into a week-long festival, with the children from Bal Vikas groups chumming with children from the slums in games and play, visiting children's wards in hospitals and singing Bhajans in homes meant for retarded, ailing and delinquent children. Like rays of light, they carry the sparkle of joy into others gloom. They also offer to the elders, and present to toddlers, the pictures they paint, the models they make, the pets they play with and the floral designs they assemble. They sing and dance, they mimic, recite and enjoy themselves.

The Ramayana

The summer course in 1977 was based on the Ramayana, the epic reservoir of Dharma. The first seven days were devoted to an intensive study of various versions of the Ramayana in the languages of India as well as those of nations to the south and south-east of India. Bhagavan discoursed on the ideals embodied in the heroic personalities described in the Ramayana. Over 40 students from Sai colleges spoke to the large concourse of participants, with a large sprinkling of learners from overseas, on the saints and the philosophers of the world. For thirty days the students, boys and girls from colleges of India and abroad, lived in the Brindavan campus, away from the noisy and polluting distractions of the city, in an atmosphere of devotion and dedication, of prayer and meditation, of love and service, of mutual help and encouragement. Bhagavan would be amidst them in the lecture hall, at lunch and at dinner, during their hours of service in the villages around Brindavan and during the elocution and quiz competitions on Sundays. As many students confessed, they experienced both, "Immensity and Eternity." On the final day, when the students were sobbing in sorrow, Baba comforted and consoled them with gifts of grace, assuring them that since they had installed Him in their hearts, He would ever be with them, guarding and guiding, wherever they may be. "Never forget God... Never believe the world as reality... Never be afraid of death," He told them at the valedictory session.

During the ten days of Dasara 1977, Bhagavan elaborated on Santhi (inner peace) and the means of getting established in it. His discourses traced the faults and failings that foul the body, the mind and the faculty of reason in man. He analysed the habits and traits that disturbed and depressed the emotions of man and prescribed the exercises by which physical, mental, emotional and occupational equipoise could be gained. He also referred to the conflicts created by ethical and philosophical schools, as well as by fanatical loyalty to particular forms and names of the one, omnipresent God.

The seven-day Vedic rite of Jnana Yajna, which forms an important part of the Dasara festival, was inaugurated by Sri Govinda Narain, the Governor of Karnataka. An indication of the surge of devotion to the Avatar, which binds human hearts 'though they come from the ends of the earth' was the joint recital of songs on Baba, both in English and Sanskrit, by Ida Marion St. John from California and Gita Orescan from Germany. On Vijayadashami, the tenth day of victory (Dasara), Bhagavan allowed a few poets to recite their verses composed in various languages. Mrs Zeba Bashiruddin, a professor of English from Hyderabad, sang a few of her mellifluous Urdu poems on Baba.

Mention must also be made here of the announcement that was made that day about Bhagavan taking under His benign guardianship a number of educational institutions of the Loka Seva Vrinda in Karnataka, to be run on patriotic and spiritual lines by a band of His own devoted teachers. The Vrinda was orphaned by the death, in a car accident, of its founder and promoter, Sri Madiyala Narayana Bhat, an educationalist who had sought to reinforce the secularist curriculum laid down by the State with the spiritual ideals of duty, devotion and discipline.

The Wedding Knot

Dasara at Prasanthi Nilayam fills devotees with reverence for the heritage they live in. The Birthday inspires them to reshape their lives as desired by the Divine incarnation. The week was ushered in with a big bang of blessedness. Baba had made it known that indigent parents from the villages around Prasanthi Nilayam could celebrate the weddings of their children without incurring any expense. He would be the priest, parent and Providence. The call was heard by parents of all castes, who had been knocking at the doors of astrologers and moneylenders. When Baba Himself was the High Priest, no astrologer need be consulted about the future of the wedded couples. When He Himself was Providence, no moneylender need be approached to get the funds needed for celebrating the wedding. Hearing this, young men hurried to the homes of prospective brides and saw to it that their parents did not let go this miraculous chance to have the marriages celebrated in Baba's presence. One hundred and thirty four couples were registered at Prasanthi Nilayam in a few days. Baba gifted a wedding sari each to all the brides, much to their surprise at receiving this costly present. The grooms got Dhotis (men's wear) and Angavastrams (cloths slung over the shoulder) with borders of Zari (brocade). They were also given silk shirts stitched to size by tailors brought to the Nilayam for this very purpose. They were then taken to the Kalyana Mantap (a structure raised for the purpose of auspicious events or functions) on the outskirts of Puttaparthi village and seated in rows under a decorated Pandal. Girl students from the Sathya Sai College in Anantapur acted as 'ladies-in-waiting' for the brides, and boys from the Sathya Sai College in Bangalore were the 'best men', for the grooms. Vedic hymns were recited by Brahmin priests during the wedding rite. The couples garlanded each other, symbolic of union in wedlock. Baba gave each groom a gold Mangalasutra (auspicious thread worn by married women), and as it was put around the neck of the bride and knotted, He sprinkled on the heads of the couple, grains of rice. Bhagavan gave each bride another sari, besides bangles, Kumkum and Haldi, which are all a must for her in wedded life. He also gave each couple plates and cups for their new home. Then they poured handfuls of rice on each other's heads - a rite to ensure prosperity. The sari and Angavastram ends were knotted together to symbolise the union of hearts for the joint pilgrimage ahead. The 134 couples then slowly made their way in procession to the Mandir, with folk dance, pipe, tom-tom and Bhajan parties in the lead. Later, along with their kinsfolk, they all had a wedding feast at the Nilayam itself, oblivious of any differences of caste or economic or educational backgrounds. It was a heartening experience for all those who have the welfare of mankind at heart. It was a festival of love, an object lesson for all those who have faith in the overpowering impact of love. Now a large number of Seva Samithis are arranging, under their own auspices, simple weddings for poor villagers.

Fury of Wind and Water

Another event that preceded the birthday was the 8th All India Conference of the Sai Seva organisations. While the celebrations were in progress, it became known that a terrific cyclone had hit the Andhra Coast. A tidal wave over 20 feet high had swept over the coast and spent itself about thirty to forty miles inland. The devastation inflicted by both wind and water, was enormous. Tens of thousands died, caught by the waves. A large number of cattle lost their lives, and coconut groves over several square miles were toppled. Scores of villages were washed off the face of earth. The few who survived were confronted by disease, despair and decimation. Bhagavan directed the Seva Dal from Andhra to rush to the area, even while the festival was progressing at the Nilayam. Truckloads of cloth, rugs, garments and whatever could be laid hold of, were got ready to be transported by devotees to the affected areas. More than eight Lakh rupees poured into the bank for relief work. Four relief camps were quickly established in the afflicted areas, along with a complement of trained Seva Dal members, both men and women, including teams of doctors. Remote spots which had been isolated by the floods were selected. I witnessed a massive transport of provisions and materials, in the form of head-loads, by devotees. They had to wade through slush and mire, braving the stench of rotting corpses and carcasses. Indeed the first task was to bury or burn the dead, lying in heaps on the ground and caught in trees and bushes. Kitchens which provided food for over five thousand forlorn victims, kept working for more than a month in four strategic centres - Kattamajeru Gudapalem, Adavuladeevu, Ganapavaram and Barrankula - in the region lashed by the furious elements. From some kitchens, cooked food was taken to even more remote places, and the victims fed wherever they were found. Children were given milk and special foods. Besides these, the Seva Dal erected hundreds of hutments to enable people to continue their normal occupations of fishing and farming. They were given sets of kitchen utensils and cooking vessels, as well as garments, reed mats and rugs. Bhagavan assured the children who were orphaned by the calamity that He would be their guardian. When the relief centres were closed, the exhausted Seva Dal workers gladly noted that the faces of the village folk around them were lit with gratitude, contentment and devotion towards Bhagavan. In order to avoid such colossal loss of life in future, Bhagavan directed the Seva organisations to build at each place where they served, a community hall for the people, which would serve as a shelter whenever wind and wave rushed furiously onto land.

When the holy day of Sivarathri approached in 1978, the people remembered the previous year's announcement by Bhagavan regarding the cancellation of the ceremony. But the prospect of such deprivation was so painful that thousands would not at first believe it. So they continued to stream into Prasanthi Nilayam in time for the occasion. Rumours were afloat that Bhagavan would be at Brindavan that day. May be Sivarathri would be celebrated at Brindavan? Or would it be at Hyderabad? So thousands also gathered at Hyderabad and at Brindavan in Whitefield. But Bhagavan did not oblige. He was in the Nilgiri Hills, and returned only two days later.

College Campus

The magnificent row of buildings which comprise the Sri Sathya Sai College near Brindavan, was opened at a joyous and colourful function by Bhagavan on 19th of May, 1978. The Karnataka Minister for Education, Sri Subbaya Shetty, inaugurated the library building with the Prajnana Pradarsan on the first floor. The Pradarsan contains an impressive collection of charts, drawings and pictures showing phases of Japa, Dhyana, Yoga and Puja. It has photographs and models of the holy places of India. Books of all major religions and portraits of saints, mystics and thinkers of all faiths adorn the place. The sayings and teachings of Bhagavan, explained and illustrated, find a place of prominence. To be among these records means being reminded of the inevitable journey to God - that oft-forgotten goal becomes clear once again.

The auditorium, was inaugurated by Srimati Govinda Narain, while Sri Govinda Narain, the Governor of Karnataka, inaugurated the Summer Course in Indian Culture and Spirituality which commenced on the same day. The discourses during the first week were all on the Bhagavata Purana, which is about the former avatars of the Lord, including Krishna.

Bhagavan said that the youth of the country suffered the imposition of pointless and purposeless curricula. They were being shaped in colleges, into recalcitrant unemployables and sent out into the world with begging bowls called 'degrees' & 'diplomas'. They saw through foreign eyes, thought along borrowed concepts and held only film stars as their ideals. They had become rootless saplings, drifting with every whiff of wind. Their patriotism was not even skin-deep, for they had no knowledge of, or love for, their traditions and culture, their poets and saints, their fellow men and homeland. Dr. Benito Reyes, President of the World University in Ojai, California, who attended the course and stayed with the participants, commented in high appreciation on the benefits derived from it by Westerners who had no knowledge of the depth and vastness, the value and validity of the spiritual message of India, so vividly perceptible in Bhagavan, He quoted T.S. Eliot and asked, "Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?" and answered, "It is here."

The 665

No sooner had the summer course ended then the organisers were persuaded to accept another assignment which was more spectacular and more fundamental - managing at Brindavan a ten-day orientation course on spiritual education for 665 teachers from the elementary schools of Andhra Pradesh, deputed for training by the State government. The government had planned a well-nigh revolutionary project of recasting the elementary schools (for children between the ages of six and twelve years) in the entire state, providing special emphasis on prayer, music, dance, painting, modelling, and parent co-operation with the teacher, so that the school house became a house of work, worship and wisdom, of love and service, of spiritual discipline and Yoga. Dr. Chenna Reddy, first as Governor of Uttar Pradesh and later as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, knew about the Bal Vikas classes conducted by trained gurus of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisations, and had watched the children grow into self-reliant, co-operative and service-minded youth, revering parents, elders, and teachers. So he prayed to Baba to give the 665 teachers an orientation course, holding the camp in the college campus at Brindavan itself, so that they may benefit by the impact of His grace and from exposure to the simple, unaffected band of students whom He had trained as examples of His message.

The teachers were chosen at random from the outlying villages of every district. They had no time to prepare for the journey into a vastly different linguistic and climatic region, the state of Karnataka, nor were they aware of the discipline, the do's and don'ts, spontaneously honoured at the Brindavan campus. But the ten-day stay was amazingly alchemic. Baba entered their hearts and made them soft and pure. Several deep-rooted habits such as smoking, eating harmful foods and arguing aloud were jettisoned without a tear, while a sense of dedication was added to their professional skills. They began to feel like patriotic warriors who were engaged in driving away the demons of sloth and selfishness from schools, restoring to children their heritage that they had been denied so long. Bhagavan had planned lectures by devoted teachers in the morning hours. He formed ten groups of thirty teachers each, who met on alternate days to discuss among themselves the feasibility and necessity of the suggestions that arose in these lectures. The reports of these discussions were placed before Bhagavan in the evening and Bhagavan would choose some outstanding conundrum that required further analysis and clarification by Him.

Bhagavan also personally supervised the teachers' boarding and lodging and enquired about their health and requirements. He gave woollen rugs to those who had not brought any with them, sets of books to some, and cassettes of His Bhajans and discourses to others who had access to cassette players in their villages. He posed for photographs along with teachers and trainees from each district, and also arranged for each one of them to receive a free copy on the day the camp ended. Most of the teachers desired to visit Mysore and Puttaparthi, besides going round Bangalore itself, but they could not afford the cost. So they appealed to the Government of Andhra Pradesh to loan them the money which they all agreed to repay out of their salaries. When He learned of this, Baba Himself arranged for buses, and saw to it that they were loaded with hampers of food and plenty of fruit with which the teachers could regale themselves while on the road.

The teachers were filled with admiration at the intelligent and hearty response they received from the student volunteers deputed to attend to their needs. They concluded that it was the love that Bhagavan embodied and showered on those whom He chose, that had moulded the students in His college into young men of whom the nation could be proud. When the teachers left the campus and the presence of Baba, they were all in tears.

The Face of Divinity

Towards the end of the course, on the eighth day, the trainees had the singular good fortune of listening to a talk given by Dr. Frank G. Baronowski of Arizona University, on the uniqueness of Bhagavan's aura. This speech equipped them with faith in the divinity of Baba - a precious possession that would fortify them throughout their lives. Dr. Baronowski said, "I was not brought up in any belief, thought I am a Christian by birth and a Roman Catholic. The scientific community in my country finds it difficult to accept God. "It is not scientific," they assert. The aura that Swami projects is not that of a man. The white was more than twice the size of any man's, the blue was practically limitless and then there were gold and silver bands beyond even these, far beyond the building, right up to the horizon! I am risking my reputation when I make this statement. Two days ago, right outside this hall, I looked into His eyes. They had a glow in them. It was clear to me that I had looked into the face of Divinity. If ever I can use the phrase, 'I have seen Love walking on two feet', it is here."

On 14th August 1978, Bhagavan formed the Loka Seva Institution into a new Trust, the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust, of which He agreed to be the President. This He did at Muddenahalli where, too, there are schools and hostels maintained as part of the Loka Seva complex. Bhagavan concluded the formalities of the transfer and change of name. He later addressed the members of the Trust, teachers and students: "This holy institution was established by Narayana Bhat quite early in his life. He was ever eager to offer pure and unselfish service, so he planted the seed which has now grown into this tree. We have arrived at the stage when we can eat the ripe fruit, but this tree has also to be well cared for by us."

The Mosque

The Muslim festival of Ramzan in 1978 was a landmark in the history of Puttaparthi, for the Muslims of that village celebrated Id in the mosque that Bhagavan had built for them. It is a simple and spacious mosque, with an ambience of spiritual fragrance. Professor Bashiruddin of Osmania University expressed the gratitude of the Muslims of the region and described to the vast gathering how the impact of Bhagavan's teachings had made him a more understanding practitioner of the message of the Holy Koran. Janab Fakhruddin, convenor of the Village Muslim Committee, offered thanks to Bhagavan for this gift of love, saying "We had earlier to walk four miles to Bukkapatnam, through sun and rain, slush and sandy river bed, to recite our prayers." Bhagavan told the Muslims that the real significance of the Ramzan fast was "to be near God and detached from sensual desires. He also said that the Ramzan month was one during which the Holy Koran was communicated to Mohammed. The message of Bhagavan is that the truly religious will neither deny the validity of any particular religion or group of religions, nor declare that salvation can be secured through one path only. So He encourages all those who have faith to march forward along their chosen paths, whichever religion they may follow or be born in, since all spiritual paths lead to the same goal.

Baba's grace is boundless and universal. So people from all lands and followers of all creeds gather at His feet. Several sects and communities of India who have special festivals to commemorate their regional deities, also discard age-old boundaries and conventions and gather in thousands wherever Baba may happen to be, feeling such celebration to be truly meaningful in His presence. The Onam festival of the Malayalam-speaking Keralites - Hindus and Christians - is held by thousands year after year with all the orthodox observances. Bhagavan has thrown new light on the legend which forms the background of Onam. What was for long a season of folkplay and dance, has now taken on the habiliment of a spiritually-elevating Sadhana week.

Prolong Your Life Span

Dasara 1978 began as usual with the hoisting of the Prasanthi flag over Prasanthi Mandir and the celebration of the Annual Day of the Sri Sathya Sai Hospital in the evening that same day. Bhagavan touched the hearts of the massive gathering of devotees present when He gave them the most worthwhile reason for preserving and promoting their health. "The one grand reason for maintaining health, which I am urging you to do, is that you have yet to witness and delight over many more Leelas and Mahimas (expressions and manifestations of divine qualities) far surpassing those you have witnessed so far, and many more wonders, victories and triumphs. You can thrill with ecstatic delight when you witness these. So guard yourselves carefully. Maintain good health and keep your hearts ever filled with joy," He said.

During the discourses related to the Vedic Yajna which lasted for a full week, Baba expounded the meanings of various scriptural passages. The verses from the Gita which He prescribed for repetition while saying grace before every meal, were given special emphasis by Him, for they remind one of the immanence of God in the food made ready, in the fire that was used for cooking it, in the cook, in the one who ate it and in the activities which the eater could fulfil as a result of the strength that the food conferred on both, his body and brain.

Dasara is an occasion when thousands from all over the country and abroad see for themselves the triple ideal of Sai education - Duty, Devotion and Discipline - practised by the boys and girls of Bhagavan's colleges. They can listen to these students speak profoundly on a variety of topics and share their own intimate experiences of love and service towards Sai and towards all those upon whom He bestows His grace. They can also be audience to plays, choirs and orchestral music by students from all parts of India and from places as different and far apart as Hawaii, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Libya. Integration of mankind is no more an armchair dream; it is being realised here.

Save Villages from Cities

Twenty-five thousand people gathered at Prasanthi Nilayam for the Birthday festival in 1978. Bhagavan emphasised that it was not because of the Birthday that so many people had assembled, but it was because they assembled that the Birthday was celebrated! "I have no interest in publicising the date on which this body, which I willed for a purpose, appeared among mankind. I want each of you to celebrate the day I am enshrined in your hearts as My birthday," He said.

To those who wished Him a 'Happy Birthday', He replied that "this is a superfluous wish, for I am always happy." The festival included a musical recitation by students, with the college orchestra providing excellent accompaniment to a narration of the story of the Sai Avatar. Baba exhorted every one to transform 'daily living' into 'truly living', visualising God as the very breath of life. Bhagavan had called delegations of Seva Dal units (comprising men and women living on Sai ideals and trained for service to the distressed, the disabled and the diseased) from all over India. He directed them to engage themselves more in rural areas, where the evils of city life were becoming rampant. Villagers are misled; they imagine the city-dwellers to be more happy amidst cinema houses and cars, immersed in exotic and intoxicating life styles. They do not realise that their physical moral and economic stamina is being corroded by gambling and drinking, by noise and slogans, and by the rowdiness that thrives on such life patterns. "Save them from moral and physical pollution," He commanded. When one of the district convenors suggested that each Seva Dal member should always carry with him a mini first-aid box so that he could serve people more often, Baba modified the contents of the box, saying, "Carry in it a few tablets of discrimination and detachment, an ounce or two of sense-control, a packet of love and a bandage strip of fortitude. Only then can you effectively render first aid to people suffering from a stroke of ego or a bout of greed, a jaundiced vision or an allergy to serving others."

On 28th November 1978, Baba laid the foundation stone of the College of Arts, Science and Commerce at Prasanthi Nilayam. In the north-east corner Bhagavan laid the first line of stones after sanctifying the spot and placing there nine precious gems created by Him in the palm of His hand. Baba wills that every college must have an auditorium as magnificent as the college itself, and also a special building, as impressive as the rest, for the library. He considers the library to be a fundamental part of every educational institution. He selected Sri Ramanathan Chettiar of Madurai and the Rajmata of Navanagar for laying the foundation stones of these two allied constructions.

Isa-Sai

Christmas brings thousands into the presence of Baba, for they find in him the teacher who can reveal the true glory of Jesus and lead them along the path illumined by the Son of God. Baba told them that day, "Carols and candles, readings from the Bible and staging plays about the incidents from the life of Jesus are not enough. When Jesus declared that the bread of the Last Supper was His flesh and the wine His blood, what did He really mean? He meant that every being alive with flesh and blood, was He Himself and ought to be treated so. That is to say, every living being is Divine. Therefore no distinction should be made between separate physical bodies as good or bad, friend or foe, we or they. Baba also revealed that Jesus' actual name assigned to Him by His parents was Isa. And Isa, when constantly repeated, echoes Sai! Both words means Iswara (God). Baba said, "In the Tibetan monastery where Jesus spent many years, His name is recorded as Isa, which means 'Lord of all living beings.' "

The Tamils celebrated their New Year on 14th January, so Baba flew to Madras to bless them on that holy day and to inaugurate the construction of a Dharmakshetra (an arena of righteousness) in that city, which was to be called 'Sundaram', to complete the series which had started with 'Sathyam' in Bombay and continued with 'Sivam' in Hyderabad. The festival also has the overtone of a harvest celebration as the farmers of Tamil Nadu offer gratitude to the bullocks that helped them grow grain and the cows that gave them milk. They boil the milk on ceremonial hearths and allow it to boil and spill over as a symbol of abundance and happy sharing. The Telugu New Year Day was celebrated in March, and Baba heightened the joy of the celebration by being present at Hyderabad for a full week. He called upon the city-dwellers to serve the villages, to which they owed much, by helping the farmers and artisans to combat poverty, disease and exploitation.

Meanwhile, on 30th January 1979, Swami entered the west coast harbour town of Mangalore in Karnataka State, to proceed to Alike, the headquarters of the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Trust, which runs two huge educational complexes for children, mostly from rural regions. One complex is at Alike itself in the midst of the valley, nestling among the spurs of the Western Ghats. The other one is at Muddenahalli, on the foothills of the mountain range around the Nandi Peak, in the plains to the east. Alike is a dream come true, a vision vivified by faith and hope, as if Divine grace had shaped itself into its dormitories, playgrounds, libraries, classrooms and gardens - a hermitage where the heart of the late Madiyala Narayana Bhat throbs in the activity of the increasing band of devoted teachers, an academy with palm groves whispering 'Sai Ram' to every breath of wind.

Led into the Light

Baba's discourses dispelled the gloom that had descended upon the district when its patron, Narayana Bhat, was killed in a car accident. He restored joy in the hearts of the students (numbering over a thousand), the more than sixty teachers, several well-wishers of the project (who had co-operated with Narayana Bhat, its founder, and stood by him through thick and thin), the grateful parents and guardians of the thousands of boys and girls whose careers had been shaped by the Loka Seva institutions, the old students who were rendering service in various fields of activity, and the farmers, traders and workers from the village and plantations lying in the region. Baba likened Alike to a place of pilgrimage, when He noted that "you pay sincere attention to the development of the children under your care and transmute them into worthy children of India." Before returning to Brindavan, Baba visited Puttur and Chokkadi villages near Alike, Mangalore and Manipal, in the same coastal district. At Manipal, the centre of a popular educational complex built around well-equipped medical and engineering colleges, Baba found at 11 p.m. at night a gathering of at least fifteen thousand people waiting for Darsan. Such was their longing to have a glimpse of the Lord and listen to His voice.

The Summer Course in Indian Culture and Spirituality in 1979, laid emphasis on the Bhagavad Gita. For one full week attention was concentrated on this universal scripture which propounds and elaborates upon the three paths of Karma (action), Bhakti (devotion), Jnana (knowledge). Bhagavan's daily discourse provided simple and satisfying commentaries on the philosophical principles underlying the teachings of Lord Krishna to His diffident and deluded warrior-friend, Arjuna. Swami, like Krishna Himself, exhorted the student participants to do their best, without calculating the odds, and leave the rest to God. He declared, as Krishna had done on the battlefield, that victory is the reward for the brave and that bravery is drawn from the Atman, the Inner Spring. Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer of the Supreme Court of India, while inaugurating the month-long course in the presence of Bhagavan, said, "It is time that we wean our colleges from becoming houses of vice and violence, with students getting addicted to drugs and cultivating only materialistic desires. Baba's balm of Prema must penetrate Karma, kindle Jnana and sublimate into Dharma." He spoke on the inadequacy of science and its inability to restore peace, morality and brotherhood. He stressed that India must discover her soul and listen to the voice of the sages. Bhagavan pointed out that leaders of today had no will to promote moral and spiritual excellence in their people, while the people themselves had no urge to warn their leaders of the disasters that lay ahead when this foremost duty was neglected.

Swoosh!

Denise Eversole, who was among the two hundred foreign students at the course, speaks about its impact on her thus: "What is it like at the summer course? Let me throw out some adjectives to see if I can highlight its essence: packed, hot, uncomfortable, thrilling, awesome, pure essence, inspiring, stretching, blissful, catalytic, cathartic, revitalising, transforming, beautiful... Here we were at the feet of the same Soul which was the historic Krishna, Who first communicated the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna about five thousand years ago. As Sai Baba explained to all the students the true meaning of spiritual life and how to live it, I found every question I'd ever had, completely answered."

Karen F. Blanc summarises the message conveyed by Baba: "All life is a meditation. Formal prayer and what you think of as meditations, are means, not ends. They are good and are meant to help prepare the mind for concentration. But along with such spiritual exercises and practices, there must be examination of individual and collective attitudes. Instil and cultivate in yourselves love and respect for all religions. Return home and do God's work, wherever you are, with conviction, confidence and enthusiasm. If life ever becomes difficult, remember these evenings and think of Me, call on My name, and I give you this promise that I will always heed your call. You will never be alone again."

Karen went on to describe a thrilling miracle which happened on one of the evenings. The participants had many a chance to thrill at miracles that occurred whenever they were in Baba's presence. "But this was a big one, really first class," said Karen. "Maynard Ferguson, the world-famous jazz artist, gave a concert for us, about twelve hundred people, one night at the auditorium of the college. Baba was seated in the middle of the stage and Maynard Ferguson was standing next to Him on the right. He played Indian classical music set to jazz, with Baba tapping away at the beat gently with His hand. Then Ferguson played an incredible trumpet solo with all his heart. Baba stood up and made a large circle, clockwise with His right hand. Swoosh! Out of the air in front of everyone, Baba materialised a solid gold medallion, suspended from a chain, and placed it around Ferguson's neck. There was no movement in the auditorium. Not a flicker. It was as if time stood still. Overwhelmed, Ferguson wept like a child, just as we sat there with tears in our eyes and a sob in our throats.

"Why was it so beautiful? Maybe, because we all knew at that moment, without question, what we had once known as little children but had long since forgotten. There is a part in us all, at the very core of our being, that wants to believe in angels, that good triumphs over evil, that Jesus did really walk on water and that Moses had once parted the Red Sea... We want to believe all that and, regardless of what we say, we want to stand by the good guy... and we ourselves want to be good. That is why we wept and that is why it was so beautiful. The medallion was not a magician's trick. It was made for us all. It was so that we could all know, once and for all, that 'It is so, as it is written.'"

As soon as the summer course ended, Baba returned to Prasanthi Nilayam with a large number of students from various colleges who desired to spend a few more days in His presence at the 'International Temple of the Sai Avatar'. There a Sathya Sai college was inaugurated on 1st July, the first-year classes being held at the Easwaramma High School building itself.

The Buds Blossom

The Avataric mission of restoring humanity to man and raising him to Godhood are being translated into action by Bhagavan through educational reconditioning. He has blessed a world-wide project which supplements the state directed, institutionalised, secular education. It is called Bal Vikas, which means 'Blossoming of the Child'. Children in the developed countries (and, by contagion, in the developing nations also), are exposed to the ills of the machine age, the clash of isms, the conflict of races, obsession with war, the dominance of violence, an over indulgence in sensual pleasures and the open flouting of all morals. The Bal Vikas routes back the child to its age-old culture so that it may grow strong and straight. It instils a sense of reverence towards parents, elders and teachers, who are repositories of learning. It encourages self-knowledge, self-reverence and self-control, while enveloping the child in the warmth of Divine love. Children grow up under the watchful care of teachers whom Baba has blessed with the sacred title, guru. The teacher upon being conferred that title becomes bound to remove, as Lord Siva does, the weeds of evil from the tender mind, to sow, as Lord Brahma does, seeds of courage and compassion, and to foster, as Lord Vishnu does, good thoughts, good speech and good deeds, elevating the profession of a teacher into a task carried out by the Holy Trinity. Baba has developed schools called Vidya Vihars (education through joy), where children are fostered after being admitted as whole time inmates. When the children enter their teens, they are taught elementary texts on spiritual discipline, besides being introduced to the technique of Yoga, social service, choral service, meditation, etc. These classes are referred to as 'pre-Seva Dal'. High schools that have been set up by Baba in several places pay special attention to the development of character and to programmes of Sadhana and social service. Then there are the colleges where the most impressionable years of adolescence and youth are spent under the gracious guidance of Bhagavan Himself. "Students are My hope, the source of My delight. They are what I live by," says Baba.

His Kingdom

During the Dasara celebrations in 1979, students of different religions from the Sri Sathya Sai college in Puttaparthi, presented themselves in their ceremonial costumes and described, to the great delight of the vast gathering, the main principles of each religion. A Sikh from New Delhi, a Zoroastrian from Bombay, a Christian from Hawaii, a Muslim from Libya, a Buddhist from Sikkim and a Hindu from Kabul were the participating students. When Baba stood in the centre of the group as they finished, all were pleasantly surprised that Sai, the sum of all religions and the goal of all Sadhana, had condescended thus to teach them the unity of faith. The students of Sai colleges have mastered the art of co-ordinated labour. They have presented orchestras and plays on Sri Ramakrishna, Sankaracharya and Jesus, besides having set the Ramayana and the Sai stories to music. Bhagavan is, of course, the invisible and also, almost always, the visible source of all their achievements. While inaugurating the first anniversary of the association of old boys of the Sri Sathya Sai college at Brindavan, Baba directed them to utilise all their resources and talents in the service of the villages around Brindavan after a keen study of their urgent needs: "Students must spring like tiger cubs into the arena of the villages and cleanse them of pollution. They must teach and train the illiterate residents of the villages to live happily and with dignity. They must strive, along with the villagers, and lead them forward." Baba also said on that occasion, "I am encouraging these boys to be examples of the strength and equanimity that can be gained by constant practice of My message. I am ever prompting them to speak and recite, sing and enact this message, so that it is installed in their hearts. Whatever I do or get done, whatever I say or direct others to say, it is to emphasise, clarify or exemplify this message - the Atmic Reality of man."

Bhagavan's message and the master projects planned for its realisation, drew many educationalists, administrators, scientists, communication experts and psychologists to the colleges He has founded. Seminars on spiritual and moral guidance were held at the Brindavan college. Summer schools brought together college professors from all over the country besides overseas countries including Singapore, the Philippines, Fiji, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and USA. Bhagavan conversed with groups of vice-chancellors, headmasters, professors, scientists and technicians, unravelling to them the insidious causes of the universal malaise and revealing the curative measures urgently needed. As a result of the impact of these conversations, the Sathya Sai Study Circle was formed in Bangalore, to probe into the defects of the educational system, and for restructuring and reforming it on Sai guidelines. Swami assured the group, "I promise you that I will be with you and take an active part in guiding the activities of the Study Circle." Truly, the Avatar has no rest! But, as Bhagavan says, "Had I needed rest, I would not have incarnated."

During the Birthday festival week in 1979, two thousand Bal Vikas gurus met at a conference in Prasanthi Nilayam. Bhagavan blessed them and enlightened them on the problems that they have to encounter and promised to reveal to them the solutions whenever they prayed for light. The play 'Jesus' was presented by the students on 22nd November. The costumes, the sets and the actors appeared so authentic that the audience of twenty-five thousand responded with a continuous ovation lasting several minutes. Jesus Christ was very accurately portrayed as the Son of God, with mercy, power and love in His voice, gestures and reactions.

Siva on the Spot

Devotees who sought the home where Bhagavan incarnated as Sathyanarayana, the home of the Parents Pedda Venkappa Rajju and Easwaramma, were for years shown an empty patch of land at the end of a rubble track in Puttaparthi. They were very sad that no holy structure marked that spot, after the Prasanthi Mandir and the temples of Ganesa had come up on the outskirts of the village that was immortalised by the birth, childhood and boyhood of the greatest Avatar in human history. They pleaded with Bhagavan and prayed in unison. So a simple but charming temple was constructed there, in which Baba installed an idol of Siva on 22nd November 1979, fulfilling the long-cherished desire of millions.

The Avatar's decision to declare the cloistered village, Puttaparthi, still lacking even in several basic amenities, as the hub of the Sai Dharma Chakra (wheel of righteousness), raised around the Mandir rows of three-storeyed residential flats also housing banks, shops and a bus station. Besides these, it has added to itself a resplendent suburb with ornamental arches at both ends, containing rows of magnificent structures comprising the elementary and high schools and the College of Arts, Science and Commerce, besides a hostel for over a thousand students.

In June 1980 Bhagavan visited Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India, famed through the centuries for the artistic genius of its people, for its mountain ranges which are the source of several rivers and for the harmonious blending of cultures and races. He spent ten days amidst the people until it became difficult to decide who loved the other more - the people of the state or Bhagavan.

The march of love continues - fresh, full and free.