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| Dr. Sai Giridhar with Sri Sathya Sai |
"For the protection of the virtuous and for the annihilation of the wicked and for the establishment of Dharma, I incarnate from Age to Age. Thus declared Lord Krishna in His song celestial. Upkeeping His promise, He has come down again in all His Glory, Majesty and compassion to shower His grace on the deserving inhabitants of Mother Earth."
Bhagavan Baba is called by many names and, plays many roles in His endeavour to uplift the humanity in large, who are caught in the morasses of worldly attachment, to the heights of spirituality. He is a Guru for some, a friend for others, a guide for one, a parent for another, a child for some and God for others. In any or all these roles, He is perfect of what is expected of the Role; Thousands have had the great good fortune of seeing Him, listening to Him, speaking to Him, touching Him. A touch, a word, a look or even a patient listening it may be, and the problems faced for years evaporate just like the snow melting due to the heat of the sun's rays.
He feeds the hungry, clothes the needy, brings solace to the grieving hearts, calms the agitated minds, consoles the agonizing ones, and turns the tales of woe to the joyous songs of love and hope. All in a fraction of a second.
We must consider ourselves to be extremely fortunate to be a contemporary of a Living and Loving God, who takes all pains to teach us and moulds us to be ready to face the challenges of life with, our hands in the society and head in the forest.
Countless are the people who are indebted to Him for HIS gift of health, or wealth, or prosperity, or a happy family, or for that matter a new lease of life itself.
Innumerable are the ways of the Divine to teach us, to impart knowledge and wisdom which are very significant but subtle. Once we were arranging the articles in one of the store rooms of Bhagavan. He casually pointed towards the tiger skins which were there, He said "l will give these skins to you all, take it to Himalayas and meditate there". We all kept mum. Sensing that we have not been able to grasp the meaning of what Bhagavan really wanted to convey, He explained "What is the use of going to Himalayas and meditating when the end result of penance or the fruit of your hard work is right in front of you now". Another incident comes to my mind. It was in Prasanthi Mandir, when a man was being wheeled in for an interview, He had two people helping him to move the chair in. It was at this time that Bhagavan went up to him, created Vibhuti, smearing it on his forehead, and after gently tapping both the knees, commanded the man to walk. And lo & behold, the man took his first step towards independence and this happened to be his first step planted on the floor after a gap of 20 years. Then turning round to the boys, Bhagavan said "This man has got a lot of money and luxuries at his disposal but of what use are they when they couldn't give him comfort or peace of mind”.
All these efforts taken by Him to guide and direct us is due to the immense love that He has for us. As said by Bhagavan, "I miss no opportunity to advise you and guide you, to protect you and listen to you and to make you laugh and sometimes even make you cry. To make you happy in every way I do this". Our process of learning starts in the Mandir and continues in the Institute and Hostel. There is a close integration in the learning process between the Mandir, the Institute and the Hostel for our all-round development.
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| Sai Giridhar (as a student) adjusting the chair for Swami during a Hostel Visit |
"Awareness is life" is what Bhagavan stresses most. There is no area in which He leaves HIS students untrained. He says that the basics of everything important to life should be known. When talking to the boys, both formally and informally, He covers a wide spectrum of topics ranging from the basics of health & hygiene, about management to the ultimate goal in life i.e. Self-Realisation.
The profound insight and meaning which Bhagavan renders to words that are normally used are unimaginable and unthinkable but at the same time, they are so accurate, significant and subtle. For e.g., we will take two words 'HINDU' and 'MANAGER'. According to Bhagavan 'HINDU' stands for:
H - Humanity
I - Individuality
N - Nationality
D - Divinity
U - Unity
This is the very essence of Sanathana Dharma. And coming to the term 'MANAGER', it stands for:
M - Mind of Man
A - Awareness of Atma
N - Nature of Nations
A - Aspects of Environment
G - Guidelines of Goodness
E - Enquiry of Ethos
R - Role of Rules
This is the perfect job description of a Manager, with a caution on what needs to be concentrated on, which has been spelt out. So far no one has thought or looked at this term from this point of view.
To describe or explain Bhagavan is a task next to impossible. I am reminded of what the Lord has said in this connection. I quote "Your worldly intelligence cannot fathom the ways of God. He cannot be recognized by mere cleverness of intelligence. You may benefit from God, but you cannot explain Him. In truth, you cannot understand the nature of my Reality either today or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent enquiry, even if all mankind joins in the effort. But in a short time, you will become cognizant of the Bliss showered by the Divine principle which has taken upon itself this sacred body and this sacred name".
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| Sri Sathya Sai entering His room on the first floor (top right) of the Prasanthi Nilayam Mandir |
One aspect we can dare to venture into is to describe the Love and concern he has for us and He proves and strengthens it through experiences for our betterment. I am touched by the way Bhagavan proved His Omnipresence and Omniscience to my father during their first visit to Parthi. It was in 1960 when my father, along with my uncle and aunt came to Parthi. On reaching Parthi, they were informed that Bhagavan had retired and they could wait till 7 p.m. if they want to have His Darshan, when He comes out for Bhajans. My uncle started telling my father that since there is no place to stay during the night since the place was new to them, it would not be advisable to wait till 7 p.m. Just then Bhagavan out of His Infinite Mercy, sent Prof. Kasturi down saying "Five persons have come from Mangalore and their car is parked in front of the peepal tree, you go and ask them to stay in the room next to yours for the night". This was in response to the prayers which in turn destroyed the feeling of security present in them.
We, His students, have a lot to imbibe from our Divine Master. We can at no point say that we have completed our educational programme for all times to come. He keeps adding newer dimensions to the existing facts. I would like to end by saying that we should all make our lives worthwhile by practising all that we have learnt the Lotus Feet of our Divine Master. Bhagavan says:
"God as love is dwelling in your hearts and, therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven is within you. When you know that God, who is love, is dwelling within you, then you realise this Truth in the freshness and beauty of the immortal spirit. Let thy life sing with the music of Love".
- Dr B. Sai Giridhar
Student and Research Scholar (1982-1993), Department of Commerce
Currently, Head, Faculty of Management and Commerce
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
Prasanthi Nilayam
Source: Sai Vandana 1990
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