Life with Sri Sathya Sai - Prof. M. Nanjundaiah

Prof. Nanjundaiah with Sri Sathya Sai

Longer one stays with Divine Sai, greater is the feeling of inadequacy to speak or write about His multi-faceted personality. More one comes to know about His Glory, more one feels that one knows a fraction of His inexhaustible glory. The more one experiences His Divine Love and unique sweetness, more one finds difficult to articulate about it. 

In the year 1967, I visited Prasanthi Nilayam for the first time and had His Divine Darshan. In the next few months, my thirst was so much that I spoke about His love with whomsoever I met. Six years later, in the year 1973, I joined Bhagavan's College in Brindavan. After enjoying His Sweet Love for one year I was feeling inspired to write Lord Sai's Biography in Telugu on the lines of Sai Satcharitra. After spending a decade and a half and witnessing innumerable Divine Miracles, experiencing directly the sweet love in my own personal and members of my family life, I find it rather difficult either to speak about or write about Lord Sai. One wonders what aspect of the Lord could one speak or write. There is such a lot of literature of the choicest type written by extremely talented and experienced writers, which makes anyone nervous as to what more could be written. 

Prof. Nanjundaiah with Sri Sathya Sai at the Sri Sathya Sai College at Brindavan (1970s);
Principal Narendra is on right

Here an attempt has been made to express a few thoughts on 

(1) Great declarations communicated directly, 

(2) Lord Sai's Life which is His message and 

(3) Divine love flowing in various forms. 

Divine Declarations

Lord Sai declared publicly, in a number of functions, assemblies and meetings about His Divinity. There are some declarations which were made in close meetings with a small number of boys in the atmosphere of intimacy. This is what makes the declarations unique.

- "However you are, you are mine. Even if you forsake Me I will not give you up for it is not in Me to forsake those who deny Me. Wherever you are, you are near Me. You cannot go beyond My reach."

- "Do not ride on two horses, it is a dangerous exercise. You give your heart fully either to me or to the world. You cannot have both in the same place, at the same time. It is like light and darkness not co-existing at the same time and in the same place. - Make your heart a single sofa bed; Do not make it a musical chair. If you give me room in your heart, I will not allow any other evil to enter into it."

  

- "You give all your worries to Me and take joy from Me. It is like exchanging 1000 paise for a 10 rupee note. It would be easy to carry a 10 rupee note instead of 1000 paise." 

- "Where do you think I am; I am with you always; I know what mistakes you commit; but I do not want to frighten you; you would never commit any mistake if you feel My Divine Presence." 

- "You should always have thirst for God. Thirst day is Thursday. One need not wait for a Thursday to start Sadhana.”

- "I do not like you to behave in one particular way before Me and in another different way behind Me. This is dummy dance. This will harm you only. If you behave in that fashion, I also behave similarly reflecting their own thoughts. I am a pure mirror."

Prof. Nanjundaiah translating the Divine Discourse in the Poornachandra Auditorium

- "No one can describe my Glory. Even if the sky is used as paper and water in the ocean as ink and the twigs in the trees used as pens, it would not be possible for anyone to describe my inexhaustible Glory. - No one has understood Me fully; people who praise Me have not understood Me; people who criticize Me have also not understood Me; One can understand Me only when one has pure love towards Me."

- "I am Truth of Truth 'Sathyasya Sathyam'. Come to Me, eager to learn. to progress, to see yourself in Me and I shall certainly welcome you and show you the way. You will indeed be blessed.”

The impact of these declarations in the faith and psyche of listeners is indeed very great. 

His Life is His Message

Lord Sai is always busy in doing good to all. He is always in a state of Samadhi internally. Although He looks like an ordinary man, He dwells in the hearts of all. Inwardly He is unattached and totally indifferent, but outwardly He is busy with so many types of activities for the welfare of devotees, and the world. He is the very embodiment of peace and love. Whatever He does is always full of significance. It benefits all people concerned and invisibly many more people. We are very fortunate to see and experience this indescribable Shakti or Power of God, known as pure Existence, Knowledge and Bliss, incarnated in the form of Lord Sai in Parthi. What the Shruti describes as Brahman or Bliss is in the form of Lord SAI moving about from morning and throughout the day; we have enjoyed His Darshan and His nectarine words in an unlimited way. 

Sri Sathya Sai with Vice Chancellor Gokak and senior devotees at the SSSIHL Administrative Building;
Prof. Nanjundaiah is on the extreme right;
Behind Swami in brown jacket is Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar

Lord Sai is an example for hard work, perfection and purity. We always find a perfect unity of thought, word and deed in Him. His patience and love for the devotees is unparalleled. 

Lord Sai is Love and Love is Sai. His-form is Love; His being is filled with Love: Naturally every word, act and gesture is full of pure Divine Love. His Love is the most fascinating, extremely benefiting facet but most difficult to explain. It is very real and supremely sweet for experiencing. The evening Bhajan sessions are an occasion for the supreme soul of Krishna to be in communion with students, teachers and devotees. It makes audience enjoy their real self which is Bliss Divine. He exhumes in such sessions love and His gestures give a glimpse of the beauty of one's real personality. 

The informal sittings during the morning hours or in the evening hours, before the commencement of Bhajan, are extremely illuminating. Like Supreme Teacher, that He is, He removes the accumulated dirt of worldly Samskaras collected on the soul of the students. He does not spare pains in clarifying doubts, expressed or latent in student. He makes the session most enjoyable with His innocent humor and the impact of His teachings is direct. Such teachings are interspersed with a number of materializations which give a thrill of His Divinity. This helps in understanding the teachings in a proper perspective and thus reaping full benefit.

Sri Sathya Sai with Students in the Prasanthi Nilayam interview room;
Prof. Nanjundaiah standing next Swami

The students get a glimpse of a few aspects of His personality such as His pristine purity, His simplicity, His equal mindedness, His love and detachment, His love for proper use and avoiding any sort of waste. His spontaneous flow of love, compassion and sympathy, His total innocence, His supreme wisdom and power. 

Love Through His Multifarious Forms

Students, slowly and gradually, but surely, learn to love the different manifestations of His Love. One form of His Love is His loving attention and showering gifts of Grace on students in innumerable ways. Another form of His pure love is holding back His love, attention and showing apparent indifference to the same person who was given all attention earlier. This is a process of purification. It needs a ready response from the person for whom such love is meant. It is in these circumstances that one needs Sai's Grace to respond to His processing with pure love and complete faith. If one does not respond with love and instead one mistakes Divine Love for anger etc., one is not merely likely to miss the benefit of such love but also further distances oneself from the Divine Mother. Over a period of time, by His own Grace, students do learn different manifestations of love and also how to respond in an appropriate manner. 

When it comes to the Love and Grace which Lord Sai has so profoundly showered on me and members of the family, one finds words too inadequate to express one's gratitude. For all of us in the family, like for millions of other all over the world, He is Mother, Father, Guru, God and all the rest. Just as an eye lid protects and cares for the eye ball, just as a tortoise takes care of its young one, just as a bird takes care of its young ones, Lord Sai has taken care of all of us, every moment of our life. He alone knows and showers His Love, Grace and Guidance every moment of our lives. We can only pray for His grace to flow forever. 

Prof. Nanjundaiah with Sri Sathya Sai

About the Author

After serving M E S College of Arts, Commerce and Science for 13 years, in Bangalore he joined the erstwhile Sri Sathya Sai Arts. Commerce and Science College, Brindavan, in the year 1973. as Reader and Head of the Department of Commerce. He was later promoted as Professor of Commerce. After serving the College as Professor of Commerce till 1982, he joined Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning as Deputy Controller of Examinations. In 1986 he was promoted as the Controller of Examinations and served in that capacity until 2009.

Source: Sai Vandana 1990