Sri Sathya Sai narrates stories of Ashtavakra, Chanakya, Einstein and Tulsidas

November 4, 2000

While conversing with staff and students, Swami gave a talk to the assembled devotees. It resembled the experience that students have in Trayee Brindavan. Here are the key highlights:

One day, Ashtavakra’s father was reciting Mantras (sacred syllables). He was chanting them with wrong intonations. At that time, his wife was lighting a lamp. Within her womb, Ashtavakra criticised his father, telling that his intonations were wrong. Hearing this, his father was annoyed and said, “If he is criticising from within the womb itself, tomorrow, when he grows up, he will criticise me further.” Therefore, he cursed him to be born with bends in his body. Not one, but eight bends. Hence he got the name Ashtavakra. 

An artist's image of Sage Ashtavakra

Once, Ashtavakra went to the king’s court. Noticing the bends in his body, everyone laughed at him. Ashtavakra scolded them saying that they were all cobblers and not scholars. Ashatavakra explained that scholars should have Sama Darshanam (equal vision) and not Charma Darshanam (focus on the physical vision; Charma literally means leather, thereby indicating the physical body). They must not have Vakra Darshanam (crooked vision). A scholar sees a person’s intellect while a cobbler sees the skin. 

Why did Chanakya break one of his teeth?

Once, Chanakya’s mother was crying. When Chanakya asked her the reason, she replied, “Since you have a handsome body, you may become egoistic. In addition, you also have well-arranged teeth, which means that very soon in your life, you will reach an exalted position and then you may not respect elders or even your own mother.” Hearing this Chanakya said that he never wanted to become such an egoistic person. He even took a stone and broke two of his teeth in the front. Even the limbs of the body indicate the personality of a man as described in the Angashastra (science of the limbs). His mother had studied it.

Chanakya (BC 371-283)

It is not enough if one studies well. He should have obedience, discipline and humility. Ego is expressed in many ways, it manifests in one’s sight, speech and even laughter. Each limb of the body shows traces of ego. Every limb of the body should act according to Dharmashastra (the righteous scriptural injunctions). Sometimes we talk in excess.

Too much talk will lead to criticising others. Criticising others will cause disorderliness of lips. At the time of birth, one’s nose may be good, but later it may get bent. Hence, even if one is born with a perfect body, his egoistic actions will lead to physical deformities.

What was the secret behind the greatness of Albert Einstein?

Einstein (1879-1955 AD; a German-born theoretical physicist, he developed the General Theory of Relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics, and received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics) was never egoistic. He respected all equally. Once someone asked him, “What is the secret of your greatness?” To this he replied, “I will show you the secret”. He then took him to his room. He lived in a very small room. There he pointed to a cupboard. In that, there was a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. Showing that he said, “This has brought me success and reputation”. He had full faith in the Gita. 

How did Einstein react when his wife poured a pot of water on him?

His unique quality was his forgiveness. He was married to a woman who happened to be his uncle’s daughter. She used to keep waiting for him at the dining table. But he would keep on writing. One day she got very angry. She would tell him, “You keep fasting and don’t listen to me. You and your useless studies”. But Einstein wouldn’t react impulsively. Though his wife would feel very hungry at times, she never ate her meals before her husband had eaten. It was the culture of those days. One day, however, in her frustration, she poured a pot full of water on his head. Still he was very calm. He said, “My dear wife. Be peaceful. Till now, you were ‘thundering’. Now it is a ‘heavy downpour’!! I am not feeling bad that you poured water on me, but the letters have got spoilt. All the matter which I had written has been erased.” In those days, people would dip their pens in ink pots and then write. When Einstein told his wife that everything was erased, she replied, “This means that the ‘intelligence’ was not within you. You got it from outside, and hence you are feeling sorry. If it were inside you, you wouldn’t have felt sorry.” From that day, Einstein reasoned that everything outside was just reaction, reflection and resound; not reality. He accepted his wife as his Guru and began to explore within. 

What did Tulsidas learn from his wife?

Tulsidas was also the same. (Tulsidas was a poet-saint, reformer and philosopher renowned for his devotion to Rama. A composer of several popular works, he is best known as the author of the epic ‘Ramcharitmanas’, a retelling of the Sanskrit Ramayana in the vernacular Awadhi language. He left his mortal coil in the year 1623 AD.) He composed the Tulsi Ramayan. 

Goswami Tulsidas

Once, when he was in Chitrakoota, many people went to have his Darshan. One day his wife also went there. But she didn’t have the feeling that he was her husband. Previously, his name was Ramabrahmam. He used to water the Tulsi plants, and hence he was called Tulsidas. Just like everyone, his wife also prostrated before him. Seeing her he asked, “Why did you come here?” She replied, “I heard people say that you are a Jnani (one of wisdom). But now, you are behaving like a Moorkha (fool). You still entertain thoughts of me being your wife. How can you be great then?” This opened his eyes and he immediately fell at her feet. He told that from that day onwards, his wife was his Guru. 

Some may look innocent. But then, one must not infer anything merely from looks. Einstein might not have forgotten what he had written, if it were original. But he had borrowed the knowledge. His wife showed him the reality. Everyone reads. But it is not from within. If it is from within, it will not get erased. If one forgets something, it is because of the fact that it is not original. People may seem to be ignorant, yet they have wisdom. Educated people have only borrowed knowledge. They are full of doubts. They even doubt their mothers and think, “Am I really her son?” When they doubt their own mother, they will surely doubt their wives even more. True education is knowledge that is within, not the outside scholarship. The latter is simply an educator and not educated. Hence, Educare is essential. People pronounce ‘edju-cated’. It is actually ‘edu-cated’.

Source: Students with Sai: Conversations (2000-2001)

Conversations with Sri Sathya Sai on Mahabharata, Karna and Eklavya

October 18, 2002 (Friday)

Morning

Swami was inquiring about the Mumbai trip of the research scholars.

Swami : When are you all leaving?

Scholar : Swami, we are leaving on 21st.

Swami : When are you coming back?

Scholar : We will start back on the 8th of the next month and be here on the 9th. If our work gets over fast, we will come back earlier.

Swami : How is Mahabharata? (Swami often addresses Niranjan, one of the research scholars in this manner as his doctoral research is based on the Mahabharata.)

Niranjan : Swami, it is going on well.

Swami : Who is Manu?

Niranjan : He is the one who wrote Dharma Shastra.

Swami : Yes, he gave the Dharma Shastra to the world – the code of conduct.

Teacher : Swami, does Manu change from Yuga to Yuga (age to age)?

Swami : The Swayambhu Manu gave the laws. He is the original one. After that, some of his descendants had the name Manu, so there are number of them from time to time. Who is Raghu?

Student : He was the emperor and founder of Raghu Vamsha, the lineage of Sri Rama.

Swami : (Noting a quizzical look on a student’s face) What is the matter?

Student : Swami, why did Karna come down to pull out his chariot wheel, which was stuck in the mud? Was it not the duty of Shalya, who was Karna’s charioteer?

Swami : No doubt, Shalya was the charioteer; but if it is not possible by the charioteer, the owner himself has to do. If the car tyre is punctured in the middle of the journey and if the driver does not know how to replace it, the owner himself has to come down to change it. Similar was Karna’s predicament.

Student : Even though Karna was very good, why was he bound to the Kauravas side?

Swami : Because of the bad company, he ate the food of the wicked Kauravas. He moved along with them. He learnt archery and was as good as Arjuna. They all went to Draupadi’s Swayamvaram (the Indian ceremony where the bride selects the groom she wishes to marry). Duryodhana and other great kings failed in the test. When Karna got up, the ministers objected to his participating as he was the son of a low caste person. So, he was not eligible for the contest. Immediately, Duryodhana, who knew Karna’s greatness, made him the king of Anga Rajyam. For this act of kindness, Karna was eternally grateful, continued to serve the Kaurava family and got associated with bad company. Purity of thoughts is very important.

Student : Can purity be achieved by Tapas (penance) or merit of previous births?

Swami : It is through leading a simple life that we achieve purity of mind. The thoughts should be pure.

Student : Swami, what about Ekalavya?

Swami : Ekalavya was the disciple of Dronacharya. Once, when Dronacharya and Arjuna were in the forest, they saw one dog barking incessantly. From a far off place, a series of arrows came and hit the mouth of the dog at the same place where Arjuna hit. Dronacharya and Arjuna were surprised by the precision with which the arrows came. When they searched, they found that Ekalavya was practicing in one part of the forest. Arjuna enquired about his Guru who taught him archery. Ekalavya told that his Guru was Dronacharya and showed the idol of Drona under a tree. Even Drona was surprised at the devotion and sincerity of Ekalavya. Arjuna asked Drona how he could teach Ekalavya the technique of archery, which he himself has not learnt. Dronacharya wanted to satisfy Arjuna and asked Ekalavya for Guru Dakshina (an ancient Indian tradition of offering a gift to the Guru on completion of education). 

Ekalavya was ready to give whatever was asked for. Drona then asked for the thumb finger of the right hand. Ekalavya cut off his right thumb without any hesitation and offered it to Drona. Without the right thumb, it is impossible to practice archery. Later Swami went to the interview room.

Evening

In the morning session Swami had asked the Warden, that from that day evening for the entire vacation, He wanted two students to give a talk. The Warden had submitted that students may not be ready at a short notice. To this Swami said that a particular student from Mumbai was ready with a talk. The Registrar – Prof. Lakshminarasimham identified the student based on the description given by Swami as Shashank Shah from Bombay. The Warden suggested the name of the other student. Two names for the evening session were finalised – Madhusudan and Shashank Shah.

Swami : (The student speakers arrived and sat in the first row. Swami returned from the interview room. To Shashank Shah) Are you from Bombay?

Shashank Shah with Sri Sathya Sai

Student : Yes, Swami. 

Then both the students gave a talk for about 15 minutes each. Swami expressed His satisfaction and returned to the interview room.

Source: Students with Sai: Conversations (2001-2004)

Sri Sathya Sai On: How should we celebrate Deepavali?

The Upanishads say that the human is a spark of Divine Love, encased in five sheaths: the Anna (Gross, material, food component), the Praana (vital air, breath), the Mana (the mental, emotional, volitional), the Vijnana (rational, discriminatory intellectual) and the Ananda (blissful, equanimous, balance). It is the fragrance of that Love that emanates from him as love towards things, beings and ideas. That Love is ever urging and surging for expression, enlargement and enclasping. But the tangles of fear, greed, egoism and aggrandizement do not allow the spark to grow and illumine the sheaths as well as the world around.

This day is the Festival of Light; that is to say, of Love. Knowledge too is praised as light, but it is often a clouding fog, a weapon of offence, a burden on the head, a drag on the hand of charity, a shackle on the feet. It ripens into a liberator only when it is earned through love and put into practice through love. Love alone gives Light. 

Love unfolds first on the lap of the mother. The eyes of Love fasten themselves on the caressing face of the mother. It then spreads towards the father, brothers and sisters, kith and kin, friend and playmate, region and language, world and its Maker. The I that lives within the body is like a lion in a cave. It is the monarch of the forest; but it limits itself to the few square feet of rocky floor. Let it come out, renouncing the petty possession. So long as you crib yourselves into the body-consciousness (I am the body), you are the lion moping in the musty cave! Do not feel, Dehosmi (I am the body). Roar, Brahmasmi (I am Brahman, I am all this and more, I am all this is, was, and will be) and littleness, time, space, ego, all will flee from your heart! You will be Love, Love, Love and nought else. That is to say, you will be Divine, one with the One.

Light has no boundaries, prejudices or favourites

Expansion is Love. Expansion is the essence of Love. Love is God. Live in Love. That is the Deepavali Message I give you. When a lamp is lit from another, there are two where there was but one. The first one did not stop emitting light. You can light a million lamps from one; but, yet, the first will not suffer a jot! Love too is like this. Share it with a million, it will still be as bright as when it was alone. There is another lesson too which the illuminations on Deepavali Day tend to teach. Each house in the street, lights a few lamps and keeps them on the door sill, the parapet wall, the gate, the porch, the well, and, what is the effect? The town is filled with light, the residents are happy, the children dance in flee and the sky shines in the glow of earthly joy. Light spreads; it mingles with the light from other sources of light, it has no boundaries, no prejudices, no favourities. You may not like your neighbour. But the light from the lamp on your verandah shines hand in hand with the light from the lamp on his verandah! You cannot keep it back!

Hold fast to God through any of three paths

Deepavali is intended to teach you this lesson of light and love; move out, clasp, spread, expand, give up limits of mine and thine, his and theirs, caste and creed, in one limitless flow of Love. That is the culmination of all Sadhana. Competition, the desire to defeat and overwhelm the other person, whatever the means necessary for his downfall, the greed to earn wealth, fame, superiority, these have put out the lamp of Love in the human heart today. Resolve on this Festival Day to light it again. When the worship of God starts in the shrine room, the first act of yours is 'lighting a lamp', isn't it? Without a lit lamp, no auspicious ceremony is initiated. When the lamp of love is shining, God manifests! Keep it burning bright and pure, God persists! Allow all to light their lamps from it, God showers Grace!

God, first; the world, next; myself last! That is the legitimate sequence for the Sadhaka; and, who is not a Sadhaka? You have to be one, now or later, so that you can be liberated from this cycle of birth-death! Now, man, in his callousness towards his own welfare, has turned it topsy-turvy! It is 'myself first, the world next and God is last.' So, God is lost, too! Hold fast to God; then, you will be safe.

You can hold fast to him, either through Jnana, Bhakti or Karma Marga (paths of knowledge, worship or work). You may travel first or second or third class in the train; the destination is the same, for all Jnana proceeds on the assumption that God is immanent and transcendent. Bhakti believes that God is Creator, Preserver and Destroyer, that He is to be adored, and propitiated by deeds that He appreciates, that God is Master and you are privileged to serve. Karma takes into account a third category - Nature! It is not simply God and man. Man has to manipulate Nature, live in Nature, live by Nature - always dedicating his activity to the further Glory of God, resigning himself to the worshipful activity, unconcerned with the fruits of his activity, for they are in the hands of God. Do your duty; leave the rest to God. A disc with the seven colours of the rainbow, when rotated quickly gives not the band of vibgyor, but, a band of white! So too, the three colours, Jnana, Bhakti, and Karma are different only when the white light of God is passed through the prism of human reason and mind. Activate them in deed, they are but parts of one ray.

Love is the breath of the Sadhaka

Believe that All are God, through Jnana; even then, compassion compels you to love and serve. Believe that God is Master or Father and that you are His children or servants, through Bhakti. Even then, His command is to wipe the tears, nourish the sick and help the lame to climb over the stile, through pity and sympathy. Believe, through faith in Karma, that God has to be adored through dedication; even then, Love says the highest form of adoration is by means of Seva (service), done in Love.

Love, therefore, is the breath of the Sadhaka and I call upon you to celebrate the Deepavali, not by feasting and exploding crackers to disturb the peace of the neighbourhood, but by silent lighting of lamps and silent service through Love.

Source: Divine Discourse on Deepavali at Prasanthi Nilayam, October 29, 1970

Science, Technology and Spirituality - By Dr. Jagdish Narain

As a humble devotee of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, I cannot forget that one incident, which completely changed my life and my family's. It was March 1986, when I came to Puttaparthi with a Committee of Vice- Chancellors to review the development of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, which was being considered for the membership of the Association of Indian Universities. We had earlier visited several Universities on similar missions, but this was different — the serene and disciplined atmosphere of Prasanthi Nilayam Campus, the warm and friendly hospitality and above all, the total involvement of the Chancellor Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba, in the affairs of the Institute, which had already been elevated to the status of a Deemed University by the Government of India. 

Sri Sathya Sai delivering the Valedictory Address during the National Vice Chancellors Symposium - 1987; Dr. Jagdish Narain on the extreme left 

During the long interview with the Committee members, Bhagavan discussed about the status of present day education. Education should prepare one for life and not merely for a living. Aim of Education is to build character, not just get jobs.... True education brings about humility and a transformation of heart." 

At the Fourth Annual Convocation of the Institute on November 22, 1985, in the Chancellor's Benedictory Address, Bhagavan brought out the relationship of Science and Spirituality beautifully: 

"In these days of great advances in modern science, there are undoubtedly some great men who have understood the basic synthesis between modern science on the one hand and spirituality and ancient wisdom on the other— Newton, Einstein, Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Dirac.... Their conclusions are nothing but an echo of what the ancient sage, Vyasa, had said "to help others is meritorious, to hurt others is sinful." 

Sri Sathya Sai presides over the Fourth Annual Convocation - November 22, 1985

Today many scientists recognize that the birth of the Universe, its existence and expansion, from conditions of apparent disorder and chaos, point towards a powerful principle of organization and orderliness, bringing about integration and harmony, which can be explained only by the plan and design of an intelligent Power, which is not fully understood by man. 

In fact, the whole Universe is understood little by the present day scientists, as the sheer magnitude of distances, sizes and material properties which defy human imagination. The Black Hole with high density matter, temperatures of millions of degree Celsius, stars billions of light years away. The human brain with its limited knowledge dimensions cannot comprehend such astronomical numbers! However, man's limited knowledge of Astronomy and Particle Physics does find a striking similarity between the orbiting electrons of an atom and the movement of the heavenly bodies in space. On the other hand, Modern Physics seems to get farther and farther from the ultimate Truth, as new theories and hypotheses are formulated by the scientists of today. 

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Most of the scientists, when referring to the mysteries of the Universe, tend to avoid any reference to God. The great scientist-scholar Einstein had no such inhibitions. He said: 

"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior Spirit, who reveals Himself if we are able to perceive the minute details with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning Power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible Universe, forms my idea of God." 

Aristotle (BC 384-322)

In the early Indian and Greek philosophy of life during the ancient times, Science, the knowledge of matter, and Spirituality, the knowledge of 'Being' went hand-in-hand. The great scientist-philosopher Aristotle believed that investigations pertaining to the material world are not so important for human welfare as compared to knowledge and understanding of the soul and the Supreme Being. For almost 1,500 years, till about the medieval times, the growth of science in the west was dominated by the religious dogma of the Church. With the Industrial Revolution and softening of the hold of the Church in Europe, somewhat mechanistic scientific investigations were carried out by Newton, Darwin and others, and science seemed to be drifting away from Spirituality in the direction of materialism. 

The resulting influence in India was felt right away. There had been a healthy synthesis of Materialism and Spiritualism in India as long as Vedic culture flourished. In the 18th Century, British domination brought the philosophy of Materialism to India, pushing Spiritualism in the background. In spite of the fact that India became free over 40 years ago, the tide of materialism continued to sweep all over the country; till today, Indian Science and Technology has not been able to provide peace and happiness to its people, either materially or spiritually. 

Let us look to the scenario in the developed countries of Europe, in USA and in Japan. The overwhelming progress of Science and Technology, the conquest of space and time, new inventions and electronic devices and now the computer revolution have made man's life materially rich and physically comfortable and happy. For the common man, Science and Technology appear as supernatural powers, capable of giving all that he needs and desires in life. Through scientific achievements, scientist today feels that he is on the 'top', he has conquered" Nature, and has the capability to be in control of Nature. With this growing matter - oriented philosophy, materialistic attainments have become the aim of life, whatever methods need to be adopted. Man, in his materialistic race for physical comforts, has become insensitive to the finer instincts and impulses, the precious "human" values, inherent in his nature, and it seems that he has no need for God and Spirituality in this age of Science and Technology.

Then we have the brighter side of things too. Some scientists are not out to 'conquer' Nature, but have the wisdom and humility of deeper understanding — that science, by itself, cannot stand alone and bestow happiness and peace of mind to the humanity. Such scientists and thinkers, though few in number are coming forward to show the mutual inter-relationship of Science and Technology on one hand and Spirituality on the other. Their efforts have opened up for Science a new window, through which it would get a complete and integrated world view of Matter, Man and his Being. This relationship, hopefully, will grow and help Science to operate on a fundamentally higher plane than hitherto. This new alliance of Science and Spirituality would eventually give to mankind the understanding of the Ultimate Truth, which will elevate Man in his own self-esteem, add dignity to manhood, sublimate his living and guide him to conform his living to the peace, order and harmony in Nature - Thus Science will give man material comforts and enrich his life, while Spirituality will expand his mental horizons and ennoble his life. 

The trend of fundamental research in Modern Science shows that many of the Vedantic theories are becoming scientifically tenable and acceptable to the research scientists. According to the great scientist Einstein, the day is not far off when Physics and Metaphysics will walk hand-in-hand. Then the total knowledge system will include both physical and spiritual sciences.

According to Vedanta, Life, Spirituality and Science go together, and the dimensions of Vedic knowledge are unimaginably vast, embracing all the branches of Science, Technology, Medicine, etc. known to Man today. Research workers have proven the fact that several new concept Science has now developed, were known to the ancient sages of India. The ancient texts contain scientific information on atomic properties of substances (Sattva, Rajas & Tamas) and even on subjects like Genetics (including RNA & DNA)! 

The fact that knowledge in the Vedas was acquired by the ancient thinkers through intuitive perception and inner revelations creates some doubts and misgivings to the scientist of today. Can spirituality claim to be scientific knowledge? It is well known that Science adopts laborious methods of observation, collection of data, experimentation, analysis, etc. On the other hand, in Spirituality, knowledge and wisdom flow from intuition, a powerful faculty latent in man — Knowledge flows unabated from the inner consciousness, when intuition gets activated and the inner eye is opened. 

Spirituality describes intuition as the inner intelligence and faith, which grasps Reality completely and spontaneously, and is not necessarily based on any scientific reasoning or deduction. 

Surprisingly, some of the great discoveries did not emanate from scientific observation alone. Those men of genius had also qualities such as creative imagination and intuition. The "intuitive" flashes received by the Scientists in their quest for Truth led to famous discoveries like Newton's Law of Gravitation and Darwin's Theory of Evolution. It is a well-known fact that all great men are endowed with a strong intuition or "inner voice". 

At the same time, it should be understood that the process of experimentation does not belong to Science alone. For Spirituality also uses experimentation with measurable results - Its experiments are called 'Sadhana', which are Yogic exercises and disciplines carried on in one's own body, not as a biological unit, but as a living laboratory of Atmic Consciousness. In other words, experiment and experience go hand-in-hand in spiritual advancement.

From study to experimentation, spirituality has a scientific approach just like Science, with very positive results in developing in man the perception and realization of the Ultimate Truth, the God Almighty.

In Spirituality, the Cosmos means more than the physical Universe and space around us. It is a total manifestation of the Ultimate Consciousness operating through many forms of energy and matter, their cause and effect relationship and their inter-changeability. 

When a ray of light is passed through a prism, we get a spectrum of "rainbow" colors. It is well known that there is a wide band if invisible spectrum in the 'Ultra-Violet' and 'infra-red' regions, to which correspond electromagnetic vibrations of different wave lengths and properties. There is reason to believe that spiritual vibrations alone belong to the family of similar vibrations, though little understood by the present day scientists. The ancient sage, Vyasa, recognized the fact that the World is made of Spandana or vibrations. In those days it was customary for the parents to encourage their pregnant daughters to read spiritual stories about saints and brave persons and entertain noble thoughts, so that the child in the womb may be influenced by the vibrations of such sublime thoughts in the mother. 

The spiritual scientists of today are beginning to see the whole Universe as a manifestation of 'Brahman', brought about by the dual principle - Shiva, the static power potential and Shakti, the active energy of change. Shiva is related to the limitless space and Shakti to infinite time dimension. Shiva-Shakti together make a unified source of Cosmic Energy, unlimited in space and time, symbolized as Nataraja performing the Cosmic Dance of Creation and Destruction, going on ceaselessly in the Universe. 

An artist's imagination of the Shiva Shakti Principle

Let us now try to understand the basic link between the fundamental Shiva-Shakti principle of spirituality and the present state of knowledge of Particle Physics. Shiva is the changeless stable potential or Reservoir of Energy, and Shakti is the kinetic creative power of movement and change, as observed in the ceaseless movement and vibrations of particles within an atom. Every Anu (atom) and Paramanu (particle) pulsate with the unitary energy principle (wave), resulting in the ultimate phenomenon of creation, sustenance and destruction at all levels, from the particles of matter to the heavenly bodies; thus keeping the World and the Universe going in harmony. 

An interesting feature of this ceaseless flow of energy inside the atom, the dynamic interplay of the elementary particles, vibrating and interacting with each other under a force system, reveal a systematic order, rhythm and harmony. The chemically stable materials, which build up the matter in this Universe, oscillate in rhythmic movement in their atomic structure, and become unstable if the dynamic balance is disturbed by external effects ... Be it an atom or a heavenly body in space, the whole Universe appears to be engaged in a continual Cosmic Dance of Energy and the physical and spiritual are beginning to understand this Truth. 

Physicists have, in this century, discovered the fundamental relationship between matter and energy. The magical equation e = mc2 forms the basis of nuclear energy, which is already put to use by Technology for useful as well as destructive purposes. The day is not far when-scientists would be able to generate fusion energy, the source of Sun's unlimited energy, and solve all the energy problems of the World. All these scientific discoveries reinforce and confirm the universal law of inter-convertibility of matter and energy. Just like sound or light, converted into electromagnetic waves, can travel large distances, and get reconverted into sound or light (viz. T.V. pictures from Outer Space), matter could also be transported large distances by conversion to energy. We have seen the beaming of men and materials in Science Fiction movies and TV serials like 'Star Trek'. May be these are the scientific and spiritual processes taking place when Bhagavan Baba, with His Divine gestures, materializes things for the devotees. As Science, Technology and Spirituality converge towards Divinity, new insights and advances come from Bhagavan Baba who is showing us the path of universal Love and the merging of all knowledge into the Ultimate Truth.

Swami says: 

"All men are Divine like Myself; the only difference is that they are yet unaware of their Divinity. They have come into this karmic prison through the Karmas of many lives. I have taken to this mortal form out of My own free will. They are bound to the body, while I am free of this bondage." 

Man struggles his way through this world, from one life to the next in his pursuit to reach God who resides within him. We may have climbed the first step, and there are a hundred steps in front of us, with the loving hand of Bhagavan Baba guiding us in our incessant struggle. We should see our life's mission as trying to express His boundless Love the utmost, bring His reality, our true reality into our work, and share it with our friends, colleagues and all others. Bhagavan! Help us shed desire, greed and ego forever; and drown us in Your Boundless Love.

We are celebrating half a century of Avatarhood since Bhagavan Baba declared on 20th October 1940 the purpose of His Life in coming to this World. This will always be a historic day for Mankind, which has drifted far from the human values that bring happiness and ultimate salvation. Bhagavan's life has been a Message of Love, and thousands of us have been blessed by Him. But we should not sit back in our contentment and bliss. There is work to be done, tremendous efforts of all kinds are needed to help our suffering brethren all over the world who are entangled in the present day materialistic problems of life. Let us pledge today, on this auspicious occasion, that we shall devote our life henceforth, in whatever way we can, to serve people around us and spread the Message of Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa that our Bhagavan Baba has given us. 

About the author:

Dr. Jagdish Narain has been a distinguished educationist and Engineer Scientist, who was formerly Vice Chancellor of Roorkee University; Secretary, Association of Indian Universities; Consultant to USAID, UNDP, World Bank and SAPCOS, and member of the Governing Body of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. He merged at the Lotus Feet in January 2012.

Source: Sai Vandana 1990 (65th Birthday Offering)

The Story of how Ratnakara became Maharishi Valmiki

Ratnakara forgot the human and Divine qualities in him took recourse to demonic qualities to foster his family and became a wanderer. There should be a close association with Godly persons for Divinity to emerge in humans. There is current in the wire. Without the bulb you cannot see the manifestation of power. Current is there but its result is not known to us. When we fix the bulb only then can we see the current. Even in Ratnakara there was Divinity. After some time he came in the company of some great sages. When we are in good company, good qualities in others will become ours. That is why good teachings are very much essential. Then good qualities are very much fostered even in us. Good company is necessary. Tell me your company and I shall tell you what you are. Depending on the type of company we keep, we develop qualities. Among the seven sages, Sage Gautama spoke to Ratnakara. He said, “Son! You have taken the human form. What is the reason that you have taken recourse to demonic qualities?” Ratnakara replied, “Master my family is very big. Other than this, I didn’t know any other path.” There were no factories and industries in those times. People had to do hard work in order to earn their living. They had to plough the land and make a living. Mother cow and motherland were the reason for their living. The sage then said, “Mad man! Do you think for the sake of family you earn this money? Your family may take the wealth you earn, but the sin that has accrued to you will not be taken by them. They may take a share in your wealth but they cannot share your sins. Your wife and children are not going to share your sins.” Ratnakara was annoyed hearing this. He asked, “As they share my wealth they should also share my sins, is it not?” But Sage Gautama replied in the negative. Two people may sleep on the same cot. Cot is same, but dreams are different. Sleeping on same cot they should get the same dream, but it does not happen that way. That is ignorance. Gautama said, “Whatever you do, you will have to experience, not your wife and children.” Then Ratnakara asked the sage, “Will they really not share my sins?” Gautama said, “Go back and ask your wife and children whether they will share your sins.” Ratnakara went back home and asked his wife, “You and our children are going to share my wealth. For whose sake am I earning this wealth? For your sake only. In the same way you have to share my sins also.” The wife said, “Because you have married me, you have to take care of me. In whatever way you get your wealth is your duty. And our duty is to eat what you get. But sin or virtue is yours only. I didn’t ask you to kill people. I didn’t ask you to harm them. You are doing something which we have not asked you to do. Hence you have to experience the results yourself.” Generally wives will have better intelligence. Women have seven virtues but men have only three. They have better foresight. You might have read this even in the Bhagavad Gita. Generally women have more of discrimination, more of wisdom, more sense of enquiry. She explained to Ratanakara clearly, “Oh ignorant one! You do not understand what I have understood. Your virtues will not come to me and your sins also do not come to me. But I have a share in whatever wealth and property you acquire.” As he heard this, there was transformation in his mind. Why? It was because of the company of saints and the consequent enquiry. He came back and prostrated before the seven sages and said, “Ignorantly I have committed many sins, pardon me. For sustaining my family I did all these. I have killed many people and earned this money. My family will not share my sins. I repent for all these sins. I am happy that they will be happy without sharing my sins.” Gradually the wisdom within him emerged. By the Darshan and listening to the advice of great people, anyone can get transformed. That was the impact of Treta Yuga. 

The Glory of Rama Nama

In the Kali Yuga, people don’t pay heed to the teachings of good people. Their minds do not change by the sight of good people. That is the impact of Kali Yuga. Even the mind of such a cruel person like Ratnakara changed. By the sight of noble people, sins are destroyed and one gets liberation. Whatever worries you have, they stop bothering you the moment Swami talks to you. By conversing with the Divine, you forget all your worries and troubles. But due to the impact of Kali Yuga, even that does not happen. The reason for this is that man is not able to remove the bad qualities in him. Ratnakara asked the sage, “How can I atone for my sins?” The sage replied, “You go on contemplating on the name of Rama.” Because of harming others, Ratnakara could not even pronounce the name of Rama. He started chanting each letter separately ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’. He could not even chant that. He chanted as ‘Aa’ and ‘Ma’. Small children will chant ‘Lama’ instead of ‘Rama’. But Ratnakara could only say ‘Aama’. 

What is the meaning of the word Rama? ‘Ra’ means the individual self and ‘Ma’ means Divinity. The combination of the individual and the Divine is Rama. The name of Rama indicates the individual and Divinity. In the Bhagavad Gita, there is the ‘Kshetra-Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga’. Kshetra means body, Kshetrajna is God. This is called ‘Akshara Brahma Swarupa’. Many think Akshara means letter. In Vedantic parlance Akshara means that which is imperishable. That which is perishable is also there and that which is imperishable is also there. Akshara therefore is the combination of both individual and God. ‘Aa’ means Atma, ‘Kshara’ means the one which is perishable. ‘Aa’ means imperishable and ‘Kshara’ means perishable. Both are there in the word. Transient and eternal, both are there in the word. Rama is the combination of both individual and Divine principle. 

Among the seven sages, Vashishta came there and said, “Son you are not able to chant the name of Rama.” He had a sword in his hand. It had a wooden handle. A screw fitted both the iron sword and the wooden handle. He asked Ratnakara, “What is this?” Ratnakara said that was ‘Mara’, which meant a screw. Then Ratnakara started chanting ‘Mara’. He did this for many years. What will happen if you chant ‘Mara’ in great speed? He finally arrived at chanting Rama. ‘Mara’ got changed into ‘Rama’ and he lost body consciousness. Snakes built their mounds on his body. After sometime the seven sages came the same way. They heard the chanting of Rama Nama and they were wondering from where it was coming. They went and saw there. Except the sage everything was covered by mud because of the snakes. They called him Valmiki. He did not know the meaning of the word Valmiki. One who resided in an ant hill (Valmika) was called Valmiki. They called him by the name Ratnakara. He then opened his eyes. The seven sages told him to compose the Ramayana. Then onwards he had an Ashram for himself. 

The name Valmiki was given by the seven sages. They called him Valmiki because he came from ant hill. Puttaparthi was called as Puttavardhini or Valmikipuram. That is how he was called Valmiki. Actually he never had any education. Because of chanting of Rama Nama, all his ignorance was dispelled. The feelings developed on their own. Nobody can prevent such feelings. He could not contain his feelings. He went on writing stanza after stanza. But the world got only few of the stanzas he composed. 

Even Danavas (demons) recognised the greatness of Valmiki.  They came to the human beings and wanted to know the inner significance of the name of Rama. They also wanted to know how many stanzas Valmiki had composed. The humans requested the Danavas, “Even we do not know. Let us go and approach Brahma.” The Danavas and Manavas (humans) went to the Devas. The Devas said, “We also do not know. We need not know because we are already in it. We got this form due to Rama only. We do not involve in any action. Only human beings will have to face the consequence of their Karma.” Then they went to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was continuously chanting the name of Rama. They went there and praised Lord Shiva in many ways. They praised Him as the One who is always happy. They said, “We surrender at your Lotus Feet.” They went on praising the Lord and surrendered at the Lotus Feet of the Lord. Lord Shiva said, “To what extent can you understand the Shlokas (verses)? Even if human beings struggle for one lakh years, they can’t know. You have to know by yourself. Danavas, Manavas and Devas are all same. All the Manavas, Danavas and Devas must equally share among yourselves the one lakh Shlokas.” They divided amongst themselves equally 33,333 Shlokas each. Now, one Shloka was left. So they counted the number of letters in the stanza. There were 11 letters. How to divide these 11 letters? They shared 3 letters each. They shared 33,333 stanzas and the 3 letters of the last stanza. At last 2 letters were leftover. How to share these 2 letters? Everything is present in those 2 letters. All the crores, lakhs and thousands of words and their meanings are hidden in these 2 letters. They are the two letters ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’. All are one. ‘Hari’ has 2 letters, ‘Hara’ has 2 letters, ‘Krishna’ has 2 letters, ‘Sai’ has 2 letters. All have 2 letters. You can chant any name, but the Atma means the same. Brahma also means the same. All are the same. These 2 letters contain everything. The Devas, Danavas and Manavas prostrated before Lord Shiva. Then He said, “Even I chant this name. I always keep chanting Rama Nama.” 

Source: The Glory of the Lord’s Name, Discourse 18, My Dear Students Volume 5; Divine Discourse delivered on December 7, 1995 at Prasanthi Nilayam

Understanding the Sathya Sai Phenomenon - By Dato J. Jagadeesan

An agnostic until the age of 32 asking the question - Did God create man or man created God? I thought I was an atheist at heart until Bhagavan Baba Himself called me an agnostic. A graduate at 21, travelled around the world several times in my official capacity in Government service, successful, with wife, children, house, car etc.-Who needed God? 

Baba came into my life at the age of 32 — only to be faced with an anti-Sai tirade that I launched on all devotees who came within the radii of my relationship. It was on June 8, 1976 in Kuala Lumpur that Lord Sai appeared. I asked Him mentally. "If you are truly what you are — show me a sign! The sudden materialization of the Vibhuti on His picture, the stunning revelation, the realization that "Oh God! There is truly a power beyond science and this power can reach into my world even in a physical form", that was the moment of my transformation — that began my Journey to God. 

Subsequently, my life changed and my travels around the world - both on behalf of the Government and on behalf of the SAI EHV Programme have made me come in contact with a great number of beautiful people, SAI devotees, sometimes in very strange places. Though many devotees know of the SAI groups and Centers in USA, South America, Europe, Japan, Australia, Fiji, etc. — very few may be aware that SAI Devotional Groups exist in East Berlin (even before the fall of the Berlin wall) and that SAI groups exist in Seoul, South Korea and Beijing in China ... the world which for ever has been and will be the mansion of the cosmic Divine principle, is rapidly becoming the mansion for the "manifested Divine principle." 

We all know that the world is God's mansion, but the fact that the advent of SAI, in His physical form, is being recognized all around the world during His Life time is perhaps one of the spiritual phenomena of the century, in fact of several centuries. 

What about the Omnipresent, Divinity principle? Well! Bhagavan is introducing His "calling cards" everywhere. In my travels around the world, I have seen for myself and shared miraculous experiences with others regarding His Omnipresence. Manifestation of Holy ash, Amrit (Divine nectar) from statues and photographs are happening not only in India, Malaysia, Fiji, USA, Europe, Africa, etc. but most recently I was thrilled to see a photograph of Vibhuti manifestations in the home of a Japanese devotee in Japan. The picture was covered with holy ash and there was a huge Vibhuti 'OM' (in Sanskrit) and what appeared like gold flakes over HIS palm. We can but only stand in awe when we see the miracles that take place in homes of devotees thousands of miles away, in different continents, within different cultural heritages - with only but one Universal bond the bond of LOVE: — this perhaps is the greatest Divinity principle that Baba displays. 

An image of Vibhuti and Amrit manifesting from the photo in an overseas

But other-than the manifestations of ash and Amrit, what about the water that flowed for two days from the knees of a Christ figure on a cross in the home of a SAI devotee in Fiji, what about the strange Indian man in orange robe and Afro-hair-do who got into a cab of a Chinese taxi driver in Malaysia, who only a week later realized it was Baba; what about the shower of bangles, the materialization of dates, pendants, small statues, etc. that appear on altars of devotees in Malaysia and around the world; what about the lady in an African village who was comforted by a strange, bearded man, only to recognize him a week later as Shirdi Sai Baba (as was the case of one of the first Chinese devotees in Malaysia); what about the miraculous cures, that occur not even by consuming Vibhuti but by just calling out Baba's name from the depth of one's heart as was the case of an African lady in Zimbabwe who went to  hospital to undergo heart surgery, who on the way, called to Baba to manifest His Love and was sent back home the same day by the hospital saying there appears to be nothing wrong now". 

And thus it goes on, in every part of the world, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, from Japan to Chile, from Fiji to the West Indies, Baba's Love, the Divinity principle manifest in every room (country) of His Mansion (world), comforting, guarding, guiding. But greater than all the physical manifestations, the cures, the physical manifestations of SAI Himself, greater than all these miracles is the miracle of the 'TRANSFORMATION OF MAN'. Agnostics, drunkards, drug addicts, gamblers, businessman and politicians, who had made money and power their God, have now turned to the God of Spirituality and have started the process of transformation, of self-improvement, to make themselves useful to themselves, their families and society. One cannot guess the number of tearful wives and mothers raising their hands in thankful prayer to Bhagavan Baba for the transformation that He has wrought in their husbands or children. 

But perhaps even greater than the mere turning of man away from his negative habits, perhaps even greater than the miracle of tuning all these millions to the path of God, is the greater miracle of transforming selfish individuals, who had only concern for family and friends, into beings of love, dedicating their time, skill. Money and effort to serve the sick, the poor and the needy. This transformation, in the context of the modern world, where individuals and families caught in the rat race of modern living feel that they have not time for anything else but themselves, manifesting often the 'I' and 'My' first and last.... everything else be damned, attitude, is perhaps the greatest manifestation of Bhagavan Baba's divinity principle and the SAI phenomena. 

But over and above all the manifestations, and miracles, over and above all this transformation of man, is there any other proof of the Divinity principle that Bhagavan Baba manifests? 

Where is God? What is God? For every individual, according to his religion and cultural background, the word God creates conditioned reflexes, reciprocating ingrained mental images. For a Hindu, the word God conjures in the mind's eye the beautiful form of Krishna or Rama, the powerful face of Shiva, or the gentle aspect of 'Divine Mother' for the Christian God would conjure the picture of Christ, the Shepherd, or Christ on the Cross; for the Buddhist - though "God" may not be in the context of their worship, the closest image would be the meditating Buddha; for Muslims it would be the formless Allah.... and so it goes on. Though no spiritual or religious text in the world describes God by His physical features, all tests do describe the characteristics of God —i.e. He is Omnipresent, Omniscient, He can create, preserve, dissolve, He can grant boons, He can cure and save, He is love, Glory, beauty, etc. This all religions will agree. 

We have someone in this world, a being who is manifesting not just to one or two people but to hundreds of thousands every year, all characteristics that man has traditionally ascribed to the formless divine or God as they know in their tradition. Thus Baba has incarnated within Himself all the characteristics and power of Divinity; thus to that extent He is a manifestation, an incarnation of a Divine principle—What the Hindus refer to as AVATAR.

There is another way that the Divinity Principle can be examined. If tomorrow the sky was to open up and from the Heavens above a Divine voice thundered to mankind — what would the voice say? Surely words to the following effect 

1) Belief in God: Truly believe that He exists, and is able to listen and respond if the call is from the genuine love of devotees. However, He is called by many names and this is the source of misunderstanding and conflict. Rise above this. All are one, be alike to everyone. 

2) Follow your Religion but do not be a hypocrite: Study and understand the teachings of your religion and put these into practice in daily life - not merely the rituals and prayers. Understand that the practice of your religion does not even begin in your chosen hall of prayer — your real religion manifest itself the moment you leave your hall of prayer, be it a temple, mosque or church. Every thought, word and deed in daily life is the true manifestation of your religion.  

3) Respect all Religions: All religions have been motivated by the ONE DIVINE principle. No religion urges negative behavior in life — all religions exhort man to see well, speak good, think, act and hear good. All religions try to move man from the state of animal behavior, through human to Divine. All religions are royal roads to Divinity. It is how you practice your religion in daily life that differentiates the religious or spiritual person from others - not the religious label you wear or profess. 

4) Perform selfless service to the sick, the poor and needy. Without thought of name, fame or reward, if you truly believe in the brother hood of man and the fatherhood of God, the only way to manifest that belief is by action. As you would visit your own sick blood brother in hospital to give comfort, spend some time serving your other brothers—all are children of God. However, that service should not seek its fruits, recognition, name or even gratitude; serve and thank God that He gives you the opportunity of strength, love and grace to serve. 

5) Uphold in life and thus promote the five great Human Values of TRUTH, RIGHT CONDUCT, PEACE, LOVE and NON VIOLENCE. Do not parrot-like merely chant these values in song and verse - make it a dynamic part of your life, at home, at work. From these five values all other values emanate and they enrich every part of the human personality, ultimately transforming all these who pursue this path into divine incarnations. 

Jagadeesan with Sri Sathya Sai

The above summarizes also the principal pillars of Bhagavan Baba's teachings - the voice of the invincible God — manifesting through the Love of SAI. Bhagavan Baba started His great programme of Dharmasthapana at the age of 14 with Bhajans and the chanting of God's name as a foundation. As His mission grew He introduced Seva and study circles for adults, Subsequently, to foster children, He introduced the Bal Vikas (called SAI Spiritual Education) programme for children of SAI devotees and once that had taken root, He urged the transplanting of these divine ideals from the nursery of SAI Centers into the field of society and thus started the Sathya Sai Education in Human Values Programme. Then on His 60th Birthday Baba unveiled 10 principles which he enjoined all to uphold and with this He called for "Integration of the World Community" - through respect for laws, cultural practices and unity of religions — urging all to practice their respective religions and to build bridges of Love between religions. 

Thus has been SAI phenomenon. The world is indeed His mansion, every country a room, every yearning heart a light as the world watches in awe, respect, reverence, etc. He is moving at His own pace, His own plan. We can only pray that all of us are given a role in this Divine Drama.

About the Author

Dato J. Jagadeesan has been Director, Industrial Promotion, Malaysian Industrial Development Authority, and Kuala Lumpur. He has authored the book 'Journey to God: The Malaysian Experience with Sai Baba', 'Journey to God II: Sai Baba and the World', 'Unity of Faiths and The Mission' and 'The Message: Some Often asked questions about Bhagavan Baba.' He has also served as President of Sathya Sai Central Council for Malaysia.

Source: Sai Vandana 1990 (65th Birthday Offering)