My Swami - By Ruchir Desai

Ruchir Desai with Sri Sathya Sai - Kodaikanal, May 2005

SWAMI! This is the way in which all devotees of Bhagavan commonly address Him. The word Swami is a term with which all Hindus would be familiar. It is not a name for Him or a title bestowed on Him. The word Swami literally means Master. When I call Him Master, I am subjugating myself to Him. It is an expression of complete surrender and identification with Him. 

I, like millions of His other devotees, accept and worship my Master as GOD. I believe, and my Master has illustrated time and again, that He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Devotees all over the world have an ever fascinating array of experiences which would leave a new and uninitiated person awestricken. Through His omniscience, he knows me through and through. He says, “I know your past, present and your future. I know your suffering, and why you suffer and when that suffering will end”. However, what mystifies me is not His omniscience - nor His omnipresence and omnipotence — these are necessary qualities of the Divine and have been the cause of bringing and binding many a devotee to His Lotus Feet. What mystifies me is the Love and Compassion that my Master shows when he accepts me and allows me to sit at His Lotus Feet after knowing the who, how and what about me. 

It is an index of the Love of my Master for His creatures that makes Him rush to the aid of His devotees. His Will does not brook any barriers of time or space. Like Krishna rushing to the aid of Draupadi, my Master is always at the beck and call of His true devotees. He is ready to help His devotees at the time of any tragedy and protect them. He suspends the ticks of the clock and the lines on the map to give those whom He loves a further lease of life. My Master has the power to transcend the laws that we live by, the steps that we climb by, stages that we grow by and even the end that we see approaching us. Volumes have been written by grateful devotees describing the numerous ways in which and the countless occasions on which He has rushed to the call of His devotees. 

These are only some facets of my Master's Divine Personage. I can only sum up the rest by saying that my master represents everything great, grand and Godly in this Universe of His. He is Sat-Chit-Ananda- Truth, Wisdom and Beauty — all rolled into one. He is the great architect and designer, not only of this vast and beautiful cosmos, but of the fact and fortune of every being within it. My master is the ultimate in human perfection. He says: “My life is my message." Through every act of His, He instructs and inspires, He enlightens and enlivens. My master is the sum and substance of all forms of knowledge. He is infinity itself. Once the late Shri N. Kasturi described Him thus: 
"What He does not know is not knowledge; what He does not approve is not Dharma; what He does not affirm is not Truth; what He does not accept is not Love; what He does not bestow is not Peace." 

Yet, for all these benefits, my Master is a hard task-master. He expects perfection — another hallmark of the Divine. He does not compromise or condone. Whoever the culprit and however insignificant the fault, castigation descends promptly. But even this is, more often than not, clothed in a vesture of Love and accompanied by that sweet and charming smile to which you cannot but yield. My Master often fondles people by using the word Bangaroo. In doing so, He expects us to transform the lead that we are into Bangaroo or gold. In order to do this, He melts us in the crucible of life, and draws out all dregs, making us fit for His purpose. 

My Master does not preach any new religion or profound any new ideas. He brings home to us the same age old truths with an ease and simplicity to which there is no parallel. His treatment of all the scriptural texts and other religious works would leave none in doubt about their true authorship. His philosophy of life is simple and practical. Yet, His teachings contain a measure of profundity which is unmatched. His message is for people from all walks, of all ages gone and for all ages to come. 

What more can one ask for. I am spending the most precious years of my life at His Lotus Feet and I am grateful that He has allowed me to call Him, my SWAMI. 

- Ruchir Desai

Student (1981-1986)

Currently, Faculty Member

Department of Commerce

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Brindavan Campus

Source: Sai Vandana (65th Birthday Offering)