The Divine Glory of Sathya Sai Baba - By Justice P. N. Bhagwati

Justice P.N. Bhagwati with Sri Sathya Sai on the Inauguration of SSSIHL - November 22, 1981

Words can describe only that which can be comprehended and perceived by the physical senses. But as the Upanishad describes the Divine Self as that from whom the mind and the speech return without reaching It: “Yato Vaacho Nivartante Apraapya Manasaa Saha”

We can only have a glimpse of the great Divinity that shines forth from the frail figure of Swami. Bhagavan has come down upon the earth in order to redeem mankind and to give His Divine message of love and service to humanity. The Lord has said in the Gita:

“Yadaa Yadaahi Dharmasya

Glaanirbhavati Bhaarata

Abhyuthaanam Adharmasya

Tadaatmaanam Srujaamyaham”

The Lord took birth as Rama in order to protect the righteous and destroy the evil. His mission was also to place before the world an ideal for human beings to follow. He demonstrated what an ideal son, an ideal father, an ideal brother and an ideal king should be according to the dictates of Dharma. The Lord came down upon earth as Krishna in order to destroy the evil forces and to establish Dharma and above all to teach mankind pure and unsullied love, love which believes only in giving and not in taking, love which involves total surrender to the Lord: that was the love of the Gopis in Brindavan; as was the love later of Surdas, Narsi Mehta and Meera.

Jesus of Nazareth preached the message of Love and Forgiveness and gave us the New Testament. It is interesting to note that some scholars have been able to gather evidence from which it appears that Jesus left Jerusalem at the age of 18 and came to the West coast of India and from there He traveled to Jagannath Puri in the East and then to Varanasi where He met a large number of Saints and Sages and absorbed the ancient tradition of Indian spirituality and then, at the age of 31, went back to Jerusalem through Kashmir and Ladak. 

And now we have the Divine incarnation of Bhagavan who has taken birth in order to spread the message of love and service. He is a phenomenon the like of which the world has never seen. He is the embodiment of Love. When we see Him moving among the crowds that daily gather to have Divine Darshan, we can see His eyes overflowing with love. For him no one is high and no one is low; all are children of God whom He is guarding along the path of Divinity.

What He demands of us is to give our love to the Divine, love which is unselfish, love which is undemanding, love which entails complete surrender at the Lotus feet of the Lord. It is only through love that the Divine which is the embodiment of Love that can be gained. That is why Swami says in His inimitable style: 

Start the day with love, 

Fill the day with love,

End the day with love, 

That is the only way to God.

And from love springs Bhakti, devotion and dedication to the Lord, Bhakti which is ‘Ahaituki’, that is, unselfish and ‘Apratihata’, that is, unbroken and uninterrupted. This is all that Swami asks us to offer at His Lotus Feet because it is only through love and Bhakti that we can remove the dross of impurity and ignorance from our mind. And make our heart pure so as to lead us to realise our identity with the Divine. It is from this great message of Love that His message of service springs. Swami has always told us that we must serve humanity because service of man is service of God. God resides in every human being and therefore, when we serve human beings who are the embodiment of the Divine, we are really serving the Divine. We must try to see God in every human being and offer our service spontaneously with love and without expecting anything in return.

Swami has always emphasized the importance of service as part of spiritual Sadhana. Swami once said “God is in need of no service, what He needs is the service of man in whom he resides,” Swami Vivekananda too said; “After all my austerity I have understood this as the real truth. God is present in every Jiva. There is no other God outside that. Service to Jiva is service to God indeed.” 

Once I went to Swami and asked him as to how I should meditate. He looked at me and observed that I need not worry about meditation, because I was serving my people. He said: “Go on serving the people and find your God in every human being.” Of course this does not mean that one should not meditate. But the core of His message is ‘There is nothing more important than service of humanity and this service should proceed from unselfish and unadulterated love without expectation of any fruit or reward.' That is why the Gita says:

“Karmanyevadhikaaraste Maa Phaleshu Kadaachana

Maa Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sanghostva Karmaani”

This message of love and service has been elaborated by Swami in His five Human Values: namely, Satya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa. Swami has always urged upon us to observe these five Human Values in all our thoughts, words and deeds.

Bhagavan has shown us the way how we can serve humanity. He has started a Super Specialty Hospital in Puttaparthi with Cardiology, Neurology and Ophthalmology departments where medical and surgical treatment is given to everyone free of charge. Bhagavan believes that medical help must be free for everyone because the body is the instrument through which one can perform meritorious deeds and serve the ailing humanity. He has also put up another large Super Specialty Hospital in Bangalore with cardiology and neurology departments. He has also inspired devotees in other parts of India to start hospitals for providing free medical and surgical treatment to the people. The Super Specialty Hospital at Puttaparthi was really a miracle. I remember that on 23rd November, 1990 Swami declared that a Super-specialty Hospital would be set up and that it will start functioning on 22nd November, 1991. It was a gigantic task that only Bhagavan could undertake and accomplish. When I was in Puttaparthi in April 1991, only the foundation had been dug and in July 1991 when I went at the time of Guru Purnima, it had come up only to the plinth level. We were all wondering how the hospital building would be ready and the hospital would start functioning by 22nd November 1991. But in entertaining this doubt we were trying to judge the Divine by our worldly human standards. Once Bhagavan decided that the hospital would start functioning on 22nd November, 1991, it must! Because that was the Divine Will. And on 22nd November 1991 the hospital building was ready and two operations were performed on that day. This is something which only the Divine can accomplish.

Sri Sathya Sai at the Inauguration of the Super Specialty on November 22, 1991

Whenever we are in the presence of Swami, we feel overwhelmed by His love. It is a unique experience to be in His Divine presence. When we are with Him, all our doubts disappear, all anxieties vanish and all agitations of the mind cease. There is something in His eyes which is so deep and profound, and so vast and infinite that we see there an ocean of love profoundly affecting us. We feel enveloped in an aura of Divinity and we are submerged in the love pouring out from every fiber of His Divine body. I must also mention one other incident which must interest not only Swami’s devotees but also other spiritual-minded persons. 

Study of the Auras forming bio-magnetic fields around the human beings has been going on for many years. Dr. Frank Baranowski is a scientist of Arizona University (USA) who has carried out such a study. The aura around people is of pronounced colours. Energy is white, Love is blue and when love is pronounced the Aura becomes Pink.

After a Discourse given by Baba, Dr.Baranowski came forward and said, “I have been watching Baba while He was addressing you. The pink aura that was manifesting was so vast and strong that it went beyond the wall behind His chair. It filled this big hall, embracing all of you gathered here. There can be no scientific explanation for the phenomenon. I have watched Him for a week now. As He walked among you morning and evening, I have seen His Aura, Pink in colour, go into the person He is talking to or touching and returning back into Him. This is because we draw on His energy. His energy seems to be endless. It spreads everywhere and can be drawn upon by everyone around. An ordinary man will soon get exhausted going round as He does, among so many. I have watched Him come to a little girl in a wheel chair and tickle her. I was astounded at the Aura of Love that was all around Him then. “I was not brought up in any belief, though I am a Christian born and Roman Catholic. The scientific community in my country finds it difficult to accept God. It is not scientific, they assert. I am risking my reputation when I make this statement. Some time back, right outside this very hall, I looked into His eyes; they have a glow inside them. It was clear to me that I had looked into the face of Divinity. There is no scientific explanation for this,”

I have had the privilege of being in His Divine presence and receiving His Divine blessings. He has changed the course of my life and blessed me with a new vision of Divinity. I pray to my Divine Master that He may always keep me close to Him and continue to guide me along the path of Love and Bhakti.

About The Author:

Justice P N Bhagwati, Chief Justice of India (1985-1986), was an ardent Sai devotee. After an illustrious legal career, he served as Chancellor, Hyderabad University; Chancellor, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth; Member, National Human Rights Committee of International Law Association; Member, Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague; Member, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust; Member, Sri Sathya Sai Medical Trust; Member, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning Trust. In 2007, Justice Bhagwati was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs, India's second highest civilian award. He was the Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning from May 2011 to May 2013. He merged at the Lotus Feet in 2017. 

Source: Sai Sprashan 2005 (80th Birthday Offering)