Sri Sathya Sai: The Alchemist - By Sri Ruchir Desai

Sri Ruchir Desai with Sri Sathya Sai

Alchemy as a science has fascinated man for centuries. The fascination for this field has as much to do with the possibility of unbounded enrichment as with the possibility of transforming the very nature of something. Sai, the Divine Alchemist, opens up immense possibilities of both – an enrichment more precious than the possession of gold and trinkets, and a transformation more lasting and satisfying than that of change of matter.

It was the early 1970s. The case concerns a lady from Mumbai. This lady was an ardent devotee of Swami. However, in recent years, her family had been passing through a rough patch. With the husband having lost his job, regular income was a problem and the family, which had seen prosperity hitherto, was now making do with a very frugal existence. This situation had persisted for the last couple of years. In her intense devotion to Swami, she had prayed to Him for help. Stung by the whips and scorns of time, she had initially prayed for divine intervention to deliver her family from the seemingly hopeless financial situation. A job did materialise for her husband, but the work was not what he had been doing earlier and the remuneration was a fraction of what he had earned. As time went by, she realised that this was also one of the ways in which the lord wanted to teach her. Wisdom slowly dawned and when she now prayed, it was a prayer that she had never said before: because it was a prayer without words or pleas. Her prayer didn’t give thanks for the little joys of life that were still hers despite a difficult financial situation; it did not ask for the comforts and conveniences that her family so badly needed; and it did not beseech the lord for little worldly trinkets that all and sundry normally pray for. It was a simple prayer expressing her love for the lord, which alone mattered amidst all the din and clatter of life. 

It was a few months since she had had the darshan of her beloved lord and as Swami was in Brindavan, she decided to go there. On her way to Brindavan, she encountered a few hawkers outside the gate selling various small knickknacks, items of worship, statuettes and the like. She had been looking for a small statue of Krishna, her family deity, to worship on her altar. The tables displaying the wares of the hawkers were adorned with numerous small statues varying in size from 2 inches to 1 foot. These were made of bronze or other alloys. A closer inspection revealed that none of these statues had been crafted well. She almost passed by the hawkers almost in disdain with the thought that these statues were definitely not good enough for her. Man is always a prisoner of the past, unless he learns to come to terms with the present. He rarely realises that his present condition, good or bad, is a gift from the Almighty, just as his past, deserved or undeserved, was also a gift from the Lord. A thought passed her mind and it seemed to say… “If only my husband had his previous job and things were as earlier, I would have bought a golden statue ….” Her mind quickly jolted back to the present and she decided that since she had come to Brindavan, she would buy a statuette and try to get it blessed by the Lord. She purchased a 4-inch Krishna figurine and a small plate to place it on. After picking up a few flowers, she proceeded to the hallowed precincts and occupied a vantage position for darshan. Soon, it was time for the Lord’s arrival. As He came gliding across the seated throng of devotees, she readied herself, holding the plate with the statue up to Him. She was earnestly hoping that He would bless it. The Lord walked past her without as much as a glance towards her. He did not seem to have even noticed her plate. It is an accepted feature of life that when you are going through difficult times, the world not only does not bother about you, but also seems to be putting more difficulties in your path. It is often such a situation that has put many a devotee on the god-ward path. Yet today, not only did the world seem to be vile and treacherous, even God seemed to be callous.

As Swami walked past her, she could not contain her feelings and cried out to Him, ‘Swami….’ He had stopped to talk to the person next to her and on hearing her call, He stretched His hand out towards her plate. Without looking at her, he picked up the small statue and held it in his hand, while continuing to talk to the other person. Her joy knew no bounds. A few seconds later, He moved ahead, collecting letters from the devotees seated behind. As He began to move ahead, she found a torrent of feelings gushing from within her – elation at Swami picking up the statue, yet disappointment that Swami seemed to be walking away with it. Anxiously, she called out once again, ‘Swami…’ This time Swami turned towards her and looked at her. As if He had now remembered that He was walking away with the statue, He gently tossed it back into her plate. Ecstatic, all she could think of doing at that instant was to scramble forward and take Padanamaskar of her beloved Lord – a luxury that was allowed in those days when crowds used to be small and Swami moved freely among those assembled. She then sat watching Swami till He returned to His residence.

It was only after He had retreated from view that she looked at the plate in her hand. The round plate bedecked with flowers contained a 4-inch statuette of Krishna blessed by the lord. The only difference was that it was not the bronze statue that she had purchased an hour ago. It was now a statuette of gold! She was mystified. While she expected Swami to bless the statue for her worship, she had not expected this alchemy. She was wondering at this mind-boggling transformation of matter, done so casually and almost unknowingly. As she thought more and more about this, she recollected the passing thought in her mind while buying the statue earlier in the morning: If only my husband….. 

The Lord’s ears are not where our mouth is; His ears are where our thoughts originate. What matters is not so much the act of transforming the statuette, but of the indication that He was privy to her innermost thoughts and would answer them as and when He chose and in a manner that He thought fit. The implications of this are frightening at the same time reassuring – frightening when you realise that someone is privy to your innermost thoughts, but reassuring because you know that this person is guiding you to watch not only your words and actions but also your thoughts. He is constantly guarding you and the ship of your life is safe in His hands.

Sri Ruchir Desai with Sri Sathya Sai at Kodaikanal - May 2007

Yet, like so many others, the transformation of the statuette from bronze to gold was what caught my attention when I first heard about this incident and saw the statuette. However, after almost a quarter of a century at the divine lotus feet, I realise that such transformations are done almost every day, often people around not even suspecting them. They happen casually and as a matter of fact. Such transformation of matter or change of form is something even man attempts every day in laboratories and factories. The Lord does this not to win man’s admiration but to catch his attention. The greatest miracle is therefore not the manifestation of objects or transformation of matter, but the lasting transformation of human beings. This transformation is radical; it begins with a change in the way we look at ourselves and at others around us and goes on to change our attitude to life and all that we encounter in the world. It is complete when it begins to redefine our outlook towards God and the realisation that we must love all and serve all, for each and everyone is only His reflection.

- Late Sri Ruchir Desai

Former Associate Professor 

Department of Commerce

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Brindavan Campus

Source: Sai Sparshan 2005 (80th Birthday Offering)