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Vasudevan went to the doctors, but the medicines did not help. Vasudevan's mother-in-law was a devotee of Sathya Sai Baba. She advised the young man to pray to Sathya Sai Baba and ask him for healing.
Vasudevan came to the house of his mother-in-law, who had a large home altar, in the center of which hung a large and beautiful portrait of Sathya Sai Baba. At the same time, several relatives were going on a trip to the ashram. The young man took advantage of this opportunity and gave a letter to Sathya Sai Baba asking for healing.
Despite all the requests to Sathya Sai Baba, the young man's condition worsened. Friends and business partners began to laugh at Vasudevan and advise the young man to stop being involved in such nonsense and try to find real doctors who could help him recover from the disease.
The young man was in a difficult situation. Some of his relatives advised him to pray more intensely to Sathya Sai Baba, while his friends ridiculed him for his naive belief in the strange miracle worker.
Finally, Vasudevan's mother-in-law was able to persuade him to pray again in front of the photograph of Sathya Sai Baba that hung in her house. After that, the young man's health deteriorated even more.
25. Living presence in the photo, continuation of Vasudevan's story
After a sharp deterioration and instead of healing, Vasudevan became very offended by Sathya Sai Baba. The more he prayed, the more his health deteriorated. He concluded that Sathya Sai Baba was most likely a swindler, and perhaps even a practitioner of magic. The inner world of the young man was filled with doubts and fears.
The complexity of this situation was compounded by the fact that he learned about two cases which occurred about the same time. Two other people also prayed in front of the photo of Sathya Sai Baba and received a fairly quick recovery from their illnesses. Vasudevan could not understand why he was being pursued by serious setbacks.
Finally, getting very angry with Sathya Sai Baba, he literally ran into his mother-in-law's house and went into the room where the large photograph of Sathya Sai Baba hung. Vasudevan started talking to the photo as if Sathya Sai Baba was present right in front of him.
He directly stated, looking into the eyes of Sathya Sai Baba, who was depicted in the photograph, that he was a swindler and engaged in magic. After that, Vasudevan stated that if Sathya Sai Baba is indeed a divine teacher, then he must immediately prove it.
At that moment, several relatives were present in the house, all of them devotees of Sathya Sai Baba, and upon hearing such words from the lips of Vasudevan, they froze in horror. Before the young man had time to angrily utter his words, he suddenly felt a strong flow of energy pass through him like an electric discharge.
Vasudevan understood that it was a mystical experience because there was no source of electricity nearby. At that moment he felt, with horror, as if he was losing control of his arms and legs. After that, he fell to the floor. The relatives immediately called the doctors, who made the terrifying diagnosis of partial paralysis. Almost at the same moment, when the doctors left the house, sacred ash began to materialize on the large portrait of Sathya Sai Baba.
Relatives understood that everything happening had a deep meaning. It was obvious that Sathya Sai Baba, who is the embodiment of divine love and compassion, could not "punish" the foolish young man. These strange events were intended to give Vasudevan a deep lesson and lead to spiritual realizations.
The relatives felt that all of this was actually the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba. The feeling of the invisible blessing presence of God was also confirmed by the fact that the sacred ash began to appear from his photograph.
Vasudevan did not know what to do next. His state of health was extremely tenuous. Thankfully, the paralysis was only partial and with difficulty he could still move around in a wheelchair.
The fact the paralysis occurred instantly after the young man stood in front of the portrait of Sathya Sai Baba and challenged him speaks of Sathya Sai Baba's colossal superpowers. At that time, Vasudevan could hardly understand what was happening to him and what the deep meaning of these strange events were.
It was so improbable that at times it seemed to him everything happening was a strange dream. Most importantly, Vasudevan began to understand that photographs of Sathya Sai Baba are not ordinary images, but the living presence of the Avatar.
26. Inscrutable are the ways of the Lord, the end of the story of Vasudevan
Vasudevan’s relatives were able to convince him to go to the ashram. The trip was organized within about six months while the young man remained in his wheelchair and needed constant help. The journey from Chennai to the ashram was relatively close and relatives were able to arrange everything necessary.
When Vasudevan arrived at the ashram, he was very worried because he did not know how his meeting with Sathya Sai Baba would go. If a photograph of the Avatar had such strong energetic power, what would be expected at a direct meeting?
Sathya Sai Baba slowly approached the young man and looked at him intently. He called him by name and also said he knew he had come from the city of Chennai. Vasudevan was surprised as this was their first meeting. Since the young man was unknown to anyone, it was simply impossible to assume a forgery. After that, Sathya Sai Baba invited the young man to a private conversation in his room.
Being alone, Sathya Sai Baba immediately told Vasudevan about all the details of his medical history. He also told the astonished young man he knew well how his health gradually deteriorated each time he prayed near the photo. After that, Sathya Sai Baba repeated word for word all the harsh words and accusations that the young man had made in the house of his mother-in-law in front of the photograph.
Vasudevan was completely shocked by everything and wept with shame and joy. He felt the colossal, divine love emanating from Sathya Sai Baba.
After listening to this amazing story, I decided to ask Mr. Subba Rao what happened to the young man in the future. Mr. Subba Rao smiled and said it would be easy enough to find out because Vasudevan was going to visit the ashram again in a week.
My meeting with Vasudevan actually took place exactly one week later in Mr. Subba Rao's room. Vasudevan no longer showed any signs of paralysis. After his first visit to the ashram, he was healed and moved to the USA with his wife.
I was interested to know Vasudevan's opinion about all the events that happened to him. For example, I was curious to know his thoughts on why, instead of healing him instantly, Sathya Sai Baba subjected him to quite severe trials in the beginning.
Vasudevan said he was able to realize the greatness of the divine plan of Sathya Sai Baba. We, ordinary people, perceive life within the framework of duality, the essence of which is the constant change of happiness and suffering. We are constantly striving to avoid suffering and to find happiness. But happiness is just as fleeting and impermanent as suffering.
When we ask the Avatar for help, it would be naive to assume he will fulfill our whims in accordance with how our ignorant ego would like them to be achieved. The Avatar views our life from the point of view of the divine evolution which the soul of each person goes through.
If it would be more beneficial for a person to pass tests that will lead him to deep spiritual insights, then this is exactly what will happen according to the Avatar's plan. Blessings of the Avatar are aimed at spiritual growth and not at the satisfaction of momentary desires.
Sometimes trials are more beneficial for spiritual development than simply solving trivial problems. Awareness, insight, and spiritual growth are what is truly important for the soul. It may seem more important to us to gain fleeting luck, but God, who is in the depths of the spiritual heart, leads everyone along the path of self-knowledge.
Sathya Sai Baba often said, "I give my devotees what they want so that later they will be spiritually transformed and ready to accept from me what I really want to give them."
What amazing deep words! Sathya Sai Baba sometimes joked that people came to him and asked for simple material things, not realizing that all of “this” is not permanent.
He also joked that people couldn't understand that he was like a "heavenly wish-granting tree." Human fantasies are sometimes too primitive. People asked the Avatar for trifles, while the "cosmic tree of wish fulfillment" can fulfill all desires and bestow beyond what can hardly be imagined.
Sathya Sai Baba sadly joked that often people came to him and asked for only "one cup of coffee, maximum two," even though he could give them the eternal bliss of divine consciousness.
27. Sathya Sai Baba on the resurrection of Jesus Christ
In our time, there has been some doubt that Jesus Christ was crucified. There is such a point of view that supposedly someone else was crucified instead of Jesus Christ. In his lectures, Sathya Sai Baba clearly confirmed that Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday and resurrected on a Sunday. Thus, Sathya Sai Baba confirmed the authenticity of the greatest miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ described in the New Testament.
Sathya Sai Baba said the resurrection of Jesus Christ has a deep symbolic meaning, which is the revelation of the eternal and divine essence in the heart of every person. Jesus Christ proved his power over death by resurrecting his friend, Lazarus. Having resurrected another, he could resurrect himself, and this happened after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ himself.
Many people ask why was Jesus Christ crucified? Was he really so "weak" that he could not resist his enemies? Of course, the question is not the "weakness" of Jesus Christ, but what was his great mission? He was not a victim in the usual sense of the word, he allowed himself to be arrested and crucified, in accordance with the Divine plan.
Let's remember the famous words of Jesus Christ, himself, that if he needed to, he could ask his Heavenly Father to send twelve legions of Angels who would easily free him and punish the offenders. Consider these amazing words. Jesus Christ was truly a King on a universal scale – his royal power exceeded all conceivable possibilities of any earthly ruler.
The fact he was crucified was by no means a manifestation of his "weakness," but was his free will, which embodied his divine mission.
Another important event that happened on the cross was that Jesus Christ completely forgave and blessed those who executed him. Now, many centuries after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, some Christians are trying to look for those responsible for his suffering and death. What is the point of looking for the guilty when Jesus Christ, himself, forgave everyone and consciously ascended his cross?
Sathya Sai Baba also said during his lectures that Jesus Christ, after the resurrection, went to his disciples to preach the greatness of the Lord God. He appeared before some of the disciples, among whom were both men and women. He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, who was his closest student.
In the canonical Gospels, the role of the main disciple is assigned to the Apostle Peter, however, the real history of the community of disciples was much more complex. After Jesus Christ left this world, the main Jerusalem community of the first Christians was headed by Jacob, the brother of Jesus Christ. Jacob was the elder half-brother of Jesus; for Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, already had children as he was a widower before he married Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
The resurrected Jesus Christ first appeared in front of Mary Magdalene, thereby highlighting her special role among his disciples. Appearing after the resurrection before his disciples, Jesus Christ showed the victory of the Spirit over death.
Sathya Sai Baba said about Jesus Christ that at the beginning of his spiritual path, he realized he was "a messenger of God." Jesus Christ saw himself as a messenger of the good news. He knew he was "an instrument in the hands of God."
After long intensive spiritual practices, Jesus Christ realized he was the "son of God." He awakened in himself the qualities of a "son of God." For modern Christianity, it is considered an axiom that only Jesus Christ is the "son of God," while other people can only be "slaves" of God. This is a rather late and absurd point of view and is in fact completely contrary to the Gospel teaching.
In accordance with what Jesus Christ himself preached, each person can and should, as a result of spiritual practice, reveal in himself the qualities of a son or daughter of God. That is why he preached the great "Our Father" prayer. Think about it, in this prayer each person addresses God as his Heavenly Father.
28. "I and My Heavenly Father are One"
The Gospels describe a story of when Jesus Christ was walking with his disciples and noticed a man blind from birth sitting by the road begging for alms. The disciples said this man was born blind because of sin and then asked Jesus Christ about who sinned: was it the man, himself, or his parents?
Jesus Christ answered with strange words, saying no one has sinned, neither this man, nor his parents. After that, Jesus Christ added that this man was born blind so that the power of God would be manifested on him.
With these words, Jesus Christ proclaimed that all suffering and problems are given to a person in order to force him to practice and develop more actively. All problems, even the most difficult ones, are a wise and loving providence of God aimed at improving the quality of the soul's evolution. Any problem and difficulty in your life is a lesson you must go through and realize, thus you get the opportunity to reach a new level of your spiritual development.
Each person is divine and the idea of sin is a product of ignorance and the desire to manipulate people. If a person is convinced that he is sinful, then he can be easily controlled, and if the secret of his original divinity is revealed, then such a person becomes free.
Sathya Sai Baba said that Jesus Christ often retired to the desert, where he practiced meditation and contemplation. He constantly explored the inner divine nature of his soul. At the highest stage of his spiritual path, Jesus Christ realized unity with God before declaring, "I and My Heavenly Father are One."
Jesus Christ reached the highest level of spiritual self-realization, which in the Vedic tradition is called "non-duality" or Advaita. This experience is described in the Biblical writings as the indulgence of the Holy Spirit and the attainment of a mystical experience of oneness with God.
Rereading Sathya Sai Baba's great words about the spiritual path of Jesus Christ. I never cease to be amazed at their depth. This is a truly unique message that cannot be read about in any of the canonical Gospels. Not one of them tell, in such detail, about the inner world and the sacrament of the spiritual path of Jesus Christ.
Everything we know from the Gospel texts to a greater extent concerns the external events of the life of Jesus Christ, as well as his spiritual message in that period of his life after he became a teacher. How can we learn about his inner world and the spiritual path of meditation that he went through? The only one who can help uncover this great secret is the Avatar.
29. Only an Avatar can narrate the inner experience of Jesus Christ
The spiritual path of Jesus Christ, which Sathya Sai Baba talks about, fully corresponds to the classical texts of Vedic mysticism. At first, any spiritual seeker realizes the simplest truths about what is a "servant of God." At this stage of spiritual development, a person perceives himself as separate from God. God is perceived as an external force.
Even when Jesus Christ realized that he was the "son of God," it was still not the final realization. Of course, the son carries the qualities of the Father, but they still remain separate from each other.
The highest self-realization of Jesus Christ was that he understood God as his True Self. God is the True "I" of each person. This is the essence of the famous words of Jesus Christ: "I and My Father in Heaven are One."
Jesus Christ was a unique person, a world teacher, but it cannot be said that God is exclusively in the heart of Jesus. God dwells in the heart of all people as the true Creator and Father and as the original source of wisdom, love, and bliss. God is not only the higher self of Jesus Christ, but also every person.
When Jesus Christ proclaimed his oneness with his Heavenly Father, he spoke not only of himself; he proclaimed the divinity of every person. As a result of the practice of meditation, every spiritual seeker can reveal the greatest treasure of his spiritual heart and find God as his Heavenly Father, and at a higher level, reveal God as his Higher Self.
The philosophy of Christian Gnostics is that each person carries within himself the divine potential of the Christ Consciousness. Intense spiritual practice is necessary to unlock the potential of the Christ Consciousness in your heart.
Jesus, who was born with a special spiritual mission many centuries ago, awakened the Christ Consciousness in himself and became Jesus the Christ. The Christ Consciousness is universal. It is the foundation and essence of the soul of every person. Christ Consciousness is manifested in every sage and saint, and in every person who knows the truth.
At every moment, Christ Consciousness is waiting for its awakening in your Spiritual Heart. In the depths of your meditation there is a manifestation of the Christ within you.
Sathya Sai Baba spoke about Jesus Christ in a completely different way from what is preached in all of the variants of Christian churches. In this world there are a huge number of branches of Christianity and they differ from each other by having their own views and comments on the Gospels. Churches are diverse, and they each understand the essence of the Christian life differently; as such, they offer their own interpretation of the biography and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, many churches try to convince people that God is an external force. Some religions sometimes block people from having a direct experience with God. If God is somewhere out there, far in the sky, then the need for religious organizations as mediators between people and God is quite understandable. However, if you see God as the basis of the soul, as an internal source, then the need for intermediaries disappears.
Nevertheless, across all Christian churches, Jesus Christ is the originally perfect teacher, who from the very beginning of his earthly life was completely enlightened. The view of Sathya Sai Baba is very different from this point of view.
If Jesus was indeed born already enlightened, then why did he begin his preaching activity only at the age of thirty? He could have fulfilled his task from an early age and shown the way of salvation to his disciples and followers. Why did he have to wait for his thirtieth birthday?
Sathya Sai Baba said that Jesus Christ practiced various spiritual disciplines throughout his life, as a result of which he gained perfection and only after that he became a world teacher.
30. In the Christ Consciousness we are all one
Sathya Sai Baba perceived each person as the embodiment of Divine Consciousness. Each person for him was the embodiment of the Christ Consciousness. Christ is not only a historical person, but a symbol of the divinity dormant within each person.
In the comments to the Bhagavad Gita, Sathya Sai Baba said: “People should never forget God, for he is the true nature of the soul, one should not believe in the world, in fact, the manifested Universe is an illusion, never be afraid of death, for you are immortal.”
Speaking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Sathya Sai Baba pointed out that it was not only a historical fact, but also a symbol of the immortality of every person.
Enlightenment does not mean that a person receives "something;" on the contrary, there is a loss of false self-identification and the feeling of separateness of one's existence disappears. Enlightenment is the return home, the awakening of the original and true divine reality of one's soul – the Christ Consciousness.
I would like to warn against misunderstanding Sathya Sai Baba's teachings about Jesus Christ. Once again, I want to repeat that Sathya Sai Baba considered Jesus Christ to be one of the greatest spiritual teachers in the history of mankind.
Sathya Sai Baba said that Jesus Christ came into this world with a special mission. The essence of understanding his life and mission lies in the fact that one should not perceive Jesus Christ only as an object of worship, but as an example of the spiritual path that everyone has to pass through.
Those steps of the spiritual path that Jesus Christ ascended are the same steps that everyone has to go through. The divine potential inherent in Jesus Christ is absolutely in every person. As individual human beings we are all different, but in the Christ Consciousness we are all one.
31. God helps those who help themselves
A huge number of books about Sathya Sai Baba are being written now. As a rule, the books describe stories that tell about the manifestations of his fantastic supernatural power. Often these stories begin with a person coming to Sathya Sai Baba with some problems, of which Sathya Sai Baba blesses and liberates this person from, and then the “problems” are instantly solved.
Difficulties and sufferings are different. They can be associated with illness, family life, financial failures, the search for one’s destiny, spiritual crises, and deep religious issues.
In most of the stories about Sathya Sai Baba, there is an involuntary self-deception, which consists of the Avatar solving the problems of all people and doing this, supposedly, instantly. Such ideas give rise to numerous illusions and leads to disappointment because, in reality, there is almost never an instant solution to problems.
An Avatar can help you overcome difficult situations, but you still need to solve them yourself because you created them yourself. Of course, there were cases when Sathya Sai Baba helped instantly, but this depended on many factors; in most cases the process of getting rid of problems took time.
I have always enjoyed studying the biography of Shirdi Sai Baba (1835 – 1918), the previous incarnation of Sathya Sai Baba (1923 – 2011). I have some wonderful books about Shirdi Sai which I reread all the time. Studying his biography, I noticed a very interesting thing. Suppose you open a book and read a fascinating story about a certain person who came to Shirdi Sai Baba and asked for help in solving problems and difficulties in life. Shirdi Sai Baba recommended this person to chant the mantra or make a pilgrimage. After fulfilling the prescription, all problems disappeared and the person was freed from suffering.
These stories usually fit onto half a page of a book. To read half a page, you need to spend about a minute, at which point the illusion is created that the problem of the person about whom the story is written was solved in one minute.
If you begin to study the same story more carefully, you gradually realize the story being described can be several years long. A person could suffer for ten years, then come to Shirdi Sai Baba, receive instructions, then practice mantras or prayers for several years, and only then solve all their problems.
32. It is important not to forget to take a step toward God
Divine love requires nothing in return. Sathya Sai Baba carefully directed his energy to absolutely everyone. However, the manifestation of his great love and blessings still required serious efforts on the part of the person himself.
At times it might seem to us that Sathya Sai Baba helped one person and ignored the suffering and difficult life situations of another. From the point of view of ordinary perception, we could sometimes assume that he loved someone and not someone else.
As human beings, we are limited in time, so we expect instant healing from the Avatar. But, according to the divine plan, you may have to learn lessons along the way and overcome many difficulties. By overcoming difficulties, you get the opportunity to develop new qualities in yourself, come to high awareness, acquire important knowledge and skills, learn new things, and reveal your hidden reserves.
By carefully reading the stories in this book, as well as in my other books dedicated to Sathya Sai Baba, you will be able to see that behind every miraculous healing, there is always a person's spiritual efforts, even if it may seem that the healing happened almost instantly.
I often quote simple folk proverbs that say, "God helps those who help themselves." Another folk wisdom recalls that "if you have taken one step toward God, then God will take ten steps toward you." It is important not to forget to take your step.
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