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Ignorance and lies do not have self-existence, for ignorance and lies are a lack of understanding of wisdom and truth. "Self" and God are originally one, which is why the Vedas proclaim: "I AM God." If a person does not see the light, then it seems to him that he arrives in darkness, although in reality darkness does not have self-existence, for darkness is not manifested light.
Walking along the spiritual path, we achieve nothing, because we already possess everything. Moving to the heights of the spirit, we discover what already exists from the very beginning. Of this great truth, God declared to Moses, "I am who I am." The deep meaning of this great phrase is that the true name of God is "I". Jesus preached the same thing: “I and my Heavenly Father are one.”
There are many types of conditioning that create feelings of inferiority and limitation. A person who perceives himself as a separate being always suffers, but one who feels the unity of all that exists is in joy.
To light the lamp of wisdom means to realize the original unity. When you talk to God, you are essentially talking to your Higher Self. You are listening carefully to the message of God, and in fact you are listening to your Higher Self.
You listen to your intuitive feelings and hear an inner voice; you trust yourself, which means you trust God who lives in your heart. In joy, you embody your destiny in life, which means you are doing the work of God who directs your every action.
20. Diamond surprise
Even though Sathya Sai Baba is gone, and we are awaiting the day of his next incarnation, he continues to live strongly in my heart and memory. This next story is about a time when Sathya Sai Baba was invited to visit Bombay by Indulal Shah.
A reception was arranged in Mr Shah's house in honor of his dear guest, Sathya Sai Baba. During the gala dinner, the guests were served a huge amount of food, but Sathya Sai Baba barely ate any. It is customary in India for people to lavishly treat their dear guests. Because Sathya Sai Baba was a dear guest, people began to treat him and they prepared great lashings of food, although all this was unnecessary. During that day, Sathya Sai Baba only ate micro-doses of the simplest food, which was enough for him.
Sathya Sai Baba's chief interpreter, Anil Kumar, once told me that he asked Sathya Sai Baba how he manages to get by with almost no food, since food is one of the main sources of energy. To this Sathya Sai Baba replied with beautiful and deep words. He said that he did not need to get energy from food, for he himself was energy. It all depends on how you perceive yourself. The true "I" is the original source of all things, including energy. That is why Sathya Sai Baba did not need much food and sleep in order to be active and productive during the day.
Going back to Sathya Sai Baba's visit to Bombay City and the grand reception at Mr. Shah's house, there among the many dishes, the guests were served Vada, which are small round-shaped pies. Sathya Sai Baba turned to the daughter of the owner of the house and told her to choose any Vada, and then, before eating it to carefully break it into two parts. The girl did so. Upon breaking the pie into two, she found gold earrings encrusted with diamonds. In such an unusual way, Sathya Sai Baba materialized this beautiful gift for her.
Another similar story happened in the late ‘90s in the South Indian mountains, in the ancient town of Kodaikanal. Sathya Sai Baba invited some devotees for dinner. During dinner, Puri, a type of traditional flatbread, was served. Sai Baba turned to one of those present and told him to choose any cake, and then break the cake in half before eating it. When the man broke the cake, he found a golden ring inside. The man looked at Sathya Sai Baba with surprise. Sathya Sai Baba smiled at the man and said this was a gift especially for him.
Watching the amazing life of Sathya Sai Baba over the years, I stopped being surprised by miracles. Gradually, such events began to be perceived as something natural. This is probably for the best, because when you stop being surprised by the supernatural, you begin to think about the deep meaning of what is happening.
Sometimes I tried to understand the meaning and spiritual significance of Sathya Sai Baba's miracles, and sometimes it began to seem that there was no need to look for a special meaning, because the "games of the Lord" have no logical explanation – they are a manifestation of love and are like beautiful poetry; they are beautiful in themselves.
21. You are what you think of yourself
The question is how do you know yourself? If you perceive yourself as a limited human being, then the secret of the universe is hopelessly hidden from you. However, when, as a result of a spiritual journey, a person gets to the very depths of his Spiritual Heart, then he becomes the same Creator, who is the original creator of everything that exists. Everyday experience sometimes reveals that you are limited and weak, but the truth is there is great power in the depths of your soul.
People are convinced they are, supposedly, unworthy of realizing their dreams, but this is not accurate thinking. If you see problems in your life and feel deep dissatisfaction, then you need to simply change your perception of yourself, as well as your reactions to the events in the surrounding space.
All changes in life must always begin with a change in yourself – it’s these changes that impact and create positive change in your environment. The construct that you “should not” be selfish sometimes keeps us from even attempting to fulfill our infinite potential. This principal is simply a guise of a good idea taught to us as children and reinforced by people around us who prefer we do their will their way, instead of allowing us to just be ourselves.
Is allowing yourself to sing your own song and become all you were created to be, instead of surrendering to someone else's will, be it friend, spouse, or institution, selfish? I think not. You are what you think of yourself. You are the only one responsible for your own mind and your own life.
22. Sathya Sai Baba materialized a living parrot
This is another wonderful story about Sathya Sai Baba told to me by Yogi Hari. I later read this same story in several books written about Sathya Sai Baba.
One day Sathya Sai Baba went on another trip in the state of Andhra Pradesh, which is located in the south of India. During one of the stops, he was invited to visit with some people. Naturally, many people always traveled with Sathya Sai Baba, so the whole procession was invited. This is in accordance with the tradition that if a teacher travels with students and an invitation is extended, then the teacher will be invited with the entire retinue.
During the reception, Sathya Sai Baba and all those present were offered treats. Sai Baba animatedly communicated with the owner of the house while he made some kind of picture on his plate from leaves and nuts. Everyone listened attentively to what he was saying and observed with curiosity the unusual image that Sathya Sai Baba was putting together from the items on the plate.
Finally, it became clear that Sathya Sai Baba had skillfully laid out a picture of a parrot. He looked around and asked, “what do you think God does?”
Some of those present answered that God is engaged in creation. After that, Sathya Sai Baba softly and, unexpectedly, touched the image of the parrot and it came to life, flapped its wings, fluttered, and flew out the window. How does one relate to such an event as this, even when it happened in front of a large number of witnesses?
The rational mind refuses to accept the reality of such events. Perhaps some will say it was a mass hallucination or hypnosis, while others may argue that Sathya Sai Baba is a divine incarnation and, therefore, is able to create a great miracle and create a living being from inanimate objects in front of everyone. How to relate to such miracles?
23. Love is God
Love yourself, and then all the people around you will love you, because the energy of love changes and transforms everything. If you love the work you do in life, then all the people around you will also love what you do because the work that you do in love attracts good people and resources.
Everyone will want to help and participate in a cause that is saturated with the energy of love. To love yourself means to love your parents, your family, your people, the heritage of your ancestors, your city, and your fatherland.
When you are happy, all the people around you who communicate with you, or simply pass by you, also find happiness because the vibration of happiness transforms the space. Harmonious and wise thoughts give rise to an atmosphere of goodness and peace.
Of course, sometimes you need to take action to change the world for the better, but sometimes it’s enough just to make friends with yourself so that the world becomes a better place around you.
24. Materialization of objects that never existed before
During interviews, Sathya Sai Baba often materialized various objects such as rings, rosaries, medallions, and figurines of the Deities. Materialization is a miracle resulting in some object that has never existed before this moment appearing in physical space. This type of mystical experience shows us that thought is material and thought can create physical reality. The following miracle I wish to share happened in front of me and allowed me to personally observe the process of creation.
I often saw how Sathya Sai Baba performed materializations. Outwardly, it looked like this: He made circular movements with his right hand – within a moment of doing this, there was a flash of bright light in his hand, sometimes accompanied by a crack, and then one or another object appeared from the flash of light.
Repeatedly, I witnessed when materializations occurred through the bright flash of light accompanied by a loud and sharp sound, but sometimes the process of materialization looked a little different. Sathya Sai Baba also made circular movements with his right hand and several luminous balls appeared from his palm, sometimes with an object appearing from the balls.
There were times when Sathya Sai Baba materialized objects without a flash of light; objects simply appeared in his hand. It is difficult to say why this happened differently, perhaps it was dependent on the kind of energy he wanted to put into the object that appeared.
When I was present at interviews as an interpreter, I sat right under Sathya Sai Baba's right hand. This made it easier to translate and watch how He materialized objects. As soon as Sathya Sai Baba began circular movements with his hand, it became clear that materialization was about to happen. In those unique moments, I would concentrate as closely as possible and try to peer into what was happening so as to feel the energy that arose.
For me that moment of materialization was an important energetic experience. I would experience various sensations, for example, a sharp cold, or, on the contrary, a heat wave. At first, after seeing the materializations the first few times, I was numb with surprise – all of it shocked me, and I did not know what to think. Gradually, I became used to it.
When supernatural events happen often, you get used to them. Once the shock wore off, I began to pay close attention to the energy sensations and awareness that took place in the immediate vicinity of Sathya Sai Baba during the moments when he performed his amazing sacred acts.
25. Sathya Sai Baba helped a young man overcome time and space
This is a story about a young man from Sri Lanka who was a Christian by birth, but since childhood felt close to the Hindu Goddess, Kali, and was also deeply interested in Vedic philosophy. He went to study in India at a Christian college, but began to frequent various ashrams, and eventually became a Hindu monk.
When he returned home to Sri Lanka for the holidays, his family was very upset to see him in the orange traditional robes of a Hindu monk. He returned to India, and after some time came for the first time to the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba. He was in disarray and did not know what to do next and how to live – the conflict with his relatives greatly upset him, because his life’s quest was spiritual, and he did not want to upset his relatives.
The young man managed to get the opportunity of personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba. During this conversation, he sincerely told Sathya Sai Baba that he would like to spend many years as a hermit in the forest, practicing meditation, and he also wanted to receive a mystical vision of his beloved Goddess, Kali.
Sathya Sai Baba was always very attentive to such requests. Sometimes people, wanting to seem spiritual, pretended to speak out about their alleged desire for austerities.
Feeling the sincerity of the young man, Sathya Sai Baba touched his head sending him instantly into a trance, which lasted about an hour. However, in the sensation, several years passed, during which the young man went to the jungle and lived as a hermit in a distant ashram. At the end of this mystical experience, he was able to meet the Goddess Kali, herself.
Seeing the majestic Goddess, he shouted loudly and joyfully, which frightened the people sitting in the next room. The young man's cries were loud and continued for several minutes. The people sitting outside the doors of Sathya Sai Baba's room did not dare to enter the room, but they waited with tension for the denouement. Soon after, the door opened, and the young man came out of the room – his face was joyful, and his eyes shone with bliss.
At the end of this communication, Sathya Sai Baba brought the young man out of the trance and gave instructions that it was not necessary for him to go into the forest and become a hermit, instead he should practice meditation daily and work in his specialty of helping people around him, by his example.
I remember how this event was vividly discussed in the ashram. Many people wondered how Sathya Sai Baba was able to push the boundaries of time and space. Sathya Sai Baba also told this young man about his previous incarnations. Since this is a personal topic, I prefer to remain silent about it.
26. His eyes are like the ocean, plunging into them you can find eternity
Imagine this scenario for a moment. The Avatar is completely focused on you, He looks into your eyes, and you peer into the depths of his gaze. It is difficult to endure such an amazing, loving, and piercing look as it scans right through you leaving you with nowhere to hide. We all must independently discover the Truth about ourselves. The answer to the question about the nature of one's "Self" can only be found independently in meditation. Of course, direct communication with Sathya Sai Baba could in some sense replace many hours, or maybe many years of meditation practice.
Sathya Sai Baba was in perfect awareness of the True Self. Looking into his deep eyes was like seeing the purity of your own True Self. Sathya Sai Baba's eyes were like the ocean and plunging into them I found eternity. I remember the first time our eyes met, I could not bear more than one moment and so looked away as the feelings of omniscience and purity were so strong. I was simply not ready.
Gradually, I was able to look into his eyes longer and experience unspeakable joy. The feeling came over me as if something significant was happening, but what exactly, I could not fully understand or realize. Perhaps the best words to somehow describe these experiences are the indulgence of Divine Grace.
Sathya Sai Baba was attentive to every question with which people came to him. If a person came with a question related to healing from illness or a family drama, he would discuss these topics as carefully as he discussed questions related to philosophy and meditation.
Sathya Sai Baba was not at all like those gurus who consider questions of high philosophy worthy of discussion, while neglecting issues related to so-called mundane topics. Sathya Sai Baba perceived the whole life of each person. In love and compassion, he manifested himself as a universal loving mother, caring for every person.
After leaving their audience with Sathya Sai Baba, people would enter a special state of peace and bliss, sometimes for several hours. I remember after my own personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba, other followers immediately approached and implored me to share on the things that Sai Baba advised me, or to tell them the events of our direct communication.
I understood very well the desires of the people to learn as much as possible about our beloved Sathya Sai Baba while in informal communication with me. I tried to politely avoid talking to others for the first few days immediately after talking with him.
I preferred to retire to my own space and spend time comprehending, as far as was possible, everything that happened during our direct communication. Often, my usual form of comprehension disappeared – I had no words, and they were insufficient for conveying the depth of awareness and altered states of being. A few days later, I would gradually enter the normal rhythm of life, albeit knowing I was a different person; and by that, I mean, transformed. The old was gone, the new had arrived.
What does it mean to plunge into the depths of the ocean waters that Sathya Sai Baba spoke of? The ocean is a symbol of Absolute Consciousness. In the Avadhuta Gita, the sage Dattatreya speaks of the nature of Consciousness:
Only you can walk your own path in life, so the colossal blessings of Sathya Sai Baba do not cancel the practice of meditation. There is no need to shift the responsibility for everything that happens in life to Sathya Sai Baba and expect him to solve all your problems in a second, while you will lazily wait and do nothing. Alas, this does not happen. You can observe the beauty of the ocean as much as you like, but at some point, you need to have the courage to dive into the depths and find the treasure waiting for you.
27. Sathya Sai Baba saved the elder of the Himalayan tribe
The Himalayas is a very long mountain range located in the north of India, which runs from the eastern to the westernmost border of the country. In this vast territory there are several Indian provinces, one of which is called Assam. At some point in this part of the Himalayas clashes began between hill tribes and representatives of the government of India.
The country's leadership tried in every possible way to calm the raging tribes and fulfill all their demands. In order to calm the local population, the governmentbuilt schools and hospitals in this remote mountainous area and began to develop agriculture more actively. Despite all of these efforts, conflicts continued.
One of the elders of the tribe suddenly fell ill and became very weak, the main problem was the poor condition of his stomach. He could not eat, he constantly vomited, and he had relentless stomach cramps and pain. The government sent the elder to the best hospitals in Delhi and then Calcutta for treatment, but this did not help. Then some government officials decided to send him to Sathya Sai Baba and ask for healing. It was a truly unusual decision for government officials.
In the end, the representatives of the tribe brought their elder to the ashram. Sathya Sai Baba invited them for a private conversation. During the meeting, he materialized for them a plate with the image of the God of the Sun and the God of the Moon.
This was doubly miraculous, because the tribe was just about to build a temple to the Sun and Moon. Sathya Sai Baba sensed their desire, and before they themselves asked him about it, he presented the magical plate, which they subsequently would place at the base of the altar.
At the end of the meeting, Sathya Sai Baba materialized sacred ash for the sick elder and asked him to eat it immediately. After the audience ended, the entire delegation went to the dining room. The elder felt very hungry and decided to eat.
The escorts were worried because they assumed that due to stomach problems, he would instantly become ill and possibly even vomit. The elder ate a huge amount of food with gusto and felt great. He claimed to have received instant healing from Sathya Sai Baba's sacred ashes.
Everyone was happy to hear this wonderful news. The delegation returned to their native village and began to build their temple to the Sun and the Moon. They installed the sacred plate materialized by Sathya Sai Baba at the base of the altar and recalled with gratitude their communion with him and his blessings.
28. Suffering disappears
You, as an individual being, own nothing. Everything in this world came from the True Self. We again delve into the fact that the answer lies in the right awareness of the question: who is "I"? Sathya Sai Baba had a very high regard for the great mystic and philosopher of the twentieth century, whose name was Nisargadatta, who lived in Bombay. Most often, Nisargadatta preferred to speak about the truth without referring to authoritative sources, but sometimes he commented on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible.
The Bible is the story of the relationship between God and man. The Bhagavad Gita is also the story of the relationship between God and man. Most people read the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita from a human point of view. Nisargadatta gave his students unusual advice to try to read these sacred texts from God's point of view.
Almost everyone reads the Bible, identifying themselves with the person who communicates with God. But there is another option for reading the sacred text. Imagine that you are God and read the Bible from God's point of view.
In order to discover countless treasures, you need to seek and find, otherwise they will forever remain lost.
Awareness of one's "I" is the entrance to the spiritual path. You are in the process of self-exploration to the extent that you are on the spiritual path. Meditation, in essence, is not about acquiring something, but about letting go of that false sense of separateness of existence. Release from this false sense reveals a great treasure that has always been yours, even if you temporarily forgot about it.
29. Sathya Sai Baba resurrected a girl
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