Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book One

Being close enough to Sathya Sai Baba, at the moment of materialization, I experienced various sensations, for example, a sharp cold, and sometimes, on the contrary, a slight heat wave. Most often, Sathya Sai Baba materialized objects in his room, but sometimes it happened in the large temple in the presence of thousands of people.

16. Charms from the hands of the Avatar

All the objects that Sathya Sai Baba materialized can be summed up in one word – amulets. These were gold or silver rings, rosaries, amulets around the neck, bracelets, gold chains, earrings, and even watches. Each of these objects had its own symbolic meaning. Many people discussed the meaning of this or that object materialized by Sathya Sai Baba, but it was not always easy to understand their true meaning.

Sathya Sai Baba was born in 1926, and he left his body in 2011, but before that, in his last incarnation, he lived in the west of India in the city of Shirdi; then his name was Shirdi Sai Baba. The exact date of birth of Shirdi Sai Baba is not known, approximately it is 1834 or 1838. He completed his earthly journey in 1918.

Sathya Sai Baba quite often materialized silver rings with relief images of his past incarnation, Shirdi Sai Baba. There was a belief that those people who received a ring with the image of Shirdi Sai Baba as a gift lived with him in Shirdi, in the past incarnation.

In my opinion, the rosary played a special role among the objects materialized by Sathya Sai Baba. When a teacher gives a rosary in India, it means establishing a deep spiritual relationship with the student. The tradition of giving or blessing the rosary is also found in Buddhism, Sufism, Orthodox and Catholic Christianity. For example, if a Christian Elder gives or blesses a rosary, this means that a person becomes his spiritual child or student.

I know people for whom Sathya Sai Baba materialized rosaries from various materials. A rosary made from the sacred Rudraksha tree is mythologically associated with Lord Shiva. Such a rosary means, on the one hand, renunciation and asceticism, but at the same time it is a symbol of royal power and victory.

A rosary made of the sacred tree Tulasi is a symbol of Lord Krishna and means harmony of both the spiritual and material in human life. Tulasi beads are a blessing for a happy family life and prosperity. A rosary made of rock crystal carries the energy of the Goddess Saraswati, symbolizing knowledge and wisdom.

People used the rosary received from Sathya Sai Baba in different ways. Strictly speaking, with the help of a rosary, the number of repeated mantras or prayers is counted, but the rosary can also be worn around the neck to provide strong protection from negative influences and additional vitality.

17. Sathya Sai Baba knew exactly who and what would benefit from materializing

The question arises, why did Sathya Sai Baba materialize amulets for someone, but not for someone else? For example, Sathya Sai Baba did not materialize anything for me, but I can honestly say I never wanted him to. He certainly knew my thoughts well enough. From the first visit, I wanted to communicate more and more with him personally and he answered this inner request by giving me the opportunity to communicate directly with him, for which I am infinitely grateful to him.

Some visitors to the ashram believed that if Sathya Sai Baba materialized an object for someone, it meant he was a “chosen person.” At the same time, other visitors to the ashram assumed quite the opposite. If Sathya Sai Baba materialized amulets for someone, this allegedly meant this person was considered “less advanced.” I think both of these points of view are wrong.

When Sathya Sai Baba materialized amulets for someone, it was not connected with the fact that this person was “better” or “worse.” Sathya Sai Baba knew exactly who and what was useful at a given moment in life, and this was the criterion by which he decided who and what should be materialized as a talisman.

I know a few people for whom Sathya Sai Baba materialized a golden chain around their neck. This means the presence of good karma and great spiritual merit from a past life. Gold is not only an expensive metal, but a metal that carries the strongest divine energy. Wearing gold rings, amulets and chains is not only beautiful, but also symbolic, because gold symbolizes the highest spiritual light.

Sathya Sai Baba materialized golden rings with various stones, in particular with diamonds. Sometimes he materialized rings with one two-carat diamond, and sometimes with three half-carat diamonds. The diamond is a symbol of the clarity of human consciousness. It is a stone of power over one's thoughts and emotions, a symbol of mystery and hidden possibilities.

Interestingly, several times Sathya Sai Baba materialized Orthodox crosses. This manifested his universality. Sathya Sai Baba was born into a Hindu family, his parents were Hindus by religion, but he was outside of traditions and religions, so representatives of all faiths felt comfortable in his ashram.

18. With the help of materialized rings, Sathya Sai Baba changed people's lives

I know quite a lot of cases when people wore rings and chains materialized by Sathya Sai Baba perfectly all their lives, but there were cases when further metamorphoses took place with these objects. When a person got into difficult or even dangerous situations, then the ring or chain dematerialized, sometimes for an hour, and sometimes even for several days.

Later, when the dangerous situation for a person's life disappeared, the ring again appeared on the finger or the chain around the neck. When the ring disappeared from a person's hand, it appeared to Sathya Sai Baba, then he knew for sure that the person was in danger, and instantly directed his blessing energy so that the situation would end favorably.

There were cases when Sathya Sai Baba could change an old ring for a new one. It happened as follows: Sathya Sai Baba invited a person for an interview, took the old ring, blew on it three times, and it disappeared in front of everyone, and a new one instantly appeared in its place. For example, if it was silver, it could become gold, or it could change its shape. There were also cases when the rings changed their material over time right on the hand, turning from silver to gold, or from gold to silver.

For one man from Latvia, Sathya Sai Baba materialized a silver ring. Suddenly, the man began to notice that something strange was happening to the ring. Gold began to appear on it. Within two days the ring on his finger was transformed. The same ring was now completely gold. This incident happened in front of my eyes. At that time, the Latvian lived in the next room, and I was lucky to observe the whole process of the gradual transformation of the ring. A few years later I saw this man again, and the ring remained gold.

It was significant which finger Sathya Sai Baba put the ring on to this or that person. The energy value of each finger is a large and very complex science. In accordance with the Vedic tradition, each finger corresponds to the energy of one of the planets, and also carries the energy of a particular deity. When Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring, he consciously put it on a person's finger. On which finger he put the ring was of great importance, because with the cooperation of such combined meaning, he could change fate.

Once, there was an incident that prompted me to remember the importance of which finger Sathya Sai Baba put a ring on to this or that person. Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring for my friend and put it on his index finger. I was sitting next to him, watching everything that was happening. My friend, in high spirits, returned to his room, took off his ring, put it on the table, and went to take a shower. Coming out of the shower, he picked up the ring, and oh horror, he forgot which finger to put it on. What to do? He was saved by the fact that I remembered on which finger Sathya Sai Baba put the ring on him. My friend was very grateful to me, and since then I began to remember such details.

People came from interviews happy and in elevated emotional states. Sometimes they took off their rings for the night, and then they didn’t know which finger to put it back on; in such cases they turned to me, because I always remembered such details.

Sathya Sai Baba materialized rings of exactly the right size. And this is understandable, because when such a miracle worker as Sathya Sai Baba materializes a ring, then naturally, it is always the size of the finger of the person for whom it was intended.

19. The miraculous ring of Lord Shiva, which opened the door to the world of the Gods for my friend and almost drove him crazy

A young man came to the ashram whose name was Alexei. He was from Novosibirsk. Sathya Sai Baba often invited for an interview the group with which Alexei came and always talked with him for a long time. He once asked him, “what do you want? I will do anything for you."

In response, the boy replied, “Bhagavan, I want you to be with me at the time of my death and guide me on my posthumous journey.”

It was strange to hear these words from a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. This was said so sincerely that Sathya Sai Baba replied, “yes, well, when you die at a ripe old age, I will be invisibly present at the moment of your death and guide your soul to the world of eternal light.”

Even now, remembering this amazing conversation, I feel unspeakable grace. Once, Alexei asked Sathya Sai Baba, “I want you to materialize a ring for me, but such that no one has such a ring, only me. Let your portrait and symbols of Lord Shiva be on it.”

Sathya Sai Baba looked at him sternly and said, “you don't need such a ring. I have given you so much. Look, you communicate with me very often, I initiated you into the mantra of Lord Shiva, I often invite you to my place, answered all your questions, I even blessed you to go to the Himalayas!”

The young man insisted and continued to demand a special ring. Sathya Sai Baba shook his head and said, “well, if you insist, I will materialize for you the ring you want.”

Sathya Sai Baba made several circular movements with his right hand and a ring appeared. It really was quite unique. I had never seen such a ring in my life. The people who lived in the ashram at that time, when they saw it, were very surprised, because no one had seen such an unusual ring before. It was golden and the central part was in the form of a twelve-petaled lotus, in the center of which was a colored portrait of Sathya Sai Baba, and the ring itself was in the form of two golden tridents.

A few days after that, Alexei left for the Himalayas, and a few months later we met with him in Moscow. I immediately noticed he did not have a ring on his hand. At first it was awkward for me to ask, but I eventually asked him where the ring was. He sighed heavily and told me the history of the ring.

Leaving Puttaparthi, Alexei went to the Himalayas. Gradually, he noticed a strong energy emanating from the ring, which introduced him into deep trance states. While in these states, he felt as if a bright light was lit up in his forehead, and he began to receive visions of various Gods, which were visible as if in reality. At first, he was not sure if it was because of the ring, and so Alexei took off the ring, put it next to him, or put it in his bag. When he did this, he noticed that only then did the mystical experiences stop.

At first, he liked the mystical experiences because they aroused delight and curiosity. Then he began to feel that his brain simply could not withstand the powerful energy and intensity of them. Sometimes, he felt as if his head was ready to break into small pieces from such divine vibrations and wonderful visions. He could not sleep, could not communicate normally with people, and he moved with difficulty. It was only after he removed the ring and put it next to him that the mystical state instantly left, and he returned to ordinary human consciousness.

Over time, the wonderful ring became more and more active, and it did not matter whether he put it in a bag or on a shelf, it continued to energetically influence his consciousness. Walking the streets, Alexei saw the worlds of the Gods everywhere, and when he went to bed, the visions became even more intense.

After some time, Alexei arrived in Moscow near the end of December. December 25 was approaching, which is the Catholic Christmas. Somehow, he ended up in the Catholic Cathedral of Moscow, which is located near the Krasnopresnenskaya and Barrikadnaya metro stations. Alexei entered the church, with its solemn atmosphere and brightly lit and decorated altar. In front of him stood a large Christmas tree.

Suddenly, Alexei realized the only way to stay sane was to give up the ring and symbolically give it back to God. He took the ring off his finger, went up to the tree, put the ring on a branch, bowed to the ground, thanked God for everything, and quickly left the church. Alexei did not know the further history of this amazing ring. After that, he returned to normal and was happy to live on without the wonderful ring.

20. Sathya Sai Baba told me my name

Sathya Sai Baba was absolutely clairvoyant. He knew all the thoughts of the people before they had time to say anything. However, during personal interactions, Sathya Sai Baba sometimes asked questions from those present. What question could Sathya Sai Baba ask and why? In my opinion, the questions that he asked were aimed, first of all, at pushing and directing a person to reflection. These were questions he did not require an answer to. His questions helped people to think deeply about the essence of their lives. Once Sathya Sai Baba asked me a question. He said, “what is your name?” I answered that my name is Svyatoslav (Dubyanskiy). Then he said, “yes, that is the correct answer. Your name is Svyatoslav (Dubyanskiy).”

At that moment, I thought that he asked me this question in order to get to know me, because this was my first personal contact with him. Subsequently, I realized the significance of this question was that I did not need to receive a so-called "spiritual name."

During the following years, I visited several Indian and Tibetan yogis and received empowerments and initiations into various meditation techniques and mantras. During my travels in India, various esoteric schools tried to give me a "spiritual name" three times. The first time it happened at the Tantric Ashram in the very south of India, the second time at the Tibetan Nyingma School, and the third time at the Kriya Yoga Ashram in the Himalayas. Every time they tried to give me a “spiritual name,” I remembered the words of Sathya Sai Baba and felt I was not at all comfortable changing my real name. This does not mean that Sai Baba was against "spiritual names." I know several cases when he himself gave "spiritual names."

Giving "spiritual names" is an ancient and very deep tradition. By accepting a new name, a person changes his destiny and reveals new qualities in himself. For some, the adoption of a "spiritual name" is very beneficial, but it is not for everyone.

21. God is the Creator; therefore, it is in creativity that a person is likened to God

One day Sathya Sai Baba asked me, “what are you doing?” It seemed to be a very simple and elementary question. When I heard it, I immediately felt he was asking me about something very important, about the essence of my life. Asking this question, he stared straight into my eyes, inside me his soft voice echoed once again, what are you doing?

At that time, I traveled a lot in India and studied various systems of Indian and Tibetan yoga. Gathering my courage, I replied, “I practice yoga.” There was a pause, Sathya Sai Baba smiled slightly and said, “never tell me that you practice yoga, because you don’t even know what it is! Yoga is an endless journey!” After a pause, he added, "next time, never answer me like that." His voice was calm, but very stern.

I felt a light sweat break through me, instinctively I looked at my watch and thought that our conversation would soon end for my salvation. The question was so energetically strong that it penetrated the very depths of my inner world. And really, what do I do in this life? What is my main business in life? After this conversation, I soon went home to Moscow.

Six months later I returned to Puttaparthi and Sathya Sai Baba again invited me for an interview. In less than a few minutes, he turned to me and carefully and intently looked into my eyes. It's hard to say why, but inside me there was a feeling that he would ask “the same” question again. In an instant, I experienced horror from the fact that six months had passed, and I was still not able to understand the business of my life.

Sathya Sai Baba smiled a little before I heard his soft and melodious voice quietly ask me, “what are you doing?” In an instant, I realized that despite the fact that so much time had passed, I had not advanced a millimeter in understanding what exactly I was doing in life. There was a terrifying pause for me, I realized that the longer I was silent, the closer I was to fainting. Gathering all my strength, I whispered, "I don't know… I don't know what I'm doing in this life." Sai Baba looked directly into my eyes, and I felt infinity shining from the depth of his.

A couple of months passed, I left for Moscow, and soon returned to Puttaparthi. Suddenly, I caught myself thinking that during personal communication, Sathya Sai Baba would surely ask me “this” question again. I understood that until I gave myself a clear answer, Sai Baba would not fall behind. There was a feeling of a student who did not learn his homework.

All the people around me dreamed of an interview, it was ridiculous for me to admit to myself that I would have gladly refused. Yes, it sounds silly now, but I didn't even come to the morning programs on purpose a couple of times, in the hope that Sathya Sai Baba would invite my group, and I would miss the meeting. But what needs to happen always happens. The day came when Sathya Sai Baba invited me for an interview as part of a small group.

Before entering his room, we had to sit in front of the door for several minutes, waiting for him to complete his communication with some minister who had come from Delhi. Finally, we were invited into the room. Tension built inside me from anticipation of the denouement. Sathya Sai Baba turned to me and, as if not noticing my excitement, asked, “what are you doing?”

I did not have a pre-prepared answer, so I spontaneously answered, "I am an artist, I paint pictures."

Sathya Sai Baba smiled and said, "yes, that is the correct answer."

At that moment, my soul filled with a joyful sense of accomplishment. The creative energy of God is manifested in everything. Everything that a person does is creativity: Science and art, literature and pedagogy, finance and politics, sports and journalism. Since God is the Creator, a person reveals his divine potential precisely with the help of creativity.

Unfortunately, many people perceive the spiritual path in a rather narrow way – fasting and praying, living in the Himalayas, and studying philosophical texts. In fact, the spiritual path is the fullness of human life. Communicating with Sathya Sai Baba, I began to understand that the spiritual path is absolutely everything that happens to me, my every thought, my every word, my every action.

22. "Formulate your goal!"

One of the questions that Sathya Sai Baba sometimes asked during personal communication was, “what do you want?” Sometimes he would say, "state your goal!" The question itself contains a great spiritual message and food for thought. Hearing such a question, people were immersed in long reflections. His resonant voice remained in my memory asking the question to which the answer determined the further circumstances of life and opened up new horizons in a person.

Sathya Sai Baba was a clairvoyant, and, naturally, many had a desire to find out from him the answers to the pressing questions of life. Many wanted to consult with him about what to do and how to act in various life situations. But Sathya Sai Baba never allowed himself to impose on a person what to do in life and did not offer ready-made answers.

We are accustomed to shifting the responsibility for what is happening in life to someone else. Sathya Sai Baba never deprived people of the right to free choice, on the contrary, he inspired them to make independent decisions. Each person himself must come to an understanding of where he aspires to be and what he does in life.

23. Sathya Sai Baba always spoke personally, taking into account the needs and level of consciousness of the listener

I remember once Sathya Sai Baba was asked what spiritual practice he would recommend. To this, he advised me to repeat the mantras in Sanskrit. He said that Sanskrit is the divine language in which the Vedas are written. Sanskrit is a language with a special healing vibration that purifies both the inner world of a person and the surrounding space. He said that people belonging to different nationalities and religions can chant mantras in Sanskrit. I recall with great inspiration this beautiful answer of Sathya Sai Baba about the greatness of Sanskrit, for I have experienced the power of mantras many times in my life.

It didn't take long, maybe a week, and I came in for an interview with another band where a very related question was asked about the benefits of mantra practice. Sathya Sai Baba laughed merrily and playfully, and then suddenly announced that he did not like Sanskrit at all, and did not like people who chant mantras, for the reason that it develops pride. He said that those who chant Sanskrit mantras mistakenly think they are becoming more spiritual and getting closer to God. Listening to these words, I could not believe my ears.

Just a week ago, he spoke completely different! How was this possible? Further, Sathya Sai Baba said that in the national culture of each of those present, there are traditional prayers that sound in their native language. At that interview there were people of different nationalities and religions: Russians, Tatars, Americans, and Indians. He recommended to each of those present not to think about Sanskrit, but to communicate with God in their own language.

I had the unique opportunity of frequent communication with Sathya Sai Baba, which allowed me to observe and compare. At times, his words seemed contradictory, but in fact they were always fully in line with the needs of the person in front of him at that moment.

What he said in one meeting could be the exact opposite of what he said in another. My first reaction was great surprise and even shock, but then I realized the full depth of his individual approach to absolutely every person.

There were a lot of people around Sathya Sai Baba, hundreds of thousands and even millions. One of the most important miracles of Sathya Sai Baba was that, despite the large number of people around him, he had a unique ability to provide a personal and individual approach to each person. That is why all his recommendations and advice were deeply personal.

What might be useful to one person might not be acceptable to another. It is very difficult to quote Sathya Sai Baba because he always spoke to the personal needs of a person and took into account the level of consciousness of each listener.

24. Oh my God! How to understand Sathya Sai Baba?

I was present at an interview when several people asked Sathya Sai Baba to instruct them in the practice of meditation. Sathya Sai Baba often gave instructions on the practices of Kriya Yoga without mentioning that it was Kriya Yoga. He sometimes taught yoga breathing exercises that improved health and harmonized the internal state, relieved stress, and gave more energy for an active and productive life.

In the interview, Sathya Sai Baba said that if you practice yoga breathing techniques, your health will improve, your emotional state will level out, you can feel a surge of energy and discover additional intellectual abilities. Sathya Sai Baba not only spoke about the benefits of yoga breathing practices, but also personally demonstrated how to perform these exercises correctly. I was happy to hear such detailed explanations of the basic techniques of Kriya Yoga, because at that time I practiced such exercises a lot.