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

When Sathya Sai Baba left his house, a huge number of birds intuitively flocked to see him. When Sathya Sai Baba moved from one part of the ashram to another, the birds also flew after him. I observed this phenomenon many times. It was interesting to see how not only the people felt the presence of Sathya Sai Baba and tried to be as close to him as possible, but also the creatures.

42. Gratitude is completion

Everything in this world was created by God. If everything came from God, what can you offer him? The only thing you can offer to God is your love, that is the only thing he expects from you.

(Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Gita Chapter 1)

In one of his personal meetings, Sathya Sai Baba said that because of love, the True Self was divided into an infinite number of individual beings. All beings living in this world have arisen from love and in love they pass the way of spiritual evolution. To see and realize this is to see what is. Love is the only thing the soul can offer to God; it is the only true and eternal gift from God to man and from man to God.

Everything is Absolute Consciousness; everything is God. Every human being has a divine desire to know the Absolute Truth. Truth can be sought at different levels through the methods of religion, science, and art. The highest level of the search for Truth is self-exploration and self-knowledge.

Quite a lot of people confuse love with lust, instincts, attachment and even greed. Genuine love is pure and altruistic; in true love, one feels unity. One who is in the vibration of love naturally loves himself and everyone around him. A person who is in the flow of love looks into the eyes of another person and sees his True Self there.

Divine love is always shown along with gratitude. Gratitude is a great power. When you are grateful for something, it is already happening. Gratitude is completion. If you feel perfect gratitude for the events of the past, then this means you have gone through all the lessons that life has set for you. If you do not feel sincere gratitude for the events of the past, then this means that the lessons have not yet been completed.

Be thankful that you are who you already are, for you were perfect from the start. Be grateful for your life, for it is glorious and exciting. Thank God for perfect health and longevity, for the happiness of the family hearth, the wise heritage of the ancestors and the well-being of the descendants, for the enjoyment of material abundance and for the joy of free creativity in business, science, and art. If you are sincerely grateful for your happy life, all of this will happen; for what you are truly grateful for manifests itself at a rapid pace.

There is a famous American devotee of Sathya Sai Baba whose name is John, but people call him "John – thank you Sai" because he repeats only one prayer, no matter what happens to him, he prays: "thank you Sai, thank you Sai, thank you Sai.” He has had difficulties and trials in his life, like everyone else, but he always repeated his “thank you Sai” prayer.

By repeating this simple prayer, John transformed his life and helped to transform the lives of many who came to know about him. Sometimes John met with groups and talked about his life. He taught and transformed people by his example.

I started writing this book while living in Sathya Sai Baba's ashram, and it was great to meet John there, again. We joyfully recalled the past years when Sathya Sai Baba was among us, and we could enjoy daily communication with him.

Be grateful for everything that happens because there are lessons you need to learn in order to rise to higher levels of awareness. Give thanks for the unity of all that exists, and for the fact that everything in your life happens in Divine Grace. God is a mirror that reflects your thoughts and feelings, even those most secret, so let love and gratitude reign in the secret spaces of your heart.

Only those who have love can give love. A person who loves himself is able to give love to all people around and to present love to God. As soon as you love yourself, all the people around you will also love you because your vibrations will awaken only love in those around you.

When you arrive in love and happiness, all the people around you will experience happiness because you will shine with the energy of happiness. If you are in a state of peace and harmony, then all the people around, communicating with you, will feel peace and harmony.

43. Sathya Sai Baba stopped the Flood

The Chitravathi River flows near the ashram, and most of the time it is full flowing with a fast current of abundant water, but sometimes it can completely dry up for several years. During the whole life of Sathya Sai Baba, the river was full flowing, and toward the end of his life, the water began to leave. In the last years of Sathya Sai Baba's life, the river dried up completely.

Some took this as a sign that Sathya Sai Baba would soon leave this world, but most did not want to think about this sad topic and assumed the river dried up simply because there had been too little rain for too long.

The story we are going to remember now took place when Sathya Sai Baba was very young. That year, the Chitravathi River was so full of water that it flooded the surrounding fields. There was so much water that it began to approach the house where Sathya Sai Baba lived at that time. This place is called "old mandir", which means "old temple".

As a result of the flood, the "old mandir" turned into a small island around which the water raged. The devotees were afraid that the water would soon flood the premises. Some had already packed their things preparing to wade out of the village, while others were going to climb large trees and wait out the flood there. The situation gradually escalated, and of course, panic grew. The most devoted remained calm and waited for Sathya Sai Baba's instructions.

At the moment when the water came very close to the main entrance of the building, Sathya Sai Baba calmly left his room and, to everyone's surprise, spoke to the element of water, as if to a living being. He told the Chitravathi River that it was enough to flood the surrounding fields and villages.

He ordered the waters of the flooded river to return to its usual course. At the same moment, the water quickly began to decrease and soon returned to its normal flow. This shocked all the locals. That same day, they thanked Sathya Sai Baba for saving the village from the big flood.

Sathya Sai Baba is a great teacher who reincarnates in different eras – some of his incarnations are world famous and some are secret. His mission is to help unleash the potential of every person. Happiness and self-realization of people is the purpose of his embodiment. Sathya Sai Baba performed miracles throughout his life and poured out mercy and blessings on people as if from a cornucopia. Each person is the God of his own cosmos. If you are able to think about changing the events and circumstances of your life, then it is possible to achieve it.

A huge number of people live on this wonderful planet, but everyone lives in their own reality. The reality of one person is the joy of creativity, happiness, and abundance, while the reality of another is continuous problems, suffering and internal conflicts.

The realities of life are shaped by the thoughts and emotions that dominate your mind. A harmoniously and correctly thinking person builds his universe brick by brick as a space of happiness, joy, health, love, wisdom, and self-realization. According to the harmonious vibration of your thoughts and emotions, the divine reality of your life is manifested.

44. Devoted Heart

There is a wonderful story, one man turned to God and asked him to publish his address. God answered when someone chants His holy names, God lives in the heart of such a person. Even the highest heavens are only branches, but the heart of a devoted person is the main place where God permanently dwells.

(Sathya Sai Baba – “Lectures at Kodaikanal”, 1996)

Of course, everyone who comes to the ashram really wants to have the opportunity of personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba. But only Sathya Sai Baba himself made the decision to invite or not to invite someone to a personal conversation. There was one way by which one could influence Sathya Sai Baba's decision and get the opportunity for personal communication, which was by chanting the ancient mantra, Gayatri. The essence of any mantra is the Holy Names of God; it is they who bring colossal power to any mantra.

By chanting the Holy Names, a person awakens the presence of God in his heart, which is why Sathya Sai Baba said that even heaven is just a branch, but the true seat of Divinity is the spiritual heart of a person. The Gayatri Mantra has a special place in the Vedic tradition. People who practiced the Gayatri Mantra established a deep mystical connection with Sathya Sai Baba and would attract his attention and receive many blessings.

All mantras are divine. Sincerely practicing any one of them will help you to gain high spiritual experiences and perfection, however, Sathya Sai Baba said that it is the Gayatri Mantra that includes the wisdom and energy power of all Vedic scriptures.

One who constantly practices the Gayatri Mantra receives the fulfillment of all good desires and the destruction of all evil inclinations. The one who chants the Gayatri Mantra receives the blessing equal to the chanting of all Vedic texts, such is the power of this mantra. Each mantra contains the names of God, which is the power of any mantra.

It is very important to not only pronounce the text of the mantra correctly, but also to deeply understand the content. While repeating Gayatri, one should reflect on the amazing philosophical significance of the teachings set forth in this great mantra. The Gayatri Mantra reveals the divine potentials dormant in every person, provides healing from diseases, increases intellectual abilities, and changes the circumstances of life.

45. Eye of wisdom – perception of unity

The "eye of wisdom" is very important for every person. It is also called the "eye of the true Self," the "divine eye," and the "eye of the Divine Consciousness." All these names are synonyms. By opening the "eye of wisdom," you realize that everything is divine, and you will be able to perceive the entire universe in the spirit of unity.

(Sathya Sai Baba – "Summer Showers of Brindavan", 1990)

Physically, a person has two eyes, but in fact, every person has a third eye. By the way, the third eye is also manifested quite physically. In the center of the brain there are several points of tremendous mystical and spiritual significance: the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, the thalamus, the pineal gland, and the medulla oblongata. All these points play an important role in the process of meditation and clairvoyance.

With three eyes you contemplate three times: future, present and past. The third eye is located at the place where the flows of the three sacred rivers join – this is how the ancient texts explain the three main energy channels of the spine, which join in the third eye.

One of the ancient symbols denoting the third eye, or the eye of wisdom is the All-Seeing Eye. Lord Shiva is depicted with the third eye. All these symbols show the importance of meditation on the eye of wisdom. The symbol of Shiva is also a five-pointed star, meaning “a perfect person” who has gained true awareness of the True Self.

The three eyes correspond to the three levels of initiation in the ancient mysteries. A person walking on the spiritual ladder goes through three initiations. Climbing up three steps, the pilgrim enters the temple where secret knowledge is revealed to him.

A person who opens the eye of wisdom perceives everything in unity. In the life of such a person, the reunion of Spirit and Matter takes place and unites the single stream of spiritual self-knowledge with material abundance. Spiritual evolution takes place on all planes of human existence. Spirit self-realizes in matter, and matter comes to life in Spirit.

46. What needs to be done now, needs to be done only now

Here is an anecdote about knowing when to act. A person came to the ashram who had many problems in life; and who does not? He lived in the ashram for about a month, but Sathya Sai Baba did not invite him to a personal conversation. After some time, Sathya Sai Baba invited him to an audience. Entering the room, the man resentfully told Sathya Sai Baba he had been waiting for this meeting for more than a month because he had many questions and requests for help. Sathya Sai Baba was stunned, and calling him by name, said that he had been waiting for him for many years.

It seemed to all of us that it was effortless to come to Sathya Sai Baba – we bought a ticket and flew to India. What could be easier? In fact, only those who were personally invited by Sathya Sai Baba on a subtle mystical level came to his ashram. It is difficult to understand with the mind how he could invite everyone, because tens of millions of people came to him. Sathya Sai Baba is the omnipresent Spirit for whom nothing is impossible.

There were times when people learned about Sathya Sai Baba and felt in the depths of their hearts that for some reason they had to meet this unusual mystic from distant India. Some, feeling the call, instantly packed up and drove while others found many excuses as to why it was impossible to do it now, preferring to postpone the trip.

What needs to be done now, needs to be done only now. When the doors of space are open and you get a chance, you need to use it because fate can change and tomorrow it will be impossible to do what seems easy today.

Everyone must come to an understanding of where he aspires to be and what he does in life. 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!” Hearing the soft voice of Sathya Sai Baba, people were immersed in long reflections. Sathya Sai Baba was omnipresent and clairvoyant. Naturally, people had a desire to find the answers to their many questions from him and to consult him about how to act in various situations.

People are accustomed to shifting the responsibility for what is happening in life to someone else, and Sathya Sai Baba was the ideal candidate whom to shift the responsibility to when making an important decision. Sathya Sai Baba never dictated what to do in life or offered ready-made answers. He did not deprive people of the right to free choice; on the contrary, he inspired them to make independent decisions. Each person must come to an understanding of where he aspires to be and what he does in life.

47. To understand your purpose

A person performs an action, and he has the right to possess the results of his action. Nobody can deny it. It is important to free yourself from attachment to the fruits of your labors, successful or unsuccessful. The Vedic texts say that one should act, but not identify with the fruits of one's actions. It is not right to emotionally depend on the successful or unsuccessful results of one's actions, but it is also wrong to refuse to work. You need to do what needs to be done, understanding that at the right time the result will come, but you do not need to be attached to the result, then your actions will be perfect.

(Sathya Sai Baba – Gita Vahini, Chapter 5)

Sathya Sai Baba often said that the ideal example of a harmonious life for modern man is the ancient Indian emperor, Janaka. Since ancient times, there has been a wonderful tradition in India, according to which the rulers also received spiritual education.

Of course, one can receive a formal religious and philosophical education, but at the same time there is little interest in deep spiritual searches. Janaka was a true spiritual seeker. For many years he seriously studied philosophical texts and invited mystics and yogis to his palace in order to receive instructions on meditation practices.

Spiritual self-knowledge and meditation practices in no way conflict with a happy and successful social life. In ancient civilizations, it could not have occurred to anyone to share the path of divine knowledge of one's soul and material well-being. The question is not to avoid being active in society, but to correctly perceive the work that you are doing.

It is very important to realize your purpose in life and strive to fully embody it. Happiness and satisfaction largely arise when a person realizes his destiny along with the tasks of the current incarnation.

For some people it is clearly understood what exactly their business in life is, yet for others it can be quite difficult to understand. In order to understand your destiny, you must discard all the artificial restrictions that exist in your mind. Forget about all the seeming limitations and multiple conditionings imposed by the environment.

Imagine you have no financial restrictions, and you have a lot of free time along with all the other possibilities. How would you live your life? What would you do? Feel what brings you joy and happiness.

Meditation and contemplation of the True Self most fully reveals the answers to all questions of life. The more clearly you feel the eternal essence of your "I", the more clearly you realize what exactly your purpose in life is. But it is not enough to understand what your soul wants. It is just as important to organize your life in such a way that all circumstances develop so that you can realize your plans.

It is important to act without attachment to the result, although no one says that the result should not rightfully belong to you. You may own ideas, useful information, a firm or company, products, and much more. Yes, it's all yours, but once you are free from attachment, you can turn your business into a process of meditation.

You came into this world empty-handed, and you will leave this world also empty-handed. The only thing that will always be yours is the richest, spiritual experience accumulated in the process of life.

Jesus talked about building up treasures in heaven. Heaven is a symbol of the soul, and treasures are a spiritual experience. These treasures are always yours and no one can take them away or steal them from you; moreover, the more you share these treasures, i.e., your spiritual experience, the more enriched you are. Conversely, material treasures are subject, according to Jesus, to impermanence, corruption, and thieves.

Let's be clear once again, Sathya Sai Baba, Krishna and Jesus did not say that nothing should be done or everything should be divided equally in a communistic way, no, and again no. Everything that is rightfully yours should be yours, but without attachment. Only then can you fully fulfill your spiritual task in life and be happy under any circumstances.

Let's go back to one of the examples that Sathya Sai Baba often pointed out – the life of Emperor Janaka. Emperor Janaka lived five or six thousand years before the new era. He was a sage and an enlightened yogi who studied philosophy and practiced meditation. He was an enlightened emperor.

Janaka was a physically strong and healthy man, and he was happy in his family life. He justly ruled his city and participated in battles. He was fabulously rich, lived in the palace and his robes were decorated with precious stones. At the same time, Janaka was the greatest mystic and philosopher of ancient India. Emperor Janaka, using the example of his life, showed the path of integral development of the personality.

In the inner world of every person there is a hierarchy of positive images. Much is said about this in modern esotericism and psychology, but in fact it was already well known in the ancient Vedic tradition.

Sometimes it is difficult to understand why in life something works, and yet, something else does not. Of course, there are many reasons for success and failure, but an important factor in the outcome is the quality of the positive images invisibly present in the depths of your consciousness.

Positive images can be real people you know personally: relatives, friends, teachers, and they can be historical figures: saints, national heroes, political leaders, great scientists, and artists. A positive image builds the circumstances of life and determines the direction of your energy.

You unconsciously begin to imitate those positive images and begin to build the circumstances of life. It is important to consciously build positive images because it is the positive images that subsequently direct the circumstances of your life in an upward trajectory.

The positive image of Emperor Janaka shown in Indian history reveals that a person who practices meditation and reflects on the eternal issues of being can at the same time be harmonious and successful in their material life. Emperor Janaka is an excellent example of the unity of Spirit and Matter.

A yogi is not one who avoids family life and is afraid to touch money, naively assuming to achieve holiness by denying material existence. A true yogi is one who has gained self-realization: he is in harmony with himself and everyone around him, and lives life joyfully and happily in the awareness of absolute unity.

48. Sathya Sai Baba blessings manifest on all levels of human existence

Sathya Sai Baba is the greatest miracle worker. He often organized large Vedic ceremonies in his ashram, despite the fact that he himself was not a follower of any one of the world religions; nevertheless, he still paid great attention to the development of the Vedic tradition. During such programs, a large number of clergymen would come, as well as many devotees. The program always lasted for several days. Vedic Mantras were repeated from morning to evening along with worship.

On one occasion, after the clergy performed the final part of the ceremony, and with only a couple of hours remaining before completion of program, black thunderclouds began to fill the sky and it began to pour. Thunder clapped, nearby, as bright lightning flashed. Everyone present began to worry because the completion of the ritual would be disrupted due to the change of weather. At that time, the main temple had not yet been built so the entire program took place in the open air.

Sathya Sai Baba calmly looked at the sky and said there was no need to worry, as it would not rain. He carefully looked toward the black clouds, closed his eyes for a moment and raised his hand as a sign of blessing. Instantly, the clouds disappeared, and the sun shone.

The strength of Sathya Sai Baba’s energy was so great that people, driving up to the ashram, already forty kilometers away began to feel a special energy. He was not just a philosopher who commented on sacred and philosophical texts. Sathya Sai Baba possessed tremendous superhuman strength, which he manifested for the benefit of all people.

The energy power of Sathya Sai Baba is enormous. He was able to help tens of millions of people in such a way that every single person felt a personal, spiritual connection with him. He transformed all levels of human existence.

Sathya Sai Baba's blessings manifested in all aspects of human life, from finding a happy family life, building successful business projects, healing from serious illnesses, strengthening excellent health to having protection in dangerous situations. Most importantly, his blessings helped people realize their purpose in life and actualize their dormant talents.

49. Space of spiritual evolution

Spirituality does not mean the life of a hermit, on the contrary, true spirituality involves active participation in the life of human society. Spirituality is to sow the seeds of divine love in the hearts of all people, to work so that all of humanity flourishes and develops in harmony and peace.

(Sathya Sai Baba – "Summer Showers of Brindavan", 1990)

Yes, it is a very common misconception that a spiritual person should be a hermit and an ascetic. For centuries, official religion has reduced the spiritual path to mere external renunciation, or worse, imitation of renunciation. The spiritual path is "subtler than the subtle," it consists in contemplating and realizing the identity of one's Self and God.