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

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:

“I Am” Absolute Consciousness, for me there are no enemies and friends, how can “I” speak of something as good or bad? My Divine Consciousness is devoid of expansion and contraction, fullness and emptiness, it is beyond existence and non-existence. There are no prescriptions and rules for me, the Self is beyond conditioning, how can "I" describe the nature of my Absolute Consciousness, it is beyond the mind.”

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

In fact, no one and nothing belongs to you. As soon as you are freed from the false sense of ownership, you are freed from attachments, and at the same moment suffering disappears.

(Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Gita Chapter 12)

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

This is another miracle story about such amazing events that took place at the end of the ‘50s, of which I learned about from Mr. Subba Rao. Subsequently, this story became so famous that it is written in many books about Sathya Sai Baba.

Mr. Venkataram and his family, after a happy journey to Sathya Sai Baba's ashram, were driving their car home to Bangalore. Suddenly, something terrible happened. The little daughter of Venkataram lost consciousness. She had a strange seizure and her breathing stopped. The family reached the nearest village in the hope of finding at least some kind of doctor.

As they left their car in search of help, an old man, who looked like an ordinary peasant, appeared next to them. He calmly approached them and carefully took the child in his arms. Instantly, from his touch, the girl began to breathe and cry, which made her parents very happy. They were relieved to see their beloved daughter revived, fearing she was already dead.

Mr. Venkataram, the girl's father, was overjoyed and as a token of gratitude, immediately offered a large sum of money to the unknown old man. The old man politely refused. Venkataram did not know how to thank the stranger and decided to at least ask for his name, to which he replied, Jyoti Adipali Somappa.

A little later, Sathya Sai Baba talked of this incident to his closest assistant, Kasturi. In particular, Sathya Sai Baba told him how he appeared in this village in the form of an old villager. He also said to the astonished Kasturi that he took the dead girl in his arms and resurrected her, further explaining he appeared in the village with a changed appearance so that people would not recognize him, but think he was some unfamiliar old man.

Kasturi inquired about the strange name Sathya Sai Baba introduced himself with: Jyoti Adipali Somappa. Sathya Sai Baba replied that it was a very ancient name with a deep meaning. It means the sacred mountain Kailash, as well as Lord Shiva and his wife Goddess Parvati, who live on the very top of this sacred mountain.

Any male deity of the Vedic tradition symbolizes one or another aspect of the divine consciousness. Shiva is not some kind of deity living in heaven, but a symbol of absolute consciousness. Any female deity of the Vedic tradition symbolizes one, or another, aspect of cosmic energy. Goddess Parvati, wife of Shiva, is "Mother Nature." Sathya Sai Baba exercised both powers of the absolute consciousness of Shiva and the entire cosmic energy of the "mother of nature."

Almost all the miracles of Sathya Sai Baba are amazing in their transcendence. If I didn't know him personally, it's hard to say, but maybe it would be difficult for me to believe in the possibility of such events. We are all accustomed to the manifestation of miraculous power as demonstrated by the Saints of different religions, but what Sathya Sai Baba did was beyond the capabilities of ordinary Saints. He not only solved people's problems and protected them from mortal danger, but his actions always had the deepest meaning, of which you could ruminate on forever.

30. So-Ham Meditation

When you inhale, the breath itself produces the sound "So", and when you exhale it produces the sound "Ham". Together, it sounds like "So-Ham", which means "I am God." You are constantly breathing, your very breathing naturally repeats “So-Ham”, “So-Ham”, “I am God, “I am God.”

(Sathya Sai Baba – "Dasara", 1998)

So-Ham is one of the most important practices of Kriya Yoga. Sathya Sai Baba often spoke about So-Ham meditation. At various times, he advised his devotees on various types of meditation techniques, but he recommended meditation "So-Ham" as the most ancient and effective technique leading to a high spiritual experience and a significant increase in human energy.

The first sound "So" means Absolute Consciousness. The second sound "Ham" means individual consciousness. There is another translation of this Mantra. The sound "So" means "the father principle of the universe." The sound "Ham" is the "mother principle of the universe." This is a very short and simple Mantra containing the entirety of the universe.

This technique is performed as follows: the sound “So” is mentally pronounced on the inhale, and the sound “Ham” is mentally pronounced on the exhale. During the execution of this technique, it is necessary to be aware of the process of your breathing, mentally pronouncing “So” on each inhalation and “Ham” on each exhalation.

The nature and speed of breathing is related to your emotional state. A person who is in a state of harmony and peace breathes slowly. A calm state of mind is manifested in calm breathing. Those who are under stress breathe quickly and deeply. A restless state of mind is manifested in restless breathing. Emotional states affect breathing. It is logical to argue that a conscious change in breathing affects the flow of thoughts and emotional states.

In a normal situation, the flow of thoughts forms the character of the breath, and during the practice of meditation, conscious breathing forms a harmonious flow of thoughts. You build your life with your thoughts, so you need to understand that it is breathing that is an important tool in harmonizing thoughts, which means harmonizing life in general.

It is very difficult to influence the flow of thoughts directly, but it is quite easy to change the breath. Many people wonder how they can calm their anxious thoughts. Breathing is a powerful key to influencing the nature of your thoughts, this is important because it is thought forms that form all the circumstances of life.

The movement of vital energy in the body is also associated with breathing. Life energy in Sanskrit is Prana. The harmonious movement of vital energy is also associated with the nature of breathing. In order to harmonize the flows of vital energy, it is necessary to consciously work with breathing.

Perfect meditation begins with mindful breathing. Conscious breathing is a method that can positively influence health promotion, inner peace and emotional stability, release from fears, stress, and depressive states. All of this can be achieved with the “So-Ham” meditation. Conscious breathing allows you to awaken and redirect vital energy.

Sathya Sai Baba said that awareness of breathing and understanding of the original divinity of your soul is important, but what words you pronounce is not so important. Instead of the mantra "So-Ham", you can mentally say, "I am God." Inhale as you say, "I" and as you exhale mentally say, "God".

The universe is the dream of God. By practicing the So-Ham meditation, you come to realize the truth – God is within you – and, at this higher level, you begin to understand the unity of "I" and God. Sathya Sai Baba is a divine incarnation in the perfect state of the True Self, which is why everything was possible for him, because the True Self is the original source of everything.

The practice of "So-Ham" leads to the realization that "I and My Heavenly Father are one." Realizing this truth, you begin to perceive everything that happens as your dream, and it depends only on you whether it is a happy one.

31. Sathya Sai Baba rescued a cobra that was run over by a car

Here is another story that shows the extent of Sathya Sai Baba’s love for all, both human and creature. One day Sathya Sai Baba was returning by car to his ashram from a nearby town. Suddenly, a cobra crawled onto the road. The driver looked at Sathya Sai Baba in the back seat. He seemed to be deep in thought, sitting with his eyes closed, and so the driver decided not to stop and take care of the cobra so as not to disturb him.

The car quickly flew along the road, and an hour later they reached the ashram, stopping in front of the main temple. When Sathya Sai Baba got out of the car, everyone present noticed his clothes were covered in dirt. Having mustered up the courage, someone asked how this happened because when he got into the car, his clothes were completely clean. Sathya Sai Baba smiled and explained that the dirt on his clothes was because he materialized for a moment on the road to save a cobra.

Strange as it may seem, the practice of meditation in itself is not a spiritual act. Only when you combine meditation with the motivation of love and compassion do you become authentic spiritual practitioners. Vedic mythology shows that all demons also practiced meditation and mantras. Despite this, they still remained demons, because their motivation was based on satisfying their selfish desires, to the detriment of everyone around them. Therefore, one should not think that a demon is one who denies the practice of meditation and mantra. In fact, a demon is someone who has a false, selfish motivation.

The main sign of a spiritual person is a sincere motivation of love and compassion. With a spiritual person, any action becomes divine, because it is aimed at the benefit and benefit of all those around.

How could Sathya Sai Baba perform such an amazing miracle? Think about it, he materialized for a moment, right on the road, saved the cobra and got back in the car, all this happened in a fraction of an instant. Incredible! It may seem to some that saving a cobra with the help of supernatural abilities is not a very great feat.

Sathya Sai Baba has great love and compassion for all beings. This example shows how important it is to be responsible for one's actions and try not to harm any living beings. In the Vedic tradition, the animal world is closely connected with people. Of course, people are at a higher level of development, but animals are perceived in India as part of divine creation. It is well known that almost all animals and birds are considered an important part of Vedic mythology.

This story once again makes us think about the meaning of the miracles that Sathya Sai Baba constantly demonstrated. Some may ask, is it not easier to just stop the car for a minute and thereby save the cobra? Yes, it might have been easier to just stop the car, but divine teachers prefer to use any situation to teach a lesson. Every action of Sathya Sai Baba had a deep meaning and carried a divine message.

32. Unity in Diversity and Diversity in Unity

All Vedic texts and all sages with high spiritual experience describe God as the highest inner essence of the soul of every living being.

(Sathya Sai Baba – Gita Vahini, Chapter 20)

Philosophy gives theoretical knowledge of truth, and yoga leads to the inner experience of truth. Philosophers meditate on truth, and yogis reside in the actual experience of truth. One who practices self-inquiry is on the spiritual path, and everyone must independently discover the truth about himself.

The answer to the question about the nature of one's "Self" can only be found in meditation. To the extent that a person is in the process of self-exploration is the extent that he is on the spiritual path.

There are many answers to the fundamental question: who is "I"? These two answers are the most basic: "I am the Soul" and "I am God." How to make a choice between the human and divine nature of your "I"? How to understand who the "I" really is? Am I the individual Soul or God? There is no need to make any choice. In fact, at every moment of time, "I" carries both the Divine and human nature.

Sathya Sai Baba says that "the sages describe God as the highest inner essence of the soul of every living being." This means that the reality of "God" and the reality of the "soul" exist in parallel. Both of these realities, absolute and individual, are in primordial harmony and unity.

The Self is potential and manifested, positive and negative, soft and hard, logical and intuitive, eternal and momentary. The Self is a great ocean and a small drop. Self is beginningless unity and infinite diversity. Self is unity in diversity and diversity in unity.

33. Personal meetings with Sathya Sai Baba, everything was unpredictable

Interviews were an important aspect of the daily program. Sathya Sai Baba would sit in his chair, which looked more like a throne. Some followers came with spiritual and philosophical questions, and some with questions relating to the circumstances of life. All those invited to a personal meeting sat on the carpet directly in front of him. Sathya Sai Baba was like a conductor for the interview. Quite often people brought photographs of their relatives with them in order for Sathya Sai Baba to bless them.

Only Sathya Sai Baba decided how the meeting went, if he wanted to give someone the opportunity to speak, he gave them that opportunity, at the same time he could completely ignore someone else. Sathya Sai Baba could turn to someone present and ask: “What are your questions? What is your problem? What do you want to say or ask? Then the person got the right to talk to him and ask his questions.

Some tried to interrupt the neighbor and ask their question, but Sathya Sai Baba made it very clear with whom exactly he wanted to communicate at the moment.

There were cases when large groups came, but Sathya Sai Baba could only talk to one person during the whole meeting, and the rest just sat and listened. There were interviews where he could talk to each person in turn. Every time everything was unpredictable.

When people turned to Sathya Sai Baba with really important questions, he listened attentively and gave detailed answers. If people came who wanted to show off their intelligence and education, Sathya Sai Baba interrupted such a farce. If he understood that a person was not sincere in his questions and asked them only to be smart, he could abruptly interrupt the clever man and point out his hidden vices and problems in front of everyone.

Only those who were completely sincere in their questions received deep and comprehensive answers from Sathya Sai Baba.

34. Sathya Sai Baba met a woman whom he knew in a previous life

Here is another story told to me by Yogi Hari. One day Sathya Sai Baba went on a long journey through the state of Kerala, in the southwest of India. He visited many cities and villages and finally came to the ancient city of Thiruvananthapuram. During this trip, as always, Sathya Sai Baba was accompanied by numerous devotees, and among them was a man named Bhagavantam. During this meeting, Sathya Sai Baba drew attention to an elderly woman.

Sathya Sai Baba turned to Bhagavantam and said he knew this woman well from childhood. At that time, Sathya Sai Baba was about 30 years old, and the woman was over 70, so Bhagavantam was extremely surprised at such strange words and decided to ask Sathya Sai Baba what they meant. He immediately said that he knew this woman well in a past life. In a previous incarnation, Sathya Sai Baba lived in the city of Shirdi, in western India. He was called Shirdi Sai Baba.

Bhagavantam approached the woman and asked if she had seen Shirdi Sai Baba as a child. The woman said that when she was a very small girl, her uncle took her with him to see Shirdi Sai Baba, and he gave her a medallion, which she wore around her neck all her life.

Thus, Bhagavantam was able to confirm the words of Sathya Sai Baba. Most often, people think in terms of the events of one life, but Sathya Sai Baba knew exactly everything that happened to everyone in previous incarnations.

35. People are like rays of a single sun

A person must do his job in society, constantly realizing the relationship between Spirit and Matter. There are many people around you, all people have different physical bodies, but in all bodies there is one divine Spirit.

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