Book Notes
Sathya Sai Baba
and the Universal Reality of Mankind
Sathya Sai Baba is love in human form. Witness in the early days of His mission, when he frequently fell down, going on transcorporeal journeys to the aid of devotees who called upon him. Amarenda Krishna, who served Sathya Sai in those early days would write, "You could never expect it. There would be a quick change on his face and it was always too late, he fell down. He would be immobile, sometimes rigid, speaking unknown languages, holding his hands up in blessing... other times he would writhe and grimace, occasionally tearing out his hair in great big tufts and eating it. Once, when he came to, we told him that he ate handfuls of hair. He said, "You should not have let me eat my hair", and put his hand into his stomach and pulled out the damp hair.
What is this reality, who can do this? What is the reality which inhabits this body, which attracts so many people to his ashram? There in the ashram, students, teachers and residents who have spent so many years taking his darshan, singing bhajans, waving the arathi flame, stand and watch the small form as He leaves the darshan hall late in the evenings. They rush around corners to stand and catch a last glimpse of Sathya Sai for this day. What is the magnet which draws them so, to rush, to take a glimpse, when they have been there for so long?
We began by saying Sathya Sai Baba is love in human form. The goal of human life is Love. Transformation to love can occur at any moment of a life. However, that transformation is the fruit of effort, the fruit of choosing an attitude to love, and loving all as embodiments of that same selfless love.
Mata Betty of New Zealand has written several books on Sathya Sai Baba, notably, Sathya Sai Baba, Universal Revelations. Mata Betty is a practitioner of a critical discipline. Most would write of their memoirs, interviews, experiences in darshan, and interactions in the interview room. Mata Betty takes her experiences and makes them a springboard for illustrating Sai Baba's teachings. Rare discipline for a Sai Baba author.
Swami once spoke about publication of books:
Six books, in five languages, were dedicated to Me now, by the authors or publishers. So, this is an appropriate occasion to put the question to ourselves, "Why should books be written, published and read?" Books must reveal, inspire, educate, inform, lead and guide, Yes; but what should they reveal? Whom should they inspire? How must they educate? What information should they contain? Where should they lead? To which place or stage must they guide the readers? These questions have to be answered before we can pronounce the book good, the trouble and expense worth while and the dedication well done.
We can confidently assert that this book, and the other books of Mata Betty fulfil the criteria set out by Sathya Sai, to reveal, inspire, educate, inform, lead and guide. This book fulfils these criteria in many aspects, in revealing the divinity of Sathya Sai, inspiring others to take up the teachings of Sathya Sai and live by them, it educates as to the purpose of human life, informs readers about the fruits of applying Sai Baba's teachings, and leads readers to seek the source of all this: Sathya Sai himself, within.
The author, Mata Betty, with Sathya Sai Baba
In the first chapter, Mata Betty writes:
Within you is the spiritual strength. Be assured of its reliability, and use this strength well and with wisdom. It may take some time to develop, but persevere and ask for the Lord's grace. Become what you truly are, embodiments of Love. Love your own evolution, your own progress, for you are unique. You are not what others say you are. Do not imitate anybody. Cultivate your own path guided by your own inner strength. You have your own heart, your own opinions, your own ideas, your own WILL which is in tune with your Divine strength. Follow your chosen path. Let you own experiences of God be your Guide and Master. You are light, you will always be an extension of light. As light, you are pure self, pure consciousness, pure light. You can never be anything else.
That is the writing of the author. Compare to Sathya Sai's letter to students in Prema Dhaara:
My Dears
Nothing is wrong with you. ‘Where there is a will, there is a way’, is eminently true. At first the will is your own which has to be strengthened by the thought of God until you convert it into the almighty will of God. You seem to be playing a particular game which you do not really desire to play. You can change the game if you will. You are not weak and helpless. Every strength and power is within you. God's vision is yours that very instant when you will it with concentration. Why don't you? Simply because you do not choose to. Sai is not mocking. He is perfectly earnest and is giving expression from the truths gathered from His experiences. Trust in submission to the Supreme Will in all circumstances means the vision of Truth, vision of the root principle of all Creation. “If God Wills”, has a meaning only if You assert your own all-powerful Will. The solution is therefore to awaken the inherent power and splendour of your soul. Do it. You are verily the Immortal Truth, the Great, Deathless and Changeless Reality,
Be victory ever yours.
The former example is apt evidence of communion with God. In this day and age, Swami is no longer walking around devotees in darshan. One hears complaints, "He is not giving padnamaskar, He is not going round the devotees, he is not giving so many interviews. Sit at the front, one gets Driver Darshan, or Tyre Darshan." The complaints may be legion, the dismay may well be world wide. But recently, Swami told, "I will be much, much more available to my devotees". How? One has to seek communion with God, not communication with God by sight, touch, letter or the spoken word. We are pushed ever inwards to find the Sai in the heart, where He is waiting to be discovered.
In writing about service, the author illustrates this communion with God with practical examples:
there are groups of children and young people who have stared visiting an old people's home. The children are sitting, first talking to the old folks and just singing some simple songs to entertain them. They're making afternoon tea for the old ones. Just something simple. They are taking this ENERGY in there. It is this ENERGY that is important. It doesn't matter so much what is done in the physical sense, it is the energy, this loving energy that is unfolding and uplifting these old souls. All the parents do not go with the children, -- just one or two adults. The old people are picking up this energy. They are loving it.
A little further on, Mata Betty unpacks the stream of grace for her readers: "It is what they are bringing in their hearts that matters." "You know, you are never too tired to do a genuine service. If it is genuine service, you will get the strength immediately ... But there is nothing wrong with asking for that strength. It comes from within you. It is always there. Baba doesn't come from India to give you strength. He unfolds and releases this energy within you. Because it is Him. That's the difference. He is there, inside you."
As human beings, we are not often told so directly to look to our inner strength, our inner resources, and develop them, to rely on them, to be fully responsible for our life and this world we live in. The story tellers of our culture, the advertisers and movie makers would have us saying, "Wow, look at me now!" all the time. The story tellers of our day and age tell us we need this gadget, those clothes, that food, this drink, to feel happy and satisfied. Mata Betty confidently the hammer on the anvil of the modern story tellers and reveals, inspires, educates, informs, leads and guides her reader to life filled with energy, love, grace, meaning and purpose, toward the very goal of life, being that embodiment of love that Sathya Sai is.
There is no difference between Sathya Sai and the devotee whose life is filled with selfless love. This is the universal reality of mankind.
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Margaret and Randall McDonald
email books [at] saiaustralia.org.au
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