MEDITATION TIMES A Downloadable Monthly E-Magazine

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Editorial Team: Taoshobuddha, Swami Anand Neelambar

International Contributors: Hadhrat Maulawi Jalaluddin Ahmad Ar-Rowi, Lars Jensen

In This Issue

Editorial

Sabka Malik Ek

Chronology of the life of Shirdi Sai Baba

Sai Baba and famous Udi

Sathya Sai – the legend

Dipankar Buddha

Buddha’s Enlightenment

Buddha Purnima

Buddhism and Hinduism

The Diamond Sutra

Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi Onkarnath

New releases of Taoshobuddha

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Beyond Death A discontinuity with the past

Click on image for website

MEDITATION TIMES Published by Taoshobuddha Meditations

Trinidad, West indies

EDITORIAL Truth cannot be indicated by words. Truth is

silence. To know the truth silence is the way.

Meditation Times is merely a finger pointing at

the moon. Don’t bite the finger or think that the

finger is the moon.

We embrace all paths. And I wish to stress all

paths. Some paths seemingly may not lead to

truth. But this is a falsity. All paths lead to truth.

Cause truth is all that exists. There is nothing

else. This very body is the Buddha.

Each will reach to truth by his own way. On our

sojourn we offer wine for all types of travellers.

Many are the flowers in the Zen garden. Roses

are beautiful and so is the marigold, orchids offer

their fragrance and all these make a bouquet.

The rocks also lend beauty to the Zen garden.

In our entire journey thus far we have never

condemned any path or master. We merely

present the path or master and it is up to the

seeker to choose his path. Some masters are

very appealing, some may appear repulsive. But

by no means is a master or path useless. This is a

fully tailor made system. We measure you and

prepare a dress for your use.

In this issue we represent some aspects of Sai

Baba in his previous incarnation of Shirdi Sai and

in his recent manifestation as Sathya Sai. The

said Sai Baba has promised to re-incarnate as

Prema Sai very shortly.

Much controversy surrounds his untimely and

pre predicted death. The Baba indicated his

departure to be when he is in his early 90’s. Have

we thought of the ridiculousness of it? Does the

soul have any birth of death? Can we ascertain

the age of any soul?

In my own insights we are all Avataras. We are

divine beings having a human sojourn. Our

coming and going is based on our in transit visa

to this realm. But by no means are we bound to

that date. We can choose to leave sooner or

later.

In my insights I found that the Baba

encapsulated the tamas (inertia) of the world

and like an oyster he has gone into the nether

realm to metamorphosis the gem of Prema

(Divine Love).

The climatic changes indicate a world changing

catastrophe. This cannot be avoided. The

present situation demands urgent attention.

Great souls are engaged in building a Noah’s Ark.

The ark is Prema. Love alone can save us. Love is

power beyond power.

We also delved into a past incarnation of

Buddha, Dipankar Buddha. It is interesting to

note that although Buddha was enlightened in

his past incarnations he had to reclaim his

enlightenment in all his future incarnations. The

secret of this drama is discussed in the Diamond

Sutra.

The Diamond Sutra continues to be a feature is

this issue as well.

May the moon that shone into the heart of

Buddha shed its light on you also.

This much for now.

Sabka Malik Ek

Sai Baba of Shirdi (September 28, 1838 – October 15, 1918)

Shrine Shirdi Sai

Shirdi Temple

SABKA MALIK EK

Sai Baba of Shirdi also known as Shirdi

Sai Baba or in Marathi: , Urdu: ا یںباب سائ ,was an Indian guru ,(شردی

yogi, and fakir who is regarded by his

Hindu and Muslim devotees alike as a

saint.

Saibaba of Shirdi lived between 1838 and

1918, whose real name, birthplace and

date of birth are not known. An Indian

spiritual guru and a fakir that transcended

the barriers of religions, Saibaba of Shirdi

was regarded with great reverence by both

Hindu and Muslim followers. He lived in a

mosque and after death his body was

cremated in a temple.

His philosophy ingrained ‘Shraddha’

meaning faith and ‘Saburi’ meaning

compassion. According to him Shraddha

and Saburi were the supreme attributes to

reach the state of godliness.

It is believed that at a tender age of 16

years Shri Saibaba arrived at the village of

Shirdi in Ahmednagar district of

Maharashtra and remained their till his

death. He found shelter in Khandoba

temple, where a villager Mahalsapathi in

the temple addressed him as Sai or Saint.

Saibaba of Shirdi lived an extremely

simple and austere life, sleeping on the

floor of temple and later taking a ruined

mosque as his shelter. With his arrival to

Shirdi, in no time he began exhibiting a

hypnotic attraction among people as they

began flocking to him. He is attributed

many miracles doing things that were

beyond a mortal’s power. He never

discouraged these attributes and soon his

fame spread like wild fire. Many pilgrims

came seeking his blessings. Such was his

hypnotism that even the mundane of his

activities attracted large crowds.

Popular among both Hindus and Muslims,

Saibaba became a great harmonizing force

between the two disparate communities.

He regularly recited Hindu and Muslim

prayers. His Hindu followers considered

him to be an avatar or reincarnation of

Shiva and Dattatreya. Sai Baba did not

leave any written works. All his teachings

were oral and catchy. His sayings were

short, crisp and in layman language with

which the common mass could easily

associate.

Sai Baba of Shirdi was unique in the sense

that he lived his message through the

essence of his being. He lived among the

common people adorning a torn kafni

(long robe), sleeping over a mat while

using brick as his headrest and got his

food by begging. Such was his smile that

radiated a mystical charisma and deep

seated inward look that hypnotized the

people who visited him.

His most concise message for one and all

alike was ‘Why fear when I am here’.

Saibaba said that he was a slave in the

service of those who loved him. He was

ever living to help those who turn to him

and that he has to take care of his children

day and night.

Sai baba’s mission was to restore belief in

god and according to him, ‘I give people

what they want in the hope that they will

begin to want what I want to give them

(knowledge of the Ultimate).’ He then

taught values of total surrender to the

Almighty Master (ALLAH MALIK EK- The

only ONE) and experiences his grace.

His life

There is no clear record of Sai's given

name, nor of his origins. Sai arrived at the

village of Shirdi in Maharashtra state when

he was about sixteen years old. He took

up residence in a Khandoba temple, where

a villager (Mahalsapathi) at worship first

called him Sai (‘saint’).

He fostered an extremely simple and

ascetic life: living in the village as a

mendicant monk, and sleeping on the floor

in the temple, and later in a dilapidated

mosque.

Sai soon began to attract followers who

addressed him by the name Baba

(‘father’). He worshipped both at Hindu

temples and Muslim mosques, and

encouraged tolerance between the faiths.

Numerous miracles were attributed to him.

He did not discourage such attributions,

and his fame spread. Many pilgrims came

for his blessings, and he attracted large

crowds even for the most mundane of his

activities.

Sai remained in Shirdi all his life. Baba

breathed His last with His head resting on

one of His devotees lap.

His last words were, ‘Place my Body in

Buti's wada (mansion), I will get peace

there only. People will serve me only if I

am placed in Buti’s wada.’ Thus as per His

last wish He was buried in the ‘Buty Wada’

also known as Samadhi Mandir.

Hindu devotees consider him an

incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. Many

devotees believe that he was a Sadguru,

an enlightened Sufi Pir, Urdu: یر or a ,پ

Qutub. He is a well-known figure in many

parts of the world, but especially in India,

where he is much revered.

Sāī is of Sanskrit origin, meaning ‘Sakshat

Eshwar’ sa]at $Zvr or the divine. The

honorific ‘Baba’ means ‘father;

grandfather; old man; sire’ in Indo-Aryan

languages.

Thus Sai Baba denotes ‘holy father’ or

‘saintly father’.

His parentage, birth details, and life before

the age of sixteen are obscure, which has

led to speculation about his origins.

Sai Baba had no love for perishable things

and his sole concern was self-realization.

He remains a very popular saint, and is

worshipped by people around the world.

He taught a moral code of love,

forgiveness, helping others, charity,

contentment, inner peace, and devotion to

God and guru. Sai Baba’s teaching

combined elements of Hinduism and

Islam.

He gave the Hindu name Dwarakamayi

to the mosque he lived in. He practiced

both Hindu and Muslim rituals, and taught

using words and figures that drew from

both traditions. He was buried in a Hindu

temple in Shirdi.

One of his well-known epigrams, ‘Sabka

Malik Ek’ (‘One God governs all’), is

associated with both the Bhagavad-Gita

and Sufism. He always uttered ‘Allah Malik’

(‘God is King’).

Though the debate over his Hindu or

Muslim origins continues, many of his

practices point more to his being a Muslim

believing in the unity of God, reciting Al-

Fatiha and other Qur’anic readings at

Muslim festival times, listening to hamds

and qawwali twice daily, practicing Salah

(Namaz), wearing clothing reminiscent of

a Sufi fakir, eating meat, and abstaining

from alcohol.

A mosque still stands in Shirdi, a place

wherein he once lived and continued to

visit regularly. According to Purdom, when

Kulkarni Maharaj requested Upasni

Maharaj to pay a visit to Sai Baba, Upasni

replied ‘Why should I go to a Muslim?’

Sai Baba is revered by several notable

Hindu and Sufi religious leaders. Some of

his disciples became famous as spiritual

figures and saints, such as Upasni

Maharaj, Saint Bidkar Maharaj, Saint

Gangagir, Saint Jankidas Maharaj, and Sati

Godavari Mataji are few names to

remember.

Early Life

Historians and devotees agree that there is

no reliable evidence for a particular

birthplace or date of birth. Various

communities have claimed that he belongs

to them, but nothing has been

substantiated. Many historians support

this finding. It is known that he spent

considerable time with fakirs, and his

attire resembled that of a Muslim fakir.

Baba reportedly arrived at the village of

Shirdi in the Ahmednagar district of

Maharashtra, India, when he was about 16

years old. It is generally accepted that Sai

Baba stayed in Shirdi for three years,

disappeared for a year, and returned

permanently around 1858. These

calculations suggest a birth year of 1838.

Sai Baba led an ascetic life, sitting

motionless under a neem tree and

meditating while sitting in an asana. The

Sri Sai Satcharita recounts the reaction

of the villagers:

The people of the village were wonder-

struck to see such a young lad practicing

hard penance, not minding heat or cold.

By day he associated with no one, by night

he was afraid of nobody.

His presence attracted the curiosity of the

villagers, and he was regularly visited by

the religiously inclined, including

Mhalsapati, Appa Jogle and Kashinatha.

Some considered him mad and even threw

stones at him. Sai Baba left the village,

and little is known about him after that.

However, there are some indications that

he met with many saints and fakirs, and

worked as a weaver. He claimed to have

fought with the army of Rani Lakshmibai of

Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Return to Shirdi

In 1858 Sai Baba returned to Shirdi.

Around this time he adopted his famous

style of dress consisting of a knee-length

one-piece robe - popularly known as ‘kafni’

and a cloth cap. Ramgir Bua, a devotee,

testified that Sai Baba was dressed like an

athlete and sported ‘long hair flowing

down to the end of his spine’ when he

arrived in Shirdi, and that he never had his

head shaved.

It was only after Baba forfeited a wrestling

match with one Mohdin Tamboli that he

took up the kafni and cloth cap, articles of

typical Sufi clothing. This attire contributed

to Baba’s identification as a Muslim fakir.

And this was the reason for initial

indifference and hostility against him in a

predominantly Hindu village.

According to B.V. Narasimhaswami, a

posthumous follower who was widely

praised as Sai Baba’s ‘apostle’, this

attitude was prevalent up to 1954 even

among some of his devotees in Shirdi.

For four to five years Baba lived under a

neem tree, and often wandered for long

periods in the jungle around Shirdi. His

manner was said to be withdrawn and

uncommunicative as he undertook long

periods of meditation. He was eventually

persuaded to take up residence in an old

and dilapidated mosque and lived a

solitary life there, surviving by begging for

alms, and receiving itinerant Hindu or

Muslim visitors.

In the mosque he maintained a sacred fire

which is referred to as a dhuni, from which

he gave sacred ashes (‘Udhi’ – fragrant

smoke) to his guests before they left. The

ash was believed to have healing and

apotropaic powers. He performed the

function of a local hakim, and treated the

sick by application of ashes. Sai Baba also

delivered spiritual teachings to his visitors,

recommending the reading of sacred Hindu

texts along with the Qur’an. He insisted on

the indispensability of the unbroken

remembrance of God’s name (dhikr, japa),

and often expressed himself in a cryptic

manner with the use of parables, symbols

and allegories.

Sai Baba participated in religious festivals

and was also in the habit of preparing food

for his visitors, which he distributed to

them as prasad. Sai Baba’s entertainment

was dancing and singing religious songs.

His behavior was sometimes uncouth and

violent.

After 1910 Sai Baba’s fame began to

spread in Mumbai. Numerous people

started visiting him, because they

regarded him as a saint with the power of

performing miracles, or even as an Avatar.

They built his first temple at Bhivpuri,

Karjat.

Teachings and practices

Sai Baba opposed all persecution based on

religion or caste. He was an opponent of

religious orthodoxy - Christain, Hindu and

Muslim. Although Sai Baba himself led the

life of an ascetic, he advised his followers

to lead an ordinary family life.

Sai Baba encouraged his devotees to pray,

chant God’s name, and read Holy

Scriptures. He told Muslims to study the

Qur’an, and Hindus to study texts such as

the Ramayana, Vishnu Sahasranam,

Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Vasistha. He

advised his devotees and followers to lead

a moral life, help others, love every living

being without any discrimination, and

develop two important features of

character: Faith (Shraddha) and patience

(Saburi).

He criticized atheism. In his teachings, Sai

Baba emphasized the importance of

performing one’s duties without

attachment to earthly matters, and of

being content regardless of the situation.

Sai Baba interpreted the religious texts of

both Islam and Hinduism. He explained

the meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the

spirit of Advaita Vedanta. His philosophy

also had numerous elements of bhakti.

The three main Hindu spiritual paths -

Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga

- influenced his teachings.

Sai Baba said that God penetrates

everything and every being. He

emphasized the complete oneness of God

which was very close to the Islamic

tawhid and the Hindu doctrine of the

Upanishads. Sai Baba said that the world

is transient, and that only God and his

gifts are eternal. He emphasized the

importance of devotion to God - bhakti -

and surrender to his will. He also talked

about the need of faith and devotion to

one’s spiritual guru. He said that everyone

was the soul and not the body. He advised

his followers to develop a virtuous

character, and taught them that all fate

was determined by karma.

Sai Baba left no written works. His

teachings were typically short, pithy

sayings rather than elaborate discourses.

Sai Baba would ask his followers for

money (dakshina), some of which he

would give to the poor and other devotees

the same day, and the rest was used to

buy wood to maintain Dhuni. According to

his followers, this was done to rid them of

greed and material attachment.

Sai Baba encouraged charity, and stressed

the importance of sharing. He said: ‘Unless

there is some relationship or connection,

nobody goes anywhere. He emphasized if

any men or creatures come to you, do not

discourteously drive them away, instead

receive them well and treat them with due

respect. Shri Hari (God) will certainly be

pleased if you give water to the thirsty,

bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked,

and your verandah to strangers for sitting

and resting. If anybody wants any money

from you and you are not inclined to give,

do not give, but do not bark at him like a

dog.

Other favorite sayings of his were: ‘Why

do you fear when I am here’, and ‘He has

no beginning... He has no end.’

Eleven Assurances

Sai Baba made eleven assurances to his

devotees:

1. Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi

soil, their sufferings will come to an

end.

2. The wretched and miserable will rise

to joy and happiness as soon as they

climb the steps of the mosque

Dwarakamayi.

3. I shall be ever active and vigorous

even after leaving this earthly body.

4. My tomb shall bless and speak to the

needs of my devotees.

5. I shall be active and vigorous even

from my tomb.

6. My mortal remains will speak from

my tomb.

7. I am ever living to help and guide all

who come to me, who surrender to

me, and who seek refuge in me.

8. If you look at me, I look at you.

9. If you cast your burden on me, I

shall surely bear it.

10. If you seek my advice and help, it

shall be given to you at once.

11. There shall be no want in the house

of my devotee.

Shirdi Sai Baba movement

The Shirdi Sai Baba movement began in

the 19th century, while he was living in

Shirdi. A local Khandoba priest -

Mhalsapati Nagre - is believed to have

been his first devotee. In the 19th century

Sai Baba’s followers were only a small

group of Shirdi inhabitants and a few

people from other parts of India. The

movement started developing in the 20th

century, with Sai Baba’s message reaching

the whole of India. During his life, Hindus

worshiped him with Hindu rituals and

Muslims considered him to be a saint. In

the last years of Sai Baba’s life, Christians

and Zoroastrians started joining the Shirdi

Sai Baba movement.

Shirdi is regarded as the major Hindu

places of pilgrimage. The first Sai Baba

temple is situated at Bhivpuri, Karjat. The

Sai Baba Mandir (Hindu temple) in Shirdi

is visited by around twenty thousand

pilgrims a day and during religious

festivals this number can reach up to a

hundred thousand.Shirdi Sai Baba is

especially revered and worshiped in the

states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,

and Gujarat.

The Shirdi Sai movement has spread to

the Caribbean and to countries such as the

United States, Australia, Malaysia, and

Singapore. The Shirdi Sai Baba movement

is one of the main Hindu religious

movements in English-speaking countries.

Sai Baba disciples and devotees

Shirdi Sai had many disciples and

devotees some of these are as follows:

1. Nana Saheb Chandorkar: Deputy

Collector – legend has it that Sai

Baba saved this man’s daughter

from labor complications.

2. Ganapath Rao: police constable

who resigned to become an

ascetic,and also known as DasGanu,

He was an itinerant who spread Sai

Baba’s message.

3. Tatya Patil: had immense faith in

Sai Baba and served him until Sai

Baba took samadhi. He is also

known to be Sai Baba’s younger

brother.

4. Baija Mai Kote Patil: Sai Baba

treated her as his mother. She was

Tatya Patil’s mother.

5. Haji Abdul baba: He served Sai

Baba until Sai Baba died in 1918.

6. Madhav Rao Deshpande: Later

known as Shama, one of the staunch

devotees of Sai Baba.

7. Govindrao Raghunath Dabholkar

(Hemadpant): Sai Baba allowed

him to write the Shri Sai

Satcharita.

8. Mahalsapati Chimanji Nagare: A

priest of Khandoba Temple.

Reported miracles

Sai Baba’s millions of disciples and

devotees believe that he performed many

miracles such as bilocation, levitation,

mindreading, materialization, exorcisms,

making the river Yamuna, entering a state

of Samādhi at will,and lightning lamps with

water, removing his limbs or intestines

and sticking them back to his body

(Khanda Yoga), curing the incurably sick,

appearing beaten when another was

beaten, appearing in the flesh after death,

preventing a mosque from falling down on

people, and helping his devotees in a

miraculous way.

According to his followers he appeared to

them in dreams after his death, and gave

them advice. His devotees have

documented many stories.

Historical sources

Biographers of Sai Baba - Govindrao

Raghunath Dabholkar, Acharya Ekkirala

Bharadwaja, Smriti Srinivas, Antonio

Rigopolous have based their writing on

primary sources. One such source is the

Shirdi Diary by Ganesh Shrikrishna

Khaparde, which describes every day of

the author’s stay at Shirdi.

Speculations about the unknown episodes

of Sai Baba's life are primarily based on

his own words.

The most important source about Sai's life

is the Shri Sai Satcharita, written in

Marathi in 1916 by Govindrao

Raghunath Dabholkar, whom Sai Baba

nicknamed Hemadpant.

It consists of 53 chapters, and describes

Sai Baba’s life, teachings, and miracles.

The book compares Sai Baba’s love to a

mother’s love: caring and loving, but

reprimanding when needed. It describes

Baba’s lifestyle, his selfless attitude, and

his love for his devotees. The book

describes how one should surrender one’s

egoism at God’s feet and trust one’s guru.

It explains how God is supreme and His

devotees should trust Him and love Him. It

teaches that God is omnipresent in all

living things, so that everything on Earth

must be treated with love and respect.

Sri Sai Baba and His Teachings by

Acharya Ekkirala Bharadwaja is an in-

depth study of Sai Baba’s life routine and

activities.

B.V. Narasimhaswamiji has written

important books such as Sri Sai Baba’s

Charters and Sayings and Devotee’s

Experiences of Sai Baba.

Hinduism

During Sai Baba’s life, the Hindu Saint

Anandanath of Yewala declared Sai

Baba a spiritual diamond. Another

Saint, Gangagir, called him a ‘jewel’.Sri

Beedkar Maharaj greatly revered Sai

Baba, and in 1873, when he met him he

bestowed the title Jagadguru upon him.

Sai Baba was also greatly respected by

Vasudevananda Saraswati (known as

Tembye Swami). He was also revered by

a group of Shaivic yogis, to which he

belonged, known as the Nath-Panchayat.

Other religions

In Islam, Sai Baba mainly appears in

Sufism as a Pir. Meher Baba declared Baba

to be a Qutub-e-Irshad - the highest of

the five Qutubs, a ‘Master of the Universe’

in the spiritual hierarchy. Sai Baba is also

worshipped by prominent Zoroastrians

such as Nanabhoy Palkhivala and Homi

Bhabha, and has been cited as the

Zoroastrians’ most popular non-

Zoroastrian religious figure.

Meher Baba met Sai Baba only once in his

lifetime, during World War I, in December

1915. Meher Baba was still a youngster

named Merwan Sheriar Irani when he met

Sai Baba for a few minutes during one of

Sai Baba’s processions in Shirdi. This

event is considered as the most significant

in Meher Baba’s life. Shri Sai Satcharita

(Sai Baba's life story), makes no mention

of Meher Baba. But in Lord Meher, the

life story of Meher Baba, there are

innumerable references to Sai Baba.

Meher Baba credited his Avataric advent to

Upasni, Sai Baba, and three other Perfect

Masters – Hazrat Babajan, Hazrat Tajuddin

Baba, and Narayan Maharaj.

Sai Baba left behind no spiritual heirs and

appointed no disciples, and did not even

provide formal initiation (diksha), despite

requests. Some disciples of Sai Baba

achieved fame as spiritual figures, such as

Upasni Maharaj of Sakori. After Sai Baba

took Mahasamadhi, his devotees offered

the daily Aarti to Upasani Maharaj when

he paid a visit to Shirdi, two times within

10 years.

In India, it is a common sight to find a Sai

Baba temple in any city or town, in every

large city or town there is at least one

temple dedicated to Sai Baba. There are

even some in towns and cities outside

India. In the mosque in Shirdi in which Sai

Baba lived, there is a life-size portrait of

him by Shama Rao Jaykar, an artist from

Mumbai. Numerous monuments and

statues depicting Sai Baba, which serve a

religious function, have also been made.

One of them, made of marble by a sculptor

named Balaji Vasant Talim, is in the

Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi where Sai Baba

was buried. In Sai Baba temples, his

devotees play various kinds of devotional

religious music, such as aarti.

Postage Stamp

Indian Postal Service released a Sai Baba

commemorative stamp in May 2008.

Largest Solar Plant at Shirdi

On July 30, 2009, the New and Renewable

Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah

inaugurated what has been acclaimed as

the largest solar steam system in the

world, at the Shirdi shrine. The Shri Sai

Baba Sansthan Trust paid an estimated

Rs.1.33 crore for the system, Rs.58.4 lakh

of which was paid as a subsidy by the

renewable energy ministry. It is said the

system can cook 20,000 meals per day for

pilgrims visiting the temple.

His religion, philosophy and

practices

By his example, Sai sought to unite the

seemingly disparate religious communities

of Muslim and Hindus. He regularly recited

Hindu and Muslim prayers, such as the

Hindu prayer Vishnu Sahasranama. Many

of his Hindu followers consider him to be

an avatar (incarnation) of Shiva and

Dattatreya.

He left no written records; Sai's teachings

were oral: typically short, pithy sayings

rather than elaborate discourses. Sai often

seemed to lose his temper with those

around him. His followers believe that he

only pretended to get angry, in order to

teach humility and foster right spiritual

action.

Sai encouraged charity. He said: ‘Unless

there is some relationship or connection,

nobody goes anywhere. if any man or

creature come to you, do not

discourteously drive them away, but

receive them well and treat them with due

respect. Shri Hari (God) will be certainly

pleased if you give water to the thirsty,

bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked

and your verandah to strangers for sitting

and resting. If anybody wants any money

from you and you are not inclined to give,

do not give, but do not bark at him like a

dog.’ Other of his favorite sayings were:

‘Why do you fear when I am here’, ‘He has

no beginning... He has no end’, ‘All things

arise from him and into him they return’.

His legacy

Sai Baba is among the most popular of

Indian saints, and continues to have a

large following. His image seems to be

everywhere: it may be seen on shrines,

lockets, billboards and cars of Hindus.

While he is recognizable throughout India,

his devotees are especially numerous in

the state of Maharashtra, the place of his

birth and in Andhra Pradesh. His Samadhi

is a well-known place of pilgrimage.

Many religious teachers, groups and

organizations promote his teachings and

devotion to Sai. Among the most

prominent is the Shri Saibaba Sansthan

Trust, which also takes care of the shrines

and temples in Shirdi.

Some followers of Sai Baba achieved fame

as spiritual figures: these include Upasni

Maharaj of Sakori and Meher Baba of

Ahmednagar.

At least three gurus and two youngsters

have claimed to be the reincarnation of

Shirdi Sai Baba. By far the most famous is

Sathya Sai Baba who lives at Puttaparthi

Andhra Pradesh, India. Another guru who

claims to be Shirdi Sai Baba’s

reincarnation is Bala Sai Baba.

Dipankar Buddha

Statue of Dipankar Buddha at Swayambhunath Stupa Kathmandu, Nepal

ipankara Buddha is the ancient

Buddha who lived many years

before the Shakyamuni Buddha

who lived circa from 563 until 463 BC on

earth. One of the oldest Buddhas is

Dipankara - a real Methuselah or an

ancient one or the predecessor.Dipankara

is said to come from an unknown city with

the name of Deepavati. And when he was

born a strange light was cast from bright

lamps (‘dipa’). Thus he was called

Dipankara. Dipankara Buddha lived

long before the historical Buddha almost

3000 years before Gautama Buddha and

is said to have lived on earth for a mere

100,000 years. There is no record or

scripture or anything relating to

Dipankara is available. The only reference

is found through Gautama Buddha.

Gautama Buddha has related many

stories about his past lives, - as a Master

D

connects with his Soul which is immortal

and remembers all of the past lifetimes,

so the newly Enlightened Buddha starts to

remember and learn from all his past

lives.

All of these past lives have such beauty

and such significance for all pre-

enlightened. Gautama Buddha has related

many stories of his past lives, and they

have such beauty and significance.

In one of his past lives he heard about a

man who had become enlightened; his

name was Dipankara Buddha. The word

Dipankara means one who can light the

candle of your being; the word

‘lamplighter’ is the exact meaning of

Dipankara. Deep means lamp, and

Dipankara means lamplighter. Gautam

Buddha was not

enlightened in that life.

Thousands of people were

going to see Dipankara

Buddha, and just out of

curiosity he also went.

When he saw Dipankara

Buddha - he had no

intention... He had come

there only out of

curiosity, but the moment he saw the

man and the beauty of the man - those

deep eyes reminding him of the depth of

oceans - and the field of a certain energy

vibrating around the man... not knowing

what he was doing, with tears rolling

down from his eyes, he touched the feet

of Dipankara Buddha.

He himself could not believe what he was

doing, and why...? He had not come to

touch his feet, and why were these tears

coming and why was he feeling so

immensely happy? Nothing visible had

happened, but something invisible had

touched his heart, the bells in his heart

had started ringing. A subtle music had

touched him.

And at that very moment, as he stood in

front of Dipankara Buddha, Dipankara

Buddha bowed down and touched the feet

of Gautama Buddha - who was not

enlightened in that life. He could not

believe what was happening. Gautama

asked, ‘What are you doing? If I touch

your feet it is perfectly right, I am

ignorant. But you have attained to the

ultimate consciousness - you are not

supposed to touch my feet.’

And Dipankara Buddha said something

that Gautama Buddha remembered when

he became a buddha.

The first thing that

he remembered then

was the statement of

Dipankara Buddha of

many lives before:

‘Do not be worried.

Yesterday I was also

ignorant, today I am

enlightened; today

you are ignorant,

tomorrow you will be enlightened. There

is not much difference - it is only a

question of time. When you become

enlightened, remember. When you will be

enlightened I will be no more. This is why

I am vowing now.’

The moment somebody becomes

enlightened, to him the whole existence

becomes enlightened - at least

potentially. He cannot see himself in a

special position.

As the flame jumps from one

candle to another, or as the

sacred word resonates in

both he who gives and he

who receives the Grace

descends as the gentle dew

from Heaven, twice blessed.

The really awakened man does nothing to

enlighten anybody. His very presence, his

Buddhafield, his enlightened radiance

certainly does miracles, his very being is

magical, but as far as he is concerned, he

himself is no more. Who is there to do

anything? A Buddha or a master is like

the catalyst that does nothing in the

process of the chemical reaction. However

its presence is very significant, because

the presence acts as catalyst and in its

presence things happen. His presence or

radiance is like the sun rays that do

nothing in the opening of the petals of a

flower. However it is the presence of the

sun that the process of the blossoming of

the flower.

On the last day of his life, Gautama

Buddha said - when his disciples were

paying tributes to him because then he

was leaving his body – ‘Do not feel

grateful to me, because I have not done

anything. In fact, since the day

enlightenment happened I have not been

in existence. Things

have been happening

around me and that is

another thing. But I

am not the doer. The

doer is dead. The doer

has gone long before enlightenment

entered.’

Things certainly happened, hundreds of

people became enlightened around

Gautama Buddha, but he was not doing

anything to make them enlightened. He

was just available, like a well. If you are

thirsty you carry the water from the well

and drink, but the well is not doing

anything.

The search for this next step in evolution

comes from the enhancement, the

increase, of energy.

As the flame jumps from one candle to

another, or as the sacred word resonates

in both he who gives and he who receives

the Grace descends as the gentle dew

from Heaven, twice blessed.

So a preparation of he who receives, the

student, the candle, by the removal of

Negative Energy, Energy Blockages, a

lack of Energy Blockages allows more

Spiritual Energy to be absorbed and used

to crystalize, complete, finalize, and

create the Spiritual Body of another

Master or another transmitter of the

Truth!

It is said that Master represents infinite

reservoir of energy through a complete

dissolution of ego - When the robe was

touched no credit was claimed by the

wearer, It was your faith which healed

you! Said the Master - and so the truism.

It takes two to Tango; -

the student must be

purified and prepared by

evolution and spiritual

practice to accept the

Force, the Energy

transmitted by the Master.

All energy blockages that obstruct and

eventually stop the flow of energy

through the system by preventing the

buildup of psychic power in the system

must be removed.

Thus the torch is passed on from Master

to Student. Another candle is lighted up!

A Buddha or a master is like the

catalyst that does nothing in the

process of the chemical reaction.

Buddha’s Enlightenment

Paying homage to the Buddha

Tradition ascribes to the Buddha himself for instruction on how to pay him

homage. Just before he died, he saw his

faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to

understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his

own body) must disintegrate.

He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to

regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on.Buddha

emphasized only the Dhamma - truth is

eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to

pay homage to him was not merely by

offering flowers, incense, and lights, but

by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how devotees are

expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their

determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practice loving-

kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.

Celebrations

Buddha Purnima, which falls on the full moon night in the month of Vaisakha

either in April or May, is commemorated

as the birth anniversary of Buddha. Indeed he is not the founder of

Buddhism. Buddhism is the invention of

those who followed Buddha and is of much later invention.

Notwithstanding the summer heat when

the temperature routinely touches 45 degrees Celcius, pilgrims come from all

over the world to Bodh Gaya to attend the Buddha Purnima celebrations. The

day is marked with prayer meets, sermons on the life of Gautama Buddha,

religious discourses, continuous recitation

of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions, and worship of the statue of

Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple wears a festive look and is decorated with colorful

flags and flowers. The Chinese scholar, Fa-Hien has recorded celebration of this

festival.

It is an important to give a summarized description on the Buddhist festivals in

India, especially in the main places of

worship. The principal annual ceremony for the entire Buddhist is the Vaisaka

Purnima known in Sri Lanka as Wesak Festival and in India as Buddha

Jayanti. Vaisaka Purnima day is fixed by the full-moon day of the month Vaisaka,

which falls in May. Like all other Buddhist festivals it falls according to the Lunar

year. It was of this day of the year, according to the year.

This day Gautama Siddhartha attained Supreme Enlightenment or Buddha hood,

beneath the Bodhi-tree at Boddha Gaya. Forty-five years later at the age of eighty,

he finally passed away in Maha-Parinivana on the same day of the year at

Kushinagar.

Vaisaka Purnima is celebrated especially in Boddha Gaya, Lumbini and in

Kushinara as they are the holy places

connected with the blessed ones birth, enlightenment and the Maha-Parinirvana.

Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand,

Tibet, China, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal,

Japan and quite a number of western Buddhists participate ‗Vaisaka Purnima

Day‘ religious activities in a festive mood. Sarnath the capital of Buddhism too

celebrates Vaisaka Purnima day in a grand way.

The great Buddhist festival ‗Vaisaka‘,

although is an occasion for rejoicing

doesn't encourage hectic gaiety and abandon. The happiness that the

Buddhists feel when they are celebrating it is a tranquil, peaceful joy. The festival

has its gay side as well. In most of the Buddhist countries the villages, roads,

streets, temples and houses are brightly illuminated with color Lanterns, electric

lights and colorful decorations.

Buddha Jayanti or also known as Buddha

Purnima is the most sacred festivals of Buddhist. Buddha Purnima (Buddha

Birthday) is celebrated in remembrance Buddha. This day is the birth anniversary

of Lord Buddha. It falls on the full moon of the fourth lunar month (month of

Vaisakh) i.e. April or May. This day commemorates three important events of

Buddha‘s life:

i. His birth in 623 BC.

ii. His enlightenment, i.e. attainment of supreme wisdom in 588 BC.

iii. His attainment of Nirvana, i.e. the complete extinction of his self at the

age of 80.

This day is a thrice blessed day. Buddha is considered the ninth avatar

(incarnation) of Vishnu (Preserver in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-

Destroyer). Gautama Buddha ‗lived and

died in about the fifth century before the Christian era‘.

Buddha means ‗enlightened one‘ -

someone who is completely freefrom all faults and mental obstructions.Gautama

Buddha was not a god and the philosophy of Buddhism does not entail any theistic

world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are solely to liberate human beings from

the misery and sufferings of life.

According to the Buddhism, sorrow and desire are the main cause of all the evil

and suffering of this world. Buddha

advocated the Eightfold Path consisting of precepts like right conduct, right motive,

right speech, right effort, right resolve, right livelihood, right attention and right

meditation to gain mastery over suffering. It is only after following this path one can

reach the ultimate aim of Nirvana. Nirvana is the transcendental state of

complete liberation. Gautama Buddha lived and taught in northern India in the

6th Century B.C.

Buddha travelled far and wide teaching

hundreds of followers. Even after death

his disciples continued to spread his

teachings.

Rich and poor alike were attracted by the simplicity of Buddha‘s teaching and his

emphasis on complete equality of all, a notion antithetical to the existing Hindu

caste system. The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka espoused the Buddhist religion in

the 3rd century B.C. and helped in spreading it far and wide. Sarnath and

Bodhgaya are two of the most important

pilgrimage centres for the Buddhists.

Though Buddhism originated in India and the religion has gained tremendous

popularity throughout the Far East in Asia, there are very few practising

Buddhists in the country. The number of Buddhists in the world ranges "from less

than two hundred million, to more than five hundred million, with the lower

number closer to reality."

Buddha Purnima 2011 Date: May 17

Buddha Purnima Celebration in other countries

uddha Purnima is celebrated in

many countries that follow Buddha in different ways. Here are some

examples.

Nepal

The birth of the Buddha is celebrated by Buddhists in Nepal for an entire month in

the Buddhist calendar. The actual day is called Buddha Purnima, also traditionally

known as Vaishakh Purnima. This day

marks not just the birth of Shakyamuni Gautam Buddha, but also the day of

Enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana as

well. But as a gentle effect of West, the event of Birth is given paramount

importance.

The event is celebrated by gentle and serene fervor, keeping in mind the very

nature of Buddhism. People, especially

B

women, go to common Viharas to observe

a rather longer-than-usual, full-length Buddhist sutra, as something like a

service. The usual dress is pure white. Non-vegetarian food is normally avoided.

Kheer, sweet rice porridge is commonly served to recall the story of Sujata, a

maiden who, in Gautama Buddha‘s life, offered the Buddha a bowl of milk

porridge after he had given up the path of asceticism following six years of extreme

austerity. This event was one major link in his enlightenment.

It is said that the Buddha originally followed the way of asceticism to attain

enlightenment sooner, as was thought by many at that time. He sat for a prolonged

time with inadequate food and water, which caused his body to shrivel so as to

be indistinguishable from the bark of the tree that he was sitting under. Seeing the

weak Siddhartha Gautama, a girl named Sujata placed a bowl of milk in front of

him as an offering. Realizing that without food one can do nothing, the Buddha

refrained from harming his own body.

India

Birth of Buddha or Tathagata is celebrated in India, especially in Sikkim,

Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bodh Gaya and Maharashtra (where 6% of total

population are Buddhists) and other parts of India as per Indian calendar.

Maharashtra has largest number of Buddha monasteries and caves. Buddhist

People go to common Viharas to observe a rather longer-than-usual, full-length

Buddhist sutra, as something like a

service. The usual dress is pure white. Non-vegetarian food is normally avoided.

Kheer, sweet rice porridge is commonly served to recall the story of Sujata, a

maiden who, in Gautama Buddha's life, offered the Buddha a bowl of milk

porridge.

Japan

In Japan, Buddha‘s birth is also

celebrated according to the Buddhist

calendar but is not a national holiday. On this day, all temples hold Kanbutsu-e

(Japanese: 灌仏会), 降誕会 (Goutan-e),

仏生会 (Busshou-e), 浴仏会

(Yokubutsu-e), 龍華会 (Ryuge-e),

花会式 (Hana-eshiki) or 花祭(Hana-

matsuri, meaning ‗Flower Festival‘).

Hanamatsuri

The first event was held at Asuka-dera in

606. Japanese people pour ama-cha (a beverage prepared from a variety of

hydrangea) on small Buddha statues decorated with flowers, as if bathing a

newborn baby.

Korea

In Korea the birthday of Buddha is

celebrated according to the Luni-solar

calendar. This day is called 석가탄신일

(Seokga tansinil),meaning ‘the day of

Buddha’s birthday’ or 부처님오신날

(Bucheonim osin nal)meaning ‘the

day when Buddha arrived’.

Lotus lanterns cover the entire temple

throughout the month which are often flooded down the street. On the day of

Buddha‘s birth, many temples provide free meals and tea to all visitors. The

breakfast and lunch provided are often sanchae bibimbap.

Sri Lanka

This is one of the major festivals in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated on the first full

moon day of the month of May. People engage in religious observances and

decorate houses and streets with candles

and specially made lanterns. Some stores share out free meals for people. In

specific places, there are buildings made out of light bulbs but from a distance it

represents pictures from the Buddha‘s life. They are called vesak thorun.

People sing songs called ‘bhakthi geetha’.

Other countries

Some places have a public holiday one week later, on the fifteenth day of the

fourth month in the Chinese Lunar

Calendar, to coincide with the full moon. The names for this festival vary with each

country, for instance Visakha Puja in Thailand or Lễ Phật đản in Vietnam. In

some countries it is a public holiday.

Vesākha in Pali; and in Sanskrit: Vaiśākha

is an annual holiday observed

traditionally by Buddhists in the Nepal

and subcontinent, Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian countries of Singapore,

Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Sometimes

informally called ‗Buddha‘s Birthday‘, it

actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment (nirvāṇa), and passing

away (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha.

The exact date of Vesākha varies

according to the various lunar calendars used in different traditions. In Theravada

countries following the Buddhist calendar, it falls on the full moon Uposatha day

(typically the 5th or 6th lunar month). Vesākha Day in China is on the eighth of

the fourth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. The date varies from year to

year in the Western Gregorian calendar, but falls in April or May.

Names for Vesākha

In Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the

holiday is known by its Sanskrit name,

Vaiśākha, and derived variants of it.

Vesākha is known as Vesak or Wesak

(衛塞節) in the Sinhalese language.

It is also known as:

1. buÏ pUi[Rma Buddha Purnima or buÏ

jy<tIBuddha Jayanti in India and

Nepal

2. / Bud-dho

Purnyima or Bud-dho Joyonti in

Bangladesh 3. 花祭(Hanamatsuri) in Japan,

4. 석가탄신일 Seokka Tanshin-il

(Hanja: 釋迦誕身日) in Korean,

5. 佛誕(Mandarin:Fódàn,

Cantonese:Fātdàahn)in Chinese-

speaking communities,

6. Phật Đản in Vietnamese,

7. Saga Dawa (sa ga zla

ba) in Tibetan,

8. (Kasone la-pyae Boda nei), lit. Full Moon Day of Kason, the

second month of the traditional Burmese calendar

9. Visak Bochéa in

Khmer,

10. Vixakha Bouxa in Laotian,

11. Visakha Puja (or Visakha

Bucha) in Thai,

12. Waisak in Indonesia,

13.

Vesak [Wesak] in Sri Lanka and

Malaysia

History

The decision to agree to celebrate the Vesākha as the Buddha‘s birthday was

formalized at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri

Lanka in 1950, although festivals at this time in the Buddhist world are a

centuries-old tradition. The Resolution that was adopted at the World Conference

reads as follows:

―That this Conference of the World

Fellowship of Buddhists, while recording its appreciation of the gracious act of His

Majesty, the Maharaja of Nepal in making the full-moon day of Vesak a Public

Holiday in Nepal, earnestly requests the Heads of Governments of all countries in

which large or small number of Buddhists are to be found, to take steps to make

the full-moon day in the month of May a Public Holiday in honor of the Buddha,

who is universally acclaimed as one of the greatest benefactors of Humanity. ‖

On Vesākha Day, Buddhists all over the world commemorate events of

significance to Buddhists of all traditions: The birth, enlightenment and the passing

away of Gautama Buddha. As Buddhism spread from India it was assimilated into

many foreign cultures, and consequently Vesākha is celebrated in many different

ways all over the world.

On Vesākha day, devout Buddhists and

followers alike are expected and requested to assemble in their various

temples before dawn for the ceremonial, and honorable, hoisting of the Buddhist

flag and the singing of hymns in praise of

the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The

Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples).

Devotees may bring simple offerings of

flowers, candles and joss-sticks to lay at the feet of their teacher. These symbolic

offerings are to remind followers that just as the beautiful flowers would wither

away after a short while and the candles and joss-sticks would soon burn out, so

too is life subject to decay and

destruction. Devotees are enjoined to make a special effort to refrain from

killing of any kind. They are encouraged to partake of vegetarian food for the day.

In some countries, notably Sri Lanka, two

days are set aside for the celebration of Vesākha and all liquor shops and

slaughter houses are closed by government decree during the two days.

Also birds, insects and animals are

released by the thousands in what is known as a ‗symbolic act to liberation‘; of

giving freedom to those who are in captivity, imprisoned, or tortured against

their will. Some devout Buddhists will wear a simple white dress and spend the

whole day in temples with renewed determination to observe the eight

Precepts.

Devout Buddhists undertake to lead a

noble life according to the teaching by making daily affirmations to observe the

Five Precepts. However, on special days, notably new moon and full moon days,

they observe the eight Precepts to train themselves to practice morality, simplicity

and humility.

Some temples also display a small image of the baby Buddha in front of the altar in

a small basin filled with water and

decorated with flowers, allowing devotees to pour water over the statue; it is

symbolic of the cleansing of a practitioners bad karma, and to reenact

the events following the Buddha's birth,

when devas and spirits made heavenly offerings to him.

Devotees are expected to listen to talks

given by monks. On this day monks will recite verses uttered by the Buddha

twenty-five centuries ago, to invoke peace and happiness for the Government

and the people. Buddhists are reminded to live in harmony with people of other

faiths and to respect the beliefs of other

people as the Buddha had taught.

Bringing happiness to others

Celebrating Vesākha also means making

special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the

handicapped and the sick. To this day,

Buddhists will distribute gifts in cash and kind to various charitable homes

throughout the country. Vesākha is also a time for great joy and happiness,

expressed not by pandering to one‘s appetites but by concentrating on useful

activities such as decorating and illuminating temples, painting and

creating exquisite scenes from the life of the Buddha for public dissemination.

Devout Buddhists also vie with one another to provide refreshments and

vegetarian food to followers who visit the temple to pay homage to the Enlightened

on this day.

Buddhism and Hinduism The Buddha‘s relation with Hinduism is so

close that it is easy to confuse Buddhism with Hinduism. The two religions have

close connections, and yet they are

distinct in many ways. This was because of Buddha‘s reform movements and his

refining of Hindu beliefs. It would not be wrong to state, then, that Buddha

founded a noble religion by distilling Hinduism, and offering a commonsense

approach to self-betterment to which the people can relate easily.

Swami Kriyananda (J Donald Walters) in

his book The Hindu Way of

Awakening, perspicaciously notes how Westerners confuse between these two

closely connected religions, and why people mistakenly consider Buddhism and

not Hinduism as the religion of India:

‗Hinduism is often omitted from rosters of the world‘s great religions. Everyone

knows, of course, that Hinduism exists.

Even so, it is confused in many people‘s minds with what they think of as

Buddhism. For Buddhism fits into their

concepts of what a religion ought to be...

‗Even if the Westerner holds good intention towards India… he may see

Hinduism as containing some of the worst examples of Paganism. Small wonder,

then, that many people look upon Buddhism as the noblest representative of

India‘s religion, and turn to it when wanting an Indian religion to place among

the great religions of the world.

‗While Buddhism is relatively simple,

Hinduism is complex….Buddhism seems, to Westerners especially, to offer a benign

and palatable form of the Indian religious experience. Most students of religion

know that Buddha tried to reform some of the ancient practices; they think of him as

having brought order and sophistication

to primitive chaos. When they prepare lists of the great world religions they

think of themselves as demonstrating respect for the religion of India by calling

it Buddhism. Most of them are not conscious of their mistake.‘

Buddha, as we know, began his

meditation as a Hindu. He was awakened with a new enlightenment only to

denounce Hinduism and emerge as the

founder of a new religion. Therefore, to understand Buddhism fully, one should

not separate it from Hinduism; while at the same time view it separately from

Hinduism. Buddha‘s way of life was ‗the golden mean‘ and a relief from the pagan

stigmas and caste system prevalent in Hinduism.

The Hindu caste system defined a

person‘s position in society as determined

by their birth. Buddha condemned the Hindu caste system and said that it is

karma or the good and bad actions of a person and not birth that should

determine a person's caste. He introduced the idea of placing morality and equality

on a higher place than genealogy of a person.

Jesus had the same relationship to

Judaism as Buddha to Hinduism. Both

Hinduism and Judaism are ethnic and non-missionary traditions, and are

characterized by an element of segregation between the castes and

races, unlike Buddhism and Christianity.

Swami Kriyananda compares Buddha‘s

position relative to Hinduism with Martin Luther‘s to the Roman Catholic Church:

‗Both men were reformers, and the structure reformed by each was not

supplanted by his teachings. The Catholic Church survives to this day, and has in

many ways been strengthened by Luther‘s reforms. Hinduism similarly was

purified and strengthened by the teachings of Buddha, and was in no way

replaced by them. Most Hindus today look upon Buddha as one of their own Avatars

or Divine Incarnations.‘

Hindus believe that the purpose of the

avatar of Buddha, like all divine avatars, was to re-establish dharma where

‗adharma‘ (irreligiousness) had become prevalent. Buddha is regarded by some

sects of Hindus as an incarnation of Vishnu, or even as a Hindu. This is

because Buddha's theistic beliefs are not contrary to Hinduism, but only a step

ahead. This is also because the nature of Hinduism itself is such that all beliefs are

recognized as being facets of the Ultimate

Truth. It is interesting to note that the word ‗Nirvana‘ — used by Lord Buddha to

describe the state of permanent bliss — is indeed a Vedic term.

The great unification of Buddhism and

Hinduism is still prevalent in Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha. Ironically, Nepal is

the world‘s only Hindu nation, where people don't consider the two religions

distinct from each other.

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Pure Land Paradise Excerpt: The diamond Sutra of Buddha

By

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THE LORD ASKED: WHAT DO YOU THINK, SUBHUTI, IS THERE ANY DHAMMA WHICH THE

TATHAGATA HAS LEARNED FROM DIPANKARA?

SUBHUTI REPLIED: NOT SO, O LORD, THERE IS NOT.

THE LORD SAID: IF ANY BODHISATTVA WOULD SAY, ‘I WILL CREATE HARMONIOUS

BUDDHAFIELDS,’ HE WOULD SPEAK FALSELY.

AND WHY?

THE HARMONIES OF BUDDHAFIELDS, SUBHUTI, AS NO-HARMONIES HAVE THEY BEEN TAUGHT

BY THE TATHAGATA. THEREFORE HE SPOKE OF ‘HARMONIOUS BUDDHAFIELDS.’

THE LORD SAID:

‘AND AGAIN, SUBHUTI, SUPPOSE A WOMAN OR A MAN WERE TO RENOUNCE ALL THEIR

BELONGINGS AS MANY TIMES AS THERE ARE GRAINS OF SAND IN THE RIVER GANGES; AND

SUPPOSE THAT SOMEONE ELSE, AFTER TAKING FROM THIS DISCOURSE ON DHAMMA BUT ONE

STANZA OF FOUR LINES, WOULD DEMONSTRATE IT TO OTHERS. THEN THIS LATER ON THE

STRENGTH OF THAT WOULD BEGET A GREATER HEAP OF MERIT, IMMEASURABLE AND

INCALCULABLE.’

THEREUPON THE IMPACT OF DHAMMA MOVED THE VENERABLE SUBHUTI TO TEARS.

HAVING SHED TEARS, HE THUS SPOKE TO THE LORD:

‘IT IS WONDERFUL, O LORD, IT IS EXCEEDINGLY WONDERFUL, O WELL-GONE.’

‘HOW WELL THE TATHAGATA HAS TAUGHT THIS DISCOURSE ON DHAMMA. THROUGH IT

COGNITION HAS BEEN PRODUCED IN ME, AND IT IS INDEED NO PERCEPTION.

AND WHY?

BECAUSE, THE BUDDHAS THE LORDS, HAVE LEFT ALL PERCEPTIONS BEHIND.’

THE LORD SAID:

‘SO IT IS SUBHUTI. MOST WONDERFULLY BLEST WILL BE THOSE BEINGS WHO, ON HEARING

THIS SUTRA, WILL NOT TREMBLE, NOR BE FRIGHTENED, OR TERRIFIED.’ MOREOVER, SUBHUTI,

THE TATHAGATA’S PERFECTION OF PATIENCE IS REALLY NO PERFECTION.

AND WHY?

BECAUSE, SUBHUTI, WHEN THE KING OF KALINGA CUT MY FLESH FROM EVERY LIMB, AT THAT

TIME I HAD NO PERCEPTION OF A SELF, OF A BEING, OF A SOUL, OR A PERSON.

AND WHY?

IF, SUBHUTI, AT THAT TIME I HAD HAD A PERCEPTION OF SELF, I WOULD ALSO HAVE HAD A

PERCEPTION OF ILL-WILL AT THAT TIME. AND FURTHER, SUBHUTI, IT IS FOR THE WEAL OF

ALL BEINGS THAT A BODHISATTVA SHOULD GIVE GIFTS IN THIS MANNER.

AND WHY?

THIS PERCEPTION OF A BEING SUBHUTI, THAT IS JUST A NON-PERCEPTION. THOSE ALL-

BEINGS OF WHOM THE TATHAGATA HAS SPOKEN, THEY ARE INDEED NO-BEINGS.

AND WHY?

BECAUSE THE TATHAGATA SPEAKS IN ACCORDANCE WITH REALITY, SPEAKS THE TRUTH,

SPEAKS OF WHAT IS, NOT OTHERWISE.

A TATHAGATA DOES NOT SPEAK FALSELY.

TATHAGATA, SUBHUTI, IS SYNONYMOUS WITH TRUE SUCHNESS.

THE LORD ASKED: WHAT DO YOU THINK, SUBHUTI?

IS THERE ANY DHAMMA WHICH THE TATHAGATA HAS LEARNED FROM DIPANKARA?

SUBHUTI REPLIED: NOT SO, O LORD, THERE IS NOT.

ipankara is an ancient Buddha.

Gautama Buddha, in his past life

when he was not enlightened, had gone to Dipankara. He wanted to be

accepted as a disciple, but Dipankara laughed and he said, ‗There is nothing to

be learned.‘ Truth cannot be learned. Yes, something has to be understood, but

nothing has to be learned. Truth has to be recognized. It is already there in your

being, it has to be uncovered. But there is nothing to learn.

Truth is not new. Truth is your very

being. You have to become aware. Not that you have to become more

knowledgeable, in fact the more

knowledgeable you are the less aware you will be. The more you think you know

the more you will be covered with ignorance. Knowledge is ignorance.

The knowledgeable person is covered with

dark clouds of memory, information, scripture, and philosophy.

Dipankara said to Gautama, ‗You need

not think in terms of learning. Truth is

already in you. Truth cannot be

transferred.‘

Not only this, but when Gautama touched

the feet of Dipankara, Dipankara bowed down and touched the feet of Gautama.

Gautama was not enlightened then. He was very puzzled, and embarrassed too.

There was a great assembly of monks.

Nobody could understand what was happening. Dipankara had never done

that to anybody else.

And Gautama said, ‗What have you done? Why have you touched my feet? I am a

sinner, an ignorant person. To touch your

feet is right, but you touching my feet is absurd. Have you gone mad?‘

And Dipankara laughed again and he

responded, ‗No, Gautama. You are puzzled because you know not your

future. I am not mad. I can see it happening - you will be a Buddha soon.

Just to honor that fact I have touched your feet.

D

And moreover, for one who is enlightened

all are enlightened. Only the enlightened one can indeed recognize another

enlightened one even he is in seed form.

It is only a question of time. It does not matter much. I have become enlightened

today, you will become enlightened tomorrow, and somebody else will

become enlightened the day after tomorrow. Indeed it does not matter.

Enlightenment is going to happen to

everybody, to every being. You can go on delaying it that is up to you. The moment

you stop delaying, the moment you stop

postponing, it is there. It has always been waiting for you to recognize it.‘

Each seed has to sprout and each bud has

to blossom into flower. This is the destiny. Neither you nor I can change

this.

Dipankara touching the feet of Gautama is one of the most beautiful anecdotes.

And Gautama was an unknown man then.

After centuries, nearly three thousand years later when Gautama was born as

Siddhartha that he became enlightened.

And when this happened, the first thing

that Gautama did was to bowed down to Dipankara. Dipankara was no more then.

But the word of Dipankara Buddha remembered and these continued to echo

in his being. Buddha bowed down and he laughed and he said, ‗Now I understand

why you touched my feet. Now I can touch everybody‘s feet. Now I know that

the whole existence is going to be enlightened.‘

Through this Sutras Buddha is paying

gratitude to Dipankara and making

Subhuti aware of this as well. Also through The Diamond Sutra he is

revealing a great secret for the entire

humanity.

Enlightenment is a natural happening. If you do not hinder it, it is bound to

happen. It is not that you have to achieve it all that you have to do is not to hinder

it. You go on hindering it in a thousand and one ways. You do not allow it to

happen. When it starts to happen you become frightened. When it takes

possession of you, you cannot give that much possession. You shrink back, and

withdraw. You come back in your tiny cell of the ego. There you feel protected,

defended, and secure. And once again

you lose the opportunity of enlightenment.

Enlightenment is the open sky of

insecurity. It is vastness. It is uncharted ocean. The journey is from one unknown

to another unknown. There is nothing that can be known. Knowledge, the very

idea of knowing, is part of human stupidity and imbecility. Life is such a

mystery it cannot be known. And if it cannot be known how can it be taught?

And if it cannot be taught, what is the point of being a master and a disciple?

The master and disciple is a drama. Play it as beautifully as possible. To you it is a

reality, I know. To a master it is a drama. From your side it is a great reality, from

the side of the master it is a game. One day you will also understand that it is a

game. That day will be the day of your enlightenment.

The day you will become aware you will

know there is no master and no disciple. The day you will understand, you will

know that it was a dream. However this is a dream which can help you to come out

of all your other dreams. It is like a thorn

which can help to pull out your thorns from your flesh.

Dipankara was simply saying to Gautama,

when he touched his feet, that this is just a game. You touch my feet or I touch

your feet. It makes no difference. We are all enlightened, we are all gods. Not that I

am god and you are not. ALL is divine. Trees are gods, so are animals, so is

everything, even rocks!

God is fast asleep in the rocks. He has become a little alert in the trees. A little

more alert in the animals, a little more alert in you. In a Buddha he has come

perfectly to absolute alertness.

This difference is not of quality. Instead

the difference is only of quantity. And if you are this much aware, you can

become that much aware too.

THE LORD ASKED: WHAT DO YOU THINK,

SUBHUTI, IS THERE ANY DHAMMA WHICH

THE TATHAGATA HAS LEARNED FROM

DIPANKARA?

He is asking, ‗Have I learned anything

from Dipankara?‘

There is nothing to learn. Truth is a given fact. Whatsoever you learn will be lies.

Truth need not be learned. Truth has not

to be invented but only discovered. Better will it be to say that truth has only to be

rediscovered. Indeed everyone has to rediscover it.

And the word learning is dangerous.

Learning implies accumulating information. The more you accumulate

information the deeper your reality goes into the unconscious. You become

burdened. Your head starts clamoring with knowledge. It becomes very noisy,

and then you cannot hear the still small voice of your heart. That silence of the

heart is lost in the noise of knowledge.

That is why even sinners achieve and it is

easier for them but scholars miss. The sinner can be humble but the scholar

cannot be humble. The sinner can cry and

weep, but the scholar knows. He is adamant in his knowledge. He is egoistic

in his knowledge. He cannot melt. He is not open. He is closed and even remains

so. All his windows and doors are blocked by his knowledge.

To come to truth means unlearning rather

than learning. You have to unlearn all that you have known. It is not a

becoming but an unbecoming, it is not a learning but an unlearning. To unlearn is

the way. If you can un-become then you will be capable of becoming. If you are

capable of unlearning and if you can drop

all knowledge unconditionally, without any clinging, you will become innocent. It

is only innocence can bring you home.

SUBHUTI REPLIED:

NOT SO, O LORD, THERE IS NOT.

Between a master and a teacher what is

transferred? Neither truth nor knowledge is transferred - then what is transferred?

In fact, nothing is transferred.

In the presence of the master something arises in the deepest core of the disciple,

not that it is transferred. Nothing travels from the master to the disciple, but the

presence of the master, and something

that was deep inside starts surfacing in the disciple. The presence of the master

calls forth the being of the disciple. It is not that something is given or

transferred. Just the very presence of the master becomes a catalytic and the

disciple starts changing. A catalyst does nothing in a chemical reaction. However

in the presence of the catalyst the chemical reaction takes place.

Of course, a disciple will think that

something is being done by the master. Nothing indeed is being done. No real

master ever does anything. All his doing

consists of a presence that surrounds you. It is being available to you. All his

work consists of one simple thing – a

subtle presence. He surrounds you just like the sun.

The sun rises in the morning and buds

open and become flowers. Not that the sun gives them something, not that the

sun comes and opens the buds. Nothing is done by the sun, just the presence of

the light is enough and the bud starts opening. The opening comes from the bud

itself. And the flowering and the fragrance all comes from the bud itself. The sun has

not added anything to it, but the presence has been catalytic. Without the sun there

the bud would find it almost impossible to

open. It would not know that opening is possible. It would never become alert of

its possibilities and potential.

A master simply makes you aware of your potential. If he has achieved, you can

achieve. He is just like you - the blood and the bones and the body. He is just

like you. If something is possible in his being, if his bud can become a flower,

then why cannot you become? This very idea sinks deep into the heart, stirs your

whole being, and energies start surfacing. In that your bud starts opening.

This is called SATSANGA in the East - to be in the presence of the master. And the

real disciple is one who has come to know how to be present to the master. The

master is present, but how to be present to the master?

Have you seen the sunflower? That is the

symbol for the disciple. Wherever the sun moves, the sunflower moves that way. It

is always present to the sun. In the morning it is facing East in the evening it

is facing West. It has moved with the sun. Wherever the sun is, the sunflower

moves. The sunflower is the metaphor for

the disciple.

Buddha is asking, ‗Do you think, Subhuti,

I have learned anything from Dipankara?‘ Subhuti says, ‗Not so, O Lord‘ - because

there is nothing to learn.

Does it mean Buddha is ungrateful to Dipankara? No not at all. When he

became enlightened, the first gratitude was towards Dipankara who had

disappeared into the infinite long ago, not even a trace was left behind. He exists

only in the memory of Buddha, nowhere else. The words of Dipankara still linger

deep down Buddha. After being enlightened the first thing that Buddha

did was to pay his gratitude to Dipankara.

About Dipankara there are no scripture.

Maybe in those days scriptures were not written. There exists no other reference

about him. Buddha is the only sole reference. Three thousand years have

passed, nobody knows anything about Dipankara, but when Buddha became

enlightened, the first gratitude, the first thankfulness that he paid was towards

Dipankara.

Why because it was in the presence of Dipankara that the longing became a

passion - to become a Buddha. It was in

his presence that the great desire to become a Buddha arose. It was in his

presence that the bud of Gautama started dreaming of becoming a flower. It was in

his presence that the dream unfolded. It took three thousand years to drop the

hindrances, the obstacles. But what are three thousand years in the eternity of

time - nothing just a few moments.

Why is Buddha asking Subhuti? So that Subhuti can understand that there is

nothing to be learned from Buddha. Buddha himself has not learned anything

from Dipankara, so too ‗There is nothing,

Subhuti, to learn from me. Be with me but do not think in terms of learning. The

moment you think in terms of learning

you are not with me.‘

There are two types of people - the disciples and the students. The students

are those who are in search of learning something. They are here to gather

something so that they can brag and say that they know this and they know that.

They are just collecting colored stones while diamonds are available.

The disciple is one who is not interested

in knowledge, who is interested in being, who is interested just to be here with me,

for no other reason, for no other motive.

His heart has been touched, his dream has started unfolding, and a great intense

desire is arising in him.

Once, a disciple was saying that he becomes very afraid of death. I enquired

him, ‗Why have you become so much afraid?‘ And his reply was immensely

beautiful. He said, ‗My fear is not because of death. The fear is because I have not

yet known anything, not yet realized anything about death. I have not yet felt

anything. I am afraid that I might die without knowing the truth. That is my

fear.‘

A disciple is one who has become

immensely interested in being - in truth itself, not knowing about it. He is not

afraid of death. He is afraid death may come in and may disturb the intimacy

that is arising between the master and him. Death may come and may disrupt

the presence that he is imbibing, the presence that is going into his being and

changing a thousand and one things in his soul - that alone is the fear.

A disciple never bothers about

knowing but is interested in being.

Not that he wants to know something about God, but that he wants to taste

God, to drink out of that reservoir called

God, to become part of that oceanic

energy.

Remember to be a student here is not very wise. To be a student here is to be

unintelligent. This is not a school. Life is available here in its pristine beauty for

which you have to be a disciple. To be a disciple means to be courageous enough

to come close to a master, whatsoever be the cost. The disciple means the one who

can take the risk of being close to a master. It is a risk because you will die.

The bud will die, only then the flower can come. The seed will die only then the

plant can emerge.

You will have to die, only then God can

bloom in you. Die as you are so that God can blossom through the ashes.

THE LORD SAID: ‘WHAT DO YOU THINK,

SUBHUTI, IS THERE ANY DHAMMA WHICH

THE TATHAGATA HAS LEARNED FROM

DIPANKARA?’

A great seeker has written,

‘I went to the wise for answers. There were many wise men, each one with his

answer. It was by that I came in time to

see that they all betrayed themselves. But there were also a few I happened

upon who were otherwise, one or two, who sat with a serene vitality, who smiled

at my questions, and in face of my insistence for answers, generously gave

me further questions.

There were moments with them that I forgot all about wisdom and smiled as

carelessly as fools and children only can. I got no answers from the truly wise. It

was lack of wisdom that had sent me to the wise. How then could I have

understood anything wise, even if it was

sayable and even if it was said? The truly wise were too true to give wise answers.’

The truly wise gives you his being, no

words. The truly wise simply makes him available to you, and if you are

courageous you can drink and eat out of his being. That is what Jesus means when

he says to his disciples: ‗Eat me! Drink me!‘ The master has to be eaten. The

master has to be absorbed, digested, only then will you stumble upon your own

truth. There is nothing to learn - no Dhamma to learn, no doctrine to learn, no

philosophy to learn.

THE LORD SAID:

IF ANY BODHISATTVA WOULD SAY, ‘I WILL

CREATE HARMONIOUS BUDDHAFIELDS,’ HE

WOULD SPEAK FALSELY.

AND WHY?

THE HARMONIES OF BUDDHAFIELDS,

SUBHUTI, AS NO-HARMONIES HAVE THEY

BEEN TAUGHT BY THE TATHAGATA.

THEREFORE HE SPOKE OF ‘HARMONIOUS

BUDDHAFIELDS’.

The word Buddha-Field is of tremendous

importance. You have to understand it, because that is what I am doing through

all these talks and works. All these are aimed at creating a Buddha-Field. By

creating a Buddha-Field we are moving

away from the world, far away, so that a totally different kind of energy can be

made available to you and you can live in the world of such an enlightened

awareness.

Buddha-Field means creating a situation where the sleeping Buddha in you can be

awakened. Buddha-Field means an energy field where you can start growing,

maturing, where your sleep can be broken, where you can be shocked into

awareness. It is an electric field where you will not be able to fall asleep, where

you will have to be awake, because

shocks will be coming all the time.

A Buddha-Field is an energy field in

which a Buddha matures beings, a pure land, an unworldly world, a paradise on

earth, which offers ideal conditions for rapid spiritual growth. It is a matrix.

The word MATRIX is of Latin origin. It

means the womb. From that word we get the words matter, mother, and so on. The

womb offers three things to a newly forming life:

1. It is a source of possibility,

2. It provides a source of energy to explore that possibility,

3. It is a safe place within which that

exploration can take place.

That is what this Buddha-Field is going to do. Through these talks, meditations,

books and videos energies are being made available to you. This will bring a

clear understanding of the possibilities. It is aimed at making you aware of your

potential, by creating a safe environment to work without being distracted by the

world. It aims at how to become a Buddha; and everything else simply

disappears from your mind – money, power and prestige or becomes

insignificant.

In the silence that the Buddha-Field

creates and in the uninhibited atmosphere the master and the disciple can enact the

drama totally. The ultimate is when the master can touch the feet of the disciple,

when the master and disciples are lost into one reality. This is what Dipankara

did to Buddha.

THE LORD SAID:

IF ANY BODHISATTVA WOULD SAY, ‘I WILL

CREATE HARMONIOUS BUDDHAFIELDS,’ HE

WOULD SPEAK FALSELY.

AND WHY?

THE HARMONIES OF BUDDHAFIELDS,

SUBHUTI, AS NO-HARMONIES HAVE THEY

BEEN TAUGHT BY THE TATHAGATA.

THEREFORE HE SPOKE OF ‘HARMONIOUS

BUDDHAFIELDS’.

Only a person who has no ‗I‘ within him

can create a Buddha-Field. In fact then to say he creates is not right; language is

inadequate.

The Sanskrit word for creation is far

better. The Sanskrit word is NIRPADAYATI. It means many things. It

can mean to create, to accomplish, to ripen, to mature or it can simply mean to

trigger into existence. That is exactly the meaning.

A Buddha does not create, instead he

triggers. Even to say he triggers is not good. Always in his presence things

happen. Or in his presence things are triggered, and a process starts. His

presence is a spark of fireand things start moving and one thing leads to another,

and in the process a great chain is

created.

Man has lived a long time the way he has lived. A time has come for a critical

quantum leap. Either man will die in war or man will take the jump and will

become a new man. Before that happens, a great Buddha-Field is needed - a field

where we can create the new man.

But a bodhisattva cannot say, ‗I will create the harmonious buddhafields.‘ If

the emphasis is on ‗I‘ then the person is not yet a Bodhisattva. Even Buddhas use

the word ‗I‘ but they insistently

emphasize that it corresponds to no reality, that it is just a language use, that

it is utilitarian.

And Buddha says, ‗Those harmonious Buddha-Fields are not even harmonious.‘

Why because harmony means conflict is

still alive. Harmony means the conflicting

parts are there but they are no longer

conflicting. Buddha says the real harmony is when the conflicting parts have

dissolved into one unity. But then you cannot call it harmony, because harmony

needs many, harmony means that there are many fragments in a harmonious

whole.

Buddha says the real harmony is when those many – the discordant ones are no

longer there and they have become one.

So a harmony, a real harmony, cannot even be called harmony. The real

harmony is simple unity. There is no

conflict and no friction, because all the fragmentary parts have disappeared or

dissolved.

AND WHY?

THE HARMONIES OF BUDDHAFIELDS,

SUBHUTI, AS NO-HARMONIES HAVE THEY

BEEN TAUGHT BY THE TATHAGATA.

THEREFORE HE SPOKE OF ‘HARMONIOUS

BUDDHAFIELDS’.

Remember again and again; it is a

question of the inadequate language. That's why Buddha goes on insisting

again and again to remind you so that you don't become a victim of inadequate

language expressions.

THE LORD SAID:

AND AGAIN, SUBHUTI, SUPPOSE A WOMAN

OR A MAN WERE TO RENOUNCE ALL THEIR

BELONGINGS AS MANY TIMES AS THERE ARE

GRAINS OF SAND IN THE RIVER GANGES;

AND SUPPOSE THAT SOMEONE ELSE, AFTER

TAKING FROM THIS DISCOURSE ON DHAMMA

BUT ONE STANZA OF FOUR LINES, WOULD

DEMONSTRATE IT TO OTHERS. THEN THIS

MATTER ON THE STRENGTH OF THAT WOULD

BEGET A GREATER HEAP OF MERIT

IMMEASURABLE AND INCALCULABLE.

It is said that Hui Neng, one of the greatest

Zen masters, the sixth patriarch in the Zen

tradition, became enlightened by hearing

four lines of The Diamond Sutra. And he was

just passing by in a marketplace. He had

gone to purchase something, he was not

even thinking of enlightenment, and

somebody by the side of the road was

reading The Diamond Sutra.

That man had been reading The Diamond

Sutra for his whole life. He must have been a

kind of scholar, or a parrot and it was his

usual ritual, to read the sutra every morning,

and every evening.

It was evening and the market was just

closing and people were going home and Hui

Neng was passing. He heard just four lines.

He was struck dumb. He stood there and it is

said, for the whole night. The Diamond Sutra

finished, the market closed, the man who

was chanting it went, and Hui Neng was

standing there. By the morning he was a

totally different man. He never went home

instead he went to the mountains. The world

became irrelevant fir him. Just hearing? Yes,

it is possible if you know how to hear. This

Hui Neng must have been of a very innocent

mind. He was a wonderful man.

Buddha says that even if somebody demonstrates one stanza of four lines

from The Diamond Sutra, his merit is more - indeed his merit is immeasurable

and incalculable, more than the merit of a man or a woman who were to renounce

their belongings as many times as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges.

Renunciation does not help. Instead it is the understanding helps. Renouncing the

world is not going to take you anywhere, you have to understand. Renunciation is a

stupid effort. Only stupid people renounce. The wise person tries to

understand each situation. The wise is never an escapist. Only the stupid people

are escapists, because they cannot face life, or take its challenge.

They move to the mountains, or escape

to monasteries or somewhere else. They run away from the world. These are the

cowards. And religion is possible only if

you have immense courage.

Buddha says these sutras are so valuable

that if you can listen totally, with an open heart, if you are vulnerable to them,

these can transform your life. Even sometimes a single word can be such a

transforming force.

I have heard about a man, who must have been like Hui Neng. He was very old

nearly sixty-five or seventy. He had gone for a morning walk, and some woman

must have been waking her son, or somebody else, inside a hut. The old man

was on the road and the woman was saying, ‗It is time to get up. It is morning!

It is no longer night!‘

The old man heard these words. And it

was not even The Diamond Sutra, it was just a woman telling somebody, ‘Get up!

It is enough! You have slept long. It is no longer night. The sun has risen,

it is morning,’ and the old man heard. He must have been in some receptive

state of mind - the early morning, the birds singing and the sun and the cool

breeze - and those words struck hard, like arrows in the heart: ‗It is morning and

you have slept too long and it is no longer night.‘

He never went home. He went outside the town, sat in a temple meditating. People

came to know about him, and the family came rushing and they said, ‗What are

you doing here?‘

He said, ‗It is morning. It is no longer night, and I have already slept enough.

Enough is enough! Excuse me. Leave me alone. I have to wake up. Death is

coming - I have to wake up.‘

And whenever he would pass the door of that woman he would bow down at the

door but he had never seen that woman

again. That was his temple and that woman his master. He had never seen

the woman, and the woman was an

ordinary woman.

Sometimes a few words, even uttered by ordinary people, can fall in the right soil

of the heart and can bring great transformation. What to say about words

of a Buddha?

THEREUPON THE IMPACT OF DHAMMA

MOVED THE VENERABLE SUBHUTI TO TEARS.

HAVING SHED TEARS, HE THUS SPOKE TO

THE LORD: ‘IT IS WONDERFUL, O LORD, IT IS

EXCEEDINGLY WONDERFUL, O WELL-GONE,

HOW WELL THE TATHAGATA HAS TAUGHT

THIS DISCOURSE ON DHAMMA. THROUGH IT

COGNITION HAS BEEN PRODUCED IN ME,

AND IT IS INDEED NO PERCEPTION.

AND WHY?

BECAUSE THE BUDDHAS, THE LORDS, HAVE

LEFT ALL PERCEPTIONS BEHIND.

It is very rare that a man of the qualities

of Subhuti will cry with tears flowing profusely. But when such compassion,

and love from Buddha is showering on him, when such diamond words are falling

on him like rain... he was overwhelmed.

THEREUPON THE IMPACT OF DHAMMA

MOVED THE VENERABLE SUBHUTI TO TEARS. Remember, there is no deeper way to

relate your gratitude than tears, there is no higher way to pray than tears.

Never be afraid of tears. The so-called

civilization has made you very afraid of tears. It has created a kind of guilt in you.

When tears come you start feeling embarrassed. You start feeling, ‗What will

others think? And I am a man and I am crying! It looks so feminine and childish.

It should not be so.‘

Tears are far more beautiful than

anything that you have with you. Tears come from the overflow of your being.

And tears are not necessarily of sadness; sometimes they spring out of great joy

and sometimes they come out of great

peace and still sometimes they are the expression of ecstasy and love. In fact

tears have nothing to do with sadness or happiness. Anything that stirs your heart

too much, or takes possession of you, anything that is too much, that you

cannot contain and is expressed through tears that start overflowing.

Accept them with great joy, nourish

them, and welcome them. It is through tears you will know how to pray. Through

tears you will know how to see. Tear-filled eyes are capable of seeing truth. Tear-

filled eyes are capable of seeing the

beauty of life and the benediction of it.

THEREUPON THE IMPACT OF DHAMMA

MOVED THE VENERABLE SUBHUTI TO TEARS.

HAVING SHED TEARS, HE THUS SPOKE TO

THE LORD:

‘IT IS WONDERFUL, O LORD, IT IS

EXCEEDINGLY WONDERFUL, O WELL-GONE,

HOW WELL THE TATHAGATA HAS TAUGHT

THIS DISCOURSE ON DHAMMA. THROUGH IT

COGNITION HAS BEEN PRODUCED IN ME....

Subhuti says, Your presence,

compassionate words, love, and your grace, all has produced cognition in me. It

has given me an insight, a vision, of truth,

AND IT IS INDEED NO PERCEPTION.

Still Subhuti still repeats the same words,

‗But let me remind you, it is no perception

because there is nobody to perceive it. It is pure cognition.‘

Indeed knowing has arisen but there is

nobody who knows and there is nothing that is known, only knowing has arisen. It

is pure knowing. The division is not there of the knower and the known and the

knowing. It is just knowing.

AND WHY?

BECAUSE THE BUDDHAS, THE LORDS, HAVE

LEFT ALL PERCEPTIONS BEHIND.

‗And now I know why it is said that the Buddhas have left all perception behind,

because perception needs the perceiver and the perceived, observation needs the

observer and the observed. All these dualities have been dropped. There is

only oneness.‘

It is very difficult to say it.

Michael Adam has put it beautifully.

Maybe these words will be helpful:

‗It has taken all these words to tell, but what is there to tell? Here and now, what

is there? A wind in the trees; it blows and they bend. I have spoken in many words.

It is cause for smiling now, for truth is only a word. Life is a word, death is a

word, happiness is a word, and God is a word. The wind and the tree, the robin

and the seal, the child and the sun are real. The rest is only words.‘ Words about

the sun lack even the reality of shadows and are colder by far. What the sun is,

the clamoring mind and the seeking heart

cannot know, for the sun is of another kind, makes no sound and does not

strive. But this still and silent earth would seem to understand, all without effort the

earth would seem to know what the sun is. Beneath this semblance of death,

under the shroud of snow, in the very midst of the winter, the open quiet earth

well knows what the sun is.‘

The disciple has to become like thirsty earth. Because the thirsty earth knows

what the cloud is. The disciple has to become like open, vulnerable earth. The

vulnerable earth knows what the sun is. It

cannot say it, it cannot express it, but it knows. That is what Subhuti means when

he says:

‗Cognition has arisen in me. I cannot say,

I am not there to capture it, I am not there to seize it, I am just emptiness but

perception has arisen, cognition has arisen, and darshan has arisen. I have

seen, and there is no seer.‘

THE LORD SAID:

SO IT IS, SUBHUTI. MOST WONDERFULLY

BLEST WILL BE THOSE BEINGS WHO, ON

HEARING THIS SUTRA, WILL NOT TREMBLE,

NOR BE FRIGHTENED, OR TERRIFIED.

These sutras are deathlike, they are crucifixion - you will have to die. Only

through death will you know what life is.

Resurrection is possible but only through crucifixion. That is why Buddha said these

sutras are dangerous and

MOST WONDERFUL BLEST WILL BE THOSE

BEINGS WHO, ON HEARING THIS SUTRA,

WILL NOT TREMBLE, NOR BE FRIGHTENED,

OR TERRIFIED.

MOREOVER, SUBHUTI, THE TATHAGATA’S

PERFECTION OF PATIENCE IS REALLY NO

PERFECTION.

AND WHY?

BECAUSE, SUBHUTI, WHEN THE KING OF

KALINGA CUT MY FLESH FROM EVERY LIMB,

AT THAT TIME I HAD NO PERCEPTION OF A

SELF, OF A BEING, OF A SOUL, OR A PERSON.

AND WHY?

IF, SUBHUTI, AT THAT TIME I HAD HAD A

PERCEPTION OF SELF, I WOULD ALSO HAVE

HAD A PERCEPTION OF ILL-WILL AT THAT

TIME.'

He reminds Subhuti of his old experience

of a past life, when the king of Kalinga had cut his limbs. He says, ‗At that time

when my limbs were cut, my hands were cut, my legs were cut, and my tongue

and my eyes were taken away, I was

watching and I could not see any ‗I‘ arising in me. There was nobody who was

seeing it and there was nobody who was hurt by it.‘

‗If any perception of ‗I‘ had arisen at that

time, then it would have been followed by ill-will. Then I would have been angry

with the king who was killing me and destroying me, but I was not angry.

There was no anger.‘

The ego brings anger. Anger is the shadow of the ego. The ego brings

aggression, and violence. Once the ego disappears all violence disappears. A man

becomes LOVE only when the EGO has completely disappeared.

AND FURTHER, SUBHUTI, IT IS FOR THE

WEAL OF ALL BEINGS THAT A BODHISATTVA

SHOULD GIVE GIFTS IN THIS MANNER.

AND WHY?

THIS PERCEPTION OF A BEING, SUBHUTI

THAT IS JUST A NON-PERCEPTION. THOSE

ALL-BEINGS OF WHOM THE TATHAGATA HAS

SPOKEN, THEY ARE INDEED NO-BEINGS.

AND WHY?

BECAUSE THE TATHAGATA SPEAKS IN

ACCORDANCE WITH REALITY, SPEAKS THE

TRUTH, SPEAKS OF WHAT IS, NOT

OTHERWISE. A TATHAGATA DOES NOT

SPEAK FALSELY.

‘TATHAGATA, SUBHUTI, IS SYNONYMOUS

WITH TRUE SUCHNESS.‘

Buddha says, ‗I have said only that which YATHA BHUTAM is. I have not said

anything else. That is why my statements

are so paradoxical, and so illogical, because truth is illogical. To understand

truth, you will have to drop logic.‘

Chronology of the life of Shirdi Sai Baba

Chronological list of events (episodes) concerning Sai Baba

1835:

Sai Baba was born in very early hours of

September 27 or 28, 1835 to a poor

Hindu couple, Gangabhavadya and

Devagiriamma. The newborn infant is left

in the woods, abandoned. The infant is

immediately discovered and adopted by a

childless Muslim fakir and his wife.

1838:

Sai Baba lives with the Muslim couple for

4 years. Meanwhile the fakir dies. The

wife is left to tend the child alone. Even

as a small child Baba stirs up sentiments

between the Hindu and Muslim

community by worshiping Allah in Hindu

temples, and Hindu gods in the mosque.

In fear of increased problems by a sole

widow, Baba is handed over for care with

a local mendicant and story-teller,

Venkusa.

1839-51:

Sai Baba spent 12 years with his Guru.

The name of his Guru was Gopal Rao

Deshmukh (Venkusa, also known as

Venkavadhuta) of Selu. Some say, ‘Baba

practiced penance at the tomb of His

Guru in the cellar under the Neem Tree at

Shirdi’. Arrival of Devidas at Shirdi (Aged

10-11 years) took place in 1846. When he

enquired, BABA mentioned the name of

his GURU as Venkusa implying VISHNU

(Parvardigar – refers to God).

1851:

Sai Baba first appeared at Shirdi and

stays in the village for two months. He is

noted to reside day and night under a

Neem Tree at about the age of 16 Years

which he claims is growing over the tomb

of his old guru. After two months Baba

disappeared to an unknown place.

1855-1857:

Sai Baba travels about from place to

place and finally ends up in Dhoopkheda

(or Dhoop) in Aurangabad District. There

he ends up attending the marriage of

Chandu Patel’s son in 1858.

1858:

Sai Baba returns to Shirdi along with the

marriage-party of Chand Patil and

remained at Shirdi for ever till His

Samadhi. A widowed Deputy Collector

and Settlement Officer by name H.V.

Sathe (Hari Vinayaka Sathe) comes to

Shirdi on the death of his wife. Baba

takes great fondness to Sathe. Sathe was

the first to set up apartments at Shirdi for

temporary visitors. Baba regarded Sathe

as his right hand in regard to all matters.

Because Baba was keeping Sathe close to

him and relying on him for everything,

the residents of Shirdi grew jealous

towards him.

1865:

Saint Manik Prabhu of Homanabad in

Bidar District of Karnataka passed away

in 1878, Chaitra Vadya 14. H. H.

Akkalkot Swami left His mortal coil at

Akkalkot in Solapur District of

Maharashtra. He first appeared in 1835.

It is reported that three of them (Manik

Prabhu, Swami Samartha and SAI BABA)

met at Humanabad.

1885:

Saint Anandnath aged 95 years of Yewala

Math and a disciple of Akkalkot Swami

visited Shirdi and seeing Sai Baba

exclaimed, ‘This is a precious real

diamond.’

1886, April 16:

Mahasamadhi of Shri Ramkrishna

Paramahansa of Bengal 1886,

Margashirsh 15 Sai Baba got rid of an

attack of asthma, by going into Samadhi

for 72 Hrs.

1887:

Manthrapragada Ramalaksmhi Devi, and

my father, Venkata Narasimha Rao who

were childless in spite of effortsvisited

their Guru, Shirdi Sai Baba, in 1887 and

prayed to him for a child. As the fruit of

Shirdi Sai Baba’s grace, I was born to

them on August 8, 1888. Shirdi Sai Baba

himself gave me my name, Shringeri

Sharada Devi. As I am of fair complexion,

he used to lovingly call me Gori.

1889:

Abdullah arrived at Shirdi from Nanded

(in West Khandesh near Jalgaon and

Amalner).

1892 (approx)

Nanasaheb Chandorkar arrived at Shirdi

for the first time after being invited by

BABA many a time showing his intimate

relations with NANA since his many

previous births.

1894 (approx)

Das Ganu (Ganesh Dattatreya

Sahasrabuddhe) accompanied Nanasaheb

Chandorkar to Shirdi for the first time.

1896

Celebration of ‘Urus’ – spiritual gathering

started at Shirdi owing to the efforts of

Gopalrao Gund, a Circle Inspector of

Kopargaon.

1898

Sai Baba was seen sleeping on a narrow

plank suspended with old rags about 7 or

8 feet above ground with lighted lamps

placed on the plank.

(Uknown year) About this time, the

parents of Shyam came to Shirdi with the

two-year old child named Mohan Shyam.

A small school for children started

adjoining Baba’s room. Shyam used to

watch Baba at nights through the

ventilator. Baba used to sleep on an

eighteen-inch wide plank suspended with

old rags about 7 or 8 feet above ground

with lighted lamps placed on the plank.

Shyam was apprehensive that Baba might

fall from his lofty but narrow perch during

sleep. Shyam prayed to stay near Baba

and serve him for his remaining days.

1899-1900

Nanasaheb Chandorkar visited Shirdi with

his sister-in-law’s husband, Shri Biniwale.

Baba scolded Nanasaheb for dissuading

Biniwale, a devotee of Shri Dattatmya

from visiting Datta Temple on the bank of

Godavari River to avoid delay in reaching

Shirdi.

1900-1902

Sai Baba like a learned Pandit explained

Geeta to Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who

believed that BABA was not well versed

with Sanskrit language of Pandits.

1903

Das Ganu left Govt. service and as per

Baba’s instructions settled at Nanded and

started performing kirtans and writing life

histories of recent saints.

1903

Das Ganu’s book ‘Sant Kathamrit’ was

published. (Ch. 57 is about Sai Baba’s

advice to Nanasaheb Chandorkar).

1904, April

Rao Bahadur H. V. Sathe first arrived at

Shirdi at the age 49 years).

1904-1905

Nanasaheb Chandorkar’s pregnant

daughter Mainatai at Jamner in Jalgaon

District had severe pains of delivery. Sai

baba sent Udi and Arati with Ramgir

Gosavi from Shirdi and she had a safe

delivery. Sai Baba even took the form of

tonga’s Rajput driver to make Ramgir

reach Jamner safe and on time.

1906

Das Ganu’s book ‘Bhakta-Leelamrit’ was

published. (Chs.31, 32 and 33 about Sai

Baba).

1906

Nanasaheb Chandorkar was transferred

as Mamlatdar from Nandurbar to

Pandharpur. On the way, he stopped at

Shirdi with his family and started

requesting Baba to accompany them to

Pandharpur and stay there permanently

with them. The devotees then told

Nanasaheb about the singing of bhajan

just finished in which Baba’s mood of

going to Pandharpur and staying there

forever was expressed. The text of the

song was, ‘I want to go and stay at

Pandharpur.’

1906

Shivamma Thayee’s uncle meets Baba for

the first time, while Baba is visiting

Vellakinaru in Coimbatore. Baba told

Shivamma’s uncle, ‘She is the only girl in

the whole lot who will be a highly

elevated soul.’ Baba then slowly chanted

the Gayatri Mantra to Shivamma.

1907

Radhakrishna Mai (Sunderabai

Kshirsagar) arrived at Shirdi. She was

young good-looking widow aged 25 years.

She was blessed by BABA who used to

send a part of food collected as (Bhiksha)

to her.

1908

Sathe Wada was constructed.

1908 Ekadashi

Kashirarn Shimpi died on Chaitra

Shuddha 11. BABA saved his life in a

mysterious way when he was assaulted

by thieves in a jungle.

1908

PundalikRao of Nanded met Shri

Vasudevananda Saraswati of Tembe

Swami at Rajahmundry on banks of

Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh and

Swami gave a coconut to be presented to

Sai Baba. BABA showed cognizance of

Swamiji’s gilt and showed his oneness

with Swami by describing him as his

brother (Bhau).

1908

Shri Tatyasaheb Noolkar, then Aged 45

years - the Sub-judge of Pandharpur first

arrived at Shirdi in 1908. Gurupournima

festival was prompted by Baba for Dada

Kelkar, Tatyasaheb Noolkar, Madhavrao

Deshpande and others.

1909

Saibaba threw an ochre garment on

Balasaheb Bhate, Mamlatdar of

Kopargaon, and an atheist, on his very

first visit and Balasaheb lost complete

interest in worldly matters. He retired

prematurely from service and settled

down at Shirdi permanently.

1909

Bapu Saheb (Sakharam Hari) Jog on

retirement from Govt. service came to

stay at Shirdi permanently accompanied

by his wife.

1909

Bhimaji Patil ofNarayangaon in Pune

District came to Shirdi for getting his

chronic tuberculosis at the last stage and

was cured by Baba’s blessings.

1909, Nov 2

Hari Sitaram alias Kakasaheb Dixit then

Aged 45 years, a prominent solicitor and

M.L.C. first arrived at Shirdi. Baba used

to call him affectionately Langda Kaka

and removed fear complex from his mind.

Kaka Dixit was known for his obedience to

Baba’s orders.

1909, Dec 10

Devotees began to offer regular worship

to Baba in the Chavadi, where He slept on

alternate days.

1909, Dec 25

Baba gave darshan in the form of Sri

Rama to a doctor, devotee of Sri Rama

who came with a Mamlatdar.

1910

Baba’s ‘Handi’ritual, implied occasionally

cooking food Himself in a big copper pot

and distributing it to devotees and poor

people without discrimination. This

practice continued till this year. After

wards owing to Das Ganu’s kirtans

(musical recitals praising Baba), Baba’s

fame spread far and wide and devotees

started flocking together in large numbers

offering large quantities of food as

‘naivedya’ and thus there was no need of

Handi.

1910

Ramachandra Atmaram alias Babasaheb

Tarkhad from Bandra, Bombay first

visited Shirdi.

1910

Rao Bahadur Moreshwar W. Pradhan of

Santacruz, Bombay first visited Shirdi.

1910

Govind Raghunath alias Annasaheb

Dabholkar then Aged 51 years, the author

of Shri Sai Satcharita (Marathi), had his

first darshan of Sai Baba and received

significant and prophetic title of

‘Hemadpant. Baba gave him his blessings

and inspired him to write SAI

SATCHARITA - a religious scripture

describing BABA’s life story and his divine

play (leela) as monumental as GURU

CHARITRA- the old monumental POTHI -

a poetic religious scripture inspiring

worship to GURU, NARASINHA

SARASWATI.

1910

Balkrishna Vishwanath alias Balasaheb

Deo (Dahanu Mamlatdar) first visited

Shirdi prompted by Nanasaheb

Chandorkar. Deo used to describe him as

Baba's child - with a full sense of

surrender.

1910

Bhadrapad Shuddha, H. Gajanan Maharaj

of Shegaon (Buldhana District of

Maharashtra) left His mortal coil. He first

appeared in 1878. At that very time at

Shirdi, Sai Baba grieved profusely and

said, ‘Hallo! My Gajanan is gone. I must

take bath again in reverence to the Great

Soul.’

1910

Shrimant Gopalrao Mukund alias Bapu

saheb Butty of Nagpur, (a rich statesman)

started staying permanently at Shirdi.

1910

Harishchandra Pitale’s son suffering from

epilepsy, was cured by Baba’s mere

glance at him. Baba gave Pitale three

rupees and reminded him of two rupees

earlier received by him from Swami

Samarth of Akkalkot and thus showed his

oneness with all the other SAINTS

(Vibhutis).

1910, Ashwin Vady13

Sai Baba pushed his arm into the brightly

burning Dhuni to save a blacksmith’s

child. The arm was scorched and burnt.

Nanasaheb came from Bombay with Dr.

Parmananda but Baba did not allow the

doctor to treat him. Bhagoji Shinde’s

service of massaging the arm with ghee

and bandaging it continued till Baba’s

Samadhi. This episode is in testimony to

BABA’s cosmic existence- HIS super

consciousness.

1910 Dec 5

Hon’ble Mr Ganesh Shrikrishna, alias

Dadasaheb Khaparde of Amraoti

(Maharashtra) first visited Shirdi.

Mr.Babasaheb Khaprde was an ardent

devotee of BABA and his efforts were

instrumental in bringing Loka Manya

Tilak- (a great national leader –

Khapurde’s contemparary) to Shirdi for

Baba’s darshan and blessings in his

movement for India’s freedom from the

British Rule.

1910, Dec10

Foundation-stone of Dixit Wada was laid

with Baba’s permission.

1910, Christmas

Lala Lakhamichand of Santacruz in

Bombay came to Shirdi. Baba loved him

very much and affectionately accepted his

petty gifts given with love.

1910

Megha returns to Shirdi and stays till his

death. In Baba’s company he underwent

mysterious experiences which

transformed Megha from an atheist to an

ardent devotee of Baba and spent his life

in the service of Sai -Shiva. He regarded

Baba as Shiva-Shankar (Lord Shiva-

Shankar -the welfare Doer).

1911

Madrasi Sanyasi Vijayanand, while on a

pilgrimage to Manas Sarovar, halted at

Shirdi and breathed his last while reading

‘Bhagawat’ (a religious script written by

Saint Eknath) for 3 days on Baba’s

advice.

1911, March

Tatyasaheb Nulkar then Aged 48, the

Sub-judge of Pandharpur breathed his

last at Shirdi. Baba showed HIS oneness

with Tatya Nulkar and described him as a

pure soul and expressed HIS grief at

Nulkars demise.

After Tatyasaheb Nulkar passed away,

Megha took over the regular daily worship

of Baba in the Dwarakamai. He used to

stand on one leg while performing the

Arati. Tatyasaheb Nulkar relinquished

everything and stayed at Shirdi in Baba’s

company till his demise Baba bestowed

him with the unique experiences in self-

realization. Baba advised him and Mr

Shyama Deshpande to perform Guru

Worship (Pooja).

1911

Ram-Navami Festival was started at

Shirdi owing to the efforts of Shri

Bhishma and Kaka Mahajani.

1911, Ram-Navami

Construction of Dixit Wada was completed

and was inhabited with due rites.

1911

Extension and roofing of the open space

in front of the Dwarakamai was carried

out by Kakasaheb Dixit. Baba got enraged

and tried to shake and uproot a pole.

Then removing Tatya Patil’s pugree,

struck a match, set the pugree on fire and

threw it in a pit along with one rupee as if

an auspicious offering to avert evil. Baba

never liked renovation of his dwelling

place viz. Dwarkamai (the masjid) and

opposed any such effort by the devotees.

1911

Somdav Swami alias Haridwar Swami

visited Shirdi.

1911, June 27

Kashinath Govind Upaswii then aged 41

years first visited Shirdi and returned

again on 6 July. Baba ordered him to stay

for 4 years in the Khandoba Temple.

1911, Dec

Kashinath Upasani composed the famous

‘Shri Sainath Mahimna Stotra (hymn) in

Sanskrit. These are now being recited

daily during Arati at Shirdi).

1911, Dec

Bubonic plague raged at Shirdi (Lasted

upto March 15 next year) Baba however

saved lives of plague inflicted devotees by

taking upon himself i.e. on his body the

malody.

1911, Dec

Baba’s grinding of wheat in the hand-mill.

It was not wheat that was ground but

plague or cholera itself was ground to

pieces and cast out of village. Seeing this

Annasaheb Dabholkar (Hemadpant) was

inspired to write ‘Shri Sai Satcharita.’

1911, Dec5

Dadasaheb Khaparde of Amraoti arrived

at Shirdi again with family and stayed for

3 months. Shri Krishna Bhishma the

author of Arati book ‘Sagunopasana’

accompanied him. Dadasaheb Khaparde

wrote diary of daily record of his stay at

Shirdi in Baba’s company.

1911, Dec 11

Waman Rao Patel then Aged 22 years,

Later Swami Sai Sharanananda first

arrived at Shirdi.

1911, Dec 13

Chandrabhan Shet Marwadi, uncle of

Khushalchand of Rahata expired.

1911, Dec 16

Dr. Capt. Hate first visited Shirdi (who

had just appeared at LCPS examination.)

Baba sent him a message in the dream

saying, ‘have you forgotten me?’.

1911, Dec 19

Sai Baba’s great devotee and a great

saint of Nath-panth order, Shri Rama

Maruti visited Shirdi and stayed for 34

days. Ram Maruti offered ‘Naivedya’ to

Baba and Baba very affectionately took a

part of it (SWEET SANJA).

1911-12

Sagun Meru Naik arrived at Shirdi at the

age of 23 and on Baba’s advice settled

permanently running a small restaurant

for the devotees visiting Shirdi.

1912, Jan

Dadasaheb Khaparde’s youngest son

Balwant was cured of bubonic plague by

Baba by taking the disease on himself.

1912, Jan 3

Megha fed some Brahmins on completion

of his Gayatri Punascharana (a religious

ritual). Dadasaheb Khaparde attended it

at Sathe Wada.

1912, Jan 19

Megha died at Shirdi at about 4 A.M.

Baba lamented loudly and followed the

funeral procession for some distance.

Baba showered flowers on Megha’s body.

1912, Jan 20

Bapusaheb Jog started performing Baba’s

Pooja and Arati after Megha’s death. He

continued this till Baba’s Samadhi and

even some years afterwards until he

shifted to Sakuri and joined Upasani

Maharaj there.

1912

Transformation of Dwarakamai (the

masjid) started. Pits were patched up and

the stone slabs fixed on the floor. Baba

gave up sack-cloth seat and started using

cushion scat and bolster in deference to

devotees’ wishes.

1912 Jan

Ganapatrao, father of Tatya Kote Patil

passed away. Tatya Patil stopped sleeping

in the Dwarakamai with Baba.

1912, Feb 25th

Madhavrao Deshpande (Shama) left

Shirdi to attend Kakasaheb Dixit’s son’s

thread-ceremony at Nagpur and

Nanasaheb Chandorkar’s son’s wedding at

Gwalior. From there accompanied by

Appa Kote, he went on a pilgrimage to

Mathura, Prayag, Ayodhya, Kashi and

Gaya. At Gaya Madhavrao saw Baba’s

picture at the priest’s house and was

reminded of Baba’s words, ‘After visiting

Kashi and Prayag I would be reaching the

religious place ahead of Shama.’

1912, Mar 15

Dadasaheb Khaparde returned to

Amraoti. Mrs. Laxmibai Khaparde stayed

behind.

1912, Ram-navami

Dada Maharaj Satarkar, known as

‘Modern Tukaram’, was invited to perform

Ram-navami Kirtan.When he bowed down

in obeisance, Baba said, ‘I know this man

since last 4 years’. Bala Buva had never

met Sai Baba before but 4 years ago at

Bombay, he had prostrated before Baba’s

picture. Thus Baba proved to His

devotees that seeing His picture was

equivalent to seeing Him in person.

1912, April

Balaram Dhurandhar along with his

brothers visited Shirdi for the first time.

Before they arrived Baba had expressed,

‘Today many of my Durbar people are

coming’. Baba offered Balaram Chillim to

smoke and since then his 6 year old

asthma was cured forever.

1912, Shravan 15

Guru-sthan padukas were installed under

the Neem Tree at Shirdi.

1913.

This was the first visit of Mahadev Rao

Sapatnekar of Akkalkot accompanied by

his younger brother Pandit Rao. When

Mahadev Rao prostrated before Baba,

Baba shouted ‘Chal hat’ (Get away) in the

protest of absence of faith in Saptnekar’s

mind and his prejudice for Baba.

1913

Baba gave at Dwarakamai darshan of

himself as Vitthal and Rakhumai of

Pandharpur to the wife and mother of R.

B. Purandare of Bandra.

1913, Ram-Navami

Bala Buva Satarkar performed Ram-

Navami Kirtan at Shirdi and Baba gave

him a gift of Rs.150/- for the Kirtan.

These coins were collected in a dish

(Thali) after Baba’s prayer (Aarti). Baba

poured the whole dish in Satarkars bag

(zoli)

1913, May

Wamanrao Patel then Aged 24 - 25 Years

who later came to be known as Swami

Sai Sharanananda ji visited Shirdi again

and this time stayed for 11 months.

1913

Rao Bahadur Sathe got a son by Baba’s

Grace at the age of 57 years.

1914

Sapatnekar of Akkalkot arrived at Shirdi

again with wife and returned being

blessed for begetting a son.

1914, Feb 14

Mr.B.V. Deo (Memlatdar of Dahanu in

Thane Distict) was charged and

reprimanded by Baba for stealing His rag

and after lot of abusing and scolding was

favored with instruction to read

Dnyaneshawari regularly every day as per

Deo’s desire. This episode is an example

of how Baba sometimes displayed his

transcendental powers to read devotees

mental inclinations even without formal

oral communication.

1914, Feb 22

A Sadhak of Yoga - Swami Ram Baba

visited Shirdi and seeing Baba eating

bread with onion got suspicious and

disappointed. However Baba proved His

power of omniscience by reading his mind

and the Sadhak returned highly satisfied

and blessed.

1914, April 2

Before the year was over, Baba appeared

to Deo in a dream and inquired if he

understood Dnyaneshwari properly. Deo

said ‘No’ and added that without Baba’s

Grace it will not be understood. Then

Baba explained to Deo how to read it

slowly (and without making haste) with

full concentration for knowing the subtle

meaning between the linesThis is known

as Bodha – Knowledge.

1914, Ram-Navami

Das Ganu was ordained by Baba to

perform Ram-Navami Kirtan at Shirdi

every year.

1914, Shravan

H. H. Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati the

Aged 80 years - Tembe Swami left His

mundane body at Garudeshwar on the

banks of River Nannada in Gujarat.

1914 July 15th

Kashinath Upasani left Shirdi after the

total stay 3 years, 19 days and proceeded

towards Nagpur, Khadakpur etc.

1915, Dec

Sai Baba suffered from asthma and was

very weak. Yet He climbed over

Radhakrishna Mai’s roof with a ladder.

Paid Rs. 2/- to the person bringing and

placing the ladder. Honoring a worker for

his work, Baba showed how Dignity of

labor should be maintained.

1915, Dec

Balakram Mankar passed away at Shirdi.

1915, Dec

Mrs Tarkhad the wife of Babasaheb

Tarkhad of Bandra sent a pedha (made of

milk and sugar) which was already

offered as naivedya and that too with

Balakram’s son Govindji who was in

mourning. Baba swallowed it with great

eagerness and love.

1915, Dec 30

Construction work of Butty’s Wada was in

progress. Baba occasionally used to go at

this place to see the progress of this work

and gave instructions.

1916

Sai Baba made Das Ganu to do ‘Nam-

saptah and Kirtan’ at Shirdi for a week.

1916

Radhakrishna Mai at the age 35 years

passed away. Baba used to bless her by

sending a portion of food collected by him

by way of Bhiksha.

1916.

A Madrasi Bhajani Mela - Party of the

Ramdasi Order arrived at Shirdi. Baba

gave darshan to the chief’s wife in the

form of her beloved deity Shri Rama. The

chief also got a dream and his attitude

towards Baba was completely changed.

1916

Nephew of Dr. Mulky from Malegaon

(District Nasik), suffering from tubercular

bone-abcess, was fully cured by Sai

Baba’s Udi and his loving glance. The

doctor himself visited Shirdi afterwards

and became a staunch devotee of Shri Sai

Baba realising that Baba’s service is to be

performed not only for the sake of money

or other mundane things but for the

welfare of the disabled, helpless and

downtrodden.

1916

Annasaheb Dabholkar (Hemadpant)

retired from Govt. service. On Guru

Purnima Day while at Shirdi, Anna

Chinchanikar pleaded before Baba for

getting some other appointment for

Hemadpant as his pension was quite

insufficient and his family was growing.

Baba assured him about his source of

income for livelihood after retirement.

1916, Vijaya Dashami

When in the evening Shirdi residents were

returning from ‘Simollanghan’ ceremony

(crossing of the border or limits of the

kingdom village), Baba suddenly got into

wild rage and taking off His head-dress,

kafni and langota (loin cloth) etc., tore

them into pieces and threw them in the

burning Dhuni before Him. The fire in the

Dhuni became brighter and Baba stood

there stark naked. Later when cooled

down and dressed again Baba said, ‘This

is My Simollanghan’ and thus hinted at

His departure from this world soon on

Dassehra Day. This Darshan provided

enlightenment that Baba’s body cannot

be described as Hindu or Muslim or of any

cast or belonging to any religion in vogue.

1916

Ramchandra Dada Patil became seriously

ill. One night appearing before him, Baba

told him that he would recover soon but

Tatya Patil will die on Vijaya Dashami Day

in 1918. Thus by substituting Tatya’s

name for HIS, Baba foretold Tatya’s

passing away. However, Baba sacrificed

his body to save devotees life by saying

‘instead of him another person will go?’.

1916

Baba averted Gopal Narayan Ambadekar’s

effort of suicide by prompting him to read

an appropriate incident from Akkalkot

Swami’s Chaiitra (religious scripture) and

avoided greatest sin in his devotees life.

1917

Shyam, the faithful servant of Baba falls

at Baba's feet and dies, merging in Baba.

1917 - Baba foretelling of his birth again

as Sathya Sai

Baba tells Shringeri Sharada Devi, ‘Gori, I

will appear in Andhra Pradesh with the

same name of Sai Baba but in another

Avatar. Then again, you will come to me.

I will keep you with me and give you joy.

1917

Baba names a young girl Shivamma

Thayee and proclaims that she will be a

saint.

1917

Haribhau Karnik of Dahanu (District

Thane) wished to offer one more rupee to

Baba while leaving Shirdi, but could not

do so. On the way at Nasik, in the Kala

Rama Temple another saint Narasing

Maharaj demanded one rupee from him.

Karnik gave it willingly thinking that Baba

was demanding the rupee he wanted to

offer at Shirdi. Baba fulfilled in HIS many

mysterious ways devotees’ desire to offer

dakshina through all the media.

1917

Sai Baba appeared at Thane (North of

Bombay) to inquire the well-being of

Appasaheb Kulkarni’s wife and children

when he was away on tour. When

Appasaheb returned Baba not only

fulfilled his desire of offering Rs.10 as

Dakshina but also favored him by

returning nine rupees consecrated by His

touch. These nine rupees are the symbol

of nine bhakti services done to HIM.

1917

Upasani Maharaj then Aged 47 years

made Sakuri (near Rahata) his permanent

residence.

1918

Rao Bahadur Moreshwar Pradhan

purchased Lendi Baug and later presented

it to Shirdi Sansthan'. Baba himself

planted some trees at the Lendi Baug.

1918, April 1

At Vile Parle (East) (now suburb of

Bombay) on Hanuman Road, Narayan

Mahadev Thosar’s residence (later known

as Narayan Ashram) was built a Hanuman

Temple. On the day it was consecrated,

Baba paid Rs. 25 to a Brahmin named

Waze and made him perform Shri Satya-

narayan Pooja.

1918

Prof. G. G. Narke, son-in-law of Butty got

a permanent job by Baba’s Grace as

Professor in the Engineering College at

Pune. Baba always remembered him by

saying ‘where has he (Narke) gone? Baba

gave him a begging bag (zoli) for

collecting food -an exercise in cultivating

humility and eliminating ego.

1918 August

Baba offered Hemadpant a glass of

butter-milk and said, ‘Drink it all, you

won’t get such opportunity again

suggesting that time for his Samadhi has

arrived.

1918 Sep 9th

Das Ganu wrote ‘Shri Sai Stavan Manjaril

at Maheshwar (Madhya Pradesh) on the

banks of River Narmada.

1918 Sept 28th

Nath Panthi saint Rama-Maruti of Kalyan

passed away.

1918 Sept 28th

Sai Baba had a slight attack of fever

which lasted for 3-4 days. Since then

Baba abstained from food and day by day

His weakness increased.

1918 Oct 1st

Baba asked a Brahmin devotee by the

name Waze to read ‘Raum- Vijay’ (by

Sridhar Swami) and listened to it for 14

days.

1918 Oct 8th

A tiger met its death at the feet and

presence of Sai Baba and was

emancipated.

1918 Oct 15th Tuesday

On Vijaya Dashmi, Sai Baba left his

mortal coil at about 2-30 p.m. Few

minutes before He gave Rs. 9/- as prasad

to Laxmi Shinde. These nine coins

represent ‘Nine - dimensional devotion to

GOD’.

1918 Oct 16th

WednesdayEarly morning Baba appeared

to Das Ganu at Pandharpur, in dream and

said, ‘The Dwaraka mai has collapsed and

all the oilmen and grocers have troubled

Me a lot. So I am leaving the place. Go

there quickly and cover my body

copiously with flowers’.

1918 Oct 16th

Wednesday in the evening Baba’s body

was taken in procession through the

Shirdi village and then interred in Butty

Wada with due formalities.

1918 Oct 27th

On the 13th day Baba’s devotees from all

over gathered and funeral rites were

performed by Balasaheb Bhate with a

feast (Bhandara) to Brahmins and poor.

Later Upasani accompanied by Bapusaheb

Jog went to Prayag (Allahabad) and

performed all the remaining obsequies on

the banks of River Ganges.

On one occasion, he stayed in the Maruti

temple, behind the Chavadi, in company

of a saint Devidas. Later, saint Jankidas

also came to Shirdi and the three of them

often discussed spiritual matters sitting in

the Hanuman or Maruti temple. After this,

Baba mostly made the masjid his home.

He called it mother (mai) and christened

it ‘Dwarka’, after Lord Krishna’s kingdom.

Dwarkamai thus came to life.

According to Sansthan’s communication

handler, Dilip Kote, Sai Baba, as an

incarnation of Shiva, naturally chose a

shamshon (burial ground) for his abode.

In keeping with the traditions prevalent in

the region, Hindus, (as well as Muslims)

are also buried, if cremation (as per

Hindu custom) is not preferred. Thus,

Baba’s own ‘Samadhi’ and those of his

close associates, lies in the complex.

Sai Baba and famous Udi

Once there was a cyclonic storm and it

was wet and cold. A leper by the name of

Bhagoji Shinde lived in a small hut that

got swept away in the running waters. No

one came to his help for fear of

contracting leprosy. Baba rescued him

and brought him indoors. He hit his

stick on the ground and in that rainy

season a fire sprang from nowhere,

providing warmth. Soon Bhagoji’s

leprosy disappeared and this was taken

as Sai’s miracle.

The same fire continues to burn till

today and provides udi or vibhuti

(holy ash) to millions of devotees. By

giving udi, Baba wished to convey that

ultimately our bodies will become ash. All

our desires, wants and worldly ambitions

will be reduced to ash, so why

concentrate on such a life? However, the

udi also became a symbol of cure and

hope to many because when Baba

distributed it, many were helped.

Although Baba had all the eight major

siddhis (celestial powers) at his

command, he rarely used them.

The various miracles and curative powers

of the udi are several and many have

benefited from it. At a philosophical level,

Sai encouraged oblation of ego, desires

and wants to the dhuni (burning fire) and

it made ash of all these, thus cleansing a

human being. Till date, udi is used by

devotees to all ends. There are instances

where it helped in safe birth during a

difficult delivery, as in case of Maina Tai.

It helped another devotee Narayan Rao’s

friend recover from a scorpion bite. On

yet another occasion, Shama’s brother’s

wife suffered from plague and the udi

helped her. Even doctors like Pillai who

suffered from guinea-worms used udi.

Sai chose a dilapidated mosque to be his

abode and started living in it. His contact

in the early days of stay was with a few

chosen people only, like Bayajabai (who

brought him food), Mhalsapati (who, as

priest had first welcomed him), Appa Bhil

(who collected firewood for the fire, later

to become holy dhuni), and Kashiram

Shimpi (the Kumhar who made unbaked

earthen pots for Baba to water his patch

of garden).

Enlightened masters who came to Shirdi,

like Gangagir and Anandnath Maharaj, a

disciple of Akkalkot Swami, noted that Sai

was no ordinary gardener and stated

Shirdi was indeed blessed to have a gem,

a kohinoor, like Sai stay there.

This garden today is Lendi Bagh. In his

early days at Shirdi, Baba never shaved

his head. There was a wrestler in Shirdi

called Mohiddin Tamboli. Baba agreed to

enter a mock fight with him, in which

Baba allowed himself to be defeated.

After this fight Baba changed his dress

and mode of living. He wore a kafni (a

loose robe), under which he wore a langot

(undergarment) and covered his head

with a piece of cloth, which was blood-

stained. By one account, it was the same

cloth with which his Guru Venkusa had

saved him after being hit on the head

with a brick by those who were jealous

that Baba got favored treatment from the

guru. Baba kept the brick and the

bloodied cloth and these two were his

constant companions.

By another account, Baba went for some

time to Rahata to assuage the ego of a

pretender Jowahar Ali, who desired to

construct an Idgah adjacent to a

Virabhadra temple. Due to a quarrel

between the Hindus and Muslims, Ali left

Rahata and went to Shirdi. He knew the

Quran by heart and wanted Baba to be

his disciple, in order to impress the

people of Shirdi that Baba was under him.

Baba played the part for six months after

which the fraudulent guru himself left

Shirdi forever, when he realized Baba’s

greatness and when he was tested by

Devidas.

Sai’s reputation was initially established

as a medicine man because he helped

various people who were afflicted with

diseases. He cured leprosy, eye-

infections, cholera and other illnesses that

troubled the folks of Shirdi. It was held

that due to Sai’s presence, no ill could

visit Shirdi.

Till today, servitor T. Govindan holds

that tantric and other tamasic powers

cannot enter Shirdi.

This incensed the village vaid, Kulkarni

and he looked for a chance to humiliate

Sai. This opportunity arose when Sai

requested oil merchants to give him some

oil as alms for his lamps. After some

months of indulging Sai, a few oil

merchants decided to stop giving him free

oil to light the lamps in Dwarkamai under

the growing jealousy of the village vaid

Kulkarni.

Sai did not react and filled his earthen

lamps with water and lit them. They

burned brighter! Such is the power of

saints. The village vaid who had

instigated the oil-merchants was reduced

to poverty, and till today (the year 2004)

his house lies in ruins in Shirdi.

[23 November 1926– 24 April 2011]

hrI muoe< Mh[a hrI muoe< Mh[a,

pu{yacI g[na kae[ krI.

jIvn sumn cFa kr terI hm AcRna kre<ge<

jnm jnm terI hm v<dna kre<ge<.

vahunI jIvn pu:p tv cr[I ,

kIitR ga^ tuHI jNmaejNmI .

EMBELLISHING LIFE TO BE A FLOWER FOR THY ALTER I SHALL ERELONG SING THY GLORIES!!!

Sathya Sai – the legend - the miracle of the existence – heart throb of millions

is no more to be seen or heard alive. Yet still he lives on in the millions of

hearts and shall continue to work through millions of hands. His words and

messages shall continue to linger like the dissolving notes in millions of ears.

r. A.N. Safaya says Sathya Sai

Baba died Sunday morning, after

more than a week on breathing

support and dialysis at the Sri Sathya Sai

Institute of Higher Medical Sciences.

Sathya Sai Baba, the once living guru and

heart throb considered by millions of

followers worldwide, left this physical

realm or attained to Samadhi or will-full

exit from the bodily realm on Sunday in a

hospital near his southern Indian ashram,

a doctor said. He was 86.

Sai Baba had spent more than three

weeks on breathing support and dialysis

while struggling with multiple-organ

failure at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Medical Sciences, near his ashram

in Puttaparti village in southern Andhra

Pradesh state. He died Sunday morning,

hospital director Dr. A.N. Safaya said.

Women selling marigold garlands broke

down in tears outside ashram when the

news was announced.

The saffron-robed Sathya Sai Baba had a

huge following with ashrams in more than

126 countries. He was said to perform

miracles - conjuring rings and watches

and ‘vibhuti,’ a sacred ash that his

followers applied on their foreheads -

from his overgrown and unkempt Afro-

style hair.

Followers gathered to mourn in small

groups in alleys and streets surrounding

the ashram, while some began trickling

into the temple complex where the baba’s

body will be brought to lie in state until

Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands of devotees are

expected in Puttaparthi for Sathya Sai

Baba's funeral.

D

Sayings of Sathya Sai

A human body is associated with six

stages of transformation: birth,

growth, change, evolution, death and

destruction. Death accepts no excuse.

Tears do not move its heart. Death

gives advance notice of his arrival to

take you — notice in the form of grey

hair, falling teeth, failing vision,

folding of the skin etc. Death may call

any moment. Every moment,

everyone is nearing death. Death is

not a deplorable event. It is the

journey‘s end.

— From the discourses of Sathya Sai

Baba

Death involves certain developments

that weaken and extinguish life. It

does not affect the Atma; the Atma

has no death. It cannot be destroyed.

Therefore, one should not fear death.

Death is but another stage of life.

However long one suffers from illness

or however severe the injury, death

can happen only when Time signals

the right moment. When the yearning

for living ends, there can be no more

birth.

— Sathya Sai Baba, Vidya Vahini

It is a living death if one is obsessed

by pride, ego and anger.

— From the discourses of Sathya Sai

Baba

Swami‘s thoughts on Death

The baby weeps as soon as it is born

because the individual being has no

desire to get entangled in the

objective world once again. Science

describes it as the process of

breathing for the first time and

clearing of the air passages. But why

should it weep? The process can be

started by some other way, say,

shaking or shivering, is it not?

This life which begins with a wail

must end with a smile. When you

were a little baby, all around you

smiled though you kept on wailing.

But when you die round you weep at

the loss, you should smile in peace

and quiet resignation.

Reduce your wants. Minimize your

desires. When death deprives you of

resistance, your kith & kin take off

the nose stud and in their haste, they

may even cut the nose to retrieve it.

If you go on heaping desire upon

desire, it will be impossible to depart

gladly when the call comes.

Do not attach yourself too much to

the body or to the things that bring

comfort to it. You earn three friends

in this life:

The first: the riches you accumulate,

which refuse to come with you when

you move out of this life.

The Second: the kith & kin who

accompany your body only up to the

burial ground or cremation ghat.

The Third: the merit and demerit you

have earned, which accompany you

to the last.

When once Brahma asked sage Narad

what was the most amazing thing he

noticed on earth, Narad replied, ‗the

most amazing thing I saw was this:

The dying are weeping over the

dead.‘ Those who are themselves

nearing death every moment are

weeping over those who have died,

as if their weeping has an effect,

either to revive the dead or prevent

their own death!

Grief sends you to God. When a child

dies, ask yourself the question, ‗Is it

for my sake that he was born?‘ He

had his own destiny to fulfill, his own

history to work out. Gautama

Buddha‘s father was so overcome

with grief when he saw his son with a

begging bowl in the street that he

told him thus: ‗Every one of my

ancestors was a King. What

misfortune is this that a beggar was

born in this line?‘ Buddha replied

‗every one of my ancestors had a

beggar‘s bowl, I know of no king in

my line.‘

Feel that you are born with the dawn

of every day; that you nestle in the

lap of death when your eyes close in

sleep. For, what happens in deep

sleep? The body, the senses, the

mind, the intelligence – all is negated

and there is no trace of awareness of

the world. Know that waking from

sleep is but birth and going into sleep

is death.

Forgetting the primary goal of life,

man wastes his time. Time is

precious. Death is dangling its sword

over every head. Our life span is fast

diminishing, like water leaking

through a broken pot or a melting

block of ice. Death overtakes man

even before he realizes his mission in

life.

When we want to go to a cinema, or

for an evening walk, we get ready by

putting on our shoes. When we want

to visit a nearby town, we pack our

clothes in a bag. But what

preparations do you make for the

ultimate journey, the voyage of

death?

All are beggars at the gate of God.

The hero is he who does not beg or

cringe or flatter or fawn. He knows

that the Lord knows best.

Birth and Life

Sathya Sai Baba Telugu: [sʌθjə sɑːɪ bɑːbɑː] born as

Sathyanarayana Raju on 23 November

1926 and left this realm on 24 April 2011.

He was a well-known popular Indian guru,

spiritual figure and educator.

He is described by his devotees as an

Avatar, spiritual teacher and miracle

worker. The apparent materializing of

vibhuti (holy ash) and other small objects

such as rings, necklaces and watches by

Baba has been a source of both fame and

controversy. While the skeptics consider

these simple conjuring as tricks, devotees

on the other hand consider them evidence

of divinity, baba’s grace and love for

humanity. Sathya Sai Baba claimed to be

the reincarnation of the spiritual guru, Sai

Baba of Shirdi, whose teachings were an

eclectic blend of Hindu and Muslim

beliefs. In 1940, he declared himself an

‘avatar,’ or reincarnation, of another

Hindu holy man called the Sai Baba of

Shirdi, a town in the Western Indian

state of Maharashtra who had passed

away in 1918.

The Sathya Sai Baba was also mired in

several controversies, with several news

reports about allegations of sexual abuse

and fake miracles.

Sathya Sai Baba and his organizations

support a variety of free educational

institutions, hospitals, and other

charitable works in India and abroad. The

number of active Sathya Sai Baba

adherents was estimated in 1999 to be

around 6 million, although followers’

estimations are far higher. Since there

are no formal ties of membership, the

actual figure may never be known.

The Sathya Sai Organization reports that

there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai

Baba Centers in 114 countries worldwide.

In India itself, Sai Baba draws followers

from predominantly upper-middle-class,

urban sections of society who have the

‘most wealth, education and exposure to

Western ideas.’

Throughout his life Sathya Sai was a

cultural icon in India and drew an

audience with presidents and prime

ministers from India and beyond who

have become his devotees; in 2002, he

claimed to have followers in 178

countries.

He was born to Eswaramma and

Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram in the

village of Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh,

India. Almost everything known about his

life stems from the hagiography that has

grown around him, the presentation of

narratives that hold special meaning to

his devotees and are considered evidence

of his divine nature.

Eswaramma, his mother asserted that his

birth was by miraculous conception.

Furthermore it was also said to be

heralded by miracles. As a child, he was

described as ‘unusually intelligent’ and

charitable. He was exceptionally talented

in drama, music, dance and writing. Also

he was an avid composer of poems and

plays. He was said to be capable of

materializing objects such as food and

sweets out of thin air even from his

childhood.

On 8 March 1940, while living with his

elder brother Seshama Raju in

Uravakonda, Sathya was apparently

stung by a scorpion. He lost

consciousness for several hours. Within

the next few days there was a noticeable

change in Sathya’s behavior. There were

‘symptoms of laughing and weeping,

eloquence and silence.’

‘He began to sing Sanskrit verses, a

language of which he had no prior

knowledge.’ Doctors believed his behavior

to be hysteria. His parents brought

Sathya home to Puttaparthi. Concerned,

they took him to many priests, ‘doctors’

and exorcists.

On 23 May 1940, Sathya called household

members and materialized prasad and

flowers for his family members. His father

became furious upon seeing this, thinking

his son was bewitched. He took a stick

and asked him who he was. To this

Sathya announced calmly and firmly ‘I am

Sai Baba,’ a reference to Sai Baba of

Shirdi. He proclaimed himself to be a

reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi—a

saint who became famous in the late

nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

in Maharashtra, and who had died eight

years before Sathya was born.

Later that year, Sathya Sai Baba

declared that he had no worldly

relationship with anyone, and around

this time, devotees began to gather

to him. In 1940, Sathya Sai Baba

began to travel to Madras and

elsewhere in South India and soon

had a large regional following.

In 1944, a mandir (temple) for Sathya Sai

Baba’s devotees was built near the

village. It is now referred to as the old

mandir. The construction of Prashanthi

Nilayam, the current ashram, began in

1948 and after 2 years, it was completed

in 1950. In 1957 Sathya Sai Baba went

on a North Indian temple tour. In 1954,

Sathya Sai Baba established a small free

General Hospital in the village of

Puttaparthi.

Sri Sathya Sai University,

Puttaparthi, A.P., India

In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a

stroke and four severe heart attacks. It is

believed by some that he healed himself

of these, and on recovering announced

that he would be reborn as Prema Sai

Baba in the state of Karnataka.

He stated, ‗I am Siva-Sakthi, born in

the gothra (lineage) of Bharadwaja,

according to a boon won by that sage

from Siva and Sakthi. Siva was born

in the gothra of that sage as Sai Baba

of Shirdi; Siva and Sakthi have

incarnated as Myself in his gothra

now; Sakthi alone will incarnate as

the third Sai (Prema Sai Baba) in the

same gothra in Mandya district of

Karnataka State.‘

On 29 June 1968, Sathya Sai Baba made

his first and only trip overseas, to

Uganda. During a discourse in Nairobi,

Sathya Sai Baba stated, ‘I have come to

light the lamp of Love in your hearts, to

see that it shines day by day with added

luster. I have not come on behalf of any

exclusive religion. I have not come on a

mission of publicity for a sect or creed or

cause, nor have I come to collect

followers for a doctrine. I have no plan to

attract disciples or devotees into my fold

or any fold. I have come to tell you of this

unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this

path of Love, this virtue of Love, this duty

of Love, this obligation of Love.’

In 1968, he established Dharmakshetra

or Sathyam Mandir in Mumbai.

In 1973, he established Shivam Mandir

in Hyderabad. On 19 January 1981, in

Chennai he inaugurated the Sundaram

Mandir. In March 1995 he started the

water project to provide drinking water to

1.2 million people in the drought-prone

Rayalaseema region in Anantapur. In

2001 Sathya Sai Baba established

another free Super Specialty hospital

in Bangalore to benefit the poor. In April

1999 he inaugurated the Ananda

Nilayam Mandir in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

After 2005 Sathya Sai Baba used a

wheelchair, and his failing health forced

him to make fewer public appearances. In

2006 he suffered a fractured hip when a

student standing on an iron stool slipped,

and both boy and stool fell on Sathya Sai

Baba. After that, he gave darshan from a

car or his portable Chair.

Sathya Sai Baba's assertion of divine

status was expressed in the first person;

he stated it boldly and repeatedly.

‘I am beyond the reach of the most

intensive enquiry and the most

meticulous measurement. Only those who

have recognized my love and experienced

that love can assert that they have

glimpsed my reality. Do not attempt to

know me through the external eyes.’

He was also known as a singer, having

released several CDs of bhajans.

Illness and death

Sathya Sai Baba was admitted to a

hospital at Prashantigram at Puttaparthi

on 28 March, 2011 following respiration-

related problems. After many days of

hospitalization, during which his condition

progressively deteriorated, he died on 24

April at 7:40 IST. His funeral was held on

27 April. Many of his devotees, some of

whom had held vigil outside the hospital

for many days, gathered around the

hospital causing police to be concerned

about a breakdown in law and order. His

body remained in state for two days for

the darshan by the devotees.

Reactions

Karnataka declared 25 and 26 April as

days of mourning and Andhra Pradesh

declared 25, 26 and 27 April as days of

mourning. The government of Karnataka

organized charter buses to go to

Puttaparthi transporting the devotees.

Political reactions were swift with Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh and opposition

leader Lal Krishna Advani offering their

condolences. Lalu Prasad Yadav and

southern politicians such as the

Karnataka Chief Minister B. S.

Yeddyurappa, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha and Andhra

Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar

Reddy also offered their condolences.

Beliefs and practices of

devotees

Sathya Sai Baba said that his followers do

not need to give up their original religion,

saying ‘my objective is the establishment

of sanatana dharma, which believes in

one God as propitiated by the founders of

all religions. So there is no need to give

up his religion or deity.’

Internationally, Sathya Sai Baba devotees

gather daily or weekly on Sundays and or

Thursdays to sing group devotional songs,

prayer, spiritual meditation, service to the

community (Seva), and to participate in

‘Education in Human Values’ (SSEHV)

known as ‘Bal Vikas’ - Blossoming of the

Child, that can also be described as Sai

Sunday School.

A primary aspect of Baba’s teachings is

the spiritual benefit of darshan for his

students. At that time, Sai Baba may

interact with people, accept letters

materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred

ash) or call groups or individuals for

interviews. Devotees consider it a great

privilege to have an interview and

sometimes a single person, group or

family will be invited for a private

interview.

There is no published formal doctrine or

set of rules for the Sai Baba movement.

Prasanthi Nilayam

Puttaparthi, where Sathya Sai Baba was

born and lived, was originally a small

remote South Indian village in Andhra

Pradesh. Now there is an extensive

university complex, a specialty hospital,

Chaitanya Jyoti (a world-religions

museum that has won several

international awards for design, a

Planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view

stadium, an administrative building, an

airport, an indoor sports stadium and

more.

High ranking Indian politicians, like the

former President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam,

former Prime Minister Atal Bihari

Vajpayee, Andhra Pradesh former Chief

Minister Konijeti Rosaiah and Karnataka

Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa have

been official guests at the ashram in

Puttaparthi. On Sathya Sai Baba’s 80th

birthday celebration, it was reported that

well over a million people attended,

including 13,000 delegates from India

and 180 other countries.

Sathya Sai Baba resided much of the time

in his main ashram called Prashanthi

Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace) at

Puttaparthi. In the hot summer he used

to leave for his other ashram, called

Brindavan, in Kadugodi, Whitefield a town

on the outskirts of Bangalore.

Occasionally he visited his Sai Shruti

ashram in Kodaikanal.

Sathya Sai Baba established three

primary mandirs (spiritual centres) in

India. The first mandir, founded in

Mumbai in 1968, is referred to as either

Dharmakshetra‘ or ‗Sathyam‘. The

second center established in Hyderabad in

1973, is referred to as ‗Shivam‘. The

third center, inaugurated on 19 January

1981 in Chennai, is referred to as

‗Sundaram‘thus signifying the three

aspects Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram or

Truth-Consciousness-Beauty.

Institutions, organizations and

projects

Sathya Sai Baba supported a variety of

free educational institutions, hospitals,

and other charitable works in over 166

countries.

a) The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Learning (now changed

to Sri Sathya Sai University) in

Prashanthi Nilayam is the only

college in India to have received an

‘A++’ rating by the National

Assessment and Accreditation

Council (an autonomous body

established by the University Grants

Commission). Sri Sathya Sai

University for which Baba is the

Chancellor, has three campuses,

one at Puttaparthi for men, one at

Whitefield, Bangalore for men, and

one at Anantapur for women.

b) His charity supports an institute for

Indian Classical Music called the Sri

Sathya Sai Mirpuri College of

Music. Baba’s educational

institutions aim to impart Character

Education along with Excellence in

academics with emphasis on Human

Values and Ethics.

Sathya Sai Baba chaired the

Muddenahalli-Sathya Sai Loka Seva

School and Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva

Trust Educational Institutions in

Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura

regions.

c) In addition, a Sathya Sai Baba

University and Medical School as

well as a world class hospital and

research institute are being

constructed on over 200 acres

(0.81 km2) to serve the destitute

population. Baba said that the

campus will be modeled after

Puttaparthi and will infuse

spirituality with academics.

d) Sri Sathya Sai Super Specialty

Hospital, Whitefield (suburb of

Bangalore), Karnataka, India

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220

bed facility that provides free surgical and

medical care and was inaugurated by the

then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao on 22

November 1991.

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher

Medical Sciences in Bangalore is a 333

bed hospital meant to benefit the poor.

The hospital was inaugurated on 19

January 2001 by the then Prime Minister

Atal Behari Vajpayee. The hospital has

provided free medical care to over

250,000 patients since then.

e) The Sri Sathya Sai General

Hospital was opened in Whitefield,

Bangalore, in 1977 and provides

complex surgeries, food and

medicines free of cost. The hospital

has treated over 2 million patients.

f) The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust

runs several general hospitals, two

specialty hospitals, eye hospitals

and mobile dispensaries and

conducts medical camps in rural

and slum areas in India. The Trust

has also funded several major

drinking water projects.

g) One project completed in 1996

supplies water to 1.2 million people

in about 750 villages in the

drought-prone Anantapur district in

Andhra Pradesh.

h) The second drinking water project,

completed in 2004, supplies water

to Chennai through a rebuilt

waterway named ‗Sathya Sai

Ganga Canal‘.Tamil Nadu Chief

Minister M. Karunanidhi praised the

Chennai water project and Sai

Baba's involvement.

i) Other completed water projects

include the Medak District Project

benefiting 450,000 people in 179

villages and the Mahbubnagar

District Project benefitting 350,000

people in 141 villages.

j) In January 2007, the Sri Sathya Sai

Central Trust said it would start a

drinking water project in Latur,

Maharashtra.

k) In 2008, 2 million people in the

state of Orissa, India were affected

by floods. As a relief measure, Sri

Sathya Sai Seva Organization has

built 699 houses as a part of their

first phase in 16 villages by March

2009.

Sathya Sai Baba‘s Educare program

seeks to fund schools throughout the

world with the goal of educating children

in the five human values. According to

the Sai Educare site, schools have been

founded in 33 countries, including

Australia, Mexico, the United

Kingdom and Peru.

The Times of Zambia states:

‘The positive influence of Sathya Sai is

unprecedented in the annals of education

in Zambia. Sai Baba’s education ideals as

embodied in his human values-based

approach in education are an eye opener

to educationists in Zambia.’

In Canada, the Fraser Institute, an

independent Canadian research and

educational organization, ranked the

Sathya Sai School of Canada as one of

the top 37 elementary schools in Ontario.

The Sathya Sai School scored a perfect 10

out of 10 in the Institute’s overall rating

for academic performance.

On 23 November 1999, the Department

of Posts, Government of India, released a

postage stamp and a postal cover in

recognition of the service rendered by

Sathya Sai Baba in addressing the

problem of providing safe drinking water

to the rural masses.

On 23 November 2001, the digital radio

network Radio Sai Global Harmony was

launched through the World Space

Organization, United States. Dr. Michael

Oleinik of Nobel a distant relative to

Alfred Nobel and one of the patrons for

the radio network said that the radio

network would spread Sathya Sai Baba’s

message of global harmony and peace.

In January 2007, an event was held in

Chennai Nehru stadium organized by the

Chennai Citizens Conclave to thank

Sathya Sai Baba for the 200 crore water

project which brought water from the

River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh to

Chennai city. Four chief ministers

attended the function then.

Miracles and clairvoyance

Devotees say they have observed Sathya

Sai Baba manifesting vibhuti (holy ash),

and sometimes food and ‘small objects’

such as rings, necklaces and watches. In

some books, magazines, filmed interviews

and articles, Sathya Sai Baba’s followers

report miracles of various kinds that they

attribute to him. The first ever record of

Baba's miracles by a foreigner was made

by Howard Murphet in his book, Sai Baba

- Man of Miracles. Devotees have said

that objects have appeared

spontaneously in connection with pictures

and altars of Sathya Sai Baba. Sathya Sai

Baba’s devotees believe that he relieves

his devotees by transferring their pain to

himself.

Internationally, devotees report that

vibhuti, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy

water, Shiva lingams, statues of deities

(brass and gold), sugar candy, fruits,

herbs, amrita (a fragrant, nectar-like

honey), gems, colored string, writings in

ash and various other substances

spontaneously manifest and materialize

on the walls, furniture, pictures and altars

of Sathya Sai Baba.

The retired Icelandic psychology professor

Erlendur Haraldsson wrote that he did not

get Sathya Sai Baba’s permission to study

him under controlled circumstances, but

that he investigated the guru’s alleged

miracles and manifestations through

interviews with devotees and ex-

devotees. Some of the reported miracles

included levitation (both indoors and

outdoors), bilocation, physical

disappearances, changing granite into

sugar candy, changing water into another

drink, changing water into gasoline,

producing objects on demand, changing

the color of his gown while wearing it,

multiplying food, healing acute and

chronic diseases, appearing in visions and

dreams, making different fruits appear on

any tree hanging from actual stems,

controlling the weather, physically

transforming into various deities and

physically emitting brilliant light.

Haraldsson wrote that the largest

allegedly materialized object that he saw

was a mangalsutra necklace, 32 inches

long, 16 inches long on each side.

Haraldsson wrote that some miracles

attributed to Sathya Sai Baba resemble

the ones described in the New Testament,

but that although healings certainly figure

in Sai Baba’s reputation, his impression is

that healings do not play as prominent a

role in Sathya Sai Baba’s activities as in

those of Jesus.

Sathya Sai Baba has explained the

phenomenon of manifestation as being an

act of divine creation, but refused to have

his materializations investigated under

experimental conditions. In a 1974

discourse, he stated, ‘The optical sense

cannot visualize the truth. It gives only

false and fogged information. For

example, there are many who observe

my actions and start declaring that my

nature is such and such.’

In April 1976, Dr. H. Narasimhaiah, a

physicist, rationalist and then vice

chancellor of Bangalore University,

founded and chaired a committee ‘to

rationally and scientifically investigate

miracles and other verifiable

superstitions’. Narasimhaiah wrote Sathya

Sai Baba three letters that were widely

publicized, in which he publicly challenged

Baba to perform his miracles under

controlled conditions. Sathya Sai Baba

said that he ignored Narasimhaiah’s

challenge because he felt his approach

was improper.

Sathya Sai Baba further said about the

Narasimhaiah committee, ‘Science must

confine its inquiry only to things

belonging to the human senses, while

spiritualism transcends the senses. If you

want to understand the nature of spiritual

power you can do so only through the

path of spirituality and not science. What

science has been able to unravel is

merely a fraction of the cosmic

phenomena ...’ Narasimhaiah’s committee

was dissolved in August 1977.

According to Erlendur Haraldsson, the

formal challenge from the committee

came to a dead end because of the

negative attitude of the committee, and

perhaps because of all the fanfare

surrounding it. Narasimhaiah held the fact

that Sathya Sai Baba ignored his letters

to be one of several indications that his

miracles are fraudulent. As a result of this

episode, a public debate raged for several

months in Indian newspapers.

Sathya Sai Baba says of ‘miracles’, ‘those

who profess to have understood me, the

scholars, the yogis, the pundits, the

jnanis, all of them are aware only of the

least important, the casual external

manifestation of an infinitesimal part of

that power, namely, the ‘miracles’! This

has been the case in all ages. People may

be very near (physically) to the Avatar,

but they live out their lives unaware of

their fortune; they exaggerate the role of

miracles, which are as trivial, when

compared to my glory and majesty, as a

mosquito is in size and strength to the

elephant upon which it squats. Therefore,

when you speak about these ‘miracles,’ I

laugh within myself out of pity that you

allow yourself so easily to lose the

precious awareness of my reality.’

Controversies and Criticisms

In a BBC documentary, Basava

Premanand stated that he had been

investigating Sathya Sai Baba since 1968

and that, in his opinion, Sai Baba has

faked materialisations. He sued Sathya

Sai Baba in 1986 for violations of the Gold

Control Act, citing Sathya Sai Baba’s

purported ‘materializations’ of gold

objects. When the case was dismissed,

Premanand unsuccessfully appealed on

the ground that claimed spiritual power is

not a defense recognized in law.

In the 1995 TV documentary Guru

Busters, produced by filmmaker Robert

Eagle for UK’s Channel 4, Sathya Sai

Baba was accused of faking his

materializations. A videotape suggested

that magician’s tricks were involved. The

same videotape was mentioned in the

Deccan Chronicle, on 23 November 1992,

on a front page headline ‘DD Tape Unveils

Baba Magic’. However, Erlendur

Haraldsson, a professor of psychology, in

his book Modern Miracles stated that,

on investigating the DD video researchers

did not find evidence of fake

materialization as claimed by Deccan

chronicle. Wiseman took the video to a

company which investigates corporate

fraud. In spite of improving the graininess

of the low quality video with enhanced

filters and running it through advanced

image processing systems, the DD video

did not provide firm evidence of sleight of

hand.

In 1998, British journalist Mick Brown

stated in his book The Spiritual Tourist

that Sathya Sai Baba’s claim of

‘resurrecting’ the American devotee

Walter Cowan in 1971 was probably

untrue. His opinion was based on letters

from the attending doctors presented in

the magazine Indian Skeptic, published

by Basava Premanand, a skeptic and

amateur magician. Brown also related, in

the same book, his experiences with

manifestations of vibuthi from Sathya Sai

Baba’s pictures in houses in London,

which he felt were not fraudulent or the

result of trickery. Brown wrote with

regards to Sathya Sai Baba’s claims of

omniscience, that ‘skeptics have produced

documentation clearly showing

discrepancies between Baba’s reading of

historical events and biblical prophecies,

and the established accounts.’

In December 2000, the magazine India

Today published a cover story about Sai

Baba with allegations of fakery made by

the magician P. C. Sorcar, Jr.

The Vancouver Sun in 2001 reported that

Sathya Sai Baba told his adherents not to

browse the World Wide Web due to the

allegations rapidly circulating on various

Internet websites and in a few

newspapers. In a 2000 public discourse,

Sathya Sai Baba said, ‘These teachings

(the Vedas) are highly sacred. Today

people are ready to believe all that they

see on television and internet but do not

repose their faith in the Vedic

declarations. Internet is like a waste

paper basket. Follow the ‘innernet,’ not

the internet.’

In 2004, in the UK and internationally,

the BBC aired a documentary titled The

Secret Swami, in its series ‘The World

Uncovered’. One central theme of the BBC

documentary was Alaya Rahm’s sexual

abuse allegations against Sathya Sai

Baba. The documentary interviewed him

together with Mark Roche, who had

devoted 25 years of his life since 1969 to

the movement and alleged abuse by him.

A spokesman for the BBC told Asian Voice

that the documentary had gone to great

lengths to be balanced and fair, and that

the story was one of a crisis and

ultimately a betrayal of faith. Another

documentary, Seduced By Sai Baba,

carried interviews of abuse allegations. It

was produced by Denmark’s national

television and radio broadcast company,

Denmarks Radio (DR).

Documentaries produced by the BBC and

the Danish Broadcasting Corporation,

analyzing videos of the supposed

miracles, suggest that they can be

explained as sleight of hand.

Responses to criticism

Neither Sathya Sai Baba nor any

organizations associated with him have

been charged or convicted for sexual

abuse or any other crime in a court of

law. Alaya Rahm filed a lawsuit against

the Sathya Sai Baba Society in the

Superior Court of California on January 6,

2005. On April 7, 2006 Alaya Rahm

withdrew his lawsuit after indications that

his challenge lacked merit. The case was

dismissed ‘with prejudice’ meaning it

cannot be filed for the same claims again.

The Pioneer also noted that no offers of

monetary settlement were paid to Alaya

Rahm.

During an interview with Asian Voice

magazine Ashok Bhagani, a trustee of the

Sai Organization in the UK, said that the

allegations in the Secret Swami BBC

documentary were baseless. Bhagani said

that devotees never meet Sai Baba alone.

Lawrence A. Babb states that ‘he is

certainly more than the mere parlor trick

magician many of his critics claim that he

is.’

Devotee Bill Aitken (traveller) was quoted

by The Week as saying that Sathya Sai

Baba’s reputation has not been harmed

by the negative stories published about

the guru. He said that the more

detractors rail against Sathya Sai Baba,

the more new devotees went to see him.

In the article Divine Downfall, published

in the Daily Telegraph, Anil Kumar, the

ex-principal of the Sathya Sai Educational

Institute said that he believed that the

controversy is part of Baba’s divine plan

and that all great religious teachers had

to face criticism during their lives. Anil

Kumar also said that allegations have

been leveled at Sathya Sai Baba since

childhood, but with every criticism he

becomes more and more triumphant.

In an official letter made public in

December 2001, A.B. Vajpayee (then

Prime Minister of India), P.N. Bhagawati

(Former Chief Justice of the Supreme

Court of India), Ranganath Misra (Chair

Person, National Human Rights

Commissioner of India and Former Chief

Justice of the Supreme Court of India),

Najma Heptulla (President of the Inter-

Parliamentary Union; UNDP Distinguished

Human Development Ambassador) and

Shivraj Patil (Member of Parliament,

India; Formerly of the Lok Sabha & Union

Minister) all signed a letter which stated

as follows:

‘We are deeply pained and anguished by

the wild, reckless and concocted

allegations made by certain vested

interests and people against Bhagawan

Sri Sathya Sai Baba. We would normally

expect that responsible media would

ascertain the true facts before printing

such calumny - especially when the

person is revered globally as an

embodiment of love and selfless service

to humanity. Since this professional ethic

has not been observed by a section of the

media, we have elected to go public with

this signed statement.’

The Times of India on 26 December

2000 said that Sathya Sai Baba ‘lashed

out at his detractors in a rare display of

anger’ while referring to criticism

published in a magazine. The Times

quoted him as saying:

‘Jesus Christ underwent many hardships,

and was put to the cross because of

jealousy. Many around him could not bear

the good work he did and the large

number of followers he gathered. One of

his disciples, Judas, betrayed him. In

those days there was one Judas, but

today there are thousands. Just as that

Judas was tempted to betray Jesus, the

Judases of today, too, are bought out to

lie. Jealousy was the motive behind the

allegations levelled at him’.

Sathya Sai Baba publicly responded to the

allegations on 25 December 2000: ‘Some

people out of their mean-mindedness are

trying to tarnish the image of Sai Baba. I

am not after name and fame. So, I do not

lose anything by their false allegations.

My glory will go on increasing day by day.

It will never diminish even a bit if they

were to publicize their false allegations in

the whole world in bold letters. Some

devotees seem to be perturbed over

these false statements. They are not true

devotees at all. Having known the mighty

power of Sai, why should they be afraid of

the ‘cawing of crows’? One should not get

carried away by all that is written on

walls, said in political meetings or the

vulgar tales carried by the press.

HOW LONG WILL THE AGED

AVATAR OF THE AGE -SAI BABA-

LAST?

Of Sathya Narayana Raju (later Sathya

Sai Baba) it is reported by several

devotee writers that he will die at the age

95 and or 96 (Some places in India a

person who is 95, yet is in-the 96th year,

is said to be 96 years old.) On various

occasions Baba has reportedly said in

private that his life would last 96 years

which age he finally confirmed in a public

discourse in 2000. Yet, contradictorily,

in two early discourses in 1960 and

1961 respectively, he gave the length

of his remaining life as 58 and 59

years. This adds up to a life-span of

only either 92 or 93 years!

Will Sathya Sai Baba die on his own

birthday? The Norwegian journalist,

Thorbjørn Færøvik, who visited Prashanthi

Nilayam in 1998, reported the following

statement from the organizer of the

World Conference on the Future of

Humanity:-

‗He‘s going to die on his 95-year

anniversary,‘ said Dr. A. Murthi, who

sitting in the organizing committee

for the World Conference and is a

sworn devotee of Sai Baba.

Note particularly Sai Baba's

assertion: ‗My Word will never

fail...‘

Which age will it be? Ninety-two, Ninety-

three, Ninety-six? Or whenever he sees

fit? It is interesting too that no Indian

astrologer who has made predictions

about Sathya Sai Baba has given the date

of his death... though most of them do

this with great confidence for anyone who

wants! So what about when Sai Baba’s

prophecies are so self-contradictory?

Some of his words on that are certain to

fail. Many of his words have already

failed, as documented profusely.

We can confidently await the further fall

of the highly questionable Sathya Sai

Baba, whose adharmic (i.e. ‘unrighteous)

activities have already been exposed to

the world. His claims will not hold, he will

not lift mountain ranges or fly through the

air. He will not live to be 96 (he has

himself said in published discourses that

he would live until, age 93, but some fool

devotee author got it wrong and wrote 96

and this figure was the one that stuck!).

At whatever age he departs this earth,

the believers, having been deluded by his

many deceptions, including his psychic

powers (none of which are not found

elsewhere, even today), will find a

rationalization for it, as they do for

everything else.

The state of his health is a closely-

guarded secret, though his debilities can

be seen in that he cannot walk without

support and then only a few yards. Were

it to be known, for example, that he

suffers from osteoarthritis, the

consequences for many followers would

be further to doubt his claims of perfect

health as a concomitant of his alleged

divinity, purity, patience and

perseverance (which he holds are a

guarantee of perfect health!). The large

and protective social environment built up

around him and his ashrams - which are

dependent on the flow of donations - has

already suffered consequences as his

reputation has sunk. For the poor

believers, it will be another of his

‘lessons’, another ‘test of faith’ doubtless.

Probably only completely credulous ‘blind

faith true believers’ or badly misinformed

and deluded followers are now active in

supporting him and covering up his many

misdeeds, bogus claims, fraudulent

‘materializations’ and ignorant

proclamations and unworldly and

misinforming ‘teachings’.

Sathya Sai Baba‘s death – no

miracles as his life!

The death of Sathya Sai Baba was

wrongly predicted by him, he did not

live into his 90s as he prophesies on

numerous occasions! This is yet

another false boast and one which

confounds all the devotees who

blindly believed his words and in his

divinity. He died a sick man, in more

sense than one! The BBC has

announced his death, but adds that

he has been accused of fraudulent

miracle tricks and sexual abuses. This

is an epitaph that will always follow

him and, as researchers and

historians collect and study the

evidence, the accusations and the

reason Sai Baba avoided prosecution

will become evident and a permanent

part of his otherwise largely bogus

‗story‘.

How did he actually die? This is difficult to

answer. The medical report states Cardio-

respiratory failure. Now that is very

neutral medical terminology, but what

caused this breathing and heart failure?

This happens if one is taken off vital life

support. So did he jump or was he

pushed?

Your guess is as good as mine… those

who really know will be tighter than clams

if it was a deliberate act by those in

charge. If he jumped, then it fitted in

extremely well with all the massive

planning of the authorities for a big

screen send-off, new helicopter pads for

VIPs all preparing to descend just today!

Indeed it seems a miracle of timing from

Vishnu, reclining on his serpent bed in

milky ocean? If there is any body one

cannot trust in India (rhetorical) then it is

certainly the Sathya Sai Central Trust and

their minions!

His death is announced on the day that it

is widely believed that Jesus was

resurrected – Easter Sunday – suspecting

those in power around him to have kept

him on support so they could disconnect

him on just this day.

It seems to make a bigger splash

than the crashing fact that he has

died and ‗prematurely‘ (according to

him). However, he has died and no

resurrection is reported! Still, one

should not be surprised if some

fantasists claim to have seen him

raised and in the flesh… there are

plenty of lunatics among the

indoctrinated and deluded believers

in his self-proclaimed divinity and

even his most bizarre and beyond-all-

credibility miracles!

Take the story that The Times of India

put out yesterday as example of ‘fringe

lunacy’! How a major newspaper could

spread such preposterous rumors (under

the cover of ‘reporting’) as

―Baba said he would return

stronger‖?

Answer: because it pulls in a mass of

desperately hoping devotee readers and

sells the paper very well. It may be also

partly due to the shadow of Justice

Bhagwati – a corrupt Supreme Court ex-

judge who is involved with the Times of

India and has for decades been a Sai

Baba official too. Here is the Times of

India’s report:-

PUTTAPARTHI: Did Sathya Sai Baba have

premonition 10 years ago that he would

fall seriously ill? Yes, claim his followers.

According to them, Sai Baba had

predicted in 2000 that he would be

indisposed for 40 days but would come

back strong to give darshan to his

devotees.

This was revealed in a book

‗Tapovanam — Bhagawan Sri Sathya

Saibaba Satcharitra Nityaparaya-

nam‘ in which the author Jandhyala

Venkateswara Sastry has written an

essay on Baba‘s ill-health. Sai Baba

had told his students at his Sai Shruti

ashram in Kodaikanal in 2000:

‗Though most of my disciples fall at

my feet, they do not know my real

value. A time would come when I

would vanish and take a walk across

the skies. During that phase, my body

would face serious health problems

and devotees would be desperately

praying for my recovery.‘

This Indian sastri lives in cloud-cuckoo

land, which is well-populated with Sathya

Sai worshippers, including a large number

of Indian gurus and swamis. Only one or

two have bravely spoken out against

Sathya Sai Baba, for they mostly wanted

to believe in India’s top dog avatar, while

others dared not stand forth due to the

extreme harassment that prominent

critics have faced in India – especially the

world-famous sceptic, Basava

Premanand.

One of my correspondents just mailed me

this perceptive comment:

―Now after his death the inner circle

will do all their best to protect his

image of an avatar or at least a saint

as it is a vital factor for the future

donations and pilgrim‘s attraction. On

the other hand, it is a good point for

journalists and historians to focus on

SSB as he was with all his stuff. This

is an opportunity for critical voices to

be heard. But a real breakthrough in

our knowledge of what happened in

SSB‘s kitchen is possible only if

someone from the inner circle is

deprived of its share in multi-billion

dollar empire. Then we will have

someone who is ready to speak out

before he is killed.

Oct 1934-May 20th 2008

gujre hE< lMhe< ijNdgI ke terI saehvt me< jae

bn gye hE< vae Aaj lMhye nUr ijNdgI ke merI

bn ke inSbte nKzbNdI Daye hE< ijNdgI me< merI

)Ulae< kae hE r<ijz mhkate hE< Aaizyane kae jb

gujr rhI hE ijNdgI %NhI< lMhae< ke sdke me< Ab

gujrtI jay ijNdgI yU< hI duAa hE bs yhI rb se

-taoshobuddha Solemn are the moments of life spent in thy company

Verily have these become the moments of Light Divine

As the moments of Nisbet-E-Naqshbandi

Now adorn my Life, My Living and my Being too

Flowers get verily jealous as these moments

Fill each congregation with Light – Divine

And life moves on as the blossoming of such moments

May thus the sojourn continue erelong

Such is my humble prayer each finite moment!!!

-Taoshobuddha

Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi

Onkar Nath-Bhaiyya Ji RA

Shrine Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi Onkar Nath – Bhaiyya ji RA

Naqshbandi Sufi Brij Mohan Lal RA and Sufi Shakuntala Devi RA

(Parents Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi Onkar Nath – BhaiyyaJi RA)

Naqshbandi Sufi Sheikh Onkar Nath was

born in October 1934 to the parentage of

NaqshbandiSufi Brij Mohan Lal RA and

Sufi Shakuntala Devi RA. Unlike many

other masters whose birth date is not

clear Sufi Onkar Nath‟s date of birth

according to Gregorian calendar is not

certain.

According to Hindu Lunar calendar he was

born on the fifth day of Hindu period of

Pitra Paksh or Kanahgat. This is the

period when Hindus pay oblation to their

departed ancestors for their salvation.

And it is not considered as auspicious for

celebrations. As a result all celebrations

are postponed until after the end of this

period of fifteen days. Under these

circumstances Sufi Jai Devi who is the

consort of Sufi Naqshbandi Raghuber

Dayal or Chacha Ji RA and the

grandmother of the Sheikh Onkar Nath

suggested that the birthday be celebrated

on the fifth day of the following period of

Navratri. This is considered as the

auspicious period between Pitra Paksh

and Deepavali. Since then the birthday

was celebrated on the second day of the

spiritual gathering as this gave the

opportunity to the other devotees as well

to participate in the birth celebration of

their beloved master.

Later in 1960‟s the fourth son of the

sheikh – Prakash Mohan and more

popularly known by his nick name –

„Ootte‟ was born on the second day of the

function and the also the son of sheikh‟s

younger brother – Rakesh Mohan was

born around the same time. Therefore the

celebration became triple fold.

I recall it was during the spiritual

gathering at the shrine of his master-

father during the month of Dashahra or

Vijay-Dashmi festival that my

grandmother – Shakuntala Devi along

with other family members and the

congregation of other devotees will

celebrate the birth day of Sheikh.

Therefore, the second day of the festival

according to lunar calendar is dedicated

to the birth of the sheikh.

He was born in Fatehpur where his father

Sufi Brij Mohan Lal was posted in his

government job after two brothers and a

sister. From the early childhood he was

under the benign care of his parents and

thus the traits of the masterhood were

inculcated in him.

Onkar Nath and his elder sister were

entrusted with the responsibility of taking

care of the basic needs of the Sheikh

from arranging his bed to other things.

Every night both brother and sister will

arrange and fix the bed of the father. And

each time when the sheikh will sit on the

bed his usual complaint was that the bed

is not fixed correct. So he would get up

from the bed and consciously in his usual

gesture of indrawn-ness into his being will

move the bed from side to side and then

when satisfied that the bed is fixed good

he would sit in preparation for other

prayers and tawwazojh to the disciples far

and wide. Both my mother – Gyatri and

Sheikh Onkar Nath found his father to be

really fussy for such small things like bed.

So one day both of them decided to test if

the sheikh really knew what he meant by

saying that the bed is not fixed good or

he was simply fussy and complaining.

They planned a way out. They put a mark

around the posts or legs of the bed and

the next day they kept the bed slightly

away from these marks where the bed

was shifted by the sheikh. Both continued

to watch next day what happens. As usual

when the sheikh came inside after the

meditation session was over and sat on

the bed complained saying these people

do not know how to fix the bed correctly.

Saying this he got up from the bed and in

his usual manner shift the bed until his

consciousness was satisfied that the bed

is now in order sat.

Now it was the turn of the both brother

and sister to watch if the father really

knew what he was saying or he was

simply complaining in his usual manner.

To their surprise they found the posts of

the bed were on the exact marks where

the sheikh fixed the previous night. Such

is the delicacy or the fine or precise

tuning of the consciousness of the sheikh.

Thus Onkar Nath grew in such an

environment that instilled the fine seeds

of mindfulness according to Buddha of

small things. Remember human

consciousness is the aggregate of such

moments of mindfulness. And also such is

the way of master for his disciples.

Sufi Brij Mohan Lal – the father on the

sheikh was the master of such fine things.

Through these alone one indeed learns

the art of meditativeness moment to

moment. Meditation is not something to

be done once or twice for the day. Indeed

it is inculcating the habit of moment to

moment awareness and being conscious

of both inside and outside.

Initiation of the Sheikh

Initiation is the ultimate in the process of transformation. Why is initiation into

meditation or initiation to a master essential?

As such as man exists, he is asleep. Even in his waking he is asleep. His sleep is

neurotic. He cannot wake up from this sleep. On his own, he may wake up but

still remain in slumber. A Master is

needed to wake him up from such neurosis. Initiation is the process for him

to remain in contact with the one who is awakened. Without this it is almost

impossible for you to be awake. You are capable of dreaming even when you are

awake.

When it is said that man is asleep, this

has to be understood. Man dreams

twenty-four hours a day. In the night

when we are closed to the outer world,

we continue to dream. During the day our

senses are open. Our senses open in the

outer world of duality. It is through the

senses that we continue to experience the

outer world, but the dreams continue

within. Just close your eyes and you start

dreaming again. Dreams are continuity

inside. You are aware of the outer world

but that awareness is imposed on the

dreaming mind. Thus, continues the

dream. In such a case we cannot envision

reality although we are awake. This is

how dreams are imposed on reality. What

we actually see is our projections on

reality.

Everyone is plagued with dreams. A father is full of his unfulfilled dreams. You

become an object of projection for your father. Your father will project his dreams

on you. Then, whatever he understands about you gets mixed up with his own

dreams. So projecting one‟s dreams on

someone else is different than loving. When you love someone, you do not

impose your dreams on them. He will appear quite different than when you do

not love him. The other becomes quite different when you use the other as a

screen to project your dreams.

When someone loves you, the dream is different. Also, that person appears

different. On the contrary, when you do not love someone, the person is the

same, the screen is also the same, but the projection differs. In that case you

are not using the other as the screen to

project your dreams. Things can change again. Once again you can love the other

and then he will appear different. Normally, we do not see what this is. We

go on seeing our own dreams projected

on reality.

A master is not the same to each one of you. Each one projects something

different on the master. In reality, he is one as far as he is concerned. If the

master himself is dreaming, then he will differ in each moment. It is so because,

each moment his interpretation will differ. But when the master is awakened, then

he will remain the same in all situations and circumstances. Buddha said the real

test of an enlightened one is that he is always the same. It is just like sea water.

Its taste never changes wherever you

taste it from.

As a person you are a projection of ideas, notions, conceptions, and interpretations.

Like a projector you go on projecting things that are nowhere but inside you.

The whole becomes a screen. Then you cannot be aware by yourself. This is deep

sleep.

I have heard, there was a Sufi master, Hijira. One day an angel appeared to him

in a dream and told him to save as much water as possible, because the next day

the devil would poison all the water and

whoever drank that water would turn mad. So that night, the Sufi collected as

much water as he could. The phenomenon really happened. The next

day everyone became mad after drinking the poisoned water. The whole city

became mad. No one knew what had happened. It was only the Sufi who was

not mad. But everyone thought that the Sufi had become mad. But he knew what

had happened. No one believed him. He went on drinking his water and remained

sane by himself. However, he could not continue for long in this way. The entire

city was living in an altogether different

world. And one day the rumor came that he would be caught and put into prison. It

was believed that he had gone mad.

Finally, one morning they got hold of him.

He had two options, either accept the treatment for his madness or be prepared

to go to prison. He was not allowed freedom. He was condemned as mad. It

was based on the conclusion that he spoke a different language that could not

be understood by the masses.

The Sufi was at a loss. He tried to remind people of their past through every

possible means. But the people had forgotten everything. He was

incomprehensible to them. So they surrounded his house and caught him. At

this, the Sufi asked to be given some time

to cure himself. He went to the well and drank some water. As he drank the water,

he became one like them. The whole city was happy that the Sufi was cured now.

Now his madness was no more you are asleep. But you are never aware of this

sleep. When everyone is mad and you are also mad, you can never be aware of this.

Initiation is, therefore, the way to awaken you from this sleep.

By initiation is meant that now you have

surrendered to someone who is awake. You are a part of the world; a part of its

duality and its madness. Living in this

world you are always plagued by dreams. Such feelings can also come from

someone who is in a sleeping state. Sleep is not always deep. In the beginning sleep

wavers. Sometimes it is deep at other times it gets shallow. There is a similarity

between ordinary sleep and the metaphysical sleep. Ordinary sleep

fluctuates between various planes and levels; metaphysical sleep also fluctuates.

At times you are on the borderline. You are very close to being a Buddha. You can

then understand something that Buddha is saying. However, whatever is heard or

understood is not exactly the same. But

you do get a glimpse of the truth. It is like looking at the sunrise from a room

through a window. You are not as yet in

openness under the vast sky.

The master observes this. A person who is on the borderline of this metaphysical

sleep needs initiation. He needs to be within the energy field of an awakened or

enlightened master. He can hear something. He can understand

something. He can see something as well. Everything around him is like the mist,

yet still he feels something. Thus, he approaches an Enlightened One, not

really knowing the essence of enlightenment. He is ready to surrender.

This is the only way to wake up from this

metaphysical sleep. Sleep of lives! Only this much this person can do.

Surrendering brings the understanding that something other than sleep is now

happening. Somehow he feels this. But he cannot exactly know what this is.

Whenever an enlightened one passes,

those who are on the borderline of this metaphysical sleep can recognize that

there is something different about this person. A different breeze, a different

energy field surrounds this person. He behaves differently. He speaks differently.

He lives differently. He walks differently.

Something different has happened to him. He looks like one of us, but in reality he is

much more. Much more than total human intellect can comprehend! He is the pulse

of the unknown. So those who are on the borderline can feel this. But they are

asleep. Also, the borderline sleep is transient. They can fall back into sleep at

any time.

Before they fall back to sleep or deeper unconsciousness, it is essential for them

to surrender to an awakened one. This is initiation. But this is from the side of the

one who is to be initiated. He is incapable

of doing anything for himself. He knows that if he does not surrender now, it will

be impossible later on. This moment

cannot be lost. Such moments come only

once in our lives. It is not in anyone‟s hand to be on the borderline once again.

It happens for so many reasons, that they are beyond human control.

This is the beginning of the process of

initiation. On the part of the initiated, this refers to total let go – a state of total

surrender. It can never be partial. A partial surrender is never surrender. This

is like deceiving yourself. In partial surrender you hold something within. And

that which is withheld may push you again into deep sleep. And then you have

lost the opportunity for many lives!

Remember that the non-surrendered part will prove fatal. Any moment it can go

back to sleep!

Surrender is always total. For surrender total trust is an essential precondition.

The moment you surrender totally, change begins to happen. Then you

cannot fall back in into dreams. When you surrender, the entire projecting mind gets

shattered. This projecting mind is born out of ego. Also it remains connected to

the ego. So it cannot exist without the ego. Ego is the base of this projecting

mind. When you surrender, you have

surrendered the cause of your existence up to now. You have given up completely.

Initiation means that the person who was

sleepy till now is seeking help to be awakened. He surrenders to one who is

awake. Though it seems simple, it is not so. When you go to an Enlightened One

to surrender yourself, what you are surrendering is your sleep, your dreams,

and your neurosis. Nothing else needs to be surrendered because you are nothing

more than your sleep, your dream, and your neurosis! In fact, you surrender your

sleep, your dreams, your neurosis, and

the whole nonsense of the past. From the side of the initiated, this is surrender.

Surrender of the past! But from the side

of the one who initiates you, it is a

responsibility for the future. It is a responsibility for transcendence and for

the birth of a new man. One who is asleep can never be responsible.

Responsibility comes with awakening.

This is the fundamental law of life. One who is asleep cannot be responsible even

for himself. And the awakened one is responsible even for others. So when you

come to an awakened one, he becomes responsible for you. That is why an

awakened Krishna could tell Arjuna, “Leave everything. And come to me.

Surrender at my feet.” Or as Jesus says,

“I am the truth. I am the door. I am the gate. Come and pass through me. I will

certainly be a witness on the last day of your judgment. I will answer for you.”

This is analogy. Every day is the Day of

Judgment. Not only every day, instead every moment is the Day of Judgment.

There is nothing like the last day. These were the words of Jesus that he spoke to

his disciples, who could understand Him. They were within the energy field of

Jesus. And this had brought to them an understanding of the message of Jesus.

However, the present day followers of

Jesus cannot understand the message. They are only interested in the business

not the transformation. Jesus was, in fact, saying, “I will be responsible for you. And

I will answer for you in front of the father. I will be there as a witness. Surrender to

me, I will be your witness.” This is the responsibility of the master.

When he initiates you, he undertakes to transform you, so that a new being is

born out of you. No one, who is asleep himself, can take the responsibility for

you. One can be responsible for others only when he need not be responsible for

himself. He is unburdened. He is no more.

He is just the pulse of the unknown. An emptiness that simply echoes the

whispers of the unknown! He is the

manifestation of the unknown in finite

form. So only such a person can really initiate you! Not otherwise! No particular

person can initiate anyone. And if that happens, (and this is happening

everyday) it is like a blind trying to lead the blind. However, in reality, both

perish.

One who is asleep cannot initiate. But the ego cannot help. This attitude is

dangerous. The whole initiation, the whole mystery of it, the whole beauty of

it, has now become so ugly because of those who were not entitled to initiate.

Only one who is not plagued by ego, who

has no dreams within, can initiate. Otherwise, initiation is a great sin.

In the olden days initiation was not so

easy. One had to wait for a long time to be initiated. Sometimes this waiting was

for the entire life. This was discipline. And now there is a competition among the

pseudo masters to initiate as many as possible! It has become an ego game.

I belong to a Sufi family of Enlightened

Masters. Sufis would initiate you only when you had waited for a long time.

When you stayed with a master within his

energy field, you were being prepared. You had to wait, without questioning. And

when the times came, the master himself would say that the time had come. Sufi

masters remained in whatever vocation was theirs. If the master was a

shoemaker then one would continue helping him in the trade for years. And

you could not even question the relevance of shoemaking. So you went on

helping the master and waiting for years. There was no talk of prayer or meditation.

He would not talk of anything but shoemaking. Your waiting was prayer.

Your waiting was meditation. Helping the

master in shoemaking would cleanse you. I was never taught any prayer or any

technique of meditation. I was a witness

to all those who were initiated. My job

was to fix the meditation room, take care of the personal needs of the master, take

care of the visitors, and answer their queries when the message of the master

was not understood. One day, when I complained to another master about this,

I was told that the elder master had given me everything. “All that is, had been

bestowed on you earlier, and this now needs to grow.”

When you are around the master, a

simple waiting, this unquestionable waiting, prepares the ground for complete

surrender. So it was only after a long wait

initiation was possible. My uncle, the present Sufi master, my mother and my

father were initiated on the night of Phagwa – the Hindu festival of color.

My uncle was a young boy who was

collecting the firewood and donation that night for the Phagwa fire. My mother was

asleep, and was not interested in anything like initiation. She had asked her

father many times before but the sheikh refused saying that not yet. Therefore

she, being the eyeball of her father decided not to ask again for being

initiated.

And my father Naqshbandi Lakshmi Sahai

knew nothing of initiation, just one month ago he had been married. They all

resented the idea of initiation. But they were on the border of metaphysical sleep

and they had to be brought by force, so that my Grandfather, the Sufi master

could initiate. Such is the way of the masters.

Now everything is different. No one wants

to wait. We are time conscious. Because of this, initiation has become difficult. You

cannot be initiated. The whole running of

the present day mind is because of the fear of death. We are only conscious of

death – our body. There is no

consciousness of the deathless. In the

past the aspirants were conscious of the deathlessness. There was no hurry and

initiation was easy. In fact, everything was easy.

If you are in a hurry and the master

initiates you, your running or your dream state, it is a devise. A devise so that you

can wait! Masters have used this devise to persuade you into the process. On the

contrary, when the master asks you to wait then your process of transformation

cannot begin. In such a case the master will allow you to wait afterwards. The

master creates devises and techniques to

play with. While you are playing with such techniques you can wait as long as the

master wants. And when the master finds you are ready, and then the second

initiation happens. This second initiation was the first one in olden days. Now this

is the formal initiation and the second will be the informal one. For the second, you

need not ask the master. This he gives on his own.

Surrender on the part of the disciple and

the responsibility on the part of the master is the bridge. And as soon as you

are ready to surrender, the master

appears. Masters have always been in existence. No master can begin the

process without surrender. You only surrender that which you think you have

and in reality you do not have. And what is that which you think being in

possession of? Indeed, it is your false entity or ego or nafs and the clatter of the

mind that you consider as your possession master takes away and in

place of this fill you with his awareness, understanding, and lovingness. Thus

continues the inward journey for fruition.

When you can find someone, to whom

you have to surrender, that is good. But if you do not find, then the master appears.

He comes whenever you are ready, when

you are empty within. Then the spiritual

force rushes towards you and fills you. So when you feel you are ready to surrender,

don‟t delay. When the moment comes, just surrender!

When you are ready, do not hesitate;

surrender! It is not important to whom

you surrender. You can even surrender to

a tree. Because the real thing is

surrendering! Surrender to a tree. It will

become your master. And whenever there

is surrendering, one always appears, who

becomes responsible for you. This is what

initiation is.

Thus when Sheikh Onkar Nath was

initiated he was only 16 years. It was the

beginning of a new chapter in the life of

the sheikh. His father no more remained

his father alone instead he became the

master as well. He always hesitated in

coming forward in front of the sheikh for

anything so he had to push forward his

elder sister Gyatri. He knew very well that

the father will never refuse her. This was

more so when they want to go to movies.

Amidst all this floating within the energy-

field of the sheikh and long chain of sufi

masters sheikh Onkar Nath continued to

blossom for the future works. In 1955

when Sheikh was still a student of B. Sc.

in Lucknow University, that during the

satsang congregation Naqshbandi Sheikh

Sufi Brij Mohan Lal RA entered into

samadhi. Because of financial constraints

he had to discontinue the studies and

seek work to maintain the family

including the mother and a younger

brother. First he worked in Canal Office

on Temporary basis and then he got the

job in the Reserve Bank of India – the

central bank of the country as a clerk.

Then 1962 he along with his brother – in

– law‟s younger brother began the

graduation process as a part time student

and passed with honours and the First

Class.

And on the tenth day ceremony under the

care of his mother Sufi Shakuntala Devi

Sheikh Onkar Nath was bestowed upon

with the status of the sheikh as the 39

Sheikh of the Golden Chain of Naqshbandi

– Mujaddadi-Mazaharia-Ramchandria

order of Sufism.

Thereafter he continued to grow to his full

potential as the sheikh guided by his

mother. She took care of the eternal

garden of the sheikh Brij Mohan Lal for

nineteen years. And when she found the

tree has grown to its full potential and is

capable to giving shelter to many

aspirants Shakuntala Devi too entered

Samadhi on April 12th 1974. And on

March 25th 1985 his first wife Shyamwati

Devi too entered samadhi. There after he

got remarried to Mamta Devi who is the

daughter of his devotee – Ishwari Sahai.

From the job when he was retired he

moved from Kanpur to the city of

Lucknow where the shrine complex exists.

He established the trust. And also the

combined professional kitchen service

started at the complex where the seekers

can get full meals for a very nominal cost.

His health continued to fail but not the

inner spirit. In January 2008 I visited

India and during our meeting which was a

silent communion he was indrawn for

certain reasons that I cannot explain as

yet.

On May 20th 2008 Sheikh Onkar Nath

entered Maha Samadhi. On the tenth day

after the funeral rites the mortal remains

were enshrined. And the shrine of the

sheikh stands in the same shrine complex

of his master sheikh Brij Mohan Lal And

mother Shakuntala devi RA.

Unlike after the enshrinement of Sufi Brij

Mohan Lal the master hood was not

conferred on any one as each lacked

Nisbet, trust in the sheikh and inner

preparation. There are several factions

and each carries the work separately.

There is apparent faction for various

reasons. Under these circumstances the

sheikh manages the affairs in his un-

embodied form. After Samadhi the sheikh

can continue like this even for ten years.

I must end here knowing the purpose and

the place where this is being published.

However the entire life of the sheikh in

details will appear soon in the volume 3 of

the Leaves from a Sufi Heart.

I must end the homage with a prayer and

commitment that let our lives be the

flower at the altar of the sheikh.

jIvn sumn cFa kr terI hm AcRna kre<ge<

jnm jnm terI hm v<dna kre<ge<.

vahunI jIvn pu:p tv cr[I ,

kIitR ga^ tuHI jNmaejNmI .

EMBELLISHING LIFE TO BE A FLOWER FOR THY ALTER I SHALL ERELONG SING THY GLORIES!!!

Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi Onkar Nath – Bhayyia ji RA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3emb21AJU4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RETdQ81YH8o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIydbfNbWL4

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The Exotic East Indian Cookbook with a difference

Cooking for the transformation of human consciousness

is Cooking Taoshobuddha Way or cooking for Buddhas!

The uniqueness of Indian Cuisine lies in its special blend

of spices that release fragrant aroma in the atmosphere. The aroma and the finishing

look become more attractive than a beautifully dressed beauty. This creates an enticing

ambiance in the surroundings.

Cooking lovingly! Cooking meditatively! Cooking for Buddhas is the central theme of

Cooking Taoshobuddha Way! Cooking for the transformation of human consciousness is

what Taoshobuddha means by cooking. And this is the central theme of ‘Cooking

Taoshobuddha way or Buddha Way!’

It is indeed cooking for Buddhas. A strange, yet still a meaningful title for a cook Book!

Cooking lovingly! Cooking meditatively! Cooking for Buddhas!

CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/3603782

List Price:$70.00

8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm)

Full Color Bleed on White paper

260 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1461112099 (CreateSpace-Assigned)

ISBN-10: 1461112095

BISAC: Cooking / Regional & Ethnic / Asian

COOKING TAOSHOBUDDHA WAY VOL 2

A COMPREHENSIVE EAST INDIAN COOK BOOK

Cooking Lovingly! Cooking Meditatively! Cooking for

Buddhas!

Cooking for the transformation of human

consciousness is Cooking Taoshobuddha Way or

cooking for Buddhas!

The uniqueness of Indian Cuisine lies in its special

blend of spices that release fragrant aroma in the

atmosphere. The aroma and the finishing look

become more attractive than a beautifully dressed

beauty. This creates an enticing ambiance in the

surroundings.

Cooking lovingly! Cooking meditatively! Cooking for

Buddhas is the central theme of Cooking

Taoshobuddha Way! Cooking for the transformation

of human consciousness is what Taoshobuddha means by cooking. And this is the

central theme of „Cooking Taoshobuddha way or Buddha Way!‟

It is indeed cooking for Buddhas. A strange, yet still a meaningful title for a cook Book!

Cooking lovingly! Cooking meditatively! Cooking for Buddhas!

CreateSpace eStore:

https://www.createspace.com/3600163

The Diamond Sutra of Buddha:

The Vajra Chedika Prajna Paramitta Sutra

Authored by Taoshobuddha

List Price:$30.00

6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm)

Black & White on White paper 424 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1461145233 (CreateSpace-Assigned)

ISBN-10: 1461145236

BISAC: Religion / Buddhism / Sacred Writings

The Diamond Sutra of Buddha

I love Gautama the Buddha because he represents to me the essential core of religion. He is not the founder of Buddhism Buddhism is a byproduct - but he is the beginner of a totally different kind of religion in the world. He’s the founder of a ‘Religionless Religion’. He has propounded no religion instead religiousness. And this is a great radical change in the history of human consciousness.

Before Buddha there were religions but never a pure religiousness. Man was not yet mature. With Buddha, humanity enters into a mature age. All human beings have not yet entered into that, that is indeed true, but Buddha has heralded the path. Buddha has opened the gateless gate. It takes time for human beings to understand such a deep message. Buddha’s message is the deepest ever. Nobody has done the work that Buddha has done, the way he has done. Nobody else represents pure fragrance.

Other founders of religions, other enlightened people, have compromised with their audience. Buddha remains uncompromised, hence his purity. He does not care what you can understand he cares only what the truth is. And he says it without being worried whether you understand it or not. In a way this looks hard; in another way this is great compassion.

Truth has to be said as it is. The moment you compromise or the moment you bring truth to the ordinary level of human consciousness, it loses its soul. It becomes superficial, it becomes a dead thing. You cannot bring truth to the level of human beings. Instead human beings have to be led to the level of truth. That is Buddha’s great work. This is the essence of the Diamond Sutra of Buddha.

The Diamond Sutra

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