"How can you please Swami? First of all,you have to develop virtues. You should have unwavering mind and a steady vision. You should have firm faith that God is all-pervasive. With faith in God, any mighty task can be accomplished." -- Baba
PROPHESIES ABOUT
Bhagavan Baba further
confirms by saying :
“There was no one to
know, who I am,
Until I created the
world,
At My pleasure, with
one word,
Immediately
mountains rose up,
Oceans, seas, lands
and watershades,
Sun, Moon and desert
sands,
Sprang out of
nowhere,
To prove My
Existence.
Then came all forms
of beings,
Men, Beasts and
Birds,
Speaking, hearing,
flying,
All powers were
bestowed upon them,
Under my orders.
The first place was
granted,
To mankind.
And my knowledge was
placed,
In man’s mind”.
The author, here.
Would like to apprise the readers that as per the above declaration, the Avatars
come, once in a Yuga. They are known as descending Avatars. The present Poorna
Avatar has come after 5000 years, in Kali Yuga. The descending Avatars take the
human form, out of their own Will (Sankalpa), for protecting Dharma and in
response to the yearning of their devotees. The descending Avatars even choose
their own parents and the place of birth in advance as per their own Will. They
have a Divine symbol, like Chakra or Shank etc., on their body or feet. They are
not born like mortals. They enter the body through Pravesh, taking birth as per
their own Will. Their embryo is encased in pure white milk of holiness and not
like ordinary mortals enveloped in watery environment. Some extraordinary things
take place as the time of their birth which are not ordinary phenomena but
Divine occurrences that substantiate the advent of an Avatar. They are born with
supernatural powers, innate to them and not acquired by them by any Siddhis
during their life time. They have full control over all the five elements of
which the entire Universe is composed of. They are the Masters of the entire
cosmos. Whatever they Will takes place instantly. Though they take a human
body, they are not restricted by the physical body but are instead the Masters
of the body and can leave the body (extracorporeal activities) any time at their
Will or Command.
Again, there are
ascending Avatars also. But they are born through sex. They have taken the
present body, due to their Karmic effect. And they have ascended and elevated
themselves to Brahma Gyanis, due to their constant austerities and “Tapas” done
during their life time, and partly due to merits acquired in their many past
lives. They die a normal and natural death. They acquire some Siddhis, due to
their Tapas and Sadhana, which grant them certain powers, over the five elements
and the Universe.
“Now again, amongst
the descending Avatars, there are POORNA AVATARS. Poorna Avatars are the Masters
of the sixteen Kalas. The fifteen Kalas are : The five Karma Indriyas or working
organs which have to do with talking, taking, walking, rejecting (exertion) and
eating. The five Gyan Indriyas or sense organs: hearing, touch, sight, taste,
smell, and Panch Mahabhootas or the five elements: earth, water, fire, air,
space. The 16th Kala: the all - knowing Paramatma (the Omniscient,
Omnipotent and Omnipresent aspect)”.
(These are Swami’s
words, quoted in ‘Conversation With Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’ by J.S.Hislop).
So far there have
been only two POORNA AVATARS, LORD KRISHNA, some 5000 years ago, and now
BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA, endowed with all the 16 Kalas.
PROPHESIES
(a) Sri Maha Vishnu’s
tenth incarnation is that of Kalki. He will be born towards the end of the Kali
age, the age replete with all kind of vice and godlessness. Dharma will limp
only on one foot. Even that will gradually vanish.
At this time Sri Maha
Vishnu will incarnate in the world as Kalki Deva, assuming black complexion. The
wicked will perish and Dharma will regain its supremacy ushering in a new age.
(Predicted by Sri
Pandrimalai Swamigal : taken from the book Dasavatara, by Shri S. Ramakrishna,
Bharathi Vidya Bhavan).
(b) Dr. E.V.Sastri, a
prominent member of the Indian Astro Occult Research Association, New Delhi,
during the course of his research, found out ‘Nandi Grantham’ available in Tamil
Nadu, which had all the indications about Sathya Sai Baba’s horoscope written by
a famous erudite Pundit, some five hundred years ago. It was written on a piece
of palm leaf of the size 36 centimeters long and 2 ½ cms broad. It reads : ‘The
person to whom this horoscope relates and whose name is Sathyanarayana Raju will
renounce the world in his boyhood, will start schools and hospitals, will
publish books for the upliftment of the World, will spend every day of his whole
lifetime for the establishment of Dharma, which is his ideal and objective’. It
is further mentioned that, “He will be an Avatar amongst the Avatars”. (Taken
from the book ‘The Grace of Sai’ by R.Lowenberg).
(c) The advent of
this Avatar Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was uniquely prophesied not only in
some ancient books of Indian origin but also in books of other lands and
religions. It is found that Baba’s horoscope has been extolled in the Indian
palmyra “Nadi” scrolls of hundreds of years antiquity, containing prophesies by
celebrated sages like Agastha, Brahma, Bhrigu, Buddha, Shuka and Shukra. Since
there is said to be remarkable accord amongst the different Nadis interpreted by
different and independent readers, we can confidently ascribe genuineness and
credibility to those Nadi predictions. The following are the highlights of the
prophesies contained in the Nadi scrolls as mentioned in Sai literature by
various authors:
·
He will be a great incarnation of the Godhead Vishnu, Shirdi Sai and
several other Gods and Goddesses and will have all powers of God.
·
He will be born for protecting and propagating Dharma (righteousness) and
he will have a mission to fulfil.
·
He will have healing powers and the power to cure himself by sprinkling
water. He will use his healing powers not only for the people of this world, but
also for the beings of the other worlds and on the higher planes of
existence.(Devas, i.e. celestial gods and goddesses). At times He will take on
the illness of the others.
·
He will have power to extend the life of deserving persons. When the Kali
yuga influence grows even more intense, people will see His true might and will
acknowledge that He is the Supreme Power. Then mankind will bow to him as a
great Emperor and He will be revered as the greatest living being, MAHAPURUSHA,
in the world.
·
Sri Sathya Sai Baba will perform great miracles.
·
He will also retain youthful look, age notwithstanding.
·
He will be Brahmachari. He will establish Ashrams, educational and
medical institutions.
·
He will have equal attitude towards all men and women. His glory will
spread and many people will get near him. But all cannot have His grace due to
past sins.
·
He will be PREMASWAROOPA, ANANDASWAROOPA, AND JNANASWAROOPA.
(Personification of Love, Bliss and Wisdom)
·
He will show Himself in many places simultaneously, though He will
actually be in one place and there will be many divine acts and manifestations.
·
He will have the power to die whenever He wants.
(d) In an ancient
Arabic book by name “Mehdi Moud” in which the prophesies made by Prophet
Mohammed were recorded many centuries ago, it was mentioned that God Himself
would descend on earth in human form with the following signs by which He could
be recognised:
“His hair will be
profuse. His front teeth will be spaced apart. He will have a mole on His cheek.
He will not have beard but will be clean shaven. His clothing will be like
flame. He will wear two robes. The colour of His face will sometimes be like
copper, sometimes yellow like gold and sometimes like the moon. His legs will be
those of a young girl. All the teachings of all the religions of the world will
be in His heart from birth. All the science and knowledge of the world from the
beginning of time will be in His head. He will give gifts that are light in
weight, His devotees will crane their necks to see Him. He will live for 95
years on earth. In the last twenty years of His life time He will be the king of
the whole world but at that time (A.D. 2000) only two-thirds of the world will
believe Him. Muslims will only recognise Him nine years before His passing away
from the world”.
(e) According to the
world famous prophecy-maker Nostradamus who recorded his prophecies in his book
“Centuries”, some 400 years ago, a very great leader would be born in South
India (land surrounded by the three seas) He would have unlimited wisdom and
power, and He would be an immortal ruler. With His efforts, world war would be
over, and India’s spiritual message to humanity would spread far and wide. He
would observe Thursday as the Holy Day.
(f) Sri Aurobindo, the
great seer of modern India, who was in total penance for the descent of the
Supernatural Power upon this Earth for the uplift of humanity, terminated his
outside activities and went into complete solitude on 24th November,
1926. His reason for the withdrawal was that the embodiment of the Overmental
Delight Consciousness, Lord Krishna, had once again come down to the terrestrial
sphere. Suffice it to note that the advent of the Lord of our narrative had
occurred just on the preceding day.
(Bhagavan Sri Sathya
Sai Baba is born on 23rd November, 1926)
(g) Bhagavan Baba has
also overwhelmed the Christian world by declaring that it was He who sent Christ
to the world, and that His incarnation had, indeed been prophesied by Christ and
recorded in the Bible over 1,900 years ago. The extract of that startling
revelation made by Sri Sathya Sai Baba before a group of Christians on the
Christmas Day in 1975 is given below:
“There is one point
that I cannot but bring to your special notice today. At the time when Jesus was
merging in the supreme principle of divinity, he communicated some news to his
followers which has been interpreted in a variety of ways by commentators and
those who relish the writings on writings and meaning upon meaning, until it is
all swelled up into a huge mess. The statement itself has been manipulated and
tangled in a conundrum. The statement is simple : “He who sent me among you,
will come again”, and he pointed to a lamb. The lamb is, merely a symbol, a
sign. It stands for the voice ‘Ba-Ba’; the announcement was of the advent of
Baba. ‘His name will be truth’. Christ declared. ‘Sathya means Truth’. ‘He
wears a robe of red, a blood red robe’. (Here Baba pointed to the robe He was
wearing). ‘He will be short, with crown (of hair)’. The lamb is the sign and
symbol of love. Christ did not declare that He would come again, He said ‘He who
sent me will come again’. That Ba-Ba is this Baba’. ( pointing to Himself)”.
(The matter contained
in paras from (c ) to (g) is taken from the book ‘Uniqueness of Swami And His
Teachings’ by Dr. A.Adivi Reddy.)
(h) In the Bible
Revelation 19 speaks of the God incarnate having come on a white horse which
coincidentally is also the description of the Kalki Avatara predicted by the
Hindu scriptures several thousands years ago. “ Its rider is called Faithful
and True.” Sathya, the first name of Baba means Truth. “His eyes were like a
flame of fire”. Baba’s eyes have such an intensity, are so full of life and seem
to indicate with dazzling glow. “He wore many crowns on his head”. Baba’s Afro
style hair gives it the appearance of a crown. “The robe he wore was covered
with blood”, alludes to ochre robe that Baba wears. “His name is the word of
God” is incidentally the meaning of Bhagavan.
(i) An article
published in the November, 1985 issue of “Expans” magazine reported thus: Among
the various prophesies made in ancient scriptures of world, and those by sages
and seers as contained in palm leaf volumes carefully preserved by Sanskrit
Scholars, none appears to be so amazing as the detailed account of the advent of
Sai Baba, as an incarnation of God in 20th century as reported to
have been given by Prophet Mohammed. According to the article published in “Two
Worlds” magazine of London, an Iranian writer, browsing, in a book stall in
Teheran, was irresistibly drawn to a huge volume. It was the 14th
edition of the discourses of Mohammed, in 25 volumes “The Ocean Of Light” . It
is claimed that these discourses were collected together some seven hundred
years after the prophet’s death. Volume 13 of these discourses is called “ Mehdi
Moud” in Arabic, which means “The Great Teacher that was promised”. The teacher
is also referred to as “Master of the World”, “Master of Time” ..etc., Mohammed
is quoted by Peggy Mason as having indicated a large number of signs by which
the great teacher could be recognised. Prominent amongst these hallmarks, which
remarkably tally with Sai Baba, are as follows: All things you will ask from
God, He will give you. All the treasures of the world are under His feet. He
will give gifts that are light in weight. His devotees will collect under a
great tree ( the huge Banyan tree, that has been since removed in Brindavan
campus). Many of them will have a spot on their forehead (the Hindu Kumkum dot).
He will go around amongst the devotees and touch their heads with His hand.
Every eye that sees Him will be happy, not only humans but disembodied souls.
His devotees will crane their necks to see Him. He will live for 95 years. He
will live at hill (Prasanthi Nilayam is on a hill). His house will be square. He
will make the world light and full of peace. So as not to be deceived, you
should know that the Master of the World will bring things out of His body and
through His mouth.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
has assured us that there is no reason for mankind to be extremely worried about
the future, for the golden age of humanity is soon dawning. He has assured that
Satya Yuga shall start from 1999 and during the days of His next Avatar as Prema
Sai which will be from 2030 onwards, the world will see the best period of human
civilisation. However, Baba says from now till 1999 there will be many natural
calamities, but He will exercise His powers and influence as Avatar to prevent
Nuclear War. He has told His devotees not to get out of the umbrella of His
Divine Protective Grace lest they be subjected to harm at the hands of nature’s
fury which will indeed be raging till 1999. (The matter contained in paras (h)
and (I) above, has been taken from the book “Pralaya 1999”, by M. R. Narendra).
The author has
mentioned in the beginning of this chapter about the characteristics (Signs) of
an Avatar. Let us delve more on this: The story of Sri Krishna, universally
accepted as Poorna Avatar - the Total Advent - is the clearest proof of the
immaculate conception of the Divine Child. As the Bhagavatha narrates, the agony
of Mother Earth compels the compassions of the Omniwill into the resolve to
incarnate as Sustainer, Solace and Saviour of mankind. Brahma hears the voice
of the all pervasive God Vishnu that conveys the blessing and the boon to the
suffering supplicants who have come before Him. He announces: “The Bhagavan
Himself, the Almighty Resident in All, moved by His own Will , takes birth in
the house of Vasudeva” (Vasudeva “Griha”).
After Devaki, the
consort of Vasudeva, had given birth to seven children and had offered each one
of them to her brother as she had promised, the Will decided that it was time
for the Advent to take place. The Bhagavatha says : “The Lord who is the
Sovereign of the Universe desired to enter the mind of Vasudeva as a facet of
Himself in order to confer fearlessness on good and Godly”. ‘Amsa’ , the
Sanskrit word used in the text rendered here as ‘facet’, is usually interpreted
as meaning ‘part’. But the Universal Absolute cannot be partitioned; the ancient
commentator Anandagiri elucidates the word as ‘Svechha nirmithena maayaamayena
Swaroopena’ (with a body moulded by His own Will and capable of deluding the
World into the belief that it is human). “Then, that indestructible Divine
principle which was destined to establish peace and prosperity in the World, was
accepted into her mind, as the Eastern sky accepts the moon or as the pupil
receives the illuminating mantra from the guru” .
The emphasis on the
‘Mana (mind) of both the father and the mother announces to us that the Avatar’s
advent occurs in ultra-physical ways. The mother serves as the inaugural Vessel
to contain the Cosmic Essence and allows it to unfold as its Will dictates.
The incarnation of the
Buddha too was equally marvellous. The following lines are from the epic poem
‘Light of Asia’ by Edwin Arnold: ‘The Devas knew the signs and said, “Buddha
will go again to help the World”. “ Yes” spoke He. “Now I go to help the World.
I will go down among the Sakyas under the Southward snows of Himalaya where
pious people live and a just king”. That night the wife of king Sudhodana, Maya,
the Queen, asleep beside her Lord dreamt a strange dream, “that a star from
Heaven, splendid, six-rayed, in colour rosy-pearl, whereof the token was an
Elephant, six tusked and white as milk of Kamadhenu, shot through the void and,
shining into her entered her womb upon the right”. The Buddha formed the body
for Himself within that maternal niche, conferring the status of father on
Sudhodana, and Maya meditated on the Sidhartha moon, in the sky of her womb
until the time when all could witness the glory of the child in the cradle.
Mary, the mother of
Jesus, was similarly blessed. “The Angel Gabriel was sent from God to Virgin
spoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the House of David, and the Virgin’s
name was Mary. And the angel said unto her, “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found
favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb and bring forth a
son and shall call his name Jesus”…. Then said Mary unto the angel, “How shall
this be, seeing I know not of a man?” And Angel answered unto her, “The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee;
therefore also the holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God. And so it did come to pass as the World knows.”
Swami has often
declared that this Sai Avatar descended because the Saints and Sadhus of all the
lands prayed for His arrival. “I chose the mother who was to experience My
closeness during gestation. The Avatar alone has this freedom of choice. In
other cases Karma determines the time and space, the group and the grade.
Years later as Swami
sat one day surrounded by his devotees, there was an abrupt interruption. A
Pundit well versed in the holy Puranas felt a sudden urge to ask a question.
“Swami; was your Incarnation a Pravesa (an entrance) or a Prasava (Enciente) ?”
Shri N.Kasturi could not quite understand the relevance of the interruption that
jolted everybody away from the jocular mood of the talk, but Swami knew the
reason. Turning to Easwaramma seated in front, He said, “Tell Rama Sarma what
happened that day near the well after your mother-in-law had warned you”. Mother
said, “She had dreamed of Satyanarayan Deva and she cautioned me that I should
not be frightened if something happens to me through the Will of God. That
morning when I was at the well drawing water, a big ball of the blue light came
rolling towards me and I fainted and fell. I felt, it glided into me”. Swami
turned to Rama Sarma with a smile. “There you have the answer; I was not
begotten. It was Pravesa, not Prasava”. (Thus a divine incarnation takes place
by a process of impregnation which occurs by the Divine Will itself and not by
the natural and normal human process)
To get back to the
period when Easwaramma was pregnant. Kondama Raju had dreams of Venka Avadhootha
in which he was instructing him to be prepared - but for what he was not told.
And Pedda Venkapa Raju, the father, was awakened at night by sweet musical notes
emanating from the string and percussion instruments kept in the ‘rehearsal
room’. Angels, Gandharvas, Kinnaras? Musical Ancestors? He knocked at the doors
of astrologers. Telling them about his attempts to know what these meant, he
described his tension at the time and the comforting explanation of an
astrologer at Bukkapatnam was, “Is the music sweet and soothing?” he asked. “The
notes and beats were thrilling,” Pedda Venkapa Raju answered. “Is there a
pregnant woman in the house?” When told “Yes”, he predicted that the Gods were
playing music to charm the baby in the womb. He recited a verse in Sanskrit from
a book on horoscopes to please the bewildered father.
It had come at last,
that moment chosen by the Lord to appear on Earth in His incarnated form. It was
the month of Karthika. Monday. The day of worship for Siva, was about to glide
into Tuesday, the day dedicated to Ganesh. It was 5.06 A.M. I.S.T. on 23rd
November,1926, and the reigning star was Ardra. From 4 O’clock that morning
Lakshamma, the mother-in-law was at the Satyanarayana Pooja at the home of the
priest. She was called back home more than once as the delivery neared but she
was determined not to return until she could bring back the deity’s Prasad for
Easwaramma which she could procure only at the conclusion of the ceremony. At
last she came, she gave. It was accepted and relished. And the son was born.
A mat covered with a
thick bedspread had been readied in the corner of the room, when the labour had
begun and now the baby was placed on it, by the grandmother. All of a sudden,
they found the bedspread rising up and falling down, on either side of the baby.
She grasped the child and held it close. A serpent was coiled beneath : of
course snakes there were in plenty at Puttaparthi, creeping through crevices,
crawling along the walls and hiding in the holes. But the serpent in the living
room pretending to be in bed! - it was the role of Adisesha for Vishnu who
rested on its coil; this was the Incarnation’s first miracle. When Easwaramma
was asked about this epic event, she confessed that she had been so filled with
joy at the birth of a son that she had never even noticed the agitation all
around.
The child was named
Satyanarayana. The association and affiliation of the human and divine were made
plain by the Name. It announces that the child being Narayana was Sathya
(Truth). God as Satyanarayana had entered the minds of the mother and
grandmother and filled the house of the Ratnakara Raju with Divine Melody and
Fragrance. Narayana coming as Sathya was the consummation for which the world
had long yearned.
(The entire matter is
taken from the book ‘Easwaramma, the chosen Mother’, by N.Kasturi, Ex- Editor,
“Sanathana Sarathi”).
As regards the
birth-marks on the body of the Avatar, a few persons, including some students,
who live very close to Swami, have noticed the eagle-shaped birthmark on the
chest of Swami.
Another strong
evidence of the Divinity of Sai Baba comes from an altogether different source,
Frank Baranowski, a Professor at the University of Arizona in the United States.
He has the distinction of being an undisputed expert in the study of the halo
that surrounds each person. According to him the aura surrounding the face of a
person speaks volumes about his personality and character. The aura around the
faces of ordinary mortals is nondescript and often null and void. But in the
case of a person who is superhuman and embodiment of love, the aura is
expansive and its luster extends to the sky which is limitless. Frank Baranowski
was bewildered and enthralled to see the aura surrounding the face of Sri Sathya
Sai Baba. According to him, it was a white and pink aura, the colour of love.
The aura became golden like the Sun and turned into the blue colour of love when
the Bhajans were sung. This aura signified the boundless energy of love. The
eyes shone with diamond like brilliance. Professor Baranowski had no hesitation
in affirming that the aura-wise Sri Sathya Sai Baba is God. During his long
career, he had the occasion to see the aura of many famous and illustrious
persons. But never before had he witnessed the white, pink and blue aura
stretching upon the azure sky above, spreading the golden hues of Sun and the
diamond-like brilliance transmitting the tremendous energy of love.
(Taken from the book “Sai Baba, the Rose Fire Of Heaven”, by Krishna Nandan Sinha).
The above Chapter is taken from the Book: Baba - The Life Breath of Every Soul