ANIL
KUMAR'S SATSANG:
Professor Anil Kumar has presented
this talk as an extra satsang. He has selected important messages Baba has
imparted to the students gathered around Him during the afternoon sessions on
the verandah at Prashanti Nilayam. These talks will continue.
Part
Eleven
January 29th, 2003
OM…OM…OM…
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
29th OF JANUARY 2003
Vemana’s Transformation
Let me commence
this session with what happened today, this evening, just one or two hours ago.
Right now there is one district by the name of Kalappa, in the State of Andhra
Pradesh, a few hours drive from here. The whole district is celebrating a grand
festival to commemorate the life and work of great men and women born there.
Many eminent
people were born there in the district of Kalappa. One was a great sage by the
name of Veerabrahmendra Swamy, a great sage, who foretold thousands and
thousands of years ago about what is happening today. This is called
Kalajnana – Kala, the time, and Jnana, the knowledge of the
future. He predicted long ago what is happening today, and he was born there in
that place.
Also there is a
great singer by the name of Annamacharya, whose songs are very, very popular. He
was also born there. In addition, a saint by the name of Vemana happened to be
born there. And two poets, Pothana and Peddanna, also had their births there.
So, to commemorate these events, the whole district is rejoicing and
celebrating. I happened to make a mention of this to Swami, and that triggered
the whole substance of this evening’s episode.
What He said was
this: “You know, one poet by the name of Vemana was born there.”
“Yes,
Swami, I know.”
Then
He started telling us about Vemana. This grand poet Vemana was brought up by his
brother and sister-in-law. He had lost both of his parents, and somehow, as ill
luck would have it, he had fallen prey to all the vices or bad habits. He even
became a womaniser. And that lady (the woman he was seeing) wanted Vemana to get
the necklace of his sister-in-law, which was very precious and costly. She
insisted that he should get the necklace of his sister-in-law and present it to
her. So, Vemana literally stole the necklace and gave it to that lady.
But his
sister-in-law could understand and called Vemana. She said to him, “Look here!
Had you asked me, I would have given it myself. Why did you steal that way? It’s
not good on your part.” And further she said, “Look here, Vemana! I have been
wearing that necklace everyday as a routine, but I do not find anything special
about it. So, how is it that your girlfriend wants it? How is it that she will
be extremely happy with my necklace only? I don’t know. Evidently she wants to
snatch away my necklace, you understand.” That’s what she said. Immediately, he
repented. Transformation started in him.
His brother had
only one daughter and Vemana loved her very much - more than his own life. He
treated his brother’s daughter as his own daughter, even more than that.
Suddenly that girl died. Then what Vemana did was, he caught hold of the photo
of that little girl and he hugged it and went on crying for the death of the
lost child. He went on crying. The sister-in-law noticed this. She wanted to
teach him a lesson. She took that photograph, tore it and burnt it. He went on
crying further and further.
“Why did you do
that? I liked that photo of the girl whom I loved very much.”
Then the
sister-in-law explained, “Look here - after all, you imagine her in that photo.
That’s why she is alive to you. But the body is here no more. Instead of the
photo of your brother’s daughter, you can have the picture of God and cry for
Him, but not for the lost child.”
That moment the spirit of renunciation and the sense of detachment started in him. He left his home, and from then on, he led the life of a yogi, a saint. Later, he composed a number of poems. Almost all citizens of Andhra Pradesh know his poems very well. Bhagavan explained that whole episode to us.
Krishnadevaraya and
Rayalaseema
And then I asked,
“Swami. This part of the state, including Chittor, Kalappa, Karnool and
Anantapur, this part of Andhra Pradesh is called Rayalaseema. Why, Swami?”
Baba said,
“Because it was ruled by a king by name Krishnadevaraya. Krishnadevaraya ruled
this part; so it is called ‘Rayalaseema’.”
“Swami, is this
such a great place?”
He said, “Yes.”
Then Bhagavan said that there were no states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in
those days. The country was not divided on a linguistic basis at that time.
Krishnadevaraya was a great king who ruled the whole kingdom. He was a patron of
literature and fine art.
Next Swami said,
“Look here, there is one village by the name of Karnatakapalli. Karnatakapalli
is very close to Puttaparthi. ‘Karnataka’ is actually the State of Karnataka,
but this village also bears that name, which only means it (this area) was all
one composite unit, ruled by that king, Krishnadevaraya.”
“Swami, how nice it is: Krishnadevaraya, who was such a fair patron of literature and a poet himself, had eight great scholars in his court. It is very well known.” That’s what I said.
Two brothers: Bukkaraya and Chikkaraya
Swami said, “Look
here: There were two brothers. One brother’s name was Bukkaraya. He was
responsible for the water tank in Bukkapatnam. And his own brother, by the name
of Chikkaraya, was responsible for the tank in Dharmavaram. Unless the
Bukkapatnam tank was full, the Dharmavaram tank would not receive any water. In
this way, the two tanks co-existed. Only when the one tank in Bukkapatnam was
full, did the excess water go to Dharmavaram; otherwise that second tank would
never be full.”
“Therefore, the
two brothers, Bukkaraya and Chikkaraya, made a decision. They said that they
would not see each other - they would not come face-to-face to see each other -
until both the tanks were ready, full of water, for the benefit of the people.”
“So finally, they
got the water storage tanks ready. And Bukkaraya went towards Dharmavaram to see
his brother, to express his gratitude, while at the same time Chikkaraya also
started traveling to see his brother. Both of them met at one place (en route)
and expressed their gratitude, shedding tears and hugging each other. And, that
place where they greeted each other is called Kanumukkala. Kanumukkala is the
name of that village. Kanu means the ‘eye’ and mukkula means ‘to
pay respect.’ Later the name of the village was changed to Kanumukkala.”
Swami started
explaining the historical background of these places. I was extremely happy.
You also must have noticed that here, in these parts, they address gents in particular with the name: ‘Anna, Anna’. ‘Anna’ means ‘brother’. They say, “Anna, Anna.” They call everybody ‘Anna’. Why, my maid also calls me ‘Anna’, yes, yes. (Laughter) And the dhobi (washerman) also calls me ‘Anna’. So, ‘Anna’ is a reverential address or a reverential form of greeting. OK.
poet Thenali
RAMAKRISHNA
Then Bhagavan
mentioned a very interesting story about a poet by the name of Thenali
Ramakrishna. Thenali Ramakrishna was a poet in the court of Krishnadevaraya. He
was a very interesting poet - a poet of fun, frolic, retort and humour.
Swami talked about
two episodes relating to the life of Thenali Ramakrishna. It seems what happened
was that the other pundits and scholars in the court were feeling very jealous
of Thenali Ramakrishna because he was very close to the king. These sort of
jealous people were there down through the ages. They are not only here now for
the first time. (Laughter) They were there, right since forever. Yes. So,
in the open court, they challenged Thenali Ramakrishna.
“Oh King, let this
poet explain why there is no hair on the palm (of the hand). While hair is
everywhere, hair is not growing there on the palm. Why? Let him explain an
answer to our open challenge.”
Thenali
Ramakrishna, the poet, got up and said, “Your Majesty, I will explain. There is
no hair on my palm because I have been receiving all the gifts from you. There
has been no time for the hair to grow.” (Laughter)
Then the king
laughed and said, “Oh ho, I see. But how is it that the others don’t have hair?
Why?”
Then Thenali
Ramakrishna said, “As you were giving the gifts, the others were feeling very
jealous. They kept rubbing their hands together out of jealousy and so the hair
did not grow.” (Laughter) That’s how Thenali Ramakrishna’s sense of
humour was.
And then Bhagavan
mentioned another episode relating to the life of Thenali Ramakrishna. It seems
the king presented Thenali Ramakrishna with some diamonds, precious stones and
gold. On the way to his home, some thieves noticed Thenali Ramakrishna carrying
these precious stones and things, and they wanted to steal them. They decided to
do this, and they went to his house that night. They were about to take away the
jewels when the poet got up. Noticing this man, the thieves ran out of the house
and hid themselves behind the well. Thenali Ramakrishna, being so intelligent,
came out of the house.
You must have seen
Indian wells, with a bucket, a rope and a pulley. This is how people take the
water out. So, Thenali Ramakrishna went to the well and drew up some water. He
put some into his mouth and started gargling, and afterward he spit it out,
right where the thieves were hiding! The fellow Thenali Ramakrishna was a very
smart guy, hmm? (Laughter) And then Thenali Ramakrishna picked up some
cloth and bundled some stones inside and threw them into the well.
He told his wife,
“Look here, the precious jewels cannot be kept at our residence because thieves
may step in any time. So out of precaution, I am throwing them into the well.”
But, he did not
actually throw the jewels in the well. Instead it was just a bundle of stones.
However, the thieves didn’t know this. They thought the jewels were in the well,
and they wanted to take them away. So, the whole night they worked at emptying
the well, drawing water out of it. (Laughter)
The next morning Thenali Ramakrishna got up and said, “Thank you, sirs. The fields were without water till now. They needed to be watered, and now you have done it free of cost. I am very grateful to you.” (Laughter) That’s what Bhagavan said this afternoon.
25TH OF JANUARY, 2003
provided they come
for Me
Now, let me take
you back to the 25th of January 2003. (We are going backwards, you
know.) One very big man, a chairman – rather, a president of an international
club - came to see Swami. Swami made him sit and wait, as is usual with Him.
(Laughter)
I
said, “Swami, I came to know some international chairman (or president) is
here.”
He said, “What if?
Everyone must wait for Me.”
“OK, Swami. Then
is there no hope of meeting You immediately? No chance?”
Baba said, “People come to Me for various reasons - for their business prospects, for their family problems, to have their desires fulfilled. But those who have come to Me for Me, I’ll certainly meet them immediately after their arrival here. I’ll certainly grant them an interview, provided they have come for Me. But many people don’t come for that. They come to fulfil their own personal desires or personal comforts.” That’s what Bhagavan said.
people respond to threat only
At that moment, I
made a comment. “Swami, as I read the newspaper, well, I am very much pained.
There is agitation everywhere, mass killing everywhere, violence everywhere. I
am very much disturbed. Swami. What is all this?”
Then Swami said,
“There is only a difference in degree of violence. Violence is spread
everywhere.” Then He gave one example.
“See a frog and a
snake. Snake is ready to swallow the frog; behind the snake there is a peacock,
ready to eat the snake. So, the frog stands the threat of being killed by the
snake, and the snake stands the threat of being eaten by the peacock. That’s how
violence is going on everywhere - one trying to finish off the other.”
Here He made a
beautiful remark, which will be of immense interest to all of us:
“It is unfortunate
today that people fear punishment. They fear anything that is bad. If a man says
he is going to kill someone, people are afraid of him. If someone says he is
going to burn their house, people are afraid of such a threat. But people are
not afraid of certain good things, which they could not do till now. They are
not afraid of certain good things, which they should have done already by now.
It is unfortunate that people respond to threat only.” That’s what He said on 25th
January 2003.
24TH OF JANUARY 2003
Personality is very important
Now we come to an
episode from the 24th of January 2003. Swami started speaking about
many aspects.
He said,
“Personality is very important. Personality is very important.”
I said, “Swami,
personality? I have quite a good personality (in local usage, ‘personality’
means ‘physique’).” (Laughter)
Then He said, “It
is not this personality - not physical personality. Behaviour, manners,
courtesy, etiquette, discipline - altogether they constitute what you
call personality. This (character) personality is very important.”
It is in this context He said, “Who is a boy? The one with ‘boyish’ behaviour is a boy. Who is a man? The one with ‘manners’ is a man.” That’s the definition He has given.
know the feelings of society
Then He started
talking about what had happened. “You know, one boy who sits there on the
veranda unknowingly walked into the interview room while I was coming out of the
room at the same time. His head hit My head. Immediately the boy went inside and
started crying, “Swami, I am sorry, very sorry. I did not notice.”
Baba said, “Look
here, it doesn’t matter if your head hits My head, or if My head is hitting your
head. There is no difference at all. We can move shoulder-to-shoulder, no
problem. But think of the devotees outside. They will all think that here is a
boy who has no manners, who has no discipline: ‘How can he simply walk into the
interview room and hit Swami’s head?’ That’s how people will feel. I know your
love for Me and you know how much I love you. Apart from that, you should also
know the feelings of the society, the feelings of the community.” That’s what
Bhagavan said.
And it is in this
context that Swami said, “Boys, I don’t want anything from you for having given
you all free education during the period of your study here. I don’t expect
anything from you. However, always maintain dignity and respect. You shall not
compromise on these two, dignity and respect – the dignity of the institution
and your Self-respect. Well, that amounts to gratitude, which you can express to
Me In this way for having been benefited by this institution.”
Here Swami said, “That’s why I tell you boys not to say, ‘Thank you’, because I am not a third person. It is My duty to serve you, so you don’t have to say, ‘Thanks.’” But He added, “From the point of view of society, you may have to say, ‘Thank you.’ I know in My heart-of-hearts that you don’t have to do so. But society - the culture of each place and the manners expected of you - may demand that you say, ‘Thank you.’” That’s what Bhagavan said then.
consideration for what others think
It is in this
context, Swami mentioned a former student, who is currently serving as the
Principal of the Brindavan campus. His name is Sanjay Sahani. He is the youngest
Principal of Swami’s institutions. He was a student of this college. Swami
started telling us about him.
“Here is a boy
who, while coming from Delhi by train along with his sister, refused to sit by
her side. Why? Because both of them were quite young and others did not know
that they were brother and sister. Others might mistake their relationship. So
he wanted her to sit away from him, among the women. And he sat separately there
among the men. After coming to Bangalore, he made her sit in a car where other
ladies traveled, and he traveled by a different car with a group of men. Though
they are brother and sister, that’s how they traveled. Why? Because the feeling
of the society also must be taken into account.”
In this context
Baba said, “There may be an old man who is playing with a young girl; but the
society will not misunderstand them, because they will think that the old fellow
is the grandfather and the young girl is the granddaughter. But youngsters - a
man and a woman - though they may be brother and sister, at the same time,
others will not understand this in the right way because of their age. So, you
should always conduct yourself taking into consideration what others think about
you.” This is what Bhagavan has said.
“Because of his
sterling character and stern discipline, today Sanjay Sahani is serving as the
Principal there at the Brindavan campus. He has come to occupy such a high
position because of his sterling character.” That’s what Bhagavan said.
Now I should also
tell you that here, looking at the boys, Swami said, “My friends, these are not
merely instructions given to the boys. They are messages for all Sai devotees,
young and old, not only for now but even for the future.” This message has to be
borne in mind. After all, the situation was an excuse for Him to convey His
teachings. I think you have got my point.
Bhagavan said,
“The way you dress should be fitting. It should be in accordance to the
institution where you were brought up. Seeing your very dress and your
behaviour, people should be able to make out, ‘Here is a boy from Sri Sathya Sai
Institute of Higher Learning.’ You won’t have to tell anybody. Your very dress
and behaviour should be self-explanatory to which institution you belong.”
And here Swami commented, “It is unfortunate that some people wear the dress that would frighten even animals. (Laughter) That’s not the dress that I want you to wear. Also, if you want to sing, sing at home and practise there in the college, the Music College. But don’t sing on the streets and make yourself cheap. The words that you speak should be soft and acceptable, so nice. You should not talk loudly on the streets like rowdies.” That’s what Bhagavan has said.
Dronacharya
In this context He
said, “Sometimes teachers also commit a mistake.” We should also get our quota.
(Laughter) Swami gave the example of a teacher from the Mahabharata,
a great epic of this country. There was one teacher by the name of Drona. Drona
taught archery to all the Pandavas and Kauravas. Towards the end, one disciple
whose name was Arjuna asked Dronacharya, “My Lord, I have completed my studies
at your lotus feet. I want to express my gratitude. I want to offer something as
a token of love and gratitude towards you.”
And Dronacharya
replied, “Look here, Arjuna, I was insulted long ago by a king called Drupada.
The king insulted me. I want you to drive him here. Drag him, tie him up to your
chariot, and bring him to face me. Then only will my revenge be pacified.
Accordingly, Arjuna went all the way and brought King Drupada.
There in the
battlefield, the same Dronacharya, on hearing a statement - only half of the
statement, not the full statement - died immediately. What was it? The statement
made in the open battlefield was this: “Look here, Aswatthama died - Aswatthama.
Aswatthama died.” Who was Aswatthama? He was the son of Drona. Upon hearing of
the death of his son, Drona immediately left his body.
But there was
another half of the statement that he did not hear. Aswatthama was also the name
of an elephant. So many elephants were there on the battlefield, and an elephant
bearing the name of Aswatthama had died. However, Drona heard only the first
part of the statement, and he thought that his son, who went by the name of
Aswatthama, had died. But actually it was not his son, but rather the elephant
named Aswatthama that had died.
What happened to
his emotions? What happened to his balanced state of mind? Being a teacher,
could he act like that? He was totally revengeful there. He was totally
attached. This is the mistake of a teacher.
“Swami, I have a
small doubt.”
“Hmm, what’s your
doubt?”
“When the teacher
wanted this to be done - when he insisted that King Drupada, who had earlier
insulted him, be dragged and brought to face him - what is it that the disciple
could do? He should express his gratitude by fulfilling the desire of his
guru. So, how can he say, ‘No’?”
Baba, the
Ultimate, will never leave you with the last word. (Laughter)
Then He
immediately said, “No, no, no. Arjuna, his disciple, should have pleaded with
him with folded hands, instead of doing what the guru said: ‘Oh Sir, how can I
go and attack King Drupada, who is your enemy? He has not done anything
to me. He has never done me any harm. Am I justified in going over there and
bringing him here, dragging him along the street? Is it justifiable, my Lord?’
He should have pleaded like this with his guru.”
“Swami, that’s right. I stand corrected,” I said.
When God says
Here Swami made one statement, which we should always remember: “You can question anybody. You can contradict anybody. You can explain your position, your standpoint, to anybody - mother, father, teacher, anybody. However, when God says to do something, you must do it, that’s all. You should not question or reason why. It has to be done immediately. There is no question of any alternative.” That’s what Bhagavan said.
Music College Scholarships
And then, looking
at the students from the Music College, our compassionate Bhagavan made the
following remarks.
“How many students
from the Music College are here? Stand up, stand up," He said. A few boys got up
and then He started telling them, “Look here, it is not enough if you learn
music alone. It is necessary that you learn a language like English. You should
learn the English language. You should learn other subjects also: physics,
chemistry, politics, history and economics. You should also get degrees like the
other boys because you cannot earn your livelihood solely depending upon music.
You cannot live only by music. You cannot earn enough through music throughout
your life. It is not possible. So you need to study other subjects also.”
He did not stop
there. “All lecturers come along.” He made them sit there and He said, “You
coach these boys so that they’ll be learning other subjects also, along with the
other students of our Institute.” What a concern He has. What a sympathetic view
He holds. Well, I am not able to describe it.
And then He looked
at those boys and said, “I know your background. Some of you could not continue
your studies over there because you are very poor. I know the parents of some of
you are very old and are living on a pension, which is a pittance after all. So,
I am telling you now, My boys, don’t trouble your parents; don’t strain them.
Now I am telling you that I am going to give you all scholarships. You
already have free education. The only thing is that you have to pay for your
food. But in your cases, in the cases of the Music College boys, I am going to
give you all scholarships, so that your boarding charges and food expenses are
met with. I will also give you pocket money for the dhobi (washerman),
for the barber, for oil and other expenses. I am going to give you money.”
That’s what Bhagavan said.
What a statement this is. That is true Love. Then I understood that Love on two Feet is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. At that time, Bhagavan said to all the boys, “Look here, see that you please your parents. Serve your mother, serve your father, be courteous to your teacher. It is your duty.”
Swami is in you
Then He looked at
the Vice Chancellor and asked, “Vice Chancellor, what did you tell the boys this
morning?”
The Vice
Chancellor said, “Swami, I told the boys this morning, ‘Have a feeling that
Swami is by your side everywhere, all the time, so that you’ll be very, very
careful in your talk and in your behaviour.’”
Swami said, “You
are wrong. (Laughter) Why did you say, ‘Swami is by your side?’ You are
wrong. Swami is in you, not by your side. Swami is in you.”
This is a beautiful statement for the benefit of all the devotees all the world over, to know and experience that Bhagavan is within every one of us. That brings us to the close of the 24th of January 2003 episode.
22nd OF JANUARY 2003
Sage Thyagaraja
Now I come to the
22nd of January 2003. All of you must have noticed Bhagavan
proceeding to the Music College that morning. Am I right? Have you not seen
Bhagavan going to the Music College that morning? You must have seen Him.
Why did He go
there? The 22nd of January happens to be a day of celebration where
all musicians, especially classical musicians, commemorate the life and work of
a great celestial singer cum devotee named Thyagaraja.
Thyagaraja is very
famous for his classical music, a very great devotee par excellence.
To commemorate his life and his message, all musicians celebrate the 22nd of
January as a day of worship to Saint Thyagaraja. This year, as it is one year
since the Music College has been established, and as Swami happened to be here
on 22nd January, they all prayed to Swami to attend their function
that morning.
Swami, in His
infinite mercy, went there around 7:30 AM and He stayed there till 9:30 in the
morning – for two hours! I don’t think that He has given that long a time to
anybody else. What did He do there? All the students of all the Institutions
were invited, plus teachers and guests - all were there. It was fully packed. He
went around to each of them, blessing everybody.
And, He sat in
one place. At the Music College, there is a beautiful elevation there, with the
two violins and tabla - one on each and every corner. It is a beautiful
elevation. I am speaking about that. And Swami sat there with all the students
in front of Him. A little distance from the dais, twenty well-dressed children
sat, and behind them, six more students also. All these twenty are vocalists and
the six behind them were playing on the veena. They all started singing
together the songs composed by Saint Thyagaraja.
There is one place
by the name of Guruvayur, where all singers gather once every year. From the
topmost singer down to the amateur, all gather there and sing together in chorus
the compositions of Saint Thyagaraja. I was reminded of that scene when all of
them started singing here. So beautiful! They sang about fifteen songs.
Swami, to my
knowledge, never gave that long a time to any senior artist. Such an outpouring
of Love was not because of their excellence. They are still children, so it was
not the highest standard of music. These children, the Music College boys, were
giving a programme for the first time. This is what made Him sit there patiently
and appreciate them. Then He distributed prasad. After that, I expected
Swami to give a discourse, but there was no time. He returned back to the Mandir
for the arathi.
That evening, He
came as usual and stood in front of us. He asked, “Anil Kumar, how was the music
today?”
“Very fine,
Swami.”
“How do you know?”
“Swami, I heard
it.”
“But you are not
an expert in music - you don’t know music. So how do you know if it is a good
standard?” (Laughter)
“Swami, I
represent the audience who was assembled there in large numbers. I need not be a
musician or a professional or a Music College lecturer to decide the standard. I
represent all those who sat there.” He laughed and laughed. (Laughter)
And then He said,
“Very nice.”
Then I said,
“Swami, one disappointment.”
“Why? What
disappointment? I gave them two hours time. What disappointment is there? Why?”
“Swami, we
expected a Divine discourse. We were not fortunate enough to have Your discourse
this morning.”
“Ah, it’s all
right, it’s all right. You enjoyed the music. The boys presented their
programme. That is enough.”
But my prayer,
deep within me, must have provoked Him to speak further on this topic of
Thyagaraja that evening.
“The father of
Thyagaraja happened to be Ramabrahman and the mother of Thyagaraja was Sita.
Like Rama and Sita, the father and mother had those same two names. Lord Rama
appeared in the dream of the father of Thyagaraja and told him in the dream, ‘A
great devotee is going to be born into your family.’ Soon that
dream came true.”
Then Bhagavan
said, “All the compositions of Sage Thyagaraja are based on his personal
experiences. They may not be of poetic excellence. They are not literary pieces.
No. They are all based on the events of his life.
It seems once he
was asked by his teacher to give a music programme in the court of the king of
Thanjavur. Thyagaraja went there and, as he entered the court hall, he started
singing in praise of everybody.
“I’ll give you the
meaning of the song, if not the text: ‘There are so many great people assembled
here! My humble salutations to everyone of you. There may be a number of great
people here. Everywhere, my humble salutations to all of you.’ That is
the meaning of that song, which is very, very popular. On listening to that
song, everyone was happy and was literally touched by the very feeling with
which he composed and rendered that song.” That’s what Bhagavan told us.
But his brother
was feeling very jealous of Thyagaraja. This is a common thing, jealousy, you
know. It is not born only in this atomic age or computer age; it has been there
right from the time of Adam and Eve! So, his brother was feeling very jealous.
What did he do? He threw the idols of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita into the Kaveri
River. He threw them away as he thought it was because of Thyagaraja’s excessive
spirituality that he won all the name and fame. So, he removed all the idols and
threw them into the Kaveri River.
Then Thyagaraja
was crying for the missing idols every day. One day, in the morning when he was
having his bath there in the Kaveri River, suddenly something touched his feet.
He just bent down and collected some things with his hands. What were they? They
were the idols of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita! He picked up those idols and started
carrying them home, while singing this song:
“Come home, Rama, Lakshmana! Let us go to our home. Oh Lord, I missed you all of these days.” He was singing in praise of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita like this. Extending to them a hearty welcome back home, he composed another song, which is also very, very famous in South India. Then, Thyagaraja also sang one song, where the meaning is that Rama is his father and Sita is his mother - no one else. That was his level of devotion.
23rd OF JANUARY 2003
Darshan to sages in the Himalayas
Now, I go on to
the 23rd of January 2003. Suddenly, Swami started explaining about
His earlier days, fifty years back.
“You know, Anil
Kumar, I went to the Himalayas.”
“Swami, did You?”
“Yes”
“Alone?”
“No, no, no. Two
hundred people accompanied Me.” (Laughter)
“I see. How was
the food, Swami?”
“There was always
one advance party to go beforehand and cook for us.”
“Oh, very good,
Swami. All people accompanied You?”
“Yes. “
Mother Easwaramma
also accompanied Him during that trip to North India, to the pilgrim centres
like Prayaga, Bhadri and Kedarnath. These are all pilgrim centres there in the
Himalayan mountain range.
And then Swami
started telling, “There was one governor, named Ramakrishna Rao. This governor
was a very short man, shorter than Baba. And he was an expert in thirteen
languages, a great scholar. He made all the arrangements for Baba’s trip. He
made Bhagavan stay there in his palace, in his guest house, giving Him all royal
reception wherever Bhagavan went.”
Then I said,
“Swami, is it not very cold there in the Himalayas?”
“Yes.”
“Swami, did You
wear any coat or sweater?”
“No, no, no, no,
only one piece (gown), that’s all. No coat, no sweater, no blanket.”
“Oh, I see, Swami.
How was the footwear?”
“No foot wear. I
was simply walking.”
“On ice?”
“Yes, on ice
only.”
Oh, how nice it is
to walk on ice! (Laughter) We can imagine, very difficult.
“Swami, how long,
how long did You walk?”
“Eighteen
kilometres on ice.”
“Swami, everybody?
You made everybody also walk on ice barefooted?”
“No, no, no, there
were so many donkeys to carry them there. And the guides also literally carried
those who could not walk. Some were physically lifted by people who were paid
for that service, but I walked all along.”
“Oh, Swami, ahh.”
Then Swami said that Governor Ramakrishna brought some canvas shoes for Him, and
forced Bhagavan to wear them. And Bhagavan wore the canvas shoes. But, as the
shoes were brand new, Swami developed blisters on His Feet. After some time, He
could not walk even a single step. So He removed the shoes. When Governor
Ramakrishna saw the blisters, he started crying.
To add to this,
the wife of the governor also saw this and she said, “Come here. What nonsense
you have done! You have given a new pair of shoes to Bhagavan and now you see
the blisters on His Feet. Don’t you have any commonsense?”
So the governor
had to cry on two grounds (Laughter): first, for the inconvenience which
he had given to Swami, and second, for the heavy banging from the ‘home front’,
from his beloved wife. (Laughter)
Swami was
explaining all of these things. Then I said, “Swami, in “Sathyam Sivam
Sundaram”, it is written that some sages there in the caves of the Himalayas
had Your Darshan. Am I right?”
“Yes, yes. There in the Himalayas, there are some valleys. There are so many curves and bends, and you have to pass through narrow passages. I made everybody stay back. I visited those caves and gave My Darshan to some sages. I spoke to them. They were waiting since long for My Darshan.” That’s what Bhagavan told us.
They lifted My Car
And then Swami
started laughing, all of a sudden.
“Swami, what? What
happened?”
“Oh, I visited
Punjab also.”
“Oh, I see Swami.”
You know, Punjabis
wear turbans. You must know that. And the ladies will cover their heads with
their saris. Have you seen? It looks something like a veil. So, there were all
veils on this side and all turbans on that side - the men and women.”
“Oh, Swami.”
“There were
thousands - a very big crowd.”
“I see.”
“There was no
space for My car to go, as it was so fully packed.”
“Swami, then what
happened?”
“Four Punjabis, all well-built with their muscle power, lifted My car. They carried Me straight to the dais, from where I addressed the gathering.” That’s how Bhagavan recalled those days.
Ramesh and Suresh could not bear separation
And Swami also
talked about attachment. Attachment to Bhagavan should be so intense and
intimate, like that of two of His previous classmates, Ramesh and Suresh. They
could not bear separation from Swami, so they took another birth as Jack and
Jill (Swami’s two pet dogs), who stayed with Him.
And now, let me not mention their names, but they have taken this birth as two sisters. It may be out of place if I mention their names, as they belong to a royal family, the two sisters. So, Ramesh and Suresh, who were born as Jack and Jill, are now born as sisters. Their husbands are Bhagavan’s devotees, and one gentleman is already here. Please don’t tempt me to mention their names. (Laughter)
Boys should follow His instructions scrupulously
And then, Bhagavan
was talking about how the boys should follow His instructions scrupulously.
He said, “Look
here, sometime back I told one student, ‘You stay here. Don’t go home.’ That boy
kept quiet. Then after some days I said, ‘You are a rash driver. Don’t ride any
motorcycles.’ I told him - but that boy left this place.
While driving
rashly on the motorcycle, he met with an accident and he was hospitalised.
Bhagavan went to see him in the hospital. That boy, shedding tears, said,
‘Swami, it is my mistake. You warned me not to ride the motorbike. This is a
tragedy of my own making. I have to blame myself. But anyway, I am glad that You
have come here to give me Your Darshan in the last moment of my life.’
With folded hands, catching the hands of Bhagavan, he died there on the
bed.” That’s what Bhagavan said.
Therefore, we may not understand the meaning of Swami’s words immediately. We may not know their implications immediately and we may not understand the significance then and there itself. But, with the passage of time, we will come to know why Bhagavan said what He did on that day, but not till then.
I know you for the last ten lives
Then the topic
switched over to many of the artistes who visited Bhagavan fifty years ago. He
mentioned the names of a number of artistes: dancers, singers, vocalists,
instrumental musicians - so many people. He went on mentioning all the names.
I asked, “Swami,
one gentleman, Chowdayya, a violinist, has he come here, Swami?”
“Yes, he came. He
gave a performance.”
“I see, Swami.
Then Dwaramvenkata Swamy, also a violinist - Swami, did he come here?”
“Yes, he came
here.”
Any name I was
telling, He said they were here.
And then Swami
said, “One fellow by the name of Gaggayya came.”
“Oh, he was also
here?”
“Nagayya, a film
actor, was also here.”
Like that, He was
mentioning so many names.
Then I said,
“Swami, Ghantasala, a playback singer in Telugu, a very famous man, did he come
to this place?”
“Yes, he came.”
“Oh, I see.”
“He stayed with Me
for two months.”
“I see.”
And Swami said,
“He followed Me wherever I went.”
“Mmhmm?”
“But, he came here
during the last stages.”
Then I picked up,
“Swami, I heard the speech of Ghantasala.”
“Speech? No, no,
he’s a musician. What speech?”
“No, Swami, before
the music programme, he spoke a few words.”
Swami said, “What
did he say?”
Ghantasala, the
famous playback singer, was totally down with cancer when he came here for the
first time. Swami never looked at him. He returned to his room in East Prashanti
and started crying, “Oh God, is this the way You treat me, when I am known to
everybody. You have ignored me. I am insulted, Bhagavan. I am humiliated. People
will laugh at me. Is it on purpose that You do like this?”
And he composed a
song in Telugu there, which you must have heard here a number of times. And then
one day, after bhajans, he was lying on his bed without a shirt - just a
towel over him. He was very sick at that time, lying on the bed, crying for
Baba’s help. Suddenly, Ghantasala heard a sound. He lifted his head and saw the
door being opened - and Bhagavan coming into the room! Bhagavan came in, sat on
the bed and applied vibhuthi all over his body.
“Don’t worry,
Ghantasala, I know you for the last ten lives. I assure you that your name will
be remembered in South India so long as sun, moon and stars shine. You’ll be
remembered as the top-most singer.”
So saying,
Bhagavan left. Then, that man composed another song: “Ah what a nice day it is!
Bhagavan came with a smiling face. I could not see You, oh Lord, because of the
tears coming across the sky on the surface of my eyeballs. (Laughter).
The eyes were not helping me to see You because they are totally wet, with the
tears rolling down. How can I see You, my Lord? But blessed is this day because
of Your Divine visit!”
That is the meaning of that song, which is also repeated by our boys. That’s what I said about this episode and Swami said, “Yes, yes, yes, yes.”
Singer M.S. Subbalakshmi
Then I should also
mention another episode. There is a lady by the name of M.S. Subbalakshmi. M.S.
Subbalakshmi is a very, very great lady. She is a great singer and she received
the highest award - a national award. Not only that, she is the only singer who
was permitted to render a classical music programme in New York during one of
the sessions of the United Nations Organization. At the end of the music
concert, all the heads of governments stood and gave her a standing ovation.
Such a great lady is Baba’s devotee. When she sings, her voice goes to a very
high pitch.
Swami said, “Oh,
she comes here regularly.”
“Oh, I see, Swami.
I heard her words also, Swami.”
“What did she
say?”
“Swami, she said
that wherever she goes, wherever she gives a concert, she donates some funds to
every institution. Almost all big institutions have received fabulous amounts
from her, through her music concerts. That’s what she said in a public meeting.”
“She further
added, ‘There is one place I have been to where nothing is expected from me. No
one asks anything from me. And I met a great personality, who materialised a
chain of 100 diamonds and gave it to me on the dais. He is Bhagavan Sri Sathya
Sai Baba.’ There was thunderous applause and ovation listening to her
statement.” This I told Swami and everybody heard and they were very, very happy
about it.
That brings us to
a close of all the episodes from the month of January, early 2003. In the next
session we will take up the rest. Thank you very much.
Professor Anil Kumar
closed the talk by singing the bhajan,
“Chandra Kirana
Kula Mandana Ram”
OM…OM…OM…
Om Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om
Shanti Shanti Shanti