Anil Kumar is a Prof. in Bioscience at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. He has authored many books on Sathya SaiBaba, he writes articles in Sanathana Sarathi. Anil Kumar gives a spiritual talk every Sunday in Prasanthi Nilayam. Groups from all over India and around the world often request him for extra talks.  Well known as the translator of Sathya SaiBaba’s discourses. Read more. www.saiwisdom.com

I met Sathya SaiBaba for the first time 1970. Having seen him I was very much impressed by the org. around him. I was surprised to find many of the devotees worked voluntarily helping and working for his mission. I was also very much impressed by the service activities going on all over the world in His name. Particularly I am very much pleased with His message which is Universal and in a sense it includes all religions. There after I have had a taste of His Divine love that made me hold on to Him and cling on to Him once for all.

Om Sai Ram

Sathya SaiBaba often says, everything outside yourself is a Reaction, Reflection, and Resound of your inner being.

All living beings and animals respond to stimuli. Happiness, excitement, irritation is a sort of response, we respond to other people and situations. It is a natural quality.

The response I like to talk about is all together a different thing. It is the response to true Love, Divine Love. Science has proved that even tree and flowers respond, they respond to love and affection by giving more flowers, grow faster and stronger.                      

Stones also response stone can also melt if it is given true love. Simple example; Sathya Sai Baba converted a stone by His Divine touch into a Shirdi Sai idol during His childhood days. This stone responded to the Divine call, the Divine wish was that this stone should become Divine and take the form of Shirdi Sai.                                                                            

We also know a miracle when Sathya SaiBaba collected a few flowers and all the flowers were then transformed and became a beautiful parrot which flew out of His hand. It means that the flower responded to the Divine love, and we also know that Swami loves all animals. The deer comes running close to Him; ducks start to dance in the pond in front of Him. It all shows how animals respond to the Divine form and the Divine Love.               

Response is always there in nature. It is also said that when Buddha was born, the trees started flowering although it was out of season. It means that nature responds to the dawn of an Avatar. When Jesus was born a star specially came to direct the wise men to the Avatar. Nature will respond in a mystical and a much unseen way but our macro observations will reveal the response. Why we all respond is that from micro cosmos to macro cosmos there is only Divinity. The response is a natural gift to the entire creation by God.

When it comes to human beings, let us see how we react reflect and respond. If Swami touches you, touches your emotional heart or your physical hand how do you feel? You feel Divine vibration, a sort of a pleasant shock, something is shaking you. When you look at Swami’s eyes something is happening, spontaneously some devotees start crying, tears starts rolling down for no reason. It is our own bliss, love and light which respond to the Divine form.

The ears are very eager to listen to Bhajan and the whole body responds by vibrating with the music.

Another level of response is the mental level and the intellectual level.

When we hear about Swami’s message, His form and His miracles, we experience peace, contentment and as a response you start to worship Him; you start to visit Prasanthi Nilayam. You start to serve Him; you start to serve the community.                                        

 When you feel love and kindness, which is the Spandana at the psychological level. When the link with the Master is there, when the mind is fully charged with the Divine, you feel like seeing him. You cannot resist the temptation to come to Swami.                           

 Spandana at the intellectual level is when we are prepared to act and suddenly we feel he is my action. The action may be acceptable or not, but we agree to the action and an appreciation is following. There we feel the response from Swami, the Spandana. He is directing you through your intellect. Swami’s Grace reflects in your words, your thoughts, and your deeds, and in your relationships with your friends and family. This is one dimension of looking at Spandana.

”Do not be guided by the opinions and advice of others around you into actions not in line with your conscience” Baba

Another dimension is when Swami tells us to look at the poor people and illiterate people, the handicapped people and think about those people who do not have even one meal a day to eat. When Swami said this during His tour in Bombay a few rich people came and said they liked to adopt some slum area in Bombay. Swami’s message is so strong, so intense, people’s hearts and souls respond to the call or the message from Swami.

 Many people in India and around the world are doing some service to Swami. We know Swami will be happy when we do some service for humanity, service to God. Swami’s Grace and Blessings is with all that serve others in the right spirit. You are not serving your fellow man; you are serving Baba in other men in another form.                                 

 Naturally when we serve we share Swami with others and they will feel Swamis Grace through you and as a result he will go and see Him for himself. By being an example yourself you will create an atmosphere around you and your fellow man will be attracted to the Grace that flow out of you.

Many study groups around the world are thrilled and excited to read and talk about Swamis teachings and as a result they create an intensity of Grace and love where miracles and healing can take place.

The wish to help, study spiritual matters, should come from within and to share the overflow of Grace one experiences in the service of Baba. It is a positive, wonderful, beautiful, divine, spiritual, sentimental response from a person which will shine out of you.                                                                 

The cause of this response is the Divinity within you. In that way you can live a harmonious life in God’s creation.

We should also know that God lives in all of us, spiritually and when God talks to you, what you call inner voice, we should be able to hear it. Only If and when you stop the outer noise you will be able to hear God’s Voice. Once you start to listen to the inner voice you will know what is right and wrong for you in every situation in life, you will be acting in the correct direction. It might not look right at the moment, but as life evolves you will know and your inner guidance and inner voice will be stronger and stronger. Your faith will grow, your love for the divine will grow and more and more wonder in life will appear, you will tap into the endless Grace of Divine love.                                     

 “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new; great and wonderful world. Dormant forces and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be” Patanjali

Spandana at the social level is when you help people during catastrophes, like earthquake and floods. It can be in your country or abroad. Swami’s people always go to places in acute crises to help and serve. The help can be from food, shelter, water, and medical help, to rebuild a damaged area. The national Spandana is there in your blood based on the tradition and the culture in which you are brought up.

 The spiritual Spandana is to listen to your inner voice and to find unity between you and God within. The outer you, the physical I, is one and the same as the spiritual I but the physical I feels separate because of the body and senses. We are not the body and the senses. The physical I and the spiritual I is the same, outer and inner is the same. You may call the body the transient I whom goes on changing from time to time in the spiritual I. This is what we call Spandana. The outer response to the inner, the inner is drawing the outer, closer and closer. The inner is Spandana the outer is Spandana such as it ultimately leads to unity.

Therefore, as we think of this magazine Spandana related to Sai, it calls for our response to his message. It necessitates our involvement in his mission; it demands total loyalty and faith in him. It also accepts the broadmindedness to live in spiritual love and friendship with everyone whosoever we come across in our life. This is Sai Spandana,                        

Love in action. It doesn’t speak about Love but it is Love in form of service, charity or sacred activity. It means also that it wants everyone to realize the Divinity in one’s own self.

Swami said in His last discourse to remember to sing Bhajan; He said it is a must; it gives peace and joy in the heart to sing Bhajans. All Sai centers give import to Bhajans. Sai Spandana means response to Sai wisdom. Further Swami says; Love is My religion Love is My form.                                                     

This spirit of Love should be fostered and developed and shared in the community and the neighborhood as well. Swami believes in the unity of religion. He wants us to experience the bliss and to grow above the body and the mind and to experience the core the center of your Being.

 It should generate feelings in you to considerer all religions equal. As to recognize the unity in all this religion and that you don’t allow yourself to be divided on the grounds of religion. The religion may be many, but the essence is the same. Your being is as much the same center as anyone else’s we are the same, we are one.                                               

 ”Let the different faith’s exist; let them flourish; let the Glory of God be sung in all languages and a variety of tunes that, should be the Ideal” Baba.

Usually we interact with each other in the periphery, on the surface, which will lead to superficial relationships and superficial life. To be the center of the Being is the same as the whole universal center. We should not be carried away by peripheries which is different from person to person and allow ourselves to be divided on these grounds.

Spandana, at the material level is attachment, in the family level, is bondage or relationship; among equals is friendship, in the professional level it is skill and talents. Spandana in an organization is dedication and commitment. In the community is service. Spandana international is peace.  Spandana is applicable in all angles it is universal, spiritual it is nameless formless timeless eternal and immortal nectarous in its nature.                  

 We have to be careful not to lose this most precious gem given by God to us. When you lose this Spandana, you become insensitive and will make your life almost dead and gone. Spandana is life, without it, it is lifelessness.

When beautiful music is going on and you don’t feel like listening to it, there is something wrong with you. The musicians expect some response from the audience, when they clap, and show their appreciation the artist is on the top of the mountain; likewise, a beautiful painting and a beautiful dance. Naturally we when we see it we respond in enthusiasm and joy. Indian classical dance is not simply a human dance, it is a spiritual dance where the whole universe is the drama and the whole world is the stage.

Spandana is a live wire, a vital force, a dynamic force connecting, flowing through the entire life from birth to death, from the womb to the tomb. Spandana to fine art, to literature is culture. Spandana to modern style, fashion is civilization. Affection, love, is Spandana towards family members, friendship towards others; nationalism towards the nation. 

What is the cause of all this different shape of Spandana? It is the centre of your being, what you call Atman, Divinity. Your Divinity is like a diamond, it shines in all directions, has so many faces full of radiance; the core of your Being, Atma, the One.

 A person is irritating you. You are irritated, that is Raajasik Spandana. The lower form of Spandana is Raajasik and Thaamasik.  Saathvik is the highest Spandana. All come from external stimuli. Emotion, anger, passion, jealousy, reverence, pride this is all Raajasik. Thaamasik means overindulgence, sensual pleasure, excessive talk, and violence. Saathvik is compassion, balance equanimity, sacrifice, love, truth, concern and caring for others. One has to transcend these three gunas. That is Nirguna. Saguna is with attributes. Nirguna is without attributes. That is Divine.

There is Spandana from within, which is there within you and you are happy within yourself without any external stimuli. It is a unity or oneness with the outer and inner I. This is the state of bliss, supreme bliss like the saints, seers and prophets has experienced.  

“The best way to Love God, is to Love all and serve all”Baba

The Ultimate Spandana