The Power of Love

From all over the world, pilgrims flock to Prasanthi Nilayam to be in Bhagawan's presence. They are drawn by the Will of the Avatar of Love calling Himself in the form of others to Himself. Millions have come and the sacred procession has already begun. The majesty of His mission moves inexorably on and His missionaries multiply mightily.

We can only marvel at the little we know of Bhagawan's plan for a Golden Age, a new era of Dharma. It is not hard to recognize the increase in the number of devotees aware of His presence. What is less apparent is His placement of Lights in all walks of life where His Name and Form are not known at all. We, whose great fortune it is to know of Him, must continually remind ourselves that the first of Sai's virtues is humility. We devotees must be careful not to judge, not to look down upon or feel superior to those whose lives are not focused on Bhagawan Baba. By many paths we come to Him and along those paths, examples of His Light can be seen if only we look with care. The measuring stick of spirituality is not the name of the Avatar nor of the Teacher but the ease with which the Divine teachings are put into daily practice. Let me tell you of a very recent New York story.

A young man, who grew up in a disadvantaged inner city neighbourhood, was charged with the cold-blooded killing of one of his peers. He had a previous police record and the jury found him guilty of murder. Throughout the trial, his face was a hard, frozen, steel mask of hatred. There was no sign of remorse, no show of feeling. There was only an unwavering evil stare.

After the verdict and before the sentencing, the judge gave the victim's family the opportunity to speak in court. Words spoken under those circumstances are usually highly charged, emotional expressions of the horror of the crime and their sense of deep pain and loss. This is not what happened here. The victim's mother walked slowly up to her son's killer, looked him straight in the eye, and quietly said, "I have no bad feelings for you. I could never hate you."

For the first time since the trial began, the defendant's look softened.

Then the victim's grandmother got up and spoke, also looking in the killer's eyes. She said. "So you did the crime and I am sorry you've got to do the time. You broke the golden rule: loving God with all your heart, soul and mind. You broke the law: loving your neighbour as yourself. I am your neighbour." Then she paused and continued. "So anyway, you have my address. You want to write, I will write you back, because I sat here two weeks, and for 16 months I tried to hate you. But you know what? I could not hate you. I feel sorry for you because you made a wrong choice."

The grandmother sat down and the judge reported that the defendant's head was hanging low. The evil stare was gone and his destructive, violent demeanour wilted before the unconditional love of these two grieving mothers.

The Judge then passed a sentence of 37 years to life in prison. He later commented that the sentence was insignificant in comparison with what had taken place in his court. The laser force of Love had penetrated the killer's heart. These two ladies are most surely evolved spiritual beings. Their surroundings are modest, their book learning and their words are simple. They are Bhagawan's Lights teaching in the only transforming way: by EXAMPLE. It is a reminder to devotees that all beings are His, that He is in every one of us. We cannot, we must not judge. With a deep sense of humility, we must learn from all. Learn and practise. The question to ask is, "Would I be capable of feeling and acting as these two women did under such a severe test? Would I be able to put Bhagawan's teaching, Christ's teaching, into practice in my life? It is for each one of us to ask ourselves and answer for ourselves. I remind myself that others like those two saintly examples may be standing next to me as I travel on the subways and buses, or as I walk the streets of this city. They are, for me, the Lord's Teachers, the Lord's Lights.

The mother and the grandmother may never know of Bhagawan Baba. They may never come as pilgrims into His presence in India. They don't need to. He is guiding and protecting them. He is always with them, filling their hearts with the sweetness and beauty and power of HIS LOVE.