SANATHANA SARATHI COMPLETES GLORIOUS FIFTY YEARS!
Truth and Righteousness—these are what one should seek to know, not the World of Nature, or the Mind and Body, which are not so vital, though knowledge of these latter is perhaps necessary and even unavoidable as equipment. But, knowledge of whatever kind has as its base, the Atma; when the nature of the Atma and its Being are, known, all is known. In every object, it manifests as Form and Function. Sanathana Sarathi has as its Ideal in service, the communication of this experience.

- Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai
We wish our readers the very best in utilising the communication of this experience.
 

He wills and it happens. He has proved time and again that His Will reigns supreme. Many a time many of us have encountered such situations wherein His unseen abounding grace bailed us out of difficult situations in the form of small miracles. Mr. B.S.K.Vittal Rao of Bangalore narrates how His Divine Resolve helped him to earn a petty favour from a mundane point, but a indeed a much more valued one when it comes to establish in faith, indeed one from a billion untold miralces.

I joined Baba on 6th December 1965, at Whitefield and accompanied Him during His tour in, Madras etc. Dr. B. R. joined at Madras, at the last part. We all accompanied Him to Whitefield in the last week of December. We had an exhilarating elevating and glorious time throughout the Tour with Him.

On the New Year Day at Whitefield, He received Pranams from about a dozen persons collected in the hall there. He suddenly approached me and said, "Happy New Year, Happy New Year", striking me at the same time twice on my back. I was thrilled and felt supremely happy. I was moved at His Prema. I knelt at His Feet. We accompanied Him on the 6th January to Prasanthi Nilayam. Throughout the journey, we were treated to gladdening and elevating talks and melody, which quite often touched the inner chord.

His Grace it was that I was to stay till my birthday on the 8th January. I was blessed indeed to receive on that day His Ashirwadam, with "Nayanome prema¬dhar, Vachanome Amruthadhar". He brought out by a wave of His Palm, as usual, a curved thin small shell with Vishnu, Shirdi Baba, our Baba and Shivalinga on it in bright colours and bestowed it on me.

I had to go to Tinnevelly to perform a ceremony on the 21st January and so. I approached Baba to let me go. “How do you go?” he asked; “By bus to Penukonda and from there, by train” was my answer. “No; you are aged; you should avoid bus journey.You stay till Sankramana, January 14th and I shall send you by some Bangalore car” He said.

The Kumara Raja of Sendur arrived on the 14th and Baba told me that l could go in his car, when he returned. We could leave with His Prasadam only on the 17th. I told Baba that unless ten to twelve days notice was given to the railways, a First Class berth could not ordinarily be secured and implored that He alone should help me, by guaranteeing a berth. He raised the palm and said, "It is done; you can go."

As soon as I reached Bangalore, I rushed up to the Railway Station. I was shown the Register of Reservations. "There ware already seven persons on the Waiting List. The official said to me that there was no chance, unless another bogie came along, attached from Jalarpet. Else, I would have to go by the Second Class. I dreaded to go by Second Class on that long journey, which involved also travel by night. ...However, I bought a first Class Ticket.

No additional bogie came along, the next day, attached from Jalarpet. I was advised to get into a Second, and if by chance, some one of the two or three that were to board from the Cantonment Railway Station did not turn up, I could get in to the First Class. A certain Mr. Das who wanted four First Crass berths had got only two and he was also pleading that he could not split up his party, one half to go in First and the outer half in Second. I had half a mind to stay away and do the ceremony in Bangalore itself.

But, Baba, had told me to go! With mixed thoughts I changed my first Class Ticket into a Second Class one and got into a compartment near by. There were only three in that compartment; I consoled myself that the journey may not to be so uncomfortable. I was thinking of Baba's Guarantee. There were only three minutes for the departure of the train.

To my surprise, Mr. Das came running to my compartment, and said, he had surrendered his First Class Tickets and his whole party was travelling by Second Class. He told me, I could change. The Railway official also came and told me, I could change. My joy was unbounded I made a dash with my luggage and plumped into the berth. The train whistled off, almost at once.

Wonder of wonders! How Baba's Sankalpa worked, without prejudice to the other five or six persons on the waiting list whose names were above mine, and who had already left the platform some minutes before! What Graciousness! Nothing but Divine

Miracles are My visiting cards, said Bhagawan referring to Him performing miracles in the life of devotees. These miracles could be a materialisation, saving from a fatal accident or from a tensed situation, in the form of unseen Divine providence or it could be a word of revelation from the secret life of some one. But, He does it in style, bringing the recipient back on to the right track instilling greater faith in him. Read such an interesting account from the life of a former student as extrated from January, 1987 issue of Sanathana Sarathi.

It was a bright sunny morning. We had all just settled on the portico for Swami's Darshan. The rustle of His robe and the sweet fragrance announced His Divine Presence. To my delight I was called for an interview with my parents.

I was a most badly behaved boy indulging in 'Modern' behavioral attitudes. I would like to admit that the entire family believed in Swami, except me. When we came to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1980, my brother got admission in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning and we got Swami's grace for the first time. Swami poured his love on us. Even then, my natural instincts turned lovingly towards the enchanting Person but my weaknesses and worldly habits turned me away from Him. I lacked the moral fibre to transform myself. I was scared that He would reveal my nefarious doings. In fact, I loved and dreaded Swami's Interview. In fact I wanted to get away from Puttaparthi and I wanted to avoid joining Swami's School. But Swami's infinite mercy and grace did not throw me into the jaws of the world.

I went inside with bated breath and beating heart. As usual groups of devotees were taken in by Bhagawan, into the inner interview room. I was relieved when our turn was over and Swami moved to distribute Vibhuti packets. Suddenly He halted. The expression on His countenance changed from motherly Love to fatherly sternness. He beckoned me back into the inner interview room, alone!

My hands would not stop shaking and my heartbeat raced beyond the range of my E.C.G. scale. He was already seated and commanded me to sit at His Feet. I sweated profusely. Then He asked me a question, "Tell me! Do you believe in Swami or not?" (By now it had become a choice between wanting to believe in Swami or not). He then gave me an undeniable and incredible proof of His omnipresence, of which even my own mother did not know. He told me how, utilizing my pocket money, I had gone to a Hindi movie, instead of attending school. He even told me the name of the film I had gone to, the name of the friend with whom I had gone, a Sarabjit Singh and even the amount of money I spent on 'Samosas' during the interval which was incidentally Rs. 10/ . This revelation jolted me into the realization of my aimless derogatory living and opened new vistas of a happy, joyful life, in which I have made and am making sincere efforts to transform myself.

Take an electric fan. The three blades are the three gunas. When they revolve quickly, they look like one and even disappear from the vision, is it not? It is then that we get the coolness of the breeze. So too, make the Gunas go out of sight, and you get the coolness of Shanti.

A man prayed to an image of Siva and later, giving it up, he started worshipping Vishnu and placing even that image in a shelf, he installed Saraswati instead. He burnt incense before the Goddess and finding that the perfumed smoke was being wafted towards Siva on the shelf, he stuffed some cotton into the nostrils of the image! And, at that instant, Siva appeared before him! Why? Because, he had by that act shown his faith that it was not stone but actual living God.

Keep with yourself all the good habits and qualities you have; do not part with them. But, offer unto the Lord all the evil you can recognise in you, ‘O, Lord. Yours, not mine.’

WITH A VISION THAT GUIDES AND A MISSION THAT TRANSFORMS