As Sarvadharmapriya

Baba is Sarvadharmapriya (Loved by all Faiths). He does not want His devotees to form any cult. All that He advises is to follow their respective faiths faithfully. Hindus must become better Hindus, Christians better Christians, Muslims better Muslims and the like. This will foster love and brotherhood among different communities and ultimately there will be only one religion for the whole humanity, i.e., the Religion of Love. So Sai loves all; and all love Sai. He is everybody's and everybody is His.

While giving gifts to His devotees also Baba does it without disturbing their faith. During His East Africa tour Baba created for a pilot a Holy Cross which moistened his eyes. In 1973 Baba quietly proceeded with some select devotees to Bandipur forest in Karnataka State on Shivarathri Day. As he alighted from the Van and walked towards a quiet spot on the Kakkarahalla stream He broke a stalk of jungle grass about an inch and a half long, and another about half its length and bound them together in the shape of a cross with stalk skin itself. Holding the grass cross before His face He blew on it. It instantly became a wooden cross with a silver icon of Jesus on it. Giving the cross as a precious gift to Dr. John Hislop who had accompanied Him Baba said: 'this is the wood of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. This is the correct image of Jesus on the cross.' Hislop received it kneeling and with tears in his eyes.

An enlarged photograph of this gift clearly showed marks of sweat on the brow and signs of froth at the corners of the mouth suggesting the pain he had heroically borne.

Baba then moved with the group to the bank of the stream. Sitting there He drew a translucent lingam, five inches long and four inches across seated on an eight inch high base from the heaped sand followed by icons of Shirdi Baba, Lakshmi and Durga one by one much to the delight of devotees present. So it became a Sarvadharma Shivarathri.

In 1978 the Muslim festival of Holy Ramzan and Id was celebrated at the Mosque, Bhagawan had built for them in Puttaparthi. Prof. Bashiruddin of the Usmania University while expressing gratitude of Muslims of that region, told the vast gathering how the impact of Bhagawan's teachings had made him a more understanding practitioner of the message of the Holy Koran. Janab Fakhruddin, Convener of the village Muslim community offered thanks to Bhagawan for this 'gift of love'.

On another occasion Baba created a silver locket with Allah inscribed on it in Arabic for Prof. Bashiruddin. On Bakrid day He showed on His Palm a group of Arab pilgrims at Prashanthi Nilayam the scene of fellow-Muslims kneeling that very moment at the holy Kaaba in Arabia.

Buddhists have built in Ceylon and Malaysia Sai prayer halls and centres of service. Baba also performs the Navajyoti rite initiating Parsi boys into their spiritual exercises. Dr. Samuel Sandweiss's homage that 'I believe Baba to be an incarnation of God…..' speaks for the adoration from Jews.

…as an Animal Lover
Sai is a Compassionate Father of all, be it human, animal or plant. Sai's love and compassion for animals equal that for human beings. After all, all is His creation. Once Baba was camping at Horsley Hills, which was about 3800 ft. above sea level. The camp was amid the hills and was accessible only by jeep. So food and drinking water had to be brought through the villagers who stayed at the foot of the hills. However, there was one buffalo at the residence, which assisted them to carry drinking water in large skin bags slung across its back on either side. When it was time for departure Baba kept others waiting for a minute and went back as if He had forgotten something. Baba promptly went to that buffalo patted him with His sweet 'Bangaroo' and thanked for the service he had done for Swami. Every Word and Deed of His are examples for His devotees. He exhorts: 'cultivate My Samatwa', equal love towards all, then only there is meaning in worshipping 'My Name and Form'.

There lived a lame dog 'Kuttan' in a village in the Nilagiri Hills. In 1962 Baba visited this village called Bikatti. The organisers had leashed him at a distance so that he did not disturb the movements of Baba. Seeing Baba, the dog strained himself to come forward. Baba stopped, patted him with great affection and asked the volunteers 'Bangaroo leave him alone, he is a pure Atma'. So Kuttan had a free time following Baba everywhere including the kitchen where Baba, after blessing the food, asked the men to feed Kuttan first. Kuttan finished his meals and walked upto the dais to stand by the side of Baba's chair observing the rest of the proceedings silently. The villagers were being served food down below. After a while he rested his head on the footstool of Baba and breathed his last. So Kuttan had earned enough merit to merge at the Lotus Feet of the Lord for which each one of us craves.

There is another wonderful incident that took place in far off Gauhati in 1972 which speaks not only of His compassion towards animals but also His omnipresence and unlimited love for His creation. The story came to be known to others only when a group of sixty devotees arrived at Prashanthi Nilayam after a tiresome journey of seven days in a special railway bogie to pay homage to the Lord on His birthday on 23rd November. The merciful Lord granted them a special audience in the Bhajan hall besides addressing them briefly. This was followed by a gift of 'Vibhuti Prasadam' by Himself to all with two additional packets to a girl among the group with the words 'This is for your cat'. The group was pleasantly surprised at this compassionate gesture of Bhagawan but it brought tears of gratitude and devotion in the eyes of the recipient of that Grace Lakhi, as it was for her pet Minkie.

Minkie the kitten was saved from drowning in a city drain on a rainy day by Lakhi and was brought home much to the disgust of her elder sister, a staff nurse in the local hospital and a cat hater. Minkie grew in strength and size under the special care of Lakhi and so did the hatred of the elder sister for this unwanted unwelcome guest. One day unfortunately the elder sister's stand was justified when Minkie took away a good bite of fish from the kitchen meant for some guests. The sister was furious at this and showered a rain of unpleasant words on Lakhi who, in turn, to give vent to her hurt feelings, resorted to caning of Minki with a big stick till the poor creature yelled in pain bitterly. Suddenly there was a big noise as some sixteen garlanded pictures of Bhagawan fell on the floor with a thud. Thinking that an earthquake only had caused this noise all the guests ran outside the house for safety. What surprised the elder Sister more was that, only Baba's pictures fell on the ground. She immediately realised her fault and appealed to Lakhi to stop beating the cat. Both the sisters were in tears and the cat, now on the table, shook her coat in relief only to sprinkle fragrant vibhuti all over there.

Six months had elapsed since this incident. But the all knowing Lord chose this pleasant occasion to not only confirm their experience but also to teach them a lesson that He loved the entire creation alike.

…as Healer
Sai is a great healer of body and mind. Countless incurable diseases have been cured by His mere touch, word, look, will or curative ash all over the world. This aspect of His personality can also be an instrument to reform or transform an individual. But mostly He is the only hope for the hapless.

Maria, a young lady of 22, the mother of three children, was among a group of 12 who left Caracas in Venezuela in August 1990 to have 'Darshan' of the Avatar. She was suffering from a deadly disease 'Lupus' and even at the hospital she had pinned her hopes on the Grace of the Divine Master alone though her open expression of this fact received little attention from the doctors attending on her. On the other hand they considered it a part of her agony. But Maria could ill afford such a long travel as her financial position was very bad. Her husband was a Traffic Officer in some Airline but hardly could buy a ticket for her trip. All the same she had been praying to Baba for His Darshan and sparshan (touch) which alone could cure her. The Lord heard her prayer. One of the group members volunteered to take care of not only the to and fro tickets but also all incidental expenses. Maria was more than happy. The only wish she nurtured was to live for some-more years to see her children grow a little more.

On reaching Prashanthi Nilayam the group was called in for interview. Baba pointing at her face said: "Her blood is poisoned." He waved His hand to create a silver coloured locket with His face imprinted on one side and 'OM' on the reverse. She was asked to wear that. Baba also created vibhuti for her to eat.

But even after several days there was no improvement in her condition. Her skin only showed that the disease had aggravated. Her limbs were swollen. The locket, however, became black. One evening she had slight temperature and when consulted at the Nilayam Hospital the doctors advised her to be shifted to a Bangalore Hospital if the condition still worsened. All the same they gave her some medicine. The group members had a feeling that Baba had only blessed for her departure by giving her a locket and vibhuti. So they all anxiously waited for Swami's verdict that night. Her fever subsided and her condition improved in the subsequent three days. In the meantime Baba left for Whitefield and all of them followed.

The group was again called for an interview. They had only one week's stay left. At the interview, looking intently at her face Baba said: 'She is better No?' And to the amazement of all, Baba's face became very dark for a few seconds. And on return to Venezuela her doctors were surprised to see that she was completely cured and was absolutely normal. The Divine Healer had absorbed that dreadful disease and granted His devotee a healthy and long life.

Dr T. Ravi Kumar, Member of the Science Faculty of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prashanthi Nilayam gave an account of his thrilling experience in the presence of Beloved Bhagawan.

It was 1985. Ravi Kumar was nearing completion of his research for His Ph.D. in Chemistry. He was doing an experiment with some deadly acids, mainly Sulphuric Acid. The laboratory was almost empty. There was suddenly an explosion from the instruments and it splashed acid into his eyes. With excruciating pain he ran from tap to tap only to realise that there was no water as some plumbing was going on in the line. At last he got a trickle from a distant tap and he asked his friends to continuously pour water into his burning eyes. When there was no relief they rushed him to hospital where his eyes were washed well, but the doctor was not readily available. So they rushed him to the doctor of doctors in the temple. Swami came out and in all His mercy created Vibhuti and gave him alongwith a few packets for three days - three times a day. When they came to the Doctor he said that it was a hopeless case and that nothing could be done except seeking Divine intervention. Three days passed; there was relief from pain but no vision. Praying inwardly he sat terribly disappointed. A student came to hand over a book and Ravi Kumar greeted him by name. With great surprise the student said: 'Sir, that means you can see now. Tell me the colour of my shirt and my trousers' and Ravi Kumar responded correctly. There was great relief among teachers and students alike. Ravi Kumar, with some of them, immediately rushed to Swami to express their gratitude. Raising Ravi Kumar from His Lotus Feet Swami said: 'You are allright, be careful next time, wear specs'. This cryptic remark was enigmatic.

In due course it was all forgotten. After five years Ravi Kumar was again engaged in another dangerous experiment this time with Chromic acid. And while he was observing a reaction after removing the specs, it spilled and splashed acid right into both his eyes. The pain was unbearable even after pouring water continuously for 45 minutes. He was rushed to the doctor who proclaimed that the case was hopeless as both the retinae were completely burnt leaving no hope for sight ever. There was darkness inside and outside. He rushed to Swami, fell at His feet and cried. The Compassionate One again consoled him with great affection and His everpowerful Vibhuti played its role once again. He took vibhuti as instructed and went to the doctor after a few days. The doctor could not believe and asked him 'Are you the same Ravi Kumar?' When he explained to the doctor what had happened, the doctor said: 'He alone can do this; both your retinae are in order'.

Not only the body, He heals the injured hearts too. There was one family highly devoted to their family deity Lord Venkateswara of Thirupathi. The father died suddenly and the mother and her three children - one son and two daughters spent their days in great sorrow but they religiously continued to send a certain measure of 'ghee' (clarified butter) for the Akhand Jyoti (uninterrupted flame) of Thirupathi, a practice that was started long ago by the father. Once, as usual, the son went to the temple with the offering of ghee and while taking a bath in the temple tank, slipped into the deep waters and was drowned. With the address they could collect from his pocket the temple authorities informed the mother. The mother was inconsolable. Yet they contained their grief and reinforcing their faith in the Lord they made arrangements to proceed to Thirupathi for the son's funeral. That night Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, about whom they had never heard, appeared in their dream (all the three) and consoled them saying 'There is a place called Puttaparthi; Go and have Darshan of Baba there. You will get peace.' At Thirupathi the mother wept bitterly before the Lord and as the family came out in unbearable grief an old Fakir (a mendicant) dressed like Shirdi Baba whom they had never seen or heard of, met them and offered them to accompany them upto Puttaparthi. The mother accepted the great help though the daughters were not very happy about it. As soon as they reached the gates of Prashanthi Nilayam, the Fakir promptly disappeared. Entering Prashanthi Nilayam, they got information that Baba was not there and nobody could specifically say when He was expected back. So they decided to stay till His return. After a few days one of the girls spotted Swami's car and was pleasantly surprised to see the same figure that had appeared in her dream. She called her mother and sister and all the three prostrated before the Lord and virtually unloaded all their miseries at His Lotus Feet. The mother could not control her tears and her sobs became unbearable for her. She wept aloud. The merciful Lord consoled her with loving compassion and opening up His palm He asked her to see the last scene of her son's tragedy. And like a cinema screen it presented every detail of the incident, ultimately the boy presently offering pooja at the feet of Lord Venkateswara. The mother stopped crying as if she compromised with the situation. This was followed by another scene wherein the benevolent Fakir escorted the mother and two daughters to the Presence. Baba advised the mother never to cry on this count as her son is happy at the Feet of the Lord. The mother was completely consoled and peace descended on her aching heart. Prashanthi Nilayam, the abode of the Lord, sheltered them in all respects. The divine only can heal the wounds of the heart.