The ‘SaiLent’ Beginning Of Sai-Lent…
Monday, March 24th, 2025
The Christian Lent, as a religious practice, was an unknown to me until March 2016. It was in March 2016 when I had travelled to Pune, on a visit to my ‘adopted’ mother, that I happened to hear of the same for the first time. One fine morning, during a dog-walk within the living society premises, she had something profound to share with me, baring her heart full of something new, fragrant, that was welling up. She said: ‘…I have a strong, surging feeling within that we should sanctify this period (ensuing period of Bhagawan’s SSSIHMS stay) by doing something profound, by walking His path, walking His talk, practising Him, paying our reverence and gratitude to Him…for all that He stands for?’…She went on: ’I don’t know, this ‘Sai-Lent’ keeps hitting me over and over again. I have an unusual inner feeling about it.’ From The Prasanthi Reporter’s desk.
Sai-Lent refers to the period from 28th March 2011 until 24th April 2011, the period of 28 days The Supreme Lord Of Parthi chose to spend at SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram, physically enacting the biggest of His dramas, all with unfathomable propositions.
For me, this was undoubtedly my initiation into something most epochal and mysterious. Here, then, at that moment, I was introduced and most inadvertently initiated into something most beautiful, most unnoticed – Sai-Lent. …And I knew then that this was a new beginning, the beginning of a concept or practice called Sai-Lent.
What is Sai-Lent? …and what is its significance?
For me, Sai-Lent signifies a ‘SaiLent’ reminder of the most incomparable Divine Sojourn On Planet Earth, of the Supreme Most Avatar – The Beauty Beyond Compare – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai. It undoubtedly comes with a connotation to every being, of the precious, priceless life that was lent by the Supreme Persona Of Godhood with the definite purpose and focus on Swadharma and Karthavyapalana, finally turning it into the Legacy Of Sri Sathya Sai…making it, ‘My Life Is His Message’.
Call it Swadharma or call it Karthavyapalana, man has his foremost duty on planet earth… As spoken and identified by Bhagawan, “Moksha is the final goal of man; that is why he is endowed with Vijnana, the special capacity to analyse and synthesise experience. The Upanishads declare “Jnanadevathu Kaivalyam.”
Cutting the complexity into crystal clarity, the answer about the significance of Sai-Lent comes from Bhagawan’s ‘own’ description of an ideal Sai devotee? A beautiful letter was written by Bhagawan to a devotee once, way back in the 60′s, that was duly published in the Sanathana Sarathi under the title, Who Is An Ideal Sai Bhakta?. For me, this letter sets the target clear, making Sai-Lent a SaiLent Reminder.
In the above letter Bhagawan reflects: For those who yearn to be saved, Sai Namam is the Sanjeevini, the potent drug. Those who have the Name ever on their tongues must be vigilant so that egoism and the sense of possession (Aham-karam and Mama-karam) do not rob them of the fruits of Sadhana. Really, man is Jnanaswarupa. Since the beginning of Time, man has deluded himself into believing that the world is true and eternal. He is himself basically Divine; but, through the influence of the fundamental delusion, he deceives himself into the belief that he is the doer, the sufferer, the beneficiary, the enjoyer etc. So, he is born again and again as a result of this attachment and is subjected to the buffetings of duality. He is drifting about in the sea of Samsara.
And about his foremost duty, Bhagawan sends a SaiLent Reminder speaking about Sathyanweshana, the search for Truth. He reminds: Sathyaanveshana, the search for Truth ought to be the Nitya Kritya of Sai bhaktas, their daily activity. Prema ought to become their Swabhava, their very Nature. Bhava-shuddhi is more important for them than Bahya-adambara, external finery. Be convinced that the Viswa is the Visweswaraswarupa Itself; look upon every object as suffused with Divinity, as Divine Itself. For, that is the Truth.
When you are tagged by His Name, or when you tag yourself by His Name, either way one has to be watchful, cautions Sri Sathya Sai. He avers: “It is not through their words or their songs that persons are judged as Sai bhaktas! Deeds must be good and correct; that makes the Sai bhakta. That gives joy to Sai. I like the purity of the feelings and emotions. Pravartana or Practice must be Pavitra, Pure. Do Right and Speak Right… Do not do wrong and speak of Right Conduct! If you do not act the advice you give others, you are insulting the Name of Sai, that you have taken.”
Here comes a SaiLent caution:
“Give up show, finery and exhibitionism. Let your eyes be as soft and cool as moonlight, heart as soft as butter, words as sweet as honey. These should be the real characteristics of the Sai bhakta. Sai’s Reality is Samartha Prema; Sai Drishti is Samanjasa Prema. Those who are saturated with these two types of Prema are the true Sai bhaktas.
Instead, if you cavil at others, if you hold forth your own pride, and if you struggle to gather riches, you become exiles from the Lord, and stray away from the spiritual path. The Lord does not care for objects; He cares for the subjective wealth of Prema. Sai bhaktas must have full conviction of this.
Remember, the best way to promote your own peace and the peace of the world is to live in Truth and Love, through every act of your life. That will be Ramarajya indeed.”
…And He concludes:
“You must have the vision appropriate to the Universal Love characteristic of True Bhakti. Have the Prema-Maya-Netra; then, the world will be for you, truly Brahmamaya.”
“Serve Sai—not with vratas, processions, puja, ritual, abhisheka and the paraphernalia of Mantras but, with Sath-Karma, Sath-Achara, and Sath-Vakya…good deeds, good conduct and good words. Serve Sai thus: Sai loves these most; that is the Truth of Sai.”
Sai-Lent comes with umpteen reminders to each and every one of us and these reminders vary from man to man, as per his evolutionary perspective and progress. If alone I think that our Beloved Lord has taken the cross of entire humanity, entire creation upon HimSelf, the burden of collective human adharma…, ‘crucifying’ His physical frame as an act of supreme sacrifice, it is time for me to ‘SaiLently’ remind myself of the contents in the letter mentioned above, originated from The Supreme Lord in the physical. It is time for me to remind myself of my SwaDharma, KarthavyaPalana, for, I need to be duty-bound to Him for His supreme munificence, that lent me His most astounding gift called ‘Life’ on planet Earth, at a time when He chose to walk the Earth.
Let me remind myself of the period He Lent me… and follow an ‘Eternal Sai Lent’, converting My Life Into His Message.
II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II
Posted in Sadhana Aradhana, Sai Lent |
