I Am Sai Baba

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

Dispelling doubts of ‘nay-sayers’, who turned aghast often, seeing the ‘out-of-the-world’ deeds of Little Sathya, Bhagawan as Little Sathya demonstrated a ‘miracle’ for the world and the worldly, proving to the Doubting Thomases that He is Sai Baba…He chose to scatter a handful of jasmine blossoms on the floor that obeyed the Divine Will to construe the words Sai Baba in Telugu…Reminiscing the beautiful episode from His Story Sri Jullie Chaudhuri writes, commemorating yet another anniversary of the epochal day, 23 May…

‘Are You a God, a Ghost or a Madcap…tell me…?’
Thus bellowed Venkama Raju exasperatedly,
In front of neighbours and members of his family,
As young Sathya distributed balls of rice cooked in milk,
Fragrant flowers and sugar candy,
Taken from ‘nowhere’ ostensibly…

The ‘father’ was mighty incensed,
More so, he felt rightfully,
As he was asked to wash his hands, feet and face,
Before approaching his ‘Son’…
…henceforth referred to as -
‘The Giver of Boons’ reverentially…

Pedda Venkama Raju was not impressed at all,
The plague of ignorance did him befall,
He considered these marvels and miracles,
To be mere tricks…a sleight of hand,
And so, these materializations did him appall,
Enraged, he accosted his ‘Boy’ in an angry drawl,
So saying, his vexation he could no longer balk…
…nor crop -
‘This is getting too much,
It has to stop…’

The signs of beatitude His ‘Child’ was disclosing,
As a prelude to the declaration of His Advent,
He didn’t quite grasp nor understand,
Thus, picking up a stick,
He drew himself close,
To beat out a response…is what he chose,
An instantaneous explanation he did demand,
Such occurrences were completely beyond him to withstand -
‘Are You a God, a Ghost or a Madcap…
Tell me…?’
With the stick in his hand…
…he put forth his ultimatum firmly…

 

On that divine Thursday,
The 23rd of May 1940,
Thus so Sathya did assert and affirm His Beatific Supremacy -
Consequently,
Said He,
‘I Am Sai Baba…!’
Further argument became impossible,
The stick fell from Venkama’s hand,
He stood agape…staring at Sathya…
…no longer could he scold or berate…
This puzzling announcement,
All in the gathering,
Did try to soak in, fathom and assimilate…

To understand this monumental assertion better,
We need to view,
Revive precious memories…
…stroll through their refreshingly fragrant avenue,
Few pages of history respectfully review…

In the twilight of Friday,
8th March 1940,
Around 7 pm precisely,
Little Sathya leapt up with a shriek,
Clutching His big toe painfully…

A scorpion had bitten Him apparently…
Yet, He was to disclose later,
It was time enough to commence,
The revelation of His Divinity,
His Cosmic Might and Celestial Majesty…

No scorpion was found,
And much to everyone’s relief,
Sathya slept a sleep quite sound,
However, the next day,
After twenty four hours had lapsed exactly,
He appeared to fall in to an ‘unconscious’ state,
His body stiff, His breathing faint…
To nonplussed family and neighbours,
His condition became a worrisome debate…
Of His forthcoming innumerable astral travels,
Unaware were they all,
Unfamiliar, inconversant, unacquainted…as yet,
That their ‘wonder boy’…
…fourteen year old ‘little Sathya’,
Was beyond the body…
He could never ever be bound nor confined,
Physically, subtly or astrally…

The brother, Seshama, fetched a doctor hurriedly,
Administering an injection,
He prescribed some medicinal powder…
Though Sathya remained unconscious seemingly,
Some revelations that He uttered astonished all,
As to His Omniscient capability…

Ever since then,
Each day,
People experienced Him in an extraordinary way,
He remained in silence mostly,
Oft times in soliloquy,
He would burst into song,
And poetry,
Sometimes chanting immaculately,
Lengthy Sanskrit slokas,
While at other times reciting,
The most elaborate and pristine Vedanta…
As He explained later,
He had Himself initiated the process of manifestation,
It was His machination…a mystical ploy,
There was much that He had come to restore,
Inestimable were the beings waiting for countless millennia,
For His appearance,
So as to openly come forth, worship and adore,
Wherefore -
‘He couldn’t wait any more,
Playing about as a mere boy,
With ‘brother’, ‘sister’ and ‘classmates’,
He wanted to prove He was beyond Vish and Vishaya,
Unaffected by poison and the objective world,
He transcended any and every other material whim,
Hence, no scorpion could ever sting Him…’

And so,
As events do flow and show,
We come upon this scene,
Where an irate Venkama,
Fumes and asks Sathya to confess and ‘come clean’,
As he felt things had gone too far,
Now, let us hear the words of Truth, of Sathya -
‘I am Sai Baba,
I belong to Apasthamba Sutra,
I am of the Bharadwaja Gotra,
I have come to ward of all your troubles,
Keep your houses clean and pure…’
To make this public decree,
Not once was He…
…hesitant or demure…

 

The elder brother Seshama then asked,
To unravel the mystery he did try -
‘What do You mean by Sai Baba…?’
Cryptic was the reply of Sathya Sai -
‘Your Venkaavdhoota prayed that I be born in your family…’
Then, once again the perplexed ‘father’ did inquire -
‘What are we to do with You…?’
Prompt came the sacrosanct communiqué -
‘Worship Me, every Thursday,
Keep your minds and houses pure…’
Such was His divine allure…

However, quite soon it so transpired,
A charming sequence to this enchanting play,
On a forthcoming Thursday,
Similarly holy,
Someone challenged these occurrences,
That seemed so astonishingly extraordinary,
Yet puzzling and bizarre -
‘Show us a proof right now…
That You are…who You say You are…’

‘Yes I shall,’ said He resolutely,
Then He did proceed,
To ask for some Jasmine blooms determinedly,
‘Look,’ He pronounced,
Even as He scattered the blossoms,
Upon the floor without much ado…
Lo…!
Just what did exaltedly ensue…?
The flowers had taken a shape that did construe,
The word -
‘Sai Baba’ in Telugu…

It was incomprehensibly unknown then,
Much to everyone’s rue,
It is similarly esoterically mysterious now too -
His Charisma…His Aura, His Glory…His Story,
Does continue to charmingly,
Mesmerically and fascinatedly flow through…
There was so much destined to happen,
With that enigmatic Proclamation,
Way back on Thursday, 23rd May 1940,
Now too, there is so much more,
That each adoring heart knows…
…is coming their way…
…quite instinctively…
So, let us keep our home,
Mind, heart and soul pure…decidedly,
His answer to -
Are You a God, a Ghost or a Madcap…?
Cannot be forgotten easily…

In exaltation, reverence and love,
Irresistibly,
As each devotee surrenders and commits to Him,
So too,
Inexorably…lovingly,
Does Sathya Sai commit to each one exceedingly devotedly…

Furthermore,
All His Words will come to pass,
In accordance to the Supreme One’s,
Will Supreme,
To the extremely blissful joy of each devoted soul…
To bask in the Perfect One’s preciously beloved Presence…
…Naturally, significantly, undoubtedly,
Powerfully,
Presently, expeditiously, vitally delightfully…
Reconfirming….conforming…
An unequivocal commitment between –
The Ultimate Divine and His eternally enduring characteristical Divinity…
Between God and His devotee…
Unreservedly…

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

 

 

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