By Jullie Chaudhuri 

Eternally free is He…
…to appear, disappear or to reappear…!
I am not attached to His Form, my dear,
Rather,
I do confess,
It just so happens to be,
I remain totally attached to His word, you see! 

There was a time when Prof Kasturi was asked by a gentleman if there were any books available on Swami. This was in the early days when the only publication from Prashanti Nilayam was – Sanathana Sarathi.

Kasturiji was standing in the verandah of the Press as he replied to this question, saying that the only articles in print were by way of a monthly magazine. The verandah could be seen from the first floor of the Mandir. Soon Kasturiji was beckoned into the Divine Presence. Bhagawan then asked him what had transpired. On hearing Kasturiji’s answer to the gentleman’s query, Bhagawan said, “That is not the right answer; you should have told him thatthis Swami cannot be understood through books.”What an impactful and stirring statement…so very compellingly true!

There maybe innumerable books on Bhagawan…but can one really know Him through all that one reads about Him? Cosmic Power cannot be revealed through reams, howsoever gilded the pages maybe. It cannot be read, it defies expression…it has to be felt…for it is a soul feeling!And each individual experiences their Beloved Lord in a very intimate and personal way. There have been occasions where Swami has rebuked those who have tried to intervene, to meddle with the devoted feelings of His bhaktas and Him. To each his own…as each one…is His very own.

Faith and devotion take on myriad expressions. Didn’t Sabari taste each fruit she offered Sri Rama? Did Radha, the personification of devotion, know or seek anything beyond Krishna? Didn’t the Gopikas forget all when Krishna played upon His flute captivatingly? Didn’t Lord Shiva disguise Himself as a Gopika to be in the enchanting Presence of Krishna? Didn’t Hanumanji cross over the sea to Lanka completely surrendering to and being solely dependent upon the name of Rama? Didn’t Peter walk on water before doubts assailed and Jesus held out His hand to save him from sinking? Didn’t the longing of the sufis lend mystical charm to their music? Didn’t this same yearning inspire Kabir, Mira, Tukaram, Andal and numerous others to be exemplary devotees, touching the acme of devotion…simple souls who’s craving for the divine gave birth to celestial odes in adoration of the Lord? There are indescribable acts of devotion and all of them have their basis in this ‘soul feeling’. What you find within your soul cannot be found anywhere else, except when face to face with the Master. 

Such is my experience with my Master, my Lord, my dearest Friend, my Mother, Father…my truly Beloved One, my Source – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

I have lived and experienced His Omnipresence before coming into His Presence and certainly experienced it in a more magnified manner after having come into His magnificent Physical Presence. All my life I have lived joyously in His all pervading charisma…interspersed with glimpses of His Charming Form…every now and then. When even Celestial Beings crave to see Him and acknowledge the ‘supreme beauty that goes beyond the physical’ of the ever Glorious One, why should I be left behind?

The Lord took on an Advent for reasons best known to Himself…though, being an Ocean of Compassion the piteous cries of Mother Earth, the tears of those oppressed, the anguish of Sathya, Dharma, Prema, Shanti, Ahimsa…as well as prayers of venerated souls and sages… most definitely must have been heard by Him. When the Lord dons a Physical Mantle…it is natural He must relinquish it too…once He has completed the purpose of His descent. The intellect understands this most perfectly. But the soul feeling says there is more to come…this is but a mysterious interlude. I trust my soul feeling…for Bhagwan is my soul…and it is this very feeling that drew me to His Lotus Feet…absolutely firm in the conviction that He is the Supreme Essence.

This sentiment gathers momentum, is strengthened and further energized, when I reflect upon His words – the words of Truth. His words are His Sathya…The Sathya of Sai…the Brilliance that has come to eradicate the engulfing darkness…to rescue humanity as it asphyxiates in the quicksand of obscurity…from the destructive clutches of Kaliyug.

Change is the only constant and certain factor in life. What has come must depart. The age of Kali has to give way to an era that spells an end to the tyranny of acute selfishness, vice, crime, intimidation, subjugation, oppression and terrorism…leading to an epoch of selflessness, goodness, camaraderie, amity, peace and contentment.

What I am trying to put forth is that I know I have to say goodbye to the Form the Lord chose, sometime or the other. As the soul journeyed through lifetimes, it has done so plenty of times. Although I adore His Form…even as I do the manifestations of His past incarnations…I am not anxiously attached to His Physical Frame. This is so, because the bliss…the ananda of His Omnipresence, has been a constant part of my life through decades gone by and especially so at this very moment…even as I try to give expression to my thoughts.

The senses experience Him in every bit of creation, with every breath. However, the soul feeling resounds with a positive refrain – that the era of Sathya Sai has much more in store.

The only thing that binds Truth…is Truth itself. We have as yet to experiencefully the exquisite, outstanding, transcendental Truth…the superlative Sathya of our Beloved Sai…only then will be ready to be enveloped by the preordained Prema of His forthcoming Advent…in fulfillment of the unique trinity of the Sai Avatar. Only when Truth reveals itself fully…when Truth rises from its chosen retreat…will humanity be ready for the loving embrace of Prema. Such a phenomenon is lucidly apparent through the spoken words…the affirmations of Truth Incarnate Himself – Beloved Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

When those steeped in devotion are soaked in thoughts of His ‘Return’ or ‘Reappearance’…yearning earnestly for His darshan…they are definitely living in the present…in His Presence. Like multi-hued fish, these devotees are joyfully and merrily swimming hither and thither in the Ocean of Consciousness, in complete surrender to the Lord, quite oblivious to the presence of sharks. Such is the faith and trust they repose in the Chosen One!As Beloved Bhagawan says, “The Lord is understood only by His bhakta – The bhakta is understood only by his Lord.”

The very thought of having Him in our midst once again brings about a feeling of supreme joy in the heart…an awareness of unsurpassable delight…as a consequence – noble feelings burst forth…thus empowering the body, mind and soul to exude a feeling of brotherhood…of selfless service…of putting His precepts into practice…to love all, serve all, help ever, hurt never…to live only to please Him…to draw that ultimate grace that will eventually unite and benefit all of creation…sans any kind of man-made barriers. At last ‘human’ beings will be born unto humane ways!

Unlike mortals, Bhagawan did not speak for the sake of speech…His words are profound, potent, powerful, pertinent and ever so perfect. It has to be so after all He is the Perfect One.  And each and every one of His actions has also been undertaken for the benefit of all. Though we remain clueless…He is at all times aware of its impact.

Kaliyug has reached its peak…humanity is experiencing a nadir.

Is there any heart that does not want to witness a change for the better? That does not seek to usher in a time golden and true?  The Higher Soul that guides us all is gently nudging us towards just such momentous period. Didn’t Beloved Bhagawan bequeath the most wondrous chant that does not seek any personal profit upon us all – Samastha Jeeva Sukhino Bhavantu…Samastha Lokaah Sukhino Bhavantu? Perhaps He did so preparing us to herald in times beneficial to all beings the Universe through.

That ‘soul feeling’ makes me believe in the radiant light of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai…His all encircling love and compassion…His immediate response and mercy…His infinite grace…His ageless wisdom…His indomitable will…His incredible tenacity of purpose…and the irrefutable and buoyant purport of His word.

What I see in His eyes gives me hope, what I feel in His Presence assures me of wondrous times to come, what I acquire from His omnipresence strengthens this soul feeling…thereby empowering the sentiment – that nothing is impossible for our Beloved Lord…Who is indeed the maker of all laws of the Universe. The countless miracles we have witnessed, those that have simultaneously transpired with individuals who are continents apart amplify the accuracy of this statement. The lanes and bylanes of history have witnessed many an episode wherein Bhagawan has ‘revised’ His laws as He deemed it fit, bearing the overall welfare at a micro and macro level. After all, it is His script and who are we to say what He can or can’t do.

For me Bhagawan has always been all encompassing and there is nothing beyond Him…neither is He ever restricted by anything. I do believe in His ‘reappearance’ for I do yearn for a Golden Age…where there is peace for all…a ceaseless sharing, caring and giving…where the mighty respect the meek…where there exists a more holistic environment…where selfish pursuits are exterminated and selflessness enhanced…where there is no inkling of any kind of fear…where the abundance of earth is shared harmoniously…where the tyranny of terrorism is driven out by the dawning reign of contentment…where children inherit values…where there is one religion – the religion of Love…where the source of all Avatars is given the reverence which is His due and His ways are emulated by all…where there is care for life, concern for nature and respect for all of creation…

This is why I believe in and long for His Reappearance. Not because I am overly attached to His Form…rather, I do confess, I remain totally attached to His word! 

There is absolutely no negativity or harm in creatively visualizing – The Return of the Beloved One, for when such an event comes to pass it will be a gain, an advantage, a blessing, a boon and a benediction for all, whoever they maybe…whatsoever their thought process.

Besides, a prayer with such an intent, a wait with such a hope, a search with such a result…has the benefit of not only an individual or the nation or the globe…but that of the entire Cosmos as its objective.So how can such a feeling be out of place or misleading? Bhagawan has come to lead us towards a higher way of living and being…to assist us unearth wondrous qualities within us that will usher in the long awaited Golden Age…to unite us all – an amity…a marvelous brotherhood of man under the Fatherhood of God. Beloved Bhagawan says, “When your faith meets my love there is an immediate cure.”So also, when a pure and noble yearning meets with His divine consent there and then descends the grace of the Almighty.

All we need to do is seek, beseech, implore, entreat, re-pledge, rededicate, bend, mend, exhibit a genuine desire to transform…and surrender the rest to Bhagawan. Unfathomable are His ways. His Will remains forever insurmountable, impenetrable and inexorably invincible…and the love that He embodies continues to abide indefatigably selfless, magnanimous, noble, universal and true from the beginning of time.

Dear sisters and brothers, indulge in feelings of the soul…be empowered with the determination to make your own destiny…a destiny that seeks a harmonious blend for all…that is so blessed by the divine accord of God in His present Avataric Form of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

I do believe –

Boundless though is He,
Bound to His word is He,
Bound by His devotees…
We cannot limit the Boundless One to finite ways…
To the ways of the ordinary…
One thing is oh-so-utterly clear…
Eternally free is He…
To appear, disappear or to reappear…!

In conclusion, let us mull over and grasp the astute words of Prof Kasturi as he writes in his biography – Loving God, “The Omniwill can Will anything to happen anywhere. He can appear in the Sai Form in a hundred places, performing a hundred different chores, yet, He can be immutable and unaffected. He calls it His Sankalpa, the immediate realization of His Will, the projection of His personality on any task, the concretization of His thought. He assures that each one of us has the same Omniwill as our very core.”

The Golden Age along with the Golden One has been my intent for very long now…and my ‘soul feeling’ is…with the Grace and Presence of Beloved Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai, such a momentous and glorious era is approaching closer with each moment that passes by.

Bhagawan is the source of all Avatars…never before has any Avatar been so freely accessible to the masses…guiding all to transcend barriers of religion, caste and creed…to fulfill their goal of life through selfless service. Therein lies His distinctiveness. Millions are pining intensely for Him. Collective intensity leads to a critical mass. My ‘soul feeling’ says we are about to step on to the threshold of a phase most significant and true…that has never ensued in the documented records of mankind. What about your ‘soul feeling’?

Along with all beings in the cosmos, I too am eagerly awaiting just such a time…aren’t you…?

Jai Sai Ram…Samastha Jeeva Sukhino Bhavantu…Samastha Lokaah Sukhino Bhavantu…