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Characteristic Of A Devotee

A Sai devotee was once speaking to a friend when the latter randomly popped a question: “Since you have been His devotee for so long, I am sure your life must be very smooth, right?” The devotee was taken aback by the question because he had never visualized his relationship with Baba from a business perspective. He always enjoyed the love he felt for Baba and the love he received in return. There was never any bargain or requests. The friend’s question, however, prompted the devotee to introspect.

In fact, the devotee’s life was a hodge-podge of turbulent circumstances. There was a constant barrage of challenges and difficulties that left him with little room to live peacefully. From financial challenges to health issues and family hostilities, he had experienced all of that. He finally asked Baba, “Why so many difficulties when I pray to you?”

The compassionate Lord assured him as follows:

“My Beloved, can you ever measure the depth of the ocean with a small measuring container? The worldly perspective that your friend offered was like a small cup, whereas my grace is like the ocean. How can you measure one with the other? The hallmark of true devotion is not measured by the number (or absence) of worldly difficulties. For a true Sai devotee, the entire world is filled with Sai. Where does the question of difficulty ever arise? One’s devotion is tested on the basis of equanimity, fortitude, faith, love, and an attitude of selfless service and sacrifice. Problems are not the touchstone for measuring devotion.”

Didn’t Jesus, Mira, Buddha Hanuman face difficulties? Yet, despite the plethora of challenges they always smiled and resorted to God’s name, without ever swerving from the path leading to God. Despite the difficulties, they marched on knowing fully-well that all the “so called challenges” would foster their latent dispassion and devotion even further.

In ancient days, a guru called upon his disciple and asked him to plough a barren field. The disciple was so humble, he eagerly undertook the task without ever questioning the wisdom of working on a dry field. Even though the land was useless, the lad had utmost faith that due to his guru’s grace it will soon be transformed into a fertile, crop-ladden field. Day and night, the young boy toiled on the land, at times putting up with the ridicule of lazy onlookers.

For many years there was no result. In fact, his efforts appeared to be wasted. This did not deter him, though, and he continued his efforts with utmost faith. This went on for many, many years and one day the boy felt exhausted. Just as he was about the give up, the guru appeared on the scene miraculously and asked the boy what had transpired during the course of several years.

As the boy recounted the story of his failed effort, the guru smiled with a beaming light and asked the lad to look at himself. The young boy who was initially a weak creature had transformed into a young man with a rugged, muscular form and an unconquerable degree of strength. Not only that, he also breathed an aura of satisfaction, wisdom, and experience that could never be matched. Due to his implicit obedience, he had grown spiritually as well.

Indeed, the transformation was remarkable. Now, the guru asked him to look at the field. What did he find? Thousands of precious stones lay all over the field. These were hidden gems that only the guru knew about. Apparently, the guru wanted to bring these out through the boy’s tireless efforts.

God is like that too. He commands us to dig deep into our hearts and even though on the surface it may appear barren, underneath the dry appearance are pearls of wisdom, compassion, devotion, and love. Our initial efforts may appear wasted but if we persevere, one day God Himself will bring out all the treasures for us.

The truth is that suffering forms the basis of future success and through every painful experience we manage to acquire precious pearls of wisdom and become worthy recipients of the Lord’s grace.

Baba Commanded And, Lo, Dead Seeds Blossomed Into A Huge Tree

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Scriptures have proclaimed that the thought of a pure yogi is like a river that reaches its destination, often making its way by cutting through rocks and stones. Nothing can stop the flow of a river. As a mere child, Hanuman gulped down the entire sun as if it were a mere fruit. If a pure devotee can hold that much power, imagine how much more powerful Lord Sainath would be?

Some of us innocently assume Baba’s divine words to be ordinary discourses. The truth, however, is that every syllable uttered by Baba has a profound impact. If Baba were to ever command the sun not to rise, it surely will not. Such is the power of Baba’s will.

During His avataric career as both Shirdi Sai and Parthi Sai, Baba often demonstrated this truth. On one occasion, there was an intense storm in Shirdi. The fury of nature was such that it threatened to submerge the entire village into oblivion. Seeing his devotees in despair, Baba roared at the storm: “Stop your fury!” No sooner did Baba command the clouds, the rain subsided immediately.

On another occasion, a devotee wanted to plant a certain tree near Dwarkamai, Shirdi. He lovingly bought the seeds and came rushing to Baba. In his eagerness, he explained to Baba that he wanted to plant the tree and that Baba should give him permission. For some reason, Baba was reluctant to accede to the request and said “No!” This refusal was enough to cast a gloom and the devotee returned to his home. In fact, he was so disappointed he refused food and water. Internally, the devotee was truly hurting for not being allowed to plant the tree.

After a few days, the seeds dried and reached a “dead state” where they could not germinate any further. The devotee was still hurting, though. Seeing his child-like faith, Baba’s heart melted and he called the devotee and chastised him for refusing food and water. When he burst into tears, Baba’s mother-like heart could not see it any more. Baba immediately pronounced a benediction: “Go and plant the dead seeds. Even though they have become useless, due to My will they will germinate into a fine tree.” Baba’s will is supreme. Indeed the dead seeds germinated into a tree.

The Guru Charitra recounts the story of Narhari Sharma, who was afflicted with leprosy. After several failed medical treatments, he lost hope and visited Lord Dattatreya. His honest prayers melted the Lord’s butter-like heart instantly. On seeing him the Divine Lord said: “Even though the disease is a consequence of your wicked deeds in a past life, it will be wiped out. If you have faith in my word, plant the dead branch of a Fig tree at the Sangama and go on watering it every day. You will be healed on the day the stumps put forth leaves!”

The devotee took this advice very seriously and started watering the dead branch every single day. Those around him mocked this act and tried to dissuade him. They could not believe that a dead branch could ever produce leaves. Narhari was determined, though, and decided to pursue his faith with ever-increasing zeal. Indeed, one day the dead branch produced leaves and at that very instant his disease vanished miraculously.

This universe was created by God. His will is supreme. If we pray to Him with faith, He can make the impossible, possible.

There Is No Physician Abler Than Me

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My cousin Rup (name abbreviated) was diagnosed with liver failure at the age of twenty two. He was too young but due to sudden progression of the disease, he collapsed into a comma. He was lifeless and barely breathing. Doctors made several attempts to revive him and put him on life support systems.

As the family was discussing his prognosis with the doctors, a team of doctors at Kothari Hospital, Mumbai, advised the family to start arranging for his funeral. Apparently, they did not see any hope for the patient. It was true. Medically, nothing appeared to be possible.

In the team of doctors, however, the family physician happened to be a devotee of Baba. He knew medically that was all that could be done but he also knew that Baba is more capable than any physician and started praying fervently. Just then, another devotee arrived from Shirdi. He applied Baba’s udi (holy ash) on the patient’s forehead and both of them started praying to Baba for the welfare of the patient.

Things took a strange turn the very next day. The patient’s vitals returned to normal and he started communicating the following day. The team of doctors was exhilarated at the recovery and attributed this revival as a “true miracle”.

Lord Datta has emphatically declared in the Guru Charita: “There is no physician abler than Me!”

I Came But You Did Not Recognize

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In 2006, Swami had conducted Athi Maha Rudram on an epic scale. Tens of thousands of devotees from all corners of the world had arrived in Parthi to witness the Lord performing the grandest of all yagnas. At His calling, I had visited Parthi as well. It was the most exciting time of life. Twenty-one days of sheer bliss and hundreds of surprises and miracles, every single day.

As I would be seated in the rows, I would request Baba to grant me an interview or at least speak with me during the darshan itself. My prayers were answered on several occasions, often through naughty smiles, exchange of letters, a visit to the inner area of Swami’s temple and other similar experiences. I was not satisfied, though. I wanted to speak with Swami physically, one-on-one.

Swami always grants His children’s prayers but often displays His naughtiness in the act and also inculcates a few lessons for the long-term benefit of the devotee. I had visited Parthi on earlier occasions but had forgotten my way to the Kalpavriksha, the celestial tree in Parthi where Swami had performed numerous miracles as a child. I tried to find my way there but ended up at the meditation tree instead. As I stood there confused about the direction to take, a strange-looking man came to me. He was around five feet and a few extra inches. Dressed in a regular attire, he did not appear anything but ordinary. Sigh, how we look only on the outside.

Without my prompting, he asked me pointblank: “Are you looking for the way to go to the Kalpavriksha tree.” I said, “yes!” Due to Swami’s veil of maya (illusion), I could not think logically and at that point it never struck me as to how he knew about my desire to find the tree. The conversation went on. He gave me directions to the tree and also offered me a picture of Swami. It was one of the popular pictures of Swami with two hands raised in blessing. At first, I was reluctant to take the picture from a stranger and refused. He said, “Two rupees only.” [Devotees acquainted with the teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba may have guessed it. Baba used to often ask for two rupees as a symbol of Shraddha (faith) and Saburi (patience).]

Something in me said “take the picture” and so I offered him the sum and took the picture. No sooner did I accept the picture he explained to me that he was a heart patient (translation: eager to seek devotees’ love) and that he sold pictures (translation: blessings) for a living.

I thanked him and walked toward the Kalpavriksha. As I was walking toward the tree, I flipped the picture on the other side and, lo, there was a pencil sketch of the statues that were to arrive at Om Sai Mandir in the future. In 2006, we had initiated the process of getting the statues done but everything was in its preliminary stages. The pencil sketch was indeed symbolic of two statues of Baba that were soon to adorn the mandir’s altar.

Until then I did not think of anything but a thunderbolt struck me that night when I was speaking to a saintly devotee of Baba. Before I could utter a single word, I was asked “Did Baba come to you today?” I said “no”. I am praying to Him but He is not responding. Again, the same question came: “Did not Baba come to you today?” My answer was “no” again. At this, I was given one more hint: “Did not Baba come and give you something today?” Now, everything sunk in. “Yes,” I said. He did come but I did not recognize Him in the form He had adorned. Then the saintly devotee went on to narrate snippets of my meeting with Baba, despite the fact that I was alone during the meeting.

Swami had indeed granted me darshan (vision), sparsham (touch), and sambhasham (conversation). He came but I did not recognize Him. Baba visits so many of us in so many different forms. We need to start seeing the inner Swami in everyone to avoid missing these surprise darshans.

Guru The Eternal Guide

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“Manasa Bhajore Guru Charanam, Dustara Bhavasagara Taranam.”

Oh mankind, worship and install in the mind the feet of the Guru; it is very difficult to cross the ocean of life and death, but the Guru can safely carry you to the shore of divinity. This was the first bhajan sung by Baba himself. Baba was calling all those suffering in the endless rounds of births and deaths to worship the feet of the Guru, who was announcing Himself, and who had come again for taking upon Himself the burden of those who sought refuge in Him. (Vijayadashmi Discourse, 1953).

Once, Emperor Shivaji and his minister were going on an evening stroll. On the way, they came across a Buddhist monk. Immediately, Shivaji removed his crown and prostrated at the monk’s feet. The minister thought Shivaji demeaned his stature by this act. The righteous emperor at once sensed these feelings and wanted to teach the minister a lesson.

One day, he asked the minister to bring the head of a goat, a sheep, and a human being. The minister collected the goat and sheep heads. He went to a burial ground and cut the head of a dead person.

Shivaji commanded him to sell them in the market. The heads of the sheep and goat were sold in no time, but none came forward to buy the human head. When the emperor was informed, he ordered the human head to be given at no cost. The minister took the human head to the market and waited there for a couple of days. Despite his best efforts, nobody was willing to accept it. When this was conveyed to the emperor, he said, “Oh minister, you felt sad when I placed my head at the feet of a monk. Do you realize that the same would be the fate of our heads too, when we leave our mortal coils? Hence, we should sanctify our lives by serving noble souls.î Material wealth is momentary. Only truth and right conduct will remain with man and redeem his life. (Guru Poornima Discourse, 2002).

What is the significance of Guru Poornima? “Gu” means darkness and “ru” means light [the dispeller of darkness]. Guru is thus the one who illumines the path to divinity. Poornima stands for the cool full moon light. Full moon symbolizes a mind with total illumination. It is spotless. (Guru Poornima Discourse, 2002).

Shankarcharya had five disciples. One of them, Padmapada, was pure-hearted and always engaged in the service of his Guru. He considered himself as a Dasa [servant] of the Guru. While others would be engaged in studying scriptures and other sacred texts, Padmapada would busy himself in serving the Guru. No task in his Guru’s service was menial to him. He would regularly wash the Guruís clothes and attend to his every need.

Once, on his way back from the other bank of the river, he did not realize that the Ganga was in spate.

As he was crossing the river, it rose up to the level of his neck. He looked around, but had no fear whether he would be washed away by the swelling waters.

His only worry was how to take the clothes to the Guru even at the cost of his life. Placing the clothes on his head and chanting the word, “Guruji, Guruji,” he continued wading through the river. Because of his intense devotion, at every step he took there was a lotus-shaped stone on which he could place his foot. He thereby earned the appellation “Padmapada.”

Shankaracharya called him and imparted his teachings to him. He told Padmapada: “Service to the Guru is a great virtue. You have adored the Guru as God. Guru represents the Divine Trinity and is the Supreme Self.” Then, he imparted to Padmapada the sacred truth. The other four disciples used to treat Padmapada previously as an ignoramus. After receiving the teachings from Sankaracharya, Padmapada could repeat the entire Vedic texts at one stroke. He became a good exponent of Vedanta. (Guru Poornima Discourse, 1998).

This story illustrates the power of a real Guru. Although a true Guru can lead the disciple to enlightenment, in modern times there is a scarcity of such perfected beings.

In today’s time, God alone is the real Guru.

What greater proof of this than the fact that Baba himself has come as the world’s divine teacher and is imparting his teachings to one and all. One only needs to look inside and the inner Guru will safely lead us to the shore of divinity.

When Baba Says No, It Is For Our Own Good

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Despite our chronological age, spiritually we are all like small infants in front of the Divine Lord. We lack the foresight, vision, and omniscience that God possesses, at least until the time we merge with God and realize our true nature.

Baba is a very benevolent avatar and one of His assurances is that He will give us whatever we ask for. Sometimes, however, Baba firmly denies our requests or postpones them until an appropriate time arrives. Often, we misunderstand this denial to be Baba’s indifference to us. How can that be? Baba is love incarnate. What we perceive as His denials are, however, His acts of true love because He knows the ultimate outcome of what we are asking, even though we may not be able to perceive it in the short run.

Those who abide by Baba’s will fare well in the long run whereas those who disregard His instructions often face unfavorable events. Quoting from the Sai Satcharita:

“Baba gave certain suggestions or hints, when Bhaktas (devotees) went to bid good-bye and take leave. These suggestions had to be followed. If they were not followed or were departed from, accidents were sure to befall them, who acted contrary to Baba’s directions.”

He may deny one request but open doors to so many other opportunities

A friend of mine was applying for a job with a very big company. Despite his qualifications and intense preparation, the job offer did not turn out in his favor and he was dejected. At first we could not understand Baba’s leelas but eventually he received another offer at a much higher salary and was able to progress very quickly in his career. What happened to the first job? Well, the division met with severe financial losses. It was then that we realized why Baba did not allow him to work there in the first place.

Pedda Bottu’s story

Pedda Bottu was an ardent devotee of both avatars of Baba. She was fortunate enough to have witnessed both Shirdi Sai and Parthi Sai avatars and spent a considerable amount of time in His physical proximity. Pedda Bottu was spiritually very advanced but despite her metaphysical accomplishments, she would always behave like a child when it came to Baba.

When she was young, she would often accost Shirdi Baba with a request to initiate her with an upadesh. Baba uses a different way for each devotee and teaches each individual in a manner that befits him/her. Apparently, Baba did not want to initiate her with an upadesh but wanted to teach her in a different way altogether. She was adamant, however, and would repeatedly question Baba.

Finally, one day Baba decided to bless her in a very unique way. When she visited Shirdi Sainath with a request for mantra, Baba kicked her on the chest and said: “You are obsessed with upadesh.” To ordinary mortals, this may appear as a kick but Baba must have awakened her chakras because subsequent to this act of grace, she advanced very, very quickly.

Pedda Bottu was too young to grasp the hidden blessings and walked away dejected and disappointed. She went and lay under a tree. As she was crying, Baba suddenly appeared in front of her and said the following words:

“My child, I could not sleep in Dwaraka Mayi when you were lying here without food since morning. I have brought you here, for, I want to tell you something, but first you must eat.” Saying thus, Baba stretched His hand and materialized food (roti, kheer, and some other items) and water. When she was satiated with food, Baba revealed the secret to her: “Gori, I will appear in Andhra Pradesh with the same name of Sai Baba but in another avatar. Then again you will come to me. I will keep you with me and will give you joy.”

True to Baba’s words, she did experience the opportunity to live with both avatars and made very rapid spiritual progress as well. Although she wanted a verbal upadesh, Baba awakened her to many more divine powers that flowed from within her.

Surrender To Me And I Will Make You Number One

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Many years back, I had invited one of my friends to Baba’s mandir in Flushing, New York. He was browsing through some books on the shelves when he came across the following sentence: “Touch My feet and I will crown your head.” No sooner did he read this sentence, he dashed across the room and came to me. Since this was his first visit to Baba, he seemed rather upset. “Why does Baba say like that?” he questioned. I was rather young and did not have a response to his question but seeing that his intention was only to understand Baba’s message I turned to Baba to explain the significance of this message.

Immediately, Baba prompted me from within: “Tell him that it means if you surrender your ego to my feet, I will crown you with knowledge.” I could have never thought something like that but immediately shared the message with my friend. He was very excited to hear this explanation and became a deep admirer of Baba from thereon.

Surrender is not complex. It is very simple. But our inner fears often come in our way. Baba once made some very emphatic remarks. The gist of his message was as follows: “You surrender yourself to the pilot when you get into the plane. You never make an effort to check whether she/he is fit to drive. You implicitly trust a fellow-man to take you from A-B. However, when it comes to God you question everything.”

It isn’t that we are the only ones who surrender. God surrenders back to His surrendered devotees in turn. In that state, God stands at the beck and call of His devotees, eager to render any service possible.

When we surrender, God will surely render

Surrender is a very powerful state, one in which God surrenders back to his surrendered devotee. It is like a kitten who blindly trusts the mother to put her in a safe place. The mother holds the young kitten in her jaws and takes her from place to place but the jaws never hurt the child. The kitten on its part simply meows the mother’s name, knowing fully well that she is safe.

Once, a sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) learnt about his nearing death. He was terrified and vehemently prayed to Shirdi Sai Baba. Baba appeared to him in meditation and said that He would not reverse the verdict as his allotted time on earth was over, but also added that there was one surrendered soul (Guruji) whose prayers could never be refused. The sadhaka immediately rushed to Dr. K.V. Raghava Rao, on whose request Baba prevented the demise and extended the sadhaka’s life by eight years.

Baba surrenders back to those who surrender to Him. God is pure compassion and love, nothing else.

If we let go, He will find a way

We are so afraid to let go. It is just like a child. The mother wants to feed wholesome food to the child, but the child wants to eat on her own. Once, a young student was visiting Parthi. He had to make a life-changing decision and was extremely confused with the outcome that was to occur. All along, he was constantly vacillating like a pendulum.

Those who have visited Parthi may be aware that there used to be very long lines and a token system was implemented wherein numbered lots would be drawn to decide which line a devotee would be seated in. This boy would fight every single day to be in the first line but inevitably would end up far behind.

Finally, one day he let go of his desire to choose. With a true heart he said, “Swami, you decide what has to be done. I trust you completely and leave everything at your feet. Thy Will will be done.” On saying this he closed his eyes and went and sat in a random row. Much to his surprise, that day when the lots were drawn, his row was number one. He had the closest darshan of Swami on that day — in fact, the closest he had ever had in his young life. Indeed his small act of surrender had drawn an immediate response from God.

Needless to say, by the time he returned home Swami had made the decision for him and his dilemma was resolved in his favor.

If we surrender to Baba sincerely, He will take us all the way to the most beneficial outcome. The entire universe is in Baba’s hands.

Guess Who Is More Powerful Than God

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His name and His true devotees. Indeed the power is granted by God Himself but when it comes to His real devotees, God becomes like a helpless child only too eager to satisfy His beloved children.

Once, God asked Sage Narada: “Who do you think is the most powerful being in this universe?” Narada innocently said, “Swami, who else but you! There is no power greater than you.” At this, Lord Vishnu said, “No my child. That is not true.” At this, Narada started giving one example after another to explain who could theoretically be more powerful than God Himself. Despite giving these examples, Narada knew in his heart that he was not truly convinced that there could be any power greater than God.

Finally, seeing the predicament of His devotee, Lord Vishnu declared: “Child, who is that captures God in his sweet and love-saturated heart? It is a true devotee who captivates the Lord Himself and holds Him like a prisoner bound by the chains of love. The bond between a true devotee and God is so powerful, The Supreme Lord remains helplessly captured in the heart of such a devotee. Indeed a true devotee is far more powerful than the Lord because the Lord becomes like a child in front of such a devotee.” In fact, a true devotee will be able to accomplish even what the Lord does not wish to.

Once, a king wanted to have a child. The king was of a saintly kind and could visualize Lord Rama in meditation. Lord Rama would speak with him just as two friends converse. During one of his visions, the king requested Lord Rama to grant him a child, a heir to his throne. At this Lord Rama said, “Son, you are indeed very, very dear to me but according to your destiny you have no child in your life.” The king was taken aback and said, “You are God. Please grant my wish.”

Lord Rama’s heart melted but he wanted to demonstrate to the king that true devotion is indeed very powerful so He addressed the king as follows: “Son, go to a saint who is seated under the tree. The saint is constantly chanting My name. If he asks me to grant you a son, I will have no choice but to do so.” The king was perplexed but visited the saint who was engrossed in the ceaseless recitation of Lord Rama’s powerful name. As soon as he visited the saint, the omniscient saint immediately told him: “O King, I have offered prayers on your behalf and the Lord has acceded to my request. You will have a great son very soon.”

It is no secret that countless seers, sages, devotees, and even ordinary individuals have tapped into the power of God’s name to accomplish the most impossible tasks. What could be a greater endorsement of this truth than Sai Baba’s own words: “The Lord’s name is so powerful, even mountains of sins can be burnt to ashes through its constant repetition.”

Hanuman’s life is another glowing testament of the glory of God’s name. Throughout his illustrious life, Hanuman demonstrated how a devotee could perform superhuman feats by unconditionally relying on God. One example illustrates this point. Once, there was a disagreement between Sage Vishwamitra and Sage Vashishta. The two were debating about the greatest power in the universe. The former contested that Lord Rama’s arrows were supremely powerful, while the latter argued that God’s name was most powerful, even more powerful than God Himself. To test the validity of their theories, they proposed a test that was to be executed by Vishwamitra himself.

In those days it was customary for householder devotees to receive guests, especially holy ones, with great reverence. One failing this duty would often be the recipient of a curse or fall prey to unpleasant circumstances. Vishwamitra was aware of this and intentionally visited a devotee-king, Chandrabhanu, while he was in deep meditation. Since the king was in a trance, he failed to receive the saint reverentially. This infuriated the sage and he rushed to Lord Rama, who held holy ones in high esteem and went to great extents to appease them. Vishwamitra was aware of this fact and he tactfully made Rama take an oath that the one who insulted Vishwamitra would be killed by His infallible bow. True to His promise, Rama set out on a quest to kill the one who had offended the great Vishwamitra.

In the meanwhile, Sage Narada informed Chandrabhanu about the imminent danger. Frightened by the sure prospect of death, he sought Narada’s counsel and requested him if there was any way to avert the tragedy. Narada advised Chandrabhanu to seek protection from Hanuman. He further suggested that Chandrabhanu should reveal the source of danger only after he had extracted a promise from Hanuman.

As advised by the sage, Chandrabhanu held Hanuman’s feet and sought his protection. Hanuman took an oath in Rama’s name and promised to protect the king even at the cost of his own life. The stage was well set. On one hand the Lord was bound by His oath, while on the other His most loyal and beloved devotee Hanuman was bound by an opposing oath.

To fulfill his promise, Rama sent His powerful army to kill Chandrabhanu but it was vanquished by the valiant Hanuman in a trice. Rama then sent his brothers and ministers. They, too, were defeated by Hanuman. Finally, Rama Himself came to the scene to see the one who had given succor to Chandrabhanu. He was surprised to find Hanuman, his most beloved devotee, protecting the one who stood against Rama. The Lord immediately ordered Hanuman to give up, but the latter, with great humility submitted that he had taken an oath in Rama’s name and would never do anything to tarnish its glory. On explaining this Hanuman stood still, but every pore of his body was reverberating with Rama’s name.

Rama then lifted his divine bow and let loose a foray of arrows, all of which miraculously turned into flower garlands decorating the neck of the valiant Hanuman. Vashishta explained the astonished onlookers that even through Rama’s arrows were invincible, they were no match for His own name. It was then that everyone, including Vishwamitra, realized the power of God’s name. Rama was extremely pleased with the devotion of Hanuman and blessed him profusely. To keep his beloved devotee’s oath, the merciful Lord forsook His own and granted forgiveness to Chandrabhanu.

Such is the power of the name. It can protect one from almighty God Himself, what power is there to fear then.

Devotees’ Collective Prayers Moved Baba To Save Patient From Irrecoverable State

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When we had just started the mandir, a devotee’s brother-in-law suddenly became infected with Jaundice. At first, the disease was not of major concern but due to some erratic reasons it progressed to a point where it became life threatening due to severe liver damage.

The patient collapsed and became nearly comatose. The diagnosis was grim and doctors in Delhi, India, did not give much time or hope to the family. Apparently, the patient’s liver was damaged beyond a point of medical recovery.

At that time, his family members were living in New York, just a few blocks away from Om Sai Mandir. They visited the mandir and started praying to Baba very fervently. At first, there was no sign of recovery and the condition appeared to worsen even further. Just as the situation was getting out of hand, the family members came together and prayed to Baba from the bottom of their heart every single day without a gap.

They collectively chanted Baba’s name, sang 108 Hanuman Chalisas, conducted bhajans, performed seva at the mandir, and did various other prayers. Then, one day, the family members came in a very dejected state. Apparently, the doctors had lost all hope as that day the patient was not responding at all.

Some senior devotees participated in the prayers along with family members to give them moral support. As bhajans were being sung with deep devotion, suddenly we heard Baba’s voice: “Bach gaya” (He was saved from impending death!). The voice was very loud, but the few devotees who heard it kept quiet out of respect for the family members.

That day, they received a call from Delhi. The patient had indeed revived from what appeared to be an otherwise irrecoverable state. From thereon, he made a full recovery and with Baba’s grace is doing very well now, after nearly ten years. It was indeed Baba who had saved him.

When we pray from the depth of our hearts and refuse to give up until He hears our call, Baba has no choice but to help us out. When appropriate and beneficial, He even changes the writ of destiny itself. Nothing is impossible for Baba.

In the Sai Satcharita, Baba has promised us that He will pull us out from the jaws of death:

Baba Never Forgets His Children

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As always, a large congregation of tens of thousands devotees had assembled at Prashanti Nilayam, Baba’s ashram in Andhra Pradesh, India. Swami is always full of love-filled surprises and on one particular day, He suddenly announced that He would distribute prasadam to each and every devotee who had assembled there that day.

Immediately, a band of hundreds of volunteers swarmed all over the ashram to distribute Baba’s prasadam. Like honey bees eager to feast on nectar, these dedicated volunteers, anxious to perform their seva, covered the entire place in a spirit of selfless service. These well-trained men and women are a great example of how complex and large-scale logistics are executed quickly. Within a few minutes every one in the hall had received a packet of sweets. The ashram was all smiles but Swami did not appear to be satisfied.

As the volunteers approached Baba to tell him that the distribution was completed, Baba said “No!” The volunteers were surprised because they had personally handed out the offerings to every single person. They inspected the logistics of their distribution but could not find any error.

Finally, Swami revealed His omniscience and said, “There are some people near the gates. Go and give them prasadam.” The volunteers rushed to the gates but could not see the devotees. Then suddenly they saw a bunch of devotees running toward the ashram. Apparently, they were late that day and had just arrived. Due to the large crowd they could not get a seat within the ashram and were feasting their eyes from outside.

It was then that the volunteers realized that Swami had already seen these devotees even when no one else could.After these devotees received their packets, Swami was all smiles.

Baba bears the love of a thousand mothers — He never forgets His children.