Every act of Swami is pregnant with meaning

 

Narrating a Wonderful Instance from a drama which was enacted on November 22 , 1980 , one of Swami's Oldest Students and now a Professor in SSSU, Dr. Ravi Kumar says,

“I had the opportunity to act in the play ‘The Kingdom of Heaven.’ This was a drama on the life of Jesus Christ, written and enacted by former students, who prayed to Swami to permit them, and the Kind Lord had agreed. Swami then looked through the entire list of actors, picked up one particular role, and said, ‘Ask Ravi to do this role.’

"At that time, I had finished my education in Swami’s College and was doing my post-graduation at Anantapur, about 80 kms from Puttaparthi. So they said, ‘Swami, Ravi is not here, he is studying there.’ Swami then said, ‘No, he comes on weekends, he can practice at that time.’ I, therefore, was given that role, and it was only much later did I realize how so beautifully Swami had indicated to me what was to come later in my life.

“The role was that of a blind beggar, who is cured by Jesus Christ. And during one of those days, when we were having practice sessions, as Jesus was curing me in the drama, Swami entered through the side, and remarked: ‘See! Sai Baba came and this fellow got his eyesight!’ And we all laughed. The next day, the same thing happened, and again Swami remarked: ‘See, Sai Baba came and he got his vision back!’

“The normal tendency after the rehearsal session was to rush to Swami, and He would make a few comments about the drama, ask us to repeat certain dialogues, tell us the correct emotion which should animate the scene, and so on. While this interaction was going on, Swami suddenly asked, ‘Did you hear the applause during Darshan?’ We had heard the clapping sitting inside the green room, so we said, ‘Yes Swami, we heard the applause.’ And then He looked at me and said, ‘You know, I gave vision to an 18 year old girl who was born blind!’ And, with His Eyes riveted on me, He immediately continued, ‘And, I will give you also!’ We all laughed because we thought Swami was making a joke, since I was a blind beggar in the drama. But we never realized that Swami was actually indicating to me what was to come in the future - that I would lose my eyesight, and He would give it back! It was five years later that I burnt my eyes completely while doing an experiment in the Chemistry lab and gained my vision back only by His Grace.”

Every session with Swami before the actual performance, therefore, was a boon to the students. Because the Supreme Teacher would take that opportunity to instill attitudes and behaviours, knowledge and wisdom, faith and conviction into the hearts and minds of His wards, which could mould them into masterpieces of men. And to this end, He would invest any amount of time and exert Himself to any length.

Om Sai Ram

Service – Wholehearted Sadhana

 

The Below wonderful incident was told by Shri.Anil Kumar in a wonderful talk on September 20th 2002 :

Once Swami Was serving Food to some poor people to start Narayana Seva, Suddenly stopped at one spot, noticing a lady who was carrying a little, small child in her arms. Swami stopped there and called to one Seva Dal boy. "We are serving food to these people; how about that child?"
The Seva Dal Boy had no reply. "Swami, what should I do?"
"Bring a glass of milk for this child."
So the Seva Dal boy went all the way to bring one tumbler of milk.
Swami went on moving around the lines, serving food. From a long distance, He stopped and shouted, "Did you give milk to that child?" 
That boy said, "Yes, Swami."
Swami said, "Nothing doing!"
Swami went all the way back to that lady and touched the glass. "It is very, very hot. How do you expect the child to drink the milk? No, bring another glass."

He started cooling the milk -- pouring it this way and that, pouring it from one glass into the other. He made it cool and offered the milk to the child and only then left.
This shows the personal care He takes and the sprit that He wants us to maintain while doing seva. Seva or service is not a routine; it is not mechanical, no! It is not a schedule. We have to do it wholeheartedly.

Divine Will

Swami has many times said, whether during discourses or during private sessions with devotees, that HIS will is infinite. Baba takes many of His students to Kodaikanal with HIM. Likewise He has taken some students to Mysore sanctuary once in their summer vacations. Devsen sir was lucky to be one of them.

The students had already reached the sanctuary and it was nighttime. Swami was discussing the secrets of nature with students assembled at HIS feet. He was talking about the start of creation from the primordial sound OMKAR, the emergence of the MILKY WAY, PLANETS etc. He was describing in detail as to how the clouds got formed and the emergence of the SUN, the MOON etc.

As Swami was explaining so, He suddenly looked around and said, "Isn't the night beautiful today.". "Yes, Swami" replied the students " It is blissful here in your immediate presence. Even the moon seems to want to make his presence felt here in your physical proximity". As soon as this was mentioned Swami looked upwards at the moon. He kept looking for sometime and then started explaining the different features of the moon -- that there were so many craters on it, He even mentioned that there were rivers flowing on the moon.

As He said this, students started asking "Swami.... Rivers on the moon..." "Yes, Why not, don't you know rivers existed on moon" asked Swami. "But Swami" students questioned "Something of this sort has never been mentioned in any of the documentaries recorded by astronauts who have visited the moon.". "Oh that...." replied SWAMI "How can they see ... They saw with physical eyes ... Can their eyes see all that divinity has created? They did not see ... but it is there." So saying Swami stopped.

As Swami stopped speaking, there was silence for while but the friction in the minds of students persisted. Fully aware of this, Swami asked, "Would you all like to see all that I mentioned were present on the moon?" "YES SWAMI" replied the students in one voice. Swami immediately got up from HIS seat and pointed towards the moon and waved His hand. In a moment the moon disappeared from the sky.

Shocked at what they saw, the students wanted to ask Swami as to what had happened to the moon but before they could they saw a circular object appear in HIS hands. "This" Swami said, "is the moon ... (Silence for a while) ... now clear all your doubts about the feature of the moon". So saying He started showing the craters and the rivers on the moons surface. As long as the 'moon' was there in Swami's hand there was no 'moon' in the sky. When asked what would happen when anyone looked up and did not find the moon present as usual or questioned the disappearance of the moon all of a sudden, Swami said, "Nothing happens without my will. As long as the moon, which I have reduced to a size enough to fit into my palms, is in my hand, no one in the world will dare look up in the sky. I have willed that".

There was silence for a while as the students tried to grasp the phenomenon they had just witnessed. Swami then asked" Has everyone seen it. Ok, come closer and see. Ask for doubts if any". All those present came closer and looked ... they were all there. The craters, the rivers, the mountains.... All in the miniature form of the moon in swami's hand.

Swami then said, " OK, now I shall send it back". So saying Swami let go the 'moon' from His hand by thrusting it upwards. In a moment it was there ... again resplendent as before.

As students retired for the day, they reminded themselves of an important lesson they learnt that day. Everything in this universe is functioning in full awareness of Swami as per His will.

All we see is HIS will... What doesn't seem to be is so simply because HE hasn't willed it that way.

- Narrated during the summer course 2000, by Mr.Devsen, Faculty Member of the Sri Sathya Sai University

Om Sai Ram