Svyatoslav Dubyanskiy
Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book Three
68. Great secret
Everyone who came to the ashram wanted to get the treasured opportunity of personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba. As I have repeatedly said, it was impossible to sign up for such an audience because each time Sathya Sai Baba personally chose who to invite for a conversation.
I remember in the nineties we noticed a kind of "secret" as to how to get an interview. Some groups used this divine "secret" and some did not, although they knew everything.
Groups came to the ashram, usually for three to five weeks. Naturally, people wanted to get interviews and talk to Sathya Sai Baba. Those who came to the ashram had a question: what needs to be done to get to a personal meeting? Naturally, there were no rational answers and methods.
It seemed to some that Sathya Sai Baba invited only “advanced” people to personal meetings, while it seemed to some that only “weaklings” were given interviews. Both of these views were very naive because the divine plan is much more subtle.
When the first devotees from Russia started coming to the ashram, they interacted a lot with the American and European devotees, who by that time had been coming to Sathya Sai Baba for many years. One of the Americans in his communication with the Russians mentioned that Sathya Sai Baba highly appreciates the Gayatri Mantra. He said that Sathya Sai Baba could feel the vibrations from a distance and knew exactly which group was practicing this ancient mantra, after which he immediately invited them to a personal conversation.
Having heard that Sathya Sai Baba feels very subtly when the Gayatri Mantra is practiced, one Russian group tried it, and then another and a third. I remember being inspired by this information too because I love this unique mantra so much. It was important that the whole group practiced the Gayatri Mantra together; only then the "secret" would work.
What is a group? In the ashram it was customary for people to live in small groups. Most often these groups consisted of fifteen or twenty people. Usually, they were people from the same city or people who came to the ashram together.
Sometimes devotees from different cities or even from different countries could form groups. Sathya Sai Baba almost always invited people for interviews in groups; very rarely he invited one person alone, although there were such cases.
69. Language of ancient culture – Sanskrit
Sanskrit, the most ancient language that came from the depths of millennia, was spoken by the ancient Aryans and all the Vedic texts were written in this language. Sanskrit has survived to this day thanks to the two upper castes of Hindu society: the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas. It was the Brahmins and Kshatriyas who carried Sanskrit through the millennia, and for which we should all be grateful for. However, it is important to understand that Sanskrit is the property of all mankind.
The essence of education in Vedic schools for children from the caste of Brahmins and Kshatriyas is the study of Sanskrit. Children from an early age learn Sanskrit grammar, which allows them to learn all the other Vedic sciences: philosophy, astrology, medicine and much more. All ancient texts are written in Sanskrit, so knowledge of this unique language is key to understanding Vedic wisdom.
In the universities and colleges founded by Sathya Sai Baba, all students also studied Sanskrit in parallel with other subjects. College and university students received quite secular education (for example law and economics), but also studied the history of Vedic culture, yoga, philosophy, and meditation.
Sanskrit is not a secret language. Now, all over the world many people study Sanskrit, and there are wonderful teachers, good programs, and textbooks. In order to practice mantras, it is not necessary to know the sacred language at a professional level, but a basic understanding of Sanskrit is very useful. By understanding Sanskrit a little, you can become more aware of the contents of the mantras and the richest philosophical terminology.
Another important reason for learning Sanskrit is its purest divine vibrations. A huge number of people in all countries of the world listen to Sanskrit mantras, sometimes without even understanding their content. The strongest cleansing vibration of Sanskrit affects the intellect and energy structure.
The mission of Sathya Sai Baba is global, therefore a huge number of people who belonged to the most diverse religious and spiritual traditions came to him. More than a million people came to the ashram for big holidays.
Sathya Sai Baba was born into a Hindu family in the Kshatriya caste, and there are a large number of Vedic temples in his ashram. However, when people from different countries come to the ashram, they feel this is a universal spiritual space in which everyone is comfortable.
Each visitor was encouraged to remain himself and to continue to practice the tradition he considered most aligned to himself. In Puttaparthi, people fell into a universal space of love and harmony where everyone could more clearly understand and find themselves.
The tradition that you practice as your personal spiritual path is your choice. Near Sathya Sai Baba, all your divine potentials turn on. Getting into its purest vibrations, you get a unique opportunity to follow the path or the system of practice that is close to you.
70. Universal space of unity and synthesis
Sathya Sai Baba showed the importance of joint practice because the true fruits of a person's spiritual development are manifested precisely in the ability to harmoniously interact in society.
It is not so important how deep the mystical experiences are that you get during meditation. What is important is what spiritual state you are in after meditation and how you build relationships with other people in your life. What you do and how you feel after practicing meditation shows how deep your meditation practice has been.
Sometimes those who regularly practice Meditation and Mantras can enter into deep states and experience sublime mystical experiences, but at the same time they are not able to build relationships with people around them. An important indicator of the depth of practice is not only what happens during meditation, but also what happens after meditation.
The practice of a mantra can take place on several levels. One of the variants of practice is to say the mantra out loud. You do not need to be a professional musician or singer to practice mantras, but in order to properly practice mantras, you need to get into the rhythm.
Mantras can be chanted quite well by anyone who practices regularly. Gradually, the voice becomes more confident and stronger. When the mantra is pronounced aloud, then there is a physical vibration that affects the nervous system and brain cells, as well as cleanses the surrounding space.
The word has tremendous power. One of the greatest mistakes is to neglect or underestimate the power of the word. Everything we say is already a mantra. It is clear that sometimes we say something in jest. However, you need to be careful, because the word has power, so even a jokingly spoken word still manifests itself as an energy vibration.
There is a famous phrase in the ancient Vedic medicine, Ayurveda: "whatever you eat is a medicine." Everything we eat and drink – clean water, good food – all of this is medicine. It would be strange to first consume low-quality products and then take medicine in order to improve health.
In the same way, whatever you say is a mantra. It would be foolish to practice the great mantras for an hour and then go swear and gossip for the rest of the day.
Once in an interview, Sathya Sai Baba was asked to bless those present and teach the practice of a special mantra. He looked at everyone with a smile and said: “Remember that every spoken word is a mantra and every action performed is worship of the Lord.”
71. The birth, life and death of the Avatar is part of his divine plan
It may sound strange, but I easily got over the departure of Sathya Sai Baba in 2011. At some stage, I stopped perceiving him as a divine personality and felt him as a universal consciousness. He gave me the great opportunity of frequent communication with him. He repeatedly manifested himself in my mystical dreams and meditative experiences. At some point, the presence or absence of his body was no longer so important to me. I feel his living presence, first of all, in my heart.
Sathya Sai Baba is the omnipresent consciousness. Now his tomb is in Puttaparthi, the village where he was born and lived all his life. He left his relics as a great gift and this is one of the keys to communicating with him.
Previously, we concentrated on his physical body, but now Sathya Sai Baba as the Absolute Consciousness is present everywhere. His relics are the place of greatest power. Those who were close to him and knew him well and those who did not find him during his lifetime come here.
A few months before Sathya Sai Baba left his body, I had a mystical dream. In this dream, I entered a spacious hall, the sun shone through the large windows, and many beautiful photographs of Sathya Sai Baba hung on the white walls. His books, translated into all languages of the world, were placed on tables and bookshelves. I walked around the hall with curiosity, carefully examining the photographs and books. Suddenly, Sathya Sai Baba appeared. He came up to me and pointing to his photographs and books, said that now he is present only in photographs and books.
When I woke up, I tried to understand the meaning of this dream. It became clear to me Sathya Sai Baba would soon leave his body. There was a state of harmony in my soul. My mind said I should grieve, but my soul was filled with peace.
The life and death of the Avatar is a divine game. Only ignorant people mourn the passing of the Avatar. His consciousness is beyond birth and death; beyond being and not being; beyond time and space.
One of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time, Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji, immediately after Sathya Sai Baba left his body, said that "the birth, life and death of an Avatar is part of the divine game."
I remember the difficult and tragic days when we learned that Sathya Sai Baba left the body. At that time, quite a lot of my friends and acquaintances plunged into a difficult emotional state. It seemed that with the departure of Sathya Sai Baba, life lost its meaning – it was an irreparable loss.
At that time, I often repeated to my friends the words of Ganapati Sachchidanand Swamiji, that "the birth, life and death of the Avatar is part of his divine plan." I remember how these simple and wise words helped many to understand the meaning of what is happening and to realize that the Avatar does not go away, but is eternally present.
72. Treasures of the Spiritual Heart, Mystery of Eternity
Now, many people are asking the question: What is the future of Sathya Sai Baba's mission on earth? When he was alive, people came to his ashram and discussed all sorts of issues with him, enjoying his presence and deep spiritual instructions.
Sathya Sai Baba is a divine incarnation, an Avatar. There were very few such teachers in the history of mankind. He is on the other side of birth and death and beyond time and space. Even after he has left his physical body, he continues to lead the devotees on the path of divine self-realization. Now, he gives answers to prayer appeals and helps people in difficult life situations.
His tomb is located in Puttaparthi, the very village where he was born and lived all his long and bright life. Almost all world religions and all peoples have a wonderful tradition of veneration of relics.
The relics of saints and reverends work amazing miracles that affect the entirety of human life, from the highest questions of the spirit to healings.
Sitting next to the tomb of Sathya Sai Baba, I remember the past years, the amazing moments of communication with him, and his great love. Scenes of past events flow in memory as if they happened just yesterday.
The question arises: How can God have relics? Of course, God cannot have relics, but the Avatar does. Avatar is God, born in the human world – he walked among us and he communicated with us. We remember his humor and jokes, his spiritual guidance, his amazing smile, and the depth of his eyes. The Avatar was born in the human world – he lived among us and then he left his physical body, leaving behind precious relics.
The relics of the Avatar are the greatest artifacts and their significance is extremely difficult to comprehend. Looking at the tomb, I never cease to be amazed at the living presence of divinity. Being next to the relics of Sathya Sai Baba, one gets the feeling this is the spiritual center of the world – thoughts stop, and the soul is filled with the indescribable joy of the Holy Spirit.
One of the most important spiritual teachings of Sathya Sai Baba was that each of us has two hearts: physical and spiritual. The physical heart is on the left side and the spiritual heart is on the right side of the body.
In Sanskrit, the spiritual heart is called Hrideyam. Some ancient texts describe the spiritual heart as a mysterious Himalayan cave where the greatest treasure is hidden. The Divine "I" is everywhere. It is outside of time and space, but it is the spiritual heart that is the door to eternity.
Every moment of communication with Sathya Sai Baba was a real miracle of happiness, joy, and bliss. Communication with God on the physical plane, unfortunately, is always limited – such is the nature of this manifested world. In order to see Sathya Sai Baba and talk to him, you had to go to distant India, and in my case, I was blessed with the privilege to sit beside him in his room. Now, the time has come where that blessed room in which I sit is inside my own heart, just as Sathya Sai Baba predicted. And now, I say to you: It is important to find the presence of God in your heart, and more precisely, to notice his original and eternal presence.
Sathya Sai Baba said that "I" is the original and true name of God. God is the true "I" of every person. It is the spiritual heart that holds within itself the great treasures of the constant presence of Divinity in every person. Sometimes people identify themselves with a small ego – the essence of which is an ignorant separation of oneself from the entire surrounding infinite and eternal universe. The essence of this is the feeling of separation from God; in fact, this is the cause of all suffering.
The higher divine "I" is unity in diversity, which naturally generates love and compassion. The true "I" is the source of the joy of eternal existence and creativity. Bliss is a natural and relaxed awareness of the unity and interconnectedness of all diverse existence. The one who discovers and finds the Most-High God in his heart touches the original source of universal wisdom.
The End
