Svyatoslav Dubyanskiy
Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book Three
54. Vedic roots of Christianity
In his conversations with John Hislop, Sathya Sai Baba said that when Jesus Christ was a young man, he went to India, where he traveled through the Himalayas for several years. He also visited Iran and Central Asia. In those distant times, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism were practiced in this part of the world.
Zoroastrianism has survived to this day in Iran, but it is more prevalent in western India. At the time of Jesus Christ there were many different schools of Buddhism in Central Asia and Pakistan, including the ancient Vedic tradition.
Sathya Sai Baba also told John Hislop that when Jesus Christ traveled through Iran and India, the locals sometimes mistook him for an ordinary vagabond, but some recognized him as a great spiritual teacher. Think about the amazing details.
Sathya Sai Baba said that during the journey, Jesus Christ did not have money, so he sometimes traveled on carts with trade caravans that helped him move from city to city. He had no money for food and he ate what the locals offered him. Again, what amazing details!
Only the Avatar could tell, in such detail, about the life of Jesus Christ and the circumstances of his journey. One gets the impression that Sathya Sai Baba, having overcome space and time, spoke about the travels of Jesus Christ, as if he himself was personally present during the journey of Jesus Christ to India.
In his lectures, Sathya Sai Baba said that the full spiritual awakening of Jesus Christ took place in India. Fully realizing his divinity, Jesus Christ returned to Palestine in order to begin to preach the spiritual path to his students and followers.
Sathya Sai Baba said that for five years Jesus Christ practiced meditation in the Himalayas, in Kashmir, where he met many high spiritual teachers. In Kashmir, Jesus Christ studied the depths of Vedic and Buddhist philosophy.
The founders of the Biblical tradition were the greatest mystics and prophets, such as Abraham and Moses. It would be a mistake to believe that they were the first to realize the unity of God and the first to formulate the doctrine of a single God – Monotheism.
Long before the emergence of the Biblical tradition, the oneness of God was the essential foundation of Vedic religious philosophy. A large number of gods and goddesses in the Vedic tradition do not contradict the doctrine of the unity of God. All the gods and goddesses in the Vedas symbolize various aspects and qualities of the Divine Consciousness and Cosmic Energy.
Throughout his life, Sathya Sai Baba repeatedly testified that Jesus Christ lived in India for many years, where he studied philosophy and meditation. The question arises, why is it so important for us to know that Jesus Christ spent many years in India? How important is it to know?
For me, this information is extremely important and invaluable because it points to the Vedic philosophical roots and Buddhist moral foundations of Christianity.
55. Jesus Christ – born with a special Mission
Knowing about Jesus Christ’s life in India reveals there is a profound unity which exists across all religions and spiritual traditions. The seeming contradictions between the Vedic and Biblical traditions disappear as soon as we know that Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher of mankind, belonged equally to both the Biblical and Vedic traditions. In fact, they preach the same eternal truths about the one God who dwells in the hearts of all people.
The fact that Jesus Christ studied in India and went through a long path of practice and meditation does not negate the fact that he was a unique divine personality from the moment of birth.
In my opinion, this new and important information reveals more deeply the essence of the spiritual message of Jesus Christ and builds upon our understanding of his spiritual path. We begin to gradually realize Jesus Christ was not born as an enlightened teacher, but rather went through a long spiritual journey before becoming a great spiritual teacher.
In different eras and in different countries, great teachers were embodied and each of them went through the path of meditation and prayer before gaining awareness of the truth. The Buddha went through the same path of deep investigation of the essence of his being before becoming a world teacher.
Unfortunately, in our time there are quite a lot of Christians who do not want to accept that Jesus Christ lived and practiced in India for many years. They deny the Vedic and Buddhist foundations of the teachings of Jesus Christ, not realizing that in fact the essence of his teachings was the ancient Vedic wisdom.
We are now discovering the knowledge of the true life of Jesus Christ. Of course, for many centuries, some Christian saints walked along the spiritual path without having complete knowledge about the life of Jesus Christ in India. The question arises whether this undermines the spiritual significance and authority of the Christian saints of the past, who knew nothing about the life of Jesus Christ in India?
For example, Francis of Assisi and Sergius of Radonezh did not have this understanding about the life of Jesus Christ in the Himalayas, but this did not prevent them from gaining high levels of divine self-realization.
Also, very painful questions arise regarding the authority of church communities, which for centuries based their teaching on the Old Testament foundations of Christian teaching completely unaware of the Vedic roots of Christianity.
In my opinion, new discoveries cannot cross out the bright achievements made in previous eras. We come into contact with new information about Jesus Christ and get a unique opportunity to understand him more deeply. This data only enriches the centuries-old Christian tradition.
Sathya Sai Baba deeply respected all world religions and traditions. He spoke of the high spiritual realization of Moses, Zarathustra, and Mohammed. In the numerous lectures of Sathya Sai Baba we find statements about the truth of Islam and Judaism, as well as all other world religions.
56. Wish fulfillment tree
Sometimes Sathya Sai Baba, addressing the people sitting right in front of him, sadly said: you are now sitting under the "heavenly tree of wish fulfillment," which is called in Sanskrit, "Kalpa Vriksha," and you have enough imagination to ask for only a cup of coffee, maximum – two.
These strange images show that most people have not realized the unique opportunity that comes with meeting the Avatar.
Sathya Sai Baba repeatedly said that people do not understand what chances and opportunities they have while being in such close proximity to him. Sathya Sai Baba, addressing the visitors who came to him, sadly stated that the majority had enough imagination to ask him, figuratively, for a kilogram of chocolate, and the most daring had the ingenuity to ask for only two kilograms of chocolate. For the most part, people did not realize the full scale and boundlessness of Sathya Sai Baba's possibilities and, therefore, asked for momentary trifles.
Society dictates certain and very naive standards to us. To be successful allegedly means to be rich, but it would be nice to be healthy, as well. Quite often it was with such standards and ideas about life that people came to Sathya Sai Baba.
Yes, having good financial opportunities is very important, but this is not a guarantee of happiness. How many rich people suffer from depression and hidden fears?
True success is the realization of one's purpose in life. There are many unsatisfied, suffering people in the world, but also a large number of truly happy people, and this has nothing to do with their social status and financial capabilities.
True happiness is a state of harmony and the absence of internal conflict. “Knock and it will be opened to you – ask and you will receive,” the Gospel says. Are your desires proper and good? In addition to good desires, there are also questionable ones that lead to negative results.
When we talk about negative desires, we mean situations when, under the influence of resentment or conflict, people begin to wish harm and suffering on others.
Sometimes, not realizing the consequences, people demand from God the fulfillment of their destructive desires. There were cases when visitors quite seriously asked Sathya Sai Baba to endow them with various supernatural abilities, clairvoyance, and the ability to materialize objects.
There are quite a lot of mystics in the world who can materialize objects and who have clairvoyant skills, but this is not the main thing. The task of the Avatar is not to endow someone with superpowers. His true mission is to spiritually transform a person.
Questionable desires are obvious and come in the form of wishing evil, condemnation, or cursing another. There are also desires hidden and formed under the influence of selfishness, like wanting the acquisition of supernatural abilities aimed at self-enrichment and unlimited power.
I remember interviews where some people asked Sathya Sai Baba to give them clairvoyance and the ability to fly in the astral body, at will. What we ask of God is a big and difficult question. Is it really necessary to ask God? Is it good to have desires? Jesus Christ said: "Ask and you will receive." Sathya Sai Baba also directed his devotees to formulate their goals in life more clearly and not to be shy in asking God for help in achieving their good aspirations.
Some suggest that by gaining a mystical experience of unity with God, a person loses all interest in the manifested world. Many people think that self-actualization leads to loss of motivation and apathy. There are traditions that preach the signature that a person has become a saint is, allegedly, the denial of society and all aspects of human life.
God is the supreme and original source of love and creativity. One who has truly awakened the inner God reveals infinite and great potentials within himself. The one who knows God perceives the manifested universe as a space for the manifestation of love. The one who has discovered God in his heart becomes a creator.
57. Vision and perception
People came to Sathya Sai Baba with various difficult situations. Sometimes he blessed them, and the difficult situations disappeared, but sometimes he refused to solve someone's problems. There were cases when, after his blessing, the situation escalated even more. How to understand it?
Sathya Sai Baba could heal any disease. We know of a large number of such cases. However, there were situations when people came with severe illnesses, but Sathya Sai Baba refused to heal them. After that, the person suffered and died at a relatively young age. How to understand such situations?
People came to Sathya Sai Baba with colossal financial collapse. Some he helped with his blessings and people solved their difficult business issues, and to some he gave a resounding, no. How can we understand such unpredictable behavior?
We understand that the Avatar sees the situation so deeply that we, as human beings, cannot comprehend it. There were rare cases when Sathya Sai Baba explained he did not give a person an energy flow of money because the person would not know what to do with it and would destroy his life, and possibly the fate of those around him.
I remember a case where one man was seriously ill and Sathya Sai Baba did not heal him. The man died at a young age. Sobbing relatives came to Sathya Sai Baba and he explained that based on the evolution of the soul of this person, it was good for him to die from diseases at a young age and in the next incarnation to reach a completely different level of spiritual development. Such situations are difficult to understand with the ordinary human mind.
We are often attached to our relatives and friends and such explanations are hard to accept. We love our close relatives and to understand that the body of a loved one has died, but the soul continues its journey on a higher level is complex.
There have been many similar situations where we think in human terms while Sathya Sai Baba perceives reality in perfect knowledge of the evolution of the soul. Problems and suffering are sometimes important factors in pushing a person to a more intense spiritual quest. Human evolution occurs as a result of regular practices of meditation and prayer and, most importantly, deep work to realize the primordial divine essence of the soul.
Some claim they do not want to make any effort in their personal development because it, supposedly, means they do not believe in the power of Sathya Sai Baba. That is why such people believe they need to completely entrust their life to Sathya Sai Baba, while remaining in complete inaction. Yes, trusting the Avatar is important, but that doesn't mean shifting the blame. Inaction is spiritual laziness and fear of taking responsibility.
Do happiness and suffering really depend on external circumstances? If this were so, then all socially successful and wealthy people would be guaranteed happiness. Happiness and suffering are two sides of the same coin. They are constantly revolving. Life is not permanent – it is a cycle of imaginary happiness and illusory suffering. Nothing is permanent in this world except the eternal Lord and his Holy Spirit.
58. Grace of the supreme light
Man strives to know the truth. The search for higher truth lies in self-knowledge. The greatest treasure lies in the depths of the inner world. In striving to know the truth, the spiritual seeker attracts Divine Grace.
It is important to realize your destiny and be able to build a life in such a way as to realize your talents. A successful person is one who embodies his destiny and gives people the fruits of his creativity. To understand the meaning of life, and then be able to realize their creative potentials, the Grace of God is needed.
Divine Grace is that which grants a person all the highest blessings. It is Grace that one must ask God for, for there is no greater treasure. When the Grace of God is upon you, you freely and joyfully create the creativity of eternal life.
Why did people want to have the opportunity of personal contact with Sathya Sai Baba as often as possible? Why did they want to be interviewed? During personal communication, there was a unique opportunity to ask personal questions and discuss important topics of both spiritual and life circumstances.
During such meetings, there was an amazing feeling of close and friendly communication. In moments of personal communication Sathya Sai Baba ceased to be a world famous and majestic teacher – he became a close friend.
Besides being able to get answers to important questions, I think there was another significant reason why direct contact with Sathya Sai Baba was so important. During direct communication, he completely concentrated on those people sitting in front of him. Imagine, the Avatar is completely focused on you for a whole hour.
During face-to-face interactions, visitors received tremendous blessings. People received unique experiences of direct energy interaction plunging them into the universal love of Sathya Sai Baba.
59. Devotion and love
I remember various stories that happened during personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba. The challenge for me as a storyteller is that the most amazing experiences are beyond words.
Often during personal meetings, Sathya Sai Baba performed miracles. He materialized objects and showed amazing superpowers. Sometimes he gave deep spiritual instructions on meditation practices or analyzed the features of the spiritual path.
Where materialization and healing took place, such stories are easy enough to retell, but what about the moments when outwardly nothing happened? Sometimes there were moments like this, when Sathya Sai Baba could just look at someone, or make a mysterious gesture with his hand, or look into the distance, or sink into deep silence for several minutes. It is difficult to talk about such moments because there is nothing to say, but sometimes it was at such moments that the most intense experiences of gaining Divine Grace descended.
I remember how deeply devoted people came to personal meetings who loved him endlessly. Such people had no questions, they came to communicate with him simply because they had deep feelings of love and gratitude for Sathya Sai Baba. They did not have any requests – it was pure spiritual communication, during which even the room itself filled with the vibration of joy and peace.
Such meetings are difficult to describe because there is nothing to tell and there are no words to convey these subtlest spiritual states. Outwardly, nothing happened, but in fact a great miracle was happening even though no supernatural events or philosophical instructions were given. During this deeper communion, Sathya Sai Baba performed few outward miracles and gave almost no philosophical instruction. Instead, the energy of such meetings was transformative; words were not required.
Sathya Sai Baba was a mirror. He reflected what was in the hearts and minds of people. When people came to meet me who wanted to ask some provocative questions or just be smart, then in such interviews he appeared stricter and sometimes even closed off. If people tried to communicate with him more formally, he instantly became formal as well.
When people came to the meeting with an open heart, he opened up completely and beamed with love and blessings. I remember such interviews with tears of joy in my eyes. It was these meetings that were the highest experiences because they showed unattainable heights of devotion and love.
During such meetings, I entered into spiritual states. It was unique to observe the fabulous and incomprehensible communication of the Avatar and pure devotees. I often say that I learned a lot not only from Sathya Sai Baba, but also from his great devotees. Such great devotees were sometimes hardly noticeable to others. They did not work miracles and lived a rather quiet and modest life.
Sathya Sai Baba attracted many unique people and their uniqueness was hardly noticeable to others. I think, when we come into contact with the life of the Avatar, it is necessary to pay attention to those people surrounding him who are part of his mission as participants in his divine game.
60. The mystical light was so bright that it was difficult to sleep
In the Vedic tradition of India there is a rather strange custom, which is to touch the feet of the teacher. In Sanskrit this is called Pada Namaskar. In India there is also a tradition of touching the feet of an older relative or respected person, but in particular people try to touch the feet of great saints.
From the point of view of Western culture, it looks quite strange to touch the feet of another person. This can be perceived as a humiliation and a cult of personality. For most Western people, it looks very strange if someone touches the feet of another person as if you seem to belittle your dignity and humiliate yourself.
In the East, bowing down at the feet of an elder or a saint has a completely different meaning. First of all, you need to understand that people in the East, of course, do not bow at the feet of everyone. Respectful worship on the feet occurs if the person is wise and respected. Foot worship is important, especially when it comes to saints and spiritual teachers.
On the feet of a spiritual teacher, there are important energy points through which the strongest divine energy is transmitted. Of course, the energy is divine if the person himself is divine, but if the person is not, then touching the feet can be useless or even negative.
If you touch the feet of a spiritual master who is at a high level of vibration, you thereby gain tremendous spiritual blessings. Touching the feet of Sathya Sai Baba was a great spiritual act and brought down the greatest blessings.
Sathya Sai Baba rarely allowed his feet to be touched because not everyone could withstand the strength of his energy. As soon as a person touched his feet, great energy descended and the deepest insights and mystical experiences occurred.
One day Sathya Sai Baba invited a Russian group for a talk. As translator, I sat on the floor next to Sathya Sai Baba, as usual. Suddenly, I felt like I wanted to touch his feet. Sathya Sai Baba allowed me to do this, after which he continued to communicate with people.
A minute later, I again felt I wanted to touch his feet. I translated what he said and every two or three minutes I touched his divine feet. Afterwards, people who were present told me I touched his feet more than thirty times. I left the room in a state of bliss and joy. Great Divine Grace descended upon me. For several days after this meeting I experienced vivid mystical experiences. I saw the whole world around me as a bright, golden, divine light. All buildings and people were flooded with pure light.
With my eyes open, I saw that the entire space around me was shining with golden light and the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt everywhere, in everything, and in everyone. When I went to bed, the mystical light was so bright it was almost impossible to sleep. I immersed myself in subtle realms of lucid dreaming, which looked like dreams, but were more like journeys into subtle worlds of pure light.
I know several people who have experienced similar states after touching Sathya Sai Baba's feet. After people touched the divine feet of the Avatar, they were sometimes in a state of cosmic consciousness for several months, such was the power of the energy of Sathya Sai Baba.
