SAI SHINES IN US AND THROUGH US

Speech by Mr. Narendranath Reddy
on May 4, 2011 (Aradhana Mahotsavam Day) in Sai Kulwant Hall

On the morning of May 4, 2011, a special Aradhana Mahatsovam – a ceremony of Prayer beseeching Lord Sai to incarnate again was conducted in the Sai Kulwant Hall; it was the 11th day since Bhagawan Baba had shed His mortal coil. In the evening of the same day there was a special congregation of devotees again in the Sai Kulwant Hall and four distinguished elders of the Sai family addressed the gathering.

The third speaker that evening was Mr. Narendranath Reddy who was introduced to the audience by Mr. G. S. Srirangarajan.  Presented below is the transcript of this talk along with the introduction.

Dr. Narendranath Reddy graduated with distinction from S.V. Medical College, Tirupati. He received his training in internal medicine at the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry and did sub-specialization in endocrinology and metabolism at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York. He has been a practicing internist and an endocrinologist in Southern California for thirty years. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and American College of Endocrinologists, and is also on the teaching faculty of the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.

He first visited Baba at the age of five and four generations of his family are devotees of Bhagawan. For over twenty-five years they have had a Sathya Sai Baba Center in their home where regular devotional, service and educational activities are conducted. He is the Chairman of the Sri Sathya Sai International Medical Committee, President of the Sathya Sai Society of America, Member of the Prasanthi Council, and Director of the Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation which is the governing body of the Sathya Sai International Organization.

Sai Shines In Us and Through Us

Parthi paavana punyabhoomi gamanam prarabdha karma kshayam
Drishtva soudha prashanthi sheersha kalasham nashyanthi sarvaapadaha
Chitra nirmala vaari binduranisham paapaagni nirvaapanam
Sri Sayeeshwara darshanam sakala shreyothkrushta mokshapradam

Stepping on the holy land of Puttaparthi nullifies the ill-effects of our accumulated actions
A sight of the top most minaret of the Prasanthi temple removes all sorrows
A drop of the pellucid water of River Chitravathi extinguishes the fire of all sins
The darshan of Lord Sri Sai confers all benedictions including liberation.

Sarvaroopadharam Shantam
Sarvanaamadharam Shivam
Satchidaanandam Advaitam
Sathyam Shivam Sundaram

I am the One who manifests in all forms; I am Peace;
I am the One who bears all names; I am Auspiciousness;
I am Being-Awareness-Bliss; One without a second;
I am Truth, Goodness and Beauty.

With love, reverence and humility I offer myself at the divine lotus feet of our dearest and loving Lord Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Respected elders, dear students, dear sisters and brothers, greetings of loving Sai Ram to all of you.

We are blessed and fortunate to participate in this Aaraadhana mahothsavam (great festival of worship and adoration). Only by His grace and sankalpa (divine will) can anybody come to this holy land of Puttaparthi. As Professor Anil Kumar said, “Only those who are chosen have come." We are grateful to Bhagawan for this opportunity to be here.

Dr. Narendranath Reddy speaking in the divine precincts of Sai Kulwant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam on May 4, 2011

This is the holy land which is the Bhuloka Vaikuntha (Abode of Lord Vishnu on earth)for Vaishnavaites, Bhukailas (earthly abode of Lord Shiva)for Shaivaites, Jerusalem for Jews, Vatican for Christians, Gurudwara for Sikhs and Mecca for Muslims. You heard a few examples from the previous speaker about how Swami gave the experience of Mecca to devotees from Iran and the experience of the Ultimate to various Christian and Buddhist devotees.

In Prasanthi Love took a Beautiful Form

This holy land is where the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent Lord, the One who is beyond name, attributes and form, who is the eternal and changeless, who is beyond time and causation, and who has no beginning or end, has taken this beautiful form of Sri Sathya Sai Baba to show only one thing to us—the goal of life—and to redeem our lives.

He has walked among us here. He has blessed us with His divine nectarous message. He has cajoled us. He has consoled us. He has comforted us. He has laughed with us. He sang with us and played with us. Every stone, every dust particle here—nay, every atom and cell here—is saturated with the divine love and blessings of Sri Sathya Sai.

We are fortunate to be assembled here. Yes, we will miss His beautiful and enchanting smile. Yes, we will miss His sweet words. But He is here with us and He will be with us. He has assured us of this and we have heard it many times. Swami says, “Mee intane, ventane,  jantane, kantane untanu” - He is with us, above us, below us, behind us, before us, inside us and outside us. He was with us. He is with us. And He will be with us. Many of us have experienced His omniscience and omnipresence.

Law of Karma… Inexorable?

About fifteen years ago we h ad a family crisis and Swami saved and protected us. I was talking to my daughter in our home in Los Angeles, California. I told her, “The law of karma is inexorable. Swami’s grace is there but we have to pay for our karma.”

After a few weeks we came to Prasanthi Nilayam. Our Loving Lord called us in for an interview. We expressed our gratitude to Bhagawan for saving and protecting us during that crisis. Swami said, “You don’t express gratitude to your Divine Mother and Father.” He then said, “You did one thing wrong.” I asked, “What did I do Swami?” “You made a statement that the law of karma is inexorable. That is wrong. By My grace I can wipe off mountain loads of karma in a trice.” That is His grace. That is the omniscience, omnipresence and infinite compassion of Divine Mother Sai.

He is Not the Container, He is the Contained…The Imperishable Essence

Bhagawan Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, “Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum ashritam param bhavam ajananto mama bhuta-maheshvaram (These ignorant and dull-headed people think I am this embodied human being; I am the Transcendental Reality which is All-Pervading,  Eternal and Changeless)."

Today officially Sai Organisation is present in 125 countries and everywhere there is spirited selfless service going on as devotees try to live up to His message in their lives.

Swami repeatedly said that He is the Dehi, not the deha, that is, He is the Indweller, not the body. So, He is going to be with us. He is Sathyabhodhaka (Teacher of Truth). We need to trust His words. That is why Swami says, “Sraddhavan labhate jnanam (the one with faith attains wisdom).” If we have faith in His words, we will be enlightened. But if we entertain doubts, we will perish as it is said in the Gita, Samshayatma vinashyati (The one who has doubts will perish). So let us have absolute faith that He is with us, guiding us, protecting us, guarding us, loving us and blessing us as always.

Swami's Work Will Continue

Some devotees have asked questions like: "Will the programs continue like before? Will Swami’s work go on as earlier?" I said, “Yes. They will continue but with one difference - they will continue with more intensity, more enthusiasm and more love." United we will work for His cause. That is our mission. No one and no force in this universe can stop Swami’s mission, and we should make a resolution to continue to do His work.

Prior to Guru Poornima, on July 13 and 14 here in Prasanthi Nilayam, we will have a Sri Sathya Sai World Conference for the Young Adults; the conference will focus on Ideal Sathya Sai Leadership. After Guru Poornima, on July 23 and 24, we will have the Sri Sathya Sai International Orthopedic Conference in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Puttaparthi. During that conference, not only will cutting-edge technology be discussed, but also the principles of Sai Ideal Health Care. Programs supporting the Sai Mission will continue. We need to accomplish this work with unity and love. That is the message Swami gives us.

Ours is a Fortune Beyond Measure

We are blessed and fortunate to be the contemporaries of this Paripoorna Avathar (Complete Incarnation of the Divine). Let me remind you of Swami’s own words; they are dear to my heart.  During the First World Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Organisation in Dharmakshetra, Mumbai, held on May 17, 1968  Swami made this profound statement: “In this human form every divine entity, every divine principle; that is to say, all the names and forms attributed by man to God are manifest. Never let any doubt distract you. This is Sarvadevataswaroopa, the Embodiment of all Divine Forms.”

But Swami is more than the Sarvadevataswaroopa. One saint named Swami Abhedananda experienced Swami as Supreme Parabrahaman (Formless, Attributeless, Absolute Reality). Swami is the source of all Avathars; He is in fact Sarvadevata ateetaswaroopa (Divinity that is beyond all names and forms). He is One in all, All in one, All in all and the One who is beyond all.

"Do not try to understand Me" - Baba

People are asking many questions: "Why did Swami do this? Why did Swami not do that?" We are nobody. We tend to rely on logic. But the scriptures say Yatho vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha (God is beyond the comprehension of the mind and the expression in words). The Real Truth, the Divine Truth is beyond logic and reasoning, and beyond the intellect. It must be experienced. In this particular discourse Swami spoke very clearly about this and let us remember what He said: “No one can understand My reality today or even after a thousand years of austerities or ardent inquiry. Even if the efforts of all mankind are combined they cannot understand Me.” Swami Himself is telling us, “Don’t try to understand Me.”

Follow the Master to Know Him and Yourself

Once I asked, “Swami, what should we do?” He said: “If you follow My instructions, that is enough. If you implicitly and without the slightest hesitation follow the divine command you will benefit more than if you practiced intense austerities.”

So let us implicitly, completely, immediately and without hesitation obey His divine command. What is His divine command? Swami always addresses us as Divyatmaswaroopulara (embodiments of Divine Atma) and Premaswaroopulara (embodiments of Love). He wants us to realize our true nature which is the Atmicreality and divine love.

That is why Swami has said beautifully in Telugu: “Sarva Vedanta granthala saramella okka vakyana cheppudu nokkasari akhila bhoothamulonunna atma neevu okkatenani manasuna undavalayu (I will tell you in one sentence the quintessence of all the vedantic texts - Realize that the same Atma exists in you and in all beings)."  In one sentence Swami summarised all the scriptures and Vedanta. Not only are we that Atmic Reality, but everything around us - every atom, every cell, everything - is permeated by the AtmicReality.

We have come to Swami to realize this goal of life. Attainment of this objective is the purpose of all our spiritual practices be it service activities, adoration or worship. Now how do we realize this goal? Swami says: Love, Love, Love.

Love is the Path, Love is the Goal

In this age, Swami says that the best yoga is Premayoga (the path of Love). Swami’s life, His message, His ideals and His humanitarian works can all be enshrined in one word: Love. Swami says, “God is love. Love is God. Live in love.” That is why He often says: “Start the day with love. Fill the day with love. End the day with love.” This is His message. In fact, His life has been His message. Now, our life should be His message. What is that message?

I once asked Swami, “What can I do? What shall I do?” Swami gave a simple reply in Telugu, “Premanu panchuko penchuko (share Love and thus expand Love)."  We all have received His divine love. We need to share that love with all people. The more we share, the more it expands. As devotees who have received His love and blessings, our duty and our obligation is to share His love with all. That is His divine command.

Spontaneous Spring of True Bhakthi

Once when I was going with Swami in the car, He said, “Yeme samacharam (what is the news)?”  Meaning, is there anything you would like to ask? He asked the same question again. So I asked, “Swami, how do I know I have devotion?” Swami replied beautifully in Telugu, “Neeku theevra paritaapam unte bhakthi unnatle (If you have intense longing and anguish for God, it means you have devotion, love for God)."

In this last one month (referring to April 2011) millions of devotees from all over the world had only one thought in their minds: Swami. They were thinking and praying, "When will Swami get better?" The prayers came from villagers and also from the most elite. All of them were doing akhanda bhajan, akhanda Gayathri, homas, yagnas, sacrificing what little they have, with only one thing on their minds: God, Swami. That is love for love’s sake. That is real bhakti. I hope we continue in this same spirit. Swami wants Sarvada Sarvathra Sarvakaleshu Hari Chintanam (one should chant the name of God always, all the time, everywhere).

True Love for God Translates Itself into Compassion

 Another thing Swami says, “Not only should you love God, but you must also share your love with all people everywhere. You must share the joys and pains of others as your very own." That is why His heart reaches out to those who were affected by the floods in Orissa, the tsunami in Sri Lanka, the earthquakes in Haiti, Japan and Indonesia. With Bhagawan’s guidance and love, devotees rush to places of disaster and serve the needy.

Whenever and wherever there is a call for help, Sai devotees rush there, be it flood in Orissa, Tsunami in Sri Lanka or storm in Haiti.

Swami says that service is real love in action. Bhagawan Krishna describes the greatest Yogi thus: Atmaupamyena sarvatra samam pasyati yo Arjuna sukham va yadi va duhkham sa yogi paramo matah (He is the greatest yogi who feels oneness with others in their joys and sorrows). We should have that oneness.

Swami says purity is enlightenment. Purity is divinity. We should purify ourselves through service. We should see only Oneness. Then, we will be enlightened.

"What can we do for You, Swami?"

I said, “Swami, You do so much for us. You give us whatever we need. You protect us, guard us and guide us. What can we do for You?”  Swami said, “Can you do one thing for Me?” I said, “Yes, Swami.” He said, “Be happy. Be happy. Be happy.” Swami tells us about the ABC of life: Always Be Cheerful. Remember the Sai alphabet, ABCDEFG: Always Be Cheerful; Don’t Ever Forget God. If we always remember God we will be cheerful and happy.

At first I thought happiness is easy to achieve, but then I saw Swami’s definition. He says ‘Happiness is union with God’. That means at the levels of thought, word and deed I should always be in communion with God. That is real happiness. We usually mistake happiness for pleasure. When you eat something good or hear nice music, you are happy; that is pleasure. Pleasure, Swami says, is an interval between two pains. But happiness is absolute and unalloyed bliss. Swami says the goal should be Nirathisaya ananda prapthi (attainment of never ending bliss). We should have this absolute bliss which we can get only by the constant remembrance of God.

I pray to Bhagawan to bless all of us with determination, dedication and devotion so that we love Him and serve Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength until our last breath.

Thank you for your patient and kind attention.

 Jai Sai Ram.

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