Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book Three

In the comments to the Bhagavad Gita, Sathya Sai Baba said: “People should never forget God, for he is the true nature of the soul, one should not believe in the world, in fact, the manifested Universe is an illusion, never be afraid of death, for you are immortal.”

Speaking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Sathya Sai Baba pointed out that it was not only a historical fact, but also a symbol of the immortality of every person.

Enlightenment does not mean that a person receives "something;" on the contrary, there is a loss of false self-identification and the feeling of separateness of one's existence disappears. Enlightenment is the return home, the awakening of the original and true divine reality of one's soul – the Christ Consciousness.

I would like to warn against misunderstanding Sathya Sai Baba's teachings about Jesus Christ. Once again, I want to repeat that Sathya Sai Baba considered Jesus Christ to be one of the greatest spiritual teachers in the history of mankind.

Sathya Sai Baba said that Jesus Christ came into this world with a special mission. The essence of understanding his life and mission lies in the fact that one should not perceive Jesus Christ only as an object of worship, but as an example of the spiritual path that everyone has to pass through.

Those steps of the spiritual path that Jesus Christ ascended are the same steps that everyone has to go through. The divine potential inherent in Jesus Christ is absolutely in every person. As individual human beings we are all different, but in the Christ Consciousness we are all one.

31. God helps those who help themselves

A huge number of books about Sathya Sai Baba are being written now. As a rule, the books describe stories that tell about the manifestations of his fantastic supernatural power. Often these stories begin with a person coming to Sathya Sai Baba with some problems, of which Sathya Sai Baba blesses and liberates this person from, and then the “problems” are instantly solved.

Difficulties and sufferings are different. They can be associated with illness, family life, financial failures, the search for one’s destiny, spiritual crises, and deep religious issues.

In most of the stories about Sathya Sai Baba, there is an involuntary self-deception, which consists of the Avatar solving the problems of all people and doing this, supposedly, instantly. Such ideas give rise to numerous illusions and leads to disappointment because, in reality, there is almost never an instant solution to problems.

An Avatar can help you overcome difficult situations, but you still need to solve them yourself because you created them yourself. Of course, there were cases when Sathya Sai Baba helped instantly, but this depended on many factors; in most cases the process of getting rid of problems took time.

I have always enjoyed studying the biography of Shirdi Sai Baba (1835 – 1918), the previous incarnation of Sathya Sai Baba (1923 – 2011). I have some wonderful books about Shirdi Sai which I reread all the time. Studying his biography, I noticed a very interesting thing. Suppose you open a book and read a fascinating story about a certain person who came to Shirdi Sai Baba and asked for help in solving problems and difficulties in life. Shirdi Sai Baba recommended this person to chant the mantra or make a pilgrimage. After fulfilling the prescription, all problems disappeared and the person was freed from suffering.

These stories usually fit onto half a page of a book. To read half a page, you need to spend about a minute, at which point the illusion is created that the problem of the person about whom the story is written was solved in one minute.

If you begin to study the same story more carefully, you gradually realize the story being described can be several years long. A person could suffer for ten years, then come to Shirdi Sai Baba, receive instructions, then practice mantras or prayers for several years, and only then solve all their problems.

32. It is important not to forget to take a step toward God

Divine love requires nothing in return. Sathya Sai Baba carefully directed his energy to absolutely everyone. However, the manifestation of his great love and blessings still required serious efforts on the part of the person himself.

At times it might seem to us that Sathya Sai Baba helped one person and ignored the suffering and difficult life situations of another. From the point of view of ordinary perception, we could sometimes assume that he loved someone and not someone else.

As human beings, we are limited in time, so we expect instant healing from the Avatar. But, according to the divine plan, you may have to learn lessons along the way and overcome many difficulties. By overcoming difficulties, you get the opportunity to develop new qualities in yourself, come to high awareness, acquire important knowledge and skills, learn new things, and reveal your hidden reserves.

By carefully reading the stories in this book, as well as in my other books dedicated to Sathya Sai Baba, you will be able to see that behind every miraculous healing, there is always a person's spiritual efforts, even if it may seem that the healing happened almost instantly.

I often quote simple folk proverbs that say, "God helps those who help themselves." Another folk wisdom recalls that "if you have taken one step toward God, then God will take ten steps toward you." It is important not to forget to take your step.

Yes, I have witnessed some devotees' problems being solved almost instantly, but most of their difficult life situations were solved only over time, and usually after a long and intense practice of meditation, prayer, and deep awareness.

When you read my books, in which I tell all kinds of amazing stories about Sathya Sai Baba, you may get the mistaken impression that he was like a kind magician who instantly solved the problems of all people.

Yes, of course, Sathya Sai Baba was a good magician, and everyone who came to him received blessings. He showed boundless love toward every person, whether that person was his follower or not. However, it should be remembered that behind all miraculous healings there was a time of self-practice, and those who lazily waited for Sathya Sai Baba to solve all problems for them, unfortunately did not receive healing and solutions to difficult situations.

The boundlessness and unconditionality of Sathya Sai Baba's divine love was so significant that he blessed even those who hated him. The greatness of his love did not cancel the personal responsibility of each person for everything that happens in life.

As Divine consciousness we are eternal, but as human beings we are limited in time. Until the age of fifteen or sixteen, a person goes through a period of childhood and adolescence. Mature life is short enough, and after that comes old age. Sometimes you have intellectual, financial, or family problems. When you ask the Avatar for help, the most important question, “when will healing occur?” subconsciously arises.

If your problems are solved in a month. Good. What if in a year? This is already causing tension. What if it takes twenty years to solve your problems? Within the framework of human life, this is a lengthy wait. Time is the highest price.

33. Sathya Sai Baba on the teachings of Krishna

Sathya Sai Baba's spiritual message is universal. He easily quoted, analyzed, and commented on the sacred texts of various traditions. Of course, first of all, in his lectures and books, he commented on the most significant Vedic scripture – the Bhagavad Gita.

In August and September 1984, Sathya Sai Baba gave a series of lectures on the spiritual heritage of Krishna. This course consisted of thirty-four lectures. In my opinion, these commentaries are the most important part of the philosophical heritage of Sathya Sai Baba. Over time, these lectures were published as a book.

This book is divided into three major parts. The first part is devoted to the "path of devotion," the second part is devoted to the "path of wisdom," and the third part is devoted to the "path of action."

In the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, a large role is assigned to the performance of wise action. The spiritual path consists not only of the practice of meditation, prayer, and the study of sacred texts, it also includes actions performed in society as a service to people.

These actions have an important place in the spiritual life because it is in the performance of wise and noble action that a person reaches the highest point of the spiritual path. It is in action that a person becomes like God and becomes a Godman. Performing an action means the manifestation of one's talents and the embodiment of one's destiny.

Nowadays, generations of people are wondering what their purpose in life is? A successful person is one who has realized his destiny and organized his life in such a way as to actualize that destiny. Of course, an important element of a successful life is a good family, good health, and financial well-being.

There is a very important term in Sanskrit: Dharma, which has many meanings. One of the meanings of the word Dharma is "philosophical teachings," another translation of the word Dharma is "righteousness." What is righteousness? This is the fulfillment of the will of God and the correct disposal of the talents given by God. In essence, Dharma is the embodiment of one’s destiny. To live life in accordance with Dharma means to embody your talents and be a creator.

God is the Creator, but man is also a creator, only on a more modest scale. To fulfill one's Dharma means to be a Creator and to become a worthy son or daughter of God, our common Heavenly Father.

If you do in life what corresponds to your genius, then this action becomes Dharma. Creativity can be any action that suits your talents. Quite often, creativity in our time is associated with the work of artists, poets, and musicians.

But in fact, creativity is any kind of activity that allows you to reveal your potential. It can be any scientific discipline, pedagogy, sports, finance, art, social activity and much more. This is one of the most important aspects of Krishna's teaching, which Sathya Sai Baba constantly pointed out.

34. God is the Creator

Krishna, realizing that God is the original source of talent and creativity, spoke about the need to act. The ideas that arise in your mind come from the divine consciousness. All the energy you receive to achieve your creative projects also comes from the Lord. You are an instrument in the hands of God.

One of the most important qualities of God is, the Creator. God is in the eternal process of creation. Every person is also a creator. The Lord's work is vast and varied. Human creativity is much more modest in scope, but in both cases the quality of this creativity is identical.

Human creativity is similar to God's creativity, only in miniature. It is like comparing the whole ocean to one small drop; they are different in scale, but identical in quality. Both the ocean and the drop are equally water.

Realizing his destiny, a person embodies his creative potentials, reveals the nature of God, and becomes a Godman.

Society may seem dark and imperfect to us, but it is also a part of God's plan. Society is a manifestation of the divine consciousness; it is a space of endless development and knowledge.

Almost always, people read sacred texts, such as the Vedas or the Bible, from the point of view of human consciousness. Many perceive this approach as the only possible one. For the majority, the idea that the Bible and the Vedas are books about communication between man and God sounds absolutely natural.

The great mystic and philosopher, Nisargadatta lived in the twentieth century. He lived in the city of Bombay, which is now called Mumbai. Sathya Sai Baba highly appreciated the level of spiritual self-realization of Nisargadatta and advised his own devotees to carefully read his philosophical books.

Once Nisargadatta advised his students to try to read the Vedas and the Bible from the point of view of God. This sounds more than strange. Imagine being the God who created this universe and giving instructions to the sages and prophets while performing great miracles.

The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Krishna, the divine teacher, and Arjuna, his chief disciple. Unconsciously, most people, while reading the Bhagavad Gita, associate themselves with Arjuna, a disciple receiving spiritual instructions from Krishna. What if you associate yourself with Krishna?

Who do you recognize yourself as? Basically, you are what you think you are. If you are aware that you are small and weak, then that is what you are. If you are aware of yourself as an individual "I", then you are an instrument in the hands of higher powers. If you are aware of yourself as the Higher "I", then you will discover the truth that in fact it is you who is the original source of all wisdom, ideas, knowledge, and energy.

Of course, this is a very complex and subtle situation because it is easy to confuse the real Higher Self with the small ego that is entangled in megalomania. That is why one should be extremely careful when trying to feel like God. Remember that where the ego begins, the idea of being chosen and superior always arises. The awakening of the Divine Self always goes hand in hand with kindness and awareness of the subtle interdependence of all things.

What is the meaning of Krishna? Krishna is your True Self. The highest source – the source of the entire universe – is within you. You contain all the greatest potentials and resources, all knowledge and information, all cosmic energy and infinite wisdom in your inner world.