Sai Ram and greetings
from Prashantinilayam.
what we are talking about, let us take you back to the year 1947. It was
the month of May, and the British were still ruling India –
Independence was a few months away. But God in human form had
already declared Himself free from all the trappings of apparent
bondage seven years earlier. We are referring of course to Swami’s
declaration of His Avatarhood on 20th October in 1940, when He
walked out of the house of His elder brother Seshama Raju, then
serving as a teacher in a school in Uravakonda and under whose
physical care Swami was studying.
Seshama Raju was devastated by this “walk out”, and he could never
come to terms with th e fact that his younger “brother” Sathya was in fact
the Lord of the Universe. To be fair, achieving that recognition is
not easy, even for us today when we “know” so many things about what
Swami has done since then. The entire Raju family and Seshamma in
particular was pinning its hope on Sathya, who they thought would
become a Government Officer, rise to the very highest position and
not only do them all proud but end their seemingly eternal poverty.
But all that was not to be; their dear Sathya became Sri Sathya Sai
to the entire world and promptly started serving humanity.
Many were attracted by the Divine Magnet even in those far off days,
and included in this crowd of devotees were Maharajahs and members
of the landed gentry. Besides, the Press also began take notice.
Elder brother Seshama Raju, not yet fully aware of Baba’s Divinity,
began to worry about the impact of the attention that his younger
brother was receiving. He wrote to Swami giving expression to his
apprehensions and on 25 th May, 1947 Swami wrote a reply. Though the
letter was intended for Seshama Raju, it was in fact addressed to ‘all
who are devoted to Me’. That letter is a powerful
declaration of the purpose of the Sai
Avatar. In that letter, Bhagavan Baba wrote:
My
dear One! I received all the communications that you sent. I found
in it the surging floods of your devotion and affection, with the
undercurrents of doubts and anxiety.
Let Me tell you that it is impossible to plumb the hearts and
discover the nature of Jnanis , Yogis, ascetics, saints, sages, and
the like. People are endowed with a variety of characteristics and
mental attitudes; so, each one judges according his own angle, talks
and argues in the light of his own nature.
As the proverb says, it is only the fruit-laden tree that receives
the shower of stone from the passers by. The good always provoke the
bad into calumny; the bad always provoke the good into doing more
good; this is the nature of the world. One must be surprised if such
things do not happen.
People too have to be pitied rather than condemned. They do not
know. They have no patience to judge right. They are too full of
lust, anger, and conceit to see clearly and know fully. So, they
write all sorts of things. If only they know, they would refrain
from writing or talking like that. We too should not attach any
value to such comments and take them to heart, as you seem to do.
Truth will certainly triumph some day. Untruth can never win.
Untruth might appear to over-power Truth, but its victory would fade
away and Truth would establish itself.
I have a Task: To foster all mankind, and ensure for all people
lives full of Ananda.
I have a Vow: To lead all who stray away from the straight path,
again into goodness and save them.
I am attached to a ‘Work’ that I love: To remove the suffering of
the poor and grant them what they lack.
When I am thus engaged in My beneficial task, how can My Name be
ever tarnished, as you apprehend? I would advise you not to heed to
such absurd talk. Mahatmas do not acquire greatness through someone
calling them so; they do not become small just because some calls
them small. Authenticity will soon win.
No one can comprehend My Glory, whosoever it may be, whatever be the
method of enquiry, and no matter how long the attempt.
You will yourself see the full Glory unfolding in the coming years.
Devotees must have patience and forbearance.
I am not concerned, nor am I anxious that these facts should be made
known. I have no need to write these words. I wrote them because I
felt that you will be pained if I do not reply.
Thus, yours, Baba.
Well, sixty years have passed since then and we do not really
have to tell you what has happened in that period, do we? Even if
you have missed the anniversary referred to, please take a couple of
minutes off to reflect on what Swami has been doing since He wrote
that letter and how He has fulfilled all that He promised He would
do.
The big question is: “Are we taking notice? If so, are we doing our
bit to take further the Divine Mission?”
Think about it! All the best.
Jai Sai Ram. H2H Team.
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