Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book One [Святослав Игоревич Дубянский] (fb2) читать онлайн

Svyatoslav Dubyanskiy Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book One

Memories and Experiences a Russian Devotee

Author's Preface

The Life and Teachings of Sathya Sai Baba

Before you is a book of memoirs about the greatest Indian mystic and miracle worker Sathya Sai Baba. He was born in the very south of India in 1926 and left his body in 2011 at the age of eighty-four. He was known as a philosopher, humanist, spiritual teacher, and the most significant miracle worker of our time.

Sathya Sai Baba preached the unity of all religions, taught meditation practices, and spiritually transformed people with his blessings. With the help of his supernatural abilities, he healed people from diseases and changed the destinies of his followers. The life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba have caused heated debates and discussions for many years, even now these disputes do not subside.

Some spiritual leaders of India and the West treated him with the deepest reverence and considered him the most divine teacher of mankind. Among the followers and disciples of Sathya Sai Baba were the most prominent politicians and businessmen from around the world.

Sathya Sai Baba’s translator

I was fortunate to be Sathya Sai Baba's interpreter from 1993 to 1999. I translated conversations from English into Russian during Sathya Sai Baba's personal meetings with Russian-speaking groups from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Kazakhstan. I watched how Sathya Sai Baba communicated directly with followers and visitors, gave spiritual instructions, answered urgent questions, healed people from illnesses, and changed people's lives.

For me, Sathya Sai Baba is a divine teacher who helped people at all levels of being, from the highest levels of spiritual enlightenment to the most acute problems related to health, family life, and business. For Sathya Sai Baba, there were no unimportant questions. Everything that worried people was important for him. He communicated with each person according to their needs and his level of perception.

The birth of this book

After Sathya Sai Baba passed away in 2011, many people asked me to write about the amazing stories I witnessed. Feeling the need to share my memories with a wide range of readers, I sat down to work, inspired. I remembered how Sathya Sai Baba was during his informal meetings, including his amazing sense of humor and deep insight, while reflecting on the significance of his spiritual heritage.

This book is not just a fascinating story about the life of Sathya Sai Baba and his many miracles; it can also be used as a practical guide on the path of life. The book contains a lot of Sathya Sai Baba's advice on working with the subconscious, meditation techniques and self-healing practices, as well as important recommendations on how to consciously work with the circumstances of life.

The book deals with many interesting and important topics: the relationship between man and God, the harmony of the spiritual path and social success, the right balance between religious practices and financial well-being, meditation practices, and a happy family life.

Creativity of the Author as an Artist

Many years of communication with Sathya Sai Baba completely transformed my soul. His blessings touched literally every aspect of my life. As a professional artist, I am grateful to Sathya Sai Baba for helping me realize that fine art is one of the greatest methods of spiritual self-knowledge and self-improvement.

I studied professional painting skills at an art college and institute, but I draw inspiration and ideas for my paintings from the infinite energy of Divine Love. My task as an artist is to use bright color combinations and unusual compositional solutions to create paintings that help the viewer experience a state of harmony, joy, and happiness. When I paint, I often feel the presence of Sathya Sai Baba, who blessed me in the work of the artist, for which I am eternally grateful to him.

Unity of the Spiritual and the Material

Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar incarnated in our era; he is the eternal Divine Spirit, who is beyond time and space. Reason and logic are powerless to comprehend the infinity of Sathya Sai Baba's Consciousness. At the same time, Sathya Sai Baba was born in the human world, he lived a wonderful and perfect human life. His life is the greatest example of the manifestation of the infinite creative potential that resides in the heart of every human being.

This book will be of interest to both those who are already familiar with Sathya Sai Baba and to readers beginning to acquaint themselves with his life and teachings. The book shows Sathya Sai Baba as a universal teacher who combines the wisdom of all human civilization and guides everyone on the path of harmonious development of Spirit and Matter.

Gratitude

I express my deepest gratitude to all my friends and relatives who took an active part in the work on this book. Thank you all for your kind and helpful advice, valuable information, technical, and financial support.

Special thanks to my wife Svetlana Dubyanskaya, as well as to my parents Igor Grigoryevich and Tamara Alekseevna.

Special thanks to Anupriya Wijayaweera for arranging the publication of this book. Thanks go to Alexander Bukreev for the cover design.

1. Dreams come true, I went to India and met Sathya Sai Baba

I first learned about Sathya Sai Baba at the very beginning of the ‘90s. At that time, I made several friends who had already been able to visit the Sai Baba's ashram. One of them was a successful Moscow businessman, who had been interested in yoga for many years, and at the very beginning of the ‘90s, was one of the first Russians who went to India to see Sathya Sai Baba.

In addition, I met two Hindu medical students who also told me about Sathya Sai Baba. They said he was an amazing teacher from India who preaches deep philosophy and performs amazing miracles. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, open yoga groups and meditation centers began to be organized in Russia. At the same time, as information about various esoteric traditions and directions appeared openly, it became possible to freely travel abroad, including to India. Among the great flow of new information, information about Sathya Sai Baba was especially attractive. I felt his amazing spiritual power and began to feel his invisible presence in my life. With eyes closed in meditation, I felt he was the one to hear all my thoughts and know all my feelings.

My first trip to India took place in 1993. This trip was completely spontaneous. At that time, I had been studying yoga, meditation, and Vedic philosophy for more than ten years. I could not even imagine that one could easily go to India and meet Sathya Sai Baba; it all seemed too fantastic.

Suddenly, circumstances literally spun around me. Several of my acquaintances, unexpectedly, decided to go to India and two weeks before their departure they invited me to join them. I first came to this fabulous country for six months. At the beginning of the journey, we visited the ashram of Yogi Ramaiah, a unique teacher of Kriya Yoga, who lived in the very south of India. After living there for some time, I moved to Sathya Sai Baba's ashram.

2. "I am a mirror"

There are a lot of spiritual teachers, yogis, miracle workers, gurus, and mystics in India. Sathya Sai Baba is the most famous and, at the same time, the most mysterious Indian guru of the twentieth century. Who is this Sai Baba? This is a very difficult question to answer as many people have many opinions. I’ve noticed people sometimes like to attribute the qualities and properties that they want to see or can hold with their intellectual understanding.

Sathya Sai Baba often said: "I am a mirror that reflects your inner world." Such excellent and perfect words. Some saw him as God, and some as a cunning magician; each one saw only what he or she was ready to understand and accept. I do not wish to fantasize about this complex topic, instead, let everyone follow their own intuitive feeling; let everyone find their own answer, for themselves, to the question: who is Sathya Sai Baba? It is hardly possible to understand this with the mind, for this you need to go into the depths of your spiritual heart and gain understanding there.

It is not so important for me who Sathya Sai Baba is, but what I can learn from him. There is a famous saying of Sathya Sai Baba’s, which is written in his books, and I was lucky, several times, to directly hear these wise words from his mouth: “Yes, I am God, but you are also Gods, the difference is that I remember that I am God, and you forgot. Every person is God, the difference is only in the degree to which you realize your true, divine nature.” These words of Sathya Sai Baba most exhaustively clarify how he perceived himself and all people.

There is an ancient Japanese proverb which says: "Buddha is not like a rice cake in a picture, but Buddha is like a real cake that can satisfy your hunger." I think this wisdom is perfectly applicable to the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. What is important is not outward worship of him as a great philosopher and miracle worker, but a careful study of his life, which contains a magnificent message that can change the life of each of us.

His life is a great example of the manifestation of the infinite creative potential that resides in the heart of everyone. God is the totality of all individual souls; we are all one in God. Each person carries a great potential for divine creativity. It is this truth that Sathya Sai Baba perfectly embodied in his own life.

3. Who is the "one" who asks the question? Who is the "one" who wants the answer?

After Sathya Sai Baba left his body in 2011, I felt compelled to share some of the stories, which I’d been fortunate enough to witness, as well as recall the many manifestations of his miraculous power, which I’ve experienced first-hand.

Sathya Sai Baba once told me: “Now you are sitting in my room, but the time will come when this room will be inside your heart, and you will tell other people about our communication.”

Sathya Sai Baba is a world teacher outside of any traditions, schools, and trends. His teachings unite all world religions and philosophical systems. He established his ashram in southern India, and today the ashram remains a unique spiritual space of unity and love. This is a place where people of different worldviews can come. All visitors feel completely comfortable, like they would at home.

I think it's hard to even imagine any other ashram in which divine love, openness and universality would be manifested to such a clear degree. In the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, the unity of all mankind, the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people is especially felt.

The essence of Sai Baba's philosophy is the study of the richest spiritual world of the soul. The only obvious thing is that the "I" exists, the deep sense of self-existence is a completely obvious and universal experience for everyone.

Self-existence does not require any evidence or beliefs, it is an experience that is fully inherent in everyone, regardless of gender, age, nationality, ethnic culture, social status, level of education or religiosity.

Who is the "one" who thinks? Who is the "one" who speaks? Who is the "one" who does the action? Who perceives the world around them? People talk about being happy or suffering, but they often forget to define who this mysterious “I” is that experiences happiness and suffering.

The question of who "I" am always precedes any other question. Who is the "one" who asks the question? Who is the "one" who wants the answer? Who is the "one" who wants to be free from suffering and find happiness? Who is the "one" who seeks to know the truth? People focus their attention on the goal they want to achieve, but often forget to find out who the “I” is that is wanting to achieve this or that goal.

Sathya Sai Baba taught meditation practices, he told amazing and instructive stories from the ancient Vedic scriptures, but all this was devoted to the main issue: a deep study of the nature of the soul and awareness of the primordial unity of the soul and God.

4. Everything we do and everything that happens to us are steps on the spiritual path

Sathya Sai Baba is one of the greatest miracle workers ever known. He was not just a philosopher who commented on the Bhagavad Gita and the New Testament, or talked about the teachings of Krishna, Christ, and Buddha. Sathya Sai Baba possessed tremendous superhuman strength. The scale of his energy was so great that people approaching the ashram, already forty kilometers away, could begin to feel his special energy.

A common feeling among new arrivals was that something unusual was beginning to happen, they could already feel their soul being filled with joy and peace. It was a truly unique experience reminisced by many. This divine vibration permeated through travelers, and people felt they were entering a special sacred place where thoughts calmed down and the whole space was filled with light.

The closer people came to the ashram, the more intense the feeling of joy and bliss became. Finally, when travelers arrived at Puttaparthi, itself, their sense of wonder reached its peak. The feeling seemed to be that this place is somewhere far away in heaven, so far it was hard to believe you were even on earth.

In India and elsewhere in the world, there are spiritual teachers who can work with hundreds and sometimes several thousands of students. As the energy power of Sathya Sai Baba is so enormous, he was able to help tens of millions of people, and in such a way that everyone felt a personal spiritual connection with him.

Sathya Sai Baba was able to change the most diverse situations and circumstances of people's lives with the help of his miraculous power. He transformed all levels of human existence. Being in close proximity with Sathya Sai Baba, people experienced subtle spiritual states. His blessings also manifested themselves quite physically: healing from serious illnesses, protection in dangerous situations, finding a happy family life, building successful business projects etc.

Sathya Sai Baba taught a person's spiritual quest must be in harmony with successful material circumstances. Very often people view the spiritual path only as a practice of prayer and meditation. In fact, everything that happens in life and everything we do are steps on the spiritual path. Good health, a happy family, taking care of one's parents and children, a successful career and business, scientific research and artistic creation are all integral parts of the spiritual evolution of man.

Unfortunately, some erroneously and artificially divide life into two separate means of existing: “spirituality” and “materiality.” Sathya Sai Baba perceived life in unity, therefore his blessings affected all levels and aspects of human existence, including, spiritual and intellectual development, as well as good health, family well-being, and financial abundance. This was also his uniqueness.

5. "My life is my message"

Sathya Sai Baba was born on November 23, 1926, in the south of India, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in a small village called Puttaparthi. During his long life, he regularly visited various major cities in India, such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, but he preferred to spend most of his time in his native village.

Sathya Sai Baba often repeated the phrase: "My life is my message." Of course, what Sathya Sai Baba said to visitors during personal communication, or in his lectures, is very important, but the most important aspect to me is his life, itself. It is important to understand how Sathya Sai Baba lived his life and what we can learn from him by studying his long and bright life path.

His very birth in a tiny remote Indian village is a great lesson that he gives to the whole world and to each of us. Sathya Sai Baba was born in very unfavorable conditions, but by the power of his divine energy he was able to transform everything around. Thanks to Sathya Sai Baba, Puttaparthi, a small, impoverished village eventually turned into a beautiful oriental oasis. Puttaparthi in the twenties, at the time of Sathya Sai Baba's birth, was a tiny village with a few small streets and a small population. In order to buy the most necessary things, such as a jug for water or a cauldron for cooking, local residents had to walk several kilometers to a neighboring village, which was located on the other side of the stormy and full-flowing Chitravati River. In the neighboring village there was a market on Sundays and the locals waded across the river to buy the most basic things. At that time there was not even a bridge across the river.

The nature of Puttaparthi is famous for its magnificence. The village is surrounded by mountains of extraordinary beauty. The highest mountain in the area is called Sai Kailash, which has three peaks. Dense vegetation is everywhere, and the Chitravati River flows through the picturesque valley where there are many small reservoirs and springs. It is a truly fertile land.

I think any person who comes to Puttaparthi immediately notices the stunning beauty of this place. Half of the villagers were Muslims, and the other half were Hindus. In the middle of the village was a tiny square, which has survived to this day. There were also several tiny old Hindu temples in the square. In the Islamic part of the village there was a small mosque, which has also been preserved.

I met devotees of Sai Baba who came to Puttaparthi in the fifties. They told me about how this place looked in those distant times. Almost everyone mentioned that it was extremely difficult to get from the nearest city to Puttaparthi, the wagons drove slowly along narrow and broken roads.

It does not matter where and how we begin our life path, but it is important who we are in essence.

6. Where Sathya Sai Baba is born and lives, everything begins to flourish and grow in prosperity.

Sathya Sai Baba incarnates where he sees fit. I thought a lot about this. Why did he decide to be born in Puttaparthi, in a place so unfavorable for fulfilling his great world spiritual mission? At first glance, it would be much more correct to be born in any large city, in a rich and influential family, but Sathya Sai Baba chose a different path. His parents were outwardly quite ordinary people, but appearances can sometimes be deceiving.

Sathya Sai Baba's mother, whose name was Easwaramma, dreamed of having a son and, in accordance with the tradition of her family, took a vow to perform the daily practice of the ancient Vedic ritual called Sathya Narayana Vrata, the ancient worship of the god Vishnu and the goddess Lakshmi. She performed a ritual every day in order to beg the Lord for a blessing on the birth of her son.

Subsequently, Sathya Sai Baba said that when he considered his incarnation on earth, he decided to be born in the family of Easwaramma, only for the reason that Easwaramma practiced Sathya Narayana Vrata with the deepest devotion. He saw the greatest spiritual power of this woman and her devotion with which she performed worship, and so decided to incarnate in her family.

People perform various spiritual practices, such as meditation and prayer, which no one may know about, even neighbors and relatives. Higher teachers, on the subtle plane, know about all the prayers that people perform in the depths of their hearts. What can be hidden from human eyes is revealed to the Lord, for the human heart is like an open book to God. The story of the incarnation of Sathya Sai Baba is one such example.

Sathya Sai Baba gives us the most important lesson in the history of his birth in Puttaparthi. This village was one of the poorest and most inaccessible places on earth. Any person born in such a place would be doomed to poverty and oblivion. People who are born and live in such conditions live their whole lives without any prospect of getting a good education and achieving social success. In Puttaparthi there was nothing but the most beautiful nature. The maximum that a person born in this area could count on, if he was lucky, was to get an elementary education and work all his life in rice fields or in petty trade.

Sathya Sai Baba, only due to his great divine power, became a strong magnet and attracted a huge number of people, many spiritual seekers, and gigantic financial resources. All this made it possible to build in his village the largest ashram in India, the best Indian university, a huge stadium, a modern hospital, an international airport, as well as supply drinking water to all neighboring villages. Truly, where Sathya Sai Baba is born and lives, everything begins to flourish and to flourish and prosper.

7. Little Krishna who settled in a small Krishna temple

From childhood, Sathya Sai Baba began to work miracles. He materialized sweets for neighborhood children, cured diseases, and sometimes even levitated. At first, his parents could not understand what was happening to their little son. All relatives and neighbors thought some strange spirit had moved into him, and they even tried to treat the boy for this so-called illness. Gradually, however, it became clear to everyone around him that Sathya Sai Baba was not an ordinary boy, and they began to treat him like a child with unique abilities.

One of the first significant miracles he performed was saving his village. At that time, the entire area was in the grip of a serious epidemic. The people of Puttaparthi were very worried that one day trouble might come to their house. The boy Sathya Sai Baba blessed all the inhabitants so that the epidemic passed by, and indeed no one fell ill in Puttaparthi, although many people were ill in the surrounding villages. This miracle made a great impression on all the villagers.

As a teenager, Sathya Sai Baba announced to his parents that he was a divine teacher. He said he should leave his home and start preaching. Sathya Sai Baba founded the first ashram in the late forties in a small Krishna temple located in the very center of Puttaparthi. This is a very ancient temple, which has survived to this day. The antiquity of this temple can be determined because it is located far below the level of all other buildings on this street. In order to get to the territory of the temple you need to go down the stairs. The design of the columns and stone carvings also indicate the antiquity of the structure. The temple is very small. Even a person of average height cannot stand up fully and they would need to bend down a little.

This Krishna Temple during Sathya Sai Baba's childhood was abandoned. With his friends, Sathya Sai Baba completely restored the temple and settled in it. It was in the ancient temple of Krishna that he began to receive his first visitors, who soon flocked to him for spiritual advice and healing.

In the fifties, not far from the village, at a distance of about two to three kilometers, Sathya Sai Baba founded his main ashram, which is called Prasanthi Nilayam, which means in Sanskrit – the place of the highest peace. In those years, impassable bushes grew on this territory and villagers tried to bypass this jungle side. It was a dangerous place where cobras and scorpions lived.

The first devotees, who came to this deserted place, were very surprised when the very young Sathya Sai Baba told them this place will have a large temple (mandir), a canteen, a post office, a shop, and large houses where hundreds of thousands of people from different countries of the world will stay.

People shyly listened to Sathya Sai Baba as he spoke about the coming greatness of this wild place. They did not consider it possible to doubt the words of their teacher, but they did believe with some difficulty. However, over time, all the predictions of Sathya Sai Baba came true and became a reality. I was lucky to hear stories about the founding of the ashram from the lips of those people who were direct participants in these events.

8. Sathya Sai Baba forbade the cobras to crawl into the territory of the ashram, and they went to the neighboring mountain

One of the big problems that the first residents and visitors of the ashram came across was the large number of cobras that lived in the area. Once a large cobra crawled into the ashram, frightening everyone present with its large size and hissing. Immediately, Sathya Sai Baba left his room and went to the place where the cobra was. He addressed her as if he were talking to a man and asked that all cobras immediately leave this territory and not dare cross the line as he indicated it to them. After that, all the cobras left the territory of the ashram and still do not cross the indicated line, although they could still be found outside this line.

In subsequent years, a small path was laid along this line, which ran along the border of the ashram. Many times, I passed through it and saw how the cobras crawled only in the permitted area, but never crawled into the territory of the ashram.

Believe me, these are not very pleasant meetings. On hot Indian evenings, I often walked along this dimly lit path to get to my room. Sometimes a characteristic rustling in the bushes was heard. There were cases when cobras showed themselves, but, nevertheless, they never violated and still do not violate the boundaries assigned to them. Cobras live on the mountain and do not enter the territory of the ashram.

I first came to Puttaparthi in 1993. At that time, it was already a fairly large ashram, around which a university was built, one of the best in India, two modern hospitals, a huge stadium, a museum of all religions, and even an airport capable of receiving international class aircraft. In those days, a small town grew up around the ashram, and this place could no longer be called a small poor village.

I was lucky that I traveled to Puttaparthi for twenty years, and so I was able to watch this small one-story town around the ashram grow into a beautiful oasis with a huge number of multi-story buildings. Every year more and more people came to see and communicate with Sathya Sai Baba, so the population of Puttaparthi grew rapidly.

Puttaparthi became a beautiful oriental city, before our eyes, with many good hotels, restaurants of Indian and European cuisine, and with this more and more new Kashmiri and Tibetan jewelry shops opened, as well as shops with the best Indian silk.

9. What is Darshan?

The lifestyle in the ashram was surprisingly mild and very comfortable. People were settled in simple but comfortable rooms, with those who wished to settle in more comfortable conditions in hotels outside the ashram. I was always pleasantly surprised by the fact that everyone was settled, and no one concerned themselves with asking what tradition a person belonged to, or what religion he professed.

When a person came to Sathya Sai Baba, he was always welcome, and doors were always hospitably opened before him. In other Indian ashrams, there are quite strict rules for living. In almost all ashrams in India, only those who belong to the tradition are settled.

Usually, Sathya Sai Baba recommended for people to live in his ashram for no more than two months a year, and then they could return to their homeland. He recommended people to come to him every year, but for a rather limited time. This was due to the fact that his energy was so powerful, and so it was more beneficial for most people to be in close proximity to him for no more than a month or two. Of course, there were people he allowed to stay for a few months or even a few years.

The daily program was constant and never changed, except for the days of big religious festivals such as Shivaratri or Christmas. Everyday Sathya Sai Baba went out to his audience, which was called Darshan.

The word Darshan comes from the Sanskrit word darsh, meaning, to see. This is a unique phenomenon of the Vedic tradition, the analogues of which, however, can be found in different cultures. Seeing a divine teacher is a unique experience that results in great divine mercy and grace. People came from different parts of India, as well as from many countries of the world, in order to directly meet Sathya Sai Baba and feel the boundless energy of love.

To see a great teacher directly is a life-changing blessing. It is quite difficult to talk about Darshan. In order to understand it, you need to experience it on your own. When I returned from India to Russia, my friends asked me, “why did you go to India?” I tried to talk about Darshan, but it was very difficult to explain, almost impossible. I felt that my words were powerless.

Friends told me, “we have videos and photographs of Sathya Sai Baba and therefore we can see him without leaving home. What is the difference?”

This difference can only be felt if a person has experienced this amazing sensation in his own experience. When you are in close physical proximity to Sathya Sai Baba, you get the opportunity to touch the vibrations and energies of the highest level – this is the essence of Darshan.

Sathya Sai Baba went out to the people twice a day – in the morning and in the evening. Every day, tens of thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people gathered to see him. The morning program ran from about 9 am to 11 am, and the evening program from 4 pm to 6 pm. The place where Sai Baba went out to the visitors is called the Mandir, which means temple in Sanskrit.

Those wishing to see Sathya Sai Baba usually arrived two or three hours before the start of the program and stood in line. Everyone wanted to sit closer to the path along which Sai Baba passed. The Mandir was divided into two equal parts – women sat on one half, and men sat on the other. In Indian tradition, such a division is considered natural and is not perceived in any way as a restriction on the rights of women. It is believed that feminine and masculine energies should not be mixed in the temple premises and people perceive this as something completely natural.

10. Letters addressed to God

Even when Sathya Sai Baba was very young, a tradition arose to give him letters and notes. This is a very interesting tradition, in my opinion, worthy of being told in more detail. Sometimes there was an opportunity to talk to him personally and ask questions, but a sufficiently large number of people did not have such an opportunity, since there were always a lot of visitors around Sathya Sai Baba. People wrote notes and tried to pass them directly into his hands the moment he passed by.

I think the tradition of giving letters to Sathya Sai Baba had a deep meaning. What did people write about? These letters thanked him for healing and support. Sometimes the letters contained very specific requests for help – people wrote about their problems and asked for blessings. The letters asked spiritual questions, they asked for healing, for solving family troubles, or problems related to work and business. Even though I sometimes had the opportunity to communicate personally with Sathya Sai Baba, I also wrote letters to him. Sathya Sai Baba took my letters, and solutions to my problems and answers to my questions always came.

People brought their letters every morning and every evening. When Sathya Sai Baba walked between the rows, the opportunity arose to pass the letters directly into his hands. Since Sathya Sai Baba was a clairvoyant, he read the information contained in the letters without even physically reading them. He never physically read the letters, and one look from him was enough to know everything that was written in them. Some letters he took, and some not. Sometimes a person would hold a bundle of letters, but Sathya Sai Baba would not take all of them, but only one. If he took a letter, then the problem or issue that was stated in the letter received his blessing and was eventually resolved.

Some carried their letter for many days and even for many weeks, but Sathya Sai Baba passed by and did not take their letters. People understood this to mean this question would remain unanswered. It is difficult to say why he did not take some letters, perhaps because the requests made in them were not correct or they were meaningless. Be that as it may, whether he took the letter or not it always gave food for thought.

11. Only Sathya Sai Baba determined who needed more to talk to him personally and provided such an opportunity

In addition to general meetings, there was the possibility of direct communication with Sathya Sai Baba in his room. These individual meetings were called interviews. I was fortunate to attend such meetings many times. Sometimes, Sathya Sai Baba invited me as part of a group, and sometimes alone. Sathya Sai Baba used to invite several people for interviews. Every year more and more people came to the ashram, and so the chance to get an individual meeting became less frequent.

In the ‘90s, groups who came for a month or two often had the unique opportunity to interact directly with Sathya Sai Baba. If he believed that a person really needed to talk to him, he would invite him or her to his room for an individual conversation, each time it was solely the decision of Sathya Sai Baba himself. It was impossible to "sign up" for an interview, only Sathya Sai Baba determined who he should talk to personally.

During the morning and evening programs, people sat on the floor of the large temple on rugs, while Sathya Sai Baba walked between the rows. Sometimes, he stopped and could talk to one of those present, and if he considered it necessary, he invited him to his room for a personal conversation. The invited people got up and walked to the entrance to his room.

Sathya Sai Baba invited groups of ten to twenty people and talked with people for about an hour, sometimes up to an hour and a half. Visitors from different countries came to him: Russians and Americans, Chinese and Japanese, Germans and French, Israelis and Iranians, Argentines and Mexicans.

He invited people from different countries for personal talks, and devotees who came from all over the world gathered in his room. The room for personal meetings was relatively small, and all the invitees sat on the floor. There was a beautiful chair in the corner where Sathya Sai Baba sat.

12. I was a beginner interpreter of Sathya Sai Baba, and I was very worried, but soon I witnessed two interesting cases, after which I realized there was nothing to worry about, and so I relaxed

When a group of Hindus came to Sathya Sai Baba, he spoke with them in any one of the Indian languages, such as Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali. If the group consisted of foreigners, then the conversation was held in English. Most of the Russian-speaking people did not know English, so during personal meetings Sathya Sai Baba communicated through translators. I was fortunate enough to interpret many times at such meetings. The main advantage for an interpreter was the opportunity to have frequent personal contact with Sathya Sai Baba.

I often remember two interesting stories that happened in the early ‘90s, which were very instructive for me as a translator. At that time, I was just starting to translate for Sathya Sai Baba, and I was very excited during my first translation experiences, because I felt it was a tremendous responsibility. However, I soon witnessed two interesting cases, after which I realized there was nothing to worry about.

A woman from New York came to the ashram, who was an emigrant from Russia. At that time, she had lived in America for many years and knew English perfectly. One of the Russian groups invited this woman as an interpreter thinking she would be the most ideal translator. What could be better than a Russian woman who had lived in America for many years and who spoke both English and Russian, perfectly.

However, when she came to the interview, she was able to translate only a few phrases. It seemed that an eclipse had occurred in her mind, and she stopped understanding English, altogether. In her embarrassment, she fell silent, and the interview, in fact, was derailed.

Sathya Sai Baba continued to speak in English, but the interpreter could no longer translate anything. She stopped understanding English exactly at the time of the interview, and immediately after the meeting, her knowledge of the language returned to her. The translator apologized, saying she was very uncomfortable for letting people down.

At first, the whole group was offended, but then everyone realized that a miracle had happened. Sathya Sai Baba showed that it doesn't matter if you know English or not, if he wanted to turn off a person's knowledge of the language, he could easily do it.

Literally, two weeks later, another Russian-speaking group was interviewed. In this group, no one knew English, and only one woman from St. Petersburg knew just a few simple phrases. She was very worried, because she understood that her knowledge was not enough for a full translation. When she entered Sathya Sai Baba's room, something happened in her mind and during the meeting, which lasted about an hour, she suddenly acquired knowledge of English.

During this meeting, people asked Sathya Sai Baba a lot of rather difficult questions, and she translated everything perfectly. When this woman left the room, she caught herself and realized that a miracle had happened, for she practically did not know English. All the other members of the group were also very surprised, because they knew very well that this woman did not speak English. Subsequently, she never learned English, but at the time of the interview she knew it perfectly.

This is how Sathya Sai Baba showed he can influence a person's consciousness. These two cases were very instructive for me. It became clear to many of those present at the ashram that Sathya Sai Baba could turn on the abilities of any person, or, on the contrary, temporarily limit the possibilities of someone else.

13. Sathya Sai Baba was fluent in all the languages of the world

Sathya Sai Baba had the ability to freely understand and speak all the languages of the world. A similar ability is described in the New Testament, when the Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, spoke freely in all languages. This is not about the fact that a person is a genius of linguistics and can learn many foreign languages. In this case, we are talking about the supernatural ability to understand and speak absolutely all languages.

India has dozens of major languages and many dialects, each with its own unique script. Sathya Sai Baba's native language was Telugu, a very beautiful and melodic language. At school, Sathya Sai Baba studied his native Telugu and Hindi, as well as a basic level of English, however, throughout his life he repeatedly demonstrated the ability to speak perfectly in any language with perfect grammar and pronunciation.

When people from different parts of India came to Sathya Sai Baba, he spoke to everyone in his native dialect, but when he quoted the sacred Indian scriptures, he spoke fluently in ancient Sanskrit. Almost always Sathya Sai Baba spoke to foreign guests in English, but sometimes he could show his ability to speak in the native language of each visitor.

I had the opportunity of personal contact with Sathya Sai Baba from 1993 to 1999. I am often asked how many interviews I was lucky enough to receive in those years. At first, I wrote down the dates when personal meetings took place, and after their number exceeded one hundred, I stopped counting.

Sometimes, Sathya Sai Baba invited me to meetings as an interpreter to translate the conversation from English into Russian, and sometimes he invited me to meetings in order to communicate with me personally. Even when I went as an interpreter, I always had the opportunity to talk to him about my personal topics. As a translator, I always sat next to him, so it was often possible to take a moment to discuss my questions, but not at the expense of the group for which I was translating.

During the first interviews, I was very worried as I felt my role was such a great responsibility. I wondered if I would be able to understand exactly what Sathya Sai Baba was saying, and whether or not I would be able to accurately translate his words; after all, I was not a professional translator.

When I made a mistake and inaccurately translated a phrase, Sathya Sai Baba corrected me and did it in two ways. Sometimes he told me with a smile that I had not translated correctly and repeated the phrase in English again. Thus, showing me and everyone present that he understood how I translated into Russian.

Sometimes Sathya Sai Baba corrected me in a different way, saying a phrase in pure Russian! This was heard by all those present. Of course, it caused great surprise and delight. He spoke phrases in Russian with perfect grammar and pronunciation and could point out my mistake, exactly.

Why did Sathya Sai Baba use translators? I think that the number of miracles around Sathya Sai Baba was so great that even without the miracle of knowing all languages, they were quite enough. Communicating with him was a unique experience and if Sathya Sai Baba spoke to everyone in his own language, then people would focus too much on his ability to speak in all languages, and not on the essence of his wise words. In order not to distract the human mind from the essence of his spiritual instructions, he preferred to speak in English.

14. I have seen people who miraculously changed their destiny with the blessings of Sathya Sai Baba, but behind all those stories there was always the great spiritual effort of the person himself

During one interview, Sathya Sai Baba sat in his chair, which looked more like a throne, while everyone else sat on the carpeted floor right in front of him. Sathya Sai Baba was like a conductor for the interview. Someone came with spiritual and philosophical questions, and someone came with questions concerning the circumstances of life. Quite often people brought photographs of their relatives with them in order for Sathya Sai Baba to bless them.

Only Sathya Sai Baba himself decided how the meeting would go. If he wanted to give someone else a chance to speak, he gave that opportunity, but he could completely ignore someone else. He could turn to someone present and ask: “What questions do you have? What problems do you have? What do you want to say or ask?” Then the person got the right to talk to him and ask his questions.

When some tried to interrupt and ask their questions, Sathya Sai Baba made it very clear whom he wanted to communicate with at that exact moment. There were cases when large groups came, but Sathya Sai Baba could only talk to one person during the whole meeting, and the rest just sat and listened. There were interviews where he could talk to each person in turn. Every time, everything was unpredictable.

When people turned to Sathya Sai Baba with really important questions, he listened attentively and gave detailed answers. If people came who wanted to show off their intelligence and education, he interrupted such a farce. If he understood that a person was not sincere in his questions and asked them only to be smart, he could abruptly interrupt the clever man and point out his hidden vices and problems in front of everyone. Only those who were completely sincere in their questions received deep and comprehensive answers from Sathya Sai Baba.

Personal meetings took place in two rooms. In the first room there were more general discussions. In the second, Sathya Sai Baba invited guests for individual communication, face to face. This room was very small; it had a chair for Sathya Sai Baba, but it was very simple. This room accommodated a maximum of three or four people, and here Sathya Sai Baba became more at home and informal, more like a close friend.

In the large room, people sat at some distance and the communication was a little stricter, but in the small room, the distance seemed to disappear. As a rule, more personal matters were discussed in the small room. People sat very close to Sathya Sai Baba and there was direct and friendly communication with a unique feeling of family. Sathya Sai Baba was no longer perceived as a great and famous guru, instead he was perceived as a very close friend.

Almost everyone who personally talked with him at least once remembered this amazing feeling for the rest of their lives. People would leave his room and enter a special state of peace and bliss for several hours. Imagine the Avatar being completely focused on you for an hour looking into your eyes as you peer into the infinity of his gaze.

After such meetings, I preferred to remain in a deep silence which naturally set in my soul; this could go on for many days, and sometimes for several months. The experience of personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba had a tremendous transformative power.

Sathya Sai Baba took every question that people came to him with, seriously. If a person came with a question related to family life and health, then he would discuss these topics as seriously and attentively as he did questions relating to philosophy and meditation. For him, there were no unimportant topics. Every issue important to a person at that point in their life was significant.

People asked Sathya Sai Baba for advice on what to do in this or that situation, as well as for support and protection. At the same time, he often reminded them that one should remember each person is one hundred percent responsible for everything that happens in their life. Only you can live your life, and only you are personally responsible for your thoughts, your words, and your actions. Sathya Sai Baba cannot live life for you. Only you are able to change your life, for only you are the author of your happiness and your suffering.

There is no need to shift the responsibility for everything that happens in life to Sathya Sai Baba and expect him to solve all your problems, while you are just lazily inactive. Only you can walk the path of your spiritual evolution, and no one can do it for you. You cannot ask Sathya Sai Baba, Krishna, Buddha, or Jesus Christ to meditate for you; you can only meditate on your own.

If you want to change your life, the only way to do it is by changing yourself. What Sathya Sai Baba can really help with is to give wise advice, to bless and protect from dangers, to give additional energy to achieve your goals in life, to bring down the Divine Grace that will transform your soul. In order to take advantage of his blessing energy, you need to work on your own.

I have seen people who miraculously changed their destiny with the blessings of Sathya Sai Baba, but behind all those stories there was always the great spiritual effort of the person himself.

15. Materializations were accompanied by flashes of divine light and a strong crackling

During interviews, Sathya Sai Baba occasionally materialized various objects such as rosaries, rings, medallions, and figurines of the Deities. Materialization is a miracle, as a result of which an object that has never existed before this moment appears in physical space.

I often saw how he performed materializations. Outwardly it looked like this: Sathya Sai Baba made characteristic circular movements with his right hand, and after a few moments a flash of bright light occurred in his hand, which was sometimes accompanied by a crackle as an object appeared from the flash of light.

I repeatedly witnessed when materializations occurred through those bright flashes of light and were accompanied by a loud and sharp sound, but sometimes the process of materialization looked a little different. He also made several characteristic circular movements with his right hand and several luminous balls appeared from his hand, from which an object appeared from the balls. There were cases when he materialized objects without a flash of light – objects simply appeared in his hand.

As an interpreter, when I was present at the interviews, I sat under his right arm. As soon as Sathya Sai Baba began circular movements with his hand, it became clear that materialization was about to happen. At such moments, I tried as closely as possible to peer into what was happening.

I was less interested in the objects themselves, which appeared in his hand, as for me the energy sensation at the moment of materialization was more important, especially when it was accompanied by flashes of divine light.

Being close enough to Sathya Sai Baba, at the moment of materialization, I experienced various sensations, for example, a sharp cold, and sometimes, on the contrary, a slight heat wave. Most often, Sathya Sai Baba materialized objects in his room, but sometimes it happened in the large temple in the presence of thousands of people.

16. Charms from the hands of the Avatar

All the objects that Sathya Sai Baba materialized can be summed up in one word – amulets. These were gold or silver rings, rosaries, amulets around the neck, bracelets, gold chains, earrings, and even watches. Each of these objects had its own symbolic meaning. Many people discussed the meaning of this or that object materialized by Sathya Sai Baba, but it was not always easy to understand their true meaning.

Sathya Sai Baba was born in 1926, and he left his body in 2011, but before that, in his last incarnation, he lived in the west of India in the city of Shirdi; then his name was Shirdi Sai Baba. The exact date of birth of Shirdi Sai Baba is not known, approximately it is 1834 or 1838. He completed his earthly journey in 1918.

Sathya Sai Baba quite often materialized silver rings with relief images of his past incarnation, Shirdi Sai Baba. There was a belief that those people who received a ring with the image of Shirdi Sai Baba as a gift lived with him in Shirdi, in the past incarnation.

In my opinion, the rosary played a special role among the objects materialized by Sathya Sai Baba. When a teacher gives a rosary in India, it means establishing a deep spiritual relationship with the student. The tradition of giving or blessing the rosary is also found in Buddhism, Sufism, Orthodox and Catholic Christianity. For example, if a Christian Elder gives or blesses a rosary, this means that a person becomes his spiritual child or student.

I know people for whom Sathya Sai Baba materialized rosaries from various materials. A rosary made from the sacred Rudraksha tree is mythologically associated with Lord Shiva. Such a rosary means, on the one hand, renunciation and asceticism, but at the same time it is a symbol of royal power and victory.

A rosary made of the sacred tree Tulasi is a symbol of Lord Krishna and means harmony of both the spiritual and material in human life. Tulasi beads are a blessing for a happy family life and prosperity. A rosary made of rock crystal carries the energy of the Goddess Saraswati, symbolizing knowledge and wisdom.

People used the rosary received from Sathya Sai Baba in different ways. Strictly speaking, with the help of a rosary, the number of repeated mantras or prayers is counted, but the rosary can also be worn around the neck to provide strong protection from negative influences and additional vitality.

17. Sathya Sai Baba knew exactly who and what would benefit from materializing

The question arises, why did Sathya Sai Baba materialize amulets for someone, but not for someone else? For example, Sathya Sai Baba did not materialize anything for me, but I can honestly say I never wanted him to. He certainly knew my thoughts well enough. From the first visit, I wanted to communicate more and more with him personally and he answered this inner request by giving me the opportunity to communicate directly with him, for which I am infinitely grateful to him.

Some visitors to the ashram believed that if Sathya Sai Baba materialized an object for someone, it meant he was a “chosen person.” At the same time, other visitors to the ashram assumed quite the opposite. If Sathya Sai Baba materialized amulets for someone, this allegedly meant this person was considered “less advanced.” I think both of these points of view are wrong.

When Sathya Sai Baba materialized amulets for someone, it was not connected with the fact that this person was “better” or “worse.” Sathya Sai Baba knew exactly who and what was useful at a given moment in life, and this was the criterion by which he decided who and what should be materialized as a talisman.

I know a few people for whom Sathya Sai Baba materialized a golden chain around their neck. This means the presence of good karma and great spiritual merit from a past life. Gold is not only an expensive metal, but a metal that carries the strongest divine energy. Wearing gold rings, amulets and chains is not only beautiful, but also symbolic, because gold symbolizes the highest spiritual light.

Sathya Sai Baba materialized golden rings with various stones, in particular with diamonds. Sometimes he materialized rings with one two-carat diamond, and sometimes with three half-carat diamonds. The diamond is a symbol of the clarity of human consciousness. It is a stone of power over one's thoughts and emotions, a symbol of mystery and hidden possibilities.

Interestingly, several times Sathya Sai Baba materialized Orthodox crosses. This manifested his universality. Sathya Sai Baba was born into a Hindu family, his parents were Hindus by religion, but he was outside of traditions and religions, so representatives of all faiths felt comfortable in his ashram.

18. With the help of materialized rings, Sathya Sai Baba changed people's lives

I know quite a lot of cases when people wore rings and chains materialized by Sathya Sai Baba perfectly all their lives, but there were cases when further metamorphoses took place with these objects. When a person got into difficult or even dangerous situations, then the ring or chain dematerialized, sometimes for an hour, and sometimes even for several days.

Later, when the dangerous situation for a person's life disappeared, the ring again appeared on the finger or the chain around the neck. When the ring disappeared from a person's hand, it appeared to Sathya Sai Baba, then he knew for sure that the person was in danger, and instantly directed his blessing energy so that the situation would end favorably.

There were cases when Sathya Sai Baba could change an old ring for a new one. It happened as follows: Sathya Sai Baba invited a person for an interview, took the old ring, blew on it three times, and it disappeared in front of everyone, and a new one instantly appeared in its place. For example, if it was silver, it could become gold, or it could change its shape. There were also cases when the rings changed their material over time right on the hand, turning from silver to gold, or from gold to silver.

For one man from Latvia, Sathya Sai Baba materialized a silver ring. Suddenly, the man began to notice that something strange was happening to the ring. Gold began to appear on it. Within two days the ring on his finger was transformed. The same ring was now completely gold. This incident happened in front of my eyes. At that time, the Latvian lived in the next room, and I was lucky to observe the whole process of the gradual transformation of the ring. A few years later I saw this man again, and the ring remained gold.

It was significant which finger Sathya Sai Baba put the ring on to this or that person. The energy value of each finger is a large and very complex science. In accordance with the Vedic tradition, each finger corresponds to the energy of one of the planets, and also carries the energy of a particular deity. When Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring, he consciously put it on a person's finger. On which finger he put the ring was of great importance, because with the cooperation of such combined meaning, he could change fate.

Once, there was an incident that prompted me to remember the importance of which finger Sathya Sai Baba put a ring on to this or that person. Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring for my friend and put it on his index finger. I was sitting next to him, watching everything that was happening. My friend, in high spirits, returned to his room, took off his ring, put it on the table, and went to take a shower. Coming out of the shower, he picked up the ring, and oh horror, he forgot which finger to put it on. What to do? He was saved by the fact that I remembered on which finger Sathya Sai Baba put the ring on him. My friend was very grateful to me, and since then I began to remember such details.

People came from interviews happy and in elevated emotional states. Sometimes they took off their rings for the night, and then they didn’t know which finger to put it back on; in such cases they turned to me, because I always remembered such details.

Sathya Sai Baba materialized rings of exactly the right size. And this is understandable, because when such a miracle worker as Sathya Sai Baba materializes a ring, then naturally, it is always the size of the finger of the person for whom it was intended.

19. The miraculous ring of Lord Shiva, which opened the door to the world of the Gods for my friend and almost drove him crazy

A young man came to the ashram whose name was Alexei. He was from Novosibirsk. Sathya Sai Baba often invited for an interview the group with which Alexei came and always talked with him for a long time. He once asked him, “what do you want? I will do anything for you."

In response, the boy replied, “Bhagavan, I want you to be with me at the time of my death and guide me on my posthumous journey.”

It was strange to hear these words from a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. This was said so sincerely that Sathya Sai Baba replied, “yes, well, when you die at a ripe old age, I will be invisibly present at the moment of your death and guide your soul to the world of eternal light.”

Even now, remembering this amazing conversation, I feel unspeakable grace. Once, Alexei asked Sathya Sai Baba, “I want you to materialize a ring for me, but such that no one has such a ring, only me. Let your portrait and symbols of Lord Shiva be on it.”

Sathya Sai Baba looked at him sternly and said, “you don't need such a ring. I have given you so much. Look, you communicate with me very often, I initiated you into the mantra of Lord Shiva, I often invite you to my place, answered all your questions, I even blessed you to go to the Himalayas!”

The young man insisted and continued to demand a special ring. Sathya Sai Baba shook his head and said, “well, if you insist, I will materialize for you the ring you want.”

Sathya Sai Baba made several circular movements with his right hand and a ring appeared. It really was quite unique. I had never seen such a ring in my life. The people who lived in the ashram at that time, when they saw it, were very surprised, because no one had seen such an unusual ring before. It was golden and the central part was in the form of a twelve-petaled lotus, in the center of which was a colored portrait of Sathya Sai Baba, and the ring itself was in the form of two golden tridents.

A few days after that, Alexei left for the Himalayas, and a few months later we met with him in Moscow. I immediately noticed he did not have a ring on his hand. At first it was awkward for me to ask, but I eventually asked him where the ring was. He sighed heavily and told me the history of the ring.

Leaving Puttaparthi, Alexei went to the Himalayas. Gradually, he noticed a strong energy emanating from the ring, which introduced him into deep trance states. While in these states, he felt as if a bright light was lit up in his forehead, and he began to receive visions of various Gods, which were visible as if in reality. At first, he was not sure if it was because of the ring, and so Alexei took off the ring, put it next to him, or put it in his bag. When he did this, he noticed that only then did the mystical experiences stop.

At first, he liked the mystical experiences because they aroused delight and curiosity. Then he began to feel that his brain simply could not withstand the powerful energy and intensity of them. Sometimes, he felt as if his head was ready to break into small pieces from such divine vibrations and wonderful visions. He could not sleep, could not communicate normally with people, and he moved with difficulty. It was only after he removed the ring and put it next to him that the mystical state instantly left, and he returned to ordinary human consciousness.

Over time, the wonderful ring became more and more active, and it did not matter whether he put it in a bag or on a shelf, it continued to energetically influence his consciousness. Walking the streets, Alexei saw the worlds of the Gods everywhere, and when he went to bed, the visions became even more intense.

After some time, Alexei arrived in Moscow near the end of December. December 25 was approaching, which is the Catholic Christmas. Somehow, he ended up in the Catholic Cathedral of Moscow, which is located near the Krasnopresnenskaya and Barrikadnaya metro stations. Alexei entered the church, with its solemn atmosphere and brightly lit and decorated altar. In front of him stood a large Christmas tree.

Suddenly, Alexei realized the only way to stay sane was to give up the ring and symbolically give it back to God. He took the ring off his finger, went up to the tree, put the ring on a branch, bowed to the ground, thanked God for everything, and quickly left the church. Alexei did not know the further history of this amazing ring. After that, he returned to normal and was happy to live on without the wonderful ring.

20. Sathya Sai Baba told me my name

Sathya Sai Baba was absolutely clairvoyant. He knew all the thoughts of the people before they had time to say anything. However, during personal interactions, Sathya Sai Baba sometimes asked questions from those present. What question could Sathya Sai Baba ask and why? In my opinion, the questions that he asked were aimed, first of all, at pushing and directing a person to reflection. These were questions he did not require an answer to. His questions helped people to think deeply about the essence of their lives. Once Sathya Sai Baba asked me a question. He said, “what is your name?” I answered that my name is Svyatoslav (Dubyanskiy). Then he said, “yes, that is the correct answer. Your name is Svyatoslav (Dubyanskiy).”

At that moment, I thought that he asked me this question in order to get to know me, because this was my first personal contact with him. Subsequently, I realized the significance of this question was that I did not need to receive a so-called "spiritual name."

During the following years, I visited several Indian and Tibetan yogis and received empowerments and initiations into various meditation techniques and mantras. During my travels in India, various esoteric schools tried to give me a "spiritual name" three times. The first time it happened at the Tantric Ashram in the very south of India, the second time at the Tibetan Nyingma School, and the third time at the Kriya Yoga Ashram in the Himalayas. Every time they tried to give me a “spiritual name,” I remembered the words of Sathya Sai Baba and felt I was not at all comfortable changing my real name. This does not mean that Sai Baba was against "spiritual names." I know several cases when he himself gave "spiritual names."

Giving "spiritual names" is an ancient and very deep tradition. By accepting a new name, a person changes his destiny and reveals new qualities in himself. For some, the adoption of a "spiritual name" is very beneficial, but it is not for everyone.

21. God is the Creator; therefore, it is in creativity that a person is likened to God

One day Sathya Sai Baba asked me, “what are you doing?” It seemed to be a very simple and elementary question. When I heard it, I immediately felt he was asking me about something very important, about the essence of my life. Asking this question, he stared straight into my eyes, inside me his soft voice echoed once again, what are you doing?

At that time, I traveled a lot in India and studied various systems of Indian and Tibetan yoga. Gathering my courage, I replied, “I practice yoga.” There was a pause, Sathya Sai Baba smiled slightly and said, “never tell me that you practice yoga, because you don’t even know what it is! Yoga is an endless journey!” After a pause, he added, "next time, never answer me like that." His voice was calm, but very stern.

I felt a light sweat break through me, instinctively I looked at my watch and thought that our conversation would soon end for my salvation. The question was so energetically strong that it penetrated the very depths of my inner world. And really, what do I do in this life? What is my main business in life? After this conversation, I soon went home to Moscow.

Six months later I returned to Puttaparthi and Sathya Sai Baba again invited me for an interview. In less than a few minutes, he turned to me and carefully and intently looked into my eyes. It's hard to say why, but inside me there was a feeling that he would ask “the same” question again. In an instant, I experienced horror from the fact that six months had passed, and I was still not able to understand the business of my life.

Sathya Sai Baba smiled a little before I heard his soft and melodious voice quietly ask me, “what are you doing?” In an instant, I realized that despite the fact that so much time had passed, I had not advanced a millimeter in understanding what exactly I was doing in life. There was a terrifying pause for me, I realized that the longer I was silent, the closer I was to fainting. Gathering all my strength, I whispered, "I don't know… I don't know what I'm doing in this life." Sai Baba looked directly into my eyes, and I felt infinity shining from the depth of his.

A couple of months passed, I left for Moscow, and soon returned to Puttaparthi. Suddenly, I caught myself thinking that during personal communication, Sathya Sai Baba would surely ask me “this” question again. I understood that until I gave myself a clear answer, Sai Baba would not fall behind. There was a feeling of a student who did not learn his homework.

All the people around me dreamed of an interview, it was ridiculous for me to admit to myself that I would have gladly refused. Yes, it sounds silly now, but I didn't even come to the morning programs on purpose a couple of times, in the hope that Sathya Sai Baba would invite my group, and I would miss the meeting. But what needs to happen always happens. The day came when Sathya Sai Baba invited me for an interview as part of a small group.

Before entering his room, we had to sit in front of the door for several minutes, waiting for him to complete his communication with some minister who had come from Delhi. Finally, we were invited into the room. Tension built inside me from anticipation of the denouement. Sathya Sai Baba turned to me and, as if not noticing my excitement, asked, “what are you doing?”

I did not have a pre-prepared answer, so I spontaneously answered, "I am an artist, I paint pictures."

Sathya Sai Baba smiled and said, "yes, that is the correct answer."

At that moment, my soul filled with a joyful sense of accomplishment. The creative energy of God is manifested in everything. Everything that a person does is creativity: Science and art, literature and pedagogy, finance and politics, sports and journalism. Since God is the Creator, a person reveals his divine potential precisely with the help of creativity.

Unfortunately, many people perceive the spiritual path in a rather narrow way – fasting and praying, living in the Himalayas, and studying philosophical texts. In fact, the spiritual path is the fullness of human life. Communicating with Sathya Sai Baba, I began to understand that the spiritual path is absolutely everything that happens to me, my every thought, my every word, my every action.

22. "Formulate your goal!"

One of the questions that Sathya Sai Baba sometimes asked during personal communication was, “what do you want?” Sometimes he would say, "state your goal!" The question itself contains a great spiritual message and food for thought. Hearing such a question, people were immersed in long reflections. His resonant voice remained in my memory asking the question to which the answer determined the further circumstances of life and opened up new horizons in a person.

Sathya Sai Baba was a clairvoyant, and, naturally, many had a desire to find out from him the answers to the pressing questions of life. Many wanted to consult with him about what to do and how to act in various life situations. But Sathya Sai Baba never allowed himself to impose on a person what to do in life and did not offer ready-made answers.

We are accustomed to shifting the responsibility for what is happening in life to someone else. Sathya Sai Baba never deprived people of the right to free choice, on the contrary, he inspired them to make independent decisions. Each person himself must come to an understanding of where he aspires to be and what he does in life.

23. Sathya Sai Baba always spoke personally, taking into account the needs and level of consciousness of the listener

I remember once Sathya Sai Baba was asked what spiritual practice he would recommend. To this, he advised me to repeat the mantras in Sanskrit. He said that Sanskrit is the divine language in which the Vedas are written. Sanskrit is a language with a special healing vibration that purifies both the inner world of a person and the surrounding space. He said that people belonging to different nationalities and religions can chant mantras in Sanskrit. I recall with great inspiration this beautiful answer of Sathya Sai Baba about the greatness of Sanskrit, for I have experienced the power of mantras many times in my life.

It didn't take long, maybe a week, and I came in for an interview with another band where a very related question was asked about the benefits of mantra practice. Sathya Sai Baba laughed merrily and playfully, and then suddenly announced that he did not like Sanskrit at all, and did not like people who chant mantras, for the reason that it develops pride. He said that those who chant Sanskrit mantras mistakenly think they are becoming more spiritual and getting closer to God. Listening to these words, I could not believe my ears.

Just a week ago, he spoke completely different! How was this possible? Further, Sathya Sai Baba said that in the national culture of each of those present, there are traditional prayers that sound in their native language. At that interview there were people of different nationalities and religions: Russians, Tatars, Americans, and Indians. He recommended to each of those present not to think about Sanskrit, but to communicate with God in their own language.

I had the unique opportunity of frequent communication with Sathya Sai Baba, which allowed me to observe and compare. At times, his words seemed contradictory, but in fact they were always fully in line with the needs of the person in front of him at that moment.

What he said in one meeting could be the exact opposite of what he said in another. My first reaction was great surprise and even shock, but then I realized the full depth of his individual approach to absolutely every person.

There were a lot of people around Sathya Sai Baba, hundreds of thousands and even millions. One of the most important miracles of Sathya Sai Baba was that, despite the large number of people around him, he had a unique ability to provide a personal and individual approach to each person. That is why all his recommendations and advice were deeply personal.

What might be useful to one person might not be acceptable to another. It is very difficult to quote Sathya Sai Baba because he always spoke to the personal needs of a person and took into account the level of consciousness of each listener.

24. Oh my God! How to understand Sathya Sai Baba?

I was present at an interview when several people asked Sathya Sai Baba to instruct them in the practice of meditation. Sathya Sai Baba often gave instructions on the practices of Kriya Yoga without mentioning that it was Kriya Yoga. He sometimes taught yoga breathing exercises that improved health and harmonized the internal state, relieved stress, and gave more energy for an active and productive life.

In the interview, Sathya Sai Baba said that if you practice yoga breathing techniques, your health will improve, your emotional state will level out, you can feel a surge of energy and discover additional intellectual abilities. Sathya Sai Baba not only spoke about the benefits of yoga breathing practices, but also personally demonstrated how to perform these exercises correctly. I was happy to hear such detailed explanations of the basic techniques of Kriya Yoga, because at that time I practiced such exercises a lot.

Some time passed and I came with another group for the next interview, in which people asked Sathya Sai Baba a question about yoga breathing practices. He laughed and began to make fun, saying that all these exercises were completely useless and meaningless. Health from this would not be better, peace of mind could not be gained from these techniques, spirituality could not be increased. Then, after a pause, he began to parade comically, showing how some yogis do breathing exercises.

I left his room completely confused. What to do? How to understand Sathya Sai Baba? Why does he say completely opposite things? In an irritated state, I came to my room, not knowing what to do next.

I thought that if Sathya Sai Baba was really a spiritual teacher, then he should give clear and precise instructions to his students, but instead he only made things more confusing. Having calmed down, I decided to think more deeply about what Sathya Sai Baba said to try to understand why he said it. Once again, I had an amazing experience, which allowed me to see that Sathya Sai Baba was able to feel the audience and give an answer that was useful for the people who were listening to him at the moment.

Perhaps it was useful for someone to practice basic or advanced techniques of Kriya Yoga, but for someone else it was not. Sathya Sai Baba could also sometimes test the sincerity of a disciple who asked for guidance in spiritual practices. Is the person really interested in the practice of yoga and meditation? If the interest was sincere, then such people received detailed instructions.

25. Those who practiced the Gayatri Mantra a lot established a deep mystical connectionwith Sathya Sai Baba

Of course, everyone who came to the ashram really wanted to have the opportunity of personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba. Only Sathya Sai Baba himself made the decision to invite or not to invite someone to a personal conversation. How could one influence his decision and still get the opportunity for personal communication? Was there such a way? I think yes! There is an ancient mantra called Gayatri. This mantra occupies a special place in the Vedic culture.

Sathya Sai Baba said that the Gayatri Mantra includes the wisdom and energy power of all Vedic scriptures. One who constantly practices the Gayatri Mantra receives the fulfillment of all good desires and the destruction of all evil inclinations. Gayatri mantra reveals the divine potentials dormant in every person, this mantra develops supernatural abilities and increases intellectual capabilities. The one who practiced the Gayatri Mantra a lot established a deep mystical connection with Sathya Sai Baba, attracted his attention, and received many blessings.

During those years I practiced Gayatri very intensively and that was one of the secrets why I gained plenty of personal contact with Sathya Sai Baba. The more I chanted Gayatri, the more often he invited me to his place. If I stopped practicing the mantra, he would stop communicating with me. There were times when my practice of Gayatri turned into a round-the-clock continuous process.

I always chanted Gayatri while sitting in the temple, walking down the street, and while eating. Even when I was sleeping, I continued to chant Gayatri. During the heat of the day, I found secluded and cool places where I continued to chant the Gayatri. After several years of intensive practice, this amazing mantra began to show results. As soon as I sat in the lotus position and closed my eyes, I immediately left the physical body, and my soul in a subtle body flew away to the worlds of pure light.

If a group wanted to get the opportunity to communicate directly with Sathya Sai Baba, they began to sing the Gayatri mantra together. The circle of the rosary is one hundred and eight beads, people sat together and chanted the mantra one hundred and eight times. Literally two or three days later, Sathya Sai Baba would definitely invite them for an interview.

I remember that when this happened the first and second time, many people thought it was an accident. Then people began to notice a certain pattern between the practice of the Gayatri mantra and the number of interviews. Some took advantage of this opportunity, and most knew, but were lazy.

I remember literally running around the ashram and organizing groups to practice this wonderful mantra together. There were a lot of Russian bands that I managed to get into regular practice. I did not stop there and, at some point, organized several Russian-German and Russian-American groups to chant Gayatri together daily.

Those who began to work intensively with this mantra received interviews. Sathya Sai Baba was absolutely clairvoyant, naturally he felt the vibration of the mantra, and he sensed exactly which group was actively practicing. This principle worked more often if the whole group chanted the mantra together. For example, if half of the group chanted the Gayatri mantra and the other half of the group did not, then no miracle happened. Thus, Sathya Sai Baba showed the importance of joint spiritual practice.

26. The Gayatri Mantra is a powerful power plant, but where to direct the energy depends on your thoughts

The Gayatri Mantra has an amazing history. According to some reports, around 5500 BC, Rama Avatara lived in the north of India. However, some sources indicate that Rama Avatar lived during 20,000 B.C. Indeed, the history of the Vedic civilization is amazing and ancient.

When Rama Avatara was still a young man, he studied under the sages Vashishta and Vishwamitra. Rama was born into a royal family, but in those ancient times, even princes had to be educated by sages. Education included mathematics and astrology, literature and music, medicine and agriculture, military science and construction, as well as philosophy and meditation.

The ashrams of the sages Vashishta and Vishwamitra were located in the Himalayas. I have repeatedly visited this picturesque area in the foothills of the Himalayas on the banks of the sacred river Ganges. The climate here is very comfortable and mild winters give way to hot summers.

Vashishta and Vishwamitra lived in their ashrams with their spouses and children. The ancient sages were family orientated, thereby showing an example of a correct harmonious life. For the ancient saints, meditation was perfectly combined with family happiness and housekeeping.

Vashishta and Vishwamitra knew that Rama was not an ordinary prince, but an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, so they paid special attention to his upbringing. Rama was the first student taught by the sages to practice the Gayatri mantra. Thus, the tradition of repeating this amazing mantra dates back to those ancient times.

In the ‘60s, Sathya Sai Baba visited the Himalayas several times, including visiting the place where Vashishta's ashram was located in ancient times.

The Gayatri Mantra is written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the oldest language, from which a huge number of modern languages came out. The purity of the divine vibration of Sanskrit is perfect for people of absolutely all nationalities and all faiths.

The practice of the Gayatri Mantra is one of the main and very powerful methods by which one can work with the circumstances of life. You create a thought form of what you want to achieve or receive, and then feed it with the energy of the Gayatri Mantra. As a result of this practice, what you want begins to happen, and you achieve your goals.

Gayatri mantra has great healing power, this must be said separately. Intensive practice of the Gayatri Mantra several thousand times a day gives excellent healing results, both for the person who practices the mantra and for everyone around. It is important to remember that healing from diseases or working with the circumstances of life is a process that requires effort and time; solving problems is never instantaneous.

The Gayatri Mantra is the greatest source of energy. You need to be very careful how you use this powerful energy and where you direct it. It is like electricity, which can be used for good or for harm. The Gayatri Mantra is like a power plant, but where to direct the energy is up to you. With the help of a mantra, you can create or destroy, cure or destroy.

What determines where exactly the energy of the mantra is directed? The direction of movement of the energy of the mantra is determined by the emotionally rich thought forms that prevail in your mind at the time of the practice of the mantra. When you recite a mantra, you consciously or unconsciously experience various emotional states – images and visualizations also appear in the mind on the “inner screen.”

It is very important to be attentive and aware of exactly what thought forms and visualizations appear during the repetition of the mantra. If you start repeating a mantra in a negative emotional state, you can cause tremendous harm to yourself and others. Before practicing the mantra, you need to tune in to a positive mood and clearly imagine not what you "do not want," but what you "want."

Instead of thinking about healing from illness, you need to visualize perfect health. Instead of thinking about when failures in your personal life will end, you should visualize wonderful family relationships. Instead of thinking about how to get out of financial difficulties, you need to visualize material abundance.

While reciting the mantra, create thought forms of happiness and success for yourself, for all relatives and friends, as well as for the whole world. Before you start repeating the mantra, feel love and compassion for all the people close to you, as well as for all people in general, even if you do not know them at all.

Thought is material, the vibration of thought creates the circumstances of life. The divine consciousness thinks in images, so the strongest energy of the Gayatri Mantra goes where you yourself direct it with the help of your emotionally saturated thought form.

27. There are millions of us, but Sathya Sai Baba is one, how can he know about the life of everyone?

The year I lived in the ashram for a long time, at some point I began to have an internal crisis. Gradually, deep doubts began to arise. It seemed to me that Sathya Sai Baba was alone, but there were many of us. I wondered how could Sathya Sai Baba know about the life of everyone and why does he need it?

Life in the ashram is not only bliss and joy, but sometimes also emotional decline and despondency. The spiritual path consists not only of happy moments of meditation and prayer, interesting meetings and fascinating communication, but also of complex internal crises.

Longing visited me and I felt that the life of each person for Sathya Sai Baba was not noticeable and not essential. He was alone, but we were many. It began to seem to me that he did not care about each individual person. Thinking about this, I fell into a deep sadness.

I walked slowly through the ashram past Sathya Sai Baba's house, immersed in my dreary reflections. Suddenly, an elderly Indian of a very solid appearance approached me, carefully looked at me, and said, “I feel that I must come and tell you something very important, can I talk to you?”

Automatically, I answered, “yes, of course, please, how can I help you?” After a pause, he said, “I have been standing here in front of Sathya Sai Baba's house for quite some time now. We do not formally know each other, but I know you well because Sathya Sai Baba often invites you for interviews. I was just standing there and thinking about you. I feel I have to tell you what I feel,” he paused and then continued, “I want to tell you that Sathya Sai Baba loves you very much, he loves you infinitely, I feel it with all my heart!” He uttered these simple words, and it was an exact hit in the essence of my thoughts. This conversation took place right under the windows of Sathya Sai Baba, this further strengthened the feeling of an invisible divine presence.

Sometimes it seems to us that there are millions of us, and Sathya Sai Baba is one, how can he know and be interested in the life of everyone? In fact, he feels the inner world of everyone and every second he is invisibly present in people's lives.

28. I stopped dead in my tracks, realizing that my every thought is known to Sathya Sai Baba

Several times I visited one of Sathya Sai Baba's ashrams in the town of Kodai Kanal. This is a beautiful mountain resort town in the very south of India. Sathya Sai Baba used to come here for two or three weeks in April or May. Everyone knows the Himalayas, the main Indian mountains, but in fact there are a number of other mountains in India; of course, they are incomparably lower than the Himalayas.

In the nineteenth century, the British organized a wonderful mountain resort in Kodai Kanal. This place is famous for its amazingly beautiful nature and mild climate. It is a small town in the South Indian mountains, in the center of which is a large, beautiful lake, surrounded by several old English buildings of the nineteenth century, including two old churches, one being one of the oldest Masonic lodges in India.

One Summer season, I rented a house in the mountains with a few friends. Every morning we walked along the mountain path to the place where Sathya Sai Baba held his meetings. After living in Kodai Kanal for a while, I realized I was very tired and had to go somewhere else in India in order to just relax. It is hard to believe now, and almost impossible to imagine; nevertheless, after spending a lot of time with Sathya Sai Baba, one could get tired of being oversaturated with his strong energy.

When you feel oversaturated with divine energy, then the most correct thing is to pack your things and leave for a couple of weeks to somewhere on the ocean so you can relax on the beach. At the time, I decided not to tell anyone I wanted to leave. Leaving the house, I went along the mountain road toward the office of my friend's travel company to order a taxi and go to the ocean the next day.

Sathya Sai Baba daily visited houses in the vicinity of Kodai Kanal, where all kinds of meetings were held. In this regard, he could often be found driving along mountain roads. At some mountain turns, the rocks blocked part of the road, and it was not possible to foresee that his car might come out from behind a turn. Sometimes the car could be seen from afar; at that time, he was driving a crimson car and it would move very slowly, followed by a line of cars.

While I was walking along the mountain road, suddenly a car with Sathya Sai Baba in it slowly drove out from behind a turn. I mechanically folded my hands in greeting. From his side, the window was open. He looked at me intently, and then raised his right hand in a sign of blessing. “Come back quickly!” he said. After that, his car drove on. Stunned, I stopped dead in my tracks, realizing that any of my actions, any of my state, any of my thoughts were well known to him, because he sees through everyone and everything.

29. Suddenly I realized that this was Sathya Sai Baba's answer to my morning prayer

At the beginning of the 2000s, two solo exhibitions of my paintings were held near Frankfurt am Main. At one of the exhibitions, I had some organizational problems. While still in Moscow, I made an appointment by phone for a four-week exhibition. When I arrived in Germany, the organizers of the exhibition said the exhibition could only last two weeks. In addition, instead of the promised two halls, the organizers at the last moment decided to give me only one hall. Of course, when you travel from Moscow to Frankfurt am Main, and you are carrying a large number of paintings, you want to create a full exhibition of high quality.

I came to my room, where I lived then, internally tuned in to Sathya Sai Baba, and mentally asked him for help in solving the problems that arose. Turning to Sathya Sai Baba, I asked him to give me some kind of sign during the day, which would be repeated three times, so I could understand that he really heard my prayer.

I did this meditation in the morning, and during the day Sathya Sai Baba really gave a clear, positive answer. It happened in the following way.

That same morning, a German came to me, whom I knew quite well. Turning to me, he said, “a couple of years ago you sent me a photograph of some Indian saint from India. Today I felt like I should give you this photo back.” Having said these words, he handed me a photo of Sathya Sai Baba. I remembered that two years ago I actually sent this man from India a photograph of Sathya Sai Baba.

After a couple of hours, I went to a cafe where I met a girl who told me that she wanted to go to India. In response to this I gave her a lot of useful advice on how best to organize a trip. Suddenly she said, “I know that there is a famous saint in India, whose name is Sathya Sai Baba, I have his photograph, I want to give it to you,” and she handed me a photograph of Sathya Sai Baba. It was the second photograph given to me that day.

Around evening I met an elderly lady whom I had known for a long time. She asked about my exhibition, and suddenly said, “several years ago you sent me a photograph of a famous saint from India, I want to give it back to you with gratitude, because I don’t know what to do with it.” It was the third photograph of Sathya Sai Baba that was given to me that day.

I laid out these three photographs in front of me. Three different people in one day brought me approximately the same size photograph of Sathya Sai Baba. Unsurprisingly, I felt the invisible presence of Sathya Sai Baba, and this was his answer to my morning prayer.

The next day, all my conflict situations regarding the exhibition were resolved by themselves; the organizers, at my first request, immediately agreed with all my conditions and the exhibition was very successful with many paintings sold. Now I am describing this amazing story, and the three photographs that were presented to me are on the table right in front of me, reminiscent of the events that happened in Germany.

30. Sathya Sai Baba lends a helping hand before the problems start

In the late ‘90s, for a fairly short time, I worked as a manager in a company that was engaged in exclusive repairs of apartments and suburban mansions in Moscow. We had a large order in the very center of Moscow, relatively not far from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The customer purchased the second floor of an old mansion and decided to make an apartment there.

Gradually, conflicts arose with the customer. He did not follow contractual obligations and disrupted the phased payments. On top of that, in the process of renovating this apartment, a small fire broke out one night. To our general joy, the fire was quickly extinguished, so that almost nothing burned down. The fire was the last straw in the tense relationship with the customer, and so the conflict intensified.

A couple of days after the fire, I arrived at this apartment where a team of four workers were present. During the lunch break, the workers sat at the table drinking tea, and I decided to join them. We discussed the current situation and pondered how to proceed. At some point, we realized that in another part of the apartment, someone was walking around. Looking in that direction, we saw a strange transparent figure; it was Sathya Sai Baba. It was not just my personal meditative sensation, all five of us clearly saw it.

The transparent Sathya Sai Baba walked quickly from side to side, right in front of the astonished workers. He seemed to be looking for something as he carefully looked at the bags of cement and, carefully, examined the marble slabs stacked in the corner. Sathya Sai Baba was transparent, but he was so obvious that everyone present could see him with their physical eyes. Of course, this event made a tremendous impression and shocked everyone.

It was a little easier for me to understand everything that was happening, because at least I knew it was Sathya Sai Baba. I heard many times he could materialize at a great distance from his ashram and help in difficult situations, now I had seen it with my own eyes. I find it difficult to say how long Sathya Sai Baba walked around the apartment, perhaps about twenty minutes. Finally, he stopped and walked toward us. We continued to sit at the table, watching with amazement everything that was happening.

Sathya Sai Baba carefully looked at us, and at that moment a telepathic transmission took place, which we all heard. All of us present felt the voice of Sathya Sai Baba clearly resound in our heads, as he spoke in Russian to us. Through the telepathic transmission, he informed us nothing good would come of the project, and that we would not earn any money and there would only be continuous problems and conflicts, so today we all needed to quit. After that, Sathya Sai Baba vanished into thin air. There was a pause, and we didn’t know how to react to what had just happened.

Having recovered a little, I immediately realized I urgently needed to quit. One of those present said if such a miracle had happened, then I certainly needed to quit. The other three were so shocked they could not even believe all of this had really taken place. They decided it was some kind of hallucination and asserted they were promised high salaries and it was absurd to lose a good job because of some kind of hallucination. The next day I received a full payment and two weeks later I left for India.

After that, about a year and a half later, I again met with the owner of the company. I had only one question for him – how did that ill-fated repair end? He told me that after my resignation, the repair lasted another six months, of which there were continuous conflicts and scandals. It all ended with the customer going bankrupt, and the company suffering a loss so major it was not even possible to pay employees wages for six months.

Sometimes we remember Sathya Sai Baba and sometimes we forget about him, but he is constantly present in our lives. At the right moments, he extends a blessing, a helping hand, and this happens sometimes before problems even begin.

31. Suddenly, right on Kutuzovsky street, Sathya Sai Baba materialized in front of me

At one time I had health problems. I consulted with several doctors in Moscow, and also underwent diagnostics and treatment from Tibetan and Indian doctors in India. Western medicine did not help, and Tibetan medicine improved my condition a little. It was clear to me that more radical healing methods were needed. It was at this time that a famous Tibetan Lama came to Moscow, who specialized in Tibetan healing practices.

There is a deity in Tibet called the Medicine Buddha. Several of my acquaintances told me that this Lama is not an ordinary person, but the incarnation of the Buddha of medicine, himself. Having learned about this, I decided to meet with the amazing Lama and ask him to heal my illnesses.

Traditional Tibetan medicine is a large system of knowledge and methods obtained by Tibetans from three more ancient cultures: India, China, and Iran. Tibetan medicine uses amazing recipes from herbs, roots, as well as lizards and snakes.

The practice of Buddha medicine is a specific system that is different from medicinal medicine. Medicine Buddha's practices are methods of mystical and energy healing, a system of complex rituals, magical texts in Tibetan and mantras in Sanskrit.

One of my acquaintances was at that moment the coordinator of the Buddhist center, which organized the arrival of the unique Lama. At that time, this Buddhist center was located on Kutuzovsky street, in the very center of Moscow. I signed up for a personal consultation with the Lama.

Now I remember well that my meeting with the Lama was scheduled for Monday. I was booked as the first patient at ten in the morning. I made up my mind to talk to the Lama about my health problems. Of course, I had high hopes that he would help and heal me with the power of his prayer.

On the appointed day, I drove to the Kutuzovskaya metro station, got off at Kutuzovsky street and walked quickly toward the appointed address. Suddenly, Sathya Sai Baba materialized right in front of me. At that moment I was not thinking about him at all, I was thinking about the upcoming session with the Tibetan Lama.

Sathya Sai Baba was transparent, it was not a physical body that could be touched, it was an astral body, but he was clearly visible. From the reaction of passers-by, I understood that the appearance of Sathya Sai Baba was noticeable to people who were passing by at that moment.

Imagine this unusual sight – a transparent oriental man in orange clothes stood right on Kutuzovsky street. Passers-by abruptly shied away and walked around, looking in surprise in our direction. Sathya Sai Baba didn’t say anything to me physically; it was a telepathic transmission.

I heard his voice loud and clear in my head. Sathya Sai Baba said that the Lama I went to is a great teacher, an expert in the practice of the Buddha of Medicine, but I do not need to see this Lama. Then he said, clearly and decisively, “only I can solve all your problems!” After that, he dissolved.

I stood in a daze for several minutes, realizing they were waiting for me, and if I did not come, I would let my friend down, who had arranged for my personal consultation with the Lama. At the same time, it was no longer possible to go to a meeting with the Lama after Sathya Sai Baba appeared and said there was no need to go.

In thought, I stood and looked at the panorama of Kutuzovsky street, at the clear blue sky right above my head. After thinking for a while, I understood everything and went home. After a short time, all my health problems disappeared.

32. Sathya Sai Baba appeared out of thin air

One of my acquaintances, Volodya, had serious health problems. Of course, I cannot tell the details of his illness because this is personal information. Several healers refused to heal it; and medicine, in principle, does not cure such diseases.

Once he came to visit us, and my wife and I advised him to mentally turn to Sathya Sai Baba and ask for healing. Volodya knew a little about Sathya Sai Baba but did not believe that some saint from distant India would be able to hear his prayer and heal a serious illness.

In order for Volodya to feel an inner connection with Sathya Sai Baba more clearly and be able to imagine as if he was really talking to him, I included a video recording of how Sathya Sai Baba communicated with students at his college. Volodya sat on the sofa and started watching the video. It was felt he did not take seriously the idea of mentally seeking help from an Indian saint.

It was already late in the evening, and I went to the kitchen and made tea. Literally, a few minutes passed and a suddenly frightened Volodya quickly left the room; it seemed he was temporarily speechless. Having recovered a little, he said that Sathya Sai Baba had just physically appeared in the room. Volodya was completely unprepared for such an unexpected visit, so he did not know how to react to it. Calming down, he told me how it happened.

Sathya Sai Baba appeared in the room straight out of thin air, approached the astonished young man, looked at him attentively, then turned around and walked toward the door. Stopping in front of the door, Sathya Sai Baba, as if thinking about something, turned around and once again carefully looked at Volodya, now dumbfounded by surprise. After that, Sathya Sai Baba simply disappeared.

From that day on, Volodya began to practice mantras daily. A few months later, the incurable disease simply disappeared.

Volodya's problem was not solved in one second. Yes, on the subtle plane, healing may occur instantly, but it took some time for positive changes to manifest on the physical plane. Also necessary for healing are the efforts of the person himself.

In the story with my friend, it was important that after Sathya Sai Baba materialized in front of him, the young man decided to start regular mantra practices. Thus, the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba met with the right effort of Volodya led to a good result.

33. Sathya Sai Baba blesses the Vedic tradition of the Slavs

In our present time, the original Vedic tradition of the Slavs is being actively revived in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. More and more people are beginning to be interested in the pre-Christian Vedic roots of Slavic culture; now, we often call this tradition – Rodnoverie. This word has the root "genus," which means the name of the supreme God of the Slavic pantheon, whose name is Lord Rod. The root “clan” also indicates that this is a “native” tradition followed by our “relatives,” “relatives” and ancestors of our “family.”

The pre-Christian tradition is also called paganism. The word paganism is now perceived by many as negative and abusive, but in fact there is nothing negative in this word. Pagan tradition means the original folk tradition. Being a pagan means following the traditions of your people and your ancestors.

Of course, one should also respect the thousand-year history of Christianity in Russia, which gave our people many great ascetics, reverends, elders, and healers. I think that in the modern world Rodnoverie and Christianity could develop in harmony and mutual respect.

Sathya Sai Baba often blessed people for the prayer practices of the national religion to which the person belonged. When Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians came, he blessed them for the practice of Christian prayer, as well as for the practice of free and spontaneous conversation with God in their native language. When Tatars, Daghestanis, Kazakhs came, he often blessed them for practices related to Islam, that is, the practice of regular prayer and the repetition of the Suras of the Koran.

God is one, therefore it does not matter in what language and in what tradition people offer their prayers. God hears not formal words, but the emotion of the heart.

Several times, in the ‘90s, Magi Rodnovers from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus came to Puttaparthi. These were people who, back then, were engaged in the revival and development of the original culture of the Slavic peoples. Sathya Sai Baba prophesied many times that in the next few decades in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus there will be a rapid revival of the original Vedic culture.

When Christianity came to Holy Russia, it often absorbed the best from the Vedic Slavic culture, but sometimes tried to destroy the treasures of Slavic antiquity. I think at a new stage in the development of human civilization, we will come to understand that our future lies in the spirit of unity and synthesis. All that is bright and divine that is in the original Slavic culture will be combined with the best manifestations of Christian teaching.

34. The student from Iran was a Muslim, but this did not prevent him from studying Vedic philosophy and Sanskrit

For many years I have been practicing Sanskrit mantras and Christian prayers at the same time. Some of the prayers I repeated were from church prayer books, and some I received from the elders. I felt the practice of Christian prayer has amazing energy power. In parallel with this, I have always liked Sanskrit mantras.

At some point, I began to think about how to properly combine the practice of Christian prayer with mantras. I was filled with doubts about whether it was even possible to combine two such different practices.

At that time, I was living in Puttaparthi, and I learned about another interesting Sanskrit hymn called Narayana Upanishad. I began to carefully read this sacred text; it made a great impression on me, both in content and in the beauty of its sound.

Among the many Vedic texts, Sathya Sai Baba singled out Narayana Upanishad in particular, so all the students at his university carefully studied it and even learned it by heart.

The Narayana Upanishad is a small scripture, profound in its philosophical content, amazing in its rhythm and poetic style. I came into contact with this text at the very time when I was thinking about how I could combine Christian prayer with mantra practices.

I came to the mandir, and as usual the evening program began when Sathya Sai Baba came out and sat down in his chair. One of the lecturers at the university began the lecture. At this time Sathya Sai Baba was attentively looking into the hall and closely scrutinizing all those present.

At some point Sathya Sai Baba looked at me. There were quite a lot of people in the mandir, and I was sitting close to the center, and if Sathya Sai Baba looked at me, it could be easily noticed. It began to seem to me that he was reading my thoughts, and subsequent events confirmed I was not mistaken.

Suddenly, Sathya Sai Baba interrupted the lecture and invited a college student to come to the middle of the temple; everyone present was silent in anticipation. A microphone was placed in front of the student, and the boy sang the Narayana Upanishad as a memento. This event literally shocked me because I was sitting and thinking about Narayana Upanishad.

After that, the teacher came out to the microphone and said it was no coincidence that Sathya Sai Baba asked this student to sing the Narayana Upanishad. The teacher said, “there is one important detail, it is that this boy is not a Hindu.” Outwardly, he looked quite like a Hindu; in fact, he was an Iranian, was born in a Muslim family, and together with his family he moved to India a long time ago.

Being an Iranian and a Muslim, this student practiced the prayers of the Islamic religion every day, performed Namaz, however, this did not prevent him from studying Sanskrit and Vedic philosophy, as well as chanting the Narayana Upanishad daily. For me it was a complete revelation, it was a clear and exhaustive answer to my doubts.

Sathya Sai Baba had the colossal ability to literally scan the minds of the thousands of people who sat before him. Every action, every gesture he made was always a response to the thoughts, doubts, and questions of someone present.

35. The statue of the deity disappeared, and Sathya Sai Baba appeared instead

In the late ‘90s I returned to Whitefield, the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, which was located on the outskirts of Bangalore. Literally a few days after my arrival, several buses drove up to the ashram, from which a large number of Hindus, dressed in festive attire, got off. They solemnly entered the ashram, and it was clear from their appearance they all belonged to the Brahmin caste. In their hands were gifts and offerings. This caught my attention and I decided to find out what happened.

I managed to discover that all these people came from the ancient city of Tirupati, which is located on the east coast of India. Tirupati is the largest temple complex in India, in the center of which is the majestic statue of Lord Venkateswara.

There is a curious version about the history of Venkateswara. According to legend, the statue of this deity is actually not stone, but alive. Allegedly, several centuries ago, a spacecraft landed on earth, on which an alien flew in and settled in this city. The alien entered a deep meditative state and remained standing in this place. A huge temple of Lord Venkateswara appeared around the alien. Over time, the alien was covered with special robes so parishioners could not notice that it was a living being and not a statue. I will not argue that this version is true, but the fact that the statue in this temple does not look like an ordinary stone statue is remarkable.

In the late ‘90s, an amazing miracle happened at the Venkateswara temple. Vedic tradition dictates that the main worship services be performed at sunrise. In India, sunrise, both in winter and summer, occurs around six in the morning, therefore, worship services always begin at the same time.

One morning, the priests of the temple were worshipping the statue of the deity with everything going on as usual. The many hours of ritual action included washing the statue, offering flowers, incense, and various oils while the priests sang mantras and made symbolic offerings to the statue of the deity.

When the priests began to wash the statue, they felt the feet of the statue were alive. All those present saw very real, living, human feet at the statue of the deity. Instinctively, the priests raised their heads to see what was happening to the statue itself. The head of the statue disappeared and the head of Sathya Sai Baba appeared instead. A little later the statue itself disappeared and Sathya Sai Baba himself stood in its place. This miracle was seen by a large number of clergy and pilgrims who came that morning to worship.

A huge number of people witnessed this unique miracle, the statue of Venkateshwara simply dematerialized, and instead of it, Sathya Sai Baba, who could be seen and even touched, appeared for some time. Then Sathya Sai Baba disappeared, and instead of him, the statue of Venkateswara, which was familiar to everyone, appeared.

This event made such an awe-inspiring impression on all those present that the priests who performed the service immediately informed their families about this miracle. On the same day, they decided to go immediately to the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in order to thank him for such a miracle and blessing.

36. Catholic nuns came to Puttaparthi to talk to Sathya Sai Baba and receive his blessing

One day, I saw several large buses pull up to the ashram from which Catholic Nuns and a huge number of children got off. They entered the ashram gate, and I became curious, so I decided to get to know them. We talked for just a few minutes, as they had to settle the children and lead them into the dining room. These few minutes were enough for me to find out who they were and why they had come.

The Nuns said their Catholic monastery was located in the south of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. They said they have a school and an orphanage and the children they brought were students from their school. They came to Puttaparthi for a few days to talk to Sathya Sai Baba and receive his blessings.

Surprised, I said, “you are Christians, how do you feel about the fact that this is a Hindu ashram?”

They smiled and said, “Sathya Sai Baba is a great saint who is beyond dogmas and conventions, he blesses everyone. God is one, he just appears in different religions under different names.”

It was very pleasant to hear these simple and wonderful words from the lips of Catholic Nuns. It seemed the most ordinary case well showed the open atmosphere of Puttaparthi.

37. Once I met a priest from the Vatican in Puttaparthi, he told me that Sathya Sai Baba is the "Papa of the Pope"

Indian cuisine is famous for its original taste and spiciness, so it was not familiar to most foreigners. People who came to the ashram from America and Europe could hardly eat such spicy food. Therefore, a dining room with European cuisine was created in the ashram. There were few full-time employees in the ashram, most of the functions were performed by people who performed voluntary free service.

Prices for living in the ashram had always been affordable; accommodation, food and shopping were so cheap that many wondered, how is this possible? One of the reasons for such low prices was that a large number of people served in the ashram for free. Some worked in the garden or in the museum, and sometimes in the dining room.

I often worked in the canteen, serving food, or cutting vegetables in the kitchen. By doing this service, I felt I was helping the life of the ashram. People of various nationalities worked in the dining room: Italians and Greeks, Russians and French, Americans and Chinese, Japanese and Argentines. Very often, when we were cutting vegetables or sweeping in the kitchen, we sang traditional chants together dedicated to Krishna or Ganesha. The work environment was relaxed and fun.

While working in the canteen, I met an elderly Italian man, who, like me, worked daily in the canteen. Gradually, I found out he was an employee of the Vatican and belonged to the Franciscan order. I prefer not to give his name because that was his wish.

One day I asked my Italian friend why he comes to Sathya Sai Baba? He answered me with a rather funny phrase, which I could not even understand from the very beginning. He said that Sathya Sai Baba is "Papa of the Papa." At first, I did not understand what he meant. He laughed and repeated his thought once more. The idea was simple – if the head of the Catholics is the Pope, then the "Pope of the Pope," in this person's mind, was Sathya Sai Baba.

I asked him why he worked modestly in the dining room, despite the fact he held a high position in the Vatican, and that people with high social status lived in the ashram in special apartments with the opportunity to take better seats in the front row during the program. After listening to my question, he was silent for a while, and then reminded me of the epistles of the holy Apostle Paul, which says Christians are people who live in love and service.

All people are children of God, there are no masters or servants, but in the Lord, all are brothers and sisters. This man lived very modestly in the ashram, and almost no one suspected he held an important position in the Vatican. Such amazing meetings truly change lives and fill the soul with wisdom. Gradually, you begin to understand that all life is a single spiritual process and there is nothing unimportant.

Everything in life is essential, even the smallest actions, because the divine will is manifested in everything, and the divine presence is felt everywhere. Sathya Sai Baba often said: "The hands that help people are more sacred than the lips that say a prayer." Truly golden words.

38. My acquaintance with two priests

In the 1990s, I was twice lucky to meet Orthodox priests from Russia and Ukraine in Puttaparthi. The Vatican takes a more flexible position in relation to various Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese religious and philosophical trends. For example, I know several cases when in Catholic seminaries in Europe and America, Buddhist teachers from Tibet and Thailand taught meditation practices to seminarians.

Unfortunately, Orthodox churches, both Russian and Greek, are more closed. However, there is a big difference between the position of church leaders and what Christians themselves think and feel. Among Orthodox priests there are quite a lot of spiritually seeking and free-thinking people.

Twice in the ‘90s, I met Orthodox priests in Puttaparthi. It was interesting and symbolic that one of these priests was from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. When I saw this man, I immediately understood from his appearance that he was a Christian priest. Getting to know him better, I learned that he really was a priest from the Kiev Lavra.

I was pleased to meet this priest, because the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is the mother of all Russian Christian monasteries. It's great that a priest from the greatest Orthodox Lavra came to Sathya Sai Baba.

It is sad, but the leadership of the church, and the Lavra itself, are quite cautious and negative about contacts with other traditions. I cannot give his name because it might cause problems for him. This priest learned about Sathya Sai Baba from his friends and immediately wanted to come to Puttaparthi in order to see the famous Indian teacher who preaches universal values, love, and compassion for all living beings.

The priest wanted to see everything with his own eyes, and then draw conclusions about the truth of Sathya Sai Baba's teachings based on his own experience. Subsequently, my friends from Kiev met with him, he cordially received them at his Lavra. He continued to serve as a Christian Orthodox priest, but of course he could not openly declare to his church authorities that he had visited Sathya Sai Baba.

I met the second Orthodox priest in the ashram a couple of years later, it was already in the late ‘90s, and he was from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. This is very symbolic, since the Sergius Lavra is also one of the most important shrines of Christian Russia.

This priest came twice with great interest to see Sathya Sai Baba. I do not know how his fate developed in the future, whether he remained within the framework of the Orthodox Church or not. For me, these stories are important because even if they are thin threads, they still connected the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra with Sathya Sai Baba.

39. The Dalai Lama and Karmapa wished Sathya Sai Baba long life and success in his worldwide divine mission

Buddhism is one of the largest world religions. In countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Tibet and Mongolia, Buddhism is the main religious tradition. Buddhism is also one of the traditional religions of Russia, along with Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. For many centuries Buddhism has been practiced in the Russian regions of Kalmykia and Buryatia.

Buddhism is a unique religion based on wisdom and compassion. The most important method of the spiritual path of Buddhism is contemplation and meditation. Every year on the full moon in May, Buddha's birthday is celebrated. On this day the most prominent Buddhist teachers, such as the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa, send large delegations to Sathya Sai Baba's ashram.

In Tibetan culture, it is customary to congratulate on the holiday in the form of wishes for a long life and the successful implementation of a spiritual mission. On the birthday of the Buddha in the central temple of the ashram, traditional Buddhist rituals are performed, the content of which are wishes of long life to Sathya Sai Baba and the success of his worldwide divine mission.

I remember how on the birthday of the Buddha, about one hundred Tibetan Lamas gathered in the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba and sang with inspiration: “Om Mani Padme Hum Sai Baba!” It is important not just to talk about unity, it is important to show it in real actions. Sathya Sai Baba was open to all traditions and many traditions were open to him. The greatest Buddhist teachers of our time deeply revered Sathya Sai Baba and considered him the spiritual guide of all mankind. It is very important when spiritual leaders show mutual understanding and unity by example.

40. Sathya Sai Baba Healed My Australian Friend Instantly.

On one of my visits to Puttaparthi, I met an Australian of Lebanese origin, his name was Ron. He was a very interesting person with a unique destiny and a subtle inner world. He played the flute superbly and was well versed in Islamic and Vedic philosophy. At some point of his stay, an insect bit Ron in the left armpit, of which he accidentally tore off the wound, causing an infection. In the Indian climate, such wounds are very dangerous because they do not heal well.

After a few days passed, he began to grow an abscess that looked like a large ball under his armpit. We all began to seriously worry about Ron's health, because if an infection got into the wound in such a hot climate the consequences would be deplorable. Ron went to the hospital every day for procedures, and he was prescribed medicines and ointments. Local doctors advised Ron to go home to Australia as soon as possible, because in a familiar climate it would be much easier to recover. The wound eventually swelled to a large size, about the size of a fist. It was already difficult for him to keep his arm straight, because the sore had already become so large and very painful.

On the day Ron made up his mind to urgently return home to Australia, I met him on the street. We entered the ashram together and decided to go through a small passage that was next to the mandir. During the daytime, the mandir was usually empty, but to our surprise that day, in the very middle of the mandir, we noticed Sathya Sai Baba sitting with a small group of students around him. We stopped and watched Sathya Sai Baba interact with the students.

Suddenly, Sathya Sai Baba turned sharply and looked at us intently, then turned away and continued to communicate with the students. Then, Sathya Sai Baba again looked attentively in our direction. It was clear he was staring at my Australian friend, as there was no one else around except us.

Finally, Sathya Sai Baba turned once more and looked at the Australian, raised his hand in blessing, and then continued to communicate with the students. I knew immediately something unusual had happened. The Australian looked at me and said in a trembling voice that his sore had disappeared. He instantly felt healed.

We stepped aside and Ron took off his shirt. We examined his armpit and realized there were no signs of a wound. Sathya Sai Baba had dematerialized a purulent swollen wound in one second.

41. Several banknotes appeared in Sathya Sai Baba's hand, and he presented them to an astonished American

There were cases when during personal meetings Sathya Sai Baba materialized money. This happened if he believed that the person really needed it. On one of my visits to the ashram, I met a young American of Armenian origin, his name was Michael. He traveled extensively in India and eventually came to Sathya Sai Baba.

In an interview, Sathya Sai Baba said he was well aware Michael had almost run out of money. Michael replied it was true, and that he would like to travel a little more in India, and the money was running out. Sathya Sai Baba smiled and said he would give him some money. This was followed by the characteristic circular movements of Sathya Sai Baba’s right hand, into which several banknotes appeared. He then handed them to the astonished American.

After the interview, I approached Michael and asked him how much Sathya Sai Baba had materialized for him – it was several hundred pounds. Of course, this was not a great amount, but in the ‘90s it was enough to live modestly in India for a couple more months.

Subsequently, a year later, Michael wrote to me from America, in which he told me he had successfully traveled through India and visited several interesting ashrams in the Himalayas. He also wrote that, sadly, he now regretted spending the money given to him by Sathya Sai Baba, because it would have been better to keep as a souvenir, or a talisman.

It's hard to say if what happened to Michael was best. The money was spent, but in return he did receive a unique experience of an interesting journey, which greatly enriched his inner world.

42. What is important is not that a miracle happened, but how this miracle transformed the consciousness of people

Another story I witnessed happened shortly before Sathya Sai Baba's passing away. At the ashram I met two brothers who came from Uzbekistan. They were very gentle and deeply religious Muslims. They came to the ashram for the first time, when the older brother was a very sick man.

In fact, they came to be blessed and healed. They knew almost nothing about Sathya Sai Baba; they only knew he was a great miracle worker who could help the elder brother. After living at the ashram for three weeks, they began to feel disappointed, because they could not get the opportunity of direct communication with Sathya Sai Baba due to the fact that in those years the ashram was very popular with many travelers staying there.

In those days, it was a tradition in the main temple after the completion of the program to distribute fruits or sweet rice to everyone present. On that day, sweet rice was distributed in small bowls made from dried leaves. The two brothers were sitting next to me, and we also received a plate of treats. I ate my portion and saw that the two brothers continued to sit, looking at each other in surprise. Everyone around us had already eaten and people got up and slowly went out into the street, yet for some reason these two continued to sit.

I stepped closer to find out what was going on. They turned to me and said they could not believe their eyes, but the food in their plates did not end. I decided to watch them as they continued to eat, scooping rice with their big hands. As soon as they scooped, the food appeared again, they ate again, and the plates kept refilling. From excitement, the brothers could not utter a word, they silently ate with tears in their eyes. After some time, they got up and left the temple with filled plates.

The next day we met again, they had already come to their senses and told me they had experienced the deepest spiritual shock. At the moment of this miracle, they felt tremendous divine love and realized they had received an answer to their prayers. At that time there were many people in Puttaparthi, so it was almost impossible to talk to Sathya Sai Baba in person, but after this experience they didn't need to anymore, because they felt the answer was already in their hearts.

A week later, they left for their homeland in Uzbekistan with a feeling of deepest satisfaction and the feeling that, although there was no physical conversation with Sathya Sai Baba, an internal connection with him was established. I do not know their further fate; it is difficult for me to say whether the elder brother received healing, but they left with the full feeling that their prayer had been heard, and with the belief that everything would be fine.

Many miracles happened around Sathya Sai Baba, so many that at some point I stopped perceiving such situations as something special. What is important is not that a supernatural event occurred, what is important is that this miracle turned the minds of both brothers. A colossal inner change took place, not only because they saw with their own eyes the miracle of the materialization of food, but because at that moment the strongest energy descended. I looked into their eyes and understood that inside each of them there was a sacrament of spiritual transformation.

43. Sathya Sai Baba attracted unique people like a magnet, one of them was a philosopher and mystic – Ratan Lal

The teacher manifests himself not only in philosophical instructions or performed miracles, but first of all he manifests himself in his students. The greatness of a teacher is in the greatness of his students.

I can talk endlessly about the huge number of unique people whom I was lucky to meet in the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba; he, like the greatest magnet, attracted unique and amazing people. I received significant spiritual benefits not only from direct contact with Sathya Sai Baba himself, but also from contact with several of his great disciples.

In the early ‘90s, I met an amazing philosopher and sage, whose name was Ratan Lal. For many years he lived in the ashram and, with the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba, regularly lectured on the teachings of Vedanta. Almost every day, Ratan Lal met with groups that came from around the world. In those times, people from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus began to come to the ashram. Ratan Lal often interacted with Russian-speaking groups. I think that all those who knew him have wonderfully warm memories of this man.

He usually started the meeting by expressing certain philosophical ideas, then invited people to ask questions. His answers resounded from the depths of spiritual experience. In his presence, it was felt that what he was talking about was based on his own experience, this was his uniqueness and appeal.

Several photographs of Ratan Lal have survived, there are even rare videos of his meetings. However, I would like to describe this person because his appearance was also amazing.

He was small in stature, very thin, wearing white traditional robes, Punjabi. There was a remarkable detail in his clothes, he wore a white scarf, beautifully wrapped around his neck. When I saw Ratan Lal for the first time, I thought he was a musician or an artist, his scarf looked so artistic.

He could often be found walking around the ashram. He walked slowly, with tiny steps, and always looked down at the road ahead of him, immersed in contemplation. Occasionally, he raised his head and looked at the passer-by. He had a very sharp and piercing gaze. When our eyes met, literally, a few moments were enough to feel the amazing spiritual power of this man.

Ratan Lal made an indelible impression on me, not because he preached the philosophy of Advaita, as there was nothing special about it. Many teachers easily and effectively ranted about the high teachings of Advaita. What was important for me in this man was not words, but what I felt in his presence.

I came to his lectures and just listened. I had no questions. I simply enjoyed the energy and depth of his words. Subsequently, I developed a close and friendly relationship with Ratan Lal. I often talked with him outside of lectures, and we conversed on various topics.

44. The Amazing Life of Ratan Lal

Ratan Lal was born and raised in the west of India, in the city of Mumbai, which at that time was called Bombay. From a very early age he was interested in philosophy, mysticism, and meditation. In Mumbai, Ratan Lal visited various spiritual centers and read many books. One day he met a mystic named Nirmala Maharaj. At first, their communication was rather superficial, later Ratan Lal became his close student.

Ratan Lal's greatest desire was to be initiated into mantra practice. But much to his surprise, Nirmala Maharaj refused him initiation, and explained that for the young Ratan Lal he had prepared a completely different system of practices. Nirmala Maharaja advised Ratan Lal to meditate on his reflection in a mirror.

Ratan Lal followed the Guru's recommendation and put a large mirror in his room. Every morning he concentrated on his own reflection for a long time. This practice completely transformed the young man. Behind his usual human form, which he saw in the mirror, Ratan Lal more and more began to feel the presence of infinite cosmic consciousness.

Nirmala Maharaj lived in another city, and he stopped coming to Mumbai. This happened right after he initiated Ratan Lal into the amazing practice of meditation on his reflection in the mirror. After some time, Ratan Lal learned of an amazing saint who lived in the south of India: Sathya Sai Baba.

He first met Sathya Sai Baba in the mid-sixties. Ratan Lal realized that in order to gain enlightenment, one's own effort in the practice of meditation is not enough, one needs divine grace.

Only a teacher of the highest level can bring down the divine grace, which completely transforms the spiritual state of the student. In 1965, Ratan Lal felt he could not leave Puttaparthi, he realized he must live his whole life next to Sathya Sai Baba. Ratan Lal left his body in 2005. For the long and happy forty years of his life from 1965 to 2005, he lived without a break in Puttaparthi, next to Sathya Sai Baba.

The essence of the philosophy that Ratan Lal preached was simple. The only thing that is obvious to any person is the feeling "I Am" … "I exist." The feeling of one's "I" is the central experience of being for every living being. "I" think, "I" speak, and "I" act. Since ancient times, Vedanta philosophy has asked the greatest question: who is the "I"? Ratan Lal guided people on the path of self-exploration and self-contemplation. In his opinion, the role of Sathya Sai Baba in the process of spiritual self-knowledge was enormous.

Ratan Lal said that practicing meditation or studying philosophy is not enough. Sathya Sai Baba is a divine teacher, an Avatar, who possessed the greatest spiritual power, it was his blessings that helped people go along the endless path of self-knowledge of the higher Self.

45. My acquaintance with Padananda, the owner of one of the wonderful Lingams materialized by Sathya Sai Baba from his mouth

One of the most important holidays that was celebrated in the ashram was the night of Shivaratri. In the 60s, on this very night, Sathya Sai Baba, in the presence of a huge number of people, performed the miracle of the materialization of Lingams directly from the mouth.

A Lingam is a mystical egg-shaped object that symbolizes the mythological cosmic egg. The image of the cosmic egg as a source of life is found in many Vedic traditions, including among the Slavs. In the 60s, Sathya Sai Baba, on the night of Shivaratri, could materialize sometimes one, sometimes five, or even six Lingams.

I have always been interested in the fate of these unique objects of power. I managed to find out that Sathya Sai Baba gave some of the Lingams to some of his students. Among the lucky ones was Dr. Kasturi, who in those years was Sathya Sai Baba's closest assistant. Some of these Lingams, born during Shivaratri, were given by Sathya Sai Baba to major politicians in India, in particular to the Prime Minister.

I was told that a man named Padananda lived in the ashram, who was the happy owner of one of the Lingams. At first it was hard to believe that there was a person in the ashram who had such a unique object of great divine power at home on the altar. I decided to find out where this man lived and, if possible, to meet him.

It is important to remember that the Sathya Sai Baba ashram is a huge area, almost like a whole city, and if you want to find someone, it can be very difficult. I was informed that Padananda was in seclusion and had not left his room for many years. He spent all his time in meditation and prayer. At first, I was very sad, because I thought I would not have the opportunity to see and communicate with him.

But I was very fortunate when I learned that Padananda still sometimes interrupted his seclusion to receive visitors in his room. Once a week, the doors of his room were opened, and anyone could come, talk, ask questions, and most importantly, see the wonderful Lingam. I found out on which of the next days he would receive visitors and went to him in the hope of touching the unique Lingam.

Padananda's life story is quite amazing. His mother was one of the first devotees of Sai Baba. She came to the ashram when it was just under construction. Seeing Sathya Sai Baba, she realized he was not an ordinary teacher, but a divine incarnation. She felt that she could not leave him and moved permanently to Puttaparthi.

The young Padananda was a spiritual seeker from a very young age, who constantly traveled around India, studying the scriptures, visiting the Himalayas, and associating with yogis. Of course, he knew well about Sathya Sai Baba, since his mother lived in the ashram. At first, young Padananda did not want to live in Puttaparthi. Gradually, Padananda, nevertheless, realized the spiritual greatness of Sathya Sai Baba and decided to stop endless travels in the Himalayas and settled in Puttaparthi.

Padananda told me various touching stories about his mother. He recalled that in the last years of her life, his mother gave him three testaments. The first was that he should never leave Puttaparthi. Her second testament was he should never leave Sathya Sai Baba. The third sounded strange, and Padananda himself liked to joke about it. His mother foresaw that many people would come to him for spiritual advice and guidance. She bequeathed him to treat all his visitors with sweets. Laughing at this touching testament of his mother, before dismissing the visitors from his room, Padananda would give a few sweets to each, saying this was a gift from his mother.

The Lingam given to Padananda by Sathya Sai Baba was very small. Outwardly, it was silvery in color, but it would be a mistake to assume that this Lingam was really silver. The Lingams that Sathya Sai Baba materialized were of unearthly origin, so even if some Lingam could have a golden or silver color, this did not mean it was gold or silver. There were cases when some people tried to check the objects materialized by Sathya Sai Baba in various laboratories, and it turned out they were from an alloy unknown on earth.

After Sathya Sai Baba gave Padananda the wonderful Lingam, his life changed completely. Padananda used the Lingam for meditation purposes. He would bring the Lingam to the mid-eyebrow and meditate for hours every day.

Between the eyebrows is an important energy point. Concentrating on the mid-eyebrow, yogis achieve a state of peace, bliss, and unity with the divine Consciousness. If you apply a materialized Lingam to the mid-eyebrow, then the most powerful descent of divine energy flows instantly.

In the ‘80s, Padananda's lock was quite strict, he did not allow anyone to visit him. Starting in the ‘90s, he began to open the doors of his room. Everyone who came to him got the opportunity to take the Lingam in his hand and even attach the Lingam to the eyebrows.

It is difficult to describe the feeling that I experienced during such practices. I can only describe it as a feeling of the strongest energy instantly filling my whole body while my soul experienced joy. Many people, applying the Lingam to the mid-eyebrow began to see the brightest mystical light.

Since the Lingam had great power, Padananda was careful to ensure visitors held the Lingam for only two or three minutes. This practice made a great impression on me, and there was a period when I often visited Padananda in order to get the opportunity to meditate with the wonderful Lingam.

46. I plucked up courage and went to Maheshwarananda's house in the hope of finding out about the mysterious cave in the Himalayas

In the early ‘90s, I came across a book called Sathya Sai Baba and the Nara Narayana Guha Ashram. As soon as I started reading this book, I immediately realized I was holding something absolutely amazing and precious in my hands. This book tells the story of how Sathya Sai Baba founded a secret ashram in the Himalayas and sent a small group of his disciples there.

The book left an ambivalent impression on me. On the one hand, I experienced tremendous inspiration from the fact that such unique events took place in our time. However, I wondered if this was really a true story? Could I believe that such events were taking place today? If something happened many centuries and even millennia ago, then it is easier for people to believe in the authenticity of the events described. When something amazing happens in our time, doubts sometimes creep in about the extent to which it is authentic.

The name of the author of the book was Maheshwarananda. I tried to find out who he was, where he lived, and if it was possible to meet him. To my great delight, I found out he was a permanent resident of Sathya Sai Baba's ashram.

Maheshwarananda devoted all his time to the practice of meditation and mantra, and he did not strive to communicate with people; least of all, he wanted to attract the attention of the audience. His book very quickly became extremely famous, and as a consequence of this, he also became famous, which was not part of his plans, because he strove for a solitary lifestyle.

I saw him quite often in the ashram, but I did not know this man was the same Maheshwarananda. Directly opposite the main entrance to the ashram stands a statue of Lord Ganesha. Visitors to the ashram noticed long ago this was no ordinary statue. Prayers and worship that were performed in front of the statue received the answer of the Deity. Many people who came to the ashram prayed next to the wonderful statue of Ganesha.

One of the traditional rituals performed at this statue is called "pradakshina" in Sanskrit. This practice is as follows: you need to walk around the altar or statue in a clockwise direction and repeat the mantra. When doing this practice, it is necessary to create a positive intention and keep it while repeating the mantra.

Often, I would notice that every morning and every evening, an elderly man with a surprisingly spiritual face, dressed in orange clothes, with a quick walk, literally, in circles, lapped the statue of Ganesha umpteen times. He held a rosary in his hands, his lips were constantly moving, and it was clear he was repeating a mantra to himself.

I was once told that this is Maheshwarananda. I was also told where he lived. His little house was not far from the main gate, and I plucked up the courage and decided to try to get to know him.

47. Maheshwarananda said that one should not waste time, but one should fully concentrate only on Sathya Sai Baba

When I came to Maheshwarananda for the first time, he was quite friendly and polite with me, but I felt he was not very interested in communication, because he devoted all his time to meditation practices. He politely said he was busy now and could not talk to me, and he asked me to come to him the next day.

Intuitively, I felt that he hoped I would not come. But the next day I did come. Realizing that he could not get rid of me, he asked why I had come and what I needed. I told him that I was from Russia, and that I had read his book. I also mentioned I was seriously interested in the practices of yoga, meditation, mantra and studying Sanskrit.

In the early ‘90s, quite a few people came to the ashram from Russia, and maybe he wanted to pay attention to the Russian person, maybe he was interested in the fact that I practiced mantras and Kriya Yoga. Whatever it was, he allowed me to come to him at any time. Gradually, very good friendly relations were established between us, although he was much older than me.

Maheshwarananda was an amazingly modest man. He told all his visitors, “you have a unique opportunity to see Sathya Sai Baba, feel his great energy of love, perhaps even communicate with him personally, there is no need to waste time in unnecessary communication. You should seize the precious opportunity and fully concentrate on Sathya Sai Baba alone.”

48. Even the sacred Himalayas could not compare to the divine power of Sathya Sai Baba

Maheshwarananda was born in northern India. At an early age he was initiated into traditional monasticism. Almost all his life he traveled the Himalayas, visited ashrams, talked with philosophers and yogis. This is how his life would have passed in traveling through the sacred Himalayas, if not for the meeting with Sathya Sai Baba.

Maheshwarananda told me that around the middle of the ‘70s, he learned about Sathya Sai Baba. In 1978, he first came to Puttaparthi. It was an absolutely unforgettable experience where Maheshwarananda realized his whole life had been in preparation for such a time as this. This was the most important meeting of his life, and he felt divine energies emanating from Sathya Sai Baba.

Maheshwarananda literally told me with tears in his eyes that even the sacred Himalayas could never compare with the divine power of Sathya Sai Baba. In 1978, he lived in Puttaparthi for a month and then returned to northern India, to the Himalayas. Four years later, in 1982, Maheshwarananda once again came to Puttaparthi with the thought that he would never leave Sathya Sai Baba again. To his great joy, Sathya Sai Baba blessed him to stay at the ashram forever.

49. Sathya Sai Baba established a secret ashram in a Himalayan cave

Maheshwarananda wrote his famous book Sathya Sai Baba and the Nara Narayana Guha Ashram in the late 1980s. The writing of this famous book was preceded by unusual events. In 1982, two people from northern India came to Puttaparthi. Since Maheshwarananda himself was also a northerner, he took an interest in these two visitors. One of them was called Acharya, and he was an elderly monk of the traditional Shankaracharya order. The second was Govinda, a young man who at that time had just graduated from university.

Sathya Sai Baba paid great attention to these visitors and invited them to audiences almost every day. Maheshwarananda wondered what Sai Baba was talking to them about. Acharya and Govinda shared with great pleasure all that Sathya Sai Baba had spoken to them, making no secret of it.

Sathya Sai Baba's advice to the young man surprised Maheshwarananda. Govinda came from a wealthy and influential family, and he was a recent graduate of one of the major universities and had a degree in mathematics. He was going to get married in the near future and was thinking about a successful career. However, Sathya Sai Baba advised the young man to leave his career and become a monk. Sathya Sai Baba recommended Govinda devote himself entirely to the study of philosophy and the practice of meditation.

In traditional Indian society, it is customary to accept monasticism only if there is a blessing from the parents. Govinda went to his parents' home in northern India and asked for a blessing to leave his position and become a monk. Deep down he was worried that his relatives would refuse to give their blessing. However, to his surprise, his parents and the whole family supported his decision.

The relatives were able to understand the seriousness of the situation and were respectful of Sathya Sai Baba's blessings. After that, the young man returned back to the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in 1982. Sathya Sai Baba then instructed him to live in the ashram, practice mantras, and wait for further instructions.

A year later, Sathya Sai Baba unexpectedly called Govinda to him. The inspired young man went to his room, and when he entered, he saw Sathya Sai Baba had invited nine more people to the meeting. Sathya Sai Baba announced to all those present that they were not gathered by chance, but they all had a common spiritual mission they would fulfill together. All ten people in attendance were from different parts of India and were complete strangers to each other until that moment.

Sathya Sai Baba announced to them that he wanted to organize an ashram in the Himalayas, and it was for this purpose that he brought the group of ten together. Sathya Sai Baba said they would have to settle in this ashram and practice meditation according to the instructions he would give them. Sathya Sai Baba called this mountain ashram "Guha Ashram," which means "cave ashram;" another meaning of this name is the cave of the spiritual heart. Soon after this meeting, Sathya Sai Baba blessed them for the journey, and they set off for the Himalayas.

50. Guha Ashram in a cave under the sacred mountain Narayana Parvata

While these ten disciples were still in Puttaparthi, Sathya Sai Baba told them that on the way to the Himalayas, one more person would join them, and in total this group would consist of eleven people. Just before leaving Puttaparthi, he presented them with Akshaya Patra.

This part of the story usually attracts especially great attention from readers. What is Akshaya Patra? This is a magical jug in which food materializes. Stories about "Akshaya Patra" have existed in the Vedic tradition since ancient times.

When the ascetics of antiquity went to the Himalayas, they, according to legend, had such wonderful jugs in which rice, vegetables, fruits, and honey sweets materialized. Stories about such wonderful jugs or tablecloths (self-assembled) exist, literally, among all peoples.

Guha Ashram is located in a cave under a sacred mountain called Narayana Parvata. The caves in the Himalayas in which ashrams are founded are usually very large, and sometimes represent labyrinths of halls and corridors for many kilometers.

The climate of the Himalayas is very contrasting; in summer there is a real Indian heat, and in winter there is a lot of snow and severe frosts lasting several months. Thus, a stable comfortable temperature inside the caves is the most important condition for the comfortable life of cave yogis.

The main entrance to the Guha Ashram cave is located on the northern slope of the mountain. This cave is very large and complex in its structure with several entrances located on different slopes of the mountain. Right at one of the entrances to the cave there is a source of pure water, which yogis could use for drinking, as well as for daily ablutions.

So, in 1983, eleven people, with the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba, went to the mountains in order to organize an amazing Guha Ashram in a Himalayan cave. In 1986, that is, three years later, Govinda returned to Sathya Sai Baba's ashram and again met with Maheshwarananda.

At that time, Govinda, despite his young age, headed the Guha Ashram. He came to Sathya Sai Baba in secret, under the guise of an ordinary visitor. With the permission of Sathya Sai Baba, he shared information about the Guha Ashram with Maheshwarananda, for Maheshwarananda's mission was to describe the history of the founding of the ashram and events in the life of the yogis in the Himalayan cave.

As Maheshwarananda told me, when he learned about the existence of such a unique cave ashram, he immediately wanted to join this groupof yogis. He made a request to Sathya Sai Baba, but Sai Baba allowed him to visit the Guha Ashram only for a short time. Sathya Sai Baba explained to Maheshwarananda that his task was to describe this ashram in detail in his book, but to continue living permanently in Puttaparthi.

51. Sathya Sai Baba announced the closure of the Guha Ashram, but in fact it continues to exist today

There is no need now to retell the content of the book that Maheshwarananda wrote. Some of you are already familiar with this wonderful book. For those of you who have not read it yet, I highly recommend reading it. Maheshwarananda recounted many wonderful events in the life of Sathya Sai Baba's Himalayan ashram. I do not think this book will leave anyone indifferent.

We often talked with Maheshwarananda about various aspects of Kriya Yoga meditation and mantra practice, and I also asked questions about Guha Ashram with great interest. Maheshwarananda was quite open and gave detailed answers. I am very grateful to fate for meeting this unique person.

At some point, Sathya Sai Baba officially announced that he had closed the Guha Ashram. This news literally shocked me. In fact, the reason for Sathya Sai Baba's statement was very simple. The book about Guha Ashram came out in the late ‘80s and instantly became very popular. After reading this book, people reacted differently, some were simply delighted with the stories set forth in the book, but there were also those who wanted to go to the Himalayas at all costs and find the secret ashram.

I know several cases where Indians, Americans, Germans, as well as a couple of Russian guys went in search of Guha Ashram. Attempts to find the Guha Ashram began to happen more and more often, as people read the book and immediately went to the Himalayas. Obviously, without the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba, it was absolutely impossible to find the ashram. It is not difficult to organize a trip to the Himalayas. It’s an open area. All you need is to get in a car, and you can visit all the holy cities located in the upper reaches of the Himalayan mountains.

Sometimes people went alone, sometimes two or three. The groups were always very small. People found Mount Narayana Parvata easily on the map, but they walked long and hard through the mountains and naturally could not find the ashram. Such places of power have very serious energy protection from intruders. You can pass at a distance of several meters from the entrance to the sacred cave, and simply not notice it. You can also walk past a group of yogis who are practicing meditation or mantras, and you will get the impression there is no one around.

The energy protection of the Guha Ashram is very strong, and there is an impact on the consciousness of a person, in that one who is not spiritually ready will look and not see. Even being very close to the entrance to the cave, a person coming without the special blessing of Sathya Sai Baba would see only the slope and the mountain; it will seem to him there is no cave at all, although, in fact, the entrance to the sacred cave will be right in front of him. That is why it is impossible to go and find the Guha Ashram simply by ordinary effort.

Some attempts were on the verge of dangerous outcomes, but fortunately no one died. I know of one case where a man went looking for Guha Ashram and got lost in the mountains, fortunately he was found by passing tourists. Some broke their legs or arms and had to turn back. As attempts to find the Guha Ashram began to increase, Sathya Sai Baba announced that he had closed the ashram.

I must say that such an official statement really had a very serious effect, and several groups decided not to go. About this time, I wanted to discuss this matter with Maheshwarananda. He said that it was the only correct decision to officially announce the closure of the Guha Ashram in order to stop the flow of grief seekers.

In fact, the ashram, of course, was not closed; it continues to exist even now, just in order to remove the hype around it, it was announced that it was closed.

52. Maheshwarananda introduced me to two yogis from Guha Ashram

Initially, in the ‘80s, eleven yogis lived in the Guha Ashram. In the ‘90s, the Guha Ashram continued its development, and at different times there were twenty, and sometimes twenty-five people there. Some of the yogis lived there permanently, and some came for a few months or a few years in order to take a course of study.

At first, there were only Indians there, but since the ‘90s, several Western people have appeared there, which is quite natural, since the path of meditation and self-knowledge has nothing to do with the origin of a person, as the only criterion is the spiritual and energetic readiness of the practitioner.

In the ‘90s, some yogis from the Guha Ashram appeared from time to time in Puttaparthi. Naturally, this was a secret, as they simply came under the guise of ordinary visitors, and there was no official information about this. Of course, more sensitive people could feel the special energy and divine light coming from the eyes of these people.

I was lucky because Maheshwarananda himself introduced me to two yogis from the Guha Ashram, one of whom was named Yogi Hari; the second yogi did not want to name himself. I was fortunate enough to communicate with them quite a lot during the period when they temporarily resided in Puttaparthi.

The essence of the spiritual path is contemplative self-knowledge, in Sanskrit this is called “atma-vichara.” Where your physical body is located does not matter, you can live in large cities such as New York, Moscow, or Delhi, or you can settle in the Himalayas. It doesn’t matter at all whether you are a family or a monk – it doesn’t matter what your profession and position in society are; spiritual awareness is a deep inner process.

The fact that Sathya Sai Baba created the Guha Ashram in the Himalayas is a unique event, and the yogis who practice there are, of course, amazing people. Sathya Sai Baba sent them to the Himalayan ashram because it suited their high spiritual qualities and the peculiarities of their life path.

No need to think that living in a Himalayan cave is the only right path leading to self-knowledge. Sathya Sai Baba never said that all people should go to the Himalayas or become hermits. There are a huge number of ways and methods leading to the awakening of the inner God.

God does not live in the Himalayas, not in Jerusalem, and not on the sacred Mount Kailash, but in the depths of the spiritual heart of each person, therefore only contemplation and meditation can lead to self-realization.

53. There are no, and cannot be, any intermediaries in the communication of a person with God, because God is the true "I" of each person

Sathya Sai Baba constantly repeated that he communicates with each person, directly. One of the greatest problems that exists in the modern world is that a senseless system of intermediaries arises between man and God in the form of all kinds of priests. Intermediaries can be good, or they can be very bad, but the bottom line is that they should not exist at all.

In the communication of man and God there is no, and there can be no intermediaries, because God is the True "I" of each person. Of course, we sometimes need spiritual guides, but true teachers, pointing to the eternal Lord, themselves remain transparent. Sathya Sai Baba said that the only true teacher is the Higher Self, which is located in the spiritual heart.

Being the greatest of teachers, Sathya Sai Baba least of all tried to create a cult of himself. First of all, he pointed to the inner potentials dormant inside each person.

Sathya Sai Baba said that after he leaves this world, his tomb will lead people along the spiritual path, help in solving everyday situations, give healing, and answer prayers. And so, it happens. Even after he has left his physical body, he continues to embody the principle of direct communication with every person.

Both during the life of Sathya Sai Baba, and now, unfortunately, there are quite a lot of people who claim they allegedly speak on behalf of Sathya Sai Baba. I think we all need to be careful and not fall for the tricks of rogues.

Even during his lifetime, Sathya Sai Baba said many times that he establishes personal relationships with each person and communicates with each one, exclusively and personally. It is hard to believe, because there were millions of devotees around Sathya Sai Baba, and not everyone could communicate with him personally.

The question arose: how is it possible for Sathya Sai Baba to communicate directly with millions of people at the same time? Is it even possible? To communicate directly with Sathya Sai Baba it’s not necessary to talk to him physically. If necessary, Sathya Sai Baba can come to you in a dream and give you the necessary instructions. If necessary, he can even physically materialize in front of you in any part of the world. Most importantly, you can feel the presence of Sathya Sai Baba in your heart and hear his voice as an inner intuitive feeling.

Sathya Sai Baba is absolute consciousness and eternal spirit, therefore, he is present everywhere, and above all in your spiritual heart. Intuitive sensation and inner voice are the most accurate and reliable channel of direct communication with Sathya Sai Baba. The heart always speaks the truth. The only obstacle is a lack of self-confidence. You need to believe in yourself and your personal connection with God.

The principle of direct communication is not just a beautiful statement, it manifests itself in everyday life. Sathya Sai Baba, in the most wonderful way, made it clear about his invisible presence in the life of absolutely everyone. He often made it clear that he was aware of all the events that were taking place, and also knew, in detail, all the hidden thoughts and feelings of each person.

Of course, this does not mean that you should not take good advice from more experienced people who can help you gain a deeper understanding of complex philosophical teachings or understand the practices of meditation, mantra, and yoga. Let's assume that you are already quite experienced in meditation and know a lot about various philosophical teachings, however, it can be assumed that there is someone more experienced than you.

It is wise to be open to communication and helpful advice from those who know more. All human life is an endless process of self-education and improvement.

Sathya Sai Baba often said that one of the important methods on the spiritual path is “satsang,” which in Sanskrit means spiritual communication, during which people exchange opinions or talk about their mystical experiences.

54. If you see Sathya Sai Baba in your dreams, then it can only be him and no one else

Another possible way of direct and personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba is through dreams. In all world religions, special attention is paid to mystical dreams. There are practices of mystical dreams in the Vedic tradition, Christianity, and Buddhism. In India and Tibet, these techniques are called "dream yoga."

What is the peculiarity of the mystical experience that we get in dreams, and how does it differ from meditation? First of all, it can be said that the experience of mystical dreams is a very reliable source of information. The reliability of the information that we receive in a dream is extremely high. In a dream, the ego temporarily subsides and the soul plunges into the ocean where pure information flows.

Sathya Sai Baba said many times: "If you see me in your dreams, then it can only be me." During interviews, he quite often emphasized that the world of dreams is a very serious channel for direct communication with him personally. I think these are very important words of Sathya Sai Baba, because quite often people have doubts about the authenticity of mystical dreams.

If you had a dream where Sathya Sai Baba was present, how can you be sure that it is really Sathya Sai Baba, or maybe it's just an illusion? When a person thinks about Sathya Sai Baba all day long, reads Sathya Sai Baba's books and watches his videos all day long, then from the point of view of science, it is quite natural that such a person can see Sathya Sai Baba in a dream. But in the situation with Sathya Sai Baba, this principle does not work.

If Sathya Sai Baba comes to you in a dream, then it can only be him. Sathya Sai Baba is a great mystic who has the ability to consciously come into the dream of any person.

Working with dreams plays a huge role in many traditions, including Tantra and Buddhism. Since ancient times, great attention has been paid to working with dreams, and it was so serious that over time this system of practices began to be called "dream yoga."

Working with dream plots allows you to simulate events that occur in reality. A dream is a door through which we pass into the depths of our subconscious, penetrate into the subtle worlds, and get the opportunity to touch amazing flows of information.

55. In a dream Sathya Sai Baba showed me the Life-Giving Cross

There were times in my life when I wore all sorts of amulets around my neck. Sometimes they were Vedic amulets, such as the Om mantra symbol or the trident of Lord Shiva, and sometimes I wore a beautiful Buddhist vajra around my neck.

Once Sathya Sai Baba came to me in a dream and showed me a pectoral Orthodox silver cross, which lay in his palm. After a pause, he said, “you change various amulets all the time, they are all very good.” After a short pause he added, “put on this cross, God lives in the center of this cross!” I woke up. Thinking about this dream, I felt that I must definitely find the very cross that Sathya Sai Baba showed me in the dream.

Subsequently, I went to different churches, but nowhere could I find the cross that I saw in the dream. All the details of this cross were very clearly imprinted in my memory, and I was sure I would easily recognize it as soon as I saw it. Visiting the Kiev-Pechersk, Pskov-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra, as well as Optina Pustyn, I carefully looked at the crosses that were sold in the monastery shops. I hoped that in some of the holy places I would definitely find the very cross that I saw in the dream, but I could not find it anywhere. After some time, I went to the Life-Giving Cross in the village of Godenovo. This is a famous place, which is located relatively close to Pereslavl-Zalessky.

The history of the Life-Giving Cross is truly amazing. It appeared at the very beginning of the fifteenth century. It so happened that the shepherds, who were grazing cattle in a field near a swamp, saw a bright light descend from heaven along with a ray of light, and a huge three-meter wooden cross came down from heaven landing among the people; immediately, the cross received the name: the Life-Giving Cross.

Subsequently, the cross was installed in a monastery, which was founded near the place where the cross appeared to the shepherds. For several centuries, the cross was in the monastery.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, immediately after the bloody communist revolution of 1917, the Life-Giving Cross was transferred to a neighboring village and installed in the church of St. John Chrysostom in the village of Godenovo, where it is now. The Life-Giving Cross is a powerful artifact and for several centuries many miracles have been happening around it.

When I arrived in the village of Godenovo, I immediately saw pectoral crosses in the icon shop, which were exact copies of the Life-Giving Cross. As soon as I saw these pectoral silver crosses, I immediately recognized with joy the very cross that Sathya Sai Baba showed me in the dream. I bought it, and often wear it around my neck with pleasure.

56. With the help of mystical dreams, Sathya Sai Baba guided people along the path of life

In one of my mystical dreams, I found myself in a large medieval temple, and in the center of the temple, Sathya Sai Baba was sitting in an armchair. In the temple, there were many people of different nationalities who spoke different languages. Everyone present had the opportunity to approach Sathya Sai Baba and have a short talk with him.

I realized that this was a dream. I didn't have any question, as I understood that Sathya Sai Baba had to tell me something very important. When I approached him, he looked at me carefully and said that in three weeks and four days a teacher would come to Moscow, with whom I would meet. I moved away from Sathya Sai Baba, went to the exit of the temple, and immediately woke up.

At that time, I lived in Moscow. As the appointed day approached, I began to look more closely at what would happen. Sathya Sai Baba did not give me any details in the dream. All I knew was the day on which, according to Sathya Sai Baba's predictions, I was supposed to meet some important teacher in my life.

As the appointed day approached, my excitement intensified. Finally, I learned that a Tibetan Lama, who belongs to the ancient Nyingma school of Buddhism, had come to Moscow. To my surprise, the beginning of his seminar fell perfectly on the day that I calculated, according to my dream.

As there was a day left before the seminar, I called the seminar coordinator. A young man picked up the phone, and I introduced myself, saying I wanted to sign up for the seminar starting tomorrow. Silence followed. The young man was extremely surprised. At first, I did not understand what he meant. The young man explained the reason for his surprise.

Usually, the Lama sets several conditions for the organizers, one of which was that everyone who wanted to take part in the seminar must apply at least a month in advance. After that, the lists of participants were given to the Lama, and he performed numerous rituals on these names in order to energetically prepare all participants for the deep meditation and mantra practices that he taught during the seminar.

The young man I spoke to on the phone said that something strange happened this time, the Lama said that on the last evening before the seminar, a person would call and want to sign up. The Lama instructed to enroll in the seminar the one who called on the last evening. The young man said in surprise that he understood that the Lama had me in mind. I was also very surprised.

The next day I came to the seminar that lasted a week. Despite the fact that I saw this Lama for the first time, there was a clear feeling that I knew him well. At the last class, when I approached the Lama for a blessing, he said, “I am very glad that you have come.” There was something very close and dear in his voice, and memories of past lives stirred in my heart.

Actually, I never became a Buddhist, probably it was important for me to meet this Lama and study under his guidance for some time. I know quite a lot of people whom Sathya Sai Baba has guided along the path of life through experiences of mystical dreams.

57. What will my friends and relatives say when they see my photo in the image of Krishna right on the altar?

In one interview with Sathya Sai Baba, he advised an unusual meditation technique, which at first, I took as a joke, but subsequent events showed me this was quite a serious and powerful practice.

Sathya Sai Baba, as usual, sat in his chair, looked around at all those present, and said, “I will now teach you an important meditation technique. You need to dress yourself up as Krishna, pick up a flute, put a flower garland around your neck, and make a beautiful headdress with a peacock feather. Then you need to ask someone to take a picture of you in this image, as if you are Krishna. The photograph should be placed on the altar … every day you need to meditate on this image, you can also perform rituals of worship on your photo, as if it were an image of Krishna himself.”

After the interview was over, I left Sathya Sai Baba's room and thought, can I take his words literally? What is the point of photographing yourself as Krishna? Or maybe it was just a joke? What will my friends and relatives say when they see my photo in the image of Krishna right on the altar? It all looked like madness.

A few days later I met with an American acquaintance, Mark, who lived in a neighboring house. I decided to tell him I recently had an interview where Sathya Sai Baba taught a strange meditation technique.

Mark listened attentively to my story, smiled, and said that two years ago, he also had an interview, and Sathya Sai Baba recommended exactly the same technique to him. Sathya Sai Baba told Mark that it is not necessary to photograph oneself in the form of Krishna, one can choose any image that is closer, for example, the image of Jesus Christ or Buddha.

Hearing this, I immediately wondered if Mark tried to take such a photo and what were the results? He said that, at first, he also doubted how literally this strange advice of Sathya Sai Baba should be taken.

When Mark returned to America, he decided to try it anyway. He found beautiful Indian clothes suitable for dressing up as Krishna, found a good photo studio, and arranged to go dressed as Krishna ready to be photographed. After that, he printed a large photo, the size of almost the entire wall, and then hung it in the room in which he practiced meditation daily.

Every morning he concentrated and meditated on this picture for twenty minutes, trying to vividly imagine that he really was Krishna. When I met Mark, he had been practicing this meditation for over a year. As a result, his perception of himself completely changed, and his relationship with the outside world changed significantly. Many conflict situations even began to level off.

Relatives and business partners began to treat Mark in a completely different way. All those around him began to listen to his opinions and respectfully relate to everything that he did, although this had not happened before.

The office began to perceive Mark as a very respected and authoritative person, although he did not specifically try to convince anyone of this. Conflict relations with some relatives were corrected, and the business clearly began to bring more income, and all this happened as if by itself.

The practice of meditating on his photograph as Krishna took only twenty minutes a day, and yet it completely rebuilt his energy, harmonized his emotional state, and changed his life circumstances.

Subsequently, I met another person whose name was Dr. Rao. He told me a similar story. At one time, I often went to the Ayurvedic clinic of Dr. Rao, which was quite famous in Puttaparthi. Many times, I witnessed how patients came to him who did not have enough money to buy the necessary medicines. If Dr. Rao understood that a person needed help, he would give a course of treatment completely free of charge.

Dr. Rao was known as a great master of Hatha Yoga. Despite his advanced age, he was very flexible and in excellent physical shape. He excelled at complex yoga exercises requiring tremendous flexibility. Every day he held free master classes in Hatha Yoga.

I attended his classes, and also talked with him on various esoteric and philosophical topics. Dr. Rao was a specialist in Ayurveda, an excellent yoga teacher, and also had a deep knowledge of Vedic philosophy.

I was able to find out that Dr. Rao also received recommendations from Sathya Sai Baba to meditate on his photograph as Krishna. Dr. Rao has been practicing this technique for many years. He told me this is a very powerful and effective meditation technique. Subsequently, he recommended several of his patients and yoga students to practice this amazing meditation.

58. Meditating on Your Own Name Helps Change Your Life

The words of Jesus Christ about the need to love your neighbor as yourself are often remembered. Christ said, “as yourself,” which means that you must love yourself first of all. How can we love the people around us if we sometimes don't love ourselves?

Love for oneself is mysteriously connected with the perception of one's own name. Think about it, do you like your name? Do you feel comfortable being addressed by your first name? Repeatedly Sathya Sai Baba said that it is very beneficial to meditate on one's own name.

The essence of any prayer or mantra is the sacred name of God, and this name can be the name of Jesus Christ or Lord Krishna. There is tremendous power in the names of God. In the Vedic tradition, there is an ancient knowledge that all the power of God is in his Holy Names.

Any mantra carries energy power only because it contains the names of God. Sanskrit is the most complex language in its grammar and the richest in its vocabulary; there are not so many names of God as there are in Sanskrit in any other language of the world.

Many world traditions include the practice of repeating the names of God. In Zoroastrianism, there is a tradition of repeating one hundred and one names of God. In some branches of Islam, there is a practice of repeating the ninety-nine names of God. Seventy-two names of God are practiced in Judaism and Kabbalah.

The name that you bear in this life, in fact, is also the name of God. Your divine essence is in your name. The practice of meditative repetition of your name helps you to accept and love yourself, as well as get closer to understanding your divine Higher Self. Try it.

59. Conscious Breathing – Conscious Living

Sathya Sai Baba often preached a meditation called "So-Ham." I think it's safe to say that this was the most important meditation technique he taught. Sathya Sai Baba never said that he taught Kriya Yoga, but in fact he taught various elements of this great tradition.

So-Ham meditation is one of the most important practices of Kriya Yoga. The first sound "So" means God the Father. The second sound "Ham" comes from the word "aham," which means the individual Soul. This technique is performed as follows: the sound, “So” is mentally pronounced on the inhale, and the sound “Ham” is mentally pronounced on the exhale. During the execution of this technique, it is necessary to be aware of the breathing process.

For this, mentally pronounce “So” on each inhalation and “Ham” on each exhalation.

Since ancient times, the Yogis of India have noticed that the nature and speed of breathing is associated with the emotional state. The simplest example is well known to everyone. A person who is in a state of deep rest breathes slowly and shallowly. A person who is under stress begins to breathe quickly and deeply. Since various emotional states affect breathing, it is logical to assume that mindful breathwork can also affect emotional states.

In ancient times, Yogis noticed that the circulation of vital energy in the body is also associated with breathing. In Sanskrit, life energy is called Prana, in the Chinese tradition Qi. The harmonious movement of vital energy through the body is directly related to the nature of breathing. In order to balance the flow of vital energy in the body, it is necessary to consciously work with breathing, which is why the correct practice of meditation begins with conscious breathing.

Conscious breathing is the key to many things: healing from diseases and gaining good health, peace of mind and inner stability, releasing stress and overcoming depression. All this can be achieved through the practice of So-Ham meditation.

Conscious breathing allows you to gain and accumulate significant vital energy, which can be redirected to the harmonization of family relations and the prosperity of business, creativity, and spiritual practices.

Sometimes in an interview, Sathya Sai Baba was asked the question: is it necessary to repeat exactly “So-Ham”?

In response, he said “in principle, this is awareness of breathing, but what words or sounds you pronounce is not so important. You can say in your own language: "I am God." As you inhale mentally say "I", as you exhale mentally say "God". God is not somewhere far away in heaven, but inside each person, so the meditation "So-Ham" or "I am God" is very important, because it helps to realize God in your heart.”

60. Sathya Sai Baba exclaimed that it is very easy to materialize objects and he can easily teach us

Sometimes in interviews, Sathya Sai Baba showed an unusual sense of humor, but any of his jokes carried the deepest philosophy. Once Sathya Sai Baba invited me and my friend Oleg to a private room. In a mysterious voice, he said that for some reason people are surprised that he materializes various objects, in fact, there is nothing unusual in this. Further, Sathya Sai Baba added that each person has the ability to materialize objects, because each person is essentially God the Creator, which means that each person can create his own reality.

Hearing these words, my friend and I looked at each other in surprise. After a pause, I said that we do not know how to materialize objects. To this Sathya Sai Baba quickly replied that there were no problems, and he could easily teach us. Oleg smiled and cheerfully declared he would like to learn as quickly as possible.

Sathya Sai Baba, as if nothing had happened, raised his right hand, and said that we should carefully observe. He calmly explained that you need to carefully concentrate on the center of the palm, make a few rotational movements and imagine what you want to materialize. Having said these words, Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring, after which he exclaimed, "you see, everything is very simple." Oleg and I laughed merrily, it was easy, but not for us.

Sathya Sai Baba, as if not noticing our fun, continued, “each of you can do the same. Concentrate, create a thought form, the power of your thought form can do everything, including the materialization of objects. Thought is material, you can materialize in your life whatever you see fit. To do this, you must be aware of your infinite possibilities. You just need to realize that you already know how and can do it. All you need to do is to realize that you are the Creator and can create your reality.”

By this time, Oleg and I were no longer laughing, instead we were astonished as we listened to these unexpected instructions, hardly believing our ears. At first, this conversation seemed too strange and unreal, but then there was a feeling of depth and importance of what Sathya Sai Baba said.

Now I remember this strange conversation with Sathya Sai Baba and reflect on the meaning of his words. All his life he pointed to the infinite possibilities of each of us. His mission was to unlock our divine potential.

What does it mean to materialize objects? This symbolically means that the thought form, born in human consciousness, has great power to create the circumstances of life. It is not so important to physically materialize rings and rosaries, in fact we materialize much more. By the power of thought we materialize our very life.

The life that we live now is the result of our thoughts that we had some time ago. In the same way, the thoughts that dominate our minds now create the life of tomorrow. Each thought is material, the vibration of thought materializes the circumstances of life.

61. "Relax, your place in life is already booked for you!"

At Sathya Sai Baba's ashram, the morning program began around nine in the morning, and the evening program around four in the evening. Naturally, everyone wanted to sit as close as possible to the aisle along which Sathya Sai Baba was walking.

In order to take a seat in the first or second row, you had to come early. For two or three hours, people lined up to be among the first to enter the temple and sit in better places. Most often, I also preferred to arrive three hours before the start of the program, but sometimes I arrived as little as five minutes.

Once I arrived just a few minutes before the start of the program and saw there was an empty seat in the front row. Imagine my surprise to see the whole temple densely filled with people, and there is an empty seat in the front row. I asked the minister, “is this place occupied?” He replied it was completely free. Surprised, I took the seat in the front row.

The next day, this story repeated itself. I came to the temple right before the start of the program, but again there was one empty seat in the front row. I asked the attendant again if I could sit in this seat. He replied that the place was free. I was surprised and realized something strange was going on.

I came literally a minute before the start of the program, but the seat in the front row was always free just for me. The people who came and occupied all the best seats miraculously did not notice this one empty seat. This strange miracle took place over several weeks. It seemed that some unknown force reserved a seat in the front row especially for me.

Sometime later, Sathya Sai Baba invited my group for an interview. During this meeting, he talked a lot with the Indian family who came from Chinnaya. He specifically spoke not in Hindi, but in English so that I could understand what they were talking about.

Some phrases he uttered while turning to me. In particular, he said, “God has already determined the fate of every person. The place in the sun that is meant for you can only be occupied by you. You may come sooner or later, but your place in the divine plan can only be yours. And what you have to do in life, you will definitely do. Where you need to be, you will definitely be. What should happen to you will definitely happen.”

Sathya Sai Baba spoke these words and looked at me with a sly look. I understood that he was talking about the strange experience that had been happening to me for several weeks. Human destiny is completely in the hands of God, everything that happens is subject to the divine plan; this, in particular, you begin to feel and realize next to the Avatar.

62. The ancient Indian emperor Janaka is a perfect example for modern man

Sathya Sai Baba often said that the ideal example of a harmonious life for modern man is the ancient Indian emperor, Janaka. In accordance with traditional Indian ideas, Emperor Janaka lived five thousand years before the new era, yet, according to another version, he lived about twenty thousand years ago. Historical science finds it difficult to accurately determine the dates of Emperor Janaka’s life.

He lived in the north of India and was famous for several reasons at once. His daughter's name was Sita. Princess Sita was the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and the consort of Rama Avatar.

Emperor Janaka was a sage and enlightened yogi who studied philosophy and practiced meditation. Janaka entered the history of India as the "enlightened emperor." Since ancient times, there has been a wonderful tradition in India, according to which, a person occupying a high social position should also develop spiritually. By the example of his life, Emperor Janaka shows the path of integral development of the personality. Meditation practices and spiritual self-knowledge in no way conflict with a happy and successful social life.

Janaka was a physically strong and perfectly healthy man. He was happy in his family life and gave a decent education to his children. He was fabulously rich, lived in a large palace and his robes were decorated with precious stones. He ruled his city beautifully and fairly. At the same time, he was the greatest mystic and philosopher of ancient India.

The positive image of Emperor Janaka, which Indian history gives us, shows that a person who practices meditation and reflects on the eternal issues of being can at the same time be harmonious and successful in material life.

Emperor Janaka is an excellent example of the "Alchemical Wedding," the essence of which is the unity of Spirit and Mother. A yogi is not one who avoids family life and is afraid to touch money, naively assuming to achieve holiness through austerity.

A yogi is one who has realized the True Self, loves himself and the whole world, he is in harmony with himself, and celebrates the celebration of life in the awareness of absolute unity.

63. Avatar is the ultimate human being

Sathya Sai Baba was the clearest example of an ideal life. It is quite obvious to me that Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar who embodies the absolute fullness of divine consciousness. However, he was born in the human world, he incarnated in a human body and lived a wonderful human life. His life is the greatest example for each of us.

Sathya Sai Baba left his physical body at the age of eighty-four. For the last three or four years of his life, he was seriously ill. He was even driven in a wheelchair. According to independent researchers, by the end of his life he had about fifty million followers in various countries across the world.

Since Sathya Sai Baba energetically helped so many people, naturally his physical body began to fail, so at the end of his life there were big problems with his health. Every healer, no matter how great he is, partially passes the negative energy of his patients through his physical body.

I remember when Sathya Sai Baba was seventy years old, and even eighty years old. At that time, he looked great and was in great physical shape. With his excellent physical health, he gives us an example of the need to take care of the physical body, for it is a temple in which the soul temporarily dwells. Possessing perfect health, a person gets a good opportunity to fully fulfill his spiritual mission on earth.

Sathya Sai Baba never married, but at the same time, all his life, from childhood to old age, he paid great attention to his family. Sathya Sai Baba was very respectful toward his mother and father. When his parents passed away, he gave instructions to build a large tomb for them next to his ashram.

Sathya Sai Baba treated his brother and nephews, as well as his great-nephews and other numerous relatives with care and respect. All this is an example of how a perfect person should live because the Avatar is ultimately a perfect person. Sathya Sai Baba shows that a person following the spiritual path must fulfill his divine duties, which include taking care of his family.

Let's look at Sathya Sai Baba's financial activities. This is a very difficult question for some students and followers, because in the idealistic perception of some people it is very difficult to connect Sathya Sai Baba and money. It is necessary to treat money correctly and understand that money is a divine energy that the Lord God uses to develop and improve human civilization. In the Vedic tradition, the energy of money is personified by the beautiful Goddess Lakshmi.

Sathya Sai Baba Avatar, fulfilling a great divine mission, attracted colossal financial flows to himself. According to various sources, by the end of his life, Sathya Sai Baba's fortune reached more than fifteen billion dollars. A lot or a little, judge for yourself. Such an amount, even in Europe at a very high price level, is huge. In India, where the price level of literally everything is absolutely low, fifteen billion dollars is a colossal fortune.

Sathya Sai Baba built a magnificent ashram where millions of people come from all over the world. He founded several universities, where he gathered the best teachers in India. In his native village, Sathya Sai Baba built two large modern hospitals.

In the city of Bangalore, he also built a large hospital, and equipped it to all modern standards. All Sathya Sai Baba clinics provide free medical care. He founded charitable projects that help large families and orphans.

Sathya Sai Baba established a drinking water supply system for several districts of Andhra Pradesh, which is absolutely unique in India, where the lack of drinking water is one of the main causes of disease among the villagers. Beautiful ideas alone, or good intentions to help people, are not enough – there must be large financial investments.

Sathya Sai Baba, like a magnet, attracted significant finances to himself, and then redistributed them to good deeds. In this too, Sathya Sai Baba was a perfect example us all. Sometimes people mistakenly believe that money is the cause of all evil, but in fact, money is one type of divine energy.

There is no sin in money; sin lies in the unwise use of money. Money is just an equivalent on the basis of which goods and services are exchanged in human society. With the help of money, houses and schools, scientific laboratories and art museums are built, industry and agriculture are developed, books are published, and films are made, churches and ashrams are built. Consider how many good deeds are done daily with the help of money.

There were millions and millions of people around Sathya Sai Baba who were spiritually transformed by his blessings. A huge number of people from different countries of the world were able to start the path of self-improvement and meditation.

Sathya Sai Baba never divided people into devotees and non-devotees, his divine love was so unconditional that it didn't matter to him whether you considered yourself to be his follower or not. Sathya Sai Baba blessed everyone, both those who loved him and those who hated him.

He sent streams of his grace, light, and love to absolutely everyone. The transformation of human consciousness is the main masterpiece of Sathya Sai Baba, and in this he is a perfect genius.

64. Sathya Sai Baba is the eternal spirit present everywhere and always

Sathya Sai Baba said that "I" is the original and true name of God. Thus, faith in one's "I" is the highest manifestation of faith in God. Sathya Sai Baba is a great kind magician who has infinite love and compassion.

Now, many people are wondering what is the future of his tradition? When he was alive, we could come to him, we enjoyed talking with him, discussed our issues with him and listened to his wise instructions.

What to do now when he is not in the physical body? Sathya Sai Baba is an absolutely extraordinary phenomenon, of which there are few such examples in the history of human culture. Even after he has left his physical body, his ability to give answers to prayer appeals remains exactly the same as during his lifetime.

The tomb of Sathya Sai Baba is located in his native village of Puttaparthi, in the very south of India. The tradition of worship on relics is universal; it exists in almost all world religions. When a great mystic leaves the body, his relics become an object of worship. The relics continue to work miracles and answer people's prayers.

Despite the fact that he left his physical body, on the subtle plane he continues to visit people in dreams, give answers to questions, help in difficult situations, bless for good luck, and guide us on the spiritual path. Sathya Sai Baba is the eternal immortal spirit who is present everywhere and at all times.

Оглавление

1. Dreams come true, I went to India and met Sathya Sai Baba

2. "I am a mirror"

3. Who is the "one" who asks the question? Who is the "one" who wants the answer?

4. Everything we do and everything that happens to us are steps on the spiritual path

5. "My life is my message"

6. Where Sathya Sai Baba is born and lives, everything begins to flourish and grow in prosperity.

7. Little Krishna who settled in a small Krishna temple

8. Sathya Sai Baba forbade the cobras to crawl into the territory of the ashram, and they went to the neighboring mountain

9. What is Darshan?

10. Letters addressed to God

11. Only Sathya Sai Baba determined who needed more to talk to him personally and provided such an opportunity

12. I was a beginner interpreter of Sathya Sai Baba, and I was very worried, but soon I witnessed two interesting cases, after which I realized there was nothing to worry about, and so I relaxed

13. Sathya Sai Baba was fluent in all the languages of the world

14. I have seen people who miraculously changed their destiny with the blessings of Sathya Sai Baba, but behind all those stories there was always the great spiritual effort of the person himself

15. Materializations were accompanied by flashes of divine light and a strong crackling

16. Charms from the hands of the Avatar

17. Sathya Sai Baba knew exactly who and what would benefit from materializing

18. With the help of materialized rings, Sathya Sai Baba changed people's lives

19. The miraculous ring of Lord Shiva, which opened the door to the world of the Gods for my friend and almost drove him crazy

20. Sathya Sai Baba told me my name

21. God is the Creator; therefore, it is in creativity that a person is likened to God

22. "Formulate your goal!"

23. Sathya Sai Baba always spoke personally, taking into account the needs and level of consciousness of the listener

24. Oh my God! How to understand Sathya Sai Baba?

25. Those who practiced the Gayatri Mantra a lot established a deep mystical connection with Sathya Sai Baba

26. The Gayatri Mantra is a powerful power plant, but where to direct the energy depends on your thoughts

27. There are millions of us, but Sathya Sai Baba is one, how can he know about the life of everyone?

28. I stopped dead in my tracks, realizing that my every thought is known to Sathya Sai Baba

29. Suddenly I realized that this was Sathya Sai Baba's answer to my morning prayer

30. Sathya Sai Baba lends a helping hand before the problems start

31. Suddenly, right on Kutuzovsky street, Sathya Sai Baba materialized in front of me

32. Sathya Sai Baba appeared out of thin air

33. Sathya Sai Baba blesses the Vedic tradition of the Slavs

34. The student from Iran was a Muslim, but this did not prevent him from studying Vedic philosophy and Sanskrit

35. The statue of the deity disappeared, and Sathya Sai Baba appeared instead

36. Catholic nuns came to Puttaparthi to talk to Sathya Sai Baba and receive his blessing

37. Once I met a priest from the Vatican in Puttaparthi, he told me that Sathya Sai Baba is the "Papa of the Pope"

38. My acquaintance with two priests

39. The Dalai Lama and Karmapa wished Sathya Sai Baba long life and success in his worldwide divine mission

40. Sathya Sai Baba Healed My Australian Friend Instantly.

41. Several banknotes appeared in Sathya Sai Baba's hand, and he presented them to an astonished American

42. What is important is not that a miracle happened, but how this miracle transformed the consciousness of people

43. Sathya Sai Baba attracted unique people like a magnet, one of them was a philosopher and mystic – Ratan Lal

44. The Amazing Life of Ratan Lal

45. My acquaintance with Padananda, the owner of one of the wonderful Lingams materialized by Sathya Sai Baba from his mouth

46. I plucked up courage and went to Maheshwarananda's house in the hope of finding out about the mysterious cave in the Himalayas

47. Maheshwarananda said that one should not waste time, but one should fully concentrate only on Sathya Sai Baba

48. Even the sacred Himalayas could not compare to the divine power of Sathya Sai Baba

49. Sathya Sai Baba established a secret ashram in a Himalayan cave

50. Guha Ashram in a cave under the sacred mountain Narayana Parvata

51. Sathya Sai Baba announced the closure of the Guha Ashram, but in fact it continues to exist today

52. Maheshwarananda introduced me to two yogis from Guha Ashram

53. There are no, and cannot be, any intermediaries in the communication of a person with God, because God is the true "I" of each person

54. If you see Sathya Sai Baba in your dreams, then it can only be him and no one else

55. In a dream Sathya Sai Baba showed me the Life-Giving Cross

56. With the help of mystical dreams, Sathya Sai Baba guided people along the path of life

57. What will my friends and relatives say when they see my photo in the image of Krishna right on the altar?

58. Meditating on Your Own Name Helps Change Your Life

59. Conscious Breathing – Conscious Living

60. Sathya Sai Baba exclaimed that it is very easy to materialize objects and he can easily teach us

61. "Relax, your place in life is already booked for you!"

62. The ancient Indian emperor Janaka is a perfect example for modern man

63. Avatar is the ultimate human being

64. Sathya Sai Baba is the eternal spirit present everywhere and always