Sri Sathya Sai Baba had been with us…in HIS unique Avataric Mission…tending human souls…transforming human minds…in His Mission…”Operation Human Souls”, in re-establishing virtues, dharmic principles, human values for the world at large, the task this Eternal Being had taken upon Himself…in consonance with Sri Krishna’s Divine declaration over 5000 years ago at the battlefield of Kurukshetra:

“Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glanirbhavathi Bharatha,
Abhyukthanam adharmasya Thadathmanam Srujamyaham.
Parithranaya Sadhunam Vinashaya cha Dhushkrutham
Dharma samsthapanarthaya Sambhavami Yuge Yuge”

“Whenever there is a decline of Righteousness and rise of evil, the Lord incarnates from time to time to uphold Righteousness, to protect the Virtuous and to uproot the evil”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba; lovingly called “Swami”, the DIVINE MASTER par excellence to the spiritual aspirant; the greatest humanitarian to the rationalist; the leader with a dynamic vision; a huge inspiration to thousands of youth; the divinity in human form to a devotee; and to everyone who had the opportunity to behold HIM, The Divine Love Walked on Two Feet.

 The birth of ordinary humans is the direct consequence of Karma, but the Lord descends in human form, rather say, incarnates from the state of Atma (Universal Absolute Consciousness) to the state of Deha (Body), to play a specific role as a part of HIS Cosmic Drama.  HE decides the time, place, parents and the length of HIS incarnation and also how HIS life would unfold. Thus the Lord’s descend as a human is a part of HIS Leela (Divine Sport).

HE incarnated on 23 November 1926 as Sathya Narayana Raju in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India.  In childhood HE demonstrated exemplary qualities of compassion, generosity and wisdom that clearly distinguished him from the other children of his village.

On 20 October 1940, He staged the Divine Drama of throwing away His books and openly made the historic declaration of HIS Avatarhood, saying “I belong to MY Devotees.., they are calling ME…”  Since then HE had been in action…selflessly, sending the strong signal to the human hearts…to follow suit.

On 25 May 1947, HIS mission and determination was further amplified in a letter HE wrote to his brother.   He said, “I have a Task: To foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of Ananda (Bliss). I have a Vow: To lead all who astray away from the straight path again into goodness and save them. I am attached to a work that I love: To remove the sufferings of the poor and grant them what they lack.  I have a reason to be proud:  For I rescue all who worship and adore me, aright.  I have my definition of the devotion I expect: Those devoted to me have to treat joy and grief, gain and loss, with equal fortitude.”

Essence Of HIS Teachings

His Life had been an open book, a book in which the essence of Divinity, The Truth behind all Truths was inscribed in golden letters. “Love All, Serve All“ and “Help Ever, Hurt Never“ are the two axioms that best summarize HIS life and HIS teachings.   When asked, “Are you God?” He replied, “Yes, I am God and so are you.  The difference is that I am aware of this fact but you are not.”

He said “My Life Is My Message“ and from a young age he had worked tirelessly to instill human values in society and to help people establish themselves firmly on the path to self-confidence and self-realization. His teachings focused on cultivating good character and serving society.

HIS speeches and writings have offered an absolute ocean of knowledge and guidance on all aspects of Spiritual, Religious and Value-Oriented living. HE had often repeated that it was not necessary to drink the whole ocean to know its taste, that it was not necessary to read all scriptures to live a life of joy, peace, and love. It is enough to put into practice one aspect of spiritual teaching. HE had presented the profound knowledge enshrined in the scriptures of the world in simple and easily comprehensible terms that could be grasped and practiced by anyone irrespective of age, gender, faith and nationality.

 Briefly, Swami urges humanity to:

• Believe in God; for there is only ONE GOD for all humanity, though HE may be called by many names.
• Follow sincerely its respective religions and live daily life in consonance with the teachings of good behavior and morality.
• Respect all other religions; for no religion advocates the negative and lower qualities of man.
• Perform selfless service to the poor, the sick, and the needy without thought of reward or fame.
• Cultivate and promote in their lives the values of Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Right Conduct), Shanthi (Peace), Prema (Divine Love) and Ahimsa (Non-violence amongst all.
• Be patriotic and respect the laws of the country in which they live.

What a glorious period of 85 years (1926 -2011) of human existence was for those who witnessed this era! The loving glory of the Avatar flowed like a murmuring pellucid stream bestowing its bounty and cool on millions of inhabitants on its banks in hills and dales, on curves and plains,  on rocks and sands, with ease and grace, showering blessings on all, east or west, black or white,  embracing all in its fold.

In fact, the eighty five long years, appears to be so short a time to enjoy the nectarous Divine Presence in physical frame. Millions of people have been corrected,  straightened, advised, admonished, sheltered, rehabilitated, clothed, fed, educated, nursed, cured, guarded, guided and transformed every second of the day all over the globe – no rest, no sleep.

On Sunday, 24 April 2011, when nobody ever imagined could have ever happened but actually it did. Our dear Divine Master decided that HE had given HIS Teachings and must now withdraw to HIS eternal, formless and omnipresent aspect. The Eternal dissolved into Eternity, leaving his devotees to come of age, to behave responsibly with human and spiritual values and practice ‘Love in Action’ as HE did.  Playing a role in Swami’s global Mission, this calls for a proper attitude and frame besides spreading His Teachings.   The foremost test for the devotees commenced without warning or even enough time to recover from the traumatic experience that all had to undergo.  It seemed as if Swami was assuring his devotees,

“You can easily handle this test if you are completely absorbed in My Teachings and are determined to follow it with Ananya Bhakti (unshakable faith)  with sharp  Buddhi (Intellect) to discriminate between what would please Swami and what would not, who is omnipresence, omnipotent and omniscience and resides within every being”.

The devotees, who had sipped Divine nectar of HIS Love, must sincerely and deeply get immersed in HIS work, and use their spare time for re-living those golden memories which so rapidly dissolved into history.  The onus is on us now to have unshakable faith in His teachings, have courage and determination to follow HIS footsteps by listening to the ‘Inner Voice’ and act accordingly.

O My beloved Sai Maa, Divine Mother! How greatly indebted are we to you! Our heads bow low in gratitude at Thy Divine Lotus Feet!