Sathyam Sivam, Sundaram, Volume 6
edited by by B.N. Narasimha Murthy
pbk, 470 pages, Rs 90
The offical biography of Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the "Sathyam Sivam Sundaram" series, which cover the life and works of Sathya Sai Baba between birth and 1980. The chronicler of the of the first four volumes of life of Sri Sathya Sai Baba was Kasturi, the former editor of Sanathana Sarathi, who collated and authored the information in the first 4 volumes. The new editor of this series is Sri B.N. Narasimha Murthy; Volume 5 was released during Guru Pournima of 2005, and covered the years 1980-1985. This volume under review covers the years 1986-1993.
Swami has often told, "My story is nothing but the story of my devotees. The devotees belong to Me, and I belong to the devotees!"
To this end, the reader might be surprised to read that five of the chapters of this book are the narratives of devotees about the inspiration and motiviation Sri Sathya Sai Baba has been in the life of the devotee telling the tale. In some respects there is a validity in this process, for the larger part of the Sai Mission is dharmasamstaphana, the restoration of righteousness ... a mission that entails transformation of the human heart. Such tales of transformation in the workplace, in the hospitals, in the military, in the offices of high finance and trade occasion sober reflections that in every niche of human life and endeavour, this transformation is most certainly taking place.
The narrative opens with the story of Sathya Sai Baba's visits to Ooty and to a neighbouring hilltop retreat in south India, Kodaikanal. The narrative of the early visits to Kodaikanal and staying at Sai Kripa are covered and culminates with the inauguration of Swami's house in Kodaikanal on Lake Road, Sai Sruthi. Many a darshan has been given there, and many a student has joined the Lord for the vacation holiday at the hilltop, the author included. There is an endearing chapter which gives a typical day at Kodaikanal along with a bird's-eye view of a picnic with Swami and students, accompanied by a few elders, and their pastimes at picnic. There is a fulsome account of Swami's care and attention to every aspect and needs of the students on holiday with him. But holiday it was not entirely, for Swami gave many talks and much divine revelation.
The Faculty of Management of the then Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning was opened at this time, and third chapter describes Swami's philosophy of management in the field of commerce. There are several stories told by devotees outlining the influence Swami and his teachings have been in the conduct of their business ventures.
The resumption of the famous Summer Showers in Brindavan is told through the stories of Sri Anil Kumar and Narasimhamurthy. There are narratives of senior functionaries in the Prashanti Nilayam ashram, N. Kasturi, Kutumba Rao, Narasimhan (the next editor of Sanathana Sarathi after the demise of Kasturi) and Brigadier Bose, the engineer who constructed many of the buildings in Prashanti Nilayam Township and in the Vidya Giri. There is also the narrative of the construction of the Hanuman Statue on Hanuman Hill, which Swami told, has to last hundreds and hundreds of years! On the day of the inauguration of construction, when Bhoomi Puja was conducted, Sai Gita, Swami's pet elephant, walked up Hanuman Hill on that day, to the very top, side by side with Swami...
The mission of Sathya Sai Baba is worldwide and reaches to the ends of the earth. Thus, we have narratives of the presence and grace of Bhagavan in the lives of devotees from many places; General Mahadevan in the Himalayas, Dr Jumsai in Thailand, Mrs Krystal in the USA, Hal Honing in the slums of New York, the orphanage in Buenos Aires, John Behner in Latin America, Michael Goldstein hijacked in the Middle East, and Dr Upadhyay and medical camps which were conducted in Africa and Russia. The list goes on.
The Sathya Sai Organisation, founded by Swami himself enters the narrative with the All India Conference of 1987, and then the split of the Organisation between India and Overseas at the 5th World Conference. Much development and change has taken place worldwide due the devotional activity of Sai Centres and Groups, along with the activity of SSE teachers, service activities, Sai Young Adults and the Mihila Vihbag, the Ladies Wing, worldwide.
The final chapters deal with the construction of the Super Specialty Hospital in Prashanti Nilayam, and the moving narratives of several physicians, Dr H.S. Bhat, Dr Narayanan Reddy, Dr Sara Pavan and Dr Choudary, to name a few. The last chapter is a summary of teachings extracted from the Guru Pournima discourses given by Sathya Sai Baba between 1986-1993, followed by a chronology of events in the life of Sathya Sai Baba during those years.
Sathya Sai Baba calls ... One day, Swami corrected Kasturi whilst he was translating, when Kasturi translated "Prapanchame na illu" as The world is my mansion; Swami remonstrated with Kasturi with a finger, once, twice ... "No! Not the World. The Universe is My Mansion!" Kasturi went on to tell, "And I had the Darsan of Him, whose "illu" is the Universe! When we say "Sathya Sai Baba calls...", the author is most humble to point out in his preface that Sathya Sai himself is working on many planes, many that we are not aware of, and indeed, he is at work throughout this entire universe.
So this humble narrative of the jivan charita of Sathya Sai, however humble and however limited, perhaps, by the stories of the devotees included herein, does illustrate the world-wide expansion of both the Sai Mission and the Sathya Sai Organisation. A difficult task, to tell the tale of He who is verily the inner resident of every heart, here on earth, and elsewhere in the known universes.
The author has succeeded with humbleness, fear and trepidation that he dare with full humilty, to tell the story of the sojourn of He who verily, with one world, created all this that we see. A book for thought and reflection of the greater purpose of the presence of Sathya Sai, within, and here on this Earth.
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