The Birth of our Beloved
Before Kali Yuga started, sweet Lord Krishna oft proclaimed
“To this Earth again will I be born, when it is steeped in shame.”
And thus it was so written, on the Gita’s golden page
“For the protection of the righteous, I am born from age to age.”
And then the world retreated deep—into maya’s [illusion] cold embrace
A handful cried to God Himself to assuage them with His grace.
Thus in humble Puttaparthi, as the Lord destined it be
A little one was coming to the Raju Family!
Unknowing Easwaramma, beauteous with child
Had begged the gods for a son—the Lord Himself just smiled!
Midnight marked the holy advent of November twenty-third
The pious family lay at rest; there was but naught a word!
Suddenly! Tamboura’s [instrument] drone ethereal with ecstatic joy of drum
“Proclaimed out of their own accord: “The Lord Himself will come!”
Thus in the earliest morning, Easwaramma felt the pangs
And the greatest God began descent unto this lowly plane.
The mother partook of worship, water sanctified, and flowers
And the village was chanting “Shiva! Shiva!” in these dawning hours!
The Sunrise was the Advent! The dawn of humankind’s dream
The Divine and glorious babe was born, aglow with light supreme.
The blessed year: 1926—thus our Precious Lord appeared
Announcing once again to all! —”I am your Charioteer!”
A cobra, strange, beneath Baby’s Bed—mysteriously made it shake
For mighty Vishnu rest again—as Seshasayi upon the snake!
God lay in His new body; tiny head in haloed cloud
And measured lofty powers with which He’d been endowed!
His smile captured all the hearts of those who were so blessed
And wondrous realms of Divine Abode could this little face suggest!
`Sathyanarayana’ was given as His name
Supreme embodiment of truth, full grace, full Sri, full fame!
A celestial little laugh amidst a head of silken curls
Dazzled mother earth and delighted all the worlds!
O, if we could have peered then into those sparkling lotus eyes
We would have wept with joy and cried—”He’s come for us! Our Sai!”
Soon the air was softly filled with the breath of jasmine bloom
Little Sathya radiated bliss! And a God’s perfume!
Our Merciful little Gopal, now Sathya in this life
Came to comfort the weary world for her human tears and strife.
The Lord’s figure grew into a charming abode of grace
Today lakhs [millions] come to get the darshan [Sight] of His blissful face!
O, our great Sai Baba—You’ve toiled here forty-four sweet years
What merit have we won that You call all of us, “My dears?”
Let us kiss Your lotus feet, O God, on this auspicious day
Grant that there we’ll ever remain, to never go astray!
So on Your glorious birthday, Lord, may every heart rejoice
Jai! We are all reborn! We’ve hearkened to Thy voice!
~Mrs. Michael Shultz
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Jan. 1971
