God in Human Form
God is formless and with form, too; He transcends both form and formlessness. God with form is visible, we can touch Him and feel Him and be aware of His presence. Such is Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He is God, in human form.
Goethe referred to the `open secret’, open to all, but seen by none—the divine mystery that lies everywhere and in all beings. `This divine mystery is in all times and in all places, veritably is.’ In most times and places, it is overlooked. And, so do the men of our age when God in human form is amidst us.
To quote Carlyle, `It is a pity for every one of us, if we do not know it but live ever in the knowledge of it.’ Among the wise (the Buddhas), Sathya Sai Baba is the wisest; among the holy, He is the holiest; among the pure, He is the purest; and, to the sick, He is the Divine healer.
Bhagavan has promised to give us the immortal drink that never perishes, the light that never extinguishes, the nirvana [the state of being free from suffering] that takes us to Him. Such divine personalities, the Avatars, lift men above the mundane and preserve peace, amidst the divisive and destructive tendencies of man. Our age must be proud of possessing God incarnate amidst us enabling every one to see Him. We have to regret that to some realization comes too late.
Baba is omnipotent, indeed. His bhaktas [devotees] see Him work miracles beyond the reach of thought. On July 4th, 1965, an invalid unable to work was carried into His room, and by Swami’s touch he simply walked out. Bhaktas know His grace. Many are the blessings and gifts given to those who win His grace. His darshan [sighting of a holy man] itself gives the cure to physical and mental ills.
He is omnipresent, too. Bhaktas in London, California, and South Africa feel His presence. Two examples can be given: Sri Kunjappa Sadhu from Vijayapuram, Tanjore District in India, wrote, “I yearned to go over to Puttaparthi [Sai Baba’s abode], but since I am an invalid, He Himself came to me.” H. Charlton from Kabul wrote, “Baba has kept His promise; He is ever near.” In the Gita [the Divine song] He says, He is in everything. Only one has to realize it. Prahlada could see Him in the wooden pillar. Swami is the boatman of the boat, and He Himself is the destination. He blesses us and leads us. As He steers our soul, He is in us.
And as for His omniscience, if a student who has not spent more than a year at a high school can talk to anyone in his own language, is it not omniscience? He can quote from the scriptures, and correct even shastris [priests] and cite verses from the ancient texts. He reveals Himself as God in different manifestations and interprets divinity from many angles.
Jesus performed miracles and Christians do not under-rate them. Miracles are not performed to win the favor of the helpless and the diseased, but to give them relief. It is service to man, to living beings, done only out of pure love for all creation. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of man. So does Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He suffers to relieve the wretched. He grants sight to the blind and vision to the spiritually backward. The lame, the crippled, the lunatic are restored. Poor or rich, Kuchela or Kubera, Davies or Lazarus, it is immaterial to Him.
He is the `kindly light’ leading them, not one step further, but many steps toward the realization or revelation of God. Many are the Dhritarashtras [the blind Kaurava King] who are blind physically, mentally, and spiritually. They are all granted true sight, and insight. He is the Guru of all gurus, the vid of the Vedas [sacred texts], the goal of man, the supreme power, God in all His manifestations.
With faith, one can perceive His Divinity, for it is the ‘faithful’ that goes first to heaven, not either `hopeful’ or even `Christian’, in the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress.’ Baba has come with His grace to save man. Trust Him and He will lift you up. His Prasanthi Nilayam is the kingdom of God. He is Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram [truth is God and God is beautiful]…. God in human form.
~Prof. A. V. Suryanarayana
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, May 1966
