Reminiscences with Sri Sathya Sai

Late Dr. K Hanumanthappa, M. Com, Ph.D., CCA (USA), FBIM (London), FWAIM (USA) served as the Vice Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning from 1993 to 1996. He was former Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University and authored about 250 research papers published in national and international journals, and 15 books on finance and management. He was recipient of national and international awards and was a devotee of Bhagavan Baba for over 45 years.

Way back in 1969 Swami blessed us with an interview and said that He would take me into His University, but nothing further was revealed. At that time, I was working in Bangalore University as Head of the Department of Commerce and Management. As Bhagavan’s University had not come into being, all students from Sai Institutions used to come to Bangalore University for their Higher Studies. I should frankly admit that those students were mainly responsible for my establishing close proximity to Bhagavan. That was His Leela (miracle).

While working in the Bangalore University, I used to go religiously to Whitefield every day to have Bhagavan’s darshan. The period between 1969 and 1993 brought me closer and closer to Bhagavan and finally made me glide into His Divine Orbit. It was a turning point in my life. Unprecedented changes took place in my life, unthinkable transformation and reformation of the highest magnitude took place in my personality and those of the members of my family, besides unbearable trials and tribulations in my job and the environment in which I was working. Many extreme situations and circumstances of melancholy made my life miserable. All these events compelled me to think of quitting the Bangalore University and going either to USA or UK if possible.

At that critical juncture Bhagavan Baba entered my life and started guiding and protecting me at every stage. He finally elevated me to the position of Vice Chancellor in the same University where I had suffered untold misery and suffering. It shows that in such critical periods of devotees’ lives, Bhagavan, the “Anatha Rakshaka”, gives tremendous courage and confidence to them to face all such difficulties. In an interview in 1969 Swami told me, “You are going to become everything here and don’t need to go anywhere further.” He wanted that I should be near Him always. Knowing well my wavering mind, Swami one day sent word through Late Sri N. Kasturi that I should not leave Bangalore and the University. This I implicitly obeyed; I stayed on at Bangalore till I became the Vice Chancellor. In response to this, Bhagavan fulfilled His promise to me.

By Swami’s infinite grace and compassion, I was appointed as Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University, which was the biggest University in Asia at that time, for a period of 3 years from 1990 to 1993. After receiving the orders, I did not take charge immediately, for I wanted to take Swami’s blessings and then report for duty. Though I was going to Whitefield every day for darshan, Bhagavan neither looked at me nor enquired about my appointment. Perhaps Bhagavan wanted to test me or it might have been His Divine drama, or He was waiting for an auspicious day. When all the newspapers carried the news of my appointment, Srinivas, my old student, seems to have told Bhagavan about my appointment. Immediately Bhagavan called me, and expressed His great joy and happiness, and profusely showered His blessings on me. On a Thursday, I was asked to take charge. Holding my hands, Bhagavan promised my wife and me that He would look after everything during the tenure of my office as Vice Chancellor. And He rightly kept His promise till the end of my term, for which I shall remain ever grateful to the most compassionate Swami.

Just before the completion of my three-year term as the Vice Chancellor of Bangalore University, one day I went to Pondicherry to attend the All-India Vice Chancellors’ Conference for three days. I got an urgent message from Swami informing me that I had been selected as the Vice Chancellor of Swami’s University and that I should report on the 10th of March, 1993. Though my joy knew no bounds, getting the relieving order from the Chancellor and the Governor of Karnataka within such a short period posed a serious problem. All of us are aware that in such critical situations, Bhagavan’s divine power works in response to our prayers; and His ‘sankalpa’ will make us overcome all hurdles.

Initially the Governor refused to relieve me, for he was interested in extending my tenure for another term of three years. But God’s Will was that I should report on a particular day as destined and designed by Bhagavan. Miraculously, the Governor changed his mind overnight and relieved me. After my return to Puttaparthi, Bhagavan told me, “I had gone to the Governor at Bangalore and asked him to relieve you immediately.” All this had happened in one night, hardly within 8 or 10 hours. This incident still remains a mystery to me, because when Bhagavan was in Puttaparthi at that time, how could He have gone to Bangalore overnight and met the Governor? Therefore, God, the Divine Master can change the course of events, and make things submit to His Divine Will as and when He desires.

From day one, after taking charge as the Vice Chancellor, I felt as though I had landed in a different world altogether. Everything looked very strange and totally different from what I had seen and experienced all along in my life. Bhagavan’s University looked totally different from the rest of the universities in the world. The students, teachers, and the staff looked different in their behavior, their life style, and work culture. My experience in Bangalore University and in other places could not match Bhagavan’s University. On the other hand, those were contradicting and confronting my style of functioning. Bhagavan was closely observing my predicament, sometimes correcting, sometimes encouraging and at times even admonishing me in order to put me on the right track so carefully and miraculously through His Divine power. Slowly I tuned myself to the changed ambience and was in tune with the divine atmosphere pervading the Sai Institutions and Campuses at Prasanthi Nilayam, Whitefield, and Anantapur Women’s College.

During my tenure as Vice Chancellor, there was not much of administrative work. Most of the things here are either done by Swami or by the students under His benign guidance. At one stage I felt as though I had no work except to be always in proximity to Swami. As the saying goes, “Old habits die hard”; I used to go to the office regularly every day at 8.30 am and come back at 5.00 pm. The result was that I was missing both the morning and the evening darshan of Swami. After observing me carefully for some time, one day He came to me and said, “What are you doing at the top of the Hill in the office from morning till evening?” I said, “Swami, I will be attending to the office work and then reading some books.” Immediately He said, “Ours is a small University when compared to Bangalore University, which is one of the biggest universities in Asia; it takes hardly a few minutes for you to attend to the office work. My dear Hanumanthappa, Swami has brought you here to spend more time to do ‘spiritual sadhana’ rather than routine academic work as you used to do all these years. You have already wasted and frittered away your lifetime in such mundane activities. Stop this at once.”

This counsel of Bhagavan shook my whole attitude and brought metamorphosis in my life. From then onward I started spending more time in ‘spiritual sadhana’. But even then, He was constantly testing me at every stage, in every activity, and silently bringing thorough reformation and refinement in my life in order to make me stage by stage reach perfection in every respect. His extraordinary sensitivity to the needs and problems of millions and millions of people all over the world is by all standards incredible. This `sensitivity’ is ever in operation.

Here are a few of my important reflections and reminiscences:

One distinguished devotee after meeting Swami, it seems, said, “I came, I saw, and I was conquered.” Another devotee said, “He is the friend I love, the God I fear; the Krishna in whose enigmatic hands I love to be slain, making myself immortal.” Yet another expressed himself in patriotic terms when he exclaimed, “God is an Indian”. And yet many choose to speak in the language of silence when asked to describe their confrontation with the Divine, but their way of life bears eloquent testimony to the alchemy of His impact.

To start with, I must [talk] about the life of devotees and the society at large at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan. And, secondly, the life of students in Bhagavan’s Institutions and how silent transformation, reformation, and refinement takes place at different levels and at different times in individuals’ life through the “religion of love”. Every moment, there is a new revelation that prepares us even more perfectly for a life that is assured of reaching the goal. Every time He speaks to us, there is a renewal of hope and revival of strength that equips us better to face the challenges of life, to take its thrills and tragedies, its moments of delight and despair in our stride, and relentlessly strive to attain the supreme equipoise that is “His Habitual Disposition”. His every action bears the stamp of the “Divine Alchemist” enchanting us with visions of a splendorous world of infinite perfection, that is “His Own”. Indeed, “He is Functioning to Perfection”.

Millions of His devotees gather at the Lotus Feet, and each would contend that there is something very special and unique between himself and Bhagavan.  Their experiences of Bhagavan have been unique, singularly fortunate in gaining His Grace. Swami has a different approach, mode of dealing, and an appropriate message to give to every individual who comes within the ambit of His grace. All these contain some eclectic essence of “Supreme Identity” and are done with the one intention of making the individual consciously aware of it.

I am fully convinced that Bhagavan’s Philosophy of Life centers round the “Doctrine of Universal Love” and He has indeed been its most authentic exponent. His very nature is love and love is the Religion that He practices and preaches. To combat the disease of discord and disharmony that has undermined human relations and even imperiled man’s very existence, “Love is the paramount panacea” that Bhagavan prescribes.

A devotee says, “Love is Life’s spiritual integer.” In the innermost recesses of every human heart, the seedling of pure love lies buried in the debris of cruder emotions and sentiments. To let this seedling sprout with the water of faith and the sunshine of “Divine grace” is to open up a spiritual dimension to the human consciousness that will ultimately enable him to seek and get the “Absolute”.

Bhagavan wants to bring change in the younger generation through “Integral System of Education and Living” by opening new type of schools, colleges, and universities at different places and in different countries. Value Oriented Education is a hallmark of the Sri Sathya Sai System of Education that aims at producing a combination of action in the material world with the yearning for spiritual enquiry, leading one to higher goals. [It does this] by creating and operating a base for the graded and subtle evolution of the secular (or relative) values to the transcendental (or absolute) values, equipping students to play their dynamic role in the society both as secular and spiritual persons.

The Sai System of Education has a profound positive content based on spiritual heritage, national goals, universal perceptions, and cultural perspectives. The Sai System of Education creates in students a sense of purity of thought, word, and deed; above all it makes them better human beings.

India is witnessing unprecedented expansion of higher education and mushroom growth of colleges and universities. There is admittedly a state of near anarchy even in the administration of existing facilities leading to social tension and mediocre output. Much of this confusion is traceable to ethical, moral, and social values being divorced from the educational process. This has far-reaching consequences on the quality of manpower that holds the key to our country’s progress.

Higher Education has expanded quantitatively over the years. Regardless of political system, level of economic development, or educational ideology, the expansion of Higher Education has been the most important single post-war trend worldwide. Higher Education expanded dramatically first in U.S.A., then in Europe, and currently the main focus of expansion is in the ‘Third world’.

Bhagavan Baba says, “Value-Based Education should help eliminate obscurantism, religious fanaticism, violence, superstition, and fatalism.” Therefore, Sri Sathya Sai System of Education is unique in the world and is the only panacea for the country and the whole world.

Bhagavan Baba’s University is a Universal University and a Divine University; it is not only for students, but it is for all people in the world. Swami is ushering in a “Global Reformation through Spiritual Renaissance” by means of “individual rediscovery”. Baba’s Divine Mission cannot be understood easily. His Divine design is most incredible, inexplicable, incomprehensible, unique, and beyond intellectual perception. Generations to come will hardly believe that such a person as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon Mother Earth!

Sitting in the Mandir [temple] in close proximity to Bhagavan, our students and teachers in Swami’s institutions undergo constant purification of their hearts. The heart gets filled with love that is pure, selfless, and hence divine. The attraction toward Him is indeed extraordinary, unique, and universal. The more we see Him or hear Him, the greater the desire to see Him and hear Him ceaselessly. The very thought of Baba sends ripples of emotion and divine vibrations all through the body, sometimes resulting in tears. This instantly elevates us and lifts our soul into the limitless “Cosmic Consciousness” of Baba. Bringing man to God is the greatest miracle of Baba.

Sitting with Him even in a private audience, we get the impression that every word of His has some meaning for someone or the other, which we may not be able to recognize. One devotee with close proximity to Swami said, “Every act of His transforms someone; every glance of His touches someone’s heart; every word of His molds someone’s character; every gesture of His confers joy on someone.” Therefore, we get the impression that He does not act as “Human” but as a “Human – Divine”. It is this “Divine Element” in His actions that make all of it so lovable, so touching, so mysterious, and so memorable.

There is a peculiar experience of being in the presence of Baba, may be because of His access to Infinite Cosmic Power. A sense of unfathomable mystery persists with Him, and I call it a “Divine Mystery” that is eternal, inexhaustible, and always perfect (poorna)”. We will be wonderstruck to see sometimes that His sweep is so pervasive and His interest in us is so deep, intensive, and all-embracing that we are off our feet long before we realize what has happened to us! When the ‘Infinite’ has come into the finite dimension, not understanding, but non-understanding or even misunderstanding results in confused behavior all around. But the Master as He is takes care of the situation. He relates to us as is best for our understanding and exactly as we envisage, with all mischievous glee.

Sometimes, I ask myself if I could have ever lived without Bhagavan Baba. Without Him, I would have felt utterly lonely, deserted, and desolate. My life would have been miserable, worthless, misdirected, and futile. What a great difference it makes now with Baba guiding and protecting me through all vicissitudes in my life. I have no words to express my deep sense of reverence, gratitude, and profound love to my Loving God and Living God, the Universal Mother, and the Cosmic Mother. The great spiritual power of Sai touches all shores of the world’s oceans and seas. The “Poornavatar” is available to all of us. It is an opportunity of a lifetime to transform and reform ourselves from a directionless existence to a life full of meaning and purpose. The onus is on us.

Sitting at the center of our heart on the golden throne, Baba keeps eternal vigil over all of us, night and day; all our thoughts, words, and deeds get automatically registered with Him. Let us pray for Baba’s constant guidance and the perennial warmth of His Love. With His help, let us cross this ocean of life and try to reach the “Kingdom of Heaven”.

~ Late Dr. K. Hanumanthappa
Source: Vidyagiri: Divine Vision 2006