Tell Me About Sai Baba
A child’s introduction to the Lord: to be read to, or read by the young child
From time to time, in the life of the world, Lord God Himself is born in a body like ours, so that we may see Him. When He is here with us, He teaches us and He loves us in person. Just imagine! The Lord God, who has made all of the stars in the sky, comes to visit us on this tiny earth! Maybe your mother or father has told you about Rama, Krishna, Buddha, or Jesus. These were some of the different names God was called when He visited our earth in ages long past.
We are very lucky to be alive today, for the Lord has come again to the world, to help us all become good and kind. He was born in India, 80 years ago, in a little village named Puttaparthi. His family and friends called Him Sathya, which means ‘truth’. Sathya played children’s games, like you do now, but He was not like the other children. Sathya was very special. How He loved the helpless animals and the poor and sick people! When He was 14 years old, He remembered that He was the Lord God, and that He really wasn’t a little boy at all! Sathya then called Himself: “Sai Baba,” which means ‘God, the Father’.
As He grew older, some of the wise people in India found out that Sathya Sai Baba was a great, great leader. More and more people came to see this wonderful being. Soon people began to travel from all over the world to see Him, as they do today. Sai Baba healed these people if they were sick, and He made them lovely presents out of thin air. But most of all, He gave them the love that only ‘the father’ could give. You will see the time when Sri Sathya Sai Baba is followed by millions of people. He is like a great Sun toward which all living things are drawn. The children of Sai Baba live in every part of the world, from India to America!
Sai Baba loves the hearts of all little children, because your hearts are clean and pure. “How sweet is the smile of the baby in the cradle or of the child playing in the garden?” He asks us. He has said that a child will be happy with a few peb¬bles or twigs. But many older people want lots of money to buy a poor sort of happiness. That is why God wishes that big people would act more like little children! “That is the reason why Christ fondled a child and advised all grown ups to become more like children, so that they may be saved,” says Sai Baba. He wants you always to keep the ‘simple and sweet’ heart of a child. Little ones like to think about God. What do you think about Him?
Our father, Sai Baba, will be very pleased if you remember to say your prayers in the morning before play, and at night before falling asleep. He is also glad when you remember to repeat the names of God. This will make you very happy, too, for the rest of your life! God wants you to especially love and obey your parents, for it was He who sent them to earth to take care of you. You must always try to be as kind as you can to everyone in your life, and at all times speak the truth to them. Sai Baba teaches that our words are very, very powerful… and that our cheerfulness brings light to the world.
Even if you have not yet seen Sai Baba with your eyes, He can be your best friend if you just imagine His loving smile. Think about His lovely orange robe and His dark hair—and He will be there with you! The greatest thing we can do for Sai Baba is to dearly love every person and creature around us!
Have you ever stopped, during a quiet time, and asked yourself, “What makes me alive?” “Where did I come from?” “Where am I going?” Sri Sathya Sai Baba is here on earth to answer the questions of His children. He tells us that every man has been on a long, long journey to find a wonderful secret. What is that great secret which can make every person joyful and bring our world to peace?
It is very simple. God does not live in a faraway heaven and neither does He live only inside a Sai Baba or a Jesus.
God lives inside everyone. God is everywhere. God lives deep in your heart.
The love we have for our mother and father is God’s love. The singing little birds are God in His grand costume. It is really God that gives us their song! Even the silent mountains and the shining sun are alive with God’s love. The sparkling eyes of your friends are the Lord’s eyes. It is really He that plays with you! Love is seeing all things as ‘one great God.’ Where do you see Him?
Have you ever felt as big as the sky? Well, you are larger and brighter than even the sky! That is because you are an important part of God’s being. Deep within our hearts, God sits quietly, and He watches us as we work and play. Many times He will call us: “Look to me, inside. I am here.” How can we ever be lonely or sad if we remember that wonderful secret? You can turn to your God inside at any time, and you can find Him all around you.
This is the great story that God comes as man to tell us. If every father, mother, and child knew that they, too, were an important part of the great God, they would love all their brothers on earth. They would not be afraid to die if they knew they would be born into God.
You are a child now, but when you are all grown up, the world will be a very different place. Can you imagine a world where all men love one another? A world where all men love God? Sai Baba has promised to change men’s hearts by teaching them the wonderful, beautiful secret. He will begin a Golden Age of peace, and you will live to see it. You are the children of peace, and your father, Sai Baba, will lead you along the path of His love.
~An American Mother
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, March 1973
