An Evening on the Sands

It was nine years ago on a quiet November day that I had the first thrill of the “Evening on the Sands.” I had reached Puttaparthi [a village in Andhra Pradesh, South India] that very morning, and within a few minutes I could sense the exaltation among the devotees at Prasanthi Nilayam [Baba’s ashram in Puttaparthi]. Baba had announced that He would be going with them to “the sands” that evening. As soon as I entered the premises, some caring friends congratulated me on my good luck, for the visit to “the sands” was, it appeared, a rather rare event at Puttaparthi.

Evening came at last, and all those who were at Prasanthi Nilayam that day gathered to follow Baba to “the sands” of the river Chitravati, about 220 yards away. Baba came down from His room spreading joy all around Him with a smile, a quip, a pleasantry, or a kind inquiry. He walked at the head of the little throng. Stepping across the little trickle to which the river was reduced by long months of drought, He trudged along the sands, seeking a place to sit…. and, at last, we all sat around Him, the men on one side, the women on the other, and the children on the circumference, playing with their kind.

Truly, it is one of nature’s loveliest spots, the river bed near Prasanthi Nilayam. Hoary hillocks come down from the mountain ranges, as if to slake their thirst in the sacred river, some boulders having already reached the waters. Stony altitudes have cut off visual contact from the world around. The sky overhead is resplendent with the multicolored panorama of the sun setting, while all around us the earth is magnificent with bounteous green.

As the shadows lengthen and the cattle return home, hundreds of different kinds of birds fly from all corners hurriedly to their nests, and with a suddenness that is dramatic, twilight disappears into the night, leaving us free to commune with ourselves and wrestle with the darkness inside us.

Many a time have I sat on the sands in the holy presence of Baba since that November day about which I am writing, but that evening is carved deepest in my mind, not because it was in any way unique for Puttaparthi, but only because, being my first, it made the most profound impression on me.

Having graciously waited until all were comfortably seated, including the older devotees who took a longer time to plod through the sands, Baba in reply to a casual question, began a discourse on karma [action] and bhakti [devotion]. It was in such sweet, simple Telugu, full of interesting parables taken from daily life. “Bhakti without karma” He said, “is like a basement without a wall. Karma without bhakti is a wall without a basement.” To hear His discourse was an indescribable pleasure. I found it impossible to analyze it into separate statements but it was easy to accept it all straight into the heart.

I was struck by the universality of His message. He said, “In my view, there are no nastikas [atheists] at all; even those who deny God are not forsaken by God.” He said, “I am the servant of all.” I was really excited by His unbounded love. “You can call Me by any name, I will respond without anger because all names are mine! Or rather, I have no name at all. Even if I am discarded by you, I shall be behind you; you have full freedom to discard Me.”

Questions were asked about rebirth, about pranava [primordial sound], vairagya [detachment], and for each question there was an immediate and satisfying answer. I felt that in His presence all doubts ceased and contemplation of that scene with God Himself as center stilled all questionings and illumined all shadows.

Then Baba taught us some songs that extolled the Lord’s name and were saturated with spiritual advice for the practitioner. Later, the discourse was resumed. This time it revolved around Shirdi [holy place in India] and the devotees who came for enlightenment to His previous body. Baba spoke of current pictures of Shirdi Baba [previous incarnation of Sathya Sai Baba] being spurious. While speaking in this manner, He dug His fingers into the sands and showed us a picture that He described as the authentic representation of Shirdi Sai Baba.

Conversation naturally proceeded on Baba being the Avatar of Dattatreya [an incarnation of the trinity—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva] and He dug into the sands again, and lo and behold: out came a very beautiful metal image of Dattatreya, the symbol of unity in trinity. He announced that the image would be given to a devotee for worship, and we all felt how blessed that devotee would be to receive this unique gift from Baba. In their excitement, all had now drawn closer to Baba, and He felt that each of us should receive something from His hands. We anxiously craned our necks to see what He would pull out from the sand this time. It was a thick, flat block of sugar candy. He also took a handful of sand in His hands, which, while pouring on to a plate, became vibhuti [sacred ash]  that could be distributed to all.

Watching this, I was overwhelmed by the supremacy of Baba’s will and by His all-inclusive love and wisdom. When at last we rose and followed Him to the mandir [temple], I was a transformed person with eyes a-twinkle with a new light. I have endeavored to keep that light aglow for these nine years. It has been my good fortune and His grace that wherever I have been; I have not been far from the source of that all-encompassing light

~ N. Kasturi
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, March 1958