Bring All Your Burdens

Have you ever been so laden down with human burdens—burdens so weighty that you begin to crumple?  A headstrong son whose every action is going against everything you know to be true and right…or a daughter unable to see as clearly as you, with your longer experience of things only a woman knows?

Dawn was stealthily breaking on that unique morning of January 12, 1970, and as I was looking from the window at the vast Pacific Ocean, once again I wondered at the sweet compassion and tender understanding of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, whose presence I had just a short while before been graced with…in this very room…or was it over there in Puttaparthi?

The lesson taught to me is far too wondrous not to impart, for was it not for all of us to know?

On awaking I was in a high state of blissful exaltation for did not His laughter and the unbound joy within me send me gently back to this world?

During this experience I found myself in the very bright sunshine walking slowly toward Baba. He was smiling, beckoning me. With arms outstretched, holding leg and arm like human members, the 12 or so feet of distance was covered. As I gave the human burdens to Baba, He laughingly said, “Now go and bring the real big ones!”

A feeling of almost disbelief overcame me. I asked myself “Does He really want me to bring Him the real big ones (problems)? Can He possibly mean it?”

Then I saw myself returning to Baba with arms once again laden with these much larger flesh-colored rounded members [the burdens] of some two or three feet in length. Again Baba was smiling with great understanding at my amazement of His joyful acceptance of these burdens. The depth of the feeling within me at that time is difficult to express.

Again the load seemed to disappear right before my eyes. The brightness of Baba exceeded that of the brilliant sunshine, and this, too, made a great impression on me.

Just before `returning’, the joyful relief within me turned to happy laughter, which became louder and louder until I awoke with His name bubbling on my lips.

We have heard Baba say, “Those who are heaviest laden need Me most,” and this event that had taken place on the other side of the world is repeated thus again for those who may have forgotten to place before the blue lotus feet of the Lord all of their troubles. Let us always remember His words, “Bring the real big ones.”

~Charles Penn
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, April 1970