His Divine Concern
It was around 6:00 p.m. The bhajan [sacred singing] had come to a close and Bhagavan Baba had retired to His room, and most of the students had also left. There was silence all around. The sun was slowly setting. Dark clouds hovered above the earth’s surface. The merry voice of the thrush turned to the plaintive cry of a crow for solace. It had poured heavily earlier and now, the rain had ceased but had left traces of its presence around the area. Crickets chirped in the green mossy undergrowth. The pigeons above were grooming themselves with their beaks, as their feathers had gotten disheveled in the downpour.
A young boy sat silently in the midst of nature’s abundance of beauty and stared at God’s wonderful creation. The synchronization and bountiful co-ordination of nature filled his mind with awe. He was engrossed in the symphony of nature, with its beautiful sounds of love and light. He was wonder-struck and silent. The person who made the world so beautiful with its wonderful exhibits took care to see that even the lowliest of the snails had a shell to protect itself from the cruel side of its life. He took care to see that even a young squirrel would have enough hair to keep itself warm during the frosty winter in the depths of its cozy home. He looked at the entire universe which He had created with so much love that it bloomed into activity.
His broad vision gave place to the most insignificant of things, and He made sure that even they were happy and were given a comfortable place in His creation. What a wonderful person God must be. The boy then took back his words. The very same God about whom he was thinking of, just a few moments ago, was amidst all of them, talking with them, joking, consoling, and loving them all as His own. Oh! What a wonderful person God is!
The annual sports meet festival at Prashanti Nilayam was proceeding with great pomp and ceremony. Bhagavan had inaugurated the program, and everything was going on well. As Bhagavan sat on the dais, the students displayed their talents in the form of various feats of bravery and artistic endeavor. Suddenly, two white pigeons flew across the stage, one behind the other as though in a chase. Bhagavan’s eyes darted toward this sight, and pointing to them He said, “The poor little things find it difficult to adjust themselves with the outside world as they were with us for such a long time.” Yes, indeed. They were the very same pigeons that Bhagavan had taken in his hand and released into the sky during the inaugural ceremony.
He cares for the smallest amongst the small, and also for the biggest amongst the big. Bhagavan has said, “I separated Myself from Myself to love Myself. My dear ones, you are My very own self.”
His love is far more pervasive and powerful. It is hundred percent pure and selfless. There are many who say that Bhagavan’s love can be compared to that of a thousand mothers’. Why only a thousand? Could all the mothers in this world match the love given to us by the one Sai-Ma?
It was a few years ago when some solar heaters had arrived in Prashanti Nilayam. Bhagavan, out of His immense love for His [school] children, felt that it would be very cold in the mornings and hence, the boys could make use of hot water to have a nice bath. Bhagavan decided to install the hot water system in the Primary School, and in due course in the [college] hostel as well. So, the principal was informed and the solar heating system was installed within a short period. They were anticipating Bhagavan’s arrival so that He Himself would inaugurate the hot water system. Everything was kept ready, and responding to their sincere prayers, Bhagavan obliged. A day was fixed and Bhagavan arrived as usual on time. A long hose connected the faucet to the solar heater. All that Bhagavan had to do was to open the faucet. A bucket was placed underneath the faucet to collect the hot water.
Unfortunately, that faucet was a faulty contraption that threw water in all directions except the direction in which it was supposed to flow. When Swami opened the faucet, to the horror of all the people standing around, the water splashed all over Bhagavan’s face and robe. Boiling water drenched Bhagavan’s robe. There was a stunned silence. No one knew what to do. The principal stood horrified, not knowing what to say. Bhagavan then slowly gave a big beautiful smile and said, “See, I had the first bath.” The atmosphere was filled with a burst of laughter and all tension disappeared.
The small boy came out of his reverie and looked back at nature. It was still extremely beautiful. What a magnanimous personality our Lord has! How beautiful He is! How humble He is! The boy got up and proceeded back to the hostel.
The personality of our Lord is far too great for us to comprehend. Still, we have occupied the place as Swami’s students and are kept at such a close proximity to our Beloved Bhagavan. All we can pray is to be forever at His lotus feet and be the perfect instruments in His hands.
~Ashwin Venkateshwaran
Source: Sai Nandana 1995
Sathya Sai with Students
