The Eternal Interview
One in a thousand is privileged to receive the much sought-after interview with Baba. Most have to rely on internal interviews that are equally gratifying.
“Did Swami give you an interview?”
“No, not really.”
“Well, did He talk to you?”
“Yes, sort of.”
“What do you mean when you say that He didn’t really give you an interview but He sort of talked to you? Did He talk to you or didn’t He?”
“Swami never called me inside for an interview, but He gave me many [interviews]. He spoke only a few words to me, yet, He talked to me many times.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand either. However, I know that Baba communicated with me during every darshan. I know that whenever my thoughts were on Baba, and even now, whenever I think of Baba, He is communicating with me. He is teaching me the language of the heart.”
“Wouldn’t you rather have an interview?”
“Oh, I’ve prayed many times for that coveted interview. Many a time, I sat in darshan thinking that I would burst with yearning for that interview as I watched others around me being called in. Holding back the tears finally became a challenge with each darshan, and the possibility of an interview seemed more and more remote.”
“What happened then?”
“Well, I finally had to take a look at why I ever wanted an interview. I hoped that Baba would tell me everything I needed to know in order to be happy. That He would tell me what I must do in order to progress in the spiritual path. I also hoped that He would tell me the future, as to where I would live, work, and something about my loved ones. Most of all, I wished to see Him as described by others during their interviews—smiling, cheerful, and materializing things. I wanted His attention and love; and be able to say that I had spoken with Sai Baba to the people when I returned home. Then, I realized that these reasons for wanting an interview were based on wishes and desires.”
“Did you ever stop wanting an inter-view?”
“No, but I stopped being obsessed with wanting one, and started paying more attention to my thoughts; to what happened before and after certain thoughts; and to what happened during darshan. I noticed that whenever I prayed for an interview I became anxious, my palms sweated, my heart pounded, and I became uncomfortable. If I merely sat and watched Baba as He mingled with the crowd, comforting someone, joking with another, taking letters, and blessing some, I found a certain pleasure and peace in just seeing Him and being in His presence. I found that when faced with a problem, I just needed to give it to Baba in my mind to get an answer. Often, a solution would be revealed to me through a certain gesture or look from Him. Sometimes, the answer would come from someone sitting next to me.”
“And what if you didn’t get an answer?”
“Well, it probably wasn’t the time to be getting an answer; it would come later, or what I at first thought was a problem really wasn’t worth the worry.”
“Does that still happen? Do you still get answers that way?”
“Yes, if I pay attention; and most of all if my thoughts and actions are centered on Baba, then the answer comes. But, that is only one aspect of the language of the heart. There is so much more that He is teaching us. We are constantly surrounded by His messages and signs. It is up to us to listen and to see.”
“If you see Swami again, will you ask Him for an interview?”
“I don’t know. I really would prefer to become fluent in the language of the heart and be in ‘Eternal Interview’.”
~A Listener
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, March 1981
