Have No Fear
It is our firm belief that God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. On all these standards, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is, indeed God incarnation.
Bhagavan went to school only for a short period, and people who taught him were ordinary then. Still, He is all knowing. He can converse with anybody in any language. He can quote from our scriptures, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. He can correct learned pundits and erudite scholars. How did He come to learn all these if He is not omniscient?
Bhaktas [devotees] in London, California, South Africa, and a host of other places feel His presence simultaneously. One sadhu [mendicant] of Vijayapuram in Tanjore District [southern India] was so ill that he could not go to Puttaparthi. Bhagavan appeared before him and gave him solace. While at Kodai, [a hill station] Bhagavan was able to prevent a devotee in Bhopal from shooting himself. How was this possible if He is not omnipresent?
His bhaktas see Him work miracles beyond the reach of all imagination. Once an invalid who was unable to walk and even stand was carried to Bhagavan’s presence. He simply touched the patient. What a wonder! The patient was fully cured as if by magic and he was able to walk at once. Many are the blessings and gifts given to those who win His grace. His darshan [sight of a holy person] itself is enough to heal physical and mental ills. Is He not omnipotent?
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is therefore an Avatar [incarnation] of the Lord, come into this world in human form. He transcends all forms and formlessness. When He is in form, He is visible. We can touch Him, feel Him, and be aware of His presence. Among the wise He is the wisest, among the holy He is the holiest, and among the pure He is the purest.
He is the guru of gurus, the Vid [wisdom] of Vedas, the goal of man, the supreme power, and God in all manifestation. His tasks are four-fold: dushtasikshana [punishing the wicked], dharmasthapana [establishing righteousness], sishtarakshana [protecting the virtuous], and lokanugraha [save the world]. He has come to destroy ashanti [lack of peace], akrama [inaction], adharma [unrighteousness], anyaya [injustice], and anachara [bad behavior].
His method is not to mete out destruction or death to the wicked as Lord Krishna did to Kamsa or Lord Rama did to Ravana.
According to Bhagavan wickedness is so rampant today that almost everybody is guilty. If killing is the only remedy, the whole of humanity may have to be destroyed. That, therefore, is not Bhagavan’s way. He has come to reform the world, to revive dharma, to uphold the right, and to rectify the wrong by wise counsel, sweet suggestion, and affectionate command. Upadesh [discourse] is the keynote of his method. Warning, advising, guiding, admonishing, encouraging, helping, and exhorting in his sweet and compulsive manner, He plants virtues where vices grow wild, installs health of body where thorns of envy, greed, and ego are virulent. [He] sows in every heart the seeds of satya, dharma, shanti, and prema. He is the very embodiment of truth, charity, peace, love, and happiness. He desires everyone to practice these noble qualities.
From time immemorial our land has been famous for upholding Veda Shastras, Puranas and Itihasas [ancient Indian Scriptures] as the very basis of life and as the very proof of justice and righteousness. But as a result of changing times, the clouds of modern civilization have shadowed our ancient glory and disabled us from distinguishing between truth and false. They undermine the very roots of our customs and manners and create a desire for a way of life totally unsuitable to the genius and greatness of our country. The victims of these unwelcoming changes are essentially young men and women; sometimes even elderly people are no exception. We are facing a grave crisis that is trying to engulf the whole land in a whirlpool of chaos and confusion. Bhagavan has come into the world at this juncture to save us from the calamity. We are, indeed, very fortunate.
The remedy to this disease is namasmarana [chanting the Lord’s name] as enunciated by Bhagavan and observance of the four cardinal principles of satya, dharma, shanti, and prema. This is quite easy in the case of grown-up people who have unshakable faith in Bhagavan. But the real problem is the younger generation—our children, who will be in charge of the destinies of our nation tomorrow. They have not learnt to emulate their elders.
Their heroes are not saints or sages, parents or teachers, but time-servers and prize seekers. They look up to these destroyers of human values for inspiration and encouragement. They are not in a mood to accept Vedantic ideals for healthy growth along the path of virtue. The persistent efforts to canalize their attention into beneficial activities by means of advice and appeal, direction and restriction, and precept and practice are of no avail. Only Bhagavan can give a turn to the distortion and save the future generation. We have no fear when He is with us.
~Captain T. Murugaiyan, Tanjore, India
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Feb. 1968
