Hindu Rites
Hislop: Swami, on the road to Simla, drivers were very reckless in trying to stay close behind Swami’s car. At one moment, our car, which was going at a high speed, swerved to miss another car and was about to run down a policeman at the side of the road. It seemed sure there was neither time nor space to avoid striking him, but at the last second only his uniform was brushed by the car and he was not harmed. Surely, it must be Swami who is driving every devotee’s car, is it not?
Sai: No. It is the driver’s responsibility. He must exercise caution and responsibility. It is only at the moment of an accident that Swami takes over the situation.
Hislop: Why does Swami conduct a marriage ceremony for older people who are long married?
Sai: In India, at age 60, people have a second marriage as rebirth of the marriage into spiritual life directed to God and not concerned with the senses. Prior to age 60, the couple was entitled to enjoy the fruits of the senses. At the age of 70, seven also has a significance. There are seven great rishis, and at age 70 a person should be merged with these saints. At age 80, there are eight deities reigning over the directions. At age 90, there are nine special planets, and we should be merged with them. At age 100, one should be master of the five working organs and the five sense organs and should be merged with God. The five working organs are talking, taking, walking, rejecting (excrement), and eating. The five sense organs are hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell.
An Indian Visitor: These Hindu rites, is there anything to them?
Sai: We owe debts of gratitude, and this gratitude must be expressed at the appropriate time and in such a way as will enable the message to be delivered. Our gratitude is due to the two parents, guru, God, nature, and the sages. If a letter is sent correctly addressed, it will reach its destination, and one need not know about or worry about the transit terminals through which the letter passes en route. In the case of the parents, their bodies have died, but the atma has suffered no change. The correct address for the expression of gratitude is provided by the mantra used in the ceremony. Mantras are very powerful, and in olden days they were relied upon. Nowadays machines are relied upon. The experts in mantras were called saints. The experts in machines are called scientists.
(A visiting scientist raised a doubt about science vs. what Swami says.)
Sai: Science is highly fragmentary, and its approach to reality is through maya, and this is a highly dangerous procedure. Science does not even know the truth of chemistry and physics. Each ten years or so, the old truths are discarded or modified because of research results. So when man tries to compare science and the spiritual world of Baba, he is comparing a science whose finality is not known, to spiritual truth of which he is also ignorant. Science is from the senses downward. Spirit is from the senses upward. Science does not even know of the great holes in the sun through which winds rush to regulate the temperature. Science is just hit and miss. For one to really know, he must have the total, over-all knowledge of Baba.
Hislop: Is there a reliable English translation of the Vedas?
Sai: The Vedas come from certain fundamental sounds and their variations. The slightest modification of the sound changes the meaning of what is said. No written language is able to represent all of the Vedic sounds. It is impossible to write many of the words. The Vedas are God’s breath and can be transmitted from person to person only by voice. In all of India there are only a handful of people who can recite the Vedas correctly. Some attempts have been made in recent years to write the Vedas and print them in books. The effort is wasted.
Source: Conversations with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
