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SAI BABA'S FINAL
DAYS - AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT, By Prof. G. VENKATRAMAN
It is not
Emptiness but a Super Cosmic Fullness
-
By Prof.G.Venkataraman
"Swami has not gone. He is very much here,
there, above, below, around, etc., indeed everywhere..."
RECORDED ON APRIL 29,
2011.
OM SRI SAI RAM - SPECIAL MUSINGS
At that time, everyone was quite hopeful but
soon started a roller-coaster ride of sorts. It turns out – so a
specialist doctor explained to me – that beyond a certain age, when
the heart gets affected, it impacts other organs also, most often,
the lungs and the kidneys. If earlier the heart had to be given help
from outside, it was now the turn of these two vital organs to
receive such assistance. Although it is these two organs that were
often in the news, as Dr. Narendra Reddy explained to us during the
conversation that I had with him and which was broadcast by Radio
Sai, all organs had to be watched carefully. Thus it was that all
kinds of experts had to be called in some from within the hospital
itself, some from other hospitals in the country, and some even from
America. All that ground has been covered and I shall not go through
it again. But this much I can say. Medically, the various parameters
were sort of holding on with minor fluctuations here and there maybe;
however, all this needed strong support from external systems.
Slowly, the organs started showing signs that they might not be able
to come back to normal; however, one could not be sure either. After
all this was not a just a mortal patient but Swami, and almost
everyone including the doctors had the faith that Swami would defy
all the medical books and research papers written by man and bounce
back. In fact, one day I asked Dr. Safaya, “Doctor, how long would a
normal patient and with a body age same as Swami have lasted with
this multiple organ problem?” The doctor’s reply was short,
“Certainly not this long,” which of course enormously boosted my
confidence. I should mention at this point that though from a
biological point of view Swami’s body was made up of the five
elements just as all living bodies are, there were several
exceptional aspects to it that came entirely from Purity rather than
Divinity, as Swami Himself once explained to students. For example,
not a single hair was grey. During the mid nineties, Swami often
complained about loss of hair but also said it would come back.
Indeed, it did after some time, though not to its fullest extent as
in earlier times. And then there were His eyes. Not once did Swami
have to ever wear spectacles, even for reading a piece of paper –
not once. But everyone around Him needed at least one pair if not
two, one for reading and another for distant vision. Thirdly, not
once did Swami need the services of a dentist.
To get back to the main narrative, days passed while medical anxiety
slowly began to mount silently. At the same time the confidence that
Swami would not leave us also soared. After all, said everyone
including myself, “Just look at how many thousands if not millions
are praying all over the world! There are Christians praying in
Madras. There are Sikhs praying in Delhi, and there are the
villagers of Puttaparthi who are praying for their own Swami.
Bhagavan has therefore no choice but to sit up, walk away from His
bed, freshen up and come out, exactly as He did at the time of the
famous Goa appendicitis leela.”
Alas, that was not to be. There is absolutely no doubt that Swami
could have done all that and more. However, He chose not to. He had,
on many occasions given hints, both privately and even publicly,
that He could go anytime He chose to, overriding all His earlier
pronouncements. Further, He has explained clearly in many of His
Discourses that while the Avatar is an Incarnation of God and comes
down with His full compliment of Divine Powers when He manifests as
a Poorna Avatar as it was in this case, He would, at the same time,
not only respect the Laws of Nature as ordained by Him when it came
to His own body, but also bow to Time, of which He was always the
Absolute Master. Thus it was that Swami would sometimes get tired,
catch a cold, get fever, etc. As He took care to explain, not all
His body ailments were due to His taking on the sufferings of others.
Around 7:30 on the morning of April 24, I received a phone call from
a close friend who whispered, “Swami is in a critical condition.”
However, I was not alarmed since my confidence that Swami would go
the very edge and bounce back miraculously had soared to new heights.
Twenty minutes later, I got another call. This was from one of the
trustees who began. “Sad news. Swami passed away at 7.40 this
morning. Now this is what we would like you to do….,” and went on to
give me my first assignment in the world where the Light was there
but in a passive form, having risen to shine and guide from above.
It was a silent signal that the time had finally come for all of us
to look for Bhagavan beyond the Form for instructions and guidance,
which then had to be followed meticulously. Along the line, we had
to work harmoniously with each other, smashing every ego-built
barrier. In short, we HAD to become one family, united under God and
working for common good. It was not enough to merely chant: “May
peace prevail in all the worlds,” etc; it was now our job to make
that happen. The examination bell had rung and God our coach as well
as teacher had now become the invigilator!
Oh yes, for a while we would all cry and swear we cannot live
without Swami and so on. But that has happened before, several times
in fact, after Rama, after Krishna and after Shiridi. But soon, we
must wake up to our new responsibilities, realising that it is for
this test that Swami had been physically preparing us in diverse
ways.
Swami Vivekananda is reported to have said, “Death of a near one
always makes everybody very philosophical. However, that mood wears
off in three days or even less, after which it is business as usual.”
That comment applies in the case of the death of an ordinary mortal.
The present situation is totally different since there is no
question of death. Swami has merely shed the Form to exclusively
remain Formless, playing a different and more subtle role. Rising to
the occasion, we need to, as Swami Himself had said in many
Discourses, “wake up, arise, listen to the call of the Divine
Master, and accept our new responsibility.” The world is still out
there, offering us more opportunities for service than ever before;
all that is needed is to rise to the occasion.
I would like to close this talk with a brief recall of what Swami
once said while bringing His Divine Discourse to an end. I do not
recall the occasion but I do remember His message because of its
depth, power and also for another reason that I shall mention
shortly. Swami said in a powerful voice [and this is a paraphrase].
Dear students! When you sing Bhajans here, don’t imagine that they
would impact only the people currently assembled here in the Sai
Kulwant Hall. True, the sound waves coming from the various loud
speakers would be heard only by the devotees here. True those sound
waves would also be heard throughout the Ashram. However, besides
these sound waves, subtle waves are also generated. You cannot see
them and in fact you do not even know about them. They are ripples
in the Ocean of Consciousness. Those ripples can travel not only all
over this planet but to the very edge of the physical Universe and
beyond. They will never dampen nor dissipate but remain for ever.
They would penetrate everywhere, including the pillars, the
structures and whatever you see around here. Indeed, the vibrations
from every Bhajan that you sing would remain embedded in them for
ever. Further, every day, there would be fresh additions, as a
result of which the intensity of the built-in spiritual vibrations
would steadily grow. The more passionately you sing, the greater
would be the stored sanctity. The more love you add to your feelings
as you sing, the greater would be the enhancement of sanctity. Thus,
by having sacred thoughts while seated here and by singing Bhajans
with Pure Love in your Heart, each of you can leave behind an
invaluable legacy.”
That in brief was what Swami said. All of which reminds me very
strongly of what the Headmaster of a school where I was studying in
the late forties said one day after morning assembly and prayer.
Those words are still ringing in my ears. He said, “Boys, some of
you must be wondering why we go through this routine day after day.
To some of you, this may even appear meaningless and also a complete
waste of time. But here is the reason why we make you come here day
after day. While some of you might not, many of the boys that come
here do pray and sing sincerely. The subtle vibrations from those
prayers and songs remain for ever bound in the walls of this
assembly hall, saturating this place with sanctity that increases
day by day. By spending some time here every day, you become at
least a bit more spiritually purified. Why do you think people go in
large numbers to some temples but not to others? That is because
thousands of good people and many saints have worshipped in those
temples earlier, conferring thereby the subtle fragrance of
saanithyam.” By the way, the word saanithyam might be loosely
translated as eternal sanctity.
Getting back to our Headmaster, he continued, “When an ordinary
person goes to such a temple, that very saanithyam spiritually
cleanses that person to a certain extent. That also is the reason
why people of this country want to bathe in sacred rivers. These are
rivers where innumerable rishis and saints have had a dip, making
that river that much sacred. If you and I bathe there, a bit of that
sanctity seeps into us, making us better persons.”
Dear Listener! There is a particular reason why I am ending on this
note. It you think about it carefully, you would realise that
Prashanti Nilayam is THE place that has been the abode of the Avatar
of the Age, from the time He moved out of the Paatha Mandiram in
1950. During the six decades that followed, how many Darshans He has
given here! How many festivals He has celebrated here! How many
plays and dramas He has seen here! And, how many Discourses He has
delivered here! Just think of how much Pure and Divine Love He has
personally poured out in the process, all those years! Have they all
vanished into Time? At the worldly level, they have indeed become
memories. But at the subtle and Causal level, the Sai Kulwant Hall
is the most Love-charged spot not only on the face of this planet
but indeed the entire Universe. For, was this not where the Divine
Chancellor, Swami to all of us, showered His Love non-stop, both at
the individual and collective level?
The Form would no longer be visible to our eyes. However, if we care
to open the eye of our Heart, the Third Eye if you prefer to call it
that way, we can have the grandest and the most blissful experience
possible. Remember, even the best Steinway piano or the rarest
Stradivarius violin cannot produce great music when it is not
properly tuned! In other words, if we want to experience Eternity,
we can do so only if our Hearts are properly tuned before going into
the SKH. If we go in without tuning, all we would see is a physical
emptiness that would make us cry instead of feeling uplifted.
Swami has not gone. He is very much here, there, above, below,
around, etc., indeed everywhere. However, we need a new vision to
see Him. That is the essence of the last part of my talk today.
I think I shall end here. The new situation has, naturally, placed
many new responsibilities on us, and I have many more things to say
concerning these as also about Swami’s teachings; however, those
would have to wait for other occasions.
For now, I would, as always like to conclude by offering this talk
at the Lotus Feet of our Beloved Swami.
Thank you for listening, and Jai Sai Ram.
|| Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu ||
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