Anil Kumar is a Prof. in Bioscience at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. He has authored many books on Sathya SaiBaba,
he writes articles in Sanathana Sarathi. Anil Kumar gives a spiritual talk every Sunday in Prasanthi Nilayam. Groups from all over
India and around the world often request him for extra talks.  Well known as the translator of Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses. 

Answers session with KERALA youth
(comprising mostly advocates and doctors)

OM SAI RAM
I am very happy to have the opportunity to meet you once again. This evening we will have question and answer session.
I will be happy to answer your questions through the Grace and Blessings of Baba.   
You are many advocates in this group.  
What is Swami`s advice to the profession of advocates? Baba says.
The service of man is the only means by
which you can serve God. As advocates you should advocat the spirit of values, the fundamental law of truth.
                                                                                                                                                         


 

         
      What is the difference between Grace and Blessing?
 

To have a life, human birth is a blessing, to be a devotee is a blessing, to be an instrument in the hands of God is a blessing.
Blessing is spread over a long period of time, lifetimes. Grace is a special mercy for the moment. We pray to a stronger force
which we have trust in for help in situations where we feel helpless or weak at that particular moment.
There is nothing that one cannot achieve if one has Divine Grace.

Could you please comment on Sathya Sai Baba’s physical ailment?
We feel so heartbroken to see Swami in a wheel chair. Especially those people who have seen Swami in his physical power walking around
the auditorium or rather floating, beautifully speaking to everybody, taking letters and freely giving interviews.  
A non devotee, could ask, if God cannot help himself how is
he going to help me? Anything that happens in the life of an Avatar is a demonstration to the entire humanity; every event is a lesson to
all of us, because an Avatar is a role model to the entire humanity. God manifests himself as a human being to walk among us as a hero,
to show us how an ideal man should be and behave and to live a life in acceptance, love and compassion. His “job” is to set an example,
to teach a lesson to pass on a message for everyone to learn, reflect and assimilate to our own life and life situations. Everything is
for the benefit of our own nirvana, our own liberation and transformation. During Baba’s physical active years He has shown us, and
demonstrated how active we should be, how active we should help and serve our fellow man. Baba is still active he doesn’t take
any break he never takes rest. For example, the tour to Kodaikanal, he starts from Bangalore 6.30 in the morning and reaches Kodaikanal
6.00 in the evening. There are some breaks in between. Swami stops and people give Hararti, among thousands gathering. Swami gives
a discourse and then he goes on with the journey. He stops for a tea and lunch breaks, where he doesn’t take anything; it is for us who
 travel with him. Everything Swami is doing is for us. His face is shining all the time, no need for washing His Face or going to the restroom.
Swami is shining with Divine Light and the Power of love. He is fresh and blossoming like rose flower, so fresh from the morning to the evening.
He is the embodiment of Bliss and as He is showering this bliss upon us we become more and more happy. Our happiness, the excitement to
be with him, and our joy is His happiness and His food. If we are happy He doesn’t have to eat anything. As a youngster, in middle age and old age
He demonstrates how active one should be, meaning we should work as much as we have the power to do so. Uncomplainingly,
and grandly, giving and forgiving. Active life does not mean being head of a concern or earning a lot of money.
No, it means spreading joy, shedding joy around us. Today Swami is in a wheelchair, He had three bone fractures, two of them
close to the pelvis which gives a lot of pain according to the doctors. Swami is still among us coming in his wheelchair. He is never
complaining about any discomfort. He is telling everybody He is fine. He is more concerned about you. How is this possible?  
Swami in a wheelchair shows us to be painless while in pain. My friend´s this is a big lesson for all  of us.  I am also a householder
I have children and grandchildren and if one of us has a headache everybody has to suffer that headache.  Baba never complains,
He never speaks about his fractures, His discomfort His pain. Swami simplifies the problem. The lesson we can learn from Swami in a
wheelchair is to be painless while in pain. Swami is smiling, talking to people; He is spreading joy and only joy around Him. He stays in
His dignity, His power, His love, whatever happens on the outside.  He is still giving Darshan every day; he
still gives interviews and advice to devotees in need.    
We ask for leave because child or wife seems to be uneasy.  Krishna is saying; I do not
 have to do anything, I have everything, but I do so you can learn from Me.
That is also Baba’s message.  All religions and Baba says in His talks, we are not the body, we are not the mind. The Holy Bible says; Heaven is
within you, you and God are the same. The Bhagavad-Gita says; you are the spark of the Divine.         
We all indentify ourselves with the body and mind. Everything is the body and the mind only. Baba is fine and He has openly demonstrated
that He is not the body. He is beyond the body and He wants us also to grow beyond the body. Transcend the limitations of the body. 
That is His message and the lesson.   Ramana Maharishi was operated without anesthesia, how is that possible,
he has grown beyond the body mind conscience.    
    Lord Jesus was nailed on the cross with a crown of thorns on His head. The man of sacrifice said before He died on
the cross; O Lord they do not know what they do forgive them Father. *
Socrates was poisoned by his own student,
Swami Dayananda, the founder of Aryasamaj was poisoned by his servant; they both knew that their fellow man
brought them poison and they would die and they also forgave them as Jesus did.        
This is possible only if you know you are not the body and mind. Baba is beyond the body mind. Activity, non activity, He
is only here to teach us a lesson. The purpose of living is to achieve the living in God.
                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
      What is the strongest experience that has troubled your heart with Swami?
My experience with Swami has never troubled my heart. My experiences with Swami have been inspiring, encouraging, evolving, loving and very sweet. 
 To come to the essence of this question I can say one thing. We should learn that experiences that trouble us should never be kept in our heart.
 We should keep our joyful, beautiful and loving experiences as a seed in our heart and let them grow and become something which
will flow out of us as a sharing to everyone.One experience that troubled my mind during my time with Swami was when I was transferred
from Bangalore to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1995. I was Principle of Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in Bangalore for six years and was transferred
to Puttaparthy as a Professor. It was a reversion on all levels and standards of life, the social status as well as the financial level. It was very
 painful until I started to understand and realize the truth behind it.    I also realized the advertisement, profit, and benefit I had due to the change.
God having given me such a strong faith, which during one year, 1995 I firmly held on to. There after my friends, the credit
I have had would not be possible there in Bangalore. I have been written eleven spiritual books about Swami’s message and every Sunday
I speak about Swami’s wisdom for devotees staying in the Ashram. These talks are also available through my website  which has been
voluntarily built up and maintained by friends. The talks are translated into many different languages so gracefully by Sai devotees around the world.   
I write articles to Sanathana Sarathi every month, those articles are translated into Tamil also. I write in Telugu. I speak and give talks to many
groups from all over India and all over the world. I speak about Swami’s message.  I love to talk about Swami and that is my life and through
that all my desires are fulfilled.  The crown of my life is to be a translator to Swami’s discourses, in Prasanthi Nilayam or wherever Swami is going.
Every experience I have been given by God has been for my own good, for my own benefit, and for my own inner growth. Is talking necessary
to know the context of Swamis teaching in our various activities. Swami is very clear and straight in His entire message. There is no room for
confusion or other interpretation. It goes straight to your heart. As a lawyer you doubt everyone, no doubt about that. Well, Charity begins at home,
let me not doubt people, let me be positive in my thinking and let my action be positive. That will in return make my clients also be positive.  
A man of prayer, divinity and realization, a person of experience, a person of wisdom will be able to change his surroundings. No one can bluff,
we know in our own humble way who is a wise man and who is not. It doesn’t depend upon his education it depends on the love in his heart,
the integrity. We often go by the outer standard of a person which is changing from time to time. His inner standard and values, his inner
center is connected to all others and to Divine consciousness. This is the most valuable attribute a person can carry with him. The inner center
and the connection with God will follow you from life to life; will help you to grow in acceptance, awareness and peace.
If we add love acceptanceand forgiveness to our life, the life style and direction will change or be different.  
I as a teacher make my students feel worthy and if I act in
a way they know I love them, they will succeed. They will happily follow my commands, if acceptance, awareness and
understanding also are there.  Nowadays, other values are involved. If a profession has a high salary people will run after the
material benefit to become that profession. In that case it is not by interest it is by accident people have the status they have.
Please let us practice the values of Baba´s wisdom so we will be able to influence people around us.

    
                                                                                                                                                                                                      
       If A man does an act as a command of his mind, who gives command to mind.  Is it not God?

I will give an example to illustrate this question. A man kills a person. In the court he says; It was not me, it was only God who did it.
The judge will say; that is all right, I will not put you in jail, God will.  If you feel that the command of your act is from God there will
be no reason to suffer, worry or regret. No chance to be jealous or proud. If I strongly believe that God is my mind and acts through me,
 I have no ego and bliss will be the permanent state. Bliss is the only criteria which will decide if you are arriving closer to the truth or not.
The further away from truth, the more miserable you will be.  The mind which is prompted by God is always positive, enthusiastic, creative,
reflecting loving and spiritual.  Mind, as a slave to the senses, attached and dependent upon the company around it, is a defective mind,
negative, frustrated and confused.    We can clearly see when the mind is guided by God and when the mind is guided by the senses or
the company. What is mind? Mind is nothing but memories, gathered thoughts from interpretations what was happening in the
past and different thoughts about the future. Desires about what we want and what we do not want. Worry about losing what
we have and not getting what we want.   
                                                                                                                                                        
                    Mind is also a product of the spirit a product of Atma. If it is outward, sensual or worldly, the mind
will lead to bondage and attachment. It is the mind that makes hell out of heaven and heaven out of hell. The work of a Master
is to make you aware of the mind and misidentify yourself from it, which is the greatest transformation that can happen to man.
Beyond the mind we find awareness, intuition, divine love, divine power, you and God are one. 
   Is there any way to tame the mine other than Bhajan and social work?  To be in close contact with the supreme?
Do not fight with the mind, the mind will always react, doubt, compare and create misery. We have to become friends with the mind.
The mind is like a wild horse, it has to be tamed so it works with us and not against us. The mind is always restless and not always
peaceful, because peace is not the nature of  the  Mind is like a key and the body is like the lock.  If you turn towards the world
you lock it, and attachment and bondage will follow. If you turn it towards the Divine you will open it and liberation will follow.   
The same key will bring you to bondage or it will bring you to liberation, transformation. It is your responsibility to tame the mind,
to be in charge of the mind.   Meditation is the method to tame the mind. Meditation is not a commercial process
you have to pay for. It is a process to know God from within.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
      Some people have a lot of misery. Why is not Swami helping them?

Misery is nothing but distance from the truth. And as Baba says; those who have gone through pain and suffering can understand
and sympathize with those who are in pain and those who suffer. Devotees see problems like training, a lesson as a test to his faith in
 God. God wants us to be happy, to grow in awareness and faith. God is love. Misery and happiness comes and goes in life, they are
passing clouds.   non devotee, when he faces misery will be hopeless and frustrated, he cannot face misery. A devotee will turn to
God and ask for help and guidance to see the cause of the problem and come out successfully, victoriously. Another point is; Karma.
When we suffer we are clearing our debt. In the past life we have been taking heavy loans and now we have to clear the account, l
et us be happy to have the opportunity and strength to clear out our karma and be debt free.  Pain can be events of happiness.
A mother will be in great pain when she is delivering a baby but the happiness when she sees the baby will cover all the pain.
We will grow more and more in faith and awareness when we realize that everything in life is happening for our own good. In India
 the joint family is falling apart, the remedy is to accept the way it is. Children are in another country. We cannot be together as
before and relate to each other as we could in a joint family system. But it is quite possible to maintain the spirit of joint family.  
Families from India who now live in US keep the same culture; they sing Bhajan, practice human values, and keep the inner contact
with Swami. That is why Swami introduced Sai youth groups. Let our Sai Children be taught and trained in our culture and fine art,
let our children know the value of Bhagavad-Gita. Let our children get to know Swami and his teachings. Let the spirit of the joint
family be passed on to our children even though physical joint family is not possible. One of my daughters once wrote a very
touching and personal letter to me; how she had the Darshan of Swami in US. I had no time to read it and I kept the letter
with me in my pocket and went for Swami´s Darshan. Swami came straight to me and asked for the letter. I said please Swami i
t is a personal letter. There is nothing that is personal between you and me Swami replied. If you don’t give me the letter I will
read it out loud for everyone. You have not yet read it and it is from your daughter who is experiencing Swami in America and
here are you experiencing Swami but thinking of your daughter in America. My daughter is a Doctor and  she could feel the
smell of vibhuti when she washed her hands after an operation. Someone came and helped her when she was lost in a big town,
when she turned to thank him, no one was there. Swami was there with here in US when she needed help.That is what she
had been writing there. This is what we should pass on to our children, the path of devotion, the spiritual way of thinking, the path of meditation.

 
 
      Can you please say something about rebirth
 
Some people are young in age and old in spirit, and others are old in age and young in spirit. This is due to past life experiences.
If you have followed a path for several lives you will be mature in the spiritual field as a youngster.        

                                  
 
      Is everything in life predestinated?
 
Yes it is predestinated. But in the same time it is a provision. Simple example from Baba; A man murdered
 nine people; he thought
nine was a good number. Punishment was life imprisonment from the Supreme Court.
This man wrote to the President of
India seeking his pardon. In the letter he wrote he was a man of reputation, he worked for
the community he did so many things
but because of despair at the moment so many people died. He was not totally guilty,
was his message
to the President. By seeing his all good
deeds and compared with the bad, his wish for freedom was granted. Everything is possible for the
President of the Universe
 provided the case deserves it. If we are predestined
to suffer in this life we can have mitigation by good deeds in this lifetime.
Participation in service activity,
sharing money and sacrifice
is all good deeds which can help us in time of despair. If we have done some
good deeds and pray for His mercy
God will give mitigation.
One man asked Shirdi Baba; I am here with you and I am suffering so much,
how is that possible why are you not helping me?
Shirdi Baba said; what
do you mean, you are suffering only 25% of your actions from past life.75% I am suffering,
¼ only is passed on to you. By God’s mercy the
intensity of our predestined suffering can be lightened, it cannot be dismissed or escaped.
 
       To practice Swami’s Truth and Love in a day to day living seems almost impossible
In my own family my grandfather was a leader of brahmosamaj.  My grandfather was asked to put the incorrect
date along with his signature.
He refused to do it. He resigned and left. To hold on to the truth is difficult but it will ultimately win. It will ultimately win,
but in the process we may have so many difficulties. Are we ready for that ultimate victory, or do we expect immediate
gain or longstanding result and regard. Originally I couldn’t understand my grandfather I thought he had become a
little out of his mind. Ghandiji stood for his truth. We might not be as great as a champion at truth but we can at least
 minimize the lies. If someone has 100% lies, and only lies as soon as he opens
his mouth comes out. He can reduce
the lies to 80%, 70% slowly and gradually.God is compassionate He understand us. He understands us better that our
own parents. He says you cannot correct yourself immediately;” O God do you know me?” “O yes
I know you”, He says.
He uses an example, when you turn off a fan it takes some time before it stops, if it stops immediately it is something
wrong with it. Similarly we can change our selves slowly and gradually. My friends do not condemn yourselves,
I am a sinner, I am this and that, no, no. Self condemnation is much worse
than self praise. Guilt is better than a
guilty conscience. Guilty it is much worse than guilt itself. Guilt is an act of the
moment. End of the matter, forget
about it.   That is why Baba is saying past is Past, forget about it. Start to practice the
truth from now on end see the benefit of it.

 
 
      How can you give a healthy smile to your enemy?
 
Why is a person your enemy? Why is a person jealous or having negative feelings about you?  Think about it. He thinks
you have something he likes to have but cannot have or is not able to get. The fellow who is jealous of you has openly
 acknowledged your superiority to him.  He has accepted that your are superior, and has certain things more than him.
When you understand that, there is nothing between you and him. When you understand the cause of negative feeling,
jealousy towards you, you cannot hate your enemies. If I realize the gift God gave and gives to me, instead of being jealous of
other people’s skill or qualities, I do not have to have any negative feeling toward anyone. You might be a rich man but I may
have very good health, you might be good at singing, I am good at speaking.
 If we looking inward and try to see the
gift God has given me, I do not have to be jealous of anybody. I can be happy
for them. No one has the justification
to hate another. You have the right to love someone or to serve someone, or keep yourself free from him
that is all. Your duty is to serve not to search for faults says Baba.
 

 
      How to overcome anger?
 
Swami says; Anger is the harvest of the bewitched mind, it enslaves man and fogs his understanding.
Stand before a mirror when you are at the top of your anger. Animals look much better than us.
We will feel ashamed.  Drink a glass of water and anger will subside. Take a walk in the open air. 
 The energy you will consume in a moment of bitter temper is similarly to a month’s food consumption.
That is why we become weak through anger, Swami says. Try to check the motivation of your anger.
Anger usually arises as a protection against pain.  One can overcome any negative emotion by focusing one´s mind on God.
 
 

 
     Money is an imported thing in a common man’s life to meet natural needs. How can we ask Swami for blessings in these matters?
 
Ghandiji said; to a poor man, God is food that´s all. I will not speak to a poor man I will serve him food.
If you speak about economy to a poor person he will continue to be poor. He needs to be served food.
If I speak about the beauty of a flower to a sick man he will not be interested he will want his medicine.
A poor man will not die because of not having any food all together; no, no God will take care of us.
Why do you think people die? They die more from polluted food then lack of food.
 
 

 
      What is the power of intuition? Is it the work of the mind the soul or the Atma?
 
Intuition is of the soul, Atma and the conscience, or inner voice. Mind is different from intuition mind is outward,
external physical, worldly and sensual, running after conveniences. Intuition is spiritual from within born out of conscience which is inward,
spiritual and totally Divine.Intuition is creative, and intuition is the product of our inner being,
the center of our life. Your higher consciousness expresses itself by your intuition. Unscheduled, all of a sudden like a bold from the blue,
it happens and it is always positive. Intuition is more for the individual.  It is all Grace of God. It is in His Hands to awaken the intuition.
We have to pray for the Grace of God to be able to listen to our intuition. When you realize that you are with God, for God,
from God, you will find God everywhere
 

Submitted to SBOI with kind permission of Prof.Anil Kumar