Eleventh Episode You Belong to the Whole World
Now, let me share with you the eleventh episode. One day in the course of conversation, unknowingly, I committed a mistake. I said, “Swami, people of our region, of our area, don’t act like this. They don’t speak like this.” I made this remark on one of the occasions. Immediately, Bhagavan said, “What? You said ‘our area’, ‘my area’. No, no, no, no, no! You should not talk like that. You belong to the whole world. You should not say ‘my area’, ‘my region’. Why did you say that?” Then I said, “Swami, I'm sorry. I will not repeat it. In fact I want to give up this feeling of identification with the place where I was born. I'm attached to my native place. I'm sorry. I'm trying to give it up.” Swami said, “Trying? No, no, no! ‘Try, try, try’ -- it becomes dry, dry, dry. (Laughter) No trying! You must do it! Give up that regional feeling.” “Swami, I’ll do it.” Then He said, “You know, when you understand that what you hold in your hand is a serpent, what do you do? Do you play with it? Do you continue to hold it? No! You immediately drop it because you know the snake is poisonous. Similarly, when you know this regionalism is bad, you should drop it immediately.” That’s what Bhagavan said. It is a beautiful message for everybody. The world is divided on grounds of religion, region, language, politics -- narrow, silly, stupid considerations, when, in fact, we are all one. The whole world is one. We belong to the family of the universe. We are not separate. So Baba says, “Give up that regional feeling. You belong to the whole world.” And, we should never say, “I will try to give up”, no! You must do it, as the message given by Bhagavan so nicely conveyed. Twelfth Episode I Visited the Home for the Aged Now, I move on to the twelfth episode. It was the time when Bhagavan had just returned from Bangalore after the summer course, and He was standing there. “Anil Kumar, do you know why I am late? Do you know the reason for the delay?” “Swami, how am I to know? I don’t know.” Swami said, “On the way, I visited the home for the aged. The local Samithi people started a centre for old people, and they are all staying there. I visited that centre.” And then, Swami started speaking about it. “I spent one hour with the old people there. I gave them clothes and sweets. I joked, and made everybody happy.” So nice to hear Swami, so nice! And then Swami started telling us a few details. “Those people who are running the centre there, the home for the aged, they are facing so many problems. There is some opposition from the locals. There are some people who are not cooperating.” Then I said, “Swami, what is to be done then? When the local people pose a threat, a challenge to the authorities, how do they run the centre for the aged – this centre for senior citizens? How?” (Or what, in USA, you call a ‘young adult centre’ because no one wants to be called ‘old’. No one is old -- no all are young, ever young! Young adults, that’s all.) “So Swami, what is to be done?” Then Baba said, “Any good program will have to face challenges. Because of opposition, you should not run away. Because of criticism, you should not be fear stricken. You should resist all the problems, all the difficulties, all the obstacles, and proceed ahead. You will have God's blessings.” This is a message to all of us: We should not be carried away by blame, by insults, by assaults, whatever it may be -- losses, criticism, or whatever may happen. But, in the name of God, we should start doing something good, and we are bound to be successful because there is God above, who will bless our attempts. Thirteenth Episode You Cannot Escape from My Notice This is the thirteenth incident: One day, the music started -- it was Darshan time, morning time. Well, I was late for Darshan. What is to be done? My place, the place where I sit -- though it is very convenient, though it is a very good position, an advantageous position -- it is also an embarrassing position. If I am late, I will be caught. It will be noticed. So therefore, it is a very risky position. Seeing Swami had started already, and the music was on, I ran. I didn’t come in by way of the front. I started walking from behind, across the veranda. Swami was walking this way and I was going that way -- management, you know (Laughter) Then, silently, slowly, softly, walking amongst -- in-between the devotees -- cautiously, I sat in my usual place. I just sat there, adjusting my collar and adjusting my hair, thinking that I was a very successful manager, if not manipulator. Our dear God started Darshan. He crossed the ladies line, and started moving amongst the gents. Slowly, slowly, He came towards us. He stood in front of me and said, “Hmm, you came from behind! (Laughter) You came late and sat in the front, chi! Are you not ashamed to do it?” Then I simply said, “Swami, I thought that I would be able to escape from Your notice. I thought that I would be able to manage.” Then Swami laughed, smiled and said, “Your grandfather also cannot do it! Your grandfather also cannot escape from My notice, I tell you! You want to manage? Impossible! I will know whatever you do. Your intelligence is nothing. I can easily detect it and find out your plans.” That’s what Bhagavan said. Here I am reminded of a statement from the Bhagavad Githa, the “Song Celestial”, which says that God's Feet are everywhere; God's Hands are everywhere; God's Eyes are everywhere; God's Ears are everywhere. So that He can hear, He can watch, He can go, and He can pick you up. So, I could not escape the Divine notice. I had to face the music that morning, along with the usual music. (Laughter) Fourteenth Episode Change Your Qualities Fourteenth episode: Well, I made a casual remark, “Swami, the Andhra Pradesh State Government is trying to bring in some reforms in the Department of Police.” You call them ‘cops’ in USA, right? ‘Constable’ in UK, police people, ‘cops’. “So, the Andhra Pradesh Government is trying to make a change in the uniform of cops,” that’s what I said. And Baba said, “Oh, oh! It’s not enough if they change their dress. They should change their qualities. Changing the dress is easy, but to change the qualities is tough. So, I want you to change your quality -- to change your mentality -- not merely your dress.” That’s what He said, which is also a lesson for all of us. Fifteenth Episode A Few Students Are Privileged I will close for this evening with the fifteenth episode: Bhagavan started to say something special one evening. He said, “Out of so many students, a few students are privileged. A few students are specially blessed because they stay with Me at My residence. They sleep by My bedside. They sleep in the anteroom. They are very, very close to Me.” And Bhagavan said, “Do you know that? Some people sit and sleep very close to My bedroom.” Please listen carefully and attentively. These are the boys who are working in the Super Speciality Hospital -- Swami's college students. Bhagavan said, “One day, these boys got up around midnight. What did they see? Only the bed -- Bhagavan was missing! These boys started shivering. Their bodies were literally shaking, and immediately these boys got the other boys up -- about five boys all together. ‘Where is Baba? Baba is not here -- only the bed!’ They were all talking, and very much surprised and worried. Some of them even started crying. Then, immediately, all of them gathered and went into the bedroom again. This time they saw Swami sleeping there on the bed.” “And another time, what happened was…” These are all Baba's words. I am putting in the words of Sai, quoting Him literally. “Another time what happened was this -- Swami was resting. The boys were sleeping there in the anteroom. They started hearing some conversation. Immediately they thought that Swami was talking to somebody. However, they did not see anybody. Swami was simply talking. They were very much surprised.” Swami said, “My mother comes to Me now and then. I talk with her. These boys were wondering, ‘With whom is He speaking? We don’t see anybody!’ They see Me talking to somebody, but there is nobody. Sometimes they don’t see Me in the room. They have many experiences like this, and quite often they cry.” “But,” -- this is an important statement -- “I see to it that they forget these experiences.” Then I said, “Why, Swami? Why do You do that?” Baba said, “If I didn’t do it, all the newspapers will publish these experiences! (Laughter) The whole thing will come to everyone’s notice. I don’t want that.” That’s what He said. Really speaking, if Swami allows these things to be known to the whole world, we’ll not have space here at Prashanti Nilayam. The whole world will start pouring in. And so, what I said was, “Bhagavan, it is really surprising that You manifest and You express Yourself to some, and You hide Yourself to many!” Bhagavan said, “It is out of compassion for you all. Because of compassion for you, I see that many people don’t understand Me. It is also My leela.” That’s what Bhagavan has said. Sixteenth Episode – July 2002 I Watch the Thoughts in Your Head And then, I would talk to you now about the sixteenth episode: This is from the month of July. (From now on, we think of July episodes.) It was the time of Guru Purnima, and all the preparations were going on in a hectic way. You also know, this year we had an exhibition in the Hill View Stadium. Many of the foreign countries had their own stalls, and many of the states from India also had their own stalls. I said, “Swami, the crowds are gathering; the population is increasing day-by-day, as Guru Purnima is fast approaching.” Swami said, “Good, good. You will not be put to any inconvenience. Don’t worry. You don’t worry. You will not be put to any inconvenience! Let any number come here,” He said. Then I said, “Swami, somebody told me around 50,000 people are expected for Guru Purnima. Am I right?” Then Bhagavan said – this is a very important statement -- “Look here, you go by the numbers, by the count of heads, of how many people are here. No, no, no! You go by the count of tala, the head -- talalu, heads. But, I go by the talampulu, the thoughts. I watch the talampulu, the thoughts in your heads.” This is an important thing. The crowds, or the number who gather, do not carry Swami away. He goes by the feelings, by the thoughts, of the devotees who come here. And further, He made a remark, “One spoon of cow’s milk is better than barrels and barrels of donkey’s milk.” That’s what He said. “I'm not for publicity. Even if there is only one genuine devotee, it is enough for Me.” That’s what Bhagavan said. We’ll proceed next time with the rest of the episodes from July 2002. I'm very, very grateful to you all for this wonderful opportunity given to me, in sharing these episodes with you. May Bhagavan bless you. Sai Ram Thank you very much!
