The Landmark Year of 1940 when Sri Sathya Sai revealed His Divinity
"My devotees are waiting for Me"
Friday, March 8, 1940
The whole town of Uravakonda was shocked to hear that a big scorpion had stung
Sathya, for there was a superstitious belief in Uravakonda that no one could
survive a scorpion sting! Twenty four hours passed without any effect, however
at about 7:00 pm the next evening, Sathya fell unconscious. The locals
propitiated the village deity Muthyalamma believeing that worship would cure
Sathya of all ills. Sathya however, proved to be not unconscious but ‘super
conscious’, for He said, “The coconut has broken into three” (in the temple),
even as He lay in bed at home, seemingly unconscious!
Sathya began acting in inexplicable ways thereafter. Things grew stranger and
stranger as Sathya began revealing more and more of His ‘true identity’. This
is most often explained as ‘a complete transformation of the personality due to
the possession of the physical frame of Sathya by Shirdi Baba’. Baba in His
later years explained that He Himself had initiated the process of
manifestation (in this way). The time for Him to begin His mission was at hand,
and He could no longer linger around acting like a mere boy with secular bonds.
There was no scorpion that could sting Him; He was beyond ‘Visha’ (poison) and
‘Vishaya’ (objective world)!
Thursday, May 23, 1940
This was the glorious day when Baba first declared Himself as ‘SAI BABA’. The
scorpion sting had left Sathya much different a boy as compared to the genial
one known to the family members and the villagers. He had been acting strange
much to the horror of all those who witnessed. That Thursday (23rd May) though,
Sathya seemed His former self. He beckoned all the villagers, the neighbours
and His family members, made them sit around Him and conversed with them in
great ‘camaraderie’. He materialised various objects and distributed them
freely. Those around seemed to have lost their fear of the ‘Muslim ghost’ that
had possessed Sathya. The father Sri Venkappa Raju was infuriated by all this.
He rushed towards Sathya armed with a cane stick and said, “Who do You think
You are? If You don’t answer me I shall hit You. Come out with it – are You
possessed a lunatic, an incarnation, a deity or a devil? Who are You?” Sathya
replied calmly “Do you not know who I am? I am Sai Baba. I descended because
the Venkavadhoota (the family saint of the Raju family) prayed for My descent”.
The reply was calm and deliberate. The ring of truth in it was unmistakable.
“Apastamba Sutra, Bharadwaja Gotra”, He kept on muttering to Himself through
out that day. Sri Pedda Venkappa Raju was, however, still under the delusion
that His son was possessed by the spirit of Sai Baba of Shirdi. He believed
that a Muslim priest’s intercession would yield the desired outcome. He traced
one such priest in Penukonda, and requested him to ‘de-possess’ his son. Sathya
was taken to Penukonda where the priest, who happened to be a Government
official, declared Sathya a ‘lunatic’. “Lunacy it is, but whose?”, retorted
Sathya waving His hands in air and producing sacred ash which He scattered all
over the room.
The subsequent Thursday, 30th May 1940, the father requested Sathya to give
some proof of His claim and Sathya consented. It being a Thursday, Jasmine
flowers were heaped for Puja as directed by Sathya previously. Sathya asked for
the flowers to be placed in His hands. He scattered them casually, and lo! The
flowers assumed the shape of the Telugu letters ‘SAI BABA’. The power of this
‘written’ name moved everybody to hail little Sathya as ‘Sai Baba’.
Saturday, July 15, 1940
A long standing devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba was promised by Him that He would
reappear in the state of Andhra Pradesh bearing the same name ‘Sai Baba’. This
devotee, Smt. Gali Sarada Devi, as a 60 year old, came to have His Darshan at
Uravakonda. Her mind attained great peace, and a firm conviction grew in her
making her believe that this lad was indeed Shirdi Sai Baba come again, for He
spoke in Hindi in the same endearing manner that Shirdi Sai Baba did. He asked
her, “Let Me have the balance 16 rupees you owe Me”. He went on to explain the
precedence of the sixteen rupees much to her astonishment. ‘Oh, my God! How old
an event, and trivial an incident! Who could remember it and recall it other
than Baba?!’ she exclaimed. Little Sathya addressed her softly, “I do not want
your money. It is only to assure you and to reassure you of My Shirdi identity
have I recalled this.”
"I am Sai Baba"
Sunday October 20, 1940
It was on this day that Sathya made a grand declaration for all of mankind to
hear. He returned from school in the afternoon of October the 20th 1940, cast
away His books in front of His sister-in-law and declared most emphatically -
“I am no longer your Sathya. I am Sai Baba! My Bhaktas beckon Me. I have My
work to attend to. I am leaving!” October the 20th is celebrated as the Avatar
Declaration Day.
Source: Sri Sathya Sai Digvijayam Part 1 (1926-1985)
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