Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book One

32. Sathya Sai Baba appeared out of thin air

One of my acquaintances, Volodya, had serious health problems. Of course, I cannot tell the details of his illness because this is personal information. Several healers refused to heal it; and medicine, in principle, does not cure such diseases.

Once he came to visit us, and my wife and I advised him to mentally turn to Sathya Sai Baba and ask for healing. Volodya knew a little about Sathya Sai Baba but did not believe that some saint from distant India would be able to hear his prayer and heal a serious illness.

In order for Volodya to feel an inner connection with Sathya Sai Baba more clearly and be able to imagine as if he was really talking to him, I included a video recording of how Sathya Sai Baba communicated with students at his college. Volodya sat on the sofa and started watching the video. It was felt he did not take seriously the idea of mentally seeking help from an Indian saint.

It was already late in the evening, and I went to the kitchen and made tea. Literally, a few minutes passed and a suddenly frightened Volodya quickly left the room; it seemed he was temporarily speechless. Having recovered a little, he said that Sathya Sai Baba had just physically appeared in the room. Volodya was completely unprepared for such an unexpected visit, so he did not know how to react to it. Calming down, he told me how it happened.

Sathya Sai Baba appeared in the room straight out of thin air, approached the astonished young man, looked at him attentively, then turned around and walked toward the door. Stopping in front of the door, Sathya Sai Baba, as if thinking about something, turned around and once again carefully looked at Volodya, now dumbfounded by surprise. After that, Sathya Sai Baba simply disappeared.

From that day on, Volodya began to practice mantras daily. A few months later, the incurable disease simply disappeared.

Volodya's problem was not solved in one second. Yes, on the subtle plane, healing may occur instantly, but it took some time for positive changes to manifest on the physical plane. Also necessary for healing are the efforts of the person himself.

In the story with my friend, it was important that after Sathya Sai Baba materialized in front of him, the young man decided to start regular mantra practices. Thus, the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba met with the right effort of Volodya led to a good result.

33. Sathya Sai Baba blesses the Russian Vedic tradition

In our present time, the original Russian Vedic tradition is being actively revived. More and more people are beginning to be interested in the pre-Christian Vedic roots of Russian culture; now, we often call this tradition – Rodnoverie. This word has the root "genus," which means the name of the supreme God of Russian pantheon, whose name is Lord Rod. The root “rod” means “clan”, also indicates that this is a “native” tradition followed by our “relatives” and “ancestors” of our “family.”

The pre-Christian tradition is also called paganism. The word paganism is now perceived by many as negative and abusive, but in fact there is nothing negative in this word. Pagan tradition means the original folk tradition. Being a pagan means following the traditions of your people and your ancestors.

Of course, one should also respect the thousand-year history of Christianity in Russia, which gave our people many great ascetics, reverends, elders, venerable fathers and healers. I think that in the modern world Rodnoverie and Christianity could develop in harmony and mutual respect.

Sathya Sai Baba often blessed people for the prayer practices of the national religion to which the person belonged. When Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians came, he blessed them for the practice of Christian prayer, as well as for the practice of free and spontaneous conversation with God in their native language. When Tatars, Daghestanis, Kazakhs came, he often blessed them for practices related to Islam, that is, the practice of regular prayer and the repetition of the Suras of the Koran.

God is one, therefore it does not matter in what language and in what tradition people offer their prayers. God hears not formal words, but the emotion of the heart.

Several times, in the ‘90s, Magi Rodnovers from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus came to Puttaparthi. These were people who, back then, were engaged in the revival and development of the original Russian culture. Sathya Sai Baba prophesied many times that in the next few decades in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus there will be a rapid revival of the original Vedic culture.

When Christianity came to Holy Russia, it often absorbed the best from the Russian Vedic culture, but sometimes tried to destroy the treasures of Russian antiquity. I think at a new stage in the development of human civilization, we will come to understand that our future lies in the spirit of unity and synthesis. All that is bright and divine that is in the original Russian culture will be combined with the best manifestations of Christian teaching.

34. The student from Iran was a Muslim, but this did not prevent him from studying Vedic philosophy and Sanskrit

For many years I have been practicing Sanskrit mantras and Christian prayers at the same time. Some of the prayers I repeated were from church prayer books, and some I received from the elders. I felt the practice of Christian prayer has amazing energy power. In parallel with this, I have always liked Sanskrit mantras.

At some point, I began to think about how to properly combine the practice of Christian prayer with mantras. I was filled with doubts about whether it was even possible to combine two such different practices.

At that time, I was living in Puttaparthi, and I learned about another interesting Sanskrit hymn called Narayana Upanishad. I began to carefully read this sacred text; it made a great impression on me, both in content and in the beauty of its sound.

Among the many Vedic texts, Sathya Sai Baba singled out Narayana Upanishad in particular, so all the students at his university carefully studied it and even learned it by heart.

The Narayana Upanishad is a small scripture, profound in its philosophical content, amazing in its rhythm and poetic style. I came into contact with this text at the very time when I was thinking about how I could combine Christian prayer with mantra practices.

I came to the mandir, and as usual the evening program began when Sathya Sai Baba came out and sat down in his chair. One of the lecturers at the university began the lecture. At this time Sathya Sai Baba was attentively looking into the hall and closely scrutinizing all those present.

At some point Sathya Sai Baba looked at me. There were quite a lot of people in the mandir, and I was sitting close to the center, and if Sathya Sai Baba looked at me, it could be easily noticed. It began to seem to me that he was reading my thoughts, and subsequent events confirmed I was not mistaken.

Suddenly, Sathya Sai Baba interrupted the lecture and invited a college student to come to the middle of the temple; everyone present was silent in anticipation. A microphone was placed in front of the student, and the boy sang the Narayana Upanishad as a memento. This event literally shocked me because I was sitting and thinking about Narayana Upanishad.

After that, the teacher came out to the microphone and said it was no coincidence that Sathya Sai Baba asked this student to sing the Narayana Upanishad. The teacher said, “there is one important detail, it is that this boy is not a Hindu.” Outwardly, he looked quite like a Hindu; in fact, he was an Iranian, was born in a Muslim family, and together with his family he moved to India a long time ago.

Being an Iranian and a Muslim, this student practiced the prayers of the Islamic religion every day, performed Namaz, however, this did not prevent him from studying Sanskrit and Vedic philosophy, as well as chanting the Narayana Upanishad daily. For me it was a complete revelation, it was a clear and exhaustive answer to my doubts.

Sathya Sai Baba had the colossal ability to literally scan the minds of the thousands of people who sat before him. Every action, every gesture he made was always a response to the thoughts, doubts, and questions of someone present.

35. The statue of the deity disappeared, and Sathya Sai Baba appeared instead

In the late ‘90s I returned to Whitefield, the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, which was located on the outskirts of Bangalore. Literally a few days after my arrival, several buses drove up to the ashram, from which a large number of Hindus, dressed in festive attire, got off. They solemnly entered the ashram, and it was clear from their appearance they all belonged to the Brahmin caste. In their hands were gifts and offerings. This caught my attention and I decided to find out what happened.

I managed to discover that all these people came from the ancient city of Tirupati, which is located on the east coast of India. Tirupati is the largest temple complex in India, in the center of which is the majestic statue of Lord Venkateswara.

There is a curious version about the history of Venkateswara. According to legend, the statue of this deity is actually not stone, but alive. Allegedly, several centuries ago, a spacecraft landed on earth, on which an alien flew in and settled in this city. The alien entered a deep meditative state and remained standing in this place. A huge temple of Lord Venkateswara appeared around the alien. Over time, the alien was covered with special robes so parishioners could not notice that it was a living being and not a statue. I will not argue that this version is true, but the fact that the statue in this temple does not look like an ordinary stone statue is remarkable.

In the late ‘90s, an amazing miracle happened at the Venkateswara temple. Vedic tradition dictates that the main worship services be performed at sunrise. In India, sunrise, both in winter and summer, occurs around six in the morning, therefore, worship services always begin at the same time.

One morning, the priests of the temple were worshipping the statue of the deity with everything going on as usual. The many hours of ritual action included washing the statue, offering flowers, incense, and various oils while the priests sang mantras and made symbolic offerings to the statue of the deity.

When the priests began to wash the statue, they felt the feet of the statue were alive. All those present saw very real, living, human feet at the statue of the deity. Instinctively, the priests raised their heads to see what was happening to the statue itself. The head of the statue disappeared and the head of Sathya Sai Baba appeared instead. A little later the statue itself disappeared and Sathya Sai Baba himself stood in its place. This miracle was seen by a large number of clergy and pilgrims who came that morning to worship.

A huge number of people witnessed this unique miracle, the statue of Venkateshwara simply dematerialized, and instead of it, Sathya Sai Baba, who could be seen and even touched, appeared for some time. Then Sathya Sai Baba disappeared, and instead of him, the statue of Venkateswara, which was familiar to everyone, appeared.

This event made such an awe-inspiring impression on all those present that the priests who performed the service immediately informed their families about this miracle. On the same day, they decided to go immediately to the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba in order to thank him for such a miracle and blessing.

36. Catholic nuns came to Puttaparthi to talk to Sathya Sai Baba and receive his blessing

One day, I saw several large buses pull up to the ashram from which Catholic Nuns and a huge number of children got off. They entered the ashram gate, and I became curious, so I decided to get to know them. We talked for just a few minutes, as they had to settle the children and lead them into the dining room. These few minutes were enough for me to find out who they were and why they had come.

The Nuns said their Catholic monastery was located in the south of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. They said they have a school and an orphanage and the children they brought were students from their school. They came to Puttaparthi for a few days to talk to Sathya Sai Baba and receive his blessings.

Surprised, I said, “you are Christians, how do you feel about the fact that this is a Hindu ashram?”

They smiled and said, “Sathya Sai Baba is a great saint who is beyond dogmas and conventions, he blesses everyone. God is one, he just appears in different religions under different names.”

It was very pleasant to hear these simple and wonderful words from the lips of Catholic Nuns. It seemed the most ordinary case well showed the open atmosphere of Puttaparthi.

37. Once I met a priest from the Vatican in Puttaparthi, he told me that Sathya Sai Baba is the "Papa of the Pope"

Indian cuisine is famous for its original taste and spiciness, so it was not familiar to most foreigners. People who came to the ashram from America and Europe could hardly eat such spicy food. Therefore, a dining room with European cuisine was created in the ashram. There were few full-time employees in the ashram, most of the functions were performed by people who performed voluntary free service.

Prices for living in the ashram had always been affordable; accommodation, food and shopping were so cheap that many wondered, how is this possible? One of the reasons for such low prices was that a large number of people served in the ashram for free. Some worked in the garden or in the museum, and sometimes in the dining room.

I often worked in the canteen, serving food, or cutting vegetables in the kitchen. By doing this service, I felt I was helping the life of the ashram. People of various nationalities worked in the dining room: Italians and Greeks, Russians and French, Americans and Chinese, Japanese and Argentines. Very often, when we were cutting vegetables or sweeping in the kitchen, we sang traditional chants together dedicated to Krishna or Ganesha. The work environment was relaxed and fun.

While working in the canteen, I met an elderly Italian man, who, like me, worked daily in the canteen. Gradually, I found out he was an employee of the Vatican and belonged to the Franciscan order. I prefer not to give his name because that was his wish.

One day I asked my Italian friend why he comes to Sathya Sai Baba? He answered me with a rather funny phrase, which I could not even understand from the very beginning. He said that Sathya Sai Baba is "Papa of the Papa." At first, I did not understand what he meant. He laughed and repeated his thought once more. The idea was simple – if the head of the Catholics is the Pope, then the "Pope of the Pope," in this person's mind, was Sathya Sai Baba.

I asked him why he worked modestly in the dining room, despite the fact he held a high position in the Vatican, and that people with high social status lived in the ashram in special apartments with the opportunity to take better seats in the front row during the program. After listening to my question, he was silent for a while, and then reminded me of the epistles of the holy Apostle Paul, which says Christians are people who live in love and service.

All people are children of God, there are no masters or servants, but in the Lord, all are brothers and sisters. This man lived very modestly in the ashram, and almost no one suspected he held an important position in the Vatican. Such amazing meetings truly change lives and fill the soul with wisdom. Gradually, you begin to understand that all life is a single spiritual process and there is nothing unimportant.

Everything in life is essential, even the smallest actions, because the divine will is manifested in everything, and the divine presence is felt everywhere. Sathya Sai Baba often said: "The hands that help people are more sacred than the lips that say a prayer." Truly golden words.

38. My acquaintance with two priests

In the 1990s, I was twice lucky to meet Orthodox priests from Russia and Ukraine in Puttaparthi. The Vatican takes a more flexible position in relation to various Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese religious and philosophical trends. For example, I know several cases when in Catholic seminaries in Europe and America, Buddhist teachers from Tibet and Thailand taught meditation practices to seminarians.

Unfortunately, Orthodox churches, both Russian and Greek, are more closed. However, there is a big difference between the position of church leaders and what Christians themselves think and feel. Among Orthodox priests there are quite a lot of spiritually seeking and free-thinking people.

Twice in the ‘90s, I met Orthodox priests in Puttaparthi. It was interesting and symbolic that one of these priests was from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. When I saw this man, I immediately understood from his appearance that he was a Christian priest. Getting to know him better, I learned that he really was a priest from the Kiev Lavra.

I was pleased to meet this priest, because the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is the mother of all Russian Christian monasteries. It's great that a priest from the greatest Orthodox Lavra came to Sathya Sai Baba.

It is sad, but the leadership of the church, and the Lavra itself, are quite cautious and negative about contacts with other traditions. I cannot give his name because it might cause problems for him. This priest learned about Sathya Sai Baba from his friends and immediately wanted to come to Puttaparthi in order to see the famous Indian teacher who preaches universal values, love, and compassion for all living beings.

The priest wanted to see everything with his own eyes, and then draw conclusions about the truth of Sathya Sai Baba's teachings based on his own experience. Subsequently, my friends from Kiev met with him, he cordially received them at his Lavra. He continued to serve as a Christian Orthodox priest, but of course he could not openly declare to his church authorities that he had visited Sathya Sai Baba.

I met the second Orthodox priest in the ashram a couple of years later, it was already in the late ‘90s, and he was from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. This is very symbolic, since the Sergius Lavra is also one of the most important shrines of Christian Russia.

This priest came twice with great interest to see Sathya Sai Baba. I do not know how his fate developed in the future, whether he remained within the framework of the Orthodox Church or not. For me, these stories are important because even if they are thin threads, they still connected the Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius Lavra with Sathya Sai Baba.

39. The Dalai Lama and Karmapa wished Sathya Sai Baba long life and success in his worldwide divine mission

Buddhism is one of the largest world religions. In countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Tibet and Mongolia, Buddhism is the main religious tradition. Buddhism is also one of the traditional religions of Russia, along with Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. For many centuries Buddhism has been practiced in the Russian regions of Kalmykia and Buryatia.

Buddhism is a unique religion based on wisdom and compassion. The most important method of the spiritual path of Buddhism is contemplation and meditation. Every year on the full moon in May, Buddha's birthday is celebrated. On this day the most prominent Buddhist teachers, such as the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa, send large delegations to Sathya Sai Baba's ashram.

In Tibetan culture, it is customary to congratulate on the holiday in the form of wishes for a long life and the successful implementation of a spiritual mission. On the birthday of the Buddha in the central temple of the ashram, traditional Buddhist rituals are performed, the content of which are wishes of long life to Sathya Sai Baba and the success of his worldwide divine mission.

I remember how on the birthday of the Buddha, about one hundred Tibetan Lamas gathered in the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba and sang with inspiration: “Om Mani Padme Hum Sai Baba!” It is important not just to talk about unity, it is important to show it in real actions. Sathya Sai Baba was open to all traditions and many traditions were open to him. The greatest Buddhist teachers of our time deeply revered Sathya Sai Baba and considered him the spiritual guide of all mankind. It is very important when spiritual leaders show mutual understanding and unity by example.

40. Sathya Sai Baba Healed My Australian Friend Instantly.

On one of my visits to Puttaparthi, I met an Australian of Lebanese origin, his name was Ron. He was a very interesting person with a unique destiny and a subtle inner world. He played the flute superbly and was well versed in Islamic and Vedic philosophy. At some point of his stay, an insect bit Ron in the left armpit, of which he accidentally tore off the wound, causing an infection. In the Indian climate, such wounds are very dangerous because they do not heal well.

After a few days passed, he began to grow an abscess that looked like a large ball under his armpit. We all began to seriously worry about Ron's health, because if an infection got into the wound in such a hot climate the consequences would be deplorable. Ron went to the hospital every day for procedures, and he was prescribed medicines and ointments. Local doctors advised Ron to go home to Australia as soon as possible, because in a familiar climate it would be much easier to recover. The wound eventually swelled to a large size, about the size of a fist. It was already difficult for him to keep his arm straight, because the sore had already become so large and very painful.

On the day Ron made up his mind to urgently return home to Australia, I met him on the street. We entered the ashram together and decided to go through a small passage that was next to the mandir. During the daytime, the mandir was usually empty, but to our surprise that day, in the very middle of the mandir, we noticed Sathya Sai Baba sitting with a small group of students around him. We stopped and watched Sathya Sai Baba interact with the students.

Suddenly, Sathya Sai Baba turned sharply and looked at us intently, then turned away and continued to communicate with the students. Then, Sathya Sai Baba again looked attentively in our direction. It was clear he was staring at my Australian friend, as there was no one else around except us.

Finally, Sathya Sai Baba turned once more and looked at the Australian, raised his hand in blessing, and then continued to communicate with the students. I knew immediately something unusual had happened. The Australian looked at me and said in a trembling voice that his sore had disappeared. He instantly felt healed.