SHIRDI SAI PARTHI SAI - PART 46
(Continued from the previous issue)

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ACT XX

SCENE 1

A hut is built on the land gifted by Subbamma, and that now becomes the residence of Young Swami. While many adore and worship Baba, some are jealous and have evil intentions towards Him.

A MAN: It seems that Karnam Subbamma gave a piece of her land to Young [Bala] Swami.

SECOND PERSON: Subbamma has tremendous devotion for Bala Swami.

THIRD PERSON: Apart from devotion, Subbamma is also a very generous lady. That is why she so readily offered help.

YET ANOTHER MAN: It is Easwaramma’s blessing to have given birth to Bala Swami, while it is our good fortune and blessing to be able to listen to His Divine Discourses.

FIRST PERSON: Swami taking birth in this village of Puttaparthi is the result of the good merit earned by its inhabitants in previous births.

SCENE 2

A plot is hatched to set fire to the hut of Baba.

RAMA: Hey, come on!…. Come quick!

RAJA: Look out and see if someone is coming.

RAMA: Sit down……sit down…..

GANGA: They call Him God, God. …. They hire bullock carts and come here…Deluded, they have become mad…..How can man be God? What is all this illusion and miracles!………

RAJA: Even if He is not God but has some power, let Him show it now! ….Is it miracle or magic, is He real or fraud?………We will soon know!

RAMA: Stop talking ……. Go and get the torches first; we will then light the torches and set fire to the hut.

The hut is torched, and is rapidly getting burnt. People see this and are shocked.

A MAN: Look! Bala Swami’s hut is burning.….. And Swami is inside!!

ANOTHER MAN: Hey! Get up!! ….. Bala Swami’s hut is burning!……Fire….Fire!…..

A THIRD PERSON: Come on! ………The hut is burning! ……..Bring some water!…

FOURTH PERSON: Hey, all of you come! Bala Swami’s hut is on fire!……Come! Someone has set fire to it……..

Meanwhile, it mysteriously starts raining. But wonder of wonders, the rain is pouring down only over the burning hut and nowhere else! People are astonished.

A MAN: Look! It is raining right over there! ….. Rain is pouring down on the burning hut!!……

ANOTHER MAN: Indeed!………. Really, it is raining!………

THIRD PERSON: But it is not raining over us! ……… Not even a drop on us!….How amazing!

FOURTH PERSON: This is most astonishing! …….. Rainwater is not falling on us but coming down only on the burning hut!!…….How strange!…..

YET ANOTHER PERSON: There is nothing strange about it…..Bala Swami is inside…..And Swami is no ordinary person.

A LADY: Swami is God!

ANOTHER SPECTATOR: That is why it is not a mere hut but a Divine Abode.

Meanwhile, the plotters are aghast; evidently, their plans have totally misfired. Slowly, the truth dawns on them.

GANGA: All along we mistakenly believed that everything was an illusion and a fraud…….But now, we know the truth….

RAJA: The rain is coming down only on the burning hut!…..How strange!!….

A MAN IN THE CROWD: Bala Swami is no ordinary person. He is God!….He is a God with extra-ordinary powers….Otherwise, how can it rain just on the burning hut and not on us?….. Astounding!……

SECOND PERSON: Look! The burning hut is now back to normal!

THIRD PERSON: That is not a hut but a temple. That is why such a miracle has happened!…..

FOURTH PERSON: That makes sense. After seeing this miracle, can anyone doubt the Divinity of Bala Swami?…..There! Looks like Bala Swami is coming!…

A LADY: It is all a Leela, a sport of God! Bala Swami is coming!

Swami appears on the scene and He is duly hailed. A cheer-leader shouts, “Bala Swami Ki” and the crowd responds by shouting “Jai” which means victory. The gang that set fire to the hut realise who Swami is, feel remorse, and decide to seek Swami’s pardon.

RAMANA: Bala Swami is truly God!……

RAMA: Let us go at once to Bala Swami, fall at His Feet, and beg for His forgiveness….

THE EVIL GANG: [chorus] Swami, please forgive us!

BABA: What for?

GANGA : Mistaking You to be a fraud and a magician, we set fire to Your abode…

RAJA: We wanted to test Your powers. Swami! Please forgive us!

BABA: You did not do any wrong. It was your ignorance that made you act the way you did….. Ignorance is like darkness…. In the matchstick that you used, there is fire as well as light. The same match can be used to light either a fire or a lamp. With the fire you can reduce a hut to ashes whereas with the lamp you can dispel darkness. …Use first your intellect to remove your ignorance… Stop testing. The fault is not yours but that of your ignorance… You may go now…

THIEVES: Swami! You are truly God! You are truly God!

SCENE 3

Easwaramma is deeply upset by the incident of arson. She is very much worried about the safety of her dear Sathyam. The boy refuses to listen to her; she has no recourse but to pray to her favourite God, Lord Sathyanarayana, who gave her the boy as His gift.

EASWARAMMA: O Lord! You are constantly testing young Sathyam who is totally innocent about the ways of the world…..How long am I to bear all this? …Oh God! How long have I to suffer this anguish? ….Treating Sathyam to be Your very Gift, we have named Him after You!…

Sobs.

EASWARAMMA: When people worshipped Him as Bala Swami, I saw You in Him….. But……But…This jealousy and hatred have exceeded all limits! …Lord! Why are You subjecting Sathyam to all these difficult tests?…No!….No!…No more such tests!….. Please don’t agitate this mother’s heart….Don’t disturb it please! …I can’t bear it….I just can’t bear it!

Swami enters Easwaramma’s house at this juncture and calls out to her.

BABA: Lady of the house…..lady of the house….

EASWARAMMA: My boy……my dear Sathyam……my child!…

BABA: Is it not true that when a net is thrown into a pond, only fish will be caught and not water? In the same way, acts performed out of ignorance will not harm those who enjoy God’s Grace. Lady, don’t worry!..

EASWARAMMA: My child, ……my Sathyam!

SCENE 4

The hut being set on fire and its miraculous survival now becomes the talk of the village.

A LADY: Sister, did you see that extra-ordinary happening? There was no rain anywhere in the village but it just poured over the hut of Bala Swami!

ANOTHER LADY: Yes, the rain came down only on the burning hut!

THIRD LADY: The rains came to put out the fire because Sathyam is God!

FOURTH LADY: How remarkable! In this Kali Age, God is living right here in this very village of ours and right before our eyes!

THE FIRST LADY: Venkama’s son Raju is no ordinary person! He is a Great One with extra-ordinary powers. Otherwise, how can it rain non-stop just over the burning hut and nowhere else?

SECOND LADY: It seemed as if the Rain God had come down to have the Darshan of Bala Swami!

A LADY IN THE GROUP: We should all be proud that such a Noble Soul is residing in our village. Not everyone can have this Divine Spark; it is the cumulative merit of earlier births…..This miracle is like what Lord Krishna performed earlier in the Dwapara Age.

FIRST LADY: Fortunate indeed are we to be able to witness and be thrilled by the Leelas of Swami!

SCENE 5

The scene is Venkama Raju’s house. The subject of discussion is the recent hut-burning incident.

KONDAMA RAJU: Such stories are known from the days of the Mahabharatha. Did not the evil Kauravas try to burn the noble Pandavas, when the latter were occupying the palace built of lacquer? What happened then? ….. God’s power prevailed, and evil power took flight!…. A similar thing has happened in this Kali Age also. Once more, and in the very same manner, God’s might has triumphed over evil forces. No evil power can ever touch our dear Sathyam, anywhere and at any time……… Please believe me. Don’t worry!

VENKAMA RAJU: Father, how can you say that?! What if something terrible were to happen?…..

KONDAMA RAJU: Venkama, you have not understood Sathyam. That is why you are having such doubts. ……

VENKAMA RAJU: We have to punish those wicked people…..We have to make sure that such things do not happen again. ..

BABA: I have not incarnated in order to punish the wicked but to remove the evil in them, and to show them the sacred path. Even Dharmaraja, who never wavered from Dharma, had enemies. He was named Ajata Shatru [one who has no enemies] but all the Kauravas were his enemies! ……….In this Kali Age, evil overshadows good….. Devotion to God alone can invoke the Supreme Power that annihilates evil forces….. Constantly remembering God, promotes devotion.

SCENE 6

MAN: Seshama Raju, Seshama Raju! It seems some evil people set fire to Bala Swami’s abode in Puttaparthi!

SESHAMA RAJU: Is that so?

MAN: But don’t worry. Swami is safe. Thanks to the Divine Power in Him, He did not face any danger. I will take your leave now.

- END OF EPISODE 27 -

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SHIRDI SAI PARTHI SAI - PART 47
(Continued from the previous issue)

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ACT XXI : SCENE 1

EASWARAMMA: Sathyam, my child, if Your mother asks You to do something, You will do it, won’t You?

SATHYA: I know what you want to ask.

EASWARAMMA: You know?

SATHYA: Yes... I know everything.

EASWARAMMA: Sathyam!

SATHYA: Yes, what I say is indeed Sathyam [Truth]! When I am here, neighbours come to you with all their problems… and you become their spokesperson, don’t you?

EASWARAMMA: Yes! But son, what am I to do? When they worry so much and carry such a heavy burden in their hearts, how can I say no? So…

SATHYA: You carry their problems to Me! And I must give the solutions, isn’t that so? You are becoming their postman!

EASWARAMMA: I don’t know about that… If only I could help them a little bit... Poor things, they are so agitated. Sathyam... Sathyam... Please oblige this mother of Yours and provide the solutions to their problems.

SATHYA: Yes, I will do so, but…

EASWARAMMA: But? What is the meaning of this ‘but’?

SATHYA: Will you prepare the dish Bobbatlu for Me?

EASWARAMMA: I shall certainly do so, my son! Why only Bobbatlu? I will make whatever You want, my dear son!

SATHYA: Poor thing! All these people are troubling you, are they not? Ask them to come to Me, and tell Me directly their problems. Without fail, I shall give them the solutions.

EASWARAMMA: So be it. As You say, my son!

SATHYA: Lady, don’t forget the Bobbatlu…

EASWARAMMA: My son! My Sathyam! I won’t forget; I certainly will not!

SCENE 2

The place is vibrant and colourfully decorated; many devotees come to have Swami’s darshan.

GROUP: Get down… get down… slowly, get down slowly… (from the cart)

GROUP: We have come for Swami’s darshan.

GROUP: Careful, you may fall down, get down slowly.

There is a general murmur amoung the crowd.

(To be continued…)

Dear reader, this is the penultimate part of this serial. Yes, it is very short compared to the previous episodes, but that is because we have saved the best for last!

SHIRDI SAI PARTHI SAI - PART 48
(Continued from the previous issue - Final Episode)

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ACT XXII : SCENE 1

The fourteen year old who went from Puttaparthi as Sathyanarayana Raju has returned as Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and is now established in a shed built on a piece of land donated most kindly by Subbamma. This shed is now enshrined in history as Patha Mandiram [Old Mandir].
It is from here that Baba started His Mission that now has grown to immense proportions, spanning all continents. But back in 1940, the crowds were small [by today’s standards] and some were yet to be convinced of Baba’s Divinity. The most important of them was Seshama Raju. Seshama accepted that there was something extra-ordinary about his brother, but found it difficult to accept that this brother of his was in reality God walking on earth!
People today find fault with Seshama, but this is an opinion based on hindsight. We must remember that Seshama merely played a part he was destined to – God wanted to show that there would be ‘Doubting Thomases’, and He cast His own bodily brother as the first doubter. However, Seshama finally realised that he was mistaken and accepted Baba as an Avatar.
In this the last scene of this play we see how finally, even Seshama came around.

A group of devotees have gathered around Baba in the Patha Mandiram, and this includes members of His family; Seshama Raju is also present. Baba is seen speaking to them.

SATHYA: Embodiments of Divine Love! Man believes in everything, but does not have faith in God! He is not able to know that God resides within him. He is unable to understand this fact…God’s Grace cannot be earned through tricks, cunning, power, charity, or learning. You can see the radiant Moon by its own light. In the same way, God who is the very source of Divine Love, can be seen only with Love...

Man today has become blind,

Having lost his eyes of faith.

He may not see God,

But does that mean God does not exist?

Foolishly he may believe God is nowhere,

But for you, God is NOW HERE!

A blind man cannot see the Sun, even if it is shining brightly. And those who shut their eyes, cannot see the world. Does that mean that the Sun or the world does not exist?

If the child does not have faith in its mother, it will not love its mother. In the same way, in the case of God also, faith is very important. It is sheer ignorance to declare that there is no God just because He cannot be seen. It is wrong to assert that the Unseen does not exist.

The rose can be seen, but can its fragrance be seen? Similarly, the mother has a form but her love does not.

Faith is God. Devotees must therefore cultivate faith… Faith begets peace and in this way you can secure total happiness.

Sathya creates sugar candy by a wave of this hand and calls his mother to receive the prasadam.

SATHYA: Lady………..

EASWARAMMA: Seshama... come, take it Seshama.

VENKAMA RAJU: Seshama, why are you looking like that? Go ahead and receive it.

KONDAMA RAJU: God’s Grace is dependent upon the merit earned in earlier births. One who enjoys God’s Grace in full measure has Divine qualities. One with Divine qualities appears as God to all, and one who worships this God [in human form] will find happiness and fulfilment. All this holds true in the case of Sathyam! Go. Go and receive Prasadam.

SESHAMA RAJU: In Nature, it is only after ripening that one has a fruit. One cannot have a fruit as soon as a flower transforms into a bud. Similarly, in life, some time is required for the attainment of spiritual maturity. Grandfather, you know all this! Yet, you see Divinity in your grandson in His boyhood. That may be OK for you but for me, I cannot understand how Sathyam can be called God.

EASWARAMMA: Seshama! What are you talking!

SESHAMA RAJU: Yes mother. It takes years of arduous spiritual practice to become a Wise One... to become a saint. Such being the case, is it not strange if one who is innocent of the ways of the world and is yet to enter it has suddenly become spiritual? Above all, how can He say He is God?

VENKAMA RAJU: Seshama, you are wrong! There is no age bar for receiving God’s Grace. It all depends on the merit earned in earlier births. Once upon a time, I too had such doubts. But now I am convinced. If so many devotees have such strong faith and belief, I cannot but fall in line. As father says, I believe it is all the result of good actions done in earlier births.

SESHAMA RAJU: It is okay to talk about the fruits of Wisdom and earlier births, but one must also be realistic and think of the present too. While some revere Sathyam as God, there are others who dismiss it all as trickery and magic. We all know that right from childhood, Sathyam’s behaviour has been quite unusual. It was because of this that He was sent to Uravakonda. But that did not produce any change. He was brought back to Puttaparthi... and what happened here?

KONDAMA RAJU: What happened? Devotees are coming in large numbers; they sing bhajans and listen to discourses.

SESHAMA RAJU: True. I agree with what you say. But, was not Sathyam’s abode also set on fire? Why?

VENKAMA RAJU: Oh that! Some people were jealous of Sathyam, that’s all.

SESHAMA RAJU: Indeed. But don’t you see that those who wanted to test Sathyam did not believe in His Divinity?

VENKAMA RAJU: Yes.

SESHAMA RAJU: As long as there are such non-believers who are prepared to test Sathyam, who can say what danger awaits Him, where and when?

EASWARAMMA: Seshama, what is it that you are saying? Are there people who would harm my child? Is this true Seshama?

SESHAMA RAJU: Yes mother. How can you bear to see harm come to the child whom you have carried for nine months? What is the guarantee that others would not inflict danger in the future, just as some did recently? Mother! Sathyam’s life is in danger because of the path He has chosen. No mother, we don’t need this kind of danger.

KONDAMA RAJU: Seshama, think again. Perhaps this event occurred in order to reveal to the world the Divine power latent in Sathyam. That is why nothing happened to Sathyam. Besides, the wicked ones have had their eyes opened.

SESHAMA RAJU: Grandfather! Is it enough to say that the present danger has passed? Is there any guarantee that there will be no danger tomorrow or the day after? How do you know? It is better for Sathyam to give up this path and choose some other. I am not saying this out of any selfishness. Father… Mother… it is only in the interests of Sathyam that I am speaking like this. All of you please understand the words of this brother.

EASWARAMMA: Seshama, Sathyam has chosen this path for Himself long ago. He has also firmly declared that He will never give it up. But who can say what God’s Will is? I fully understand your anguish as a brother. Whatever I have to say as a mother, I already have. Your father too has. When Sathyam says He has no bonds of relationship with us, how can we stop Him? Tell me!

SESHAMA RAJU: If you won’t tell Him, I will! Sathyam, You have said that You have no bonds with us. Does that mean that similarly, no bonds exist between devotee and God?

SATHYA: No! That relationship is not bondage. The devotee has love for God, and God has compassion for the devotee. That is all.

SESHAMA RAJU: If You really have Divine power in You, then how come those wicked people were able to set fire to Your hut?

SATHYA: You have already said that they were wicked people. Only when people are wicked there is retribution. Punishment is given not to hurt, but to correct and to proclaim to the world that evil actions beget pain as the ultimate reward.

SATHYA: I have incarnated not for punishing the wicked. Instead, it is for correcting them, leading them to the proper path and to show them the Light of Wisdom. It is the duty of the Avatar to show the correct path to evil ones.

SESHAMA RAJU: Agreed! But such work must be done by people who are rich in experience and therefore full of Wisdom. It ought not to be done by one of Your age!

SATHYA: Nowhere is it said at what age Wisdom should dawn.

SESHAMA RAJU: Look. I am Your elder brother who came running here out of deep anxiety about what happened to You. I am Your brother who wants You to be safe and happy, wherever You are... mother, father, and grandfather all regard You as God. But, I alone am not able to understand You! Now tell me, if God exists in all, why then are You alone acting so different from others?

Who exactly are You? What is Your goal in life? What is Your life’s objective? I must know Your true nature.

What is it that You possess? Are Your materialisations due to the power of magic or the result of Divine power that can also transform the wicked?

SATHYA: Here is your answer... God is not only the One who materialises objects, but in fact, the One who created the entire Universe. He has no need for any magic. He is the Almighty God who can do anything, including transforming the wicked into good by invoking Divine power.

SESHAMA RAJU: Does that mean You are God? Tell me! Tell me now! Who exactly are You?

SATHYA: Responding to the prayers of Venkava Dhoota, that jewel of the Ratnakara family, I have now incarnated in that very same family, descended from Sage Apasthamba and in the lineage of Sage Bharadwaja.

SATHYA: I, who earlier incarnated as [Shirdi Sai] a sequel to a boon granted by the Lord, have now been born to Easwaramma.

I am ever present in the hearts of those who worship Me with a pure mind, sacred feelings, total faith, and complete devotion.

You asked Me: “Who are You?” The time has come to resolve all your doubts. You will know who I am.

A pause

I AM SAI BABA!

Seshama Raju is stunned by the declaration. Slowly the realisation sinks in that the ‘young lad’ before him, whom he had all along treated as his younger brother and about whose future he was very much concerned, is not an ordinary mortal. In fact, He is no mortal at all but the very Lord in human form, born in the Ratnakara family to continue the work begun earlier in Shirdi. Seshama falls at Baba’s feet.

SESHAMA: Swami! Forgive me! Till now, I did not realise that You who do things beyond human comprehension, You who say things that even the Wise are not aware of, and You who make the scriptures [Vedas and Upanishads] come alive, are verily God in human form, visible to our ordinary eyes.

Swami, I found fault with You because You did not follow accepted customs and conventions. I tried to correct You. I even punished You! But now, You have removed the scales from my eyes. You have also annihilated my pride born of ignorance. You have revealed to me Your true nature. With the Darshan of that Divine and Auspicious Form, my life has achieved fulfilment. Swami, my life has truly been fulfilled!

From this moment, You alone are my Guru! You alone are my God! And Swami, Your Lotus Feet are my refuge, my sole refuge Swami! Other than You, there is no refuge! To You, I surrender completely! You are the Real Doer!

Protect me, O Shirdi Sai! Protect and save me, O Parthi Sai! Protect and save me, O Parthi Sai!