A Catholic Priest Meets Sai Baba  by Don Mario Mazzoleni

What does a Catholic priest do when he encounters a man who can create anything at will, who heals the sick, and who raises the dead?

What does a Catholic priest do when he discovers that God is alive in India?

Don Mario uses his theological training to examine Sai Baba's miracles and teachings. His doubts dissolve as he learns how Sai Baba's teachings mirror those of his divine master, Jesus Christ.

When the Church demands that Don Mario recant for saying that God is alive or be excommunicated, the author said, "Institutions do not accompany anyone beyond the grave, the only reality that one can present to God is one's conscience. The Lord who examines our hearts is the Judge!" Don Mario Mazzoleni was excommunicated Sept. 24, 1992.

Click on book title or its cover icon for more info on book, including how to purchase.

Sathya Sai Baba, Avatar

by Mary Lynn Adzema

"Whenever spirituality is in decay and ignorance flourishes, O Arjuna, then I reincarnate myself. For the deliverance of the good, for the destruction of the evil-doers, for the establishment of righteousness, I take birth from age to age. He who realizes the divine truth concerning my birth and life is not born again, and when he leaves his body, he becomes one with me."

These immortal words of the Bhagavad Gita resound in my heart as I write them. For myself, and for millions of others on Earth, they have a special meaning because of our experiences of a holy being alive in India today, Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Sathya Sai Baba’s physical domain appears to be an ashram known as Prasanthi Nilayam, literally, "the Abode of Highest Peace," situated in the small hamlet of Puttaparthi some one hundred miles north of the thriving city of Bangalore in south India. Those of us who have been drawn into Sai Baba’s orbit have come to realize over the years through many, many experiences—not only in his physical presence but also those occurring in our lives wherever we may be thousands of miles away from his physical presence—that he is an Avatar, an incarnation of God.

A heretical concept, perhaps, to many Americans brought up in the Judeo-Christian tradition; but then again, maybe not—for we live on a shrinking planet. Thanks to the force of telecommunications and an emerging new paradigm, the old walls and divisions erected by humans against their sisters and brothers in other religions and other cultures are slowly but irrevocably crumbling. And so perhaps we can look at the word Avatar for a moment in its Indian context. For on this ancient subcontinent of India, the cradle of so many of the world’s great religions, spirituality has been a science for thousands of years; and the concept of Avatar as the descent of the Divine in human form is understood. Thus reverence has been paid for many centuries to such holy beings as Krishna, Rama, Guru Nanak, the Buddha, Kabir, Jesus Christ—and many others. A more recent manifestation was Ramakrishna Paramahamsa—a Godman who lived shortly before the turn of the century—whose brilliant emissary, Vivekananda, spoke at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1900, introducing many Americans for the first time to the richness and universality of Vedanta.

And so, given the criteria—omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, all-lovingness, the power to transform people’s hearts, and so on—it is understood that, now, today, in India, there walks an Avatar, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I begin by sharing some of the historical background, resonant with poetry and synchronicity, that surrounds the birth of this great being.

The state of Andhra Pradesh in India where Puttaparthi, the birthplace of Sathya Sai Baba, can be found is a land steeped in the sacred, sanctified over centuries by the lives of many saints and sages. The one Sai Baba himself has mentioned as part of the divine causal chain leading to his birth is Venkhatavaduta—a reclusive saint of the area, who had prayed years earlier that God himself might be born in the region to reestablish dharma (righteousness).

But why the little village of Puttaparthi? (Which means, by the way, "ant hills"). In ancient times Puttaparthi had been known as Gollapalli, the place of cowherds, and it was the playground of Krishna. That is, until one day, an unfortunate cowherd killed a snake who had been taking the milk from his favorite cow. But the cowherd had not realized that the snake was actually Krishna Himself, playing in the form of a snake! So from that time on the place was cursed. A once lush area was reduced to a desert-like condition, covered with ant hills (hence the name Puttaparthi). At the time of Baba’s birth the villagers had been making efforts to restore the sanctity of their place; two temples had been built and dedicated to Krishna.

How appropriate that Sai Baba should be born in a place where converge, in a sense, the streams of two spiritual dynasties: the solar, originating with the incarnation of Rama as the embodiment of righteousness and truth; and the lunar, or Yadava clan, originating with Krishna and embodying brilliance or genius. Sai Baba chose to be born into this solar dynasty into a clan with the name Ratnakara Raju. Raju means sovereign and ratnakara means ocean of jewels or gems.

In ancient days when Gollapalli had been a fortified city, his forebears had been members of the kshatriya or warrior caste. Over the centuries some, including his clan, the Ratnakara Raju clan, had left the warrior trade and had become poet-preachers. Thus Sai Baba’s own grandfather, the saintly Kondamaraju, had been such; he had learned the entire Indian epic, the Ramayana, by heart and would recite it for the edification of the villagers.

Sai Baba would be the fourth child, and second son, born to Pedda Kondamma Raju and Easwaramma; and he would be named Satyanarayana—meaning "Truth: the refuge of man"—in honor of this aspect of Vishnu to which his mother and grandmother had paid homage in months of faithful ritual worship prior to his birth. Thus would be fulfilled a prophesy made centuries and centuries earlier when the great sage, Markandeya, told the Pandava Brothers during their forest exile about a talk he had had with Lord Vishnu, (one of the Hindu Trinity, and that aspect of Godhead which takes form as Avatar on earth to preserve the balance of dharma, or righteousness, from age to age). This great sage had relayed Lord Vishnu’s prophesy that the Light would come to Earth when the evils of the Kali Yuga had reached a point requiring the direct intervention of God. Thus he had said: "In the Kali age of sin I will assume an Avatar form that is dark in color. I will be born in a family in south India. This Avatar will possess great energy, great intelligence, and great powers. Material objects needed for this Avatar’s mission will be at his disposal as soon as he will think of them. He will be victorious with the strength of virtue. He will restore order and peace in the world."

This prophecy was echoed in the ancient classic, the Vishnu Purana, which further added: "His parents will be devotees of Vishnu and will reside in a village worshipping the cowherd form of Sri Krishna." And so Sathya Sai Baba was born, amidst miraculous signs and happenings, on 23 November 1926. The great sage of Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo, on that day became aware of what he termed "the descent of the Supramental Power on Earth, the descent of him whose birth would give the evolution of humanity a needed impetus toward the light." On the 24th, to celebrate this event which he had intuited, he went into solitude.

On the last day of a recent visit to Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Ashram in Puttaparthi, four of us climbed the hill to the "wish-fulfilling tree," where Sai Baba as a boy of seven had delighted in manifesting any fruit his companions wished. From that same tree had come pears, persimmons, oranges, and all manner of sweets and fruits that his boyhood friends had desired. As we climbed to the top of that hill, we could gaze out over the entire area. Once a humble and all but unknown village, now in all directions there stretched the material manifestation of this Avatar’s purpose: the many buildings to house visiting devotees; the Poornachandra Auditorium which holds eleven-thousand devotees; the Stadium where various school and sporting events take place; the Institute of Higher Learning; the primary and secondary schools; the Planetarium; the eight-million dollar super high-tech hospital where the entire range of medical care from sophisticated surgeries on down is offered, free; the airstrip to accommodate VIPs arriving by plane (Government officials and dignitaries from not only India but from many nations now flock to seek the blessings and advice of the Avatar); and on and on. Now, next to the humble village a small city exists, a living monument, and a continuous beehive of spiritual fervor and activity—the concrete manifestation of Sai Baba’s mission of educating humanity.

There is too little space in the context of this article to do justice to the depth and breadth of Sai Baba’s mission. Briefly, it is threefold. His organization, the Seva Dal (seva means service), is one wing—which performs deeds of mercy, succor, and service throughout India. One task it has undertaken is the uplift and rejuvenation, both spiritual and material, of some six-thousand villages in rural India. These tasks range from installing water pipes for irrigation purposes to establishing schools and promoting spiritual uplift through bhajans (devotional songs).

Over and over again in his discourses to his followers and visitors to the ashram, Sai Baba emphasizes the importance of service, in this Kali yuga or age of darkness in which we find ourselves, more than meditation, chanting the name of God, and a variety of spiritual practices (all of which he does also encourage, but to a lesser degree, as means of self purification). For service is love in action, Sai Baba has said. He has remarked that it is "the highest form of spiritual discipline; there is no discipline equal to service to smother the ego and fill the heart with genuine joy. When you serve man, you serve God." Again and again when devotees ask in the course of an interview with him: "Baba, what shall I do?" He responds simply: "Love all. Serve all."

The second wing in Sai Baba’s threefold mission is education. He has created and fostered " Education in Human Values"—a program for inculcating the values of Peace, Love, Truth, Nonviolence, and Right Action; a program which has now been adopted by the government of India and is being incorporated in the curriculum of every elementary school in the nation. Sai Baba’s EHV program, as it is called, is also taking root in other lands—in Europe, Australia, and here in the United States—as his followers seek to remedy the materialism and overly scientistic nature of education today.

Another way to express the curriculum of human values which Sai Baba as cosmic educator par excellence has come to impart to humanity is, as he says: "Love, plus Truth, plus Peace, plus Right Action, plus Nonviolence equals God." And, like Jesus Christ before him, Baba emphasizes love as the royal road to God. He has said: "Love as thought is truth; as action, it is right action; as emotion, it is peace; as understanding it is nonviolence."

Finally, the third part of Sai Baba’s mission has taken form in the more than ten-thousand Sai Baba Centers worldwide—the vehicle which the Avatar has created for the uplift of his followers, providing the means for them to come together for mutual reinforcement on the path through devotional singing, meditation, and involvement in community service projects. The Sai centers also serve as places where information about Sai Baba and his teachings is shared with the public at large. In keeping with Sai Baba’s message of universality, the members of these centers come from diverse religious backgrounds. He himself has said that he has not come to found a new religion, but rather to strengthen devotees on whatever path they have chosen. Hence one of his most well-known statements: "Let the different faiths exist, let them flourish and let the glory of God be sung in all the languages and in a variety of tunes. That should be the Ideal. Respect the differences between faiths and recognize them as valid as long as they do not extinguish the flame of unity."

On a personal note, let me share some experiences of Sai Baba’s all-knowingness, his unfathomable love, and his sense of humor, too, which lift the curtain for a moment on this sublime mystery we call the Avatar.

For example, around the time we were planning our visit to Sai Baba’s ashram, which took place in late October several years ago, my son, David (who happens to love Halloween), had said to me: "Mom, you’re going to miss out on Halloween!" Even though he was twenty-five at the time, David, as an artist, has always had the playful and childlike quality that so many artists have; and so his remark was not surprising to me. But apparently Sai Baba was listening to our conversation.

This became clear after the astounding experience of our first interview with Baba on this trip; an interview in which many of us were brought to tears of joy by his love and all-knowingness, and in which he materialized not only the usual lockets and earrings and vibhutti (sacred healing ash) but during which he connected with each of us in a uniquely personal way. After this incredible experience, on our way back to Bangalore in the taxi, I turned to my friends, Claire and Ursula, and said: "Good heavens, do you realize what day it is? It’s Halloween!" We were all somewhat giddy with the experience of the interview—still in orbit you might say—and so it wasn’t surprising when Claire remarked: "Yes, and there was Baba dressed up as a pumpkin!" (Baba wears an orange robe, the traditional color of renunciation in India.) And I added, "Yes, and he had his bag of treats" (the bag of vibhutti packets Baba always has available to give to devotees at the end of an interview). And so it went, with much joy and laughter all the way into Bangalore.

On a more serious note, when one journeys to India to see the Form, it is a powerful experience. Sai Baba is always ready to serve as a mirror, if you will, to reflect back to us our own divinity. And in recent years, he has been emphasizing more and more a central theme of his message, which is: You are all God, but you have simply forgotten. You seem to prefer the "game of hide and seek" in a body. Unwilling to give up your illusion of separateness.

And so, in addition to the power and glory of the physical form, there is this formless, reflective aspect. I will give an example. On a particular day, which was, in fact, several days before we would have our interview with Swami, I was meditating in the darshan area. We were seated in lines as is the custom, waiting for the first person in our line to draw a number which would determine our order of seating in the bhajan hall. (Nowadays so many thousands frequent the ashram, that this policy of forming lines and drawing numbers has been instituted to avoid the chaos and scramble which would otherwise ensue.) In my meditation a glorious aura of peace and light had permeated my mind. I was thinking, "Baba, it doesn’t really matter if we get a ‘lucky’ number and sit up front in the bhajan hall—we are all brothers and sisters here; we are one." And I was deeply sincere while thinking this; it was an incredibly blissful experience of unity.

Well, just a few minutes later, our line leader drew number one! And this gave me the precious opportunity to give Baba the letters I had brought from home from other devotees, including my son, who was suffering from emotional problems at the time. My son’s letter was on the top of the pile which Baba carried back with him to his chair. He then waved his hand lovingly for the bhajans to begin. The very first bhajan to be sung (out of a repertoire of literally hundreds that are sung at the ashram) was none other than my son’s special favorite—one we had so often sung together at home. Tears of joy and gratitude filled my eyes and coursed down my cheeks. I’m sure anyone watching would have wondered what brought about this display of fervor. But in my heart was this unique and powerful proof of Baba’s love and omniscience. He and I, my son, all of us—are one . . . there is nothing to fear. . . Unity is indeed Divinity.

Sai Baba has said: "Do not limit me to this physical form; I am beyond fathom. If you experience my love, you will come away with some understanding of my being." And so I would urge all of you who are reading these words to investigate for yourself this phenomenon—this holy being who walks the earth today, giving and giving twenty-four hours a day, teaching humankind once again the ancient truths.

Perhaps I can conclude by sharing the highlights of a discourse Sai Baba gave while we were visiting his ashram on this recent trip. He told us—both visitors to the ashram and his beloved students attending the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning: "Man needs devotion to God. Bhakti or devotion is the most important element in man’s life. God permeates the entire Universe and every living thing in it."

He went on to say that the Bhagavad Gita is the very core of the Upanishads, which in turn represent the heart of the Vedas. The Gita sets forth three paths: action, devotion, and wisdom. They are separate at first, but they are related. And as the aspirant progresses, they become one. Baba told us that our means for proceeding on the path are, the hand, kept ever occupied in selfless service; the tongue, which must avoid gossip and backbiting and occupy itself in saying the name of God and singing devotional songs; and the mind. Each of these instruments must be kept pure and observe a certain degree of self-control in order to serve God.

Baba continued by saying that faith is the foundation of spiritual life. With faith, love follows; with love, truth (or wisdom) dawns. And this in turn is the basis for bliss, followed by union with God. Humans are everywhere searching for bliss, says Baba; but it can only be found within, by living the life of devotion to God.

In addition to purity and self control, Sai Baba exhorted his students and us "good people" listening to him to render selfless service to the old and the helpless, the sick and the needy (interestingly enough, earlier that day while an Indian wedding at which Sai Baba was officiating was taking place, he held a feeding of the poor). Baba next advised all to take up the practice of repeating the Lord’s name (any form of the Lord that is pleasing to us). We must say the name with full concentration and devotion; for God only responds to love. Indeed all the points he mentioned revolve around and depend upon the vital element of love.

Sai Baba concluded his talk to us by emphasizing the importance of unity—unity of thought, word, and action; and he explained how this principle of unity is the mark of the true aspirant. At one point he held up his hand, using it as an example: "Each finger is different, and yet all work together." He mentioned the five kosas or sheaths which comprise a person: starting with the physical body, sustained by food; the vital energy body; the mind; the higher intelligence; and the bliss sheath, which is the final veil between a person and the highest state of consciousness or Godhead. Then again he made a call for unity based on an appreciation of differences among people—their capacities and their roles in life—while emphasizing how they work together for the common good.

As I listened to his words, I was experiencing that divine synchronicity which occurs so often in Sai Baba’s relationships with his devotees. Once again, Baba was being my cosmic mirror. For in explaining the principle of Divinity which sustains the balance in our many-layered energy system, he was reiterating a theme we had spent several months discussing in our Santa Barbara Sai Center study-circle meetings.

I will conclude with a metaphor that Sai Baba shared with us near the close of our second interview with him on Deepavali Day, November 9th. This interview at Prasanthi Nilayam had a special significance for us. In Hinduism, Deepavali Day commemorates the triumph of good over evil in humans; the light of the Atma (the God within) vanquishing the darkness of ignorance. During his discussion with all of us he had used many metaphors, but he closed with one I now realize was especially appropriate for that festival day. You may remember how the Buddha said: "Be a lamp unto yourselves, and earnestly seek your salvation." Baba told us: "Be like the lamp. The current is Truth; the wire, bringing Truth into manifestation, is Dharma (right action); the bulb is Peace; and the light is Love."

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Some recommended books about Sri Sathya Sai Baba:

Note:  Click on book title or its cover icon for more info on book, including how to purchase.

Busto, Graciela. (1998). Baba Is Here : Conversations With God on His Omnipresence. Leela Press.

Haraldsson, Erlendur. (1997). Modern Miracles: An Investigative Report on These Psychic Phenomena Associated With Sathya Sai Baba. Hastings House Publishing.

Krystal, Phyllis. (1985). Sai Baba: The Ultimate Experience. Los Angeles: Aura Books.

Hislop, John. (1978). Conversations with Sathya Sai Baba. San Diego, CA: Birth Day Publishing.

Mazzoleni, Don Mario. (1994).A Catholic Priest Meets Sai Baba. Leela Press.

Murphet, Howard. Sai Baba Avatar : A New Journey into Power and Glory.

Murphet, Howard. (1977). Sai Baba, Man of Miracles. Samuel Weiser Publishing.

Murphet, Howard. (1996).Sai Inner Views and Insights: Thirty Years with the Avatar. Leela Press.

Murphet, Howard. (1993). Walking the Path With Sai Baba. Samuel Weiser Publishing.

Murphet, Howard. (1994).Where the Road Ends: From Self Through Sai to Self. Leela Press.

Roof, Jonathan. (1992). Pathways to God: A Study Guide to the Teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. Leela Press.

Sandweiss, Samuel H. (1975). Sai Baba: The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist. San Diego, CA: Birth Day Publishing.

Stone, Joshua David. (1998). Golden Keys to Ascension and Healing: Revelations of Sai Baba and the Ascended Masters. Light Technology Publications.

Warner, Judy (ed.). (1995). The Dharmic Challenge: Putting Sathya Sai Baba's Teachings into Practice.Leela Press.

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The works above are recommended and readily available books about Sathya Sai Baba.  However, there are literally hundreds of books by or about this Godman.  For those wishing a deeper look into this phenomenon, the resource below has the most extensive selection of Sai Baba works available in the U.S., including collections of his discourses and teachings.  Contact:
 

The Sathya Sai Book Center of America

305 West First Street

Tustin, California  92680

Phone: (714) 669-0522 or Fax: (714) 669-9138.

 

 
 
 
 
 

Note:  A version of this article was originally published in The Rose Garden 2(1), July-September 1995.

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Biographical Note

MARY LYNN ADZEMA  is a long-time devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. She has an M.A. in Consciousness Psychology, an A.B.D. in Philosophy, and over thirty-years involvement in yogic and Eastern spiritual practices.  She wrote a chapter for and co-edited a book about the experiences of Sai Baba devotees titled Transformation of the Heart.   She has taught psychology at the university level and has published on the topics of psychology and spirituality.  Mary Lynn has received training with Stanislav Grof in holotropic breathwork and with various people in primal therapy.  Having served with the International Primal Association on it Board of Directors and as Assistant Editor of the publications, Primal Renaissance: The Journal of Primal Psychology, a professional journal of psychology, and Primal Spirit: The Deeper Wave of the New Age, a magazine; she now serves as Assistant Editor of those some publications in their reincarnation on this website, and as consulting editor for Primal Spirit website in its umbrella-role for those publications plus all its other facets.  Most importantly, she serves as Assistant Director of the newly opened Primal Spirit Center for Human Evolution, offering primal breathwork, primal therapy, a community of healing -- to name its major intentions.  Mary Lynn's extended bio can be found at Mary Lynn Adzema's Writings.  She can be contacted at P.O. Box 1348, Guerneville, CA  95446-1348; phone: (707) 869-9008; e-mail: marylynn@primalspirit.com.

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marylynn@primalspirit.com     Mary Lynn Adzema

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