His Holiness Bhagwan Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj on Sathya Sai Baba
ITV Interview, November 23rd 2008

ITV Interview on Sathya Sai Baba, New York, November 23rd 2008

Ashok Vyas:  While we were growing up we heard the saying: 

Guru Govind dovu khade, kaake laago  pai

Balihari Guru Dev ki   Govind diyo milaai. 

We always regard Guru as someone who opens the door for the enlightenment and who shows us the path to God. We also hear that the true Guru is one who makes his disciples like himself. The joy that is there in us, that we are made aware of by saints like Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj who hails from Guntur and he is so much compassionate for all beings, especially for those who are in America, for he every year visits America and tours all across and makes individual contacts and taking care of many inner conflicts in many minds. Today we are very fortunate to have him with us especially because he is considered an Avatar of Lord Dattatreya, and is in the lineage where we have luminaries like Shirdi Sai Baba and Sathya Sai Baba. Today my first question is with respect to Sri Sathya Sai Baba. 23^rd November devotees celebrate Sathya Sai Baba’s birthday with enthusiasm and devotion. We always hear Baba that God is beyond birth and death. So if you consider Sathya Sai Baba as form of God, then what is the need of celebrating his birthday because he is beyond birth and death? 

Swamiji: This is a very good question and a common question in every mind. Not only Sathya Sai, all siddha purushas and avatara purushas are celebrating birthdays. First of all you have to understand they are not celebrating their birthday. Sathya Sai is himself not celebrating his birthday. The followers of Sathya Sai, the devotees of Sathya Sai are not celebrating the birthday of the power that exists in the body of Sathya Sai. The power that exists in the body is universal and it is eternal. The power has no birth or death.  Even the devotees who are following Sathya Sai do not understand Sathya Sai. The devotees are celebrating the birthday of His body. His body came into existence on November 23^rd to do something good in this world and to make all the people happy, to teach them to live in bliss and unite all the people irrespective of the religion, caste, creed or color. For your question, my answer is that he himself is not celebrating his birthday. For that matter any spiritual person, yogi or peetadhipathi does not feel any happiness when the devotees or followers are celebrating the birthday. At the same time they are not objecting to it. There is a purpose behind it. In the name of their birthday or any function the avatara purusha’s want to bring their followers together into their magnetic field, they want them to unite and think about the welfare of the society, think about what to do the next year and think about their plans for the coming year, think about social service that should be done next year and to enlighten them the yogi or avatara purusha wants all the followers to gather at a particular place.  To do good for the society they are celebrating their birthday.  Take Sathya Sai’s birthday for instance. On this day they are celebrating the university convocation. Through education he wants to enlighten the students and give them the universal education. I have been telling university is a place where the professors, lecturers give universal education to the students. As a part of birthday celebrations on one day they celebrate woman’s day, on one day they celebrate the youth day. They want to enlighten the young people, women, doctors and each and ever intellectual in every field of the society and unite them to do something good for the society, that is very important. 

Ashok Vyas: So it is very important that good should prevail and those of you who are aware of what Sathya Sai Baba is all about and there are some of you have been to Puttaparthi and have had the pleasure of His darshan and have some unique experiences and there are some others who have heard about him from devotees with special experiences and always have doubts in their mind if it is possible. We always heard that God knows everything. Going by that logic we think that if he knows everything then he knows my problems also.  And we also come across stories where Sathya Sai Baba helps some of the devotees, heals them. Then we feel that if he is everywhere and he knows my problem also then why is he not helping me. Is he biased that he helps only some of the chosen ones?  

Swamiji: There is no doubt that Sathya Sai is incarnation of infinite universal love, the universal power and his love is not finite. His divinity is not finite. It is universal just like the light coming from the sun is falling equally on every part of the solar system in the same way the love which is coming fro Sathya Sai is embracing  each and every person. Don’t think that he is giving blessings to only certain people and not on you or others.  Take an efficient surgeon. His grandson comes to him and says, “Grandfather give me the knife that is there.”  The grandfather will not give the knife to the grandson. He will not allow the grandson to enter the operation theatre. But after the grandson becomes an efficient doctor then the grandfather who is an efficient surgeon hands over the complete hospital let alone the operation theatre to the grandson. In the same way Sathya Sai knows what to give and what not to give. We are not to decide. He has to judge and he has to give proper thing at the proper time. So we should leave it to him to give us what is needed at the right time. 

Ashok Vyas: That is well said Baba. And I know many of you would find it difficult to believe because what we want, we want it now and we want the help to come our way, right away. Moving forward we see that though Sathya Sai Baba in his physical form has not traveled beyond India but Sathya Sai missions are almost in every country and every corner of the world and there are millions of followers.  Tell us Baba what is special about his mission which has resulted such a big reach?  

Swamiji: A very good and heart touching question and each and every one in the world has to realize and think about Sathya Sai’s mission and what he really wants. Why the power has come in his body to this world? We have to think about it.  I want all the people in the word to think about it. Who is Sathya Sai? Why he came in human form? We are seeing so many yogis, there were so many yogis and avatara purushas in the past and many will come in the future, what then is the specialty of Sathya Sai?  Listen to me carefully. Sathya Sai was born in a very poor family in a very small village. He is telling stories about his childhood to the students. Sathya Sai is making the college students to sit in front of him and telling about his sufferings in his younger days when he was a child and a young boy, how he used to walk barefoot to school, how he used thorns instead of safety pin to cover his shirt, if there was no money to buy food, how he used to drink water, how he had only one pair of clothes and used to wash and wear it. Why is he telling his sufferings? He wants the students to realize that until and unless we work very hard we can’t attain the highest position in the society. With his will power, with his divine will, with his divine love, with his self experience he is spreading his magnetic field all over the world he has touched the deepest part of each and every heart. He attracted not only the believers but the non believers of God also, people of different countries and dragged them into his magnetic field and made them to experience it themselves and he tied them to his heart. Self experience is the best experience. He wanted to do something good for the world. There is only one God who is omnipotent and omnipresent. There is only one religion, the religion of love. There is only one caste the caste of humanity. There is only one language the language of the heart. There is only one law the law of duty. This is the proclamation of Sathya Sai, Viswayogi or any other yogi or avatara purusha. This must be the motto of each and every person in the world on the earth. In the name of religion we should not quarrel. In the name of God we should not quarrel.  In the name of caste we should not quarrel. We have to unite. If we unite we can do miracles in the world on the earth. Lack of unity is the reason for our suffering.   

We are suffering for lack of education. Puttaparthi a remote village in Anantpur Dist. In Andhra Pradesh, India, has now become an international educational center, international medical center, international spiritual center and international human values center by the divine will of Sathya Sai Baba and is touching each and every corner of the society. Physically only once he traveled from India to Africa, he has not traveled anywhere else, but he has attracted all the people with his magnetic field. Three kinds of rays are coming from Sathya Sai. Sthoola kirana, sookshma kirana and Kaarana kirana. He has three kinds of magnetic fields. Sthoola magnetic field, sookshma magnetic field and Kaarana magnetic field. Through these three magnetic fields, through these three rays he is attracting each and every person and he is achieving his mission. That is the mission of divine love. He is doing social service activities through his mission. It is an ideal example for all the governments also. He constructed all the hospitals, and is giving medical aid without taking even a single pie from anyone. He is giving drinking water to people. He is constructing houses. He is having so many activities all around the world not only in Puttaparthi.  He is always wants to attract the intellectuals and unite them and do something good to bring peace to the world. 

Ashok Vyas: to sum what Baba said, Divine Love is the mission of Sathya Sai Baba. Even if you are not a devotee you have to admit as Baba mentioned that the kind of seva related projects which have been founded by Sathya Sai are probably humanly impossible.  We always end up questioning as to why that is happening to us which are not a source of joy to us. We begin wondering what the reason for this creation is.  Especially this day when we are talking about Sathya Sai Baba, we take the word Sathya from his name, which means truth, we are told in our scriptures that we have bliss in us but we see so much suffering. People feel that they are told that they have bliss inside, but they are suffering. So what is the truth (Sathya), suffering or bliss? 

Swamiji: This is a very good question and a common question also.  Sathya Sai Baba. Sathya means truth. Sayi means Sa+ayi or true mother. Baba means father. He is the true universal mother and father. That is the symbolic meaning of that name. You asked me about suffering. Suffering is the base for success in life. Without suffering there is no success in life. Take an example of an efficient surgeon like Dr. Nori or Dr. Venugopal director of AIIMS. They suffered a lot; they worked very hard to attain the highest position in society. Even Sathya Sai, his body suffered a lot. Suffering is a gift to him. Suffering is a gift to each and every yogi. I define suffering as Krishi (hard work). “Krishi tho na asti durbiksham”. So if you work hard with devotion and dedication and discipline then we can attain the highest place in society. So don’t consider it a suffering. Think of it as a gift given by the Lord to attain the highest place in the society.  

Ashok Vyas: So it is the way you look at suffering that makes all the difference. Many times what is making difference in our lives, Baba is what we do and what we say.  And many times people bring about their own destruction by their words and deeds. I wanted to ask you Baba, are we somehow guided by our destiny in doing what we are doing like puppets or is there free will for human beings to shape their own destiny? 

Swamiji: You are talking about destiny.  Your doubt is that we have to work and with that work are we getting benefit or is there another force acting upon us to attain something. Destiny is always there. Destiny means goal. One force is acting there is no doubt at all. The rays coming from the nine planets are acting on the body and soul, and we are having connection with the Guru. By birth itself we are connected to the Guru. We are moving in his magnetic field. When the time is right he thinks and leads, guides and navigates us to and tells us what to do and what not to do. So we have to put everything in the hands of the Guru. But one thing, we should not stop working. We have to work, work and work and with the leadership and guidance and navigation of the Guru we have to attain the highest position in the society according to the will of the Guru.  

Ashok Vyas: I come across this doubt from many people. When we talk of “A miracle” and again referring to Sathya Sai Baba, we have seen pictures and experiences of many devotees. We have seen him manifesting rings and lockets or other similar things. With reference to the manifestation of these material objects, Baba what is the difference between magic and miracle?  

Swamiji: You are talking of Sathya Sai creating rings and giving it to people. This is not magic. If a magician creates anything it is not true.  It is magic. It looks like that but it is not true. It is a gimmick but it is not true. When Sathya Sai creates something and gives it to a devotee it is true. 

Ashok Vyas: We have heard from devotees that from Sathya Sai’s picture there is continuous flow of vibhuti which helps in curing some of the ailments of people. How can one understand from the point of view of science and logical mindset that there is a frame and from the frame of picture of Sathya Sai Baba they collect so much vibhuti? 

Swamiji: That is true. This is not magic, but the truth. It is the symbol to satisfy the devotees that he is actually there in the picture. To make them trust him completely he is doing all these miracles all around the world, like vibhuti coming from the photograph, or honey coming from the photograph, or kumkum coming from the photograph, or turmeric coming from the photograph, these are all common things. 

Ashok Vyas: Baba I also came across a profound mantra which was revealed to you “OM SRI SAI RAM GURUDEVA DATTA”. People who are related to you chant this mantra. Will you be kind enough to share with us as to when and how it was revealed to you? 

Swamiji: Thinking a lot in a trance this mantra entered into my mind through the sankalpa of the heart. 

 OM: OM ityekaaksharam Brahma. Meaning OM is akshara. Akshara means that which does not have division or destruction. It is eternal. OM is the first sound that came from the point before the creation of the whole infinite universe. Before the whole universe came into existence the sound “OM” came from the point. With OM, Akara, makara and Ukara that is the power of will, the power of knowledge and power of action came into existence and immediately the whole universe came into existence.  

 SRI: SRI is the universal power, the power of will, power of knowledge and power of action are included in SRI.  

SAYI: SA + AYI means true mother and father.  

RAM is the Agni beeja which destroys all the karmic beeja. Generally when we are working in the world we have to do all kinds of things and unnecessarily spoil our mind and body. All these negative things we have to throw them out. RAM is the Agni beeja. What is the importance and greatness of RAM?  Reciting then name of RAM, a monkey has become immortal or yogi.  

GURUDEVA is the mantra of Datta. The GURUDEVA is throwing away the darkness and he is spreading light.  He is throwing away ignorance and giving knowledge. He is removing impurities from us and making us pure gems and pearls in the society.

DATTA: means our own. If we recite OM SRI SAI RAM GURUDEVA DATTA, then DATTA himself will become our own and we will become Datta swarupa or universal power. That means if we connect ourselves with the universal current we ourselves become the universal current.  That is the greatness of OM SRI SAI RAM GURUDEVA DATTA. This is not a written mantra, but has come from inspiration from the deepest part of the heart touching the brain and coming out to benefit the society. This is the most powerful mantra which makes each and every one powerful and peaceful and connects the personal mind with the universal mind, and connects one with the universal Guru. 

Ashok Vyas: So it is very important that we connect to the cosmic mind. There is this flow of this divine love which becomes noticeable for us due to presence of realized beings and today we talked about the birthday of Sathya Sai Baba and also about various aspects that are helpful for us and for our sadhana, in uniting the world and spreading love. Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj helped us in understanding a little bit more about Sathya Sai Baba and a little bit more about who we are through this conversation. Once again thanks and pranams at your lotus feet, and thanks to all for joining this.