"My acts are the foundations on which I am building my work, the task for which I have come. All the miraculous acts which you observe are to be interpreted so."

"I am determined to correct you only after informing you my credentials. That is why I am now and hen announcing my nature by means of miracles; that is, acts which are beyond human capacity and human understanding."

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Baba On His Miracles

"You elaborate in your lectures the unique powers of Sai, the incidents that are described as 'miracles' in books written about Me by some persons. But I request you not to attach importance to these. Do not exaggerate their significance; the most significant and important power is, let Me tell you, my Prema (Love) and My Sahana, (fortitude). I may turn the sky into earth or earth into sky but that is not the sign of Divine Might. It is the Prema, effective, universal, ever-present, that is the unique sign. When you attempt to cultivate and propagate this Love and this Fortitude, trouble and travail will clog your steps. You must welcome them, for without them, the best in you cannot be drawn out."

" I use My Shakthi (power) to attract people and to draw them towards the Godward path. These miracles are merely baits with which I lure them towards Me. Once their faith is firmly established, they begin to look beyond the miracles and slowly start stretching their hands out for what I have really come to give- Knowledge and Bliss."

" There can be no limit for Sai Power, no hindrance, no opposition or obstacle. You may believe it or you may not, but, Sai Power can transform earth into sky, the sky into earth. only there is no call for that transformation. This Divine behavior is far distinct from the mean exhibitionistic tricks of the inferior powers. This is spontaneous manifestation, not those that are calculated to collect customers and exploit the ignorant."

"Those who profess to have understood me, the scholars, the yogis, the pundits, the Jnanis, all of them are aware only of the least important, the casual external manifestations of an infinitesimal part of that power, namely, the miracles! They have not desired to contact the source of all power and all wisdom that is available here. They are satisfied when they secure a chance to exhibit their book-learning and parade their scholarship in Vedic lore, not realising that the person from whom the Vedas emanated is in their midst, for their sake. They even ask, in their pride, for a few more chances. This has been the case in all ages. People may be very near (Physically) to the Avatar, but they live out their lives unaware of their fortune; they exaggerate the role of miracles, which are as trivial, when compared to my glory and majesty, as a mosquito is in size and strength to the elephant upon which it squats. Therefore, when you speak about these miracles, I laugh within myself out of pity that you allow yourself so easily to lose the precious awareness of my reality.."

" I am determined to correct you only after informing you of my credentials. That is why I am now and then announcing my nature by means of miracles, that is, acts which are beyond human capacity and human understanding. Not that I am anxious to show off my powers. The object is to draw you closer to me, to cement your hearts to me".

"You may infer from what you call my miracles that I am causing them to attract and attach you to me and me alone. They are not intended to demonstrate or publicize; they are merely spontaneous and concomitant proofs of divine majesty."

"This Sathya Sai Incarnation is one where you see the full manifestation and exercise of all the sixteen attributes of a Poorna Avatar. This happened only once before, at the time of Krishna Avatar. I am the Embodiment of Shiva and Shakthi, that is Universal Consciousness and Universal Energy. And I show evidences of both to the fullest and maximum extent".

" Do not crave from me trivial material objects: but crave for Me, and you would be rewarded. Not that you should not receive whatever objects I give as signs of grace out of the fullness of love. I shall tell you why I give these rings, talismans, rosaries, etc. It is to mark the bond between me and those to whom they are given. When calamity befalls them, the article comes to me in a flash and returns in a flash, taking from me the remedial grace of protection. That grace is available to all who call on me in any Name or Form, not merely to those who wear these gifts. Love is the bond that wins grace.

My miracles are part of the unlimited power of God and are in no sense the product of yogic powers, which are acquired. They are natural, uncontrived. There are no invisible beings helping me. My divine will bring the object in a moment. I am everywhere."

Display of Destiny

A certain person was a captain during the Second World War, but since he died of a commonplace disease in a civil hospital his widow did not get much by way of pension. So she had to earn some money teaching music, in order to keep her three children - two daughters and a son in elementary ease. The son passed his B.Sc examination with a first class from the Madras University, while still in his teens. The army authorities gave him a job in their cantonment office at Bangalore. His mother, who was overwhelmed with joy, sent him to offer homage to the family deity, Venkatachalapathi on the Tirumala Hills in Andhra Pradesh, so that he could join duty at Bangalore with divine blessings.

However what did happen was the boy got drowned in the holy tank of the temple. His body was in police custody for two days as it was unidentified. The photograph of her son?s corpse, which appeared in the daily papers, confronted the anxious mother. But, Baba appeared to her in a dream and directed her to come to Puttaparthi. Bhagawan called her and her children for the precious interview. " Don't weep", He said, "for your son who led a disciplined life and was full of devotion, has now merged with God. When he has found the lotus feet of Bliss, you should not indulge in grief". But she could not be consoled.

Then Baba said, "I know your heart is broken since you could not have even a last glimpse of his body. See, it is here." Saying this, He spread His palm in front of her, and she could clearly see the events of that faithful pilgrimage appear upon it: The son slipped on the steps of the tank, and a few people jumped in to save him. A lotus like bunch of flames rose from his body and proceeded towards the innermost shrine where the idol of Venkatachalapathi is installed, disappearing in a blaze of glory of the Lord's feet. Then she saw the idol come alive and change into a charming image of Baba Himself.

After sometime Baba spoke to her, "Mother, the one you loved as your son was a staunch devotee of the Lord during his previous life. He was engaged in tapas for 12 years on the steps of this very holy temple tank. His deepest desire was to attain Jala Samadhi (water-mergence) in those sacred waters. To fulfill that desire he took birth again. Remain in Puttaparthi, ever singing the glory of Venkatachalpathi, who has accepted you on into His fold".

The One appears as Many

On Sunday, the 13th day of December 1964, Baba was at Venkatagiri town. He had reached the place a few days earlier in connection with a heavy schedule of discourses in the Chittoor and Nellore Districts, in Andhra Pradesh. But, Baba is not bound by the limitations of space and time. On that very day, about 8.a.m, "Baba surprisingly appeared in front of my house. ", says, U. Ram Mohan Rao, Superintendent of the Junior Technical School, Manjeri (28 miles south of Calicut on the West Coast, in the State of Kerala). As the crow flies, the distance between Manjeri and Venkatagiri will be more than 600 miles! But, distance is only a game that Baba plays to keep us, poor mortals, apart.

Mr. Ram Mohan Rao describes Bhagawan's visit thus: "I and my wife were indoors with our daughter. The maid told us that a Sadhu had come. We went out to see who it was and we were surprised to see Sri Sathya Sai Baba! Baba said, Hari Om, Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi; we prostrated ourselves at His Feet. We led Baba into the office room, but on the way, He saw our Pooja room where His Photo was hung, along with several holy pictures. He said He would sit in the Pooja room itself. He told us that He had come to us that day, being very pleased with the Bhakti of Sailaja, my daughter. He asked me to send word to devotees if any were available for Bhajan and Pravachan." He sent word to his neighbours and people collected immediately", says Ramesh Rao, his cousin. "He sang "Nandamukunda Sayinath", "Om Bhagawan", "Jayaram Jayaram," along with the Bhakthas. After Bhajan, He talked to me in Tamil, to my wife in Kannada and to the others in the mixed dialect of Tamil- Malayalam. He blessed us by the gift of a Sankhamala and Himself placed it on His own photograph. He told me that my father had decided on a rite to propitiate the Snake-God (Sarpasamskaram) at Bangalore on 25th February, Thursday ('My day' He added), but He told me that he need not perform it, since He had already wiped off the calamity it was intended to avert and the sacrilege it was designed to atone".

"He took some light refreshment. Then, He told the persons around Him that all would be anxiously awaiting Him at Kalahasti. So, he took leave of us and asking, us not to follow Him went through the gate. He disappeared in a few seconds. We all felt happy at this unexpected Darshan and were struck by the 'disappearing miracle', within the twinkling of an eye".

Nor was this all. There are a few more paragraphs in the letter, which Prof. Kasturi quotes: "24th December, Thursday, was a holiday; we felt lonely since our Sailaja was away at Mangalore. So we went out in the afternoon to visit some friends and returned home at 6.30 P.M. We were shocked to see the lights burning within the house. My wife asked me whether I had forgotten to switch off all the lights. I first examined the lock of the main door and finding it intact, went round the house to see whether the other doors were bolted from within. They were o.k. Then, both of us came to the front door, opened the lock and walked in. We found everything intact; all the lights were on. We saw Baba sitting in our Prayer room. We prostrated ourselves at His feet. He asked us (in Kannada) whether we were afraid! We replied that we were very lucky and that we felt very happy! Baba -said that He had come because we were lonely and said. 'Let us sing Bhajans. If Sailaja were here, she would have liked to sing', He said. He sang a few Bhajans. He took food later; we discussed some general topics together. Then, Baba retired for the night.

Early next morning, Baba had His Bath; He had coffee with us and then, discoursed on Bhakti and the Basic Truth of Nature. All of a sudden, we saw a rosary of Rudraksha beads in His hand; He put it on my neck with His Blessings, with the direction that I should wear it during my Sandhya rites. After those rites, I was to place it on Baba's photograph. We had breakfast together. The Pooja room was decorated specially with garlands and flowers. Bhajan began. Meanwhile, devotees came to know that Baba had come; so they too assembled for Bhajan. Baba discoursed on Bhakti in the Tamil-Malayalam dialect. He granted every one the coveted interview.

At 12 noon, Baba himself waved the Sacred light of Mangalarathi and distributed Prasadam, to every one present. The quarter kilogram of dates that I had, sufficed for 100 persons ! We had our lunch with Baba. He rested for a couple of hours and we had 'tea' at 4-30 P.M. Then He told us that several devotees were eagerly waiting for Him at Kalahasti. He blessed us again, when we fell at His Feet. At 5 P.M., He went out on the road through the gate and suddenly disappeared. what a wonderful miracle ! We could not believe our own eyes!"

The Kailas Committee

The late Smt. Sakamma used to tell this strange story that She experienced. One day at her own Bungalow in Somewarpet, Coorg, when she was engaged in worship, a servant disturbed her and announced that a car had come into the compound and that the person inside insisted on seeing her immediately. She was rather upset, but, nevertheless went out to find who could take so much liberty with her time-table. She found in the car a tall fair old man with a very reverend beard, sitting on a deerskin, his whole body bathed in ash. And, she was struck by the age of, the car too, for it matched the age of the owner or occupant. A weak little boy drove the car in his teens and Smt. Sakamma wondered how he could have managed to secure a license or whether he had one at all. The car had a nameplate, on top, in front, 'The Kailas Committee!? She invited the old man inside; did pranam; placed a newly plucked rose at his feet; and offered him some fruits. He said that he would not eat the fruits there; he said he did not cater to the tongue at all times and all places. 'Jihvachapalya' was the word he used; he wanted her to contribute to the Kailas Committee and become a Member, by giving the donation of a thousand rupees. She signed a paper in which the sum and her name was already written! And when she proffered the amount, the old man said, "Keep this also with you. I shall come and take it later." With those words he kept on the table the signed sheet and, getting into the car, he left the place! The teen-age driver did his work remarkably well, for the car was out of sight in a moment.

Years later, when she saw Baba in a house to which she had gone, He appeared to her at one moment like the driver of that mysterious car and the next, like the hoary occupant who took so much pains to make her contribute to the Kailas Committee, and, then, asked her to wait with the cash in her own keeping! And then Baba surprised her by telling her, " Come on, give the Rs. 1000/- you promised that day!" and describing in her presence the entire story, correct to the minutest detail.

The Cosmic Form

Dr. A.V. Lakshminarasimham, M.Sc., Ph.D.

The concept of Brahman, the Ultimate Conscious Reality, manifesting itself as the Universe, and Its being the material and the efficient cause for creation, represents the pinnacle of philosophical quest. Yet, the cognition of the truth of the Immanence of Brahman is difficult to achieve, for it is impossible for man to rend the veil of Avidya or Maya. Such understanding of Brahman comes best to man when the Lord vouchsafes 'Viswavirataswaroopa Darsana' to the ardent seeker - not by jaded disquisition of self-designated philosophers.

During the Summer Course on Indian Culture and Spiritually held in 1974 at Brindavan, Bhagawan had been discoursing on "Brahman" and other related topics with remarkable clarity and lucidity, quite characteristic of Bhagawan's expositions on any subject. One day, He walked up to me and asked me, "Have you been able to follow the discourses?" "Yes, Swami! They are so nice," I replied immediately. He then said, "you shall see something more" and walked past to the waiting congregation. During the early hours of the next morning, around 3 A.M., I was awake to a unique and astounding experience. In the open where I slept Baba appeared in a magnificent, glorious, gigantic form, sitting in the lotus posture, 'padmasan' on the ground. I was standing before him and I could see the width of His knee, in that splendorous form, exceed my own height. I had to lift my head up a considerable angle to look at Baba's face, resplendent and beautiful, with matted locks of hair of luminescent copper-brown hue. To the right Lord Ganesha was sitting, while on the left Lord Subramanya was standing. Baba said "Behold!" and I looked into His eyes and later fixed my gaze on His Chest. Lo! In Him, vast space teeming with millions of stars, many of them being formed and fading out then, the planets and their moons whirling past, the earth with its variety of flora and fauna, forests deserts, oceans, mountain ranges, industrial workshops, railway lines, sky scrapers, airplanes and all things that are found on this tiny little earth. The whole Universe in Him! My body became warm at this marvelous, awesome, wondrous experience. What a majestic, glorious, Cosmic Form! Immediately thereafter, Baba diminished in size, to His normal height, and appeared as an ethereal, enchanting Form glowing with bluish luminosity. This is Sai as Vishnu, I felt.

The two visions I had the good fortune to have as described above clearly demonstrate the Immanence of Brahman in the Universe and also that our Lord Sri Sathya Sai is none else than that Supreme Being who is the Lord of the Universe.

Master of Nature

It was on a cloudy June evening that Baba was addressing an open-air meeting at Mercara. The sky was overcast and gloomy rumblings of approaching rain could be heard, not far away. In fact, the rain poured on the hills on the horizon, stepped nearer and nearer, and came as far as Mahadevpet, half a mile away. Baba spoke quietly and calmly, holding the audience spell-bound, for over an hour and a half; at the end, He said, " Now, you can go home, for in about ten minutes you will get the rain that ought to have drenched you by now. " And, wonder of wonders, the rains came, as announced, ten minutes later, to the very second !

The Chitravathi River at Puttaparthi is subject to sudden floods, for it rises in the Nandi Hills and heavy rains in that region in Mysore State will bring down the waters many feet deep all along the miles. The Prasanthi Nilayam was built on an eminence away from the village to avoid these periodical floods, which in some years invade the old Mandir, entering the prayer, Shed, the kitchens and all the surrounding area. On many such occasions, Baba has stood on the edge of the water and said, "Ganga! It is enough, go back." and the waters have not risen more. Some years ago, during Navarathri, when the (Narayana Seva) feeding of the Poor was on, it rained all round the Nilayam, but not a drop fell in the precincts where people were being fed.

The Lord's Touch

The story of the construction of the Mandir building at Prasanthi Nilayam is a chain of miracles wrought by Bhagawan's grace. The most astounding was the transport of the huge girders for the central prayer hall from the railway station at Penukonda sixteen miles away. Girders of 40 feet length had come from Trichinopoly (now Tiruchirapalli) to Penukonda by train. The road from Penukonda to Bukkapattanam was a district board road with a sandy stream at the seventh mile and it passed through a few villages with delicately built houses(!) flanking the narrow road on either side with a few acutely angled curves. There was a track of three miles, from Bukkapatanam to Puttaparthi with a few dilapidated culverts and low-level causeways and a broad expanse of the sand of the river Chitravathi. Then there was the task of hoisting the heavy girders on the twenty-foot high walls. Therefore, the engineers gave up all hope of transporting the girders from Penukonda to Puttaparthi and placed before Baba some alternative proposals for roofing the prayer hall. But Baba did not relent.

One fine morning, the Road Transport Officer of Anantapur district, who was a devotee of Baba, woke up to find a surprise in front of his house. It was a huge crane from the Tungabhadra Dam site that had stopped there and refused to move forward. It had struck work! The driver was grappling with the engine in vain. He could not make it move. He sought the help of the Road Transport Officer who thought that the crane was Baba sent (!) for transporting the girders from Penukonda to Puttaparthi. It was agreed that the crane would transport the girders if it were repaired. The R.T.O. hurried to Puttaparthi and prayed to Baba, who materialised some vibhuti (sacred ash) and gave it to him. This vibhuti was smeared on the engine and the driver was asked to start it and lo! the crane started moving. The surprised driver went happily to Penukonda railway station, lifted the girders with the giant arms of the crane and started towards Puttaparthi. The sight of this giant carrying the girders was a great surprise for the villagers who greeted it by lining up on the roadsides. The crane somehow passed over the culverts, negotiated hairpin bends, lurched over the slushes and puffed its way up the Karnatanagapalli hill! It did not move further, may be on seeing the broad sheet of sand of the Chitravathi River! Baba himself went to the crane, sat with the driver and handled the steering wheel. Thrilled by the touch of the Lord, the crane moved happily to the work spot and unloaded the girders.

The Shrine at Shirdi

When He came back to Puttaparthi, after the Declaration, that is to say, as a little boy of fifteen, He materialised a fruit, which no one at Puttaparthi had seen or tasted before. Peddavenkama Raju's sister says that she asked Baba what type of fruit it was and she got the reply that it came from Shirdi! Baba proposed to cut and distribute the pieces during the evening Bhajan, but, she pleaded with Baba that each should get at least one full fruit, so that the gift may be relished; so, Baba asked her to give Him a big sized basket with a cover. He just tapped that basket once and the lady saw that the basket was full of them! In the evening, when Bhajan started, she saw about a hundred persons and so, she was again afraid, she would not get a whole fruit for, the basket could not contain more than 30 or 40! She told Baba how nervous she was, but Baba gave from that basket one whole fruit to each of the hundred odd persons, after Bhajan that day and the fruit was so strange and so sweet!

This same lady relates another miraculous incident. She was troubling, Baba with a request to grant her some vision, to install faith in her heart, for, she did not want to dismiss the story of Sai Avatar as an invention, an attitude that many in the family found it easy to assume. Baba had a liking for this particular lady, because she was a simple soul, steeped in suffering; so, He told her, "I shall show you My previous Body this evening!"

She confesses that she could not contain her joy and was praying for a shorter afternoon and a quicker sunset ! As soon as dusk fell, Baba led her across a number of doorsills, into one of the innermost rooms of the house, and on reaching the farthest, He took off His palm which was all the while covering her eyes and asked her to look at a corner, which He pointed out with His Finger. The lady looked! And, there sat Shirdi Sai Baba, on the floor, in His characteristic pose, but, she says, with eyes closed and Vibhuti marks on the forehead and arms. The incense sticks before Him were burning and the smoke was rising straight into the air! His Body was glowing with a strange effulgence and there was a beautiful fragrance around. After a minute or so, Baba asked her, " Have you seen? " and, when she said, " Oh, how wonderful! ", He placed His palm again firmly over her eyes and led her back into the outer room.

The Ash that Heals

Dr. M.S. Ramakrishna Rao, a talented Ophthalmic Surgeon writes about the miraculous effect of Vibhuti, concretized by Baba's love. This doctor was treating a friend for Conjunctivitis in the routine way. He found in the course of his treatment that his patient had the much-dreaded dendritic ulcer in his right eye, which is caused by a virus. IDU manufactured in America was the only drug, which can cure this virus. But unfortunately it was not available in India. In a few days the other eye also got infected, which was rather unusual. "Efforts were being made to get the IDU, but in its absence all that I could do was to pray to Sathya Sai Baba , and doing so I put His Vibhuti into both eyes of the patient and bandaged them. That very day, my Professor Dr R. Suryaprasada Rao was able to procure the precious drug. I felt happy that Baba had responded to my prayers. Next day when the patient came to me I opened the bandage, anxious to apply the IDU. But to my utter astonishment and joy I found that there was no ulcer in either eye! I examined the eyes under the corneal microscope, but no trace of the disease or even a scar was visible."

Man of Miracles

By Howard Murphet

"When man touches the energy of the divine in him, he can easily master nature, which is only the vesture of the divine."

(Sathya Sai Speaks: Vol.7, p.315)

This is a tremendous statement. Throughout history, man has been struggling to control nature. The story of civilization is the story of that struggle. To some degree, he has been successful. He is able now to do such things as travel in outer space, convert matter into energy and so on. In reality though, nature is still master of man. It rules him with the whip of his own desires and binds him with the cords of his attachments. One of the basics of the teachings is that Man has within him the divine - divine consciousness, divine energy. God has created the many-coloured, many-faceted vesture that we call nature from Himself. Having created it, He pervades it and is master of it. We, being potentially divine beings, have within us this consciousness and energy that creates and controls nature.

A few of the many thousands of these miracles have been recorded in the writings on Sathya Sai Baba. All who have benefited from them personally have no doubt whatsoever about their importance and their significance. Such demonstrations of compassion and divine powers are their own justification in the minds of the recipients and those close to them.

Of course, there are numerous miraculous events taking place from day to day - from the most commonly seen one, the production of vibhuti from the air - to the materialization of all kinds of ornaments, jewellery and other items. All these have an effect on the recipient and on those standing around watching the event. The recipient feels great joy in his heart. He feels an uplift, an indescribable elevation. He feels that he is in the presence of one who has not only superhuman power but also real love for him and great concern about his welfare.

The story of the event spreads abroad and is often written about by a number of people. Hundreds, and in the end thousands, of people come to hear about such things and their faith in Sri Sathya Sai Baba is strengthened. They become more and more convinced that here on earth is one with divine power over the forces of nature.

In general, we can say that the great variety of the Sathya Sai miracles, which so many people have enjoyed for over half a century, all bear an important message. They are, Swami says, his visiting cards. The card says.- here among us is a Godman - one who has unflagging power over nature and who uses that power to help us, to make us happy, to bring us bliss, to truly bring us good health where possible and to bring us a good life.

All of his miracles, materializations, healings' helping people at a distance, showing visions, appearing in several places at the same time, giving us deeper understanding, showing us divine love; all of these in Toto help us to a more profound spiritual understanding and to a greater conviction that we are in the presence of a Divine Avatar.

Teachings alone do not bring a large number of people to such understanding and conviction. As it was for Christ, as it was for Krishna and others, it is always the miracles that get attention and create interest in a large number of people. And so, coming to the miracle-working teacher, the crowds listen to the divine message. They receive the Truth verbally, and also in the more subtle soul-to-soul way. Moreover, they learn from Bhagawan by the example of his life and in many other ways. Yet, undoubtedly, it is the miracles that bring the multitude to him in the first place. And again, it is the miracles, added to the life and teachings that convince people of his identity. This is a very important aspect of the significance of the miracles.