Svyatoslav Dubyanskiy
Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book One
57. What will my friends and relatives say when they see my photo in the image of Krishna right on the altar?
In one interview with Sathya Sai Baba, he advised an unusual meditation technique, which at first, I took as a joke, but subsequent events showed me this was quite a serious and powerful practice.
Sathya Sai Baba, as usual, sat in his chair, looked around at all those present, and said, “I will now teach you an important meditation technique. You need to dress yourself up as Krishna, pick up a flute, put a flower garland around your neck, and make a beautiful headdress with a peacock feather. Then you need to ask someone to take a picture of you in this image, as if you are Krishna. The photograph should be placed on the altar … every day you need to meditate on this image, you can also perform rituals of worship on your photo, as if it were an image of Krishna himself.”
After the interview was over, I left Sathya Sai Baba's room and thought, can I take his words literally? What is the point of photographing yourself as Krishna? Or maybe it was just a joke? What will my friends and relatives say when they see my photo in the image of Krishna right on the altar? It all looked like madness.
A few days later I met with an American acquaintance, Mark, who lived in a neighboring house. I decided to tell him I recently had an interview where Sathya Sai Baba taught a strange meditation technique.
Mark listened attentively to my story, smiled, and said that two years ago, he also had an interview, and Sathya Sai Baba recommended exactly the same technique to him. Sathya Sai Baba told Mark that it is not necessary to photograph oneself in the form of Krishna, one can choose any image that is closer, for example, the image of Jesus Christ or Buddha.
Hearing this, I immediately wondered if Mark tried to take such a photo and what were the results? He said that, at first, he also doubted how literally this strange advice of Sathya Sai Baba should be taken.
When Mark returned to America, he decided to try it anyway. He found beautiful Indian clothes suitable for dressing up as Krishna, found a good photo studio, and arranged to go dressed as Krishna ready to be photographed. After that, he printed a large photo, the size of almost the entire wall, and then hung it in the room in which he practiced meditation daily.
Every morning he concentrated and meditated on this picture for twenty minutes, trying to vividly imagine that he really was Krishna. When I met Mark, he had been practicing this meditation for over a year. As a result, his perception of himself completely changed, and his relationship with the outside world changed significantly. Many conflict situations even began to level off.
Relatives and business partners began to treat Mark in a completely different way. All those around him began to listen to his opinions and respectfully relate to everything that he did, although this had not happened before.
The office began to perceive Mark as a very respected and authoritative person, although he did not specifically try to convince anyone of this. Conflict relations with some relatives were corrected, and the business clearly began to bring more income, and all this happened as if by itself.
The practice of meditating on his photograph as Krishna took only twenty minutes a day, and yet it completely rebuilt his energy, harmonized his emotional state, and changed his life circumstances.
Subsequently, I met another person whose name was Dr. Rao. He told me a similar story. At one time, I often went to the Ayurvedic clinic of Dr. Rao, which was quite famous in Puttaparthi. Many times, I witnessed how patients came to him who did not have enough money to buy the necessary medicines. If Dr. Rao understood that a person needed help, he would give a course of treatment completely free of charge.
Dr. Rao was known as a great master of Hatha Yoga. Despite his advanced age, he was very flexible and in excellent physical shape. He excelled at complex yoga exercises requiring tremendous flexibility. Every day he held free master classes in Hatha Yoga.
I attended his classes, and also talked with him on various esoteric and philosophical topics. Dr. Rao was a specialist in Ayurveda, an excellent yoga teacher, and also had a deep knowledge of Vedic philosophy.
I was able to find out that Dr. Rao also received recommendations from Sathya Sai Baba to meditate on his photograph as Krishna. Dr. Rao has been practicing this technique for many years. He told me this is a very powerful and effective meditation technique. Subsequently, he recommended several of his patients and yoga students to practice this amazing meditation.
58. Meditating on your own name helps change your life
The words of Jesus Christ about the need to love your neighbor as yourself are often remembered. Christ said, “as yourself,” which means that you must love yourself first of all. How can we love the people around us if we sometimes don't love ourselves?
Love for oneself is mysteriously connected with the perception of one's own name. Think about it, do you like your name? Do you feel comfortable being addressed by your first name? Repeatedly Sathya Sai Baba said that it is very beneficial to meditate on one's own name.
The essence of any prayer or mantra is the sacred name of God, and this name can be the name of Jesus Christ or Lord Krishna. There is tremendous power in the names of God. In the Vedic tradition, there is an ancient knowledge that all the power of God is in his Holy Names.
Any mantra carries energy power only because it contains the names of God. Sanskrit is the most complex language in its grammar and the richest in its vocabulary; there are not so many names of God as there are in Sanskrit in any other language of the world.
Many world traditions include the practice of repeating the names of God. In Zoroastrianism, there is a tradition of repeating one hundred and one names of God. In some branches of Islam, there is a practice of repeating the ninety-nine names of God. Seventy-two names of God are practiced in Judaism and Kabbalah.
The name that you bear in this life, in fact, is also the name of God. Your divine essence is in your name. The practice of meditative repetition of your name helps you to accept and love yourself, as well as get closer to understanding your divine Higher Self. Try it.
59. Conscious Breathing – Conscious Living
Sathya Sai Baba often preached a meditation called "So-Ham." I think it's safe to say that this was the most important meditation technique he taught. Sathya Sai Baba never said that he taught Kriya Yoga, but in fact he taught various elements of this great tradition.
So-Ham meditation is one of the most important practices of Kriya Yoga. The first sound "So" means God the Father. The second sound "Ham" comes from the word "aham," which means the individual Soul. This technique is performed as follows: the sound, “So” is mentally pronounced on the inhale, and the sound “Ham” is mentally pronounced on the exhale. During the execution of this technique, it is necessary to be aware of the breathing process.
For this, mentally pronounce “So” on each inhalation and “Ham” on each exhalation.
Since ancient times, the Yogis of India have noticed that the nature and speed of breathing is associated with the emotional state. The simplest example is well known to everyone. A person who is in a state of deep rest breathes slowly and shallowly. A person who is under stress begins to breathe quickly and deeply. Since various emotional states affect breathing, it is logical to assume that mindful breathwork can also affect emotional states.
In ancient times, Yogis noticed that the circulation of vital energy in the body is also associated with breathing. In Sanskrit, life energy is called Prana, in the Chinese tradition Qi. The harmonious movement of vital energy through the body is directly related to the nature of breathing. In order to balance the flow of vital energy in the body, it is necessary to consciously work with breathing, which is why the correct practice of meditation begins with conscious breathing.
Conscious breathing is the key to many things: healing from diseases and gaining good health, peace of mind and inner stability, releasing stress and overcoming depression. All this can be achieved through the practice of So-Ham meditation.
Conscious breathing allows you to gain and accumulate significant vital energy, which can be redirected to the harmonization of family relations and the prosperity of business, creativity, and spiritual practices.
Sometimes in an interview, Sathya Sai Baba was asked the question: is it necessary to repeat exactly “So-Ham”?
In response, he said “in principle, this is awareness of breathing, but what words or sounds you pronounce is not so important. You can say in your own language: "I am God." As you inhale mentally say "I", as you exhale mentally say "God". God is not somewhere far away in heaven, but inside each person, so the meditation "So-Ham" or "I am God" is very important, because it helps to realize God in your heart.”
60. Sathya Sai Baba exclaimed that it is very easy to materialize objects and he can easily teach us
Sometimes in interviews, Sathya Sai Baba showed an unusual sense of humor, but any of his jokes carried the deepest philosophy. Once Sathya Sai Baba invited me and my friend Oleg to a private room. In a mysterious voice, he said that for some reason people are surprised that he materializes various objects, in fact, there is nothing unusual in this. Further, Sathya Sai Baba added that each person has the ability to materialize objects, because each person is essentially God the Creator, which means that each person can create his own reality.
Hearing these words, my friend and I looked at each other in surprise. After a pause, I said that we do not know how to materialize objects. To this Sathya Sai Baba quickly replied that there were no problems, and he could easily teach us. Oleg smiled and cheerfully declared he would like to learn as quickly as possible.
Sathya Sai Baba, as if nothing had happened, raised his right hand, and said that we should carefully observe. He calmly explained that you need to carefully concentrate on the center of the palm, make a few rotational movements and imagine what you want to materialize. Having said these words, Sathya Sai Baba materialized a ring, after which he exclaimed, "you see, everything is very simple." Oleg and I laughed merrily, it was easy, but not for us.
Sathya Sai Baba, as if not noticing our fun, continued, “each of you can do the same. Concentrate, create a thought form, the power of your thought form can do everything, including the materialization of objects. Thought is material, you can materialize in your life whatever you see fit. To do this, you must be aware of your infinite possibilities. You just need to realize that you already know how and can do it. All you need to do is to realize that you are the Creator and can create your reality.”
By this time, Oleg and I were no longer laughing, instead we were astonished as we listened to these unexpected instructions, hardly believing our ears. At first, this conversation seemed too strange and unreal, but then there was a feeling of depth and importance of what Sathya Sai Baba said.
Now I remember this strange conversation with Sathya Sai Baba and reflect on the meaning of his words. All his life he pointed to the infinite possibilities of each of us. His mission was to unlock our divine potential.
What does it mean to materialize objects? This symbolically means that the thought form, born in human consciousness, has great power to create the circumstances of life. It is not so important to physically materialize rings and rosaries, in fact we materialize much more. By the power of thought we materialize our very life.
The life that we live now is the result of our thoughts that we had some time ago. In the same way, the thoughts that dominate our minds now create the life of tomorrow. Each thought is material, the vibration of thought materializes the circumstances of life.
61. "Relax, your place in life is already booked for you!"
At Sathya Sai Baba's ashram, the morning program began around nine in the morning, and the evening program around four in the evening. Naturally, everyone wanted to sit as close as possible to the aisle along which Sathya Sai Baba was walking.
In order to take a seat in the first or second row, you had to come early. For two or three hours, people lined up to be among the first to enter the temple and sit in better places. Most often, I also preferred to arrive three hours before the start of the program, but sometimes I arrived as little as five minutes.
Once I arrived just a few minutes before the start of the program and saw there was an empty seat in the front row. Imagine my surprise to see the whole temple densely filled with people, and there is an empty seat in the front row. I asked the minister, “is this place occupied?” He replied it was completely free. Surprised, I took the seat in the front row.
The next day, this story repeated itself. I came to the temple right before the start of the program, but again there was one empty seat in the front row. I asked the attendant again if I could sit in this seat. He replied that the place was free. I was surprised and realized something strange was going on.
I came literally a minute before the start of the program, but the seat in the front row was always free just for me. The people who came and occupied all the best seats miraculously did not notice this one empty seat. This strange miracle took place over several weeks. It seemed that some unknown force reserved a seat in the front row especially for me.
Sometime later, Sathya Sai Baba invited my group for an interview. During this meeting, he talked a lot with the Indian family who came from Chinnaya. He specifically spoke not in Hindi, but in English so that I could understand what they were talking about.
Some phrases he uttered while turning to me. In particular, he said, “God has already determined the fate of every person. The place in the sun that is meant for you can only be occupied by you. You may come sooner or later, but your place in the divine plan can only be yours. And what you have to do in life, you will definitely do. Where you need to be, you will definitely be. What should happen to you will definitely happen.”
Sathya Sai Baba spoke these words and looked at me with a sly look. I understood that he was talking about the strange experience that had been happening to me for several weeks. Human destiny is completely in the hands of God, everything that happens is subject to the divine plan; this, in particular, you begin to feel and realize next to the Avatar.
62. The ancient Indian emperor Janaka is a perfect example for modern man
Sathya Sai Baba often said that the ideal example of a harmonious life for modern man is the ancient Indian emperor, Janaka. In accordance with traditional Indian ideas, Emperor Janaka lived five thousand years before the new era, yet, according to another version, he lived about twenty thousand years ago. Historical science finds it difficult to accurately determine the dates of Emperor Janaka’s life.
He lived in the north of India and was famous for several reasons at once. His daughter's name was Sita. Princess Sita was the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and the consort of Rama Avatar.
Emperor Janaka was a sage and enlightened yogi who studied philosophy and practiced meditation. Janaka entered the history of India as the "enlightened emperor." Since ancient times, there has been a wonderful tradition in India, according to which, a person occupying a high social position should also develop spiritually. By the example of his life, Emperor Janaka shows the path of integral development of the personality. Meditation practices and spiritual self-knowledge in no way conflict with a happy and successful social life.
Janaka was a physically strong and perfectly healthy man. He was happy in his family life and gave a decent education to his children. He was fabulously rich, lived in a large palace and his robes were decorated with precious stones. He ruled his city beautifully and fairly. At the same time, he was the greatest mystic and philosopher of ancient India.
The positive image of Emperor Janaka, which Indian history gives us, shows that a person who practices meditation and reflects on the eternal issues of being can at the same time be harmonious and successful in material life.
Emperor Janaka is an excellent example of the "Alchemical Wedding," the essence of which is the unity of Spirit and Mother. A yogi is not one who avoids family life and is afraid to touch money, naively assuming to achieve holiness through austerity.
A yogi is one who has realized the True Self, loves himself and the whole world, he is in harmony with himself, and celebrates the celebration of life in the awareness of absolute unity.
63. Avatar is the ultimate human being
Sathya Sai Baba was the clearest example of an ideal life. It is quite obvious to me that Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar who embodies the absolute fullness of divine consciousness. However, he was born in the human world, he incarnated in a human body and lived a wonderful human life. His life is the greatest example for each of us.
Sathya Sai Baba left his physical body at the age of eighty-four. For the last three or four years of his life, he was seriously ill. He was even driven in a wheelchair. According to independent researchers, by the end of his life he had about fifty million followers in various countries across the world.
Since Sathya Sai Baba energetically helped so many people, naturally his physical body began to fail, so at the end of his life there were big problems with his health. Every healer, no matter how great he is, partially passes the negative energy of his patients through his physical body.
I remember when Sathya Sai Baba was seventy years old, and even eighty years old. At that time, he looked great and was in great physical shape. With his excellent physical health, he gives us an example of the need to take care of the physical body, for it is a temple in which the soul temporarily dwells. Possessing perfect health, a person gets a good opportunity to fully fulfill his spiritual mission on earth.
Sathya Sai Baba never married, but at the same time, all his life, from childhood to old age, he paid great attention to his family. Sathya Sai Baba was very respectful toward his mother and father. When his parents passed away, he gave instructions to build a large tomb for them next to his ashram.
Sathya Sai Baba treated his brother and nephews, as well as his great-nephews and other numerous relatives with care and respect. All this is an example of how a perfect person should live because the Avatar is ultimately a perfect person. Sathya Sai Baba shows that a person following the spiritual path must fulfill his divine duties, which include taking care of his family.
Let's look at Sathya Sai Baba's financial activities. This is a very difficult question for some students and followers, because in the idealistic perception of some people it is very difficult to connect Sathya Sai Baba and money. It is necessary to treat money correctly and understand that money is a divine energy that the Lord God uses to develop and improve human civilization. In the Vedic tradition, the energy of money is personified by the beautiful Goddess Lakshmi.
Sathya Sai Baba Avatar, fulfilling a great divine mission, attracted colossal financial flows to himself. According to various sources, by the end of his life, Sathya Sai Baba's fortune reached more than fifteen billion dollars. A lot or a little, judge for yourself. Such an amount, even in Europe at a very high price level, is huge. In India, where the price level of literally everything is absolutely low, fifteen billion dollars is a colossal fortune.
Sathya Sai Baba built a magnificent ashram where millions of people come from all over the world. He founded several universities, where he gathered the best teachers in India. In his native village, Sathya Sai Baba built two large modern hospitals.
In the city of Bangalore, he also built a large hospital, and equipped it to all modern standards. All Sathya Sai Baba clinics provide free medical care. He founded charitable projects that help large families and orphans.
Sathya Sai Baba established a drinking water supply system for several districts of Andhra Pradesh, which is absolutely unique in India, where the lack of drinking water is one of the main causes of disease among the villagers. Beautiful ideas alone, or good intentions to help people, are not enough – there must be large financial investments.
Sathya Sai Baba, like a magnet, attracted significant finances to himself, and then redistributed them to good deeds. In this too, Sathya Sai Baba was a perfect example us all. Sometimes people mistakenly believe that money is the cause of all evil, but in fact, money is one type of divine energy.
There is no sin in money; sin lies in the unwise use of money. Money is just an equivalent on the basis of which goods and services are exchanged in human society. With the help of money, houses and schools, scientific laboratories and art museums are built, industry and agriculture are developed, books are published, and films are made, churches and ashrams are built. Consider how many good deeds are done daily with the help of money.
There were millions and millions of people around Sathya Sai Baba who were spiritually transformed by his blessings. A huge number of people from different countries of the world were able to start the path of self-improvement and meditation.
Sathya Sai Baba never divided people into devotees and non-devotees, his divine love was so unconditional that it didn't matter to him whether you considered yourself to be his follower or not. Sathya Sai Baba blessed everyone, both those who loved him and those who hated him.
He sent streams of his grace, light, and love to absolutely everyone. The transformation of human consciousness is the main masterpiece of Sathya Sai Baba, and in this he is a perfect genius.
