I will never leave you. You may forget me, but I will never forget you. You may hate me, but I will always love you. I have no enemies in this world, I always keep my word.

(Sathya Sai Baba – “Dasara”, 1998)

It is difficult to find such unconditional love for everyone in this world as Sathya Sai Baba demonstrated. He blessed everyone regardless of what people thought or said about him. During his earthly life, he had several tens of millions of devotees and followers, but also a huge number of envious people and ill-wishers.

When numerous absurd accusations rained down on him in the early 2000s, he remained completely indifferent to all gossip and slander. He continued to communicate with people and bless everyone: both those devotees who loved him and those evil wishers who hated him.

In this chapter we will mention ridiculous accusations fell upon Sathya Sai Baba. I have no desire to discuss these stories in detail, however, these heinous accusations are also part of the story, and we can learn a lot from remembering this situation. Oddly enough, the authors of all the slander were former devotees and followers of Sathya Sai Baba, who were disappointed in him as a spiritual teacher.

Disappointment and crises happen to almost everyone who follows the path of spiritual quest. Perhaps, spiritual crisis does not happen to those who do not ask spiritual questions. If you are disillusioned with your teacher or with the spiritual system that you have been following for many years, the wisest thing is to simply thank the teacher, leave him, and then try to find yourself in some other spiritual direction. If you feel gratitude, then your past is in harmony with the present and you have passed the lessons of life and are ready to develop further.

Most people in their lives repeatedly move from one esoteric direction to another. Such is life. Even if for several years you studied under the guidance of some guru, and then became disillusioned with him, you can still find sincere gratitude in your heart. It is important to be grateful to all the teachers who have helped you in life with good advice and blessings.

However, not everyone is wise. Disillusioned followers sometimes transmute their hostility and inharmonious energy into unsubstantiated accusations to release their own pent-up frustrations. This is a type of negative transference. The group of accusers, with their flurry of slanders, consisted of a couple dozen very active and angry people: some were from Sweden, the USA, England, Russia, France, and also from India. Sathya Sai Baba was their favorite teacher and now he is their enemy.

All of the hype was enthusiastically received by television and the press. In any profession there are honest professionals, and there are those who are ready to earn money on anything. Unfortunately, among journalists, not everyone follows the principles of honesty and responsibility for the accuracy of information – some seek to increase their ratings at any cost.

Sathya Sai Baba was accused of financial fraud. He invested all his money in education, medicine, and charity, yet he was accused of being a magician and a fake, even though he performed amazing miracles and healings witnessed by the masses. Granted, he materialized gold jewelry with various stones, among which there were many expensive diamonds – pieces of jewelry, which are today, still worn by thousands of devotees around the world. What kind of magician would give you gold and diamonds and ask for nothing in return?

He was even accused of organizing contract killings! It’s hard for me to talk about and to reconcile such accusations about Sathya Sai Baba, a divine soul who spent his life saving his devotees, even those who knew him little, with the power of his blessings. It makes no sense to me.

Spiritual crises are normal, but the big question is what to do with spiritual crises? Sathya Sai Baba was absolutely indifferent to all gossip. Unfortunately, the accusers could not provide any evidence for their accusations – they simply made a lot of noise. Such is human nature, that today one praises Sathya Sai Baba for helping solve troublesome problems, but when tomorrow’s new difficulties and trials begin, what then?

There were many cases where Sathya Sai Baba quickly helped people and they were happy. There were also cases that when the healing did not happen instantly, people became disappointed and accused him of fraud, because he did not justify their hopes for an instant solution to their problems. People are accustomed to the fact that Sathya Sai Baba solves all people's problems with the power of his energy within a second. More realistically, it can sometimes take time to solve some people’s difficult situations due to their karma. In these cases, some could be offended by him.

In my life there were many internal conflicts and difficulties, which most often were hardly noticeable to others. Sometimes I received miraculous help and support from Sathya Sai Baba almost instantly, and sometimes my problems took years to resolve. In my relationship with Sathya Sai Baba I went through many periods of disappointment and crisis. I have come to realize that some people expect only sweets and entertainment from Sathya Sai Baba, but actually, he leads us along the spiritual path, the purpose of which is not to satisfy our conceit or satisfy all our whims but to lead each student to enlightenment.

17. The Spiritual Heart

All spiritual paths end in gaining wisdom. Meditation is a way of contemplating your divine nature, which is your true reality. Everything is within you and you are in everything.

(Sathya Sai Baba – Gita Vahini Chapter 6)

Philosophy gives intellectual knowledge of the truth and yoga leads to the actual experience of truth. Philosophers meditate on the truth and yogis are in the mystical experience of truth, which takes place in the depths of the Spiritual Heart. The search for truth is self-exploration, self-knowledge, and self-contemplation.

The right side of the body is considered more sacred in the Vedic tradition because there is the door to eternity: the Spiritual Heart. Wisdom is the fruit of meditation. In order to gain great wisdom in your inner mystical state, immersion in meditation is necessary for there to be a realization that "everything is inside you and you are in everything."

Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar, he can consciously pass from one incarnation to another, but is it possible for everyone?

Sathya Sai Baba consciously reincarnates. Conscious reincarnation allows you to transfer to the present life all the accumulated spiritual experience of past lives. You temporarily live in a beautiful physical body, on the wonderful planet Earth.

You are going through the path of spiritual evolution not only in this life, but many incarnations. The only thing that you brought with you into this life is the wisdom from past lives, but if the process of reincarnation is not conscious, then most of the treasure is lost.

The soul is in the process of reincarnation, traveling from life to life, incarnating in different worlds and in different circumstances. At a higher level, reincarnation happens consciously. At a high evolutionary level, the “Self” passes into the next incarnation consciously, retaining the memory and knowledge of the spiritual experience accumulated in the previous birth. Everything is within you, including your past and future lives. Being in the awareness of your divine essence, you observe the process of reincarnation.

Awareness in the process of reincarnation is the result of self-realization received in the practice of meditation. The divine person consciously passes the path of reincarnation; therefore, he is free from the fear of death, retains an understanding of the present moment in any situation, including at the moment of death of the body.

Of course, some may doubt and say that Sathya Sai Baba is a great Avatar and can consciously pass from one incarnation to another, but is this possible for everyone? Realizing your True Self, you come to understand that "everything is within you, and you are in everything." Everything happens inside your consciousness, including the process of reincarnation.

Everything happens inside you: life and death. A person who is conscious in the present moment remains conscious in the journey of the soul to a future incarnation. If you think about death and the afterlife journey of the soul, then you imagine it as a future event, but when death actually happens, it happens in the present moment.

Awareness of one's divine nature leads to awareness in the process of reincarnation. When you begin to understand the process of the soul's transition from one life to another, the fear of death disappears, because you begin to understand that the journey to the next life is not much more difficult than the trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The question is that it is reasonable to prepare for each trip in advance.

The basis of conscious reincarnation is the self-realization of one's higher nature. The Avadhuta Gita beautifully and poetically describes the reality of the Self:

“Having got rid of the feeling of individual consciousness and pride, the sage finds everything within his own Higher Self. "I Am" here and now, "I" was always in the beginningless past, and "I" will always be in the eternal future. "I" unborn and immortal, primordial and eternal, "I Am" being – consciousness – bliss, "I Am" boundless like space. "I" was before the appearance of the physical body, and "I" will be after the disappearance of the physical body.”

A person who is conscious at every moment of his life becomes a high-level yogi. The one who has realized his Higher Self consciously lives life and also consciously goes through the process of the posthumous journey of the soul because everything is inside you, both life and death.

18. Trinity in the Vedas and the Bible

This story is repeated by me in memory of and in gratitude to two senior devotees of Sathya Sai Baba, who lived in his ashram for many years. First, Maheshwarananda, the author of the famous book Sathya Sai and Nara Narayana Guha Ashram, told me about this event, and then later, Padananda repeated the same story to me.

It happened in the early spring of 1978. Sathya Sai Baba spent some time in a place called Ooty, a large nature reserve with magnificent mountains and primeval jungle. Sathya Sai Baba was returning by car to his ashram, and it was necessary to pass the city of Mysore and then Bangalore. It was a full day trip.

The line of cars speed along the road. Sathya Sai Baba's car drove at the head of the column, and all the escorts followed him. Not far from Mysore, Sathya Sai Baba chose a picturesque place, asked to stop, and invited everyone to relax in nature with him. A couple of dozen people who accompanied Sathya Sai Baba sat beside him on the grass.

Suddenly, an amazing miracle happened in front of everyone present. The usual human form of Sathya Sai Baba disappeared, and in its place a three-headed deity with six arms appeared: it was Lord Dattatreya. Everyone present was blessed by this amazing transformation. The three heads of Dattatreya symbolize the three main Vedic deities: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Dattatreya is also called the Vedic Trinity. I often quote an ancient philosophical treatise on the nature of the True Self called the Avadhuta Gita. The authorship of this text is attributed to the sage Dattatreya, who is symbolically depicted with three heads, because, in accordance with mythology, he was the incarnation of three great Gods at once: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

When you think about God, you begin by seeing God as a higher being located somewhere in heaven, but as you become more advanced in your spirituality, you gradually realize that God is not in outer space, but in the Spiritual Heart. The same is true with the Trinity. At the first level, the Vedas speak of the Trinity as the three greatest Gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

The Christian tradition says that the Trinity is God the Father, God the Spirit, and God the Son. However, from the point of view of high esotericism, the Trinity is the three main aspects of the inner world of man – for everything is inside. The idea of God as a Trinity has always been in the Vedic tradition. Esoteric knowledge about the Trinity has a deep and varied symbolism; the essence of which is Divine Consciousness, Cosmic Energy, and Soul.

The Vedic Trinity, also symbolized by the "cosmic principle of the teacher," is not some kind of "being" or personality, but a principle. All the teachers who you have met on your life path are the embodiment of the "cosmic principle of the teacher." Someone taught you how to read and write, use a computer, and drive a car, and someone taught you the high knowledge of meditation and mantra. The same principle is in the depths of your consciousness. Perhaps it has already begun to manifest itself, or perhaps not yet. Almost constantly and daily you change your roles in life – sometimes becoming students, and sometimes becoming teachers.

The area where the amazing transformation of Sathya Sai Baba, turning into a deity with three heads, took place is located near the ancient city of Mysore and the sacred river, Kaveri. This area is especially associated with the many mythological stories of Dattatreya, the Vedic Trinity. Sathya Sai Baba repeatedly pointed out his next incarnation on earth would be closely connected with Mysore. Sai Baba reincarnates consciously. While alive in this life, he talked about some of his past incarnations and also indicated where he will incarnate in the future.

Using stories about his past and future lives, Sathya Sai Baba indicates that each person goes through the path of divine evolution in many lives. The fact that we live many lives does not mean that we have the right to neglect the current incarnation and thoughtlessly waste time.

Yes, all eternity is at your disposal, but still every moment, every day lived is unique and precious. Sai Baba reincarnates consciously, and every person has the same opportunity, but for this to happen it is necessary to realize the immortal core of his soul.

19. I trust myself, then I trust God who dwells in my heart

If you have not lit the lamp of wisdom in order to illuminate your life path, then you will wander along a foggy path filled with fear as your fellow traveler.

(Sathya Sai Baba – Jnana Vahini)

Ignorance and lies do not have self-existence, for ignorance and lies are a lack of understanding of wisdom and truth. "Self" and God are originally one, which is why the Vedas proclaim: "I AM God." If a person does not see the light, then it seems to him that he arrives in darkness, although in reality darkness does not have self-existence, for darkness is not manifested light.

Walking along the spiritual path, we achieve nothing, because we already possess everything. Moving to the heights of the spirit, we discover what already exists from the very beginning. Of this great truth, God declared to Moses, "I am who I am." The deep meaning of this great phrase is that the true name of God is "I". Jesus preached the same thing: “I and my Heavenly Father are one.”

There are many types of conditioning that create feelings of inferiority and limitation. A person who perceives himself as a separate being always suffers, but one who feels the unity of all that exists is in joy.

To light the lamp of wisdom means to realize the original unity. When you talk to God, you are essentially talking to your Higher Self. You are listening carefully to the message of God, and in fact you are listening to your Higher Self.

You listen to your intuitive feelings and hear an inner voice; you trust yourself, which means you trust God who lives in your heart. In joy, you embody your destiny in life, which means you are doing the work of God who directs your every action.

20. Diamond surprise

Even though Sathya Sai Baba is gone, and we are awaiting the day of his next incarnation, he continues to live strongly in my heart and memory. This next story is about a time when Sathya Sai Baba was invited to visit Bombay by Indulal Shah.

A reception was arranged in Mr Shah's house in honor of his dear guest, Sathya Sai Baba. During the gala dinner, the guests were served a huge amount of food, but Sathya Sai Baba barely ate any. It is customary in India for people to lavishly treat their dear guests. Because Sathya Sai Baba was a dear guest, people began to treat him and they prepared great lashings of food, although all this was unnecessary. During that day, Sathya Sai Baba only ate micro-doses of the simplest food, which was enough for him.

Sathya Sai Baba's chief interpreter, Anil Kumar, once told me that he asked Sathya Sai Baba how he manages to get by with almost no food, since food is one of the main sources of energy. To this Sathya Sai Baba replied with beautiful and deep words. He said that he did not need to get energy from food, for he himself was energy. It all depends on how you perceive yourself. The true "I" is the original source of all things, including energy. That is why Sathya Sai Baba did not need much food and sleep in order to be active and productive during the day.

Going back to Sathya Sai Baba's visit to Bombay City and the grand reception at Mr. Shah's house, there among the many dishes, the guests were served Vada, which are small round-shaped pies. Sathya Sai Baba turned to the daughter of the owner of the house and told her to choose any Vada, and then, before eating it to carefully break it into two parts. The girl did so. Upon breaking the pie into two, she found gold earrings encrusted with diamonds. In such an unusual way, Sathya Sai Baba materialized this beautiful gift for her.

Another similar story happened in the late ‘90s in the South Indian mountains, in the ancient town of Kodaikanal. Sathya Sai Baba invited some devotees for dinner. During dinner, Puri, a type of traditional flatbread, was served. Sai Baba turned to one of those present and told him to choose any cake, and then break the cake in half before eating it. When the man broke the cake, he found a golden ring inside. The man looked at Sathya Sai Baba with surprise. Sathya Sai Baba smiled at the man and said this was a gift especially for him.

Watching the amazing life of Sathya Sai Baba over the years, I stopped being surprised by miracles. Gradually, such events began to be perceived as something natural. This is probably for the best, because when you stop being surprised by the supernatural, you begin to think about the deep meaning of what is happening.

Sometimes I tried to understand the meaning and spiritual significance of Sathya Sai Baba's miracles, and sometimes it began to seem that there was no need to look for a special meaning, because the "games of the Lord" have no logical explanation – they are a manifestation of love and are like beautiful poetry; they are beautiful in themselves.

21. You are what you think of yourself

The secret of creation is known only to the Creator; the rest cannot know it.

(Sathya Sai Baba – "Collection of lectures", 1991)

The question is how do you know yourself? If you perceive yourself as a limited human being, then the secret of the universe is hopelessly hidden from you. However, when, as a result of a spiritual journey, a person gets to the very depths of his Spiritual Heart, then he becomes the same Creator, who is the original creator of everything that exists. Everyday experience sometimes reveals that you are limited and weak, but the truth is there is great power in the depths of your soul.

People are convinced they are, supposedly, unworthy of realizing their dreams, but this is not accurate thinking. If you see problems in your life and feel deep dissatisfaction, then you need to simply change your perception of yourself, as well as your reactions to the events in the surrounding space.

All changes in life must always begin with a change in yourself – it’s these changes that impact and create positive change in your environment. The construct that you “should not” be selfish sometimes keeps us from even attempting to fulfill our infinite potential. This principal is simply a guise of a good idea taught to us as children and reinforced by people around us who prefer we do their will their way, instead of allowing us to just be ourselves.

Is allowing yourself to sing your own song and become all you were created to be, instead of surrendering to someone else's will, be it friend, spouse, or institution, selfish? I think not. You are what you think of yourself. You are the only one responsible for your own mind and your own life.