I Am No Longer Your Sathya…I Am Sai

With the Advent of the day, October 20, that had earned an indelible impression in the history of mankind, revealing the most defining moment of the Avatar of the Age, let’s peep into ‘His Story’ to recollect those precious pearls, strung together which the Saga Of Sai was presented to this physical world. A poem on the occasion of ‘Avatar Declaration Day’ by Sri Jullie Chaudhuri.

As my mind meandered through the lanes of history…
Scrolling and cherishing His incredible story…
I did find a day…
Shining brighter than the rest,
Oh! What day was this…?
How come it was so luminescently aglow…?
Even as I did inquire the reason for this blush and shine,
Upon closer inspection I did find,
Bedecked it was with a celestial design -
It happened to be 20th October 1940…
The day then said unto me –
Oh! Ever so blessed am I,
That the Lord chose me…
To reveal His Divinity,
His Breathtaking Identity… that He is the Supreme Personality…
Announcing to the astounded gathering – ‘Maya has left Me…’
‘Little’ Sathya…declared God’s advent as Sai…Sathya Sai was He…

March 1940 was the turning point,
Soon the Creator would Himself anoint,
The anguished cries of those distressed,
And the sweet devotion,
Of His dear votaries,
He would never disappoint,
Age-old longing would never go waste,
The Lord had set the process,
For a divine proclamation post-haste…

It all started with a scorpion bite,
What was wrong with young Sathya,
None could fathom nor bring to light,
Silent, withdrawn, remote,
At times the profound wisdom of the Vedas,
He would so effortlessly quote,
All of a sudden so full of spiritual and philosophical allure,
Learned Masters and reputed scholars would stand corrected,
Their pride and knowledge proven immature…

To behave ‘abnormal’ Sathya did continue,
Then came 23rd May 1940 right on cue,
And with it an open declaration,
Eyes widened with this phenomenal revelation…

So rapt was He in materialising sugar candy and flowers,
But  ‘father’ Venkama Raju was not impressed,
With these sacred showers,
His heart remained unstirred,
For him it was just antics and capers -
‘Who are You?’ asked he of his ‘child’…
‘Ghost, devil or God…?’
“I am Sai,” said the ‘angelic lad’…our sweet Lord…
‘What are we to do with You…?’
“Worship Me,” said He….
“That is what is required of you…”
As unfolded this divine phase,
Sathya decreed that all should worship Him,
Specially on Thursdays…

And so commenced the initial worship of Sai,
As time went by,
Someone did challenge Him,
Asking Him to prove His statement -
He did this beatific ‘boy’ defy,
To demonstrate somehow His words were not a lie…
Jasmine flowers on the floor randomly this adorable ‘adolescent’ threw,
They wondrously formed the words ‘Sai Baba’ in Telugu…

Thus the stage was gradually set,
Creator had to sing with creation a lilting duet…
By displaying an array of divine qualities,
He did all please,
Reflecting compassion, tolerance, sacrifice and selfless love,
Absorbing cruelty and physical punishment,
He personally set many an example,
From rancor and retaliation how must one rise above,
The myriad miracles that did take place,
Were mere hints to trace,
His reality as the Supreme Personality,
That everything in the Cosmos,
Was simply His abundant grace…

I am no longer your Sathya,
I am Sai…
Manas Bhajare Guru Charanam
Dustara Bhava Sagara Taranam…
The appropriate moment had arrived,
And the ‘fourteen year old’ did,
As per heavenly decree comply,
Revealing Himself as the Primal Being,
It was time for action,
Destinies to brighten…
Sai Thy Kingdom Come…Sai Thy Will be done,
There was nothing that could come in the way of His mission,
His sankalpa to herald in for humanity,
An ultimate transformation…

Leaving behind countless childhood leelas,
The Lord declared Himself as the Yuga Avatara,
For the necklace of creation,
Strung together with an incalculable amount of beads,
This meant…
That at long last it had now rediscovered,
Its magnificently exquisite,  absolutely priceless Cosmic Pendant…
Supreme and transcendental,
The Coronet of Compassion, of Wisdom and Knowledge,
Of Truth, Righteousness, Goodness and Beauty,
Of Peace and Harmony,
Of Selfless Love and Non Violence,
Was here to end all conflicts, battles and duels,
Everything that was hitherto dreadful and dismal…
The helm had regained its Master,
And the crown…could once again welcome its Crest Jewel…

The One Who had incarnated at Shirdi,
Now as His abode,
Chose Puttaparthi,
Come to help un-entangle humanity,
From the web of illusion and the illusory,
An Incarnation ever so inimitable and exceptionally unique,
The flawless fusion…
…the totally indefinable blend of Shiva and Shakti…
Oh! Do we even realize for a fraction of a second,
How very blessed are we…?
How can we express our gratitude for His magnanimity…
…even somewhat minutely…?
All He wants is that we recognize and revive our own divinity,
Live in peace and harmony,
Promoting for all life forms a kindred equality…
A life exemplary,
That does with His message,
Sync and comply…
Then, dear sisters and brothers,
We will definitely hear Him reassert, reaffirm and sweetly confirm,
Our sincere quest will most certainly obtain a reply,
Comprehension will gently dawn – He never did us deny,
In joyful relief our hearts will sigh,
When we hear that mellifluous divine voice well nigh,
A voice upon which we can forever rely -
“Why fear…I Am near,
I Am your Sathya…your Truth…
…I…Am your Sai…”

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II