Sai Baba - Gods grace in my life

June 17th 2019

Sai Baba grace in my life

By Nash 

I never believed in Sai Baba. Always thought when there is God, why do we need Gurus as middlemen? And used to dismiss miracles performed both by Shirdi Sai Baba and Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba as magic and unscientific. My engineering education and logical mind could not comprehend anything which was not scientifically proven. This was till October 2011. 

April 2011, Sathya Sai Baba dies. Andhra state declared 4 days state mourning. High profile people including Prime MInister (both AB Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh), Union ministers, governors, chief ministers, filmstars, sportspersons, industrialists, to the common folk from villages and towns of India, shared their heart out with condolences. Still I'm not impressed, dismissing him as Guru of the rich and famous.

Two things changed my opinion, in October 2011. 

My brother, Ranga, who is a rationalist, not easily swayed by Gods or Gurus, came back after a trip from Puttaparthi. And started extolling the philanthropic activities of Sai Baba, as a human being and not as a Guru. In the areas where India needs maximum help. Education, Health care, Nutrition, Drinking water, Sanitation, Tolerance etc. He even brought Drinking water to my hometown Chennai from river Krishna in Andhra, which many governments could not do.

My good friend and ex-HP colleague, Sai Chandrasekar, who I admire both personally and professionally, talking about the work he is doing in villages and towns, as a sai seva volunteer and how it changes lives of people.

As a business student I got curious, about leadership principles in action here. I was wondering how a single man or any leader could build so many educational institutions serving students, hospitals with speciality doctors serving, nutrition centres serving food for the hungry people.. all FREE of cost. How is it possible for any leader to do this that too on a large scale. 

Prior to this I have only seen, another great leader, Lee Kuan Yew, former PM of Singapore, transform a third world nation of 4 million people, in 20 years to a fully literate, healthy, peaceful and prosperous nation.

But what Sai Baba did, was even more inspirational. He transformed may be 10 times more people, without holding any official government position, by inspiring millions of people with moral authority, to help his fellow man. With his simple, LOVE ALL SERVE ALL mantra, he made both the givers and receivers gain abundant grace.

In October 2011, for the first time, I participated in Narayana Seva. Its a service, where we make home cooked food, to feed the hungry people on the streets, every Sunday. These people are usually old or visually challenged or have lost their limbs, who are literally left to fend for themselves, uncared by their own kith and kin on the streets. Sai Baba called these people Narayana or God. Serving them is like serving God. Sai Baba said, "Hands that serve are holier than lips that pray" and Narayana seva provided the opportunity to serve God in human form on the streets. More details at:

https://ssssoindia.org/narayana-seva/

It was life changing for me. I realised how blessed and lucky we are, when we see hungry and homeless people, who can't fend for themselves. India lacks social security and there is no concept of Dole. Unless fellow citizens help them, no one will take care of them.

More than that, I admire the thousands of volunteers who prepare food, pack them, put them in cars, distribute them without any reminders, like precision clock work, work after week, 52 weeks a year come rain or shine.

And these volunteers work with almost no recognition except for the inward pleasure of doing good to fellow human beings. No management school or professional MNC can produce such dedicated workers who are on a mission to make a better planet. 

That sense of service is so strong the activity continues even many years after the founders demise. May be that's what is organized religion be in Krishna, Buddha, Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed. To serve other people altruisticly is the foundation of any great religion.

Guess what, we completed 10 years today, or 520 weeks of service every Sunday to the needy and homeless Narayanas. We had a small celebration on Bangalore today. See photo below.

As Swami Sai Baba says "don't look at what service you did, look at what service did to you". Did it make you a better human being, more patient, more caring, more sensitive, more forgiving, more giving. 

Sai volunteers cut across nationalities and religions and education levels. From Brazil to Japan, from Buddhists to Christian's from Doctors to Sportsmen to Pop stars to common folks on the street, any one and every one can be in this movement.

Though I participate in narayana seva, only a few week ends in a year, the friends I made with fellow volunteers and the joy you get, when you see a smile of a hungry narayana being served home cooked food- ITS PEERLESS & PRICELESS. 

Such is the grace of Sai Baba, who can convert even non believers and cynics like me into useful human beings , and give us the opportunity to serve and shower us all with his infinite grace. On innumerable occasions I have felt his protection and grace.

The giver gets. Love all, serve all.

Om Sai Ram.

By Nash Narasimhan Tupil

Pics:

Today's 10th anniversary celebrations

Photo of the group few years back

Swami Sathya Sai Baba in his youth