(9/13/03). Note from Guru Kurt: I obtained this discourse of Sathya Sai Baba from http://www.sathyasai.org/discour/1968/d680517.htm. Sai Baba is only one of many gurus in India falsely claiming Avatarhood for themselves, although he is certainly the most popular. What is he, in reality? Sathya Sai Baba is a recently illumined man (two or three times at most), who is lost in the brilliant light coming from his Atman, confused about his identity. His Atman takes a strategy of clinging very closely to revealed works, and so what you find in Sai Baba is all the old truths, restated again and again. He is an imitator, although he does this with all the divine power of his Atman, and so it is harder to contravene him than it is to contravene Osho, Cohen, Meher Baba, and Da Free John, who are all freewheeling mavericks. Thank goodness Sai Baba is not the Avatar! Earth would be in dire straits indeed, were this the case! Along with the credible accusations of his close devotees of various homosexual intrigues occurring at his ashram, in which he is included as well as implicated, Sai Baba performs the miracle of pulling lingams (statues of erect phalluses) from his mouth! In India, the lingam is a sacred symbol, but those in the West will be greatly (and rightfully!) offended to think that their Lord Jesus would ever perform such an act! The discourse of his which I have chosen for commentary is his first “revelation” of his “Avatarhood.” As I say, I am up against the divine Atman of a former human being here, and one intelligent enough to cling closely to the ancient revelations, so that there is actually nothing wrong in this discourse, that is to say, grossly incorrect. Krishna might indeed have said something like this, although it is my argument that in the modern era Krishna would take a more sophisticated approach. Sathya Sai Baba lacks in originality, complexity, depth and inspiration. I do not enjoy reading him. Vivekananda, Brahmananda, Prabhupada, and Yogananda were all embodied angels, and thus incalculably higher than Sai Baba. Had they chosen to claim Avatarhood for themselves, they would have done a far better job than he has done. They did not make this claim, knowing full well that the Lord’s mode of approaching man is to appear at his side, as a spiritual aspirant, and recognizing the divinity of the Avatar, in humility they gave Him the honor and the glory which was His due. They cling to reality, which is the best path to their own spiritual good. Please, spend your time reading these individuals; ignore Sai Baba! He will lead you nowhere, who merely restates ancient scriptures, somewhat poorly. Yet, here I am confronted by one who is at least partially awake, making claims that cannot be proven wrong. He says he is, and I say he isn’t! How can anyone gain rational purchase on plain, bald assertions? See, if the angels did this, life would be most confusing for mankind, who would never get an accurate representation of the real cosmic situation. Those who claim Avatarhood for themselves make a grievous error in not defending their claims against counterclaims. How could the Avatar fail to know about the others claiming, perhaps credibly, to be Him? He would likely deal with these in some kind of rational fashion, instead of just ignoring them, who is the pinnacle of logic and reason. None of those claiming Avatarhood for themselves deal with any of the others, at all! This shows both lack of awareness as to what is going on in the world, as well as lack of capacity and understanding. It is one thing to claim to know absolute truth; it is quite another, to demonstrate this before the world! The nature of Sai Baba’s claims here are such that I cannot disprove them. If you wish to believe that he is the Avatar, then be my guest! This is better than picking up a gun, and shooting somebody! It is my hope to educate the public about the real situation in Heaven and on earth, so that people stop making claims to Avatarhood, realizing it is far more sophisticated to make no claims, to deny all such claims, but to let one’s disciples make up their own minds on the subject. This is the way of craft, guile and intelligence, for one recognizes that the Compassionate One does not seek to stand above man, who really stands above man, but to make man think it is only a little step to reach Him who is the true Lord of the Cosmos. The Lord’s one desire is that man should go forward, expeditiously and forthrightly, to the supreme goal of spiritual evolution, nirvikalpa samadhi. Any teacher who does not recognize that the best way to do this is to pretend to be a man shows both his lack of sophistication, as well as his lack of compassion, seeking to draw undue attention to himself, instead of heralding the true Way for man and showing this Way by personal example. Ramakrishna showed us the manner of the Avatar’s appearances in the modern age. Follow His example, or risk His wrath, the wrath of the angels, and the wrath of the public as well, who will be able to understand my simple reasoning, and will begin flocking only to those who are humble in their claims, although mighty and glorious in their teachings. Although I cannot contravene Sai Baba’s claims, I can show you what I believe the Avatar might say, were He to take this unkind stance of holding Himself high above mankind, instead of pretending to be one of us, so that you can see Sai Baba’s lack of originality, depth, sophistication and creativity, which are always in evidence in the works of the real Avatar, whenever and however He chooses to make His appearances among us. The situation as it currently exists in the world is not pleasing to the Father. With multiple persons claiming Avatarhood for themselves, the whole planet looks like a kind of kindergarten, with no mature spirituality present. Spirituality is not “King-of-the-Hill.” You cannot go forward, by stepping on the toes of those around you. If you confuse the people of earth, it is a black mark in your book of virtues. There is only One who is qualified to claim Avatarhood for Himself, and He isn’t talking! Everyone else who claims this, throws mud in the Father’s eye, and besmirches the name of true religion on planet earth. Do you understand my “kindergarten” analogy? Sai Baba says, “I am the Avatar of the Age.” Da Free John responds, “No, it isn’t you, its me!” Meher Baba chimes in, “It isn’t either of you two – it’s me!” All of this is done without any rational argumentation whatsoever, as though each of them has blinders on, and is unaware of the current world situation! He who claims Avatarhood for himself really proves that he is not the Avatar, and could not be the Avatar. This is because the Avatar has shown man again and again, as Mohammed, Ramakrishna, and even as Jesus, that the Compassionate way is to feign human existence, instead of to flout divinity in man’s face, which would be disheartening to everyone, and cause spiritual progress on earth to slow down. When you see the Avatar, as Avatar, you think, “There He is, full of Divine Glory and Bliss; how can I ever be like that? Why should I even make an effort? I am a different type of being, entirely!” When you see the Avatar feigning human experience you think, “He is not so great. I’ll bet, in a few hundred lives, I will be just like Him!” If you hear a person openly proclaiming Avatarhood, then look in another direction for the real Avatar, who will not make such claims. Remember that the one goal of the real Avatar is that man should attain what man was meant to attain, and that perceiving the Avatar as a true God will cause man to lose heart, and you will be able to walk past the very immature gurus who make erroneous and misleading claims about themselves, and find the humble and yet most powerful gurus, who let their works speak for themselves. If you think your teacher is the Avatar, well and good! Proclaim it to one and all! Another person will come by, saying, “No, my guru is the Avatar, not yours, and here is why!” The two of you can have a nice discussion, and perhaps your gurus can meet for a debate! Let the students proclaim the Avatar; an Avatar who proclaims himself is a spiritual infant, no Avatar, and not even an angel, but merely an illumined man, although this in itself is a mighty attainment, the mightiest attainment possible for a human being, though the angels have higher things still.
17 May 1968
(Sathya Sai Speaks VI, 210-213)
[Editor's note. This is the last part of Sathya Sai Baba's discourse at the World Conference of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organizations in Bombay, 17 May 1968. It states plainly and directly that Sathya Sai Baba is an incarnation of God, come to restore righteousness (dharma).]
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Sathya Sai Baba:
Since at this place those who have devotion are gathered and people of all nations have come, I cannot but tell you one fact. World conferences dedicated to religion or spiritual problems have no doubt been held before; also, conferences of followers of particular faiths. But these have been held only after the demise of the founders and divine inspirers. This is the very first time that a World Conference is held, of persons devoted, while the incarnation is present before every one, with the body assumed for the purpose, bearing the name that is chosen for it by Itself. I must tell you this fact, because ninety-nine persons out of hundred among you do not know my Reality. You have come here drawn by diverse needs, a taste for spiritual matters, eagerness to develop the institutions to which you are attached, admiration or affection, love or reverence or a spurt of enthusiasm to join others and share with others your own exultation.
Guru Kurt:
The language used here is very vague, and sadly, it comes across as shameless self-promotion. This is not the way Krishna would speak! I think (although I’m sure my readers dread this by now), I will need to go through this quotation line by line. There are so many problems here, I find I cannot address them in a general fashion, or by waving my hand.
Since at this place those who have devotion are gathered and people of all nations have come, I cannot but tell you one fact.
You can almost see the ego-producing force of Sai Baba bending his words… “I cannot but tell you one fact.” His attitude here, is that if the world is not made aware of his “identity,” in particular those who possess devotion, they will be rendered a disservice. It is my position that the Lord does not need to reveal His divinity (a claim to illumination is itself tantamount to a claim to divinity, though of a lower order), and so Sai Baba and I are at loggerheads. The world is free to believe whom it will believe, as I am not desirous of forcing my opinions on anyone.
World conferences dedicated to religion or spiritual problems have no doubt been held before; also, conferences of followers of particular faiths. But these have been held only after the demise of the founders and divine inspirers.
This shows a surprisingly poor understanding of world history. “World conferences,” as such, have only been possible in the last few centuries, when world travel has also been possible. There has been only one Incarnation of which the sentence, “But these have been held only after the demise of the founders and divine inspirers” could potentially have been false, and that is Ramakrishna. Sai Baba claims to have existed in another body concurrently with Ramakrishna (Shirdi Sai Baba), and so from his point of view this statement could only potentially have been false of that “incarnation,” alone. He should recognize this fact, though he disagrees with me about the Avatar’s real identity! How could a real Avatar speak with such carelessness? What is more, during Buddha’s life, and Mohammed’s life, there were conferences of their followers, and so the sentence is seen not to hold truth, and so we see that Sai Baba’s main point, self-promotion, is foisted upon an inaccurate accounting of history to serve his own purposes, a form of fallacious reasoning. Do you see it? His main point will be that this is the first time that the Lord has been alive, during a world conference. He makes a secondary and clearly false point, without realizing it, that it will be the first time that the Lord’s followers have held conferences while He was alive, in His presence. Indeed, ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Bhagavatam and the Mahabharata, mention many such conferences! This secondary point weakens his argument tremendously, because it shows he is not fully cognizant of the Avatar’s experiences in past lives, a clear requirement of anyone claiming Avatarhood! Also, his primary point is trivial as well, since world conferences have been around such a short time. It is like a sports commentator at the Tour de France saying, “This is the very first time, in this year’s tour, that it has rained!” The crowd will respond, “Big deal! Now, if it had been since last year’s tour, we would have been interested; what a drought that would be!” I’m not sure if I’m communicating the tiny size of Sai Baba’s ideas clearly to you here. This is his big moment, the “Avatar’s” world unveiling, and he chooses to announce by in effect stating, “In all the (twelve?) world conferences which have been held since steamships were invented, this is the first one where the Lord has really been present. Boy, aren’t you the lucky ones?”
This is the very first time that a World Conference is held, of persons devoted, while the incarnation is present before every one, with the body assumed for the purpose, bearing the name that is chosen for it by Itself.
This is not actually true. When Vivekananda spoke at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, this statement would have been accurate. Ramakrishna was an Incarnation of God, but Vivekananda was the incarnation of an archangel, the one known in the West as Gabriel. Sai Baba, then, does not recognize the presence of embodied angels among mankind, as I do. Vivekananda was far over his head, and thus is demonstrated one of the fundamental spiritual principles: you cannot see those who are above you clearly. You can only see yourself in another, and those who are greater are very difficult to discern, while those who are your approximate equals or of a lesser stature may indeed be seen. Now, one of my main complaints about Sai Baba is that reading him does not put me in a spiritual mood, but in a very prosaic one. It is hard for me to put my finger on the cause of this, but this is my experience. Vivekananda, on the other hand, never fails to induce a feeling of deep spirituality within me, one of the marks of the real angels. I cannot speak for another, but read a short passage from Vivekananda’s opening remarks to his World Conference, and see for yourself who is the real incarnation!
Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time has come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.
See, I can read Vivekananda all day long; he never fails to enthrall me! This is not so of Sai Baba, whom I find insipid, uninspiring, and dull. This may be only my mind, however, and may not be true of others! (Am I guilty of persecuting Sai Baba? My claim is that he is like a person running around telling people that it is safe to breathe water. Millions of people are running into the river, on the strength of his advice, and promptly drowning. I point out that it is not good to breathe water, but to breathe the fresh air of the teachings of the real Avatar. I harbor no ill-will against him; I only dispute his assertions about his identity, which for some reason I am convinced must be in error.) Back to Sai Baba:
I must tell you this fact, because ninety-nine persons out of hundred among you do not know my Reality.
Prosaic, prosaic, prosaic! This is sloppy use of language, indeed! The only one who knows Reality, is an illumined person. Is Sai Baba claiming that 1% of his audience is illumined? The proper word to have used in this instance, given the context of his argument, would have been “Identity,” not “Reality.” It is possible for a person possessing an ego to recognize the Avatar’s identity, as Christians everywhere recognize Jesus. However, as a point of fact, there is no one who can know the Reality of the Avatar, save the Father alone! The Father knows the Son; no one else knows Him. This is the principle which drives the spiritual evolution upon the entire planet that the Son has formed. Now, speaking as the Personification of the Self, as Krishna did in the Gita, a person can come to know the Lord’s Reality, but this is merely Self-realization, discovering the Divine One within. Who the Lord Himself is (the external, not the internal, Lord), cannot be known. Even the angels throw their worship and adoration as His feet, in order to continue their spiritual growth. Since we see our inner realities reflected when we consider another, the Lord always appears just a little over our heads. It is when we realize our inner divinity, and find Him still above our heads, that we at last understand that He is the source of our growth, from outside of us as well as from within. Why does Sai Baba foolishly suppose that, were he the Lord, people could come to know his “Reality?” It is because he has not yet recognized the external Lord, or any of the angels, all of whom are angered at his bold and inherently false assertions such as this one.
You have come here drawn by diverse needs, a taste for spiritual matters, eagerness to develop the institutions to which you are attached, admiration or affection, love or reverence or a spurt of enthusiasm to join others and share with others your own exultation.
Here the real illumination of Sai Baba becomes apparent, because a real spark of the Atman’s creativity is seen. This is good, and has some originality.
Sathya Sai Baba:
In truth, you cannot understand the nature of my Reality either today or even after a thousand years of steady austerity or ardent inquiry even if all mankind joins in that effort. But, in a short time, you will become cognizant of the bliss showered by the divine Principle, which has taken upon itself this sacred body and this sacred name. Your good fortune which will provide you this chance is greater than what was available for anchorites, monks, sages, saints and even personalities embodying facets of divine Glory!
Guru Kurt:
No, this isn’t accurate. In truth, you cannot understand the nature of the Avatar’s Reality for all time, eternity, which is why He hides Himself among you, appearing among the lowest, to bring man to the highest. Have people tasted the bliss of the divine “Principle” by being in Sai Baba’s presence, to a greater degree than they would experience in the presence of one of the illumined (whom he seems incapable of recognizing, along with all the other false Avatars, an obvious requirement of a real Avatar)? Sai Baba doesn’t fill me with bliss. Unaccountably, I am filled with loathing whenever I read his words or consider his teachings. He is smarmy, a bald imitator, not much different from a preacher in many ways, though powered by the Atman. If I read a few paragraphs of his I think, “Good gracious! If this is the Avatar, how terrible is this universe! How imperfect, how disgusting, and how unfortunate!” His prediction, therefore, does not come true for me. If it does for you, then perhaps Sai Baba is the correct teacher for you. There are many millions in India who apparently feel this bliss, although as I say, the state of illumination is so high that this would be true of any illumined teacher, as is evidenced by the large followings of Osho, Da Free John, and Andrew Cohen, too. Who are “personalities embodying facets of divine Glory?” I have no idea. This never appears in the ancient Hindu scriptures, to my knowledge. I suppose if someone were “Compassion Embodied,” then it would be true, but no such beings exist. Angels are the highest embodied beings, outside of the Lord. They embody such divine traits as they have developed, to the degree they have developed them. What is the mystery in this? Do you see the trouble Sai Baba is able to cause? He gets many people excited, for it certainly would be true that darshan of the Lord would be a great boon, to anyone, and yet this is mere rewording of scripture. There is little of originality or creativity here!
Sathya Sai Baba:
Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded into the belief that this is but an instance of common humanity. Be warned against this mistake. I am also deluding you by my singing with you, talking with you, and engaging myself in activities with you. But, [at] any moment, my Divinity may be revealed to you; you have to be ready, prepared for that moment. Since Divinity is enveloped by humanness you must endeavor to overcome the maya (delusion) that hides it from your eyes.
Guru Kurt:
Here again we see what trouble Sai Baba can cause. His Atman is powerful, indeed! This paragraph is certainly true about the Lord, every word of it. However, it is also true of the illumined teachers (whom I like to call World Teachers)! You can get this same experience sitting at the feet of Osho, Da Free John, or Andrew Cohen, which is the meaning of enlightenment – a human becomes divine! Strangely, the Lord is often not recognized when He moves about in human society, for the very reason that He is so different from everyone else. They cannot comprehend His Glory, and dismiss Him out of hand. However, the reaction to an illumined guru can be more spontaneous and greater, because people share humanity with the guru, although not with the Lord. This is why the disciples of Jesus (who were embodied angels, chosen for the task and fully cognizant of their mission) were able to recognize and help the Lord, but others were able to persecute Him unto death. Beholding the disciples gathered around the Lord, with whom they can more readily identify, humans get the inner response required to also pay attention. The Lord is known by His disciples, for without them He is essentially helpless among mankind. No one will recognize Him, which is why Isaiah said He was despised and rejected of man. The Lord is the true Outsider, unlike any human, and so not tapping into any deep threads of common experience. Sai Baba talks like a human, you see, and so everyone flocks around him saying, “This is the Lord,” because this is what he wants them to believe. Where are his disciples? He doesn’t need them, for he isn’t the Lord, but a poor pretender!
Sathya Sai Baba:
This is a human form in which every divine entity, every divine principle, that is to say, all the names and forms ascribed by man to God, are manifest. ... Do not allow doubt to distract you; if you only install, in the altar of your heart, steady faith in my Divinity, you can win a vision of my Reality. Instead, if you swing like the pendulum of a clock, one moment devotion, another moment disbelief, you can never succeed in comprehending the truth and win that bliss. You are very fortunate that you have a chance to experience the bliss of the vision of the Sarvadaivathwa swaroopam (the form that is all forms of the Gods) now, in this life itself.
Guru Kurt:
This set of remarks is also true of illumined teachers. This is what it means, that man is made in the image of God. Every aspirant will see a little of Rama in his or her teacher, a little of Krishna, for they have become a little rama, a little krishna. You see, from a practical standpoint, it really won’t help an egoic person very much more to be near the Lord, than to be near an illumined teacher. This is because an illumined person is already so high above them, that they can scarcely comprehend his glory. However, in terms of spiritual practice, the Lord always gives the best advice, and it is His Name we should repeat, not Sai Baba’s, for then we can extend our practice past our sadhana, into illumination, more easily. Our sadhanas will also be more rapid, coming quickly into tune with Reality. The Lord is the Highest, although the illumined teachers have been granted a portion of His authority to use (or misuse) as they see fit, being free from the law of karma, cause and effect, themselves. Sai Baba makes a claim that is parallel with the claim of Jesus: “Whosoever believeth in Me shall not perish, but have eternal life,” and I won’t dispute his claim, for this is true of the illumined as well, who are little lords. I am not really angered by Sai Baba, for he truly is illumined. I merely wish to set the record straight, insofar as this is within my power, representing the true situation of heaven and earth before man. Cling to the likes of Sai Baba if you desire, if you find him appealing and helpful. You won’t be harmed by it. When you are yourself illumined, however, you will find yourself coming up short and dry, because you will start to see some of his imperfections, which are all but invisible to those who still retain egos. Then, you will start looking around a little harder at earth’s spiritual scene, thinking, “Where is this Lord, the real One? I wonder where He could be hiding now!”
Sathya Sai Baba:
Let me draw your attention to another fact. On previous occasions when God incarnated on earth, the bliss of recognizing Him in the incarnation was vouchsafed only after the physical embodiment had left the world, in spite of plenty of evidence of his grace. And the loyalty and devotion they commanded from men arose through fear and awe at their superhuman powers and skills or at their imperial and penal authority. But ponder a moment on this Sathya Sai Manifestation; in this age of rampant materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that brings to it the adoration of millions from all over the world? You will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the supra-worldly Divinity in human form.
Guru Kurt:
Well, this isn’t true. The disciples recognize the Lord instantly, as He recognizes them. They plan the whole thing ahead of time, in the Kingdom. The ancient scriptures also report that the Lord was recognized by many during His Incarnations. Yasoda, Krishna’s mother, for instance, is reported to have had the cosmic vision looking down His smiling mouth! One of Chaitanya’s disciples was given the vision of His four-armed form. Jesus’ disciples are reported to have had visions of His divinity, as from Matthew 17,
1. AND AFTER six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. 2. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. 3. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5. He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." 6. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. 7. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." 8. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Although as I say the disciples recognize the Lord immediately, still they and others may be granted visions of His divinity while He is still in a body. Thus, Sai Baba is manifestly in error when he states, “On previous occasions when God incarnated on earth, the bliss of recognizing Him in the incarnation was vouchsafed only after the physical embodiment had left the world, in spite of plenty of evidence of his grace.” Why would the real Avatar make such an obvious mistake as this, who could easily recall all His earlier births? The real Avatar would not make this mistake; but, an illumined man, hell-bent on feigning Avatarhood before mankind, would, could, and did! Sai Baba next states,
And the loyalty and devotion they commanded from men arose through fear and awe at their superhuman powers and skills or at their imperial and penal authority.
This just makes no sense at all! Indeed, it contradicts the statement right before it. If the Lord had demonstrated these superhuman powers and skills, why was He not recognized, at least by some? Sai Baba is not a good imposter. He can’t keep a straight story even between two sentences! Probably, in this instance, Sai Baba was thinking of the ancient tales told of Rama and Krishna in Hindu mythology. When has the Lord ever demonstrated penal authority, however? If he refers to Jesus here, he is sadly mistaken, since although Jesus spoke of hell, He never demonstrated His power to throw people into it! The Lord does have superhuman powers and skills. He does have imperial and penal authority. It is because of these things, that He feigns human experience, so that man is not frightened and overawed. If you read the life of Ramakrishna, you will see that this unfortunate and evil sentence could not be farther from the truth. Ramakrishna’s disciples loved Him, as do His followers even today. Fear is not the highest motivator, although if the truth were known, we should indeed fear the Lord’s Power. He is the Master of Heaven and Hell. He condemns people to hell, which is perhaps billions of years of being reborn as animals, when this is within the purview of divine Justice. Worshipping Him, one is enabled to obtain heaven, which occurs at astral ascension. Indeed, this sentence of Sai Baba’s is inherently inconsistent. Do you see it? How can devotion arise out of fear? This is a crass mistake, indeed! Loyalty may come about through fear and awe, but never devotion – which is again why the Lord does not seek to frighten, but to befriend mankind, acting very much as one of us, even pretending to make mistakes such as we ourselves might make, in His situation! So, this is again sloppy use of language, “throwing good words together” in ways that are not seen to be accurate, under close scrutiny. The angels don’t make mistakes like this; poor Sai Baba, such a long ways to go, yet! He goes on,
But ponder a moment on this Sathya Sai Manifestation; in this age of rampant materialism, aggressive disbelief and irreverence, what is it that brings to it the adoration of millions from all over the world? You will be convinced that the basic reason for this is the supra-worldly Divinity in human form.
This is again true of illumined teachers. The rest of you may be impressed by argumentation like this, but I am not. The real Lord has essentially the entire planet as His own. He started all the major religions, and so His followers number in the billions. Speak not to me of millions! Even those who do not follow the Lord on the surface, find they still must deal with His existence in their daily lives, typically by rejecting Him, or seeking to argue against Him, vainly. The illumined person is indeed “supra-worldly Divinity in human form.” So are the angels. So is the Lord. However, there are degrees of divinity. The Lord is the support of all. The angels are the support of the illumined teachers. The illumined teachers are the proximate support of mankind, but I would not call them incarnations, which may be said of the angels, for large portions of the ego-producing force yet remain within them, which are being purified by ensuing nirvikalpa samadhi events in subsequent teaching lives. Embodied angels may be said to be incarnations since they have existed for a long time in the disembodied state, becoming more and more godlike with each passing eon. It is typically only advanced angels who are entrusted with visiting mankind in bodies, for it is a difficult task, with many responsibilities. Depending upon their mission, angels may remain hidden among mankind, may become artists expressing divine truth in poetry, song, or painting, or may pretend to be illumined teachers. The angels know the Lord, having met with Him in the astral realms, where He is worshipped, just as He is on earth, so they are not so foolish as to proclaim identity with Him! They know they are higher than individuals like Sai Baba, and do you want to know something? Talk is cheap. You can say anything you like, but this does not make it true! Sai Baba cannot make himself into the Avatar, except in the eyes of a few deluded men and women. He has done so with millions, because he is illumined, but I think history will show that he is not so widely accepted as he seems to believe he will be! He will not have Krishna’s impact, who is not Krishna! He will not elicit Jesus’ devotion, who is not Jesus! Sai Baba is the subject of a great deal of humor among the angels. Try to imagine a kindergartner walking around saying, “Behold, the mighty Sai! I have indeed ascended unto graduate school! I know algebra, calculus, Greek and philosophy!” A real graduate student will not be impressed with such talk, although the other kindergartners may be taken in. He will say, “Tell us the fundamental theorem of calculus. Repeat the Greek alphabet backwards, starting with Omega and ending with Alpha. Compare Socrates with Descartes!” The kindergartner will turn away sheepishly, smile before the other kindergartners and say, “Sai knows all. Have faith in Sai. Sai will take you to the other shore of knowledge!” There are a few kindergartners who will listen, instead, to the real graduate student, and thus learn the way out of kindergarten, into higher realms of knowing!
Sathya Sai Baba:
Again how fortunate you are that you can witness all the countries of the world paying homage to India (Bharatha); you can hear adoration of Sathya Sai's name reverberating throughout the world, even while this body is existing --not at some future date but when it is with you, before you. And again, you can witness very soon the restoration of the Ancient and Eternal Religion (Sanathana Dharma) to its genuine and natural status, the righteousness (dharma) laid down in the Vedas for the good of all the peoples of the world. The revival of vedic dharma is the Sai sankalpa (the resolve that Sai has) not only drawing people toward me, attracting them by the manifestation of my shakti (power) and samarthya (capacity). This is not a bhramathathwam (phenomenon of delusion). This phenomenon will sustain truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that victory make all of you exult in ecstasy. This is the Sai sankalpa (will).
Guru Kurt:
It is far from the case that all the countries of the world pay homage to India! This is a gross mischaracterization of the modern scene, where Christianity is the most populous religion (having two billion adherents; Islam is second, with 1.3 billion, and Hindu a distant third, with 900 million (see http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html))! Now, it is certain that Sai Baba has a worldwide following, but I have so far in my forty years met only one of them. During my own sadhana, I was never influenced by him at all, although I knew of him. I didn’t find him inspiring or especially insightful, and so I paid him little heed. It seems to me that Sai Baba hears his own name adored, although the rest of us may not! Well, I wish him good luck. It may be, that he is the Avatar! If so, I will politely excuse myself from all consideration of Avatars, and delve into my own realm of religiosity! If, when I come back, you are all worshipping Sai Baba as he seems to be certain you will be doing, I will throw up my hands, and pretend I am somewhere else than earth, which will have become a living hell, where the angels are ignored, and some fool who can scarcely speak, has no depth or creativity, and is so full of himself that there is room for no one else, is worshipped as God. Go ahead, worship him! I won’t be joining you! Now, I am going to have to look at this next section line by line, since it is rather complex.
And again, you can witness very soon the restoration of the Ancient and Eternal Religion (Sanathana Dharma) to its genuine and natural status, the righteousness (dharma) laid down in the Vedas for the good of all the peoples of the world.
Here we see the fundamental strategy of Sai Baba’s Atman, the reason why he is somewhat difficult to contravene. With divine intelligence, his Atman clings to the ancient scriptures, and if it were not for his idiotic insistence upon Avatarhood, I would have no quarrel with him, but would graciously acknowledge his illumination, which is certainly bona fide. He is more than a preacher, but less than an angel. He has a rather grandiose idea about his coming achievement, which as I say, history will reveal to have been either true or false. If he is right, then I shall seek residency on another planet! It is true that the Vedas are good, but the Lord is better, who gave rise to the Vedas and is able to more or less ignore them in His teaching work. The real Lord will say, “Oh, the Vedas, yes. Pretty good, don’t you think? I have written over 700,000 of those, you know, one for every solar cycle over which I have presided. It’s the way the Father and I operate. We cautiously introduce certain ideas during mankind’s most primitive stage, and other ideas all along the way. This is because people get the idea that ancient revelations are somehow more ‘sacred’ than new ones! Then, in 10,000 years, they will think these ‘modern’ revelations are the most sacred!” Sai Baba shows his inferiority to the real Avatar here, in the deference he pays to the ancient scriptures, at the same time as he shows his deep strategy. Why would the real Avatar seek to “restore” something ancient, when He is the living God? It is not a matter of restoration, but a matter of continuous, and carefully planned, new revelations. Sai Baba does not have the perspective of multiple solar cycles, since he has only attained illumination in this one. The angels do have this perspective, and in the next solar cycle, Sai Baba will, too, although he will not yet be ready to revisit earth, a duty which requires immense training. I wouldn’t advise people to cling to the Vedas. I have not found many good meditation passages in them, and there is a mix of mythology and folklore present which is not likely to be helpful to the modern mind unless it is properly understood as representative, and not literal, in nature. The Upanishads, on the other hand, are another story entirely. As my teacher used to say, they are splendid “snapshots” of divine reality, suitable for meditation, as true today as they were when they were written. However, do you think the Author of the Upanishads would come to “restore” the “Ancient” teachings, or would He merely update them and explain them for the modern mind? You are free to believe what you wish. You will not see me or any of my disciples, however, leaning so hard upon ancient revelations in this way!
The revival of vedic dharma is the Sai sankalpa (the resolve that Sai has) not only drawing people toward me, attracting them by the manifestation of my shakti (power) and samarthya (capacity). This is not a bhramathathwam (phenomenon of delusion). This phenomenon will sustain truth, it will uproot untruth, and in that victory make all of you exult in ecstasy. This is the Sai sankalpa (will).
This is all true of the illumined individual. Why does Sai not talk about illumination of others, so clearly Krishna’s main concern in the Bhagavad Gita? It is because he is scarcely illumined himself, and instead of helping others to attain his state he has ensconced himself in the popular will as the apparent Lord. Behold, humans, the high estate of illumination – he is successful! Everyone worships him, who does not even attempt to give Krishna’s bright message of hope, of attainment for all humans! However, Sai is not correct. I am not exulting in ecstasy; I am puking in revulsion! This is not the Lord! Perhaps, as I say, the rest of you will exult, in which case I will vacate the premises, as hopelessly insane!
Sathya Sai Baba:
Some persons, even those who have reached a certain stage of leadership and authority, have started exchanging the Vedic formulae and the principles of Indian (Bharathiya) culture for lucre, selling them, in fact; and westerners too are inclined to purchase them! These truths and discoveries are not merchandise to be sold and bought. Therefore, I am going to western countries soon, in order to apprise them of their real worth and put a stop to this bargaining. Already, the authorities of universities in the United States of America and the leaders of the students of those universities have written that they are eager to welcome me and they have drawn up programs for me. It was only yesterday that passports for my visit to Africa have been brought, praying that I may visit those countries soon; I am proceeding to Africa before the month of June.
Guru Kurt:
I have no idea what he is talking about here. Do any of you? Who is buying the “Vedic formulae and the principles of Indian culture?” Perhaps he speaks of the phenomenon of “Ayurvedic healing,” or those people who practice Tantra, regarding it as an enhancement of sexual pleasure rather than a religious tool. I say, “Let the healing proceed, and sex is indeed holy!” Why stop a good thing? Let people draw such good as they can out of the ancient scriptures – even if, heaven forbid, they make a profit! I do not recommend Tantra generally, but I don’t discourage those drawn in that direction. Sex is a part of human life. Why not treat it religiously? The Father has given you those organs, and quite a set of organs they are! In my opinion, sex cannot be used as a major tool for spiritual growth, but since you’ll be engaging in it anyway, what harm can come from seeking to use what knowledge may have been revealed in ancient times for your potential spiritual benefit? It may be a minor tool, for some, provided they always remember that the Father wishes for sex to draw two people closer, in mutual appreciation of one another’s deeper spiritual aspects, which to my mind is the way married people make the most progress. Cling to your spouse, and never abandon him or her for another. This is the way to lasting joy and optimum spiritual growth. To my knowledge, Sai Baba’s prophecies here about appearing at universities in the United States have not come true, although of course I could be wrong about this, since I am not a big fan of his (as he would have me be!) In any case, I discern no lasting impact of his upon our culture. I think people sense, deep within their hearts, that his claim to Avatarhood is not a genuine one. He does not speak with the clarity of Jesus, the compassion of the Buddha, the fire of Mohammed, or the devotion of Ramakrishna. He is not an equal even of Vivekananda, Brahmananda, or “M.,” three of the “lowly” disciples of Ramakrishna, who were embodied angels indeed! Well, when you obtain illumination, you too may be convinced you are God! Actually, you will be god, though not God in the sense that the Avatar is God. You will not be making any planets, or igniting any suns! It takes illumined teachers a long time to recognize that there is a real external Lord, and that they are not it! The angels know this, and teaching for a long time at the side of earth’s new illumined teachers, they reassure us that there is a higher order of spirituality at work here, that there is a realm of serious, deep, and mature spiritual attainment which supports the earth, which would be even more confusing and disorienting than it is, were the illumined men allowed to teach without any angelic oversight at all!
Sathya Sai Baba:
So utilize the chance of association with me as much as possible, and endeavor as quickly and as best as you can to follow the directions that I have been giving. Obeying my instructions is enough; it will benefit you more than the most rigorous asceticism. Practice sathya, dharma, santhi and prema, which are dear to me; resolve to keep those ideals before you ever, in all your thoughts, words and deeds. That can confer on you the summum bonum of mergence in the supreme substance of Divinity.
Guru Kurt:
Again, he is preaching, and so I can find no fault! Do you see how closely he remains within the ancient revelations? Your teaching will be flawless, too, if you stick to what mankind has been told! This is the source of the priests’ authority, of all religions. Sai Baba takes it to the next level, applying his Atman’s sublime intelligence to this task, so that like two halves of a clam’s shell, it is difficult to separate the lower, Sai himself, from the upper, revealed truth. Yet, I wonder what the Lord Himself would have really said, had He actually been present at this conference. Perhaps he might have said something like,
“I am most pleased to be present at this conference, where are assembled various august and venerable personages, all dedicated to the furthering of religious truth upon this planet. The story of man is a glorious one, wondrous beyond imagination. The Christians worship the Lord, but are convinced they are eternal sinners. The Hindus worship the Lord, and think they can become the Lord. The truth is somewhere between these seemingly incongruous and incompatible viewpoints. Christians are not eternal sinners, although it may seem like it, in the millions of lives it will take them to reach enlightenment. Hindus cannot become the Lord, but they can become divine, realizing the Atman or Self within in samadhi. Sai Baba, my esteemed colleague, appears to be convinced that he is this one, and he has succeeded in convincing a small corner of the world of this as well. Such, my friends, is the glory of illumination, that man goes from being mundane, plain, to being divine, supernal. This Sai you see is your destiny as well, although perhaps you will be cleverer than he is, recognizing you are a God-realized man or woman, and not the Lord. The trick of a good teaching work, after illumination, is to pay heed to the revelations of the Avatar and yet continue to plow your own uniquely creative furrow unto the high realms of spiritual truth. Sai Baba pays too much attention to the ancient scriptures, and so his creativity suffers. Da Free John pays too little attention to the ancient scriptures, and so his credibility suffers. Eknath Easwaran was just right, paying heed to scriptures, but asserting his real divine authority before man in a dignified, patient, and yet powerful manner. Who is the real Lord, and where does He appear? If I were to tell you it is I, you would not be helped. Your own hearts must carry this confirmation to you, and I wish for this confirmation to be confused. I don’t want you to know what I am; I want you to think you are not that different from me, so that you can attain that which you were meant to attain. Attain this, and then perhaps we’ll talk, up in the Kingdom. Like Vivekananda, you can come down and help the Lord (whoever this may be) in teaching mankind, showing the glory of the angel. Like Yogananda, you can appear mysteriously, pretending to be a yogi, and show man the way by pure and perfected example. It isn’t all about me, you know! It’s your life, and it’s about – you!”
So might the Lord speak, but naturally this is just my own opinion on the subject. It is not harmful for spiritual aspirants to harbor the possibility within their hearts that their enlightened teacher may indeed be the Avatar, although they are better served repeating the established Names of the Lord like Rama, Jesus, Krishna or Chaitanya, repeating which others have attained enlightenment. It is not good, however, for teachers to make this claim of themselves, because they mislead many about the real situation of planet earth. There is an actual external Lord, who made our solar system and initiated life on earth. When three or more illumined teacher simultaneously assert Avatarhood on a planet, that planet becomes a universal laughing stock, with those illumined teachers being the funniest of all! At the very least, if you insist upon asserting Avatarhood, you are going to have to deal with all of the others that assert this. To fail in this shows a lack of intelligence, and the Lord is nothing, if He lacks this intelligence! Get some sophistication. Realize that divine Compassion stands beside man, instead of above him. Study the life of Ramakrishna, if you would know the ways of the Lord in modern times! Study the life of Vivekananda, if you would know the type of incarnation of which you, too, will be capable one day! Get some fire. Realize that the entire Kingdom looks down in compassion and mercy upon this planet, helping in mysterious and hidden ways. They all want you to attain God-realization; don’t you want it, too? Get some wisdom. Realize that illumination means becoming divine, not just like a god, but a real god! This is the phenomenon that is Sai! Get some power. Begin practicing spiritual disciplines, every single day, without fail, and you too will travel quickly to the shining goal, attaining which, you will sorrow no more, grieve no more, and experience nothing but unending bliss, ceaselessly increasing glory, and perfection, too, which increases, as unbelievable as this may be to one viewing the end state from a state of all-too-imperfect egoism. Transform the evil ego into a good ego, and the Self will approach you one day, hat in hand, saying, “Excuse me, sir, I see that you are a good, noble, righteous and energetic human being. Now that you have reached the pinnacle of humanity, I thought that perhaps – I’m not sure, but perhaps – you might like a taste of what you really are, a taste of glory, a taste of power, a taste of… divinity indeed! Top