Satsang Sai Baba's Blessed Assurance

Sai Baba's Blessed Assurance
By Dr. G. R. Vijayakumar
"Sai Baba -grant that I may never be a scoffer at

eternity As long as every 'Vijaya Dashami' brings
the sweet rebirth of growing things."
- Anonymous
All of us have two things in common - each one
of us was born, and each one of us must die.
Most of us are not too concerned with the
circumstances of our birth; we do not remember
it; it lies far behind us. But the thought of dying
is another matter. The knowledge that our days
on this earth will come to an end in an inescapable
part of our existence – some are mysterious and
sometimes frightening.

I have come across Sai-devotees who are haunted
by a fear of death, which they try to conceal from
other people, and even from themselves. These
people are not necessarily old or ill. Often they
are in the prime of life, with many useful years
ahead of them. But sometimes, it seems, the
more they love life, the more they dread death.

What I usually do with such people is admit that
I, too, have moments when I flinch from the
thought of dying, I suggest that this is perfectly
natural, that in my opinion Sai Baba has planted
a certain amount of this fear in all of us so that
we would not be tempted to relinquish the trials
and responsibilities of this life too easily. But, I
add, l am sure Sai Baba did not intend us to be
panicky about it. Finally, I try to reassure these
troubled souls by outlining the thoughts that have
helped me rise above the fear of death, or at
least keep it under control.

Take for example, the inevitability of dying. This
seems to appall some people, but it always has
struck me as a merciful thing. Suppose there
were loopholes in this universal law; suppose
that somehow there was a one percent change
of avoiding death. Consider how frantically we
would search for that loophole, how wretched
we would be not to find it.

But consider how wretched we would be if we
did find it! No one would be happy trying to
live forever. It is a little like being at a wonderful
film. During the performance, one hopes that
it will go on and on, but one would not really
like to stay in front of the screen all night, or
until boredom sets in.

Another thing I tell the worried ones is this:
you maybe frightened in advance, but it is
almost certain that when the time comes you
will not fear death at all. As a Doctor, I have
seen hundreds of people die and my experience
is, at the end unless they are tormented by
a guilty conscience, people go peacefully and
thankfully. The truth is death has been miscast
as a grim reaper. To almost everyone, when it
finally comes, it comes as a friend.

"That may be true," say some of the fearful ones.
"The moment of death may be less terrifying
than we thought. But then what? Is there a life
after death? Is there any proof?

To these I reply: "It depends on what you mean
by proof. To me the evidence is overwhelming,
whether you consult your reason or your instincts.
Look at the vast universe that surrounds
specifically that there is a life beyond the grave.
Not only that, Sai Baba has proved it by His
post-Samadhi activities. If you believe that it
happened, death should hold little terror for you.
If you don't believe it, you are not a completely
fulfilled Sai-devotee.

The 'Maha-Samadhi' message of Sai Baba is one
of such hope and joy that Sai-devotees are
thrilled by it. During last year's 'Punya Thithi'
celebrations, a Sai brother whom I know very
well, was at Shirdi and told me his early morning
experience at the holy soil of Shirdi. It was cold;
he had not worn a sweater or a coat. He stood
in the 'Q' shivering dolefully and wishing himself
back in bed. "But then" he told me, "When the
sun cleared and light poured, I forgot all about
being cold. One moment everything was gray
formless: Then came torrents of light plunging
down the walls of Booty - Wada, making them
blaze with colour dissolving the blackness into
purple shadows that eddied like smoke.
Standing there, I had a most indescribable
feeling, a conviction that the light was real,
and that we, silent watchers of the sunrise
were somehow a part of the light..........."

(Source Sai Spandanda
http://www.saileelas.org/magazines/saipadananda/oct1990.htm)