INNER VIEW

DIVINE VISIT - BARILOCHE TO RIO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 19, 2016
 

A cold morning once again, and there was a flurry of activities at the Gustavo household, as the family prepared to serve breakfast outside by the lake, and Bhagawan’s entourage packed to leave Argentina after a glorious week. Excitement galore, Dr Gustavo, his son and even the four-year-old grandson went about with the arrangements. The Lord came down from His room, proceeded outside and sat down for breakfast. It was a feast for the eyes. Against the snowcapped mountains and beautiful lake, Swami partook the food, while speaking to the family. It was indeed a sight to witness. Such love, such compassion, and ofcourse the entire breakfast session was sprinkled with glimpses of omniscience!

Amidst a few volunteers, the Gustavo family, Bhagawan’s entourage, guests and few other devotees from Bariloche, Mangala Arati was offered the the Lord. Swami said, “Be compassionate in your acts and sweet in your words. Love and Service is the way of Sai Baba. Through you, people will know me, and many more will join the mission.” Bhagawan’s entourage proceeded to the Bariloche Airport to board the aircraft to Rio.

DIVINE VISIT - RIO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 20, 2016

DIVINE VISIT - RIO, BRAZIL - OCTOBER 21 & 22, 2016

It was a bit of a relaxed day, as after breakfast, Swami asked His entourage to go for a city tour. Indeed, Rio is a blessed city.  With a slight drizzle, the city of Rio looked even more appealing. Time did fly quickly as it was already lunch hour. In the evening, few devotees had gathered at the residence of Mrs Elizabeth and Mr Ricardo. Swami blessed everyone with His divine discourse.

October 22, 2016
Swami urged everyone to visit Rio's most popular landmark - 'Christ, the Redeemer'. The trip was simply breath taking. In the evening, Swami met a few devotees for a small satsang, before offering Arati. Bhagawan's entourage had packed and left for the Airport to board the flight to Barcelona.

DIVINE VISIT - BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 23, 2016

After a long flight, some 13 hours, Bhagawan’s entourage landed at the Barcelona El Prat Airport in the evening of October 23, and were lovingly welcomed by Ms Sandra Carmona, and other members of the core organising group of Swami’s divine visit. Barcelona, the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, is known for its art and architecture. Barcelona is synonymous with the Sagrada Família church, one of the most prominent landmarks and other interesting architectural marvels dot the city.
 
The entourage reach Casa Sant Felip Neri House of Spirituality, a beautiful monastery right in the middle of the city, where they were going to be staying with the Lord Himself! Sant Felip Neri known as the Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest noted for founding a society of secular clergy called the Congregation of the Oratory. After dinner, everyone rested for the night, eager to welcome the next two days of devotion and love for Bhagawan.
 

Divine Visit – Barcelona, Spain – October 24, 2016
After a sumptuous Indian breakfast, lovingly prepared by an Indian couple who have made Barcelona their home after Swami commanded them a few decades ago, Swami called for all the Seva volunteers who had been working day and night to welcome the Lord. The satsang was held in the small chapel in the monastery. Swami entered the chapel amidst bhajans, and commanded Sri B N Narasimha Murthy to address all gathered first, who spoke about how the beautiful monastery was brimming with catholicity. He said it was highly befitting that Swami was there, and residing in the monastery. “To know that God exists, and the feeling that we should surrender to Him is the beginning of the Godward path. Once, a group of 20 men walked from Mumbai to Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami called them for an interview, and asked how many of them had come. When they replied twenty, corrected them saying 21 of them had walked. Swami said ‘I was also with you’. The following day Swami called them for interview again, and asked the same question. When they answered 21, take a lesson out of what Swami had said previous day, Swami said, ‘No, 40 of you have come! I walked with each one of you!’ Once again, Swami called them for an interview the next morning, the third consecutive day, and asked the same question, yet again. When they answered 40, Swami said, ‘One, as all are one!’
Sri Narasimha Murthy concluded by saying, “In our journey of life, we forget the most important person in our life, God.”
 
Swami thereafter commanded Sri C Sreenivas to say a few words. He spoke about the need to intensify and harness the great power of prayer, which is the most sublime thought. He said, “This is spirituality in daily life. With a thought and a heart full of prayer, we should constantly think of the well being of our brothers. From the moment we wake, every thought, word and deed should become worship and offering at His Lotus Feet.”
 
Swami in His divine message reminded everyone about the importance of the human body and said, “If you loose this body, you cannot get it again. It is said that body is the Temple of God, and the one who lives is verily God Himself. Like how precious jewels are kept inside an iron safe, divinity is inside this body. Therefore, body is the Temple of Divinity. We loose and gain things in this temporary and transient world. The right way of leading a human life is important. There are three important things which only by the grace of God can be acquired. First is the human birth. Second is the desire to know the truth - to know the existence and the very purpose of human birth. But this is not enough, as you need a Guru to lead you to your destination. Company of the noble one is the third most important thing. Without a good teacher you cannot achieve anything. He can warn you about pitfalls, and encourage and motivate you to walk further.”
 
After mangala Arati, lunch Prasadam was served to everyone. Bhagawan was served lunch, where many revelations were made to the joy of the ladies who came to serve Him. Simply being a witness to these moments are truly mind blowing!
 
The Public Satsang commenced at 5pm, where over 200 devotees which was more than the capacity of the chapel, were seated waiting with bated breath to experience their Lord. Swami arrived amidst soulful bhajans with His entourage. Sister Sandra welcomed Bhagawan with much love and expressed her gratitude to Him. After a few songs and an instrumental offering by Brother Gugleilmo Piccolo, Swami commanded Mr Isaac Tigrett to address all the devotees.
 
Mr Tigrett spoke about the Uvacha translations team and about the first foreign language book which was published a few days ago in Spanish in Argentina. He revealed that all the devotees that evening would be recipients of the book as Bhagawan’s loving Prasadam. He spoke about the formless nature of the Lord and said, “So is He sitting in the chair or not? This is beyond contemplation of the mind. But what difference was there when He was walking in the body in Puttaparti? You would go there and try to conceive: Is this a Divine being? The mind cannot comprehend this. It only comes through faith: faith here in the heart. It is only through that faith or continuing faith that you can believe that He is demonstrating the formless nature here with us today.” He yet again reminded everyone gathered that all are divine beings. “Why does Swami draw us all here?  Why did all the Masters come? Why did Zarathustra come? The Buddha? Socrates? Or Jesus Christ? Or the many masters in India? They all came with the exact same message. You are here to be self realised, you are here for self realisation. What is self realization mean? It means that you recognise finally your true identity. And that identity is that you are a Divine being!”
 
Thereafter, Sri C Sreenivas addressed the gathering and continued from where Mr Tigrett had left, about everybody being a divine being. He also spoke about the connectedness between everyone seated at the chapel, “Feeling connected is a journey that we either have or we wish to make. That is the first unique feature that one can experience here. The moment we are connected, there is a natural abiding of love that pervades a given room. For a moment if you would take your minds outside this room and if you just perceive the goings on in the world, the most hungered for, the most thirsted for, the most pined for, the most needed from the youngest to the oldest to every country that makes up this political world, the need is love!
 
It should not and need not worry us that we or I as one small individual in this wide planet can make any significant impact or difference to the world. That is what makes this even more unique because each one of you matter to Him. You as one individual is all that is Swami's Universe. For each one of you, Swami is his, is your Universe. So if for the Lord you become His universe, you certainly are more powerful and capable than you can think!”
 
Sri B N Narasimha Murthy spoke next and narrated a short experience with the Lord many years ago. “Long time ago, Swami visited my room where I live.  He showered His love and grace on me. I was feeling so very uplifted. Finally, when He was departing from the room, He saw ten cupboards full of books, thousands of them! Swami asked me, ‘Narasimha Murthy, have you read all these books?’ I submitted to Swami, ‘Swami, by Your grace, I have studied most of them well.’ That is why Brother Sreenivas always makes fun of me: I have one book for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner!
 
Then Swami asked me, ‘What did you learn after studying all these books?’ I submitted to Swami, ‘I have learnt only two things. First thing is that You are everywhere at all times. I want to learn to feel Your presence at all times everywhere and surrender to your Divine will. That is the first thing I have learnt.’ Swami then asked what was the second lesson. I submitted, "Swami, I come across many people - men and women, young and old - also encounter animals, birds, insects and worms in my life every day. I am trying to be loving and kind to every being which I encounter everyday at all times.’ Swami then said, ‘You are right. This is all the essence of all the teachings of all the Divine masters, all Divine incarnations. That is right!’” Sri Narasimha Murthy urged everyone to put these two teachings into practice in their daily lives and find that “we and Swami are one and the same.”
 
Swami in His divine message said, “Lord resides in every heart but we do not feel Him. Because we are only looking at what is outside, perceptible through these five senses. That which is not bound by these senses cannot be experienced by these. Eyes can only see, they cannot smell. Nose that smells cannot see. Ears that hear cannot taste. Tongue that tastes cannot hear. If you try to see with your nose or taste with your ears, that is going to be an absolute waste of effort. For they are not capable of doing what you are asking them to do. Similarly, the Lord who is beyond the five senses cannot be comprehended with these five outer senses. For these senses are incapable of understanding the nature of the Lord.  So how are we going to experience and understand the Divinity then?
 
Like each function, Lord has given us a faculty so to understand Divinity also, He has given us something. And that is what is telling that is is the heart with which you can know the Lord. This heart is not the physical machine inside us which goes on beating and pumping blood. That is not the heart which Jesus Christ points and tells to look there. The heart that is capable of understanding the Lord is the one which is full of love and compassion. It is the seat of all spiritual wisdom. And that is not physical and does not reside inside this physical frame of the body. But it is spiritual in nature and therefore it resides beyond the body. This feeling of love, compassion, kindness - all these are the properties of this heart. And they are beyond the physical; therefore, they cannot be understood by the physical senses.”
 
After a short Questions and Answers session, Bhagawan brough the satsang to a close. Dinner Prasadam was served after Mangala Arati, and the Lord retired for the night.

DIVINE VISIT - BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 25, 2016

Yet again, after a sumptuous Indian breakfast of Alu Paratas, Upma and piping hot idlis, it was time for the last satsang of the three-country divine visit of the Lord. At 11am Bhagawan entered the Chapel where yet again, over 200 or more eager devotees were gathered to experience pure divine love. Devotees had gathered from many countries in Europe - Italy, Greece, Croatia and Slovenia to name a few. After some enthralling Spanish bhajans, which raised the energy levels in the hall, Bhagawan commanded Mr Isaac Tigrett to address all the devotees. He spoke about the journey that he had with Swami, trying to understand the formless nature. He narrated how he started reading books about metaphysics and books by other masters. “Within those books I found the constant reference to the formless nature of God. And I realised that He was trying to teach me about the formless and recognising the formless. It was very upsetting to me as I began to learn that the relationship between Swami and the majority of the devotees, was nothing more than duality. Duality is the enemy. He is still trying to teach us that we are reflections of Him.  And even though I asked yesterday, everyone raised their hands, Swami made it quite clear it is all in your head, not in your heart. There was a great Maharani who lived at the Ashram.  Her daughter told me an amazing story that Swami and this Maharani were always fighting. She was winning, and so Swami asked her, ‘Aren't you scared of Me?’ She said, ‘No, but I am scared of Your Maya.’
 
Sri C Sreenivas, the next speaker had only a prayer to offer at the divine Lotus Feet. “Dearest Swami, we are so grateful to You that You have chosen to hold us like You do, so dear to You. Your choosing us is the greatest and the most important reality of our lives. To each and every one of us here, Swami, that You have chosen us to be worthy of Your love, to be worthy of the work You have for us, to fulfil our mission in this life - that is our greatest strength, Swami. For a moment if You were not there in our lives, Swami, truth be said, we would all be living corpses. That You find us worthy of Your love, it is now the moment of my prayer.”
 
He prayed to Swami to enable everyone, to always make the right choice in every moment of life. “The vicissitudes and challenges of life change over time. Every moment is new that it shows and it comes up as a surprise. But every moment, Swami, is a new You presenting Yourself to us, So we, Your dear children, Swami, pray to You that every moment we live hereon becomes the right moment to make the right choice. Swami, You have taught us life is determined by the choices we make. So with this prayer, dear Swami, that every thought, word and deed and every choice we make in our lives reflects You and You alone because You are that sublime selfless love!”
 
Sri B N Narasimha Murthy spoke next and thanked all the devotees of Spain and organisers for the all wonderful arrangements, on behalf of Bhagawan’s entourage. He narrated the saga of love of Swami - His compassion – which did not differentiate between a Prince or a pauper. He narrated the story of the last act of Jesus in the body and first act of Jesus after he came back, which are an eternal hope for mankind.
 
Swami in His divine message said, “Every moment that Swami spent was only for the sake of benefit of others. But He did not have wealth, progeny, property of His own. It is through the love that He made these relations that are there even today. And it is that love alone which has drawn all of you to Him and Him to all of you. For the relationships that are based on this temporary body, blood relations, they last as long as the body lasts. But the relationships which are made with love from the heart, they go beyond the body, beyond one’s lifetime, because they are not temporary but permanent in nature. Therefore, do things that are good for others. Lead a life of love and sacrifice. Lead a life for the welfare of others. Develop this relationship of pure love with fellow beings, and that is the only way to attain permanent happiness and immortality in this temporary world. Have faith that God will look after everything.  Do not fear
when you have to sacrifice. For it is in giving that we receive. In forgiving that we are forgiven.” Bhagawan assured that this life, this body, will be looked after by God, for the welfare of the devotees.

Lunch Prasadam was served after Mangala Arati, and Bhagawan’s entourage packed and headed to the airport to catch their flight back to Bangalore.