SAI BABA-A LOVING MOTHER

[JR]

[Speech delivered by H. H. Sri Sai Padananda Radhakrishna Swamiji on the occasion of the opening of the Kalyana Mandira and Installation of Baba's Portrait and Idols of Rama, Laxmana, Sita and Maruti in it at Pavagada, Tumkur District, Karnataka State.]

Sri Sai is to me a loving Mother, a tender Father, a Spiritual Guide and Divinity Himself. He protects all and protects me. His love is as unfathomable as the depth of the ocean and his unfailing grace is unlimited as the sky.

His love is universal because it pervades the whole universe and it reaches every body and is available to every being in the Universe. It is not human being alone who enjoys the blessings of His Love, Mercy and Grace as there are so many myriads of beings including those apparently lesser than human being in the evolutionary order, who reside on the earth. Sri Sai's Love extends to them all, irrespec¬tive of nationality, caste, creed, colour, health, wealth, etc. It is devoid of selfishness which is the root cause of all evils.

The progress in this path of universal love which Baba teaches, once started, will not stop with mere realisation of the fact, but it will lead us to the Truth that the function of Love is to serve and sacrifice and to spread happiness and lessen misery. There is no greater end than this in life .Love is nothing but Truth and Truth is nothing but Love.

Human happiness will be commensurate with this awareness and the faith and faithfulness with which this true and straight path is trodden. We shall then not noly be ourselves happy but we shall spread happiness among others. This is the path not merely shown but also trodden by all saints and sages at all times and climes. True happiness is that happiness that no outside agency can take it away from us.
There can be no beauty where there is misery; There can be nothing but ugliness where there is selfishness; there cannot be violence or hatred where there is Love. Love is Beauty, Bliss Absolute and Baba is Beauty, Love and Truth.

Baba is the embodiment of Love because he knows only to give without asking for anything in return. This is true Selflessness, the force that binds mortals to mortals and mortals to immortals.

Baba passed away in Shirdi in Ahmadnagar district in the yeaj 1918. His entire life was devoted to the amelioration of the state of the suffering people who nocked to him in their thousands for succour and relief. His manner and means were superhuman and marvellous. Among his devotees were Hindus, Muslims, Parsis and Christians, rich and poor, men and women, and aged and the very young. They knew but one Saviour ,but one God, and that was Baba. And His love was superhuman because His sacrifice was superhuman. His power was superhuman because His love was superhuman, a love that knew no bounds. Boundless love, boundless sacrifice, boundless power, boundless service, that was Baba, that is Baba.
In His immediate presence, Baba's devotees and disciples were filled with feelings of fraternity towards each other and they pulled together as his children. "Love ye one another as I Love ye all," was his mandate. Baba wants us to realise this truth, the truth of the identity of Love and Truth, the Truth that Love and Truth are not different, the Truth that the Love that unites us in brotherhood is also the SUPREME LOVE that binds us to God.

Let us bow to Baba, who is Supreme Bliss and who alone can give us Supreme Bliss, the Bliss that goes beyond pain and pleasure. Let us bow to Baba who is SUPREME CONSCIOUSNESS who alone can take us beyond the pairs of opposites. Let us bow to Baba who alone can teach us the Truth of Upanishadic Mahavakya— TAT-TVAM-ASI—"That thou art." Let us bow to Baba who abides in our hearts as the immaculate and eternal witness, who sees all, knows all.

This is a happy occasion and an auspicious occasion when we are installing the portrait of Baba and Idols of Rama and others in this Mandir. ON THIS HAPPY OCCASION LET ME INSTAL IN YOUR HEARTS, IN THE HEARTS OF EVERY ONE OF YOU, THE PORTAIT OF BABA.

We are all grateful to Sri Shankar Setty who has built the Kalyan Mandir in the name of his father of revered memory and has arranged to instal Baba's Portrait so that it may also serve as Baba Mandir, where Baba's ideals will be honoured in letter and spirit by the devotees. I pray for the welfare and prosperity of Sri Shankar Setty and all his family members, who have set an example of service and sacrifice by their noble act of donating the Mandir for a worthy cause.

Let us all pray. Let all true and sincere disciples and doevtees of Baba pray with me, for the welfare of all mankind, for the all-round peace and prosperity of the entire humanity.
May all be happy. May all be healthy. May good befall all. May none know sorrow.
May blessedness prevail everywhere.
Om   Shantih!  Shantih!  Shantih!

SAI PADANANDA RADHAKRISHNA SWAMIJI
Pavagada,