Dreams Of Sai – More Sathya Sai Memories

Several weeks ago I had a dream where Swami appeared relaxed and sitting on ‘a’ verandah. In this dream the location was not India, but some place that looked a bit like ancient Greece. I can remember he was speaking to people who sat on the floor around his feet. He appeared to be  laughing and talking to this small group with a sense of real joy. The next scene in the dream was of Sai being helped into a vehicle, not a car, not anything I can really name. I knew whatever the vehicle was, he was leaving in it. On each corner of this vehicle, there were seated four ladies dressed in ancient robes, again much like those worn in ancient Greece. The dream came as a surprise, because it has been a long time since I’ve dreamt of Sai Baba. Here, posted again, are several other dreams I’ve shared on this blog before. I have included another from A. Anandtha Vijaya

I will be visiting Bangalore and Mysore on my next visit to India, where I am hoping to spend time browsing in bookshops. I know from other visits, there’s a wealth of material available in India on dreams.  I am hoping to buy books on Buddhist and Hindu philosophy to read while travelling from place to place.

Toffee Chocolate Prasad Dream ~2009

In this dream, I was with an old friend beside the meditation tree. We were discussing how difficult it was to see swami now, having a little moan about how things had changed. Suddenly, there was swami! He took my hand and began shaking it in a ‘how-do-you-do’ fashion. He said “Oh! You’re here” – and other words I did not catch. He continued to shake my hand, then he ended with “Now, must go – ‘Chez Moi’. “  He let go of my hand and when I looked at it, it was full of melted chocolate or toffee. He had held my hand and, I suppose, had placed a toffee there which had squashed with the hand shaking. I was happy with the ‘prasad’ even though I had to peel it off my hand! I gave some to my friend and others, but told them all, I could not give it all away as my husband deserved some.

LEARN¸.•´* ♥ become aware of soul lessons*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´* ♥ LET

 

 

A  Dream About My Pet Cat Buster from long ago.

Swami’s love for animals is well-known. He speaks about them with real affection and tenderness. He also cares for devotees pets. I have experienced his care for animals many times. One incident of his love for animals  I remember well. I’d  like to share it.

One night many years ago, I lay awake worrying about my Siamese cat Buster, who suffered chronic tummy problems. We had two Siamese cats at the time, but Buster was often quite sick.  I was afraid of losing him.

My visit to Swami had been booked months before  and I did not want to cancel it. But I did NOT  want to leave Buster. I was afraid I might not see him again.  Exhausted, by these thoughts, I fell eventually fell asleep.

During the night I had a beautiful dream of Swami. He was sitting  on a chair in  a friend’s bhajan hall,  I was sitting toward the back. Swami beckoned to me to come forward. I moved to the front to sit beside him.  On looking down, I found to my surprise, Buster  sitting on my lap! Swami smiled and stroked him on the head and Buster, typical of Siamese cats, meowed most loudly. Then the dream faded.

Buster, with the help of a brand new diet, overcame his stomach problems. He is still with us today. Now in his fourteenth year and in sound health. Sadly, our other cat Orchid, died last year. My grief over her loss was so severe, I wrote a long letter to Swami, telling him all about her. He lovingly took the letter earlier this year.

This is a very old story. Buster died in 2002. He now comes to me through dreams from time to time….and I can still feel the love that formed a strong bond  between us during his lifetime.

LEARN¸.•´* ♥ become aware of soul lessons*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´* ♥ LET

Another Dream Story 

An aged man was sitting for darshan some years ago.He got up as soon as Baba came towards him and said, “Baba, my daughter-in-law is not well. She is pregnant. The doctor told her that only one of them will survive. Please, save her and the child. ” Baba said — “ Ek nahi–Do hain (not one child, two are there). Don’t worry, Baba will save all.” The man left leaving all his worries at Baba’s feet.

The very next day Baba came in a dream to both the man’s son and his daughter-in-law. He said, “Worry not. Baba has taken up your case. Your operation will be done but don’t go to any hospital.” Both the wife and the husband thanked Baba for His grace and the next day after bhajans, they placed a letter at Baba’s photograph agreeing to follow his orders.

Again, next day the “mother to be” had a dream. Baba appeared in a doctor’s coat and materialised all the surgical instruments (required for operations.) He proceeded to operate on her. In between He spoke to her: “Abhi operation karne wala Hai” — Now I will start the operation. “Abhi baccha nikalne wala Hai” — Now the child is going to be delivered and so on and so forth.

Once the operation was completed, Baba showed her both the children in the dream. He snapped his figures and said “ Delivery over. Now get up.” The woman then woke up from her dream to find two twins (looking exactly the same as those in her dream). They were by her side.

~A. Anandtha Vijaya

Blessed Prasad – Sathya Sai Memories

“There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven –
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

– Ecclesiastes, 3:1-2

Swami giving His blessed Prasad

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Swami…

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A very long time ago while living in UK I wrote “Prasad the Guru’s Grace“. I remember at the time I wrote it, there were still blessed sweets in my filing cabinet. I kept the extra sweets there in a hidden place.  From time to time, I’d look at them  remembing the  previous visit to Sai and the moments of joy, when the  sweets were thrown. I’d always done well with blessed sweets, often coming away with handfuls… Those years were some of the best in my life. I doubt  if ever I will forget them.  Although prasad is a gift from the guru, life itself is  prasad if we look around us and count our blessings.

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Blessed Prasad

Many times during Swami’s Darshan, I’ve received blessed Prasad. Excited devotees would buy an assortment of delicious sweets, place them on a shiny silver platter and carefully decorate the offering with an abundance of colourful flowers. Often, by the side of the sweets, lay packets of tiny golden lockets, letters and deity statuettes all lovingly arranged for Sai’s attention.

Usually, the determined devotees would wait for days for a suitable seating position where Swami could bless the platters. This would mean re-arranging the sweets, and improving on their floral skills, until finally, each platter resembled a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Often, the devotee’s efforts received Swami’s blessings. He would walk along until he reached a superbly decorated platter, stop, look and bless the sweet offering. While doing so, he would take large handfuls of the delicious selection and throw them over the seated devotees. With loud aahs! and whoops of joy, and small gestures of gratitude, the sweets would be accepted and passed around to others, or sometimes kept for loved-ones and friends.

I remember many wonderful moments with Swami as he blessed sweets. Frequently, he would throw them high into the air and one would land on my head, chin, or nose. His favourite target seemed to be my headband. Once, a sweet lodged itself between the folds of my shawl, and not until I stood to leave, did it fall on to the floor where I could retrieve it. But mostly, sweets would simply land in my lap or even beneath my cushion; how they found their way there, I’ll never know. But always, I felt elated when a blessed sweet came my way. I would keep my precious catch until a quiet moment, then eat it, slowly savouring the delicate flavour.

On one occasion in 1992, when seated in the front line at Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami came along and playfully tossed sweets to those seated all around, but missed me altogether. It had been one of those days when I had felt less than happy with myself and therefore, undeserving of a blessed sweet. Mentally, I expressed to Swami that I didn’t deserve one.

Immediately, he turned and tossed, with determined accuracy, a large toffee. The missile landed with a loud thud on my head, shattering the silent moment. This of course, left me startled, because he had read my thoughts!

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Summer, 1995

During my summer visit last year, Swami blessed my sweet platter for the last time. I remember the occasion well, for he had playfully thrown the sweets back at me! I had not been successful on my first attempt, for a very bewildered Swami had been offered three platters, all at the same time. He had chosen just one.

On another afternoon, I’d taken my sweets to darshan and again had been unlucky. Fortunately, on my third attempt, I was lucky enough to be seated near the verandah passage. I patiently waited through the hot afternoon until after Bhajans when he would walk back to the Poornachandra Hall.

When bhajans were over, Swami came from the temple and began his stroll along the aisle, where I anxiously sat hoping for his attention. He spotted my platter and indicated for me to hold it up high. I immediately did so, and he, playfully picked up just a few of the assortment and threw them back at me! I looked up to express my thanks, and caught him smiling from ear to ear. I noticed the luminescence of his dark eyes, and felt the immense heat radiating from him by his nearness (a characteristic not often discussed by Sai writers or devotees).

As he continued his walk down the aisle, I felt such deep gratitude, I wanted to share the blessed sweets with everyone.

As I began to joyously distribute the sweets, a lady sitting behind quietly refused the offering. I couldn’t believe it! She had been sitting there for hours, but now didn’t want a blessed sweet. I began to recalled a similar situation a week earlier, when I too, had refused one.

On that particular occasion Swami had not thrown sweets, only blessed them. The lucky recipient had offered sweets to those sitting nearby. Somehow, one had been offered to me, but I refused. I don’t know why, perhaps because he had not thrown it directly to me.

Now sitting there with my blessed platter, and painfully feeling the rejection of my offering I instantly regretted not accepting the blessed sweet from the previous week: for it is in the giving and receiving, we truly show our appreciation of one another.

Blessed sweets are PRASAD a gift from the Guru; a gift that has the power to change our lives. When a master gives food to his devotees, he is in fact, giving of his energy. If we take Prasad with this understanding, it can gladden our lives and bring us closer to him.

Blessed Prasad takes away all sorrows, all miseries, and it calms down the heart completely

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Here is a small story about the power of Prasad:

Once a young man came to the ashram of a master, because he was suffering from despair. It really didn’t matter what he did, the despair continued to plague his life. Eventually he prayed for it to be taken away, but nothing happened and the despair and suffering it brought now intensified.

A woman devotee tried to comfort the lad, and having received some blessed food, she broke it into pieces and gave some to him.

He ate a small piece of the food slowly and deliberately, when he had finished, he found to his amazement the despair had disappeared. He felt completely well.

No matter how we receive Prasad, or what form it takes, be it sweets directly given to us by the Guru, or blessed food shared with us by others, it is always full of Divine Energy. Having accepted such blessings, we accept the Guru’s grace. The secret is to appreciate it.

A week after Swami blessed my sweet platter in 1995, he stopped blessing sweets altogether – a delightful sharing of joy, now truly missed.

I am writing this piece to thank Sri Sai Baba for the many beautiful occasions, when he threw playfully, lovingly and sometimes tenderly, his beloved Prasad. I will miss those shiny silver platters full of sweets – dreadfully.

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On my way to Heathrow airport in Novemeber 2012, to catch the plane to Bangalore. I stopped to take photos in an English garden centre.. I love to to take photos of the small animal sanctuary there, particularly in winter time. I took about twenty photos.  I had no idea until much later when  I showed this photo to a friend in Puttaparthi, of  the remarkable  “Sai image”  in this photo.. My friend said, “Do you see Swami there?” I answered, I had not noticed. She pointed to the trees, “there,” she said.. Do you see Swami in the trees?

‘Chez Moi’ – A Dream – Sathya Sai Memories

Toffee Chocolate Prasad Dream

In this dream, I was with an old friend beside the meditation tree. We were discussing how difficult it was to see swami now, having a little moan about how things had changed. Suddenly, there was swami! He took my hand and began shaking it in a ‘how-do-you-do’ fashion. He said “Oh! You’re here” – and other words I did not catch. He continued to shake my hand, then he ended with “Now, must go – ‘Chez Moi’. ”  He let go of my hand and when I looked at it, it was full of melted chocolate or toffee. He had held my hand and, I suppose, had placed a toffee there which had squashed with the hand shaking. I was happy with the ‘prasad’ even though I had to peel it off my hand! I gave some to my friend and others, but told them all, I could not give it all away as my husband deserved some.

SathyaSaiMemories

LEARN¸.•´* ♥ become aware of soul lessons*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´* ♥ LET
GO¸.•´* ♥MOVE ON¸.•´* ♥ with joy •, LOVE ♥ gratitude•

The Guru’s Grace – Mid. 1990’s – Sathya Sai Memories

Many times during Swami’s Darshan, I’ve received blessed Prasad. Excited devotees would buy an assortment of delicious sweets, place them on a shiny silver platter and carefully decorate the offering with an abundance of colourful flowers. Often, by the side of the sweets, lay packets of tiny golden lockets, letters and deity statuettes all lovingly arranged for his attention.

Usually, the determined devotees would wait for days for a suitable seating position where Swami could bless the platters. This would mean re-arranging the sweets, and improving on their floral skills, until finally, each platter resembled a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Often, the devotee’s efforts received Swami’s blessings. He would walk along until he reached a superbly decorated platter, stop, look and bless the sweet offering. While doing so, he would take large handfuls of the delicious selection and throw them over the seated devotees. With loud aahs! and whoops of joy, and small gestures of gratitude, the sweets would be accepted and passed around to others, or sometimes kept for loved-ones and friends.

I remember many wonderful moments with Swami as he blessed sweets. Frequently, he would throw them high into the air and one would land on my head, chin, or nose. His favourite target seemed to be my headband. Once, a sweet lodged itself between the folds of my shawl, and not until I stood to leave, did it fall on to the floor where I could retrieve it. But mostly, sweets would simply land in my lap or even beneath my cushion; how they found their way there, I’ll never know. But always, I felt elated when a blessed sweet came my way. I would keep my precious catch until a quiet moment, then eat it, slowly savouring the delicate flavour.

.

A Story From 1992

On one occasion in 1992, when seated in the front line at Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami came along and playfully tossed sweets to those seated all around, but missed me altogether. It had been one of those days when I had felt less than happy with myself and therefore, undeserving of a blessed sweet. Mentally, I expressed to Swami that I didn’t deserve one.

Immediately, he turned and tossed, with determined accuracy, a large toffee. The missile landed with a loud thud on my head, shattering the silent moment. This of course, left me startled, because he had read my mind!

.

Summer, 1995

During my summer visit last year, Swami blessed my sweet platter for the last time. I remember the occasion well, for he had playfully thrown the sweets back at me!

I had not been successful on my first attempt, for a very bewildered Swami had been offered three platters, all at the same time. He had chosen just one.

On another afternoon, I’d taken my sweets to darshan and again had been unlucky. Fortunately, on my third attempt, I was lucky enough to be seated near the verandah passage. I patiently waited through the hot afternoon until after Bhajans when he would walk back to the Poornachandra Hall.

When bhajans were over, Swami came from the temple and began his stroll along the aisle, where I anxiously sat hoping for his attention. He spotted my platter and indicated for me to hold it up high. I immediately did so, and he, playfully picked up just a few of the assortment and threw them back at me! I looked up to express my thanks, and caught him smiling from ear to ear. I noticed the luminescence of his dark eyes, and felt the immense heat radiating from him by his nearness (a characteristic not often discussed by Sai writers or devotees).

As he continued his walk down the aisle, I felt such deep gratitude, I wanted to share the blessed sweets with everyone.

As I began to joyously distribute the sweets, a lady sitting behind quietly refused the offering. I couldn’t believe it! She had been sitting there for hours, but now didn’t want a blessed sweet. I began to recalled a similar situation a week earlier, when I too, had refused one.

On that particular occasion Swami had not thrown sweets, only blessed them. The lucky recipient had offered sweets to those sitting nearby. Somehow, one had been offered to me, but I refused. I don’t know why, perhaps because he had not thrown it directly to me.

Now sitting there with my blessed platter, and painfully feeling the rejection of my offering I instantly regretted not accepting the blessed sweet from the previous week: for it is in the giving and receiving, we truly show our appreciation of one another.

Blessed sweets are PRASAD a gift from the Guru; a gift that has the power to change our lives. When a master gives food to his devotees, he is in fact, giving of his energy. If we take Prasad with this understanding, it can gladden our lives and bring us closer to him.

.

Blessed Prasad takes away all sorrows, all miseries, and it calms down the heart completely…

.

A Small Story

Here is a small story about the power of Prasad:

Once a young man came to the ashram of a master, because he was suffering from despair. It really didn’t matter what he did, the despair continued to plague his life. Eventually he prayed for it to be taken away, but nothing happened and the despair and suffering it brought now intensified.

A woman devotee tried to comfort the lad, and having received some blessed food, she broke it into pieces and gave some to him.

He ate a small piece of the food slowly and deliberately, when he had finished, he found to his amazement the despair had disappeared. He felt completely well.

.

And It Was Like That, He Taught Me

No matter how we receive Prasad, or what form it takes, be it sweets directly given to us by the Guru, or blessed food shared with us by others, it is always full of Divine Energy. Having accepted such blessings, we accept the Guru’s grace. The secret is to appreciate it.

A week after Swami blessed my sweet platter in 1995, he stopped blessing sweets altogether – a delightful sharing of joy, now truly missed.

I am writing this piece to thank Sri Sai Baba for the many beautiful occasions, when he threw playfully, lovingly and sometimes tenderly, his beloved Prasad. I will miss those shiny silver platters full of sweets – dreadfully.

.