PREVENTION IS EASIER THAN CURE
An APPEAL TO SAI TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN INDIA AND ABROAD
OCT 12, 2019
It is has been noted and is a most unfortunate situation that some current and former Sathya Sai students have been duped by Madhu at Muddenahalli. Considering all that Swami shared with them and all the direct attention they received from Him, as well as receiving free education in His educational institutes, it is a sad scene to see some of His current and former students drawn into the Muddenahalli trap.
This cannot happen when students are properly prepared. They need to be aware of Swami’s many directives and warnings on this topic of spiritual imitation. There needs to be a concerted effort made by their teachers to help them go within to find Sai in their hearts instead of seeking some outward guide, especially the fraudulent character at Muddenahalli.
The teachers and staff in all Sathya Sai educational institutions need to be aware of this danger and spend time with their students discussing Sai’s clear directives on these matters. We may have heard it aloud from Swami’s lips, but today’s students have not heard these or may not be aware of His directions on this matter. So today our duty is to share Swami’s words with all Sai students in order to protect them from being misguided on their path.
It is also necessary to have this same (or a similar) set of Sai quotes/warnings shared and discussed with Bal Vikas students all over India and abroad. If the teachers don’t talk about it and repeat Bhagavan’s warnings, can the uninformed students be blamed for going there out of curiosity? We must rectify this situation now and no longer neglect our dharma.
As with any health issue, prevention is easier than cure. All Sai leaders need to take this unfortunate turn of events most seriously as it is affecting more and more centers and devotees in India and around the world. We need to do everything we can to discourage any of our students straying away from Swami and getting misguided by this imitation act in Muddenahalli.
Teachers and leaders in all the Sathya Sai educational institutions, as well as other influential Sai devotees such as Bal Vikas teachers, must be sure to remind their pupils and students of Swami’s clear and oft-repeated warnings about frauds.
All of Swami's students at His educational institutes as well as Bal Vikas students, current and incoming, should have the following quotations drilled into them. Let them memorize one or more of these Sai warnings.
Firstly, listen to what Swami said to us. He said these things for our benefit. Take His teachings seriously and practice them. It is our duty to protect the Sathya Sai legacy.
Swami said that when we follow His teachings having firm faith in Him, He will lead us to success in everything we do. He wants us to have strong faith in His teachings and benefit by following them:
If you follow the teachings with firm faith in Swami, you will achieve success in all your endeavours. You should have faith in Swami's teachings; love them, adore them and follow them.
SSS 40.22: 26 December 2007, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume40/sss40-22.pdf
In this context, each of His students should listen to Swami with regards to His directives and do everything they can to oppose the deception Madhu is carrying out as Baba warned us many, many times:
Some others are swept off their feet by hysterical demonstrations by certain weak minded individuals who are described as My speaking through them or acting through them! Take it from Me, I am not given to such absurdities! I do not use others as My media; I have no need to. I do not swing from side to side and prattle! Why, even those who torture their bodies and suffer the pains of asceticism for years until ant hills overwhelm them and they become as stiff as tree-stumps find it difficult to realise the Lord. How then can these idlers, who eat their fill and wander about as slaves of their senses, earn that status so cheaply? Their gestures, words, and actions are hollow and vain; those who burn incense before them and revere them are turning away from Me and running after falsehood.
How can the Full ever dally with the paltry and wear the habiliment of the trifling? When God has come assuming form, take it from Me, it will not fill inferior vessels or embellish tawdry stuff or enter impure bodies. So do not extol these falsities and ruin those unfortunates. Deal with them severely, and they will be cured. Those who have seen the brilliance of the diamond will not be misled by glass trinkets. The Lord is like the diamond, call it by any name. But a trinket cannot be turned into a diamond, however loud the praise and however adamant the claim.
SSS 2.31: 4 March 1962, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss02-31.pdf
Then, there are some who proclaim that I am "coming upon someone" and speaking through them! They pretend to be My mouthpieces and communicate to others My advice and My suggestions, as if I have 'authorised' them or as if I am Myself telling so through them. Now hear this. I never speak through another; I never possess another or use another as a vehicle of expression. I come direct, I come straight, I come as I am, to confer peace and joy.
SSS 5.18: 27 March 1965, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume05/sss05-18.pdf
"Persons who claim to be possessed by Me have appeared recently; order them out, wherever you meet them. Do not yield to such morons and fakes, and lower your own dignity as devotees".
SSSun Vol 2, p.202, http://www.vahini.org/downloads/sathyamsivamsundaram-II.html
There are some people who are doing business in the Name of Sai. They are cheating others, pretending to be devotees of Sai. I do not approve of such behaviour. They are not devotees at all. They are going to different parts of the country and also abroad to make money in the name of Sai. It is a big crime. I do not ask for even a single paisa from others. I never approve of such business. Whoever it may be, if somebody approaches you with such a crass motive, tell him to get out at once. Do not allow business to enter the field of spirituality. Swami never solicits donations from anybody, nor does He have agents for propagating His Message. I do not have any association whatsoever with these deceitful persons.
SSS 35.11: 22 July 2002, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume35/sss35-11.pdf
In this Kali Yuga, also such imitations are cropping up just as Paundraka shaped himself into a Vasudeva (Krishna). We have today even Sathya Sai Babas… they study photographs and hold their hands up very nearly like I do and make themselves ridiculous by frantic attempts to imitate Me. They forget that imitation is only human; but, Creation is Divine.
Those who attempt to become Sathya Sai Babas by this ludicrous process of imitation only destroy whatever faith some people have placed in the Divine. They are poisonous pests which injure the peace and harmony of society. They collect around themselves insects of like nature. For only birds of the same feather can flock together. These 'pretenders' fall into ruin themselves and bring ruin on the society where they operate, as the proverbial horde of monkeys that ruin themselves and bring ruin on the forest which they inhabit.
SSS 12.2: 14 January 1973, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume12/sss12-02.pdf
Now, there are bhaktas by the million! They are increasing daily in number. And you might have noticed, Sai Babas too have become very large in number! Also, people claiming association with Me, claiming that I have blessed them more plentifully than others, and authorised them to go about the bhaktas and gain importance or funds or donations! Real devotees will never announce such absurd claims or listen to such claims made by others.
SSS 12.33: 1 April 1974, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume12/sss12-33.pdf
If somebody says Sai Baba's powers have been given to him, then we run to him. Sai Baba's powers are such that they are not given to anybody else. Nobody has the ability to take powers from Sai Baba, nor the ability to give them to someone else. Sai Baba's powers are not given like that, and you should not be led away by such statements. Each one's power is within him; it is not possible to give such power to another person. In this manner, by allowing a weak mind to get control over us, if we begin running from place to place, where are we going to get strength of mind, and control our own mind? We must be able to follow one thought, one path. One does not have to search for spiritual power, going around the world and spending a lot of money.
SSS 13.6: 28 March 1975, www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume13/sss13-06.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0r2d5gRpQqwlVfiudC__gsw3_NqsgTUqGEOqgSa1FlLwV8xgvF5hC10Hk
In Penukonda, another person started claiming miraculous powers, saying that he was a devotee of Sai Baba. Several others started imitating My dress and manners, started going about trying to collect a following at different places. Merely assuming My name and manners, one cannot have a following indefinitely. People realised the truth very soon.
SSS 36.20: 23 November 2003, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume36/sss36-20.pdf
This cannot happen when students are properly prepared. They need to be aware of Swami’s many directives and warnings on this topic of spiritual imitation. There needs to be a concerted effort made by their teachers to help them go within to find Sai in their hearts instead of seeking some outward guide, especially the fraudulent character at Muddenahalli.
The teachers and staff in all Sathya Sai educational institutions need to be aware of this danger and spend time with their students discussing Sai’s clear directives on these matters. We may have heard it aloud from Swami’s lips, but today’s students have not heard these or may not be aware of His directions on this matter. So today our duty is to share Swami’s words with all Sai students in order to protect them from being misguided on their path.
It is also necessary to have this same (or a similar) set of Sai quotes/warnings shared and discussed with Bal Vikas students all over India and abroad. If the teachers don’t talk about it and repeat Bhagavan’s warnings, can the uninformed students be blamed for going there out of curiosity? We must rectify this situation now and no longer neglect our dharma.
As with any health issue, prevention is easier than cure. All Sai leaders need to take this unfortunate turn of events most seriously as it is affecting more and more centers and devotees in India and around the world. We need to do everything we can to discourage any of our students straying away from Swami and getting misguided by this imitation act in Muddenahalli.
Teachers and leaders in all the Sathya Sai educational institutions, as well as other influential Sai devotees such as Bal Vikas teachers, must be sure to remind their pupils and students of Swami’s clear and oft-repeated warnings about frauds.
All of Swami's students at His educational institutes as well as Bal Vikas students, current and incoming, should have the following quotations drilled into them. Let them memorize one or more of these Sai warnings.
Firstly, listen to what Swami said to us. He said these things for our benefit. Take His teachings seriously and practice them. It is our duty to protect the Sathya Sai legacy.
Swami said that when we follow His teachings having firm faith in Him, He will lead us to success in everything we do. He wants us to have strong faith in His teachings and benefit by following them:
If you follow the teachings with firm faith in Swami, you will achieve success in all your endeavours. You should have faith in Swami's teachings; love them, adore them and follow them.
SSS 40.22: 26 December 2007, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume40/sss40-22.pdf
In this context, each of His students should listen to Swami with regards to His directives and do everything they can to oppose the deception Madhu is carrying out as Baba warned us many, many times:
Some others are swept off their feet by hysterical demonstrations by certain weak minded individuals who are described as My speaking through them or acting through them! Take it from Me, I am not given to such absurdities! I do not use others as My media; I have no need to. I do not swing from side to side and prattle! Why, even those who torture their bodies and suffer the pains of asceticism for years until ant hills overwhelm them and they become as stiff as tree-stumps find it difficult to realise the Lord. How then can these idlers, who eat their fill and wander about as slaves of their senses, earn that status so cheaply? Their gestures, words, and actions are hollow and vain; those who burn incense before them and revere them are turning away from Me and running after falsehood.
How can the Full ever dally with the paltry and wear the habiliment of the trifling? When God has come assuming form, take it from Me, it will not fill inferior vessels or embellish tawdry stuff or enter impure bodies. So do not extol these falsities and ruin those unfortunates. Deal with them severely, and they will be cured. Those who have seen the brilliance of the diamond will not be misled by glass trinkets. The Lord is like the diamond, call it by any name. But a trinket cannot be turned into a diamond, however loud the praise and however adamant the claim.
SSS 2.31: 4 March 1962, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume02/sss02-31.pdf
Then, there are some who proclaim that I am "coming upon someone" and speaking through them! They pretend to be My mouthpieces and communicate to others My advice and My suggestions, as if I have 'authorised' them or as if I am Myself telling so through them. Now hear this. I never speak through another; I never possess another or use another as a vehicle of expression. I come direct, I come straight, I come as I am, to confer peace and joy.
SSS 5.18: 27 March 1965, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume05/sss05-18.pdf
"Persons who claim to be possessed by Me have appeared recently; order them out, wherever you meet them. Do not yield to such morons and fakes, and lower your own dignity as devotees".
SSSun Vol 2, p.202, http://www.vahini.org/downloads/sathyamsivamsundaram-II.html
There are some people who are doing business in the Name of Sai. They are cheating others, pretending to be devotees of Sai. I do not approve of such behaviour. They are not devotees at all. They are going to different parts of the country and also abroad to make money in the name of Sai. It is a big crime. I do not ask for even a single paisa from others. I never approve of such business. Whoever it may be, if somebody approaches you with such a crass motive, tell him to get out at once. Do not allow business to enter the field of spirituality. Swami never solicits donations from anybody, nor does He have agents for propagating His Message. I do not have any association whatsoever with these deceitful persons.
SSS 35.11: 22 July 2002, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume35/sss35-11.pdf
In this Kali Yuga, also such imitations are cropping up just as Paundraka shaped himself into a Vasudeva (Krishna). We have today even Sathya Sai Babas… they study photographs and hold their hands up very nearly like I do and make themselves ridiculous by frantic attempts to imitate Me. They forget that imitation is only human; but, Creation is Divine.
Those who attempt to become Sathya Sai Babas by this ludicrous process of imitation only destroy whatever faith some people have placed in the Divine. They are poisonous pests which injure the peace and harmony of society. They collect around themselves insects of like nature. For only birds of the same feather can flock together. These 'pretenders' fall into ruin themselves and bring ruin on the society where they operate, as the proverbial horde of monkeys that ruin themselves and bring ruin on the forest which they inhabit.
SSS 12.2: 14 January 1973, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume12/sss12-02.pdf
Now, there are bhaktas by the million! They are increasing daily in number. And you might have noticed, Sai Babas too have become very large in number! Also, people claiming association with Me, claiming that I have blessed them more plentifully than others, and authorised them to go about the bhaktas and gain importance or funds or donations! Real devotees will never announce such absurd claims or listen to such claims made by others.
SSS 12.33: 1 April 1974, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume12/sss12-33.pdf
If somebody says Sai Baba's powers have been given to him, then we run to him. Sai Baba's powers are such that they are not given to anybody else. Nobody has the ability to take powers from Sai Baba, nor the ability to give them to someone else. Sai Baba's powers are not given like that, and you should not be led away by such statements. Each one's power is within him; it is not possible to give such power to another person. In this manner, by allowing a weak mind to get control over us, if we begin running from place to place, where are we going to get strength of mind, and control our own mind? We must be able to follow one thought, one path. One does not have to search for spiritual power, going around the world and spending a lot of money.
SSS 13.6: 28 March 1975, www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume13/sss13-06.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0r2d5gRpQqwlVfiudC__gsw3_NqsgTUqGEOqgSa1FlLwV8xgvF5hC10Hk
In Penukonda, another person started claiming miraculous powers, saying that he was a devotee of Sai Baba. Several others started imitating My dress and manners, started going about trying to collect a following at different places. Merely assuming My name and manners, one cannot have a following indefinitely. People realised the truth very soon.
SSS 36.20: 23 November 2003, http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume36/sss36-20.pdf
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