Sathya Sai Baba looked sternly at the young man and said, "new battery – new time." Everyone present at that moment understood that a new stage in life was beginning for the young man.
Subsequent events confirmed the prophetic words of Sathya Sai Baba. Immediately after returning to Russia, my friend began a new happy and successful stage in his life.
However, the story with the clock did not end there. In the next chapter, I will recount the events that show us that any miracle of the Avatar has the deepest meaning. The fullness of the divine plan is sometimes not clear to us from the very beginning, but may be revealed with time.
65. The divine game – the continuation of the story with the watch
After talking with Sathya Sai Baba, Vyacheslav and I left the interview room and quickly went to the exit of the ashram in order to try to find the watch dealer and change the battery. I felt I should go with my friend as it seemed to me that if I was already involuntarily drawn into this amazing story, then I should go change the battery with him and observe the developing events to the end.
As soon as we went outside, we immediately saw a watch dealer who was standing nearby. There was no other watch dealer nearby, so we had no doubt this was the same person to whom Sathya Sai Baba had directed us.
The merchant had a small cart on which he laid out a huge number of watches and batteries. We approached the man and said we just left Sathya Sai Baba's room, just a minute ago, and that he told us to change the battery at the first dealer we met near the ashram gate. The watch dealer was filled with tremendous joy and surprise.
He looked at us attentively unable to believe all of this was really happening. His shock was quite understandable, as we asked him to change the battery not on an ordinary watch, but on a wonderful watch that was a gift from Sathya Sai Baba. The merchant reverently picked up the wonderful watch and put it to his forehead, as if receiving a blessing from it.
It was completely natural because it was a watch from the hands of Sathya Sai Baba. The dealer replaced the battery and gave the watch back to my friend. After that, the merchant told us a story that revealed the depth of Sathya Sai Baba's divine plan.
The trader said a relative in his family had become seriously ill and that all family members prayed intensely to Sathya Sai Baba to help heal this relative. The merchant then explained that last night in his dream he saw Sathya Sai Baba, who said he was blessing his relative and he would be healed soon.
While sleeping, Sathya Sai Baba informed the merchant that the next day two foreigners would come to him in order to change the battery of his watch. Sathya Sai Baba also said it would not be an ordinary watch, but a materialized watch.
Waking up in the morning, the merchant did not know how to relate to such a strange dream. When my friend and I came and asked him to change the battery on the wonderful watch, he could not believe his eyes, because such an encounter was predicted by Sathya Sai Baba in his dream.
As soon as the merchant saw us, he delightfully realized this was the confirmation of his mystical dream.
After listening to this story, we felt indescribable joy. This story once again confirms that Sathya Sai Baba performs miracles, with the deepest meaning, that are difficult to understand from the very beginning.
Sometimes the miracle that Sathya Sai Baba performed for one person affected the fate of many people. We felt we had become instruments in the hands of Divine Providence.
66. Personal Spiritual Instructions
The spiritual instructions of Sathya Sai Baba have always been personal. They were addressed to the needs and spiritual level of the person who was currently listening to instruction. His recommendations were very diverse, which always amazed and surprised me, and sometimes confused me. Sometimes it took many months, and sometimes several years, in order to understand the full depth of the words he said.
Sathya Sai Baba advised some people to concentrate only on him and not to visit other ashrams or other teachers. Sometimes he said, “if you want to get the maximum spiritual benefit from “this place,” (“this place” he sometimes called his feet), concentrate and do not spray your attention.” Saying such words, Sathya Sai Baba pointed to his feet.
However, it should not be assumed that Sathya Sai Baba told all visitors not to visit other Gurus. Communicating with different people, he could recommend attending seminars and trainings in other ashrams, and possibly studying for some time with other Gurus.
Sathya Sai Baba sometimes said strange words like, "I am not a Guru at all." What does this mean? The mission of the Avatar, to a lesser extent, included teaching the methods of meditation and yoga. All of these practices are done by mentors, who we call Guru. The Avatar grants all people the highest Divine Grace, and he blesses people for the perfect harmony of life.
Quite often, spiritual seekers needed to learn the practice of meditation, mantra, and yoga. For this, sometimes Sathya Sai Baba advised them to go and study in other esoteric schools and ashrams.
There were discussions between various devotees and followers of Sathya Sai Baba about whether one should go only to him, or whether one should visit other ashrams and study different traditions. There is no universal answer to this complex question because each one of us will find the answer only in the personal characteristics of our own spiritual path and the stage of spiritual evolution we are currently at.
Sathya Sai Baba referred me on several occasions to several schools of Kriya Yoga, as well as to several teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, where I studied the energy practices of Trulkor and Mantra. In different ashrams, I received initiations and was trained in many techniques, which helped me develop on the spiritual path.
Strange as it may sound, it is impossible to say there is a tradition of Sathya Sai Baba. He is on the side of all traditions, and he is the source of all traditions and directions; he is the whole integrity of being – He is the whole universe. The task is to reveal the potential of each person and it does not matter which spiritual path this person follows.
In different spiritual schools, I studied numerous techniques, but the main source of blessings and Divine Grace has always been Sathya Sai Baba. It was he who bestowed upon me inner mystical experiences and realizations.
When he sent me to various ashrams, I studied their techniques, methods, practices, philosophical systems, various types of meditation and yoga, and then I returned to Sathya Sai Baba and practiced these techniques, after which I received mystical experiences and insights.
67. Beyond all traditions
Sathya Sai Baba is the one who stands above all traditions. His approach is always personal and it is very difficult to quote Sathya Sai Baba. It must always be remembered that he gave spiritual instructions on the basis of what would be good for the person to whom he is currently giving instructions.
If Sathya Sai Baba saw it was more correct for a person to concentrate exclusively on him, he clearly said, “do not go anywhere else, stay only here.” However, there were cases when the same Sathya Sai Baba recommended people to go and study with other Gurus.
I know that some people left for training in other ashrams and traditions, but after a few years they still returned to Puttaparthi. There were people who left for training in other ashrams and did not return to Sathya Sai Baba, and this was also normal, because the purpose of the Avatar was to enrich the spiritual world of people and not to gain more followers.
If Sathya Sai Baba saw that it would be better for a person's spiritual development to concentrate on another Guru, he would bless and guide the person along the spiritual path beneficial for that person.