Second Visit of Anand Krishna to Sai Pooja Ashram Sri Satya Sai Baba (1926 – 2011) was more than just a meditation Guru. For millions of people thronged around him he was an ideal man showing the way to blessedness and helping them tread the path of Bhakti or love devotion.
He had touched many hearts and souls including that of Nyoman and Dayu Pujawati. The two Balinese then founded Sai Center in Bali, and Baba himself named it Sai Pooja Ashram. It was initially based in Monang-Maning housing complex. But, due to increasing numbers of Bhakta—those observing Bhakti—they decided to build a more spacious place which is now located in Jalan Mahendradatta, Denpasar.
In the evening of December 27th 2011 Anand Krishna paid a second visit to new base of Sai Pooja in Denpasar. His first visit was in Monang-Maning housing complex days before. At 7 pm Bhajan or chanting and prayers began enlivening the serene evening, and it lasted about an hour. The song chosen for Bhajan was Ganesha.
After Bhajan the rendezvous was first highlighted by Nyoman’s flashback story about his encounter with Anand Krishna. It happened around 1980s when Anand was still active in Jakarta Sai Center as secretary. Back to Bali Nyoman and Dayu met with Dharmawijaya whose house in Jalan Veteran Denpasar was then used for their spiritual commune. Later, few other Balinese Wiana, Djendra and Raka joined them. In between Anand interrupted Nyoman, saying in those years of meeting with them there hadn’t been many Bhakta as yet.
Anand Krishna shares his awareness
The discourse Anand Krishna conveyed was about the last testimony of Baba that he delivered on November 22nd 2010. As Anand put it, this testimony is equally important as the first one—Anand has compiled it with his annotation in a book entitled Sai Anand Gita (2011, Parimal Publications, Delhi) and he beckoned to make the last testimony as sequel of Sai Anand Gita. “
Of course you are expecting to listen to Svami’s discourse and how happy you are to have this opportunity. But, I’m not going to talk about education. This country, Bharat, has given birth to many great women such as Chandravati, Savitri, Shita and Damayanti”, said Anand before further reviewing the testimony of the Love Presence for shisya—students or disciples.
Baba, according to Anand, asserted women have the power to stick to faithfulness and truth. Savitri, for example, watched over and took a great care of her ailing husband. The moment before he passed away she resorted to penance beseeching Yama to resurrect her spouse. Life of a husband is dependent on his wife and vice versa. “We’re not talking about women in terms of physical appearance, but feminine energy which should be in every being of ours. Faithfulness and truthfulness are quality inherent in women’s character”, Anand reminded the audience.
He further emphasized, “It is a must to apply faithfulness, truthfulness and willingness to sacrifice in day to day life. Yet, it’s not limited to families only but also widespread to country and the whole nation too. The application of such character, of course, must be commenced at home, for family is the smallest social unit of a society”.
Bharat is surrounded by sapta sindhu (seven seas). What is sapta sindhu, anyway? He explained that seven seas signifying perfections which can be achieved by humans. Five ones are attained by sense organs—eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Sixth and seventh perfections respectively attained by mind and budhi or intelligence. Bharat is derived from Bhagawan Rati meaning one who is attached to God. Whoever loves God is called Bharati and is surrounded by sapta sindhu. Each of his/her thought, deed and utterance must be nonetheless in state of perfection upon the basis of love—otherwise sapta sindhu will be useless.
In his testimony Baba mentioned faithfulness around twenty times more than both truth and sacrifice. Why so? It’s because, explained Anand, faithfulness is not something to bargain. To stress on its significance Anand made an analogue that one’s whole being is like milk in a jar. Lack of faithfulness is similar to a drop of ink which stains the whole milk. If faithfulness, truthfulness and willingness to sacrifice are in, then there will be no selfish desire.
The attentive and keen participants
Harmony must exist in a family. Bhajan or chanting, no matter how often one does, it is simply useless if there is no harmony in the family. Harmony, along with togetherness, should be primarily started from each and every family.
Baba once also said that anxiety and restlessness are the reciprocity of our karma. According to Anand, we’d better be not to brag about calamity coming in the way of life as an ordeal. So, don’t boast but one must otherwise make every effort to cope with karma. On the other hand, an ordeal only happens to great individual like Shita and Kunthi. What was experienced by Pandavas not the ordeal but karma they had to bear collectively.
In chugging on the family path husband and wife must be hand in hand which implies they walk towards the same direction. They cannot walk separate way. Anand exemplified a young couple who are in love but from different religious background. If one of them has to forsake his or her religion then it means they are really going different way. But, they can’t fully maintain each person’s religion either unless both of them have a full faith in Guru.
Then, how to sustain a harmonious family? “Totally focus on God”, thus spoke Baba. Bhajan is one of meditation tools to help us focus on God. So, said Anand, if one of the couple is not willing to join it we can ensure their family will be inharmonious. Whereas they both should bring Bhajan home and spread it within their surroundings.
Time didn’t permit Anand Krishna to talk about the testimony more at length. But, he did hope there would be another opportunity for such gathering to review it more and more still.
Reporter and Photographer: Made Mulia, Translator: Dominggus Koro
