22. «Formulate your goal!»
One of the questions that Sathya Sai Baba sometimes asked during personal communication was, “what do you want?” Sometimes he would say, «state your goal!» The question itself contains a great spiritual message and food for thought. Hearing such a question, people were immersed in long reflections. His resonant voice remained in my memory asking the question to which the answer determined the further circumstances of life and opened up new horizons in a person.
Sathya Sai Baba was a clairvoyant, and, naturally, many had a desire to find out from him the answers to the pressing questions of life. Many wanted to consult with him about what to do and how to act in various life situations. But Sathya Sai Baba never allowed himself to impose on a person what to do in life and did not offer ready-made answers.
We are accustomed to shifting the responsibility for what is happening in life to someone else. Sathya Sai Baba never deprived people of the right to free choice, on the contrary, he inspired them to make independent decisions. Each person himself must come to an understanding of where he aspires to be and what he does in life.
23. Sathya Sai Baba always spoke personally, taking into account the needs and level of consciousness of the listener
I remember once Sathya Sai Baba was asked what spiritual practice he would recommend. To this, he advised me to repeat the mantras in Sanskrit. He said that Sanskrit is the divine language in which the Vedas are written. Sanskrit is a language with a special healing vibration that purifies both the inner world of a person and the surrounding space. He said that people belonging to different nationalities and religions can chant mantras in Sanskrit. I recall with great inspiration this beautiful answer of Sathya Sai Baba about the greatness of Sanskrit, for I have experienced the power of mantras many times in my life.
It didn’t take long, maybe a week, and I came in for an interview with another band where a very related question was asked about the benefits of mantra practice. Sathya Sai Baba laughed merrily and playfully, and then suddenly announced that he did not like Sanskrit at all, and did not like people who chant mantras, for the reason that it develops pride. He said that those who chant Sanskrit mantras mistakenly think they are becoming more spiritual and getting closer to God. Listening to these words, I could not believe my ears.
Just a week ago, he spoke completely different! How was this possible? Further, Sathya Sai Baba said that in the national culture of each of those present, there are traditional prayers that sound in their native language. At that interview there were people of different nationalities and religions: Russians, Tatars, Americans, and Indians. He recommended to each of those present not to think about Sanskrit, but to communicate with God in their own language.
I had the unique opportunity of frequent communication with Sathya Sai Baba, which allowed me to observe and compare. At times, his words seemed contradictory, but in fact they were always fully in line with the needs of the person in front of him at that moment.
What he said in one meeting could be the exact opposite of what he said in another. My first reaction was great surprise and even shock, but then I realized the full depth of his individual approach to absolutely every person.
There were a lot of people around Sathya Sai Baba, hundreds of thousands and even millions. One of the most important miracles of Sathya Sai Baba was that, despite the large number of people around him, he had a unique ability to provide a personal and individual approach to each person. That is why all his recommendations and advice were deeply personal.
What might be useful to one person might not be acceptable to another. It is very difficult to quote Sathya Sai Baba because he always spoke to the personal needs of a person and took into account the level of consciousness of each listener.