Here is an anecdote about knowing when to act. A person came to the ashram who had many problems in life; and who does not? He lived in the ashram for about a month, but Sathya Sai Baba did not invite him to a personal conversation. After some time, Sathya Sai Baba invited him to an audience. Entering the room, the man resentfully told Sathya Sai Baba he had been waiting for this meeting for more than a month because he had many questions and requests for help. Sathya Sai Baba was stunned, and calling him by name, said that he had been waiting for him for many years.
It seemed to all of us that it was effortless to come to Sathya Sai Baba – we bought a ticket and flew to India. What could be easier? In fact, only those who were personally invited by Sathya Sai Baba on a subtle mystical level came to his ashram. It is difficult to understand with the mind how he could invite everyone, because tens of millions of people came to him. Sathya Sai Baba is the omnipresent Spirit for whom nothing is impossible.
There were times when people learned about Sathya Sai Baba and felt in the depths of their hearts that for some reason they had to meet this unusual mystic from distant India. Some, feeling the call, instantly packed up and drove while others found many excuses as to why it was impossible to do it now, preferring to postpone the trip.
What needs to be done now, needs to be done only now. When the doors of space are open and you get a chance, you need to use it because fate can change and tomorrow it will be impossible to do what seems easy today.
Everyone must come to an understanding of where he aspires to be and what he does in life. 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!” Hearing the soft voice of Sathya Sai Baba, people were immersed in long reflections. Sathya Sai Baba was omnipresent and clairvoyant. Naturally, people had a desire to find the answers to their many questions from him and to consult him about how to act in various situations.
People are accustomed to shifting the responsibility for what is happening in life to someone else, and Sathya Sai Baba was the ideal candidate whom to shift the responsibility to when making an important decision. Sathya Sai Baba never dictated what to do in life or offered ready-made answers. He did not deprive people of the right to free choice; on the contrary, he inspired them to make independent decisions. Each person must come to an understanding of where he aspires to be and what he does in life.