followed by the characteristic circular movements of Sathya Sai Baba’s right hand, into which several banknotes appeared. He then handed them to the astonished American.
After the interview, I approached Michael and asked him how much Sathya Sai Baba had materialized for him – it was several hundred pounds. Of course, this was not a great amount, but in the ‘90s it was enough to live modestly in India for a couple more months.
Subsequently, a year later, Michael wrote to me from America, in which he told me he had successfully traveled through India and visited several interesting ashrams in the Himalayas. He also wrote that, sadly, he now regretted spending the money given to him by Sathya Sai Baba, because it would have been better to keep as a souvenir, or a talisman.
It's hard to say if what happened to Michael was best. The money was spent, but in return he did receive a unique experience of an interesting journey, which greatly enriched his inner world.
42. What is important is not that a miracle happened, but how this miracle transformed the consciousness of people
Another story I witnessed happened shortly before Sathya Sai Baba's passing away. At the ashram I met two brothers who came from Uzbekistan. They were very gentle and deeply religious Muslims. They came to the ashram for the first time, when the older brother was a very sick man.
In fact, they came to be blessed and healed. They knew almost nothing about Sathya Sai Baba; they only knew he was a great miracle worker who could help the elder brother. After living at the ashram for three weeks, they began to feel disappointed, because they could not get the opportunity of direct communication with Sathya Sai Baba due to the fact that in those years the ashram was very popular with many travelers staying there.
In those days, it was a tradition in the main temple after the completion of the program to distribute fruits or sweet rice to everyone present. On that day, sweet rice was distributed in small bowls made from dried leaves. The two brothers were sitting next to me, and we also received a plate of treats. I ate my portion and saw that the two brothers continued to sit, looking at each other in surprise. Everyone around us had already eaten and people got up and slowly went out into the street, yet for some reason these two continued to sit.
I stepped closer to find out what was going on. They turned to me and said they could not believe their eyes, but the food in their plates did not end. I decided to watch them as they continued to eat, scooping rice with their big hands. As soon as they scooped, the food appeared again, they ate again, and the plates kept refilling. From excitement, the brothers could not utter a word, they silently ate with tears in their eyes. After some time, they got up and left the temple with filled plates.
The next day we met again, they had already come to their senses and told me they had experienced the deepest spiritual shock. At the moment of this miracle, they felt tremendous divine love and realized they had received an answer to their prayers. At that time there were many people in Puttaparthi, so it was almost impossible to talk to Sathya Sai Baba in person, but after this experience they didn't need to anymore, because they felt the answer was already in their hearts.
A week later, they left for their homeland in Uzbekistan with a feeling of deepest satisfaction and the feeling that, although there was no physical conversation with Sathya Sai Baba, an internal connection with him was established. I do not know their further fate; it is difficult for me to say whether the elder brother received healing, but they left with the full feeling that their prayer had been heard, and with the belief that everything would be fine.
Many miracles happened around Sathya Sai Baba, so many that at some point I stopped perceiving such situations as something special. What is important is not that a supernatural event occurred, what is important is that this miracle turned the minds of both brothers. A colossal inner change took place, not only because they saw with their own eyes the miracle of the materialization of food, but because at that moment the strongest energy descended. I looked into their eyes and understood that inside each of them there was a sacrament of spiritual transformation.
43. Sathya Sai Baba attracted unique people like a magnet, one of them was a philosopher and mystic – Ratan Lal
The teacher manifests himself not only in philosophical instructions or performed miracles, but first of all he manifests himself in his students. The greatness of a teacher is in the greatness of his students.
I can talk endlessly about the huge number of unique people whom I was lucky to meet in the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba; he, like the greatest magnet, attracted unique and amazing people. I received significant spiritual benefits not only from direct contact with Sathya Sai Baba himself, but also from contact with several of his great disciples.
In the early ‘90s, I met an amazing philosopher and sage, whose name was Ratan Lal. For many years he lived in the ashram and, with the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba, regularly lectured on the teachings of Vedanta. Almost every day, Ratan Lal met with groups that came from around the world. In those times, people from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus began to come to the ashram. Ratan Lal often interacted with Russian-speaking groups. I think that all those who knew him have wonderfully warm memories of this man.
He usually started the meeting by expressing certain philosophical ideas, then invited people to ask questions. His answers resounded from the depths of spiritual experience. In his presence, it was felt that what he was talking about was based on his own experience, this was his uniqueness
