20
One day, on October 14, 1940, after returning from school,
Sathya cast
his books aside and called out, “I am no longer
your Sathya, I am Sai, I am going and I do not belong to
you. The ‘maya’ has gone and my ‘bhakthas’ are calling
me. Saying, “I have work to do and cannot stay any
longer”, he went and sat in a garden. People came into
the garden from all directions, carrying flowers and fruits
and singing in chorus, the lines
that Sathya Sai had taught
them. “Maanasa bhajare gurucharanam Dhusthara bhava
saagara tharanum” Meaning - “meditate in thy mind on the
feet of the guru. That can take you across the difficult sea
of samsara” During the next few years, he was crowded
with hordes of pilgrims from all parts
of the country visiting
him. Also devotees began calling him ‘Bhagawan’ Sri
Sathya Sai Baba.
Cultivate the attitude of
oneness between people of all
creeds and all continents to
establish world peace
22
Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi, a hamlet in Anantapur
district of Andhra Pradesh,
has earned name and fame world-wide due to the presence
of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who is considered an incarnation of
God by a large number of his devotees. Located at a distance
of 85 km from Anantapur and 124 km from Bangalore, this
religious and sacred place has witnessed the visit of not only
top politicians and the ruling elite of India, but also the heads
of the states and governments from many countries on special
occasions.
Puttaparthi has a legend that strengthens the belief in the
divinity of the place and reflects the divine powers of the Baba.
The village name is derived from ‘Putta’ which means an
ant-hill and ‘Parthy” means a modified form of multiplier. This
village was earlier known as Gollapalli or home of cowherds.
The cows yielded plenty of milk. Every home made butter and
ghee. According to a legend explained by N.Kasturi,
author
of ‘Sathyam Sivam Sundaram’ a cowherd noticed that one of
his cows did not have milk in its udder when it returned home
after grazing.
The cow later came out of its shed and reached an ant-hill on
the outskirts of the village. The cowherd, who followed the
cow, was surprised to see a cobra that started drinking milk
of the cow. Annoyed at the loss of milk, the boy lifted a stone
and threw it on the cobra. The injured serpent threw a curse
on all the ‘gopalas’ of the village and the creature’s last words
were that the place will be full of ant-hills and multiplication of
the same in endless numbers.
The curse came true and the cattle population in the village
declined drastically. They could not be raised successfully in
the village any longer. Ant-hills spread
all over the place and
the village name was changed to Valmikipura for Valmika in
Sanskrit means an ant-hill or Puttaparthi in common parlance.
The villagers still show, as a proof of this legend, the same
thick and round stone, with a slight jam one side, which the
angry cowherd had thrown at the divine snake. The stone
has a long reddish streak over it, which is believed to be
the mark of the cobra’s blood. This stone is worshipped as
Gopalaswami, the lord as cowherd, probably in an effort
to nullify the effect of the curse and improve the cattle
population.
It is said that Sri Sathya Sai Baba had directed some people
to wash the stone and smear sandal paste on the jammed
side. When his instruction was carried out, a clear outline of a
picture of Lord Gopalaswami, with the flute at his lips, leaning
on a cow, was seen.
Some say that even today they can hear the melody of Lord
Krishna’s breath passing through the straight and hollow reed.
From
that day, the curse has lost its effect and the cattle have
begun to flourish at Puttaparthi. Puttaparthi is also believed to
be the abode of goddesses – Lakshmi and Saraswati.
Baba gives ‘darshan’ to his devotees at Prasanthi Nilayam,
the spacious spiritual centre where ‘Bhajans’ and religious
discourses are regularly held.
A museum on a nearby hillock at Puttaparthi displays the
models of various temple structures, including the Golden
Temple of Amritsar,
the Holy Mecca Masjid, etc. “Service to
humanity is service to divinity’ is the basic concept that guides
and runs the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Trust. This world famous
place is about 8 km from Sri Sathya Sai Prasanthi railway
station and is well connected by road.
Spiritual progress is right
living, good conduct,
moral behavior.