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July 2nd, 2006
“My Visit To South America, USA and Canada”
Prof. Anil Kumar visit to Brazil - photos
OM… OM… OM…
Sai Ram.
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Having been away for some two and a half months, I am so happy to be here with
all of you once again now. Today I want to share some pleasant memories from my
trip to the Americas this past summer. With Bhagavan’s Divine Grace, I was able
to visit Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and finally the United States of
America. Of course, my visit to the United States of America was not my first,
but my journey to South America was my first visit there.
About ten years ago, I was to go to South America, but somehow the trip did not
materialise. With Bhagavan’s Grace, however, I have now visited Mexico, Brazil
and Argentina. My friends please believe me, this trip was an uplifting
experience and a spiritual training. I truly experienced the Divinity of
Bhagavan there.
In most of South America, Spanish is the mother tongue. This made me constantly
aware of how far from India I was. When I kept feeling Baba’s Divine Presence
there, I continually thought, “Baba, how can You reach across this vast distance
to this faraway place?!
“Here the people do not speak English. Here the people do not know any of the
many Indian languages. How do You reach them? How do they know You? How do they
come to sing Your Glory?” That was really the million-dollar question. How does
Bhagavan Baba, being here in India in form, influence such far-off countries?
This was what was most surprising to me.
MEXICO CITY HAS BEAUTIFUL MONUMENTS
My trip began in Mexico City. In travelling around this huge metropolis, I was
struck by how similar it is to India in its rich culture and history. Mexico
City has palatial buildings. When you see them, you are reminded of the Roman
Empire, of the great buildings and structures of ancient Rome. When you see
them, you will be reminded of Qutub Minar, of the Red Fort, and of Char Minar.
The buildings in Mexico City are imposing and architecturally beautiful,
preserving all the character of the ancient Mexican culture.
Mexico is densely-populated, again much like India. It has both rich and poor,
just like India. Mexico is even full of churches, just as we have so many
temples here in this country. The great land of Mexico is a spiritual country, a
religious country, and a country of rich cultural heritage.
During my journey, I thanked Baba at every stage. But for Swami’s Grace, this
trip would not have been possible. I would not have been able to visit Mexico at
all. No chance! Swami made me visit that great country of Mexico, a land full of
many great pyramids, a land of great beauty.
There is even a place in Mexico called “The City of Gods”! “The City of Gods”!
There is another city called “The City of Flowers” that is so beautiful! I tell
you! I am not a student of botany and my English is quite limited, so it is
difficult for me to convey to you the depth of my feelings, of the joy and the
happiness I experienced as I witnessed all of this beauty around me, but I have
got photographs and DVDs of all of this here with me.
I saw one of the most surprising things in the heart of the city, of Mexico
City. At the centre of this beautiful city is what they call a plaza. A plaza is
something like a square surrounded by buildings on all four sides. These
buildings are all quite tall, ten or fifteen floors, and they are very old and
full of history. This square at the very centre of the city can accommodate
fifteen to twenty lakhs of people. The President of Mexico addresses the nation
from this central square. One evening, I even had my dinner in one of those
buildings, looking out upon this magnificent square as I ate. It was fantastic!
RASA LEELA ON A BOAT RIDE
The people there were all so great to me, all so generous. They took me for a
ride on a beautifully decorated boat. All the boats there are so very
beautifully decorated, fit for a honeymoon trip. Some of the boats have music,
with groups playing and singers singing. Some boats there carry dancers dancing.
There were even two or three boats kept exclusively for Sai devotees. I got into
one of these boats, one so beautifully decorated and full of flowers, and
floated on the water surrounded by magnificent dense forests. Can you imagine
how beautiful this was?
And what did we do there, all of us sitting in this boat full of Sai devotees?
We started singing Baba bhajans. While other boats were full of tourists, full
of people who came there to enjoy this beautiful place, our devotees came there
to sing praise to Baba for His gift, for this beautiful land of Mexico.
Surprisingly, other boats started to come close to ours. One boat was carrying
musicians, and they started playing along with our bhajans. Then another boat
full of dancers pulled close, and they danced to the tune and the rhythm and the
beat of our Sai bhajans. (Applause) It was almost a rasa leela. Indeed, the
whole of Mexico showed me rasa leelas, dancing and singing and giving praise to
Him. I guess you have gathered that I really enjoyed my stay there.
NATIONAL MEETING IN MEXICO CITY
I also had an occasion to visit a Sai centre in Mexico, and the centre was
packed with devotees. Their bhajans were on par with those here in Prashanti, if
not even more glorious. The accompaniment was excellent! They had a wonderful
orchestra! I was beyond belief hearing all of these people in this
Spanish-speaking country so far away from Prashanti singing to the glory of
Bhagavan Baba! Was this real or was this some myth that I had imagined? Was it
fact or fiction? I am still confused. I am still not able to assimilate and
absorb what I saw.
We also held a national Sai meeting in Mexico City, one attended by about 1800
people. Many devotees even came from other countries like Venezuela, Peru,
Guatemala, Uruguay, and Paraguay. The stage at the centre was huge and
beautifully decorated, and at the back hung a huge picture of Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba, adorned with colourful flowers that had been woven into an
incredibly gorgeous garland! This garland was so beautiful and the dais was so
big that on one side, there was another big platform full of musicians. I even
had a grand lady who served as my translator when I spoke there, and she is here
sitting in our midst today! Would you stand please? Please give her a round of
applause (Applause). Thank you very much. (To the woman standing) Kindly convey
our love and greetings to Sai brothers and sisters in Mexico (Applause).
At this enormous gathering, first bhajans were sung with so much love and
beauty, and then I was asked to speak. As I was speaking I didn’t know where I
was. I didn’t know what I was speaking about because the magnificence of this
place and these people and this music had transported me to a different plane of
consciousness altogether. Was it paradise by any chance?! The devotees’ faces
were so full of smiles, and a smiling face is a religious face. A serious face,
on the other hand, is the face of an ill person or a patient. There, I saw only
smiling faces all around me, and their radiance only made me want to be closer
to each of them. I knew that they too wanted a closer look at me, so I went
around to all the lines of the devotees, to all 1800 of them, so that I could
make contact with every devotee who had come.
When I was speaking on the dais, I saw that in the back of the hall there was a
gentleman doing a traditional Mexican dance. In a Mexican dance, as you know,
they place both of their hands on their waist and then do beautiful steps like
that this…tak, tak, tak. It was all just so amazing! (Laughter) Yes… this
way…like this! (Laughter) What they were doing was like this… Krishna Jai,
Krishna Jai, Krishna Jai…Krishna Krishna Krishna Krishna jai. (Laughter)
(Applause) That’s how the steps go on repeatedly tak… tak… tak… tak. So that
gentleman in the back was doing this, and I wanted to join him. So I just jumped
down from the dais and went back to him and joined him in his dance. Soon,
everyone started dancing. We forgot where we were and what we were doing. That’s
Mexico!
LOVING FAMILY OF HOSTS
In Mexico, I stayed with very young couple named Luis and Gloria, with their
small children Paulina and Luis Jr. The way they looked after me was fantastic!
On the evening before I was supposed to leave, the two little children came to
my room and gave me a note.
Dearest Uncle Prof. Anil Kumar,
This is the last night that you are sleeping with us. You will be leaving
tomorrow but we want you to know that we will never forget you. Our family will
cherish our time together forever and ever. We pray to Baba that He send you
back once again to our country, Mexico.
We love you, Uncle!
I cherish that letter given by two little children more than I would a million
dollar check. That is the love I experienced.
A TEARFUL FAREWELL TO MEXICO
In Mexico, I had a chance to visit a Sai school. While Baba was in Kodaikanal
this summer, I was lucky enough to speak at length with Him on six occasions.
All of the conversations that I have had with Bhagavan are now published in
Satyopanishad Vol. I and Vol. II. Anyway, the road to the Sai school in Mexico
takes you along a mountaintop and then down into a valley with huge, tall trees,
thorny bushes, and colourful flowers swinging and swaying on both sides of the
road. Was this the way to a Sai school or to Sai Shruti in Kodaikanal?! I really
felt as if I was in Kodaikanal even though I was in Mexico!
At the Sai school, the young teachers all greeted me and the children performed
a special stage production just for my benefit. Oh, how they sang! How they
performed! And these young teachers, how committed they are! In this place, it
was so clear that Baba’s Will travelled across the globe, charging everyone with
devotion, dedication and commitment.
At the end of my trip to Mexico, about fifty devotees came to the airport to see
me off. What did I experience there? Not smiles. No hands waving. No. These
people were crying. They were shedding tears, their eyes red and swollen. These
people didn’t want to be parted from me. Seeing their faces, I started crying
too because I had shared and experienced such love with them all. We
communicated our love for each other through the language of our tears. That’s
what love can do!
I had never cried when my children left me. I never cried when my daughters left
us to get married. I never shed any tears when they left India. But when I was
leaving these new Mexican friends I had made, I had to cry. Someone once said
that Sai bonds are thicker than those born of blood, and I experienced that at
this airport in Mexico.
Everywhere in Mexico, one thing I noticed was that whomever I came across,
whether they were a helper at the airport or a server in the cafeteria or clerk
in the hotel, I kept hearing one word from them: gracias. Gracias! Gracias means
“Thank you!” I heard it wherever I went. Gracias! Thank you! I even picked it up
myself. Gracias! Now I am eager to happen across a Spanish-speaking person so
that I can say, “Gracias, gracias!” (Laughter) To say gracias is a lovely
courtesy indeed!
At that conference in Mexico City, I managed to get my host Luis to help me make
a short speech in Spanish, just one page long. I wrote it down on paper in
Telugu, my mother tongue, so that I would pronounce everything correctly.
Pronunciation and diction are the life of any language. You can kill any
language by mispronouncing its words, so I wrote this Spanish speech down in
Telugu and I read it to those gathered and they were very, very happy because
they could hear a non-Spanish man speaking in their own language. So gracias,
Luis!
A FRIENDLY ROOM-MATE IN BRAZIL
From Mexico, I travelled to Brazil. In Mexico City, some of my friends, members
of the organisation, had warned me:
“Mr. Anil Kumar, you dance here in Mexico, but don’t do that in Brazil because
you will be putting yourself at risk! Brazilians love to dance, and Brazilians,
when they start dancing, nobody on earth can stop them. Don’t do it!” (Laughter)
I reassured them, “I won’t! I won’t! But remember, my friends, that things may
happen of their own accord.”
When I arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, two gentlemen were there to receive me. My
host was Sarjo, a married bachelor. His children and wife lived elsewhere, so he
lived alone. I could see in him a beloved roommate from my university days, but
quite a generation gap existed between myself and Sarjo. He is quite young, and
while I don’t say that I am old, I am a bit older than Sarjo. (Laughter)
When I arrived, the first thing he asked was, “What do you want?”
I said, “A cup of coffee.”
He said, “I don’t know how to make coffee.”
What to do? He went out and brought some coffee powder, and he made coffee for
the first time in his life just for me. Truth be told, it was only so-so, or
maybe a little less than so-so. (Laughter)
Then he asked, “What do you care to eat?”
I said, “Do you have white rice? Could you cook for me?”
He said, “Mr. Anil, I never cooked in my life, let alone cooked white rice!”
What was I to do? Still, he went out anyway and brought back some white rice and
prepared it for me. It was something else! Well, perhaps not good, but still it
was better than the coffee, so things were improving. Somehow, I was able to mix
it with all the things I already had and get along. So, by Swami’s grace, I had
what I needed as always.
BRAZIL IS A SOCCER-LOVING COUNTRY
The central street in Sao Paulo is Avenue de Ballista, something like our
Connaught Place or our Abids Centre in Hyderabad. Avenue de Ballista is home to
a busy marketplace with multi-storied buildings on either side. It is a
beautiful place to see.
The language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese. This great word Gracias that I had
picked up in Mexico was of no use to me there. In Brazil, better you should say
obrigado, meaning thank you in Portuguese, so everywhere I went in Brazil, I
kept saying, “Obrigado, obrigado.” Thank you, thank you.
In Brazil, I also came to understand a very funny thing about the Portuguese
language. Everything from chairs to railway stations has a gender in Portuguese.
The sun is masculine while the moon is feminine. A railway station is masculine
while the post office is feminine. All the words that end with letter “o” are
masculine and all the words that end with letter “a” are feminine, so when you
want to say thank you to a man, you say obrigado, but when you say thank you to
a woman, you must say obrigada! You say obrigada to a woman, but obrigado to a
man! There is gender differentiation even in saying thank you, something that
shocked and surprised me.
During my stay in Brazil, there was a soccer game, a football match, between
Brazil and Argentina. Brazilians are mad for this game of football, just as we
in India and Pakistan are mad for cricket. Maybe they are even more so! I was
resting with Sarjo in Sao Paulo one night in his flat up on the eighth floor,
looking out into the night with the stars shining brightly when what do I see
moving through the sky but a small airplane, translucent and lit up like a giant
flying white silk cloth covered in bright and colourful lights.
When I asked what it was, Sarjo said that it was the MRF Tyre Company Blimp
advertising the soccer game. Out the window, I could hear the street fill with
cheering and shouting and applause whenever the Brazilian football players
scored a goal. Everyone was wearing football jerseys and football pants. It was
as if it was not just the soccer players who were playing, but rather the whole
nation was playing this beautiful game. My experiences in Brazil were so
wonderful!
My hosts were also kind enough to arrange a trip to a place called Amparo.
Amparo is about 200 acres of land which had been purchased by a couple who are
Sai devotees. On the empty land, this couple created a forest. Usually we are
eager to remove forests, but these two people did just the opposite, creating a
forest! When they purchased this plot, it was just barren land. Over a period of
nine years since they purchased Amparo, they have created a magnificent dense
forest. They have created waterfalls there, as well as a swimming pool, a Sai
mandir, a meditation centre, a Sai school, a massage centre, and even a
beautiful hotel with Sai’s picture watching over the grand lobby, a photograph
over eight feet tall! Their meditation centre is so beautiful. The entire place
is so beautiful, full of trees and forests made by man. It was totally
mesmerising. I was reminded of famous poetry. I do not know to what planes my
mind travelled there, to what altitudes my mind ascended. Amparo is just such a
place of beauty!
We then had a meeting at the Sai centre that was open to all. Again, an
orchestra performed beautifully for us. The group of musicians that night had
happened to have been here in Prashanti Nilayam a few years ago giving a
concert. They remembered me and I remembered them as well. Let me tell you that
when we were singing to the beat of that band…wah!...we were really transported
to heaven itself!
SATHWIC TANGO IN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
From Brazil, I travelled to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. There I was
received by more of our friends, Argentinean Sai devotees. I stayed with a
couple name Francisco and Heidi in a very big and spacious house. I was really
very comfortable! They gave me my own floor, not that I needed so much room!
They spoke only Spanish, but fortunately for this fellow, the Argentinean
organisation was kind enough to have provided me with not one, but three
translators! These three ladies went with me wherever I went, like my own police
escort. They translated everything for me, my public meetings, my private
conversations, everything said at the dining table, at the breakfast table, and
at luncheons. Wherever I went, these three were with me. It was very nice.
In Argentina, they have a very famous and beautiful dance called the tango. The
tango! My hosts invited me down to the garden one night for a tango that was to
begin at 10pm, and was scheduled to go on until three in the morning! Friends, I
could not possibly go for that long, but my host and his beloved wife asked me,
“Anil, would you like to see a tango danced?”
I said, “Why not?” (Laughter), but then they explained to me that this tango,
danced out in the open air of the garden, would carry on until at least two or
three in the morning! They explained that this would be a tamasic tango! Huh,
tamasic tango?! That is the first time I heard this…a tamasic tango! I just
asked them to please explain what this was?
They said that all the dancers would not be…um… properly dressed (Laughter).
They like to be very close to the nature (Laughter) and a Sai devotee,
particularly from Prashanti Nilayam, may not survive witnessing it! (Laughter)
Then I said I wanted to go see a tango danced, so what shall I do? (Laughter)
Then they told me not to worry, that they would arrange a more sathwic tango for
me! (Laughter) What is a sathwic tango then? Those dancers would be more
modestly dressed for my benefit.
So a special sathwic tango dance was arranged for my sake at the residence and
many Sai members were invited to join us. It was really a very nice evening!
There is nothing wrong about a tango. I told them that whether it be a sathwic
tango or a tamasic tango, sathwic or tamasic depends on what you think of what
you see, of your own feelings about it. You may view anything as vulgar if your
attitude and thoughts are bad. Equally, you may view anything as good if your
attitudes and thoughts are good. As is the thought, so is the feeling. If the
thoughts are awkward, the feelings will be so. Therefore, don’t call a tango
tamasic. No! It is absolutely sathwic, and there is nothing wrong with it. I
enjoyed that too.
IMAGINING PUTTAPARTHI IN BUENOS AIRES
When exploring Buenos Aires, at the centre you will find a very big river. On
either side of the river, there are many hotels along the banks and numerous
bridges crossing the water. They love cows in that country too. You see so many
cows, and beautiful idols of cows, sculptural splendours carved out of stone,
made up of plaster, even made from cement. I saw so many cows and so many idols
of these cows. There were statues of cows everywhere.
A lady translator named Mrs. Pruden asked me, “Mr. Anil Kumar, do these cows
remind you of the Gokulam, of Puttaparthi?” These cows were all beautifully
decorated, and there was one cow painted to look as he was carrying letters.
Another translator, Wesley, told me, “That cow is carrying mail for Swami.” Mail
for Swami! They were imagining and seeing Swami and Puttaparthi everywhere. My
friends, it is not where you live that matters; it is the feeling that you have
in your heart which counts. You may be in New York or San Diego or San Francisco
or Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo or Mexico City, but it is your feelings that
matter, not the place you are in. These people could transport themselves to
Puttaparthi when in Buenos Aires. That’s what religion is. They could visualise
everything in terms of Prashanti Nilayam. Witnessing this made me extremely
happy.
The Sai centre in Buenos Aires normally completes its bhajans by eight o’clock,
but by the time I reached the centre on the evening that I had been invited to
speak, it was already after 8:45. When I arrived, however, they were all still
there. Nobody had left. I know many of the Argentinean devotees. Whenever they
come in groups to Prashanti Nilayam, they always invite me to speak to them. I
therefore recognised a good number of them on this night. Anyway, our meeting
went on until 10 o’clock that night, from 8:30 to 10:00.
My friends, all the talks I gave on this trip are on the Internet, along with
photographs of all the events that I am describing. You can listen to any of the
talks and look at the photographs on your computer.
UNBELIEVABLE PERFORMANCE BY ARGENTINEANS
After the Sai centre meeting in Buenos Aires, there was a public meeting in a
very large auditorium. It was a very large auditorium. I am told that more than
10,000 people attended. All I can say for certain is that the auditorium was
full.
My friends, I know full well that such a crowd did not turn up that night
because of my enormous celebrity status there. I know that. This crowd did not
come that night to see me. This crowd came to celebrate our togetherness, all
because these Sai devotees wanted to create a festival that night. In the spirit
of festivity and gaiety and celebration, devotees gathered in large numbers that
night in Buenos Aires. All over the city, there were big posters of Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba, and in some of those posters one could also see a fellow named
Anil Kumar standing by the His side translating His Divine Discourse. These all
announced that Professor Kumar would be speaking at 10 o’ clock in this grand
hall.
The auditorium itself was the size of Poornachandra Auditorium here, filled with
floodlights and very comfortable seats. It was a very big gallery. Leonardo
Goota, the Chairman of the South America Sai Organisation, translated the entire
talk into Spanish as we went along, and he did an excellent job!
That night, I also saw something that I found very interesting. For the first
time, I saw all these Argentineans, all these Spanish-speaking people, singing
bhajans. There was not even one Indian face in the hall, other than my own of
course. The most unbelievable part was when an Argentinean girl and boy, dressed
as Radha and Krishna, danced Bharatanatyam as perfectly as you could possibly
hope to see, even here in India. Believe me, this Radha-Krishna dance on the
dais by these Argentineans was something to see! The tabla was played by a
Argentinean man. The instruments, the singing, these were all played and
performed by Spanish-speaking people. This was the first time I had seen that!
It was all very exciting. There were at least 100 singers there and they really
were something to hear. The actors performed a play that was really very good.
That’s how the function went in Buenos Aires.
As a gift, the organisation also arranged wonderful sightseeing trips for me.
They took me to Cataratas, a region deep in the forests, to see the great
waterfalls there. To get to Cataratas, you have to fly about two hours from
Buenos Aires. The region is full of thick forests, teaming with wildlife, amidst
lovely valleys and mountains. The hotels there offer five-star, seven-star and
even superstar luxury accommodations.
I stayed in one of these fabulous hotels with Mr. Martin, a friend of mine of
many years. With many other visitors, we rode a bus down right into the heart of
this magnificent forest. Once we arrived, we disembarked and got onto an
electric train that took us even deeper into the wild, dropping us some 12
kilometres further in. From there, we all walked another two kilometres in until
we arrived at a beautiful, fast flowing river, where there was a bridge to carry
us across. Standing on that bridge was absolutely amazing, the water rushing and
rushing and rushing beneath us and nothing but the forest all around us.
This place was full of hills and valleys, rises and falls, ups and down, much
like Himachala Pradesh, or perhaps like Darjeeling and Shimla, or Srisailam or
Tirupathi. All through these hills, there was water flowing everywhere. There
are waterfalls there that are thousands of feet high and the grandest falls are
twenty-eight kilometres wide! When people say that Niagara Falls is fantastic, I
tell them, “Keep quiet! Niagara Falls is nothing! It is nothing compared to the
fall in Cataratas.” Thousands of gallons of water falling and crashing down
thousands of feet below. You cannot view these tremendous falls without getting
soaked with water. Even from a distance of three kilometres, they will still
spray you with water. That is the enormous pressure that these falls generate.
At the bottom of them, you see nothing but water crashing and flying back up
into the air! Wow! How beautiful it is!
PASSPORT GETS DRENCHED IN CATARATAS WATERFALLS
As we stood there in awe, viewing these majestic falls, my hosts said, “Wait,
that is not all!” We then climbed and climbed on a trail of steps much as you
might find in Tirupathi or Sabarimalai, through this forest. Being such a
well-equipped place for visitors, they have cafeterias and restrooms at
different levels as you climb. The entire place is also spotlessly maintained,
kept perfectly clean and totally pure.
So, we climbed up and then down, and then when we got to the bottom, there was a
steamboat waiting for us. They had dry clothes for us to change into, an extra
pair of shoes, and an extra pair of underwear. They had plastic bags for our
cameras and anything else that we might be carrying. Finally, they gave us all
lifejackets and then welcomed us onto the boat.
This boat travelled at a terrific speed … zzzzz…. like that! They took us along
the Iguaçu River toward the Brazilian and Paraguayan borders where there is a
tremendous waterfall where these three countries meet. Our boat took us straight
into these waterfalls! Straight into the water falls! In the falls, you don’t
see the people you are with, just water… blub blub blub! (Laughter) You feel as
if you are collapsing. You can’t see anybody! You feel as if you are drowning,
as if you are gone!! (Laughter) My spiritual side and namasmarana really became
activated there because I felt I was in such danger of losing my life!
(Laughter)
Then we came out of the falls, still alive, and the boat took us around the
river again, and then through these water falls again! Rrrrr… like that! Three
times we were drowned! We went through all twenty-eight kilometres! Tch, tch,
tch! You can imagine what happens to your clothes! Then while returning, I
remembered that my passport was in my pocket!! (Laughter) The passport also had
had a nice bath in the waterfalls! With my passport totally wet, with the
picture all but gone, I was sure that I would be jailed there in Argentina with
no hope of returning home! (Laughter) I told my friend Martin about this
terrible fate, about this life in prison that I was facing now, but he said,
“Don’t worry! Swami will take care of everything.” (Laughter)
We returned home and, with the help of a hair dryer, dried the passport till it
was dry, so that each page was like a pad! (Laughter) It had become so thick,
but at least the writing and the visa and stamps were now clear and legible
again.
My visit to Cataratas had already been so beautiful, so complete, but it did not
end there! My companions said, “We must go back and see the waterfalls by
night!” (Laughter) They said this because the moon was full that night, and we
would travel only by the light of the moon. There are no streetlights there! No!
They wanted me to go there by this tourist bus, catch the train, and go into the
interior of the forest again at night! I had been reluctant to go there in the
light of day itself because I was totally frightened, but what would happen
there at night?! (Laughter)
Despite the fear in my heart, I said, “Let’s go!” (Laughter)
Fortunately, I was told on the way that we would see the waterfalls only from a
distance at night, that nobody would take me so close again. “Don’t worry,” they
said. Fine! So we went. Good.
When we got there, however, they told me not to talk loudly as we approached the
falls because the wild animals would attack me! (Laughter)
I tell you my friends, riding on the mighty Iguaçu River, with waterfalls some
twenty-eight kilometres in width before us, there under the full moon, it seemed
as if heaven itself were falling to our feet. It looked like a silver sheet
falling to earth. Are those water drops or pearls or diamonds dancing before me?
Wah! Wah! It was so beautiful! It was Kailasa! Kailasa, where Lord Shiva dances!
If Lord Shiva, in physical form, were taken to Cataratas, He would say,
“Farewell to you when you leave! I will stay here!” He would say that.
(Laughter) It was so beautiful! My going there was such a great gift!
GOD’S SPLENDOUR IN RIO DE JANEIRO
My friends, in Brazil, I also went to Rio de Janeiro to see the great statue of
Jesus, the Redeemer. Rio is the only place in the world where you have a great
forest in the centre of the city. Rio has a forest, the city and the sea. That’s
all. Around the forest is the city. Around the city, you find the sea! When you
climb the great hill that overlooks Rio de Janeiro where the great statue of
Jesus stands, you see this great forest within the fantastic city, all by the
sea, and you think, “Where am I? Where am I? Where is the city?” It is truly
God’s splendour! This sight fills one with wonder! The glitter of the sea and
the glamour of the city and the beauty of the nature all together! Nature, after
all, is nothing but the reflection of God. Creation is nothing but the
reflection of God.
I stood looking at this scene in awe, and then climbed up a few more steps to
the summit where I saw there, some nine hundred feet above sea level, on the
very top of the mountain, atop a twenty feet pedestal, a forty metre high statue
of Jesus Christ with his arms outstretched on either side, looking down upon the
city.
I was associated with a Christian college for thirty years. I served in a
Christian college for twenty-six years and studied there for four years. There
is Christian blood in me, something about which I am proud of and grateful for.
Once I saw this gigantic Jesus Christ with his outstretched arms, I felt my
grandfather waiting for me! I felt my father waiting for me! I ran up to it and
touched his feet. Tears started rolling on my cheeks. In all of human history,
you will not find any greater personality than Jesus regarding matters of love
and sacrifice. To see him with those arms outstretched! Wah! Wah! I have a
separate CD covering my visit to Rio de Janeiro with me. It would be too much to
display all that now, so I have to simply describe it for you rather than
showing it to you now. I hope that you will pardon me for that.
Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, in Cataratas in Argentina. After my trip to
Cataratas, I returned to Buenos Aires and 120 devotees came to see me off at the
airport. A few of them are even here now. At the airport, they sang Sai Baba
bhajans, accompanying themselves with cymbals and drums. All of the other
passengers just stood and stared, wondering what on earth had happened to these
people! What gang is this? (Laughter) What are these bhajans they are singing?
Everyone watched. They followed me to the ticket counter, all still singing!
Even at the customs checkpoint, they were still following me, still singing and
clapping. Up to the last possible moment, they followed me, singing! They did
not want to leave me, nor I them! Only when my name was announced did I, with a
heavy heart, force myself to leave this group! That was it. My trip to South
America, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina had ended.
I should express my grateful thanks to our good friend here who edited my videos
and presented me with three large bundles of videocassettes. One bundle was for
distribution in Argentina, one bundle was for distribution in Brazil, and one
bundle was for distribution in Mexico. He created these without charge! Totally
free! Free videocassettes! (Applause) That’s it! Thank you, sir! May Baba bless
you! May Baba be with you forever and ever more. Good service! The recipients
are all highly indebted to you. They expressed to me their thanks to you. They
wanted me to express their thanks to you, so thank you very much!
THE HANDICAPPED IN MONTREAL HEALED BY JESUS
After this trip, I visited Canada. As time was short, I could not cover
everywhere in Canada. I had already been to Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton,
Toronto, and Montreal previously, so I just stayed briefly in Canada.
First, I stayed in Windsor. From my hotel room, I could see beautiful gardens
and a great river, the Detroit River. On the other side of the river was
Detroit. America was just a half-hour drive away. It was all so beautiful!
Then I went up to Montreal to speak about the Bible, about Baba and Jesus
Christ. After my talk, the President of the Sai centre, Miriam, came up to me
and told me that she is a Catholic. She is a Christian and the national
coordinator of the Sathya Sai Organisation in Canada. Understand that!
(Applause)
She said, “I will take you to our church tomorrow, Anil Kumar.”
I went to that church with her. What a beautiful church it is! It is as tall as
Qutub Minar and as broad and deep as Sai Kulwant Hall. Their statue of Jesus
Christ is as tall as our Hanuman here. There is a serenity and calmness there
just like here in Prashanti Nilayam when Baba is seated on the dais. Just as you
come in, just where you hang your coat, there is a huge rack there, perhaps
fifty feet long, and hanging from this rack were dozens and dozens of crutches.
I asked Miriam, “What are these things?”
Miriam told me, “Disabled people, handicapped people come here. After they
receive Jesus Christ’s darshan, they are healed! They leave their crutches and
go! Those are the crutches left behind.” (Applause)
BHAGAVAN ARRANGED VISAS FOR THE VISITS
Bhagavan, that’s it, that’s it! How could I ever forget these places! There in
Mexico, I saw so many churches. In Mexico, they have got a statue of John Paul
that is some twenty feet tall! The church in the centre has prayer sessions
every hour on the hour, around the clock! It’s so beautiful! I tell you! I saw
Sai everywhere! I felt Sai during every moment of my journey. I felt Sai's name
resonate everywhere, echoing in every heart. This trip really was a special
blessing that Baba conferred upon me.
In fact, the visas were difficult to get, and yet only through His grace, I
somehow got them. Swami was here in the month of March, but people said that I
must go to the embassies in Delhi to get my visas. I could not go because Swami
was here, but my friend helped me, a friend named Sood from Delhi. He arranged
visas so that I could visit those three countries without having to go to Delhi.
Through my friend, the hand of Baba insured that I got my visas when I seemingly
could not.
I received a letter from Mexico asking how I could get my visa without going
personally to the embassy in Delhi?! Unless it is mandated by an act of the
Mexican Congress, by their Parliament, visas cannot just be posted like that!!
But Baba belongs to the Parliament of the Universe, not just that of Mexico.
(Applause) Therefore, right from the beginning, I felt the hand of Bhagavan
guiding my journey.
SAI SANDESH CONTAINS THE SUNDAY TALKS
There are so many more things to share with you, but I must take this
opportunity to bring to your attention something instead that happened in March.
Bhagavan released this book Sai Sandesh. Sai Sandesh is a book released by
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, published by the Sathya Sai Books and Publications
Trust. Sai Sandesh contains all of our Sunday talks. There will be eight to ten
volumes, and this is the first volume that has been released.
The Sunday Talks, Sai Sandesh, are now published, and I should mention a very
good friend named Lakhi, who is not here today. I am unlucky that I don’t find
Lakhi here. (Laughter) Mr. Lakhi has a team of translators (including
transcribers and editors too), and he and his group have made all of my Sunday
talks available on a website in six foreign languages. They may even be
available in eight languages there now. These people record our Sunday talks,
transcribe and edit them, and translate them into all these different languages,
finally publishing them on the website. They have been doing since 1999!
This book is dedicated to Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and to Lakhi and the team
of translators/transcribers/editors. I want you to give them all a thunderous
round of applause (Applause). But for the cooperation and sincere efforts of
these teams, this book would not have come to light.
It was also strange that my friend Sood insisted that this book be printed,
published and circulated. It was also providential that near Ganesha, one
gentleman once came to me and said, “I am Ojha from Bombay. Shall I edit your
talks?” Baba sends people. You don’t need to run after them! You will be fed up
by running after people. Baba instead has people run after you, because this is
His Divine project. This is Divine work. Anything that is selfless, anything
that is pure, will find its own unfoldment. This is the proof.
I thank Lakhi and his team for their wonderful work. I thank Mr. Sood and Ojha,
both of whom are responsible for the publication of this book, and I thank
Bhagavan in particular for His abundant grace and mercy so generously showered
upon me. Finally, I thank you people who listen to my talks. I would not have
given talks at all had you not been here, and you are here, so that has made me
talk. I thank you very much!
May Baba bless us with many more opportunities for satsang in the years to come
because this is our way of establishing live contact with Baba. This is our way
of establishing fax communication, courier communication, and phone contact with
Baba. Satsang is like broadband for establishing the connection between Swami
and us. I pray Swami to bless each and every one of you. As our time is up, I
don’t want to detain you further as we have got to be ready by 2:30 for darshan
because, as we know, Swami may come at any time.
May Bhagavan be with you forever and ever! JAI SAI RAM!!
(Applause)
Jai Bolo Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Babaji ki!
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Note: This Audio & Text has the copyright of the author -
Prof. ANIL KUMAR
. It is
"reproduced" on this website only for the purpose of (seva) service so
that Sai Baba devotees can download
AUDIO Of Prof. ANIL KUMAR SATSANG Sunday
Satsang at Prashanti Nilayam.
