Divine Dialogue
[Translated and edited sections of Dr. C B Satpathy ji’s interview by famous Film Actress Aparajita Mohanty in May 2010, in Odia language]
AM: Guruji, Your entire service career was with Indian Police. Later you held many prestigious positions with Govt. of India. In spite of this how did you got attracted to the Spiritual way of Living ? In what age you felt the divine attraction ?
Guruji: Our Job or Business is a Profession. A profession can be Big or Small. Spirituality is related to our soul or ‘spirit’. Our profession has no relation with Spirituality. However, if one follows the spiritual way of life, it would help him immensely in his profession. He will be a sincere and honest professional throughout his career. “If some attributes are missing in the seed, You won’t be able to find those in the Tree”. The Values taught at our home when we were young, the Teachings and Advice given by my parents contained the seed of “Spirituality” which grew inside me during my professional career and later evolved into a tree with the blessings of Sadguru Sai Nath.
AM: In Shri Sai Satcharita, we find many instances where Shirdi Sai Baba used to read the thoughts in devotee’s mind and later save them from adversities by alerting them in their dreams. It is said that You also provide similar signals and alert the devotees and rescue them from future troubles.
Guruji: Shri Sai Satcharita is filled with devotee’s experiences who met Baba during his lifetime. Some of the experiences were also published in the “Sai Leela” magazine. Even today thousands of Baba’s devotees receive his guidance and signals in their dreams, and are getting rescued from difficult situations. These are Baba’s divine supernatural powers. I just pray to Baba. If devotees have such experiences today, then we must understand that Baba’s power is working today the same way it used to work during his lifetime.
AM: You have authored many books on Shri Sai Baba. Those books have been translated in many languages and are highly appreciated by the readers. Who inspired you to write those books ? Is it Shri Sai Baba or his devotees ?
Guruji: God and disciple, Guru and disciple are like the two sides of the same coin. Guru and disciple together forms God. One is incomplete without the other. When I write something, my thoughts are definitely inspired by Shri Sai Baba. If I have to state precisely whatever I write is an amalgamation of my thoughts which are an expression of the thought waves inspired by Baba and the thought waves of Baba’s devotees.
AM: When did your family first came to know your Spiritual way of Living ? What was their reactions ?
Guruji: My father who was the epicenter of my Spiritual Consciousness was no more in this world when I first came in contact with Shri Shirdi Sai Baba in 1989. I lost my mother four years ago. My mother had accepted my spiritual way of living very nicely. She used to listen the compositions which are now available in “Shri Guru Bhagavat”, with great interest. When she left, me and my siblings received great solace by reading those during the eleven-day period of mourning. In my home, my wife and children are aware of this and appreciate it.
I never mix the following three things: Family, Service to Shri Sai Baba, and my Profession. Each has its own place in my life. One should not neglect his or her family even if he or she gets attracted towards Shri Sai Baba and wants to serve him. Home is the sanctum for a family man like the hermitage for an ascetic, and the forest for a Yogi. Hence, one should always find time for his family and related affairs.
I used to work at night as most of the hours in the daytime were spent towards profession and family.
AM: Are you happy being in the Spiritual Path ?
Guruji: Spirituality is about our Soul or Spirit and it’s Growth. When one is able to comprehend himself, and understand the root cause of the events happening around him, he then start to realize his Spiritual Consciousness. Consciousness has many layers. Entering into the Spiritual world means climbing the layers of consciousness like a ladder. Whenever one climbs the layers of consciousness, whether he is a Saint or a Yogi, the limited imaginations of his closed mind gets broadened, and then his consciousness takes him to the state of Divine Bliss. Really, it’s a beautiful euphoric state of mind.
AM: Why can’t people stop their tears when they see you ?
Guruji: One of the greatest attributes of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba is that he is a Super-Power of emotions. Hence, he sits straight in the devotee’s heart and makes them feel Passionate about him. This is a universal phenomenon. I have seen this happening in all places like India, Australia, Africa, America, Canada, and even in a place like Cuba. Hence, when we see anything related to Shri Sai Baba be it Shirdi, his Picture, another Devotee, or his Servant, divine sentiments arise inside the heart of Baba’s devotees.
AM: Guruji, So far you have consecrated 217 Shirdi Sai Temples throughout the world. We see a huge upsurge of Baba’s devotees day by day. How is it possible and why ?
Guruji: This is the need of the hour. In today’s world of multitude of languages, people, culture, attitudes, if there was one personality who could shift people’s paradigm through a practice which is simple and easy to follow, It was Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. Baba came towards the end of Nineteenth century, when the three religions, Hindu, Islam, and Christianity were in clash with each other. Baba gave a new direction to unite members of all the religions.
Shri Shirdi Sai Baba taught us the religion and language of Humanity which is above all the religions and languages. One can belong to any religion, support any cult or sect, pray any god. It doesn’t matter. It must be based on the fulcrum of Humanism. Humanness is the common minimum parameter.
In today’s time many modernization have been done, changes have been made. However the core value of Shri Sai Baba’s teaching, which is timeless, is “Humanism”. This is why everyone gets equally attracted towards him.
AM: We have heard that you were very humorous in your School, and College days. While in college, you wrote many hilarious articles which were published in leading Oriya magazines such as “Dagara”, “Asanta Kali” etc. Later those articles were published in your book “Eka Dasakara Ramya Rachana”. Are you still creating such literature ?
Guruji: Now I joke and laugh on myself. If one can laugh on himself, then only he can make others laugh. When in life you hear from others about your great achievements and yet you realize that life is short and will end someday, the magnitude of achievements become small in front of the ultimate truth of life. This thought amuses me and makes me laugh. Humor manifests from contradictions. In fact, Life is a humor, Playful humor not satire.
One of the most hilarious scenario arises when a devotee who says he has surrendered himself completely to Shri Sai Baba does future planning for money, fame etc. in front of his statue in the temple. If you have really surrendered yourself to Baba, Do you need to do this?
AM: What do you want to tell to our viewers ?
Guruji: Only god has the power to bless. We can only Pray. I can pray for you. You can pray for me. We both can pray for each other. Conveying others pain to god with a pure heart is called prayer. If you have read Shri Sai Satcharita, try to evolve and grow yourself by following the little advice Baba has prescribed there.
First of all, effort should be made to stop the fragmentation within a family due to petty ego clashes. Try to come over your anger a little bit. Try to come over your jealousy by a small fraction. If we can’t overcome the discrepancies in our personality by a small margin, It would be incorrect to use loaded terms such as God, Devotion, and Spirituality in our conversations.
Offer all your thoughts, both positive and negative, to Baba. We often believe that only good deeds should be offered to Baba. This is not correct. When Immoral thoughts cross your mind, offer those to Sai Nath as well. This is a sure way to reduce unethical thinking.
AM: Guruji, We thank you from the bottom of our heart for sparing some of your precious time and speaking to us. We are grateful to you for sharing some of your thoughts and for enlightening our viewers. Thank You.