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Volume
6 - Issue 01
JANUARY 2008 |
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Sai's kasturi... A Phantasmagoric Fragrance Forever
Such a soul-stirring prayer, isn’t it? It makes you feel someone has so perfectly penned every pang of your heart, expressing every intimate emotion of your inner self. What if we say this was actually written by your Indweller! Imagine Swami preparing a greeting card especially for you to wish you Happy New Year and then penning this pearl of a prayer inside the card with the endearing words, “My dear one! Begin the New Year with the above Prayer.” And not only this, He inundates you with more love and blessings with the magic message: “Endowed with long life and sound health, surrounded by children, grandchildren and friends, keep on imbibing joy through devotion and wisdom. I bless that your days be spent in the service of Sarveshwara, the Lord of All. Spend your life in abundant peace and happiness. - Baba.” Your heart would have skipped a few beats leaping with inexplicable ecstasy, isn’t it? Sounds too good to be true! But let us tell you, this is no imagination. This is exactly what Swami did for Professor Kasturi, His darling devotee, way back in 1960. And this is only half of the story. The way Swami passed on this specially crafted card to Professor Kasturi was even more exciting.
The Lord did not just hand over this poem to Professor Kasturi when he came for His blessings on the dawn of the New Year day; on the contrary, the Greeting Card came gleefully to Professor Kasturi searching for him. The Sweet Lord had sent the card through someone to be dropped in Bukkapatnam, five miles away the previous day, though the addressee was living five metres away! Recalling that momentous morning, Mr. Kasturi writes, “When the Blessing was delivered by the postman along with other mail, the surprise, the thrill, the gratitude and the yearning to express it direct to Him, rendered me incapable of speech or movement.”
Sai and Kasturi - An Unparalleled Relationship The man who could weave magic with his words and is often hailed as “Vyasa and Valmiki of the Kali Age” for his unsurpassable documentation of the Life of the present Avatar, was dumbfounded and drowned in the Love of his Master and Beloved. And this was no exception; rather it was only a glimpse of the glorious relationship that persisted between this pure devotee and his Lord, for, the most part of Professor Kasturi’s life was a serial of such sweet exchanges with the divine.
“No one was as close to Swami as Professor Kasturi! His level of communication was different,” recalls Professor Anil Kumar who had the privilege of observing, interacting and imbibing many important instructions for life from this distinguished devotee of the Lord. “His level of communication was celestial. He was the only man who could communicate with Swami at that religious, philosophical, vedantic, Himalayan plane of thoughts. I don’t think anybody could do that – not even Sri Kamavadhani (a distinguished Vedic scholar close to Swami in those days). What does the goldsmith do to ascertain if the gold is genuine or not? He rubs it against a touchstone. Believe me, Swami would ask Professor Kasturi how His speech was! He would not ask anybody else! Swami would find in him an intellectual, a scholar, a man of great wisdom and a true seeker. And Kasturi too would pick up pertinent points which fascinated him and left indelible imprints in his heart. That interaction and sacred bonding was something extraordinary!” “Yes, his relationship with Swami was very unique,” recalls Mr. B. N. Narasimha Murthy, Warden of the Brindavan campus of Bhagavan’s University, who too was fortunate to spend many summers and winters witnessing this one-of-its-kind devotee-Deity relationship. “I remember, one day in 1982, Swami had gone to the University campus to oversee some construction work, and He had taken Professor Kasturi along with him in the car. And three of us were waiting in the portico of the Mandir for Swami to return. After He came, Bhagavan noticed and called us immediately inside the interview room. Professor Kasturi, who alighted from the car after Swami, took a while to come in, and by the time he came to the interview room, Swami was about to close the door. But Professor Kasturi, quite nonchalantly, just walked in. Swami then looked at him and said, ‘See Kasturi, there are only ‘Moorthis’ inside – Sathya Moorthy, Krishna Moorthy and Narasimha Moorthy.’ And then pointing to Himself, he added, ‘I am also Moorthy (the name by which the idol of a deity is called in many Indian languages). So, there is no place for Kasturi inside.’ The way the smart and simple Kasturi reacted in this tricky situation was simply superb. It still lingers in my memory.
With a sweet smile dancing on his lips, he said (in Telugu), ‘Swami, neenu osthe antha poorthi aipotundi.’ Which meant, ‘Swami, when I come in, the “Moorthies” assembly will become “Poorthi”, that is, “complete” in Telugu. Swami instantly had such a hearty laugh and let him in. That was the kind of special relationship, the divine friendship that he shared with the Lord.” A Bond that was Sweet and Beautiful
Such interesting and enchanting instances in the life of this great devotee were numerous. One day, spotting Professor Kasturi sitting in a corner where there was not much light in the veranda in Whitefield, with Vibhuti drawn on his forehead, which was like a part of his personal attire everyday, Swami said, “Aye Kasturi! Come here under the light,” and then He mischievously smiled and continued, “Otherwise others will say, ‘What is that bandage on your forehead!’” The ever affable Kasturi answered, “This is not a bandage Swami; this actually removes me from bondage! From the bondage of birth and death.” The Lord, of course, liberally laughed.
“He was the only one who could joke with Swami,” recalls Professor Anil Kumar. “Many would be scared and tight-lipped in front of Bhagavan; they dare not cut a joke, but not Professor Kasturi.” And Swami would enjoy his innovative and entertaining responses and repartees. “In fact, such was the close chemistry between the two that when he used to go to see Him in the afternoon everyday, Swami used to say, ‘See, My newspaper is coming! He is going to give Me news.’ And the child-like Kasturi would innocently narrate all the ‘hot news’ of the world he had heard with his tiny transistor glued to his ear at 1.30 every afternoon to the Master of all the Worlds. His role in the Divine Drama was really a prized one. “It is this beautiful synthesis of child like innocence and sage like wisdom that endeared him to the Lord, and as the Bible quotes, exalted him in the Kingdom of God, literally!” says Mr. B. N. Narasimha Murthy. On one occasion when Professor Kasturi was with Baba motoring from Mumbai to Bangalore, while in the car Swami took out, one by one, luscious apples from a bag kept near Him, carefully sliced each of them, and started distributing to all inside the car. It was the conclusion of a small prayer session wherein Swami asked all to sing bhajans and devotional songs. Everybody heartily accepted the apple-pieces from the Lord and started assimilating the juicy fruit with joy, but not Professor Kasturi. He sat there holding the piece in his closed palm, scared that chewing the skin and swallowing the fruit would be an ordeal beyond the ability of his artificial teeth. “I dared not spit the stuff through the window for fear the denture might follow the skin!” he writes. But the Loving God glanced at him for a moment and recognized his embarrassment, though Professor Kasturi never stated anything explicitly. And the next piece that He gave Professor Kasturi had the skin neatly and nicely removed by the Lord Himself. “Whenever somebody brought sweets to Him, Swami would keep a few for my father saying, ‘Aye, this is for Kasturi. Let him enjoy it!’” recalls Mrs. Padma Kasturi, Professor Kasturi’s daughter. “The intimacy that existed between them had to be seen to be believed. It was a relationship that was legendary in so many ways.” In His autobiography, “Loving God”, Mr. Kasturi writes, “Mine is, let me confide in you, a Love Story.” It, truly, is a Love Story that every Sai devotee can only dream of. The greatest of the romances that have reverberated in the consciousness of mankind, inspiring, instructing and illumining minds for eons together, are those of the devotee and the Divine. And the ones the Supreme Self chooses for these great dramas on earth are blessed beings whose fortune is unimaginable. In the present age, this pure hearted Professor was one such privileged one ‘hand picked’ by the Divine, and the games that the Primordial One played with this pristine soul were plenty and profound. Mothering the Lord of Love
Professor Kasturi, recounting one such remarkable experience, writes, “We were at Chebrole that evening,” referring to a town in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh where Baba had been many years ago. “During dinner, He suddenly announced that we were to leave for Madras (now Chennai). His face was flushed and He was in evident hurry. I surmised that He had assuaged the rigor of someone’s fever and had decided to assume a dire disease which had come upon him. He preferred the home of devotees at Madras, because they are more familiar with the role-plays (trances) He enacts, as part of the Avataric mission. Baba was in the back seat. I happened to be the only other occupant of the car, apart from the man at the wheel. And, I found myself on the back seat. A few miles later, Baba showed an inclination to stretch rather uncomfortably on the space available. I called on the chauffeur to help so that I could scramble into the vacuum on his left. But Baba said, ‘No’. I realized then that we had no pillow and my old affirmative answer to afford a prop stood valid.” And what happened next was, perhaps, one of Professor Kasturi’s life’s most exhilarating and ecstatic moments. The Mother of all Creation was now a Cosmic Child, comfortable and calm in the lap of his dearest devotee. “I sat stroking the hair and soothing the brow until dawn broke on the outskirts of Madras,” he writes. For eight hours through the night he ‘mothered’ his Beloved Master, and the next morning Swami sent Professor Kasturi back to Puttaparthi asking him to travel by First Class in the train and convey His Message, in lieu of His absence, to the devotees who had assembled in Puttaparthi for the festival of Vaikunta Ekadashi.
Why did the Lord enact such a drama? What could be the concealed Cosmic Design in this play? Was it a harbinger of a higher role that the Lord wanted to assign this gem of a devotee? Is it true that Professor Kasturi would actually mother the future incarnation of the present Avatar? All these dilemmas will remain as enigmas until the Divine decides to decode them some day; we do not know now and will probably never know. But what we do know is that, just as Swami was Professor Kasturi’s life-breath, Kasturi too was Swami’s beloved and ‘the chosen one’, upon whom the Lord doted, not for decades, but for, perhaps, centuries and life times. In “Loving God” Kasturi himself reveals, “Bhagavan’s Love has sustained me, not only since 1948 when I stood in His Presence, but, at least, since my birth in 1897 when He watched over me in the cradle. (In fact) Bhagavan once told me that He knew me even before the latest birth in Kerala.” Blessed as a Baby Is it not the Almighty’s alacrity that Kasturi Ranganatha Sharma (which was his initial name, later trimmed by his parents to its one third) commenced his earthly career on the day when half of the globe was glorying the Father, for so mercifully sending His Beloved Son to rescue and redeem them? By this, the Lord perhaps ensured that as everybody remembers and reveres His Darling Son on the Christmas Day, they do not forget His Dear devotee too. And he arrived braced with conspicuous signs of Grace and good luck. The yet-to-be-named newborn had six fingers on each palm and equal number of toes on each foot! Though out of ignorance and impatience, his granny surreptitiously scissored off the visible proofs of Providence, the blessings that destiny had bestowed on him befriended and buttressed him, whether he realized it or not, at every crucial juncture of his life.
When he was 11-days old and carried by his mother to the Shrine of Lord Parthasarathy (the local temple dedicated to Lord Krishna), and placed on a stone slab under the big lamp hanging in front of the idol, the flames on the lamps placed on either side of the idol flickered for a moment, and his mother in her heart ‘saw’ the smile that the Lord subtly conveyed and returned home filled with contentment. For most of his formative years, this Parthasarathy was Kasturi’s pillar of support, private friend and much prayed God. Be it pencils or peppermints, attires or assignments, Kasturi emptied his heart out everyday to Him with his prayers, pleadings and petitions. Half a century later, when Kasturi saw his Parthasarathy in flesh and blood in Puttaparthi, he realized he had secured the One he steadfastly beseeched for years. And the rewards he received for all his pure-hearted prayers of his childhood was overpowering. The Lord adorned him with the editorship of “Sanathana Sarathi”, the conduit that carried His Message to all continents, much to his disbelief and delight. When he was a few months old and his parents took him to the Siva temple at Vycome to fulfill the vow of offering their first child to the Deity as His bond-slave, they placed him on a banana leaf in front of the open door of the shrine, and then began to circumambulate the sanctum sanctorum, when in the middle of this, they were stopped by the priest who said, “I have a Message from Siva Himself: ‘I have a child on My Hands. Take it and foster it for Me with care and devotion.’” The overjoyed parents prostrated full length at the feet of Lord Siva thanking Him profusely for His Acceptance and Munificence. Sustained by His Munificence, All Through
When, out of sheer lack of financial sustenance, the grandfather of Kasturi wanted to deprive the fatherless boy professional education, the Lord in the form of his mother stood courageously by him and ensured that he mastered the mysteries of language and literature, which would, in future, enable him to be His most proficient and prized instrument. Though his mother’s family had no means to even provide him his minimum calorie requirement to keep his flesh and bone together, let alone make him smart and sturdy, the Lord saw to it that wherever he studied - be it in Tripunittura where he did his schooling, or in Ernakulam where he attended Pre-University, or even in the college at Trivandrum, from where he emerged with an Honours degree in History - there were always free ‘eating houses’ which would offer him two square meals everyday. Again, it was the Hidden Hand which tied his destiny with another diamond of a personality (early in life as was the custom those days) who not only nourished his body with the financial largesse she got from her father during marriage, but also was a perfect partner who propped up his spirits and energized his soul whenever he felt defeated in his life. After his degree at the age of 21, when he was desperately devouring newspaper columns to catch a vacancy that could put a full stop to the fiscal conundrum of his life, it was the Merciful Lord again who made him stumble on an advertisement for the post of a lecturer in a High School in the city of Mysore, for, it was in this Land of Gold Mines and Sandalwood that the world would get a glimpse of the ‘Literary Gold’, the genius, that he was, and revel in the fragrance of his classic articles and charming anecdotes, tantalizing essays and tutoring tactics and antics, humorous plays and humanitarian programmes. The Lord Rescues and Kasturi Blossoms Again, when he longed to liberate himself from this High School, vexed with the variegated inclinations of the founder of the school, which compelled him and his wards to engage themselves in all activities, except sound learning, it was the Ever-watchful Benevolent Lord who made his old comrade and classmate-turned-monk appear at his door one fine morning.
But for this miracle meeting with Gopala Marar transmuted into Swami Siddeshwarananda of the Ramakrishna order, he would probably have never become Professor Kasturi, because during that time, Kasturi was seriously contemplating on a career in Law, to escape from the unpleasant association with the High School and also to prop up his financial situation. In the next few years the Divine Director saw to it that the latent spiritual potential of this spirited young man in his twenties blossomed and found expression in excellent acts of elaboration on the sacred teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. As secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission, Mysore chapter, he not only lectured eloquently and extensively, in Kannada and English, on the philosophy and practice of his ‘Gurudev’, but also led the way in undertaking many projects of social upliftment – a task he liked the most. And around this time in 1928, the Munificent Lord placed him in the Maharaja’s College of Arts affiliated to the Mysore University, which was the perfect fertile ground for his literary talents to flourish and allowed him to take on many fascinating roles – as a proficient playwright who directed many an entertaining and educating drama to break social stigmas and stimulate unity in villages and towns; as a capable composer who shared the lives and messages of Saints, epic-heroes and Avatars through his highly popular Harikathas; as a prolific writer who penned a battery of novels in Kannada, most of them laced with significant or subtle humour exposing the muddled and mediocre adventures of the ordinary mind; as the chief contributor of puns and parodies, quips and quixotic essays to the Kannada humour monthly “Koravanji” as well as The Sankar’s Weekly in which it appeared under the title “Mere Prattle” for seven long years; as the Assistant Director of the All India Radio, wherein he not only coined the name “Akashvani” for the broadcasting station (which remains to this day), but also raised the Radio to historic heights by his consistent creativity, weaving numerous novel programmes which appeased and aggravated the listeners’ appetite constantly. By the time India achieved Independence in 1947, Baba had already transferred Kasturi to Bangalore where Venkatadri, his younger son had joined the Engineering college, while Murthy, his elder one was in Glaslow, Sweden, pursuing his Ph. D in Geology. And it is in this city, after the country was re-born, that the golden chapter in Kasturi’s life, for which God was waiting, also began. He Meets the Love of His Life The swashbuckling Kasturi of the Kannada Literature fame was stunned into silence when the very first time his eyes met Baba in a devotee’s residence in Bangalore, Swami read him like an open book! “You are glad I fixed that boy?” He asked, flabbergasting him with His Omniscience and Omnipresence. A few days prior to this Swami had instructed in a dream to Mr. Potti Iyer, an acquaintance of Kasturi, to give his son's hand to Kasturi’s daughter in marriage, though Potti Iyer had initially disinclined hoping to find a more prosperous family to align himself with.
“You wished that I intercede with Potti Iyer and make them agree,” He continued. Seeing the unstinted veneration Potti Iyer had for Baba, Kasturi had earlier said to himself, “They consider this Silent Sai as their Master. If only He says a word, they will receive Padma into their home.” And now, he was dazed when Sai declared that He had in fact heard his inner mumbling! “You lost a son, poor fellow! This boy will be a son-in-law and a son to you. Do not worry. I know you have not recieved from the University the status you deserve. Very soon, you will receive that too. Your old mother will be happy now….” Swami went on and on, and every syllable that Sai uttered only left Kasturi mesmerized, triggering in him mental gymnastics of a genre he had never indulged till then. It was hard for him to believe what he was seeing and experiencing. How could this 22 year old with “a huge fluff of kinky hair and ochre robe” know everything? As he was trying to reason it out, Bhagavan dropped a bomb shell. “After retiring from the University, stay with Me. You can write My biography.” “Me?” Kasturi immediately ejaculated. “Yes, I shall tell you whom to consult for details – parents, brothers, kinsmen, neighbours, teachers, etc. I shall also help.” It was July, 1948 and Kasturi’s mind had become a complete conundrum. “Was this a reprimand, a dig at my decrying him, a joke at my conceit as a writer, a warning that I should not merely prattle in weeklies……? Did He really mean it?”
Well, that was, in brief, the mind-boggling manner how the Lord, who had been directing his life undetectably for nearly five decades, decided to reveal Himself when the time had finally arrived. Describing this moment, Mr. Kasturi writes in his autobiography, “It was too good to be true, too sweet to swallow, too sudden to sink in, too light to keep in mind! Oh! The gifts He showered!” From the wedding of his daughter, to his promotion, his mother’s happiness…Swami submerged him with His spontaneous and unceasing love. In fact, He virtually held him by the hand from there on through every single second of his life, with great care, concern and affection, which overwhelmed him time and again transmuting every cell of his being into an inspired instrument of the Divine. When the dilemma of reconciling his devotion to Sri Ramakrishna and the irresistible love for Baba overwhelmed his mind, the all-knowing Swami dispelled it when He said to his wife within his earshot, “Poor fellow, he does not know that it was Ramakrishna who brought him to Me.” The next few years, till he settled in Baba’s physical proximity, Kasturi’s heart was in Prasanthi and if there was any comma, semicolon or question mark in his life at Bangalore, he found himself at his Beloved’s Feet in the “Heaven of Peace”. And each such encounter with the Lord was an eye-opener. Swami was steadying, shaping and sharpening His dearest devotee at every available opportunity. On one occasion, He asked him, “Which does taste better – hot milk made lukewarm by being poured from one cup to another a number of times or hot milk cooled to the temperature of the tongue by the cup being kept for sometime in a basin of cold water?” Kasturi was imaginably befuddled. Swami gave a clue too. “When you go back, ask your mother. Also tell her what she does is not correct.” Only when Kasturi returned and discovered that her mother quickly cooled the milk everyday using a basin of cold water before placing it in front of His picture, did he realize the all-pervasive Presence of his Magnificent Master. Sai Wills and Kasturi Shines as an Illustrious Principal Soon, Baba’s promise of higher salary and status in his career materialized. A University Order sent Mr. Kasturi to the Intermediate College, Davangere as its Principal. But the Davangere College was no walk, or even dance, in the park, so to say, and as he described, it was “a sword from Damocles”. But Mr. Kasturi, through his patient and loving personality, his Harikathas and seva to Harijans, educational exhibitions and persuasive and powerful presentations successfully canalized the exuding energy of the youth, and in the process created history in that hostile environment. On the day he retired after five years, the love the college and the place had for him was patent. The crowd that had gathered to see him off was huge and the flower garlands that were heaped upon him nearly covered his whole face. Later, when Kasturi offered his gratitude to Bhagavan for seeing him through in that ‘notorious’ place, the Kind Lord immediately transmuted the sky in His hand into a rosary of Tulsi beads and placed it lovingly around his neck. Kasturi, conquered yet again by His Pure Love, was left wondering how the Lord who actually is the Doer takes great pleasure in decorating His devotees with laurels and rewards.
But those five years of Kasturi in Davangere (1949-1954) were riddled with remarkable experiences, both at the college and at His physical presence in Prasanthi Nilayam, to where he visited as often as he could. In December 1951, Kasturi was surprised to find in his day’s mail a letter from Baba, in the language Kannada, written in Anglo-Saxon script, requesting him (!) to unveil His portrait at the School Day Function of the Sri Sathya Sai Baba District Board High School at Bukkapatnam (10 kms from Puttaparthi). When Mr. Kasturi reached the Divine Presence a few days later with a well-prepared manuscript of his Telugu speech, written in Kannada (for, then he neither knew how to read, write or understand the Andhra Tongue) which he thought would impress all, Baba, without a moment, massacred the idea saying, “It must be ‘Heartificial’”. Mr. Kasturi, on the appointed day, not only gave an inspiring speech in English, but also was immensely humbled when he saw the boards declare himself as “N Kasturi, M A, B L., Ph. D, Principal, DRM College, Davangere”. He fell at Baba’s feet. “Swami, I am not a Ph. D.” But the compassionate Sai only smiled, patted and said, “You are a Ph. D”. “Of which University, Swami?” The Lord turned to him again and said, “Puttaparthi University". Little did he realize then that it was not a casual utterance, sans concrete meaning; Professor Kasturi, in this episode, was in fact, the Lord’s chosen instrument through whom He intimated the world about the most salient facet of His Grand Mission, of which the Bukkapatnam school was only a starting point. Three decades later when the Sri Sathya Sai University was inaugurated in Puttaparthi, Professor Kasturi was present savouring every second of that significant occasion. Captivated by His Compassion In these five initial years of his acquaintance with the Avatar, the ever-inquisitive and enterprising Kasturi, who was mesmerized by His Miracles and Manifestations, even tried to instigate Swami into performing these Divine Acts in his own ‘tactful’ way. When he heard that Swami had, for some reason, become very cold to the evening Chitravathi sessions (which were, invariably, breathtaking ‘Creation hours’ when the Lord would produce anything – idols, lockets, sweets, etc. - from the sands), eager to enjoy the fun again, he went near Him and pleaded, “Swami! It is Full Moon today. We shall have the gathering on the sands.”
“Do you think I can transform only Chitravathi sands? Is there no sand around the Mandir under construction?” Stumped but still strong, Kasturi persisted, “Swami! We shall go to that site and sit on one heap and do bhajan.” “I know it is not Bhajan you are interested. You desire that I entertain you with miracles. You think I must have sand for that,” the Lord laughed. Now that the cat was out of the bag, someone said, “Very well, Swami! We know you can create things right out of air…Let us gather in Mandir itself. A miracle can happen here, now if You are gracious.”
At this point, Swami, who was till then pacing up and down, stopped and stared at the pleaders and said, “Miracle, miracle – you clamour! But you have no knowledge of one miracle – You, every one of you. Your very existence is My Miracle.” Recalling that lightning of Divine Disclosure, Mr. Kasturi writes, “Through that simple-looking statement, He revealed that He was far more phenomenal than anyone we had learnt about in human history!” But the inventive mind of Kasturi did not cease its schemes. On one occasion when he learnt from a few people who had close encounters with Baba that if He saw a gem-set ring in the finger of the devotee, He would, more often than not, ask for it, blow His breath over it and transform it into a ring with His portrait embedded on it, he got a big gold-ring made for himself. But Baba made him suffer for two full years without asking for it even though he tried in every way to make it as conspicuous as possible whenever he was in His Presence. On the next day after his “Bukkapatnam speech” when he was inside the interview room, Baba held out His hand for the ring! Shaking with excitement, he placed it immediately in His palms. “Oh! You desire to have a big picture so that you can preen yourself as a big devotee! So everyone would envy you and it would make you famous…No! Have Me in your heart instead. That is My Home.” Next, the Divine blew His breath and lo! The ring disappeared! The poor Professor’s face was like a punctured balloon, all air puffed out. Then Swami gave Kasturi Vibhuti packets as parting prasadam and opened the door for him to step out. With a heavy heart, the old head stepped out. But scarcely had he made a few steps, when the Compassionate Lord beckoned him near and looking sympathetically at him asked, “You want your ring back, no?” A charming smile crossed His lips, His Hand waved and weaved out of the thin air a ring extolled in the legends. It was a navaratna – a nine-gemmed beauty, three in each row, which, it is believed, could bestow one with boons from the nine planets. The gracious Lord slipped it onto his finger and then said, “Now, you will not be announcing Me, as yours, even before I acknowledge that you are Mine. This ring is worn by many who believe that the Navagrahas (the nine planets) have to be propitiated. By and by, you will discover that My Anugraha (Grace) can overcome the sinister designs of the nine planets. Until then, have this.” “I will save you from every hurt” - Baba And how many times did the Ever-Guarding and Gracious Lord not rescue him? During a vacation month when he was at Bangalore, his office at Davangere sent him a cheque to be signed and returned in the official envelope that was enclosed. When Kasturi alighted from a city bus and arrived at the post office to send it, it was pouring cats and dogs. He was petrified, not because of the rain, but because of his wet pockets that were empty! He searched frantically for the cheque on all the roads he had crossed, but no avail. And worse, he had not noted the number of cheque anywhere to be able to inform the Treasury about mishap and save its misuse. In panic, he climbed the night train to Davangere, was at his office at 8 am, and summoned his Accountant to explore ways to repair the damage.
And in the next few minutes, he finds in his room the Postman with a bundle of covers. He inspects the just-arrived mail and voila! One of them is the same registered post, with the cheque safely inside, that he lost at Bangalore! Some kind soul (Baba?) had picked it up and dropped it in the post box, and as Kasturi narrates, “It had traveled with me by the night train and come to my office as soon as I reached there!” Who else, but his Sai, had saved him from embarrassment, ignominy and a blotch of inefficiency in his illustrious rein as the Principal. Again, during the University exam, when he opened and distributed the question papers for “History of India” while the Time Table had all the students come prepared for “History of Great Britain”, he did not know where to hide his face. He closed the door and cried in front of the portrait of Baba. It was a no ordinary blunder. The whole process of preparing a new question paper, printing and parceling it to fifteen centres has to be undertaken by the University head office in six days! It was impossible! Kasturi was devastated; with tears, he spelt out his gruesome fate in front of Baba’s photo, and then gathering courage boarded the night train to Mysore, the city of the University head office. He landed early morning and straight went to the house of the Registrar who was fortunately, a friend. He comforted Kasturi when he said that the other two members of the Board of Examiners for History were in the city at that time and if he can get the new question paper by 2 pm, he could arrange to get it printed in the Government Press and have dispatched it by the night. But before anything can be done, Kasturi had to first meet the Vice chancellor, who will be available only at 10.30 am after a historic meeting on Education being attended by the Chief Minister of the state. That meeting was punctuated with unruly scenes with a few students at the back of the Hall creating a ruckus. When Kasturi caught him at his office after the session ended, he saw him crestfallen. Expecting more bad news from another student population at Davangere, the Vice-Chancellor asked coldly, “What is the news?” And then Kasturi presented his plight. The University Vice-Chancellor was glad. Kasturi was actually pleasantly shocked. “During all these years you have kept Davangere students quiet. Look at the students here! Don’t worry, Kasturi! Such mistakes do happen even in the best regulated institutions…” and next, he summoned the Registrar in. Once the new question paper was set, signed by required authorities and sent for dispatch, the Vice Chancellor even gave a friendly pat on his back and said, “Carry on Mr. Kasturi! Do not loose your sense of humour.” The next day Kasturi was in Puttaparthi and when Baba called him in, he pleaded, “Swami! I do not want to continue as the head of the college. It is too much of a …” Swami cut in with “What did happen, really? I know you opened one packet instead of another. You wept before Me. And, that in the Office Room…. Well, your boss sent you with a pat on your back, don’t I know? This is not the first time…Go on stumbling! I will follow, saving you from the hurt”. And exactly as He said, the Benevolent Baba, cared, comforted and virtually carried him in His arms for all the rest of the thirty years of his life that He spent in His close proximity. When he retired in 1954 with a full year’s pension, Swami suggested that he go on a spiritual pilgrimage to North India taking his mother and wife along, and added, “Purchase three railway tickets for the journey. We four can travel on those.”
When their hostess in Delhi sent a phonogram to the Ramakrishna ashram in Brindavan informing them of Kasturi’s arrival, at the receiver’s end, the decoded message had, instead of ‘Kasturi’, ‘Baba’ in it. The whole trip, similarly, was a series of visible and invisible manifestations of His Love and Presence, and after reaching Bangalore when Kasturi wrote a letter to Swami, who was in Kodai Kanal then, describing all the thrilling tales of His Grace, Baba replied, “I am happy you returned full of joy…How can delay, disappointment or danger cross your plans when Swami is ever with you? My Name is not distinct from My Form…” In Joyous Company as His Neighbour Such a Loving Lord, whom Kasturi calls, the “Embodiment of Inexhaustible Compassion”, blessed him with the opportunity of being an inmate of His hallowed heaven with a tiny tenement to the right of the Prasanthi Nilayam Mandir in 1954. His was one among the eight which stood in a row. In his autobiography, Kasturi shares many accounts of how Swami used to play and pun with them through His plethora of pranks, and at the same time prick and purify their habits and attitudes, which explains why Swami had aptly named their block “Brindavan”, reminiscent of where Lord Krishna spent His charming childhood, playing with his peers. One day, when Kasturi and his family were looking towards the northern direction waiting for Him to Grace their house, as He was in there already in their neighbour’s house and could step out any moment, the Sweet Lord managed to tactfully get through their backdoor, tip-toe silently from behind and quickly place His palms on Kasturi’s eyes and ask, “Tell, who?” That was how much He loved the company of this sixty year old dear devotee. It was a fantastic period of “spiritual honeymoon” for Kasturi and his family when Sai would suddenly walk into their house any day and regale them with His melodious voice singing great Carnatic music classics, or drown them with laughter with His on-the-spot constructed rib-ticklers. Beholding Amazing Facets of His Brilliance During this time, Kasturi not only had the fabulous fortune of witnessing thrilling miracles and manifestations of the Lord associated with festivals like Dasara when from the Divine Brow of the Lord would emerge Vibhuti, the sacred kumkum (vermillion) or flashes of light (Swami even materialized ‘Kailas Vibhuti’ specially for him which was hot and could have scalded his palm!); or during Rama Navami when He transfigured the sands of Chitravathi into scintillating idols of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman followed by a shining silver plate saying, “How can these four remain separate entities? They have to be together”; or on the festival celebrating the birth of Krishna when He Himself so deftly, diligently and delightfully decorated the statue of Lord Krishna with bracelets and bands, gems and jewellery; or the one and only Vaikunta Ekadashi festival when Swami opened the vault of heaven for all the devotees when He materialized the legendary Amrith (nectar), not by a wave of His hand or pouring it from His cupped palms, but from “which nectar was first gained” as He said - Baba brought out from the sands a large and white conch and from that empty shining shell nectar fell, slowly and fragrantly, till it filled a silver vessel to its brim; or the stunning Shivarathri when from Baba’s gullet gushed forth, one after one, nine lingams (!) and the munificent Sai Shiva later graced and sanctified Kasturi when He gave one of these to him for his daily worship; or, of course, the Birthday of his beloved Lord when He blessed him and his wife with the unparalleled chance of anointing His hair….Kasturi was literally in heaven, spending every moment of his retired life with great relish.
From Akashvani to ‘Saivani’ But in 1956, the Divine decided to‘re-tyre’ him for the world, and in spite of his reluctance to leave His presence, convinced him to accept the offer of the post of Producer of Programmes for the newly established All India Radio Station, Bangalore, saying, “Your talents must not lie fallow…Do you think you will be serving ‘someone else’ there? All jobs are for Me…This is a gift of Grace, Go! You are not going away from Me…”
The architect of Akashvani was once again engaged creating and crafting radio programmes and infusing them with vigour and color, variety and candour. At every slightest opportunity Kasturi rushed the hundred miles to bask in His presence, and the Compassionate Lord even allowed him during this time to take a long leave and accompany Him to Delhi, Rishikesh, Brindavan and Kashmir. And after this trip, there were more blessings waiting! Swami now wanted to celebrate his sixtieth birthday! A priest arrived from Bukkapatnam, musicians came from Mysore and many All India Radio fans and friends gathered from Bangalore. Complete with Vedic recitals, rich decoration and sacred music - there was no compromise on style or celebration in any manner. Swami allowed the fortunate couple to adorn His Lotus Feet with flowers, one by one, as they chanted the 1008 names of the Lord, and at the end, His Hand moved in circular motion and out came a Mangala sutra and a medallion. While Mr. Kasturi tied the golden thread round his better half’s neck, and she placed the golden pendant over his head, the Magnanimous Lord, standing in the middle, just shook His empty Hand over their heads and the next minute they were covered with a shower of rice grains, kumkum and haldi dust – all considered very auspicious. Having savoured His unmatched and unceasing love, and with his penchant for penning radio programmes tapering off, Kasturi now longed to return to His Presence permanently and to serve none but Him. And that day did arrive, in a matter of few weeks, when Swami, during a visit to Bangalore in 1958, spotted him at the residence of Mr. Vittal Rao and said, “Now, you have to work at Puttaparthi. A monthly magazine will start soon. Guess! How is it named?” And then Himself revealed, “Sanathana Sarathi!” This Divine instrument of the Lord, the ashram’s mouthpiece, which was to carry His Message to the multitudes, was instrumental in bringing another chosen instrument into His proximity at Puttaparthi. Kasturi’s dream of living in Baba’s Presence materialised again, and now truly every moment of his life each day, from dawn till dusk, was spent with the Divine. Starting the Day with Sai… Recalling his daily early morning schedule, his daughter, Mrs. Padma Kasturi, says, “Much before 6 am, my father would be ready to go the Mandir and my mother would have kept ready for him Bilva and Tulsi leaves - washed, dried and neatly bundled in a cloth - which he would take and go to see Swami.
First thing he would do, once in His Presence, is place these fresh and serene offerings at His Lotus Feet and prostrate, and then return home bringing along with him the sanctified ‘green gifts’ from the Divine. My mother would be anxiously waiting for him and only after he returned would she touch coffee or breakfast. Again, after the conclusion of bhajans, which was around 9.30, father used to go up the Mandir to His Presence and return an hour or two later.” “At this time, Swami would generally discuss matters relating to the Sai Organisation as the sixties and seventies was the time when the Organisation was taking concrete shape,” adds Mr. Ramesh Kasturi, Mrs. Padma’s son. And once he returned, there would be people waiting for him to hear from the horse’s mouth, as it were, pearls and gems of Divine Play and Grace, and he would lovingly share too. “He was enormously generous with his experiences of Swami, and also, extremely perceptive of His ways and words, and at the same time had a very sweet voice,” says Mrs. Janet Bicker, who along with her husband produced many films on Baba in 1960s and 70s. “When I would arrive after not being here for two years or more,” she continues, “I would go to him and show him what I had been working on, the articles that I had been writing, and he would sweetly point out mistakes and say, ‘It might be better, you know, if you took this approach…’ and it was just something that was extremely helpful to me personally and to the writing that appeared later in the films as the narration… And if you approached Professor Kasturi with your question, you would feel confident that you were getting an answer that Swami would be pleased with or approve of….I, therefore, have many things to be thankful for to Professor Kasturi.” Professor Kasturi - Gentleness at its Zenith Professor Anil Kumar, similarly, has unforgettable memories of the gentle Kasturi. “What really fascinated me,” he says, “is this: In the year 1970, when I first came to Puttaparthi with my family, the eldest of my four kids was five years old and I was carrying the youngest in my arms. As I was moving about in the campus, the children felt very thirsty. I could not ask for water to anyone because everyone seemed to be so busy, going to the Mandir; I didn’t know where to get water from. And then I saw Professor Kasturi come out of his residence. I went to him and said, “Sir, I am a Professor from the Christian College in Guntur; my children want some water. I know it’s time for you to go for Darshan…” He immediately said, “Mr. Anil Kumar, giving water to your children is more important to me than the usual Darshan!” And after serving my children, he added, “This is service to Swami; such acts will please Him.” I can never forget that in my life – which is not only the message of his life, it is also a message to me and to our Sai brothers and sisters all over the world.”
Spontaneous selfless service and empathy were as natural to Kasturi as fragrance to a flower. “Right from his early days, his heart always went out to the deprived and desolate,” recalls Mrs. Padma. “He would create Harikathas (composition of song and dialogue) on noble people and perform them in the prisons, and such would be the impact of his inspired presentations that the stone-hearted would soon start sobbing and repenting, even prostrating in front of him. And he liked the Harijans (the untouchables) the most. He would take his enthusiastic and energetic band of boys and entertain those in misery, bringing on their faces forgotten smiles.”
Mr. B. N. Narasimha Murthy, who is now continuing the biography of Bhagavan from where Professor Kasturi left off, met him when he was only 19 years old, and he remembers vividly how Mr. Kasturi was diligently and tirelessly typing away on the typewriter, totally oblivious to the clutter and confusion around. “But anybody could go and interrupt him; he was so simple, gentle and welcoming,” he recalls. “He knew no strangers; he will not even ask the person’s name and willingly share Swami’s glory. And if anybody came to him with any ailment – mental, physical or emotional, he would emphathise immediately. In fact, he would even go to the extent of interceding on a devotee’s behalf with Swami, though this can often be dangerous for people living in His close proximity. “I remember one such incident,” says Mr. B. N. Narasimha Murthy. “It was in 1981 and we had organized a spiritual retreat in the Muddanahalli Sai School campus, where I was a warden then. On that occasion, along with Professor Kasturi were Professor K. V. Ramakrishna Rao and Jagadanandaji Maharaj. The latter, who was a monk from the Ramakrishna Mission, gave a wonderful discourse, and after his talk asked Mr. Kasturi if he could accompany him to Puttaparthi to see Swami. And Professor Kasturi agreed to this readily. So, all of us came to Prasanthi Nilayam, but by that time the bhajans had concluded and Swami had gone upstairs. We all waited down, while Mr. Kasturi went up and informed Swami about our arrival. And in the next few minutes, the Kind Lord granted all of us an interview! And it was an interesting session. Jagadanandaji had a chronic health problem and Swami, graciously, materialized vibhuti and gave him. Then he told Swami, ‘I have this ailment for many years now.’ The reply that Bhagavan gave him that day was revealing. ‘Develop more faith and devotion in Guru Maharaj. You will be cured,’ He said. Swami was referring to his master, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.” That is how Mr. Kasturi helped a spiritual aspirant secure the Grace of Sai, but on occasions Swami severely censured him too for such ‘Gatekeeper to God’ endeavours to ensure that his ego was never inflated. How Sai Chiseled His Kasturi Professor Nanjundiaih, the Controller of Examinations of the Sri Sathya Sai University, who has spent many years watching and working with Professor Kasturi, narrates one such example to illustrate this.
“One day when Kasturi was going to His Presence in the first floor of Prashanti Nilayam Mandir, as was His daily routine, an old-time friend who was aware of his proximity to Bhagavan, caught him and started coaxing him. ‘You should recommend my case to Swami…Bhagavan should give me an interview. Please don’t say ‘No’! You must do this..,” he went on. Professor Kasturi, kind-hearted that he was, could not afford to hurt him nor could he reply in affirmative, so, with an indirect reply ‘I have to go to Swami’, he moved on and went upstairs. After he saw Swami, He allowed him to convey all that he wanted to convey and then asked, ‘What happened when you were coming up to me?’ Professor Kasturi couldn’t immediately get Him. Swami again queried, ‘What happened on the way?’ Then, as if suddenly recollected, Kasturi exclaimed, ‘Oh, that Swami! One old friend met me on the way.’ ‘What did he tell you?’ The Lord probed further. Kasturi said, ‘Swami, You know everything. He wanted an interview from You. He told me to recommend his case.’ Then, immediately Swami said, ‘O ho! Recommendation! You have grown so big in Prashanti Nilayam as to recommend other people’s cases to Swami! O ho!’ ‘No Swami, I am an ordinary fellow; just a dust of Your Lotus Feet. Can I recommend anyone to You, Swami? That gentleman thought so many things and told me to do this.’ Professor Kasturi explained and implored. Still, Bhagavan commanded, “Go and tell him: ‘I am nobody here, an absolutely ordinary person. Can any person recommend about others to Swami? Swami is God. Please don’t expect me to do such things. I am really no one here.” Tell him and return. But when Kasturi went down to pass this message onto his friend the whole episode took an unexpected turn. That person was stone-deaf. And when Kasturi softly, with a serious face, communicated Swami’s message, that gentleman thought his friend was only being too clever, and given his closeness to Bhagavan, he has really acquired for him a Divine audience. He began to rejoice. Kasturi, then, had to repeat His message, twice or thrice, and as loudly as possible, and as a result not only that particular gentleman but everyone around heard it carefully and clearly, apart from it being reiterated repeatedly to Kasturi himself. For someone who really does not understand Swami’s love for Professor Kasturi, it may seem like an unkind way of humiliating the respectable elder. But that is not the real point. Apart from making the world know that recommendations are not the route to receive His Grace, Swami, who had very special love for Professor Kasturi and the concern for the full blossoming of his personality, actually was nipping in the bud any possible tinge of even the slightest ego in him, which could impede his progress towards his spiritual goal. He wanted His Kasturi to be humble, noble and divine, just like Him.” Prof. Kasturi – Humility and Humour in Human Form
And this choicest disciple of the Supreme Spiritual Master, did live up to His expectations on occasions that are too numerous to enumerate. “He was no ordinary man, a scholar par excellence and a matchless writer,” says Professor Anil Kumar. “He knew Upanishadic, Ramakrishna and Aurobindo literature through and through, but never took the opportunity to showcase his scholarship. His talks were not to get into your head, they touched your heart. They were not full of quotations, meant for you to appreciate his great wisdom, but to gladden your heart and make you grow in faith and devotion. It was a communication worthy of the statement – heart to heart! That’s why, when he narrated any incident, you never forgot for a lifetime! I remember all the stories he said long ago, in the 1970’s!... He could speak on one single incident for one hour! And nobody would get up! There was no parallel! You may perhaps, call this an expression of audacity, but I am sincere when I make the statement: ‘If Baba is number one in story-telling, Kasturi would be number two! His expressions had so much power and colour. His simplicity, humility and endearing nature towards all was really great!’”
Julius, a septuagenarian Sai devotee from United Kingdom, who had spent many days in the Ashram listening to Kasturi’s talks in the 1980s, says, “Even if Swami had made him turn stone into wine in front of our eyes, we would have accepted it, because we knew he would have said: ‘Oh! It’s not me, it’s Swami!’ He wouldn’t ever dream of arrogance! That’s what made him everybody’s dream God-father beside their bed, telling them bed-time stories about God and the Universe. And you just were taken in! I don’t think he ever thought he was giving anything of his own; he was interpreting to us, what Swami had given to him. I don’t think he ever thought of himself or realized that he had wisdom, no way absolutely…He knew and was completely aware that Swami had allowed him to be Kasturi! And truly nobody can ever be like him just like nobody can ever be like Shakespeare or Hamlet. They are all totally unique, made forever! … I would say, personally, that the most outstanding concept and attribute of Professor Kasturi was - he emanated love, with humility. And we were spellbound with love for him! And that’s what Swami is, when you begin to realize what He is – He is Love, and when you discover that Love, you love Him. And I think – this makes me cry – Kasturi discovered that! And I think that’s why we loved him; because he did it with humour!”
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