Memories and Experiences of a Russian Devotee
Author's Preface
The Life and Teachings of Sathya Sai Baba
Before you is a book of memoirs about the greatest Indian mystic and miracle worker Sathya Sai Baba. He was born in the very south of India in 1926 and left his body in 2011 at the age of eighty-four. He was known as a philosopher, humanist, spiritual teacher, and the most significant miracle worker of our time.
Sathya Sai Baba preached the unity of all religions, taught meditation practices, and spiritually transformed people with his blessings. With the help of his supernatural abilities, he healed people from diseases and changed the destinies of his followers. The life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba have caused heated debates and discussions for many years, even now these disputes do not subside.
Some spiritual leaders of India and the West treated him with the deepest reverence and considered him the most divine teacher of mankind. Among the followers and disciples of Sathya Sai Baba were the most prominent politicians and businessmen from around the world.
Sathya Sai Baba’s translator
I was fortunate to be Sathya Sai Baba's interpreter from 1993 to 1999. I translated conversations from English into Russian during Sathya Sai Baba's personal meetings with Russian-speaking groups from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Kazakhstan. I watched how Sathya Sai Baba communicated directly with followers and visitors, gave spiritual instructions, answered urgent questions, healed people from illnesses, and changed people's lives.
For me, Sathya Sai Baba is a divine teacher who helped people at all levels of being, from the highest levels of spiritual enlightenment to the most acute problems related to health, family life, and business. For Sathya Sai Baba, there were no unimportant questions. Everything that worried people was important for him. He communicated with each person according to their needs and his level of perception.
The birth of this book
After Sathya Sai Baba passed away in 2011, many people asked me to write about the amazing stories I witnessed. Feeling the need to share my memories with a wide range of readers, I sat down to work, inspired. I remembered how Sathya Sai Baba was during his informal meetings, including his amazing sense of humor and deep insight, while reflecting on the significance of his spiritual heritage.
This book is not just a fascinating story about the life of Sathya Sai Baba and his many miracles; it can also be used as a practical guide on the path of life. The book contains a lot of Sathya Sai Baba's advice on working with the subconscious, meditation techniques and self-healing practices, as well as important recommendations on how to consciously work with the circumstances of life.
The book deals with many interesting and important topics: the relationship between man and God, the harmony of the spiritual path and social success, the right balance between religious practices and financial well-being, meditation practices, and a happy family life.
Creativity of the Author as an Artist
Many years of communication with Sathya Sai Baba completely transformed my soul. His blessings touched literally every aspect of my life. As a professional artist, I am grateful to Sathya Sai Baba for helping me realize that fine art is one of the greatest methods of spiritual self-knowledge and self-improvement.
I studied professional painting skills at an art college and institute, but I draw inspiration and ideas for my paintings from the infinite energy of Divine Love. My task as an artist is to use bright color combinations and unusual compositional solutions to create paintings that help the viewer experience a state of harmony, joy, and happiness. When I paint, I often feel the presence of Sathya Sai Baba, who blessed me in the work of the artist, for which I am eternally grateful to him.
Unity of the Spiritual and the Material
Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar incarnated in our era; he is the eternal Divine Spirit, who is beyond time and space. Reason and logic are powerless to comprehend the infinity of Sathya Sai Baba's Consciousness. At the same time, Sathya Sai Baba was born in the human world, he lived a wonderful and perfect human life. His life is the greatest example of the manifestation of the infinite creative potential that resides in the heart of every human being.
This book will be of interest to both those who are already familiar with Sathya Sai Baba and to readers beginning to acquaint themselves with his life and teachings. The book shows Sathya Sai Baba as a universal teacher who combines the wisdom of all human civilization and guides everyone on the path of harmonious development of Spirit and Matter.
Gratitude
I express my deepest gratitude to all my friends and relatives who took an active part in the work on this book. Thank you all for your kind and helpful advice, valuable information, technical, and financial support.
Special thanks to my wife Svetlana Dubyanskaya, as well as to my parents Igor Grigoryevich and Tamara Alekseevna.
Special thanks to Anupriya Wijayaweera for arranging the publication of this book. Thanks go to Alexander Bukreev for the cover design.
1. Dreams come true, I went to India and met Sathya Sai Baba
I first learned about Sathya Sai Baba at the very beginning of the ‘90s. At that time, I made several friends who had already been able to visit the Sai Baba's ashram. One of them was a successful Moscow businessman, who had been interested in yoga for many years, and at the very beginning of the ‘90s, was one of the first Russians who went to India to see Sathya Sai Baba.
In addition, I met two Hindu medical students who also told me about Sathya Sai Baba. They said he was an amazing teacher from India who preaches deep philosophy and performs amazing miracles. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, open yoga groups and meditation centers began to be organized in Russia. At the same time, as information about various esoteric traditions and directions appeared openly, it became possible to freely travel abroad, including to India. Among the great flow of new information, information about Sathya Sai Baba was especially attractive. I felt his amazing spiritual power and began to feel his invisible presence in my life. With eyes closed in meditation, I felt he was the one to hear all my thoughts and know all my feelings.
My first trip to India took place in 1993. This trip was completely spontaneous. At that time, I had been studying yoga, meditation, and Vedic philosophy for more than ten years. I could not even imagine that one could easily go to India and meet Sathya Sai Baba; it all seemed too fantastic.
