(Wolf Messing)

Not only in India, but also in the communist country, Russia, many such mysterious powers of divinity were experienced. A person by name Wolf Messing was born September 10, 1899 in Poland. Right from his birth, he radiated divine effulgence. He behaved in a mysterious manner even while he was very young. He would make the movements with his hands and laugh to himself. His parents were mystified, as they could not understand his strange behaviour. One year passed in this manner. In his second year, he started talking to himself. He would scratch head as if he was engrossed in deep thought. He would here and there, laugh to himself and converse with some unseen beings. All this baffled his parents. They wondered ­as to why he was laughing to himself and to whom he was: talking. Therie was an element of anxiety and fear in them.

One day a tall personality wearing a white robe came and stood in front of their house. He called Messing near him and said, ‘Your parents are planning to put you in a lunatic asylum or in a school for the mentally retarded. You do not need to go anywhere. How can those who are afflicted with worldly madness understand your ‘madness’, which is of spiritual nature? If only everyone gets, spiritual madness, the whole nation would prosper. Do not get yourself admitted to schools where only education is taught. The formal or secular knowledge does not appeal to you. Learn spiritual knowledge. I have come here only to tell you this.’ Messing asked -. ‘Grandfather, where do you come from?’ He replied, I will tell you later. I am going back to the place from where I came. Never forget my words. Do not have anything to do with worldly knowledge. Acquire only Spiritual knowledge. Now you are very young. Till you attain a certain level of maturity, do not have any association with anybody. Now I am going back.’ Saying this, he vanished) right in front of Messing’s eyes. Messing wondered, where did he come from? Where has he gone? Will I also go back to the place from where I came?’ He started enquiring thus. ­His parents did not allow him to go anywhere. He was confined to his house only. It was 9th February 1909. On that day, his desire to go in search of spiritual knowledge erupted again, for he was not satisfied with the secular knowledge that was being taught to him. He remembered the words the old man who appeared at his doorstep sometime ago. He went inside the house and found 8 coins in an almirah. Keeping them in his pocket, he embarked on a spiritual journey in the wide world. He wandered and wandered not knowing where he was going. He toured the entire world. None questioned him about tickets or the money required to buy them. Thus he roamed about for 10 years. Then he entered India. He boarded a train that was going from Cuddapah to Anantapur. In between, the train stopped at Kamalapuram where I was studying at that time. In the classroom Ramesh and Suresh were the two boys on my either side on a desk. Ramesh’s father was a Sirasthadar (Revenue Official) and their family was very rich. Every day we would go towards the railway station for a walk discussing some spiritual matters. In those days there were only one or two trains going via Kamalapuram. The three of us sat on a stone bench on the railway platform. As we were happily talking to each other, Wolfe Messing saw us through the window of the moving train and at once opened the door and jumped out. In the process he lost his balance and fell flat on the platform. Ramesh and Suresh were concerned that he might have fractured his leg. I told them not to worry saying, ‘He is coming only to see Me. So, nothing has happened.’ He was not carrying any luggage, not even a small bag. He came straight towards Me and Sat in front of Me, at a distance of about ten feet, shedding tears of joy. Ramesh and Suresh watched this scene. In those days, the boys were afraid of the White people that they might take them and put them in the military service. Therefore, they wanted to take Me away from that place. As Messing was approaching Me, Ramesh ran to his house and requested ­his father to bring a jeep immediately and take Me away ­from the sight of a ‘White person’. Ramesh’s father at once brought a jeep, lifted Me up and put Me in the jeep. When he took Me to his house, Messing also followed the jeep and came up to the house of Ramesh. He Sat there for a full ­day waiting for Me to come out of the house. In the ­meanwhile, whenever he would spot Me through the window, he would smile at Me, call Me and try to convey something to Me. But nobody was willing to permit him to meet Me. At that time, Seshama Raju (Swami’s elder brother) was working as a teacher. A word was sent to him through a peon informing him of the position. Messing waited for three days and left the place and went somewhere by train. Before leaving, he wrote on the door of the house with a chalk piece thus: ‘The people who live ­in this house are very fortunate. They are able to keep the Divine child with them and serve Him. I am not that fortunate. Anyway, thanks.’

He finally reached his country, Russia. After twenty years, he again visited India. This time he brought a Kirlian camera, which was capable of taking photographs of the aura around human beings. Those who are of sattvika nature will have a resplendent white aura around their body. Those who are rajasika nature will have a red colour aura and those who areTamasika in nature will have a black colour aura around them. He came straight to Kamalapuram and started enquiring about the whereabouts of Raju. But, by that time, I was no longer Raju, the high school student. Raju became Sathya Sai Baba. People told him that Sathya Sai Baba would be residing either in Puttaparthi or in Bangalore. Therefore, he left Kamalapuram for Bangalore.

When he arrived at Bangalore, he found a huge congregation. On enquiry, he came to know that they waiting for Sathya Sai Baba’s darshan. He too waited for My darshan. When I was moving amidst the congregation, he saw Me and thought to himself ‘Yes, this is the same person whom I saw as a boy many years ago. He has the same aura with divine effulgence surrounding him.’ He approached the Principal of the College. At that time Narendra was the Principal. He was a great scholar in Sanskrit and a very good teacher. His father Damodar was a Judge and father-in-law Sunder Rao was a reputed doctor. Both of them were present there. He requested them to take him for Swami’s darshan. He told them, ‘You are not able to see the reality. Swami is verily God. You are seeing only His physical form and getting deluded. You will know the truthwhen you observe His aura.’

He wanted to observe Swami’s aura through the camera he had brought with him. In those days, I used to give darshan to the devotees at the end of Nagar sankirtan.... ­s I stood in the balcony giving darshan. he clicked his camera. He could see that the entire place was permeated with light. When he showed the photograph one could see great effulgence around My face. My entire body was engulfed in white light, which symbolises purity. Nothing ­else was noticed. Narendra took that photograph and requested him to give the camera also as it not available in India. He said he was prepared to give the photograph and not the camera as he had a lot of work to do with it. He expressed his desire to have an audience with Swami. In the evening a meeting was arranged in which he was to address, the students. I also attended the meeting. He was not looking at the students or the teachers; he was trying to see where I was seated and what I was doing. When he spotted Me, he started coming towards Me, saying, ‘My dear’. My dear’ He kept repeating, ‘You are My everything. I am Your ­instrument.’ So far I have not revealed this to anyone. He stayed there for ten days. I taught him all that had to be taught. I told him that when God descended on earth, He would act like a human being. Daivam manusha rupena (God takes the form of man). He said that the same has been said in their scriptures. He wrote a book and gave it Gokak. Gokak was a great scholar in English but had no knowledge of Russian. However, he kept the book with him.

After a few days, Messing left without informing anybody. One day Narendra received a letter from Russia. Messing wrote in the letter, ‘You are a teacher working for God. How fortunate you are!’’ He requested Narendra to keep him informed about the happenings related to Swami. One day Narendra was expressing some doubts and I was clarifying them. Only two of us were in the room. All of a sudden Messing arrived there. How he came there was a mystery to Narendra. He did not have a ticket with him. He came, had My darshan and disappeared. It was not possible for all to see this. It was not easy to understand either. Divinity is highly mysterious. (SSS Vol.35, pp. 219-225)