The aspect of Shiva-Shakti is responsible for all creation in the world. The strength behind this creation has also been named in three different ways: Agni, Vayu and Aditya. Those who accept and follow Vedic practices regard ‘Agni’ as an important item in their Sadhana, Agni that is present in the human body.
In the human body, ‘Vayu’ takes the form of ‘Prana’, or life. ‘Aditya’ also takes the aspect of the heart and is as if it is propelling the whole machine of the human body; the mind and the propulsion are respectively represented by Ida, Saraswati and Bharati. (SSB. 1974, p. 211)
Shiva-Shakti (Discourse on 6.7.1963)
(Baba was brought down the winding stairs into Private Room on the ground floor, because He insisted on giving Darshan to the thousands of devotees who had come on the auspicious day. He had an attack of cerebral thrombosis (or tubercular meningitis?) and was in bed for eight days from the morning of Saturday, 29th June to the evening of 6th July. His left hand, leg and eye were affected; His right hand had also slight palsy; the tongue was indistinct and face was twitching. He was placed on the silver chair in the Prayer Hall and His hand and leg were adjusted in proper position. As soon as He was seated, He communicated the following message which was interpreted and announced.)
This is not Swami’s illness; this is an illness which Swami has taken on, in order to save some one. Swami has no illness, nor will He get ill at any time. You must all be happy; that alone will make Swami happy. If you grieve, Swami will not be happy. Your joy is Swami’s food. (Then, Baba signed to Kasturi to speak, and after his short speech was over. Baba wanted to mike to be held before him. He asked through it, ‘Vinapisthundaa!’ But, though He asked again and again, the voice was so indistinct that no one could make out what it meant.
He then signed for water and when it was brought, He sprinkled a little with His shaking right hand on the stricken left hand and His left leg. He stroked His left hand with the Right. Immediately, He used both hands to stroke His left leg; that touch was enough to cure it. He doffed the disease in a trice! He started to speak! It was the same musical voice.)
‘Dikku lenivaniki devude gati;’ for those who have no refuge God is the refuge. That is exactly the reason why I had to take on the disease that one helpless Bhakta was to get. He had to suffer this dire illness, as well as the four heart attacks that accompanied it’ and, he would not have survived it. So, according to My Dharma of Bhakthasamrakshana, I had to rescue him. Of course, this is not the first time that I have on the illness of persons whom I wanted to save. Even in previous Sariram at Shirdi, I had this responsibility. The suffering that you saw was too much for this particular devotee and so, I had to save him, by Myself going through it. This is My Leela: My Nature. It is part of the task for which I have come, Sishyarakshana.
Persons who were near Me during the last week were asking Me to give them the name of the person whom I had saved. I told them that it makes them angry against that person, for Swami, they would say, ‘had to undergo so much of pain in order to save one person’ Then, they replied, that they would honour the person because of the extraordinary Bhakti that persuaded Swami to run to his rescue, on Saturday morning.
Some people even asked Me whether it was this person or that, giving names of those who had attacks of paralysis, especially on the left side! This is even more ludicrous because when I save a person, I save him completely. I do not wait until he gets the disease and I do not leave in him a fraction of the disease, so that he may be identified later. It looks so funny to Me, the guesses and surmises that you make.
Even in Shirdi, Dada Saheb, Nandaram, Balawanth, all were saved by these means. Balawanth was destined to get plague, but, the bubo, was taken over and the boy saved.
This is perhaps the longest period when I kept the devotees wondering and worried. That was because of the heart attacks which had come later, on the Bhakta, from which also he had to be saved. Then, there is another reason too, why the 8-day period had to be observed. Well; I shall tell you why, That means, I must tell you about Myself, about something I have not disclosed so far, something which I was keeping within Myself, for the 37 years. The time has come to announce it. This is a sacred duty, and I shall tell you.
You know I declared on the very day when I decided to disclose My Identity, My Mission and My Advent, that I belonged to the Apastamba Sutra and the Bharadwaja Gotra. This Bharadwaja was a great sage, who studied the Vedas for full one hundred years; but, finding that the Vedas were Ananta (endless) he did Tapas for prolonging life, and from Indra he got two extensions of a century each. Even then, the Vedas could not be completed, so he asked Indra again hundred years. Indra showed him 3 huge mountain ranges and said, ‘What you have learned in 3 centuries form only handfuls from out of the 3 ranges, which the Vedas are. So give up the attempt to exhaust the Vedas. Do a Yaga instead, which I shall teach you; that will give you the fruit of Vedic study, full and complete.’
Bharadwaja decided on performing the Yaga; Indra taught him how to do it; all preparations were completed. The sage wanted that Shakti must preside and bless the Yaga. So he went to Kailasa but, the time was no opportune for presenting his petition. Shiva and Shakti were engaged in a competitive dance, trying to find out who could dance longer. Eight days passed thus, before Shakti noticed Bharadwaja standing in the cold. She just cast a smile at him and danced along as before! The sage mistook the smile as a cynical refusal to notice him; so he turned his back on Kailasa and started to descend. To his dismay, he found his left leg, hand and eye put out of action by a stroke. Shiva saw him fall; He came up to him and consoled him; Bharadwaja was told that Shakti has indeed blessed him and his Yaga. Then, Shiva revived him and cured him, sprinkling water from the Kamadalu. Both Shiva and Shakti granted the Rishi boons: They would both attend the Yaga, they said.
After Yaga was over; They were so pleased that they conferred even more boons on the Sage. Shiva said that they would take Human Form and be born in Bharadwaja lineage or Gotra thrice:- Shiva alone as Shirdi Sai Baba, Shiva and Shakti together in Puttaparthi as Sathya Sai Baba and Shakti alone as Prema Sai later. The Shiva remembered that illness that had suddenly come upon Bharadwaja at Kailasa on the eighth day of the waiting in cold on the ice. He gave another assurance. ‘As expiation for the neglect which Shakti showed you at Kailasa for 8 days, this Shakti will suffer the stroke for 8 days, when We both take birth as Sathya Sai and, on the 8th day, I shall relieve her from all signs of the disease by sprinkling water, just I did at Kailasa to cure your illness.’
It was the working out of the Assurance that you witnessed today, just now. This had to happen, the stroke and the cure. The assurance given in Treta yuga had to be honoured. I may tell you now, that, the poor forlorn Bhakta who had to get the stroke which I took over, was a convenient excuse, which was utilised. You see, a railway engine is not made available to haul just one bogey; they wait until a number bogeys are to be taken along and the, they put the engine into action. So too, the disease had to be gone through, the Bhakta had to be saved, the assurance to be carried out, the Mystry had to be cleared, the Divinity had to be more clearly announced by the manifestation of this Grand Miracle. All these were accomplished by this one incident.
Let Me tell you one more thing: Nothing can impede or halt the work of this Avatar. When I was upstairs all these days, some people foolishly went about saying: ‘It is all over with Sai Baba’ and they turned back many who were coming to Puttaparthi! Some said I was in Samadhi, as if I am a Sadhaka! Some feared I was the victim of black magic, as if anything can affect Me! The splendour of this Avatar will go on increasing, day by day Formerly, when Govardhana giri was raised aloft Krishna was the Lord. Now, it is not one Govardhana giri, a whole range will be lifted, you will see! Have patience, have faith. Tomorrow morning i shall give every one of you the Namaskaram Blessing that you missed today. (Gurupournami Day 6-7-1963, 6.30 p.m. from SSS Vol.3, p. 19-23)