STKC interviews Waris J Faridi.
Waris J Faridi was born and brought up in Pakistan in a pure Islamic upbringing. He learnt about Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in his late teens in Pakistan but did not get actively involved in learning about Bhagawan and His teachings until 1985, after moving to USA. He presently lives in San Antonio, Texas where he gives talks on a wide variety of spiritual subjects including Meditation, Advaita, Esoteric Buddhism, Vedic philosophies, Theosophy and Sufism. He is also active in the Sai Organization.
In this interview, Waris Faridi talks about how he came into Bhagawan's fold. He also explains in detail why he believes in the Reappearance of Bhagawan in the Sathya Sai form, touching upon certain incredible prophecies about Bhagawan and His Reappearance mentioned in Islamic Scriptures.
Waris J Faridi was born and brought up in Pakistan in a pure Islamic upbringing. He learnt about Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in his late teens in Pakistan but did not get actively involved in learning about Bhagawan and His teachings until 1985, after moving to USA. He presently lives in San Antonio, Texas where he gives talks on a wide variety of spiritual subjects including Meditation, Advaita, Esoteric Buddhism, Vedic philosophies, Theosophy and Sufism. He is also active in the Sai Organization.
In this interview, Waris Faridi talks about how he came into Bhagawan's fold. He also explains in detail why he believes in the Reappearance of Bhagawan in the Sathya Sai form, touching upon certain incredible prophecies about Bhagawan and His Reappearance mentioned in Islamic Scriptures.
This interview was recorded on March 22nd, 2014 in Dayton, New Jersey, USA.
Transcription
STKC is grateful to Aanchal Sharma and Sneha Sharma for the transcription.
Sreejith Narayan: SaiRam brother Waris.
Waris J Faridi: SaiRam Sreejith, how are you?
Sreejith Narayan: Oh Swami's Grace..doing great. It’s a great joy to be
here in you company as I have experienced in the past day or so... you are in
full of love and bliss all the time.
Can you please tell us a little about your background? I know that you are
originally from Pakistan and you had a pure Islamic upbringing... For the sake
of viewers could you please throw a little more light on your early life, your
childhood?
Waris J Faridi: As you said, I was born in Islamic, very pure Islamic upbringing.
And my parents followed very pure Islamic principles and it was an Islamic
household. But also, very early, I came to understand other religions and
studied other religions, especially got introduced to Theosophy and the
Theosophical society in Karachi, Pakistan and they had a library with all kinds
of books from every mystical tradition, so that became part of my upbringing in
my early life.
Sreejith Narayan: Very good! So, you were open to other religions and other
ideas I guess.
Waris J Faridi: I had an impulse to study other Religions, Philosophy,
Mystical Traditions, very early in life like from around the age 14 or so.
Sreejith Narayan: Did your surroundings - like your parents, your relatives,
were they okay with this, because I heard when you are being brought up in a
pure Islamic background, it’s very difficult to go outside of that and explore
other areas. Is that true?
Waris J Faridi: That is true, but I was very fortunate that.. in my
family, specially my mother had a very deep acceptance of the way I was and my
spirituality. So she was more concerned with my heart and my spirituality then
what I believed.
Sreejith Narayan: And when... at what point of life, you came to know about
Bhagawan? Can you share that story with us?
Waris J Faridi: Yes! its..its early, I was still a teenager, and I had
already been introduced to Theosophy and the teachings of J. Krishnamoorthy and
I was very actively involved and trying to understand his teachings.
And at that point somebody introduced me to a friend who had some tapes of
Swami and he was giving to me. And through those tapes I encountered Swami and
His incredible divine energy.
Sreejith Narayan: And at that time were you still in Pakistan?
Waris J Faridi: I was still in Pakistan and I was a teenager...at that
point.
Sreejith Narayan: And this friend of yours was he into Swami?
Waris J Faridi: He was into Theosophy and he was also a Universalist, he
had a very open approach to religions and he was actually one of the managing
committee members of the Theosophical Library in Karachi, Pakistan.
Sreejith Narayan: See I find your story really incredible, you know why? –
because, first of all I have not met anyone other than you who is a Sai-Devotee
from Pakistan. That too an Islamic person who is a Sai-Devotee from Pakistan.
Secondly, people hear Swami's voice, you know, in different ways. They don't
get inspired to believe that Swami is God. But you tell me that you just heard
Swami's voice in a tape and then you already realized that He is divine?
Waris J Faridi: Right. You know this is all past Karma and Dharma with
God. And I don't know what lies in background as far as past life, we don't
know what we are bringing from our past. And I am sure that in my past there
are happenings that have led to this perception and understanding and this
extraordinary grace of being able to recognize Him instantly even without
knowing very much about Him.
Sreejith Narayan: Wow!....What do you do now? I know you live in San
Antonio, Texas. Tell me a little bit about what you do these days?
Waris J Faridi: I wasn't doing actively very much spiritually, except by
chance I gave a couple of talks about few years ago, three - four years ago and
after my first spiritual talk that same night Swami came in a dream and blessed
me in a very clear way giving a sign I should continue to talk about His
teachings, spiritual subjects and they didn't have to be in reference directly
with His name and, you know, the form they have come to us in books, but to
speak of truth and of the essential teachings of 'Sanathana Dharma', in
whatever form that people can understand.
Sreejith Narayan: So you combine Swami's teachings, and definitely you
include Swami's teachings in your talks.
Waris J Faridi: Definitely! Definitely! I mean, but sometimes the words
may be different. I'll give you an example, If I am talking about the four
stages of the path, if they are coming..if I am talking to people with a
Theosophical background, I may talk to them as the four initiations.
And if people who are coming from a Vedic (background), I may talk about
the four kinds of seekers - Aarthi, Arthathi, Jignyasu and Sanyasi. Basically
it’s the same thing. Those four stages exist no matter what path you follow.
These four stages will still come in and Swami has shown us that those stages
are there in a reality.
Sreejith Narayan: Coming from, again, from your earlier roots, from Islamic
religion, do you find any conflicts after you came to Bhagawan and started
knowing about Bhagawan’s teachings and also you give lectures on 'Vedanta' and
'Vedantic concepts', do you find any clashes or conflicts between these
different faiths and different spiritual concepts?
Waris J Faridi: Of course not! I mean, Swami is very clear about that and
all great teachers are very clear about that these are the same truths, but
only if your understanding is superficial and only attached to the external form
of its manifestations then there are likely to be any conflicts. But if you go
into a deeper understanding of these truths then all these teachings point to
the same thing.
Sreejith Narayan: ..And also, little bit I want to know about your personal
life, and for the sake of viewers also. Your family?
Waris J Faridi: I am not married, I have sisters and brothers and my
relatives in Pakistan. And I have a brother in America, but I am not married
and I just live a single life.
Sreejith Narayan: So, you chose this life for a spiritual reason?
Waris J Faridi: That's just how it came about, I did not plan it in this
way, but I guess my attention and my, you know, being consumed by the whole
path and, you know, the growth was so important that I never got a chance to
give any attention to anything else.
Sreejith Narayan: Very good. Now one of the things that I wanted to ask
you, when Swami left this physical frame, on 24th of April, 2011, how did that
news reach you and what was your reaction to that news?...How did you react to
that?
Waris J Faridi : You know all of us, are both ..no matter how deep
your understanding of truth or how much, how deep your connection with the
divine, if you are living in a physical form, there is a three - dimensional
aspect to your life and so of course there was definitely a sadness that the
form will not be here and I will not be able to see it but over whole period of
lifetime also a perception of his true being and meditation of his true being has
been so powerful and so strong that, you know, very soon, it again prevailed.
And He had been there in dreams in all kind of responses that He had to my
call, For instance, you know, if I have a question I hold in my head, and I ask
Swami, He will immediately give an answer.
So all those things remain, so His presence in the way that I had
experienced it from childhood, that always was and still is and will continue
to be for the rest of my life. So, really... that's the most important thing.
However, the presence of the Avatar in the body is an extraordinary
happening. And if you know, Swami talked about those Rishis who knew that
'Rama' was going to come in two hundred years and it had been their time to
leave the body and so they did special penance and exercises to prolong their
body for two hundred years so they could just look at 'Rama' once. So there is that part of connection to his form also, it is an
extraordinary blessing to have seen and realize God in a human form.
Sreejith Narayan: Have you been to Puttaparthi many times?
Waris J Faridi: Yes. Many times.
Sreejith Narayan: Have you got any interviews or any ... did Swami talk to
you?
Waris J Faridi: I never got an interview, but I did have some very strong
and powerful dreams. Especially there was a period of time between '88 and '90
that I had the most dreams of Him and they were all very powerful dreams.
Sreejith Narayan: And this is when?... during the time that you were coming
into Swami's fold, is that correct?
Waris J Faridi: Yes. I had known and recognized Him like I said when I
was still in Pakistan. But after coming to America, I very soon discovered ways
to connect with him and start going to the Tustin center and became actively involved
in the Sai Organization.
Sreejith Narayan: Which year was this when you moved to America?
Waris J Faridi: I came to America in 1983.
Sreejith Narayan: 1983, oh that's a long time ago.
Waris J Faridi: That has been thirty years.
Sreejith Narayan: Thirty years. And you were involved in Sai Organization
work?
Waris J Faridi: In the sense that I worked as a volunteer, a regular
volunteer at that Darshan Book Center for more than two years.
Sreejith Narayan: I see, very good. You talked a little bit about your
experience when Swami left his body, yes that sadness was... has to be there.
Waris J Faridi: Has to be there. Of course.
Sreejith Narayan: ...has to be there, you know even though you could be
highly spiritually advanced and things like that, you could be one with Swami,
but still when the physical form of the Avatar leaves this Earth there has to
be a certain sadness.
Waris J Faridi: Because you are in a three - dimensional form also and
its part of your reality and so that sadness will be there.
Sreejith Narayan: Did the thought occur to you at any point of time that He
may come back in His same form that we had been Him before as Sathya Sai Baba?
Did that thought occur to you at all at some point of time? Because I am a
great believer in Swami going to come back in the same physical in form to
fulfill His words. And His mission has not yet been completed. Did that thought
occur to you at all?
Waris J Faridi: Well, because He left earlier than His, you know,
declared stay on Earth, so all kinds of things were being said and all kinds of
things were coming to mind and, you know, the mind was trying to understand,
you know, to resolve all these issues.
And from the beginning there were some kinds of talks from some devotees
like Vasantha Sai Amma had said and I had known about that He might come back
or He will come back. And so that had been there in the back of my mind, but I
had not given it a ...it all did not come together until much later.
Sreejith Narayan: Okay. So what was the trigger for that?
Waris J Faridi: That was reading about your book. As when a friend of
mine sent me a pdf file of that book. And we both agreed that all the
prophecies about Swami and everything falls into place and the book does make
incredible sense and it would be the fulfillment of every prophecy if He would
come back.
And one of the very powerful things in my mind, One of the most powerful
things, is the perception and the thought that in the days that He was in the
Hospital, the amount of prayers that had been done for Him to heal Himself,
that was such an incredible amount of prayer that was done worldwide.
And that's a call gone to the Lord, and the Lord never fails the call of a
devotee. I mean to me, it’s law, it’s not speculation, its law. Its call on the
Lord from your heart, He has to respond.
Now I ask all the devotees to think about that. Where is all that energy going
to go? Swami has to respond in some way to the calls that were made in a way
that satisfied the heart of all the devotees, and what could that way and how
would that manifest?
Sreejith Narayan: So this calling of these devotees that Swami cannot ignore
those, that’s what your belief is?
Waris J Faridi : It’s not, Swami will never do, that is the highest
impulse that the Avatar acts on. That's how He comes into the world, that's how
everything He does is out of that call. And this is too powerful of a thing for
God to ignore. Everything else will fail if He fails in that.
That is Him. The Avatar is the Avatar because He has come on our call. The Avatar
does not come by on His own because He will be violating the law of Karma and
destiny if He came on His own, He comes because He is called.
Sreejith Narayan: Wow! I have heard your talks in YouTube, there are a few videos about your talks.
Before even I met you I listened to those videos and they all talk about very
highly advanced spiritual concepts and being one with divine and going beyond
the form, you know, fourth initiation, seven rays, these are really advanced
Vedantic concepts (Right).
And this talks about mainly… like how to go beyond Swami's form and…You
don't refer to Swami directly in your talks but that's the sense that I got
from these talks. But, on the same token, I talked to many prominent devotees
and they keep telling me, "Why are you still after Swami's form, Swami's
form is gone. Don't worry about the form again, go beyond the form.", but
to me its not about my spiritual sadhana, my own sadhana going beyond, that is
my spiritual journey, that doesn't change no matter what. Even when Swami comes
back it doesn't change. Do you hold that same thought? Do you feel any conflict
with your spiritual journey and the idea of Swami coming back. And thinking
about the form coming back again, do you find any difference there?
Waris J Faridi: For me it’s not any kind of wishful thinking or a
projection of my mind, it’s what all the sign seen from a very discerning mind
are pointing to, and a fulfillment of the divine plan. And that's how I perceive
it and in His coming back, if that becomes the spur that finally brings the
Golden Age which He's pointed to and we are all looking forward to that time. The
Golden Age, we want, we all want that time, we're all calling for that time and
it seems like that would be the final happening that will move the whole world
into the Golden Age.
Sreejith Narayan: So the Golden Age is a reality.
Waris J Faridi: The Golden Age is definitely a reality, it’s going to
come, its many sensitive people and psychics are already feelings it coming,
its determined, its just waiting to descend.
Sreejith Narayan: And do you feel that its Swami's return, such a powerful
event that is going to happen... is that what is going to trigger the Golden
Age? Is that what you believe in?
Waris J Faridi : I believe that Swami's coming will be such an
extraordinary happening that , that will... Before I answer that I want to say
that, you know, Swami said that in 2009 that " It’s very close. ", I
was there when He said it…In eighteen years it will have already happened
completely. Now where we are, you know, with a lot of things that are not good
and greed and competitiveness and ego rampant in the world something has to
happen very big to bring about that Golden Age in a very short period of time.
Sreejith Narayan: And Swami has spoken extra ordinary things about the
Golden Age in His discourses and interviews...
Waris J Faridi: He has said extraordinary things. For instance one of the
things He has said, somebody asked Him, 'Swami what is the hall mark of that
age? The principle thing that distinguishes it from this time?'
And Swami said that in that time your only real worth in this world will be
your spiritual worth, nothing else will matter, you money, your capabilities,
your youth, nothing else will be important in this world anymore.
But we are not there, it seems, I mean if we just create in our mind a
progression from this world as far as evolution goes, it may take hundreds of
years to come to that point, so something has got to happen which is...which
represents a quantum leap to come to that and so something of the nature of
Swami's return or something as powerful as that has to happen, for this world
to change to a degree where our spiritual worth becomes the most important
thing in our lives.
Sreejith Narayan: Wow! So wonderful explanation, Thank-you.
There was one more thing that I noted down, that I wanted to ask you so
that I would not forget. When I was being interviewed by the Souljourns,
brother Ted, I told him that I wanted to speak a little bit about the Bihar Ul
Anwar and Islamic prophecies about Bhagawan's coming back. But then our
discussion diverted into some other things and I did not remember to bring that
up again in the interview. And some devotees , they were e-mailing me and
asking, " what did you really wanted to talk about? We are eager to know."
And I promised, if Swami gives me a chance again, I will talk about it. But now
I believe that it's much more apt that it should come from a person like you
who has firsthand experience with the Islamic Prophecies. Can you throw some
light on the Islamic Prophecies concerning Bhagawan? And also Bihar Ul Anwar in
particular, because that's some incredible Prophecies I have seen in that book
regarding Swami and His disappearance in first place and eventual reappearance.
Waris J Faridi: Right, let me talk a little bit about the time that Bihar
Ul Anwar was written and came into this world, it was around the eleventh
century which was an extraordinary revival of the Islamic energy in this world.
There was the time that 95% of the Sufis, the greatest Sufis that we know came
into this world.
That was the time when Arabs were at the zenith of their power and in every
field, and in spiritual field, in astronomy, in mathematics, in fact present
day sciences is based on their discoveries, a lot of what became present day
science, I mean their math, algebra came into that. So it was a wave of some
kind of energy that was in this world and.... so it was a tremendous,
tremendous flow of energy coming through that form, divine energy coming
through that form and Bihar Ul Anwar came into this world on the same wave in
other words written by, Allama Majlisi and it is one of the most noted books of
Shia religious literature, next to only to Quran and Hadith it's very highly
respected Shia work.
Now the prophecies specific to Swami … probably of all the prophecies,
these are the prophecies that so accurately describe Swami and His return and
also His coming back which you know, you pointed out. You have brought out and
reintroduced to the world. So Bihar Ul Anwar is unique in the sense that it is
so specific, there are other prophecies about the Mahdi and they could
generally be attributed to Swami's return, but the Bihar Ul Anwar is the most
specific of all these prophecies which is in detail, very accurate about the
description of Swami.
Sreejith Narayan: So can you tell us a little bit more about what are the
prophecies like? How do they relate to Bhagawan's return?...I know you may not
be remembering all the exact specific...
Waris J Faridi: Like, one for instance ... there are specific passages
about Him disappearing for a period of time and returning again (wow). So, and
I think that in Bihar Ul Anwar is unique, in that only other thing that I can
think that you might refer to is, the Nadis you know. The Nadis talk about such
a happening but, outside that of spiritual literature of more recent times is
the Bihar Ul Anwar that talks about the Mahdi disappearing and coming back. And
of course when it talks about Mahdi originally, the description is so uncanny,
it is Swami, it cannot be any other being. You know from the crown of the hair,
to the mole, to the orange robe, and all the details we are familiar with are
given in great detail in the Bihar Ul Anwar.
Sreejith Narayan: Wow!... and what does the word Mahdi stand for? What does
it mean?
Waris J Faridi: The Mahdi means, one of the meanings of the Mahdi is the
promised one.
Sreejith Narayan: Promised one.
Waris J Faridi: Yes!
Sreejith Narayan: And is promised one, whose promise? Is it God's promise?
Waris J Faridi: God's promise.
Sreejith Narayan: I see. Bihar Ul Anwar originally came out as discussion
between Prophet and his disciples, is that.... my understanding is correct on
that?
Waris J Faridi: I think it is that. I think it is also a commentary on
certain chosen Hadith, Hadith is the sayings of the Prophet (and) Quran being
direct revelation of God.
Sreejith Narayan: What point in history did this book come out? Is it much
after Prophet?
Waris J Faridi: Yes it is about five or six hundred years later. So it's
about time that this revival of Islam and the extraordinary wave of Sufi energy
came around the eleventh century.
Sreejith Narayan: You don't have any doubt in your mind that Swami is going
to, to come back in the same physical form?
Waris J Faridi: Everything is just very powerfully pointed to that and
so it will be more a question of great surprise if it does not happen. I would
have no surprise on His coming back, to me it would be a most expected thing.
Sreejith Narayan: Wow, you really re-energized and re-vitalized...I mean I
am sure that, I was really what you call, elated, just by talking to you.
Now, just want to request you, before we finish this interview, I would
like to request you…There are many devotees right now, many Sai devotees they
sternly believe that Bhagawan is going to come back, what is your message to
them? And what is your message in general to everybody...spiritually and you
know… how to go about welcoming this golden age?
Waris J Faridi: First of all for anybody who might have any kind of
slight negative thought about this whole thing, how can dwelling on God and
expecting him to come have any kind of negativity? You are just dwelling on
God. You know in all my talks I come back to this mystic aphorism, energy
follows thought. Whatever you dwell on, you create and you become. So if we
dwell on God, coming back, where we are calling that energy in our life and,
you know, that will happen! Regardless, that energy will come into you.
Those who are dwelling on His coming back, most of these people that I have
talked to are very discerning, and have meditative minds, and have pure lives,
and they are not some people that I know to be easily deluded and they have
come to this perception after deliberation, much thought and understanding. So,
I think it's all in order, it's all moving as Swami willed it.
Sreejith Narayan: And generally that, the idea, that hold, earth shaking miracles
that are going to happen. And it was already there in Swami's words, much before
He left his body, and it's already lying there hidden for those who really
wanted to see it. That's the way I see it, I perceive it. What do you think
about that? You think the same way too?
Waris J Faridi: Yes and amongst these people who have had these dreams,
some of them are my friends, my closest friends that I know to be the purest
souls and some of them, he may not have, he may not point out that he is coming
back but he might say extraordinary change is coming, great glory is coming,
great light is coming, and...
Sreejith Narayan: These are not Sai devotees? I mean are you talking about
Sai devotees?
Waris J Faridi: I am talking about Sai devotees, who have had dreams
about some extraordinary happenings, imminent happening in the world, great
change coming in this world.
Sreejith Narayan: And this, such a great change can come only with...
something has to trigger this change (right) and this great event, whatever it
is that's going to come. It is going to...
Waris J Faridi: Is going to be as big as His return in physical form.
Sreejith Narayan: ... change the entire world as we see it today.
Waris J Faridi: That's correct.
Sreejith Narayan: Thank you so much brother Waris, it was real pleasure
talking to you today. Jai Sai Ram.
Waris J Faridi: Thank you for letting me share. SaiRam.
Sreejith Narayan: SaiRam.
Thank you for the wonderful interview. I am sure it will create the Hundredth Monkey Effect in our preparations for the transition into the Golden Age. It is like watching a Sufi Saint and Upanishadhic Rishi with full of Divine Love.
ReplyDeleteThank you Janab Waris J Faridi Ji and Bro Sreejith.
Here is a scholar who interpreted the Scripture in its entirety! Others, praised the scripture for its reference to mole on the cheek but not about the reference to temporary occultation; talked about parting in between incisors and 301 other things but not about the Grand Reappearance and the Glorious time for the planet Earth. Scriptures cannot be 'partially correct' - they are the words of the 'Supreme Source' and hence will be fulfilled in full.
God reveals His secrets only to those whom He loves!
Pl keep sharing the insights as we are approaching the times.
Sai Ram
k s murthy, Prashanthi Nilayam
Thank you Murthy Sir. I have passed on your wonderful comments to brother Waris.
DeleteExcellent Sreejith, Wonderful guest. Hope you will do more of these. What about interviews with folks that have had dreams that confirm Baba's return? As always your devotion shines through. Sairam!
ReplyDeleteSairam. Thank you for this suggestion which is a great one. Currently working on expanding the saikingdom.com website to include experiences of devotees from all over the world (with respect to His Reappearance). Once that is done, I can think of more interviews and videos.
DeleteSreejith.... Recently, while doing my developer job here at my home office, I could smell Swami's fragrance strongly in the air - I personally took it as a signal of His subtle presence - which made me very happy. It happened a few times in a day, and then again in the next day, and then stopped. I frequently use incenses. But there was no incense, and the smell was so strong - instantly and strongly bringing Prasanthi Nilayam memories and energies to the place. So... just sharing the happiness of the moment. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJ Bruni, from Brazil
Watching the video now... just acknowledged about recognizing Swami through hearing a tape recording of His voice...
ReplyDeleteI knew a young devotee in a Sai Organization meeting here, many years ago. One thing he told me was that, not knowing Swami, the first thought that came to his mind when he saw Swami's picture for the first time was: "this man is God"
From the many experiences we come to know, there is always one more to be surprised and delighted with. :-)
Sairam JB, Rightly said. Bro.Waris is one of the few fortunate ones who had the divine intuition to recognize Him instantly.
DeleteBrothers Sreejith and Waris Faridi! this was a marvelous interview! Thank you both so much - the energy was so pure and reverent. Faridi lives out the name of Embodiment of Love, and his expansive energy slowly washed over my consciousness throughout the interview even though at first his mannerisms were mistaken for sternness.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite idea that he shared was how all the prayers that were fervently and sincerely sent forth during those weeks in April 2011 by so many devotees worldwide before He left His Form simply will NOT go unanswered; it is an unshakeable law of the heart of the Avatar that He cannot refuse to come when His devotees call Him. Faridi beautifully explained that it is the HIGHEST IMPULSE of the Avatar to act on the prayers of His Own when they call so earnestly for Him. He wasn't insistent on HOW those prayers from that time period will be answered (although Swami's Return would definitely fit the bill) but he is certain they WILL be answered by Swami. It is the defining feature of His Nature.
I remember hearing one of Swami's hip doctors speak of how, during Swami's convalescence from one of His Body's injuries, he could not restrain Swami, despite his great efforts, from coming out of the ordered bed rest many days earlier than prescribed. Swami disobeyed His doctors' orders so that He could perform His greatest joy: giving darshan to His bangarus, His Golden Children. Just think how much more He is right now yearning to fill us all -- and many more -- with the Dazzling Bliss of His Darshan once again. Can you feel His brimming anticipation?
Faridi made many other profound points and insights, and this interview is not to be missed. Thanks again Brother Sreejith for another offering that kindles the warmth and Light of our souls as we wait for our Beloved to Return in a public, physical way to fulfill His public, physical Mission, even as our personal journeys move on a related but separate pathway (as you pointed out so well in this interview). And Namaste to the honored spirit of Faridi - thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Jai Beloved Swami.
Sairam Sister Susan, I have passed on your wonderful comments to brother Waris.
DeleteI agree completely. If I just take my case, never had I prayed with so one-pointed attention and yearning as much as I did in those few days when He was in the hospital. I am sure this must have been the case with all devotees. As brother Waris puts it across beautifully "Swami HAS to respond to that call".
Many thanks for everything.
ReplyDeleteSai Ram.
Sairam
DeleteI’ve been thinking about Sri Faridi’s conviction that Swami is compelled by His own nature to respond to all the earnest prayers for Him when He was in the hospital. I’ve found the idea helps me better understand my feelings about Swami’s early departure in general.
ReplyDeleteFaridi said it was Sathya Sai Baba’s unshakeable impulse to fulfill (at some time) the colossal plea from His devotees across the globe for Him to heal His Body —that Swami is as bound to His devotees’ call as to an unalterable law. The fervor of our collective prayer sent up during those weeks before Baba left His Body was fueled not only by wanting Him to stay with us, but also by our sense of the incompleteness of His Mission, given what He had already articulated about His Deeds to come, His Form’s time on earth, and His intrinsic involvement in the roll-out of the Sathya Sai Golden Age, as SAI THY KINGDOM COME subsequently helped us to clarify.
As we all know, the intense global prayers have not yet been answered and, like having seen a ball get tossed way up into the air that has not come back down yet, we are waiting in puzzled suspension, wondering where and how the ball will finally obey the law of gravity.
We cannot simply shrug our shoulders and go back to business-as-usual, giving the unsolved matter no more thought or chalking it up to turns of events unforeseen by the all-seeing Lord of the Universe. Our hearts are up there with that ball, hanging in a balance of confusion mixed with absolute trust in Who He is, trying to remember to breathe as we wait for the Divine Resolution of this most extraordinary phenomenal puzzle, this unbalanced equation, this firmly closed rose bud poised to burst open in beauty. We wait….for the most sublime Purna Avatar to WILL and ACT, brilliantly resolving these rifts in biological and spiritual laws and between His Word and what seems to be happening.
In the meantime, all we can do is pray, “Awaken us all, Swami, and raise humanity to unprecedented heights! …SAMASTHA LOKA SUKHINO BHAVANTU.”
Dear Susan, I am convinced the prayers of the devotees ust have made a difference. But still there are all of Swami's promises as well. I remember vividly being shocked and even a bit angered at Swami's departure. No! I shouted. His work isn't finished yet! He promised us! He told us He would lift a whole mountain range! So then I expected Him to return after three days, just like Shirdi Sai did, and Jesus, and I thought His leaving on Easter was a sign. That's why your book, Sreejith, came as such a relief. I just knew the story wasn't complete, and since then Swami has told me at least three times in dreams He will return and asked me to prepare. I believe it is all part of His drama, one of the best stories ever told, and I am convinced we're very close to it all being revealed. Perhaps this Easter already? Let's all prepare!
ReplyDeleteSreejith,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this insightful interview. Waris J Faridi is warm, intelligent, devoted.
He comes from Islam! His words have given me a long awaited "frame of reference" to the very specific prophecies that have so long been circulated in Sai circles, regarding some sacred Islamic scripture about Swami. Now at least I a have a man in Mr. Faridi who has now shed a little more light and perspective on this, which gives it much more credence, at least to me.
Thank you for this,
Jim Martineau