Sai Pearls of Wisdom 48-D “EARLIER VISITS TO BANGALORE”, (With Subtitles).
Channel: Sai Pearls of Wisdom - Prof. Anil Kumar Kamaraju
Date: 2023-11-10

We often hear about Vibuthi and also Swami materializing Vibuthi; and also on special occasions like Dasara and Birthday, Swami doing abishekam with Vibuthi on Shirdi Baba statue. So Vibuthi is very well known to all of us. Let us know a few points relating to this Vibuthi.

Vibuthi is the gift of Grace that Sri Sathya Sai Baba gives His devotees. It appears in His down-turned palm after a few circular motions of His arm and hand. He offers it into the outstretched palm of His devotees or puts it into their mouths or applies to their foreheads with His thumb. It is an off-white powder and most fine ash, having a slight fragrance. 

Vibuthi has a strong spiritual significance. The word Vibuthi means a divine attribute. It is often seen besmeared on the person of Lord Shiva. Being ash, it is a symbolic reminder that ash is the stage into which all matter will ultimately break down. In a sense, all the spiritual attributes will one day deconstruct to a stage of attributeless-ness as well.  

So when Baba gives Vibuthi, He indirectly hints that the end product of all things material is Vibuthi or ash. The Vibuthi given by Baba is potent with healing power and has the ability to bestow upon the receiver, Divine Grace. In Indian tradition, Vibuthi is offered in places of worship as prasadam or consecrated material, just as holy water is offered in a Christian church.

The Sai Baba of Shirdi offered all visitors to His seat at Dwarkamai, ash from a fire that He always kept alive. He called this ash ‘Udi’ – UDI, and it had healing powers. When Sri Sathya Sai Baba first started materializing Vibuthi, He often mentioned that it was the same Udi from the Shirdi fire. Receivers often felt a strange warm sensation in their palms as they received the Vibuthi, as though it had come from dying ember. 

During festivals, many devotees had witnessed Vibuthi emerging from the forehead of Sathya Sai Baba. Many times when He went into a trance, Vibuthi would appear on His person. Today devotees from all around the world offer Vibuthi to other devotees after formal prayer session in their homes and Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centres. 

There are also confirmed reports of Vibuthi emerging from photographs and idols kept in shrines in many homes of Sai devotees around the world. Sai devotees generally accept this phenomenon of Vibuthi manifestation as an act of Grace bestowed upon the devotee by Baba. This is the significance of Vibuthi about which we need to have an understanding. 

Until then, Baba had not made such an utterance like what He spoke to Digambara Swamy, correcting him, instructing him to wear clothes, not to crave for name and fame and that He would take care of his essential needs of life. 

The teenaged Sai Baba was no longer a fledgling. He had taken on the role of the chastising father, the loving mother and the wise Guru. He had come out of the shackles of household life, and He had begun to address humanity. 

The message of the young master had echoed the message of all the grand masters of yore, “Surrender yourself and I assure you that I will take care of you!” 

The vision of the young Sai Baba had emerged clearly to uplift humanity from its degenerated slumber and restore back to man the awareness of his lost divine status. 

In the emphatic advice to Digambara Swamy, Sai Baba demonstrated one important thing for all who had eyes to see and ears to hear. He made it known loud and clear that His mission had begun!

Early in 1944, probably the 24thJanuary, Baba visited the city of Bangalore for the first time. He would have gone by bullock cart up to Bagepalli, stayed at Paragodu village and then proceeded to Bangalore by bus. This was His first major trip outside Puttaparthi since the Grand Declaration.

D N Krishna Murthy would recall Baba’s early visits to Bangalore. So this is the narration by D N Krishna Murthy. “Baba visited Bangalore for the first time in February 1944 and stayed for 8 to 10 days in Rama Rao’s house near Lal Bagh.” Lal Bagh Gardens are very famous, as you know!

Both Karnam Subbamma and Kamalamma accompanied Him on this trip. During this visit, He also visited our house on Cavalry Road. One or two months later He visited Bangalore once again.”

Shyamanna’s son, Ramaswami of Indira Nagar, would remember Sai Baba visiting and staying at his parents’ house in Bangalore. Shyamanna was then working in Ram Kumar Mills. He   borrowed his employer’s car to bring Baba to their house. 

When He went to Bangalore in February 1944, He wore a striped shirt and a dhoti. One day, He suddenly said, “I don’t want to wear this!” 

One Srinivasan brought a few pieces of dhoti, dyed light lemon yellow, and had a long jubba, a loose collarless shirt made. Such a dress design was called Madanapalli jubba, in those days. Very soon Baba gave up His jubba and dhoti.........

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