person. If you have a toothache, you do not need to fill it yourself, you go to the dentist. If you need information, you can ask someone to collect the necessary information. However, there are things that you should only do on your own, regardless of your social status and financial capabilities.
Only on your own can you meditate; only on your own can you realize the divine nature of your soul; and only on your own can you follow the path of spiritual development.
In the Mahabharata and Ramayana, most of the acting heroes are kings and princes, but even for great kings, the process of inner realization can only occur as a result of independent spiritual work.
41. The Paradox of the Divine Plan and Free Choice
Sathya Sai Baba said that every person who comes to his ashram can come only because there is a divine will. Everyone who came to the ashram could come there only at the personal invitation of Sathya Sai Baba himself.
When I heard such words for the first time, I was extremely surprised. Millions of people came to the ashram; how could this be? I came to the ashram every year and it seemed this happened completely according to my desire. It seemed easy and simple. The thought never arose that in fact every time I came to the ashram was actually because it was part of the higher, subtle, divine plan.
What could be easier than buying a ticket to India, flying for a period of time, and staying at the ashram as my circumstances allowed. It seemed like it was my own choice.
There were many people who very much wanted to come to the ashram, but many obstacles prevented them from doing so. At the same time, there were people who could hardly imagine who Sathya Sai Baba was and ended up in the ashram, as if quite by accident.
One woman I know of was invited by a group of friends to go to India, to which she gladly agreed. On the plane she was informed that the group was going to see Sathya Sai Baba. The woman did not know who he was, and so her friends showed her a small photograph of Sathya Sai Baba and briefly explained where she was flying to. Sometimes, people got to the ashram in strange ways.
One of the most important paradoxes of human life is the interconnection of an omnipotent divine plan on the one hand and free human will on the other. The omnipotent Divine plan does not cancel the free will of a person, and as a result, the responsibility for decisions made and actions taken fall on the shoulders of each man.
Some of my acquaintances had the opportunity to go to India and see Sathya Sai Baba, but sometimes people thought there were more important things to do and so put off going to the ashram. As you know, what can be done today can only be done today, and then the next day comes and the opportunity is gone. It seemed to some they could easily go to Sathya Sai Baba in a couple of years, but life circumstances changed and the possibility of taking the trip disappeared.
In life, we are constantly met with the problem of choice and prioritization. Sometimes people put all their affairs and worries into the background in order to be close to Sathya Sai Baba, as soon as possible. Basically, it's a matter of priorities. If the most important thing in life is to see the Avatar, and if your priorities are spiritual development, then you are taking the right steps.
For the most part, people learned about Sathya Sai Baba from their acquaintances who had already been to India. Sometimes information came through books, and sometimes information about him literally burst into their lives in the most unusual and mystical way. Everyone reacted to their introduction to Sathya Sai Baba differently.
People who prioritized spiritual knowledge did everything possible, and sometimes, impossible to see Sathya Sai Baba as quickly as they could. For some, the immediate concerns of this life seemed more significant.
Sometimes people do not notice when a chance appears; as such, their unique opportunity is lost forever.
42. People saw Sathya Sai Baba in their dreams before they knew about his existence.
Several people told me stories about how they learned about Sathya Sai Baba through mystical dream experiences. There were cases when people saw him in a dream, not understanding who he was. Later, when they saw a photograph of Sathya Sai Baba, they realized this was the unusual Indian mystic who visited them in their dream.
At the ashram I met an elderly lady from Hamburg, Helga. She told me an amazing story about how she found out about Sathya Sai Baba and came to the ashram for the first time. Helga lived most of her life in northern Germany and was never interested in Vedic philosophy and meditation. She was a sincere Christian and performed daily prayers in accordance with Christian tradition.
One night, she had a mystical dream. In the dream, an unknown oriental man in a long orange dress came to her and invited her to come to visit him in India. Within the dream, the woman felt frightened, but at the same time, she understood she was sleeping and seeing him in a mystical dream. At that moment, Helga did not know who this strange oriental man was and where exactly he was inviting her to go. Right during the dreaming experience, Sathya Sai Baba took the frightened woman in his strong arms, and they flew away.
They flew high in the sky, flying fast enough to end up in southern India. Right in the dream, Helga visited the ashram. All the events of this dream were very real, and she felt everything as if quite physically.
Upon waking, the woman could not come to her senses for a long time. When she did, she tried to make inquiries about various contemporary spiritual teachers. The Oriental man who visited