with Babaji.
Mahavatar Babaji was not born in the usual way. He appeared from a flash of light on the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet, which happened in ancient times. He has lived on Earth for many millions of years.
There is another version according to which Mahavatar Babaji was born in the 3rd century A.D. in southern India, near the city of Chidambaram, where one of the world's largest temples of the god, Shiva is located.
As a very young man, he practiced meditation and mantras for only a few months, after which he attained supreme enlightenment. The variety of assumptions and versions about the birth of Mahavatar Babaji should not confuse or create contradictions. Let everyone follow their own version.
31. Swayambhu Lingam with a relief of the trident of the god, Shiva
We now come to one of the most significant first miracles performed by Prema Sai Baba. I narrate the miracles of Prema Sai Baba not quite in chronological order. The chronological sequence, in my opinion, is not as significant as the intuitive feeling in the presentation of the information, which is more important.
When Prema Sai Baba was about five years old, he blessed a small piece of land in the jungle on the outskirts of the village of Bewur. This village is located fifteen kilometers from his home village, Doddamallur.
The mother of Prema Sai Baba, whose name is Teja Mani, was born and raised in the village of Bewur. Naturally, the divine boy often visits the village of Bewur, where his numerous maternal relatives live. The boy blessed a piece of land in the neighboring jungle, and as a result of this blessing, a stone Lingam began to grow from under the ground.
When an artifact begins to grow by itself from underground, in Sanskrit it is called Swayambhu, which translates as "self-arising". When the Lingam gradually began to grow from the ground, no one paid attention to the features of this stone. However, over time it became clear there was a relief on the plane of the stone.
On this stone (Lingam) one can clearly see the miraculous trident of the god, Shiva. Looking at this relief, you might think that some sculptor made it. The outlines are very clear and graceful, and it's hard to believe that something like this can just materialize.
I personally observed how gradually this stone appeared from under the ground. The process took place approximately during the period of three years. When Prema Sai Baba was nine years old, with his blessing, the family built a small temple on the site of the manifestation of the Lingam.
In February 2021, the opening ceremony of the temple took place, which was attended by several hundred people. The celebration began at sunrise and ended only in the late evening. The inauguration of the new Lord Shiva Temple marked a new stage in the development of Prema Sai Baba's mission. Jaya Lakshmi Amma attended the consecration of the temple.
Once a year, solemn ritual services and worship on the Lingam are performed in the temple. This unique Lingam continues to slowly grow, even now. Most likely, this process will stop, of which Prema Sai Baba already hinted at.
Every year on February 6, the anniversary of the founding of the miraculous Lord Shiva Temple, which was built by the devotees and relatives of Prema Sai Baba near the village of Bewur, is celebrated.
As I have already mentioned, this wonderful Lingam is located near the village where Prema Sai Baba's mother, Teja Mani, was born. There are several ancient Hindu temples in this area. On one hill is the temple complex of the god, Vishnu, and on the other hill is the temple of the god, Shiva.
Divine spirits live on the subtle plane in ancient temples. During important temple festivals, these spirits are possessed by some mediums who fall into deep trance states for several hours.
In my opinion, all spirits living in local temples are divided into several groups. The first group is spirits from the family of the god, Shiva. A separate group of spirits belong to the family of the god, Vishnu. And another group of spirits belongs to the goddess, Shakti.
I have repeatedly observed how during the rituals these spirits move into mediums, and each group of spirits has its own group of mediums. For example, the spirits from the family of the god, Shiva inhabit only their mediums, the spirits of the family of the god, Vishnu in theirs, and the spirits of the family of the goddess, Shakti in theirs.
Hinduism as a religious tradition is very diverse both in terms of numerous philosophical schools and levels of the tradition itself. There are six main schools of Vedantic philosophy (Sankhya, Yoga Shastra, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Vedanta), three main schools of Vedanta (Advaita Vedanta, Vishishta-Advaita Vedanta, Dvaita Vedanta), as well as four main areas of yoga (Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Dhyana yoga, Jnana yoga).
In parallel with these high philosophical systems, there are many mystical traditions in Indian villages that formally belong to Hinduism but are more similar to shamanic practices of communicating with the spirits of nature.
In the vicinity of Doddamallur and Bewur there are a lot of forest altars associated with the veneration of the spirits of the fields and the jungle, as well as the spirits of snakes.
Among the locals there are mediums (shamans) who practice communication with these various spirits. Such practices have nothing to do with the rituals performed by brahmins, Hindu priests. In fact, this is a parallel mystical culture that existed even before the Aryans brought the Vedas to India.
Let's get back to the story of the temple holidays in the village of Bewur, where the ancient temples of the god, Shiva and the god, Vishnu are located. During the rituals in the local ancient temples, it is interesting to watch the boy Prema Sai Baba,