Sathyam Sivam Sundaram Vol 1

About the Author in His own words:

I WAS born in an obscure village in North Travancore, when the nineteenth century had still
two years and a few days to run. I had my schooling in the Cochin State, under a great
Headmaster, who had met Swami Vivekananda and who lit in our little lamps the flame of
prayer and contrition. I attended College at Trivandrum and after finishing my M.A. and
B.L., I secured a job as Lecturer in History, in a College in Mysore.
The country boat, in which I and my wife and my mother journeyed along the canals and
backwaters of the West Coast, on the first hop of the journey to catch the train at Ernakulam,
was halted past midnight in the middle of a dark blue backwater by a Chowkidar, who
shouted his orders from the shore. He called out from the black night, "Where are you
going?" and waited for the answer! My boatman had a fine sense of humour. He shouted
back, "We are going to Mysore!" The Chowkidar was in no mood to reprimand him for
impertinence, for he, too, did not lack in humour. He laughed and said, "Why do you say
Mysore? Don't you know of a place beyond Mysore?"
Little did we know then, that there was a place beyond even Mysore; a couple of hundred
miles to the north of that city, a place called Puttaparthi, which was to provide us harbourage
from the turbulent storms of the sea, where I was to get the Teacher I wanted, when my
career as a University Teacher and Principal was about to come to a close. Yogi Sudhananda
Bharathi, the famous mystic poet of Tamil Nadu, said in April, 1959, addressing an
Adhyatmic Conference at Venkatagiri Town, over which Sri Sathya Sai Baba presided, "I
have practised Yoga for over 50 years; I once observed the vow of silence continuously, for
over 20 years; I have come in contact with Sri Shirdi Baba, Sri Ramana Maharishi, Sri
Aurobindo, Sri Mehar Baba, and others; now, as a result of all this Sadhana, I have met Sri
Sathya Sai Baba."... I served as the Secretary of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission at Mysore, for
over seventeen years; I came in contact with Sri Siddarooda Swami, Sri Ramana Maharishi,
Sri Mehar Baba, and Sri Narayana Guru; I was initiated into japam by mahapurushji, the
direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and President of the Mission; and I am now
convinced that as a result of all this, I sat at the Feet of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, in 1948.
After I retired from the service of the University of Mysore, I have rejoiced in Baba's
Presence, except for a short period, when I worked with All India Radio as a Producer. I have
had the good fortune of mingling with many devotees of Baba, who have longer and closer
associations with Him; I have availed myself of every opportunity of witnessing His Mahima
(glory) and listening to His discourses.
This book has long been under preparation and I am happy that it is now placed in your
hands. Baba always speaks of personal experience, not books, as the best way of knowing
Him and this has been, in the main, responsible for the delay. But, however inadequate, this
book might be useful in revealing to the reader the reasons for the extraordinarily intimate
loyalty that binds me and others to Him. Baba is Himself an Open Book, with no mystery, or
pomp, or abstruseness about Him and everyone can approach Him and secure His Grace.
Devotees of Baba might brush aside this book as superfluous, because they know most of it
already and much more besides. Moreover, they might blame me for the rather cold tone of
narration, which is inevitable when Baba is described in print. They might also notice that I
have committed many understatements and omitted many mahimas, which, in their opinion,
are more significant than the ones I have selected. I most humbly crave th

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