(Talks by Kasturi)

Published by Prasanthi Prakashana
Edited and compiled by H. M. Shivaram.
Available in the Ashram.

Sri N. Kasturi had been Baba’s biographer for many decades. Besides he had also been the translator for Baba’s discourses and writings, editor of Sanathana Sarathi and an elderly devotee at Prasanthi Nilayam.
The volume under review is a compilation of talks delivered by Sri N. Kasturi to groups of overseas devotees at Prasanthi Nilayam. Sri H. M. Shivaram has done a great service by compiling the talks and making them available to a generation that missed hearing Sri Kasturi speak.
Through the pages of this book we get a rare glimpse of the scholarly linguist, silver tongued orator, great humanist and humorist that Sri Kasturi was. But we also are facilitated to discover for ourselves, from his informal and intimate expositions, unknown facets of Bhagawan Baba’s enchanting glory, profound wisdom and unfathomable divinity.
Coming from a long-standing devotee like Sri Kasturi, the talks provide spiritual insights for all aspirants dedicated to the spiritual mission of Sai Baba. A useful and enjoyable reading.

l 21 x 14 cms

l Paperback

l Rs. 60

Teri O’Brien
Published by Sai Towers Publishing.

Teri O’Brien, a Ph.D. and D. Sc. in Cell Biology and a member of the Scientific and Medical Network, U.K gives up his job to take care of his wife with metastatic breast cancer with major involvement of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. He travels with his wife from Australia all the way to Prasanthi Nilayam ‘in search of a miracle.’
Not one but many miracles are witnessed and experienced: a man bound to the wheelchair for two years is told to "get up and walk" and he walks! An amazing ring with a top that spins like a propeller is created for a German lady and her husband is asked to look into his shirt pocket and a replica of the ring given to his wife is found there A bunch of roses begins to shed drops of a liquid which is prompted to be given to an unknown woman who is seriously sick to cure her! And many more.
But there are other miracles of a different kind: A Parsi business man does not accept any money for the many services done by him; a Muslim businessman similarly gives a lot of help; a Hindu woman feels compelled by an inner prompting to enter the hospital and volunteer to donate a pint of ‘O’ negative blood–just the thing that was desperately sought before a surgery.
In the course of experiencing the miracles, O’Brien’s scientific training makes him formulate a rule: mystical productions are preceded by three clockwise motions of the hand and mystical changes of forms (of rings etc.) require three blows of breath by Baba. And as quickly as they are made in his mind, Baba breaks them all demonstrating that Divinity is not circumscribed by such rules always: He produced things by anticlockwise motion and changed a ring by just two blows of His breath.
But the miracle for which they came mainly did not come to pass though it did seem to be on its way step by step. Yet there was a great inner transformation. To quote the author concluding the book: "Yes, I have my Miracle, and without the journey Carolynn’s search created, it might well have taken longer to recognize it."
This is a small book but event-packed and emotion-packed. Reading through it is to live through it and enjoy it. It is educative too.

- O. P. V.

l 110 Pages

l 22 x 14 cms

l Paperback

l 5 Photographs

l Rs. 120

Before the Curtain Rises

By Lorna E Harding
Published by The Videos Publications and Translations,
Division of Sri Sathya Sai Organisation, Australia.

This slim volume proved to be a delightful surprise to this reviewer who after a cursory glance thought it was some kind of a guide book for people who are event managers. Of course it can serve as a very useful guide for organisers of meetings but that will be a bonus to the reader. What comes through this book is the sincere devotion of the author to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, her dedication to the piece of work alloted to her, her sense of humour and self–effacing nature. These qualities make her a good instrument in the hands of the Lord who causes one improbable or impossible thing after another to happen miraculously.
Guest speakers thought to be beyond reach accept the invitations, total strangers contacted through inner promptings turn out to be the very persons who could help people go out of the way to give publicity. However there are unexpected problems when the sound technician engaged for the meeting is lured away by greener pastures at the eleventh hour, or when a speaker who accepted the engagement is found to have preferred another.

Yet every problem appearing like a mountain dissolves like a mist and everything is ready as ready can be before the curtain rises. What happened to the meeting is not discussed at all but there is no doubt that it must have been a resounding success. However it could not have been more enjoyable than the incidents and activities that preceded it and are so wonderfully and dramatically presented in this book.

- O. P. V.

l 89 Pages

l 22 x 14 cms

l Paperback

l Rs. 60