Plane Ride
January 26, 1985
Bombay, Maharashtra
Dear Family,
Weeeeeeel the plane ride, what can I say? :-) The night before, I walked out on our little sink-verandah and looked around the surroundings of our very own Hotel Karpagam. There were usually a few cows around, but that night I counted 10 (that’s ten) cows within 1/3 a block on either side of the place where I was staying. Now that’s auspicious! So, I knew tomorrow would be auspicious.
The day started with Dawn Darshan - we sat in the 2nd section so it would be easier to get out, so we could go straight to the airport. Sai made the Darshan really special because it was His last in Madras. He put both His Hands up in Blessing after the Arathi, and turned granting all Darshan and Grace, smiling.
After, we went to the airport. Guess who was there, but SH and Rita! We joined them, and started to form the line. First in line means first choice for boarding passes, and luckily SH knew that Sai would be sitting in 8-A, and His party of 8 had reserved seats 7-A, 7-B (no 7-C through 7-H on plane); 8-A through 8-F. Sundaram had gotten the intuition to reserve 8-G and 8-H, but she said later all they could see was arm-and-leg Darshan of Sai, not much Face Darshan.
Anyway, Barbara got 10-B, Diane 10-C and me 10-D. good because I was at an angle and could see more of Sai; but for Barbara it was the best for her because she liked to be as close to Sai as possible.
Imagine waiting in the lobby to board the plane, knowing Sai is going to be on the flight - !
We got on the plane and I admit, I had some doubts that Sai would be on it. After all, we had only heard second hand. Plus it’s Sai’s nature to change flights at the last minute, which He’s done before.
But then, THEN, Sai’s trusted English translator came on, and a bunch of white-clad, familiar Swami-people! I got a close look at the translator, as he went to his seat 8-D, directly in front of me, and I KNEW… I KNEW.
Theeeen, everyone tensed – Swami’s car had arrived!! (He drives up to the plane to get in – planes here, you don’t walk through a neat little cave and there you are in the plane; here you walk to the plane which is in the middle of the airport.) HE walked in, ran His Divine eyes over the plane, and took His seat.
All through Madras, I had been thinking, ‘Hmmm, it would be nice to have one close-up Madras look from Sai.’ But no banana. Got plenty of looks & stares from the stage, but nothing up-close. So, when I got on the plane, I thought, “Ah well, no ‘Madras look’. Swami’s Will, I guess.”
So anyway, soon after Sai got on the plane and settled in His seat, He turned right around in His seat and looked directly at the section I was sitting in – it was easy to tell He was looking at only three or five seats, and I was one of them! He ran His eyes over the section – and during that gave me three deep, intense hard stare-looks! Half a minute after that, He turned back, the plane started and we took off! My idea of a “Madras look” had been fulfilled to overflowing, more than I ever expected! Sai has a way of doing that … you should come and experience it.
This put me in a predicament though, because now I had no more updated desires to be fulfilled! Only the one for Moksha was left. You see here, you (or at least I) come for two desires to be fulfilled: Darshan and Moksha. Then He puts tiny other desires in your heart and mind to keep you occupied or to purify you, or to tire you of all desires or for SOME reason.
Well anyway, He had kept these things fairly constant with me – ‘Take these letters, bless this necklace, give me this Madras look,’ etc. On this Madras trip, He had fulfilled the two other spiritual desires I had, ones I wouldn’t never believed He would fulfill so soon. Now, with the somewhat hugely more trivial Madras look fulfilled also, I was left with no more desires at all, except liberation. I searched and searched for that familiar tiny desire lurking, but there was none to take the empty place! Odd but true! So with this flight, Sai Baba graced me to enjoy it to the fullest because when God wills Himself to be awakened in this form from His self-inflicted maya, He will do it. It’s all Him and in His hands, all in God's’ hands so “Just be quiet and I’ll do the rest,” as God says…
Well anyway, just imagine taking off, seeing the land of Sacred India, and then being high in the clouds, trapped and enclosed with SAI! He can't escape, can't walk into the Mandir and disappear, no! He’s trapped. You’re trapped up in the sky with Sai! Ahhh… two rows and two seats away…
SH had given us tons of warnings about the trip – she said they’ll make announcements that no one was to approach Sai, especially anyone young (like 18-30 especially) and especially not young foreigners, especially not females of any kind (remember, I'm 19, Diane 28 and Barbara 32. Young. White. Female. Uch.) BUT GUESS WHAT – no announcements were made on this flight!
SH said later that Sai had never been so accepting, so playful, so happy, so childlike on a flight before. He let anyone and everyone approach Him - there was a constant stream – including the bunch of foreigners that had followed Him (crafty aren’t we).
Isn't it all His Grace that I got into the follow-Sai group, and had contact with SH who was so helpful? Sai Grace, Sai Will.
Barbara approached Him and He signed a picture, asked her where she was from and other stuff, and ended with giving her a “Very happy” in a whisper. Later she said the flight went beyond all her daydreams, expectations, and hopes of her dream of flying with Sai. Overflowed, far beyond what she had ever expected. SOUNDS FAMILIAR WITH SAI.
Diane had a very special picture signed (“With Love, Baba”), got padnamaskar (as far as you can get leaning over the guy in 8-B, to reach Sai’s foot in 8-A) and got Abhaya pose with a smile. :-)
For a special personal reason, I did not approach Sai. I knew it was right not to. Also with the complete feeling of freedom and all desires fulfilled what would we say to each other? Everything was perfect just right.
During the 1½-hour flight or so, I saw mostly the back of Sai’s Head i.e., a puff of black hair. Sai’s head was always turning – this way and that, opening the window shutter, looking out, closing the window shutter, talking to the guy next to Him and the ones in front of Him. He picked up a newspaper once and found a small picture of Himself; it was some announcement of Him coming to Bombay or something. He held up the paper, turned to us rows directly behind Him, and pointed to the ad with a delighted kid-like, “Here’s Me, isn’t that Great?!!” look! He’d look down and adjust His sandals, laugh and borrow newspapers from other passengers. This was the friendliness and playfulness He had on this flight.
Everyone from children to Indians to foreigners of all ages came up to Him. Even non-devotees, businessmen and the like came up just to bow out of respect, then return to their seats. He’d sign pictures, smile and talk, allow Padnamaskar, take letters, bless items. You should’ve seen it – to a few (not just one or two) individuals, He’d even lean his head really close and talk to them (I'm talking cheek-to-cheek, nose-to-nose stuff), including even a friend (foreigner), Teresa. She’s about 40 and Baba says Prasanthi Nilayam is her home, she’s a permanent resident even though she just has a visa like mine at this point – by Baba’s Grace, it somehow always gets extended with no problem.
Mmm, where was I? Ah yes, childlike, playful Sai. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, THE DAYS OF BABA’S CHILDHOOD ARE HERE, FOR THOSE WHOM HE WILLS IT FOR. THE DAYS OF SMALL CROWDS, OF BEING CLOSE TO SAI, OF GETTING CLOSE, CLOSE PERSONAL ATTENTION FROM HIM, ARE HERE AND ARE NOW. YOU CAN STILL GET IT; YOU CAN STILL EXPERIENCE IT. IT’S NOW. Who knows after the 60th Birthday, I don’t. Maybe it will change but maybe not.
I just remembered the energy of Mala when she came back from India last time: of “Let’s get going! Do it now, Sai’s rushing ahead and we must rush with Him! We have to go or be left behind!” I’m getting that too, that energy. If something’s coming up, some drastic change of routine at the ashram, then NOW is the time to come and experience the Grace.
Soon after we took off, this guy from Singapore said to me, “Have you been to Bombay before?” I shook my head, “No,” eyes glued on Sai and far off in the back of my mind thinking who is this guy and can't he see I'm busy?! But he persisted, “First time?” I nodded, “Yes” then instantly it hit me! This was Sai Himself speaking! He was telling me, “This is your first trip to Bombay and I'm escorting you Myself there. I will take care of everything for you there; you are my guest, I have invited and brought you here Myself, even put you nearby on the plane with Me.” It struck me so hard! Gave me huge insight, made me think of the whole trip differently.
The meal was served and I took the opportunity to eat a whole meal in the Divine physical Presence, staring at Sai. Every meal eaten henceforth, I thought, is thus sanctified and blessed by this occasion.
Sai and His party usually don’t take food or drink during flights, as far as I’ve heard or seen on this flight. Although at one point, Sai was offered a special glass of something and He accepted, taking some of it. But not until it had been offered with an utterly humble, wide-eyed will-He-reject-it look stewardess, and after some playful questioning and argument on Sai’s part.
Then the plane landed. There was the familiar Please-don’t-get-up-from-your-seats-until-the-seatbelt-sign-is-turned-off announcement, and along with it the usual tensing up of everyone on board, ready to spring. In India, everyone gets up the moment it seems like the plane has stopped, even though it’s still slowly moving to its proper place. Its all rush, rush, crowd, crowd! No one pays attention to the announcement! That’s India (people also get up before and during the making of the announcement).
Anyway, Sai’s crew thought fast and jumped up, to block the passage so no one could crowd in on Sai before He got out. Sai looked around innocently at all the commotion and had a now-wait-a-minute-the-seatbelt-sign-isn't-turned-off-yet look on His face. And, shouldn’t-we-obey-the-announcement look. But then it was clear that no one else was going to wait, so He slithered out and stood in the passageway. First He turned around and talked, smiling and happy, kid-like, to His party behind Him. He turned back then back again. Then more talk. At one point He turned back and with a delighted expression, eyebrows raised, said, “First one to get off-!” That Sai - !
He was standing soo close, I was up too, so I was like the third one away from Him, standing (but at an angle). So close and soo clear! Divinity.
He made vibhuti for the stewardess and allowed her padnamaskar, and then He exited.
By the time we got our stuff together and moved slowly through the crowd, Sai had driven off and was gone. Om Sai Ram!
Well I started off this letter saying, “What can I say?” Looks like I found stuff to say! It’s so wonderful to see this side of Sai, how blessed are we to have Him! What a dream this is (or have I said that before??).
The plane ride, Bombay and the plane ride back was the high point, the climax of the entire trip. The Grace and Bombay experiences went far beyond anything, even Madras. It was just like He’d said (in His subtle way), He took care of everything, like a Mother. Over flowing, unbelievable. Next letter, that!
Om Sai Ram,
Love,
Eileen
(Indian child)