Sai Baba materialized were quite unique, as they possessed great healing power having appeared from the power of the divine thought of the Avatar. Quite often, Sathya Sai Baba materialized the sacred ash directly from his hand. Sometimes sacred ash materialized from his photographs.

The materialization of sacred ash still takes place today and not only in India, but in all countries of the world, in the homes of true devotees, or in temples dedicated to Sathya Sai Baba.

4. Sathya Sai Baba answers the prayers of sincere devotees instantly

I met Kumarji a few years later in India at the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba. I tried to find out from him about the incident that happened at the Moscow metro. For a long time, I did not know how to ask the question of how he managed to acquire the ability to materialize sacred ash. After listening to my naive question, Kumarji smiled and explained that the sacred ash is the great grace of God, which is given only to sincere devotees and that he had no idea how it happens.

“I just pray to Sathya Sai Baba,” Kumarji said, “and a miracle happens if Sathya Sai Baba considers it necessary and useful. Sometimes it doesn't happen unless it's spiritually necessary.”

He explained that when he began to chant the mantra in the Moscow metro, he did not know, for sure, whether the sacred ash would appear or not. It became clear that not only Sathya Sai Baba could perform the miracle of the materialization of sacred ash, but also devotees who found a deep spiritual unity with God. Being in a state of perfect devotion to the Lord, genuine devotees are able to perform amazing miracles, such as foreseeing the future and healing other people. I realized that deeply devoted people were pure instruments in the hands of the Avatar.

In dealing with Kumarji, I was struck by his deep modesty. He had a number of abilities, including clairvoyance and the gift of healing, however, he completely denied his talents, arguing it all happened solely by the grace of God.

Comparatively, some people try to assert themselves and convince others of their alleged greatness, but those who are truly in the deepest inner oneness with God always show gentleness and modesty.

Sathya Sai Baba instantly answers the prayers of his sincere devotees. Of course, not everyone can receive answers to their prayers immediately, but if a person is in a state of perfect trust in the Almighty, the answer to prayer can be prompt. In unity with the divine, a false sense of egoistic authorship dissolves and a person embarks on the path of perfect service, which is only possible when the small ego dissolves in the infinite wisdom of God.

As a result of these amazing events, I was able to understand the colossal power of the Holy Names of the Lord. Mechanically pronouncing mantras, even if you pronounce them for a very long time, will not give you spiritual self-realization and abilities beyond reasoning. The holy names of God uttered with the deepest devotion and love will not only do this but also perform a miracle, instantly.

5. Russian yogis in the Soviet era

Almost ten years before my meeting with Sathya Sai Baba, I began to practice yoga and meditation. Even as a child, I had all sorts of mystical experiences, such as astral travel in the subtle body and memories of past lives. For a long time, it seemed quite natural for me to come home from school, lie down on the sofa and in my astral body go for a walk in the neighboring park. With age, it became clear that such experiences do not happen to everyone.

I was very lucky with the social circle that has been around me since childhood. Among my parents' acquaintances were people who were seriously interested in esotericism, meditation, and yoga. It must be remembered that these were Soviet times during which yoga and meditation were banned.

At that time, it was not possible to go to India – there was no free sale of books on the topic of spiritual practices. Despite all the difficulties, there were enthusiasts in Russia engaged in practicing meditation and yoga underground. Now, it sounds very strange, but such was the reality of Russia in the mid-twentieth century.

Quite a few people practiced yoga in Moscow, Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Kyiv, and other cities, and it was a very interesting and difficult time. Now we have many opportunities to find necessary information instantly, but at that time, there was no such option.

Russian yogis of the Soviet era drew information about meditation practices either from the few books they managed to bring from abroad or from internal mystical experience. They very quickly developed many super abilities in themselves and entered deep meditative states to quench their spiritual thirst by immersing themselves in the inner space of the spirit first of all.

The era of underground Soviet yoga was both strange and tragic, but its raw strength was revealed in how people learned to trust their intuition and their feelings, foregoing their attention to logic and common sense. Some of the first Russian devotees of Sathya Sai Baba came from the Russian underground yoga environment.

6. How to understand that he is an Avatar?

How can one understand that Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar? Can we be sure that he is a divine incarnation? What are the criteria by which it is possible to identify an Avatar?

First of all, it is possible to realize this, but only personally and independently. Experience gained by other people can only prompt you to think on your understanding and help you in your spiritual practice. Realizing the truth can only happen within your heart. In order for awareness to occur, it is necessary to independently go through the path of reflection, possible doubts, and ultimately, deep contemplation.

It is impossible to understand the truth about the Avatar "for the company." The desire to focus on the opinion of a large number of people is associated with the desire to shift responsibility to someone else. There is a naive belief that if many people think something, then it is definitely true; after all, millions cannot be wrong, can they? They can. The history of world culture gives us numerous examples of when the opinion of the majority did not mean the truth, at all. The most important decisions on the spiritual path must be made on your own, not hiding behind the backs of others.

Are there criteria by which it is possible to determine that Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar? There are no logical criteria and there cannot be because logic is powerless to understand the mystery of the divine incarnation.

The Vedic and Biblical traditions have tried for thousands of years to develop such criteria, but in vain. Every time an Avatar comes into the world, those people who have an open heart recognize him, and those who try to understand with their minds always make mistakes.

In the time of Krishna, some could understand he was an Avatar, and some could not. Even after several millennia, the divinity of Krishna is not obvious to everyone. The same thing happened with Jesus Christ. Many centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ in the Biblical tradition, the Messiah was expected and numerous criteria were developed for how to recognize him.

The real Messiah does not live according to the rules developed by the clergy. That is why the real Jesus Christ was recognized only by those who went beyond the formal criteria developed by the priests. Jesus Christ was and still is accepted only by disciples who intuitively feel his divine vibrations. In Biblical accounts, it is clear that those who tried to rely on logic did not accept him.

It should be understood that saints and yogis are people who, following the path of long practices of meditation and prayer, have reached a high level of spiritual self-realization, whereas the Avatar is the highest teacher who comes to earth with a special global mission.

Who is this Avatar? And how is the Avatar different from the saints? The Avatar is a great being who consciously incarnates on planet Earth in the world of people. His goal is to help people in the process of divine evolution and his motivation is always compassion and love. The Avatar does not have the karma of incarnations in this world. He consciously comes to this world in the name of love and service.

Since the Avatar does not have the karma of being born in the human world, he incarnates through a virgin birth. In Christianity, it is believed that only Jesus Christ came into this life through the immaculate conception. In some areas of Christianity, it is believed that the Mother of God was also conceived through the descent of the Holy Spirit; that is, as a result of an immaculate conception.

Each Avatar is incarnated through an immaculate conception. For example, this is how Krishna and Buddha were born, similarly like Sathya Sai Baba’s incarnation. During his lifetime this fact was kept secret for a long time, and only when Sathya Sai Baba was forty years old, did he consider it necessary to reveal this great secret. At that time his mother, Easwaramma, was still alive and at the direction of her divine son, the secret of his birth was revealed.

Easwaramma said that one day she went to a nearby well to draw water when, suddenly, a dazzlingly bright blue ball appeared in the sky. Descending above the astonished woman, the ball of light then entered Easwaramma’s stomach. After that, Easwaramma lost consciousness and lay on the ground for some time in a state of absolute bliss. Upon waking, she quickly returned home and told her mother-in-law who strictly forbade her to discuss the topic with other relatives.

How can you recognize an Avatar? This is a very complex question, the answer to which cannot be found with the help of logic. It is not possible to prove or disprove that Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar – one can only feel it.

7. Holy Night of Shiva and materialization of the Lingam

By the time I first met Sathya Sai Baba in ‘90s, I was already aware of various yoga traditions and spiritual teachers. I was seriously practicing meditation and studying Vedic philosophy. Back in Moscow, when I saw the video recording of Sathya Sai Baba and learned the stories of his amazing life, I instantly felt his colossal energy and power.

Several of my friends told me he is the Avatar of our age. It was difficult for me to understand what this meant, but it was clear that Sathya Sai Baba was a supreme being incomprehensible to my mind.

At that time, I was a Shaivite. Lord Shiva was for me the personification of all higher realizations and transcendental wisdom. When I first saw videos of Sathya Sai Baba and heard stories about his life, I felt he must be the incarnation of Lord Shiva.

One of the most important holidays celebrated in the ashram is Shiva's sacred night, Shivaratri. The exact date of this holiday is calculated according to the lunar calendar. That is why in different years the holiday is celebrated on different days. Most often this happens in the second half of February or in the first half of March.

The symbolism of the holiday is very deep. On this sacred night the wedding of God Shiva and Goddess Parvati takes place. The wedding of the Gods means the unity of Absolute Consciousness and Cosmic Energy, as well as the unity of the spiritual and material in the life of every person. In various yoga traditions, this is considered the most important night for the practice of meditation.

For many years on the sacred night of Shivaratri, Sathya Sai Baba materialized from his mouth a golden Lingam. A Lingam is an egg-shaped object made of stone or metal alloy. It’s a symbol of cosmic egg, source of the entire universe.

There are many videos of Sathya Sai Baba