Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba's 500-year old horoscope
Astrological predictions of Baba's advent
There is an institution in New Delhi known as Indian Astro-Occult Research Association. Dr. E.V. Sastry, a famous and prominent member of the association happened to read the book Sathyam Sivam Sundaram. He then began a search to find out from Nadi Grandham available in Tamil Nadu, about the indications in Baba's horoscope. It was very strange, wonderful and startling. In these collections of grandhas which are more than five hundred years old and are considered as one of the wonders of the world, were found some parts describing Baba, all of which were not in a single instance, different from what is published about Baba's life in the book Sathyam Sivam Sundaram. This truth made him wonderstruck. Thereafter, he had great faith in Baba's greatness and marvelled at the advancement of the science of astrology developed by great sage like Agasthya, Budha and Sukra. Dr. Sastry (it may be mentioned here incidentally that his pen name is 'Leo') happened to come to Puttaparthi in November 1960 on the birthday of Baba. On that occasion Dr. Sastry had with him an old palm leaf taken out from the Nadi Grandham, which contained details about Baba written by some incognito, but an old, famous and well learned pandit.
On that auspicious day he placed it at the Lotus Feet of Baba and felt gratified.
That piece of palm leaf was only 36 centimeters long and 1/2 cms. broad. But within the breadth of 1/2 cms. on either side were 26 lines each containing 250 letters. Several facts were detailed therein. Only with the aid of a most powerful microscope could these letters be read clearly. These descriptions written in old Tamil poetic stanzas, in the form of an essay, were very beautiful, fully apt and highly illuminative. In that, not a single letter or word was redundant of uninformative. Palm leaves of this kind written in Sanskrit, are also found. Dr. K.M. Munshi had said that there are such grandhas written in the Tibetan language also.
In Tamil Nadu, there are kept in custody as sole private property, their divisions of the aforementioned palm leaf grandhas, under the names of Agasthya Nadi, Budha and Sukra nadi. Dr. Sastry contacted these three divisions and collected facts about Baba from these different grandhas, detailed according to the planetary position of Baba's horoscope. What is most astonishing to us in this is that the planetary position indicated in all the three grandhas at the time of Baba's birth into this world is identically the same without any difference whatsoever. In each of these, facts are enumerated in the form of poetry and past and present incidents in Baba's life are so truly described that we are awe-stricken at the accuracy and information. After reading all this we are struck with wonder at our ancestor's predictions of events that was done accurately without any mistake, and at the perfection of the science of astrology which has enabled them to predict so.
In one Nadi Grandhas the following is said: "The person to whom this horoscope relates, in his previous birth was Sai Baba, who was a famous Maharishi. He was also a world famous Sad Guru!" Another Nadi says, "I am an avatar of Sai". This fact cannot be contradicted also. In all three Nadis, the names of his father and mother are mentioned, clearly, truly and accurately. In addition, another fact clearly mentioned in these is, "the person to whom this horoscope relates, whose name is Sathyanarayana Raju, will renounce the world in his boyhood, will start schools and hospitals, will publish books for the upliftment of the world, will spend every day of his whole lifetime for the establishment of dharma, which is his ideal and objective." Another fact written in Budha Nadi is, "the person to whom this horoscope relates will spend the whole of his lifetime always enjoying the bliss derived from uniting jivatma with paramatma." In Agastheya Nadi it is mentioned that Baba will be an all merciful avatar of God. Not only that, but is it also mentioned the He will be, Akkilathara pitha i.e. authority on manava vamsam, preceptor, protector, and father of the world.
In Sukra Nadi it is written, "Baba will have all the siddhis possessed by Sai Baba; by love, kidness and knowledge he will establish eternal bliss in this world. He will establish a mandir which will be conducive for practising tapas etc." On top of all this is another important passage in Sukra Nadi, i.e. "the person to whom this horoscope relates will be an avatar amongst the avatars". Another sentence is, "He will derive immense pleasure in the service of mankind."
Those who are fortunate enough to have darshan of Baba and enjoyed the bliss of hearing His nectar-like words, and seen every action of His filled with mercy and sweetness and those who are able to understand at least one tenth of a millionth part of that great truth, even without the necessity of knowing what is mentioned in these Nadis, have understood the greatness of Baba. But, even for them, the fact about His coming into being, written separately, several centuries before His incarnation by three special expert astrologers, detailing his horoscope aspects, describing His character which is in no way different from what we see now in Him, is an agreeable surprise.
