Scene
Setting: (In Baba's Masjid, Baba’s seat at the centre with pots in one corner and one jug near Baba. 4-5 devotees are already seated, others keep entering-one by one.)
(Hari enters and avoids sitting next to a Christian. He goes and sits next to a Bengali.)
Sukvinder: Sat Sri Akal (enters) (nobody reciprocates, turn their faces away)
(Now, Baba enters with a pot of water)
Baba: Sabka Malik ek.
Devotees: (happily) Baba has come!! Baba has come!! (All prostrate to Baba)
(Baba occupies his seat after keeping the water pot in a corner)
Baba: Hmm! people are so hypocritic, they say one thing but do something else.
Hari: Baba, it is not clear to us, kindly.......
Baba: (interrupts) Keep quiet!
In my presence you all say ‘Ram- Rahim & Krishna- Karim’; but are you all really following it?
No, not at all. There is so much dislike for one another in the depth of your hearts.
Hari: Not so, Sai.
Baba: Don’t utter lies, Hari. Did you not avoid sitting next to Joseph?
(Hari bends his head down)
Devotee 1: Baba has come to know everything that happened here.
Devotee 2: Naturally, Baba is Sarvantaryami!
(Baba starts coughing)
Hari: I shall get you water, Baba.
(Baba gives him a small mug kept nearby.)
Baba: Bring water from that big pot and pour into this jug.
(Hari pours)
Hari: Please drink, Sai.
Baba: This is not enough for me. Joseph, Sukvinder, Abdulla, Asutosh, Pillai, Uma and Radha--each of you pour water like that into the same jug.
(They do so and go back to their seats.)
Baba: You poured water now. By what name do you call it?
(Baba points to each of them.)
Joseph: Water, Baba.
Hari: Jal (Sanskrit)
Abdulla: Paani (Hindi)
Pillai: Vellam (Malayalam)
Uma: Neelu (Telugu)
Radha: Thaneer (Tamil)
Baba: Now tell me Hari. Can you separate the 'jal' you poured into the jug from the rest of the water?
Hari: No. How is it possible, Sai?
Baba: What about the others?
All: It is absolutely impossible, they have all merged with the water already in the jug.
Hari: They have lost their individual identities.
Baba: (nods) Correct, exactly in the same manner each one of you is not different from the rest. The jeevatmas have to ultimately merge with One Paramatma. The same Atman resides in everyone. So why these differences and discrimination among you?
Devotees (looking at one another)
Baba: Now Abdul, is your Paani different than the Jal poured by Hari?
Abdul: No, Baba.
Baba: What about your Neelu, Uma? It is in no way different from Paani, Jal, Vellam, Thaneer or Water. Is it not?
Remember! We call water by different names but essentially the substance is one but with different names.
Likewise, laddu, pudding, cake, halwa may look different from one another, but are all these not made of sugar?
Now, tell me, Who do you worship?
Devotee 1: Ram
Devotee 2: Mata
Devotee 3: Allah
Devotee 4: Jesus
Devotee 5: Hanumanji
Devotee 6: You! my Sai. You are everything for me!
Baba: Different Names but God is one. Religions are many but God is one. Pathways may be divergent but ultimate goal is one "Attaining God"!! Different creeds pursue different paths to reach the same God.
All devotees: Sai, we are very sorry regarding our earlier behaviour. Please pardon us. We have realised now that all religions lead us to the same God.
Baba : (blessing them)
(Hari leads and others follow his bhajan)
Rama Hare, Sai Krishna Hare
Sarva dharma priya Sai Hare
