Shaun Brown's Souljourns interview in 2005; eyewitness account of seeing bracelet coming out of middle of Sathya Sai Baba's palm; Swami teaching that conscience is the master to be followed
Today I saw this wonderful interview video: SOULJOURNS, SHAUN BROWN, SAI BABA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In_AjLKkWEw, slightly over 50 mins, interview was conducted in January 2005 [the youtube video was published in Jun 2012].
Above pic: Shaun Brown (from screenshot of video)
[To open pic in higher resolution, right-click on pic followed by open in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.]
I have interacted off and on with Shaun Brown from Australia on Facebook over the past two to three years. So this video was of particular interest to me.
Overall I think the video expresses Shaun's experiences of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Swami) very well. Note that Shaun also seems to have played a role in spreading the word about Swami in Australia.
I think most other viewers will agree with me when I say that the viewer feels that Shaun is speaking the truth without any exaggerations, about his journey with Sai Baba and his efforts at following Swami's teachings, especially Swami's main message of Love. To me, it comes across as an honest and genuine account of a young - mid 30s at time of interview in January 2005 - Western (Australian) devotee about his experiences of Sai Baba.
Ted Henry, the interviewer, and his videographer and publishing colleague(s), have done a great job in conducting and publishing this interview which I am quite sure would be especially useful for new Western devotees who have not had the privilege and blessing of interacting directly with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in physical form.
I have captured two parts of this interview in part transcripts below as I think they form an important eyewitness account related to Bhagavan.
From around 23 mins 40 secs:
Shaun Brown: Also, I think it means, and for me, my own experience has been, through your conscience. Now what's led me to that conclusion is again my interview in 1992. I had been through a very, very, very bad period for about the past two years before that. Bad in the sense that there [were] a lot of challenges for me. Very good in terms of Sai lessons. It was a period of great growth for me and I am eternally grateful for it.
But, I went into this interview wanting to offer my heart to Swami and just say Swami, whatever you tell me to do, I will do. So I sat beside Swami's chair in the interview, in the private interview, and I am saying, Swami, Swamiji.
Totally ignored me! He was talking to all my friends, promised them all good jobs and [Laughter] whatever else - totally ignored me.
So finally, he turned to me. I said Swamiji - he turned to me - and he mentioned something that had happened to me three years before that I had forgotten about.
Ted Henry: Specific episode that you knew happened in your life?
Shaun: Yeah. Just something that had happened three years before - Swami mentioned. And I said, what can I do Swami? I tried to work that situation out. But that's the way it went.
Ted Henry: So it was unfinished business in your mind.
Shaun: Yes. But it was a situation that involved some other people. And those people - I had said to Swami I will not leave these people until I feel they are affecting my sadhana (and) I will follow my conscience on this one. And so I didn't. Eventually, it came a time where I had to leave those people and move to another house but I tried to stay with them.
So Swami actually looked at me in this interview and said you followed your conscience. That is good and he patted me on the head. And he said, follow the master, face the devil, fight to the end, finish the game.
Ted Henry: Boy, he really helped you, didn't he?
Shaun: Yes. Yes.
Ted: That wasn't just an affirmation. That was, Hey you are on the right road. Keep going full speed ahead.
Shaun: Yes. Exactly. And that's my teaching for this life, (which) I think is - Follow the master. But the thing is I had a little confusion in my mind. You know, I knew that saying and actually I said it along with him. [He said:] Hey, patted me on the cheek. He said, OK. Come. We go now.
That was the end of the interview and I was going, but Swami, Swami, I wanted to ask you, what do you mean, follow the master? Does Swami mean, follow his example? How am I going to do that? Swami ..
Ted: Listen to your voice within?
Shaun: Yeah. Voice within, the conscience - what does Swami mean? Six days later, after the interview, I was walking past the Poornachandra and that voice of conscience came. Go and read the thought for the day. Now I had read all the Sathya Sai Speaks at that time. (I) didn't feel the need to read the thought for the day because it was all taken from those books. So I thought - No, no, I have got to get back to the room. I have got all this to do. The thought came again or the feeling came again from the conscience. You must read the thought for the day.
[Crosstalk]
Shaun: It (was) more forceful. And - No, no, no, I am too busy. I got about six steps later and this feeling came and it was almost a physical voice (that) came - Go and read the thought for the day. So I turned around, went and read it.
Everything in that thought for the day, everything was completely relevant to me. But the last paragraph I will never forget.
I tell you to follow the master. By the master I mean the conscience, the voice of God within you.
Ted: ...
Shaun: But notice this. Had Swami told me in the interview [incomplete sentence]. Conscience is the voice of God within you. That is the master that you must follow. He didn't. He gave a practical example of me hearing the voice of conscience and then following it, and getting the confirmation, the answer that I needed to hear.
Ted: It is also - you had a further confirmation or affirmation that your path is unmistakably correct because you keep having these clues revealed to you. They can only mean you are going in the right direction.
Shaun: Yes.
---end of this transcript snippet ----
From around 46:20
Shaun: We are in an interview in 1997. And these were two experiences - one is just sort-of a leela and the other is quite profound. In this interview I was sitting right beside Swami's chair - was very, very close to him and there was a man there. Swami came in. We had a new group from Australia - mostly new people. Some had only known about Swami for about six months. There was an Indian man sitting there at Swami's feet as well. Now, all of these people seemed to be new.
When Swami walked in, he sort of looked around stirring the air with his hand. Everyone thought that he was going to make some divine pronouncement. They didn't know what he was going to say. But they thought this was going to be really profound. And this is Swami for me.
Swami said, are you happy? Do you want the fan on? [Laughter] Swami then adjusted the fan, made sure everyone had enough room to sit. Only after everyone else was comfortable would Swami himself sit down. The perfect host. So human, so loving and so divine at the same time.
So Swami sat down. He said to this man, when are you leaving? The man said, tomorrow. Swami said, tomorrow. International? This man said, Sorry Swami? Swami said, international flight? He said, Oh yes Swami - Geneva. Swami said, yes, yes, I know you are from the UN. This man was stunned.
And Swami said, do you want [Kankanam] which means bracelet? And before the man can answer, Swami waved his hand. Now I could see underneath Swami's hand. And this bracelet slid from the middle of Swami's palm and he just caught it by the last link. [Laughter] [The screenshot below captures Shaun showing from where he saw the bracelet come out of Swami's open palm.]
So he took it and he said, come, come, come. He took this bracelet like this [Shaun gestures with his palms/hands]. He said, see here is the clasp. Here is how it works - fits together like this. He said, come, I will put. And He went and put it on this man's wrist. And it wouldn't fit. It was too small.
Swami [said] Haaa! Phuh! He blew on it and it was big enough to fit. So this man was just looking at this bracelet (and) looking at Swami. Swami smiled and blessed him. Then he sat back on his chair. Now my mother, who is not a devotee, had met Arthur Hillcoat in the airport when she came to pick me up on (our) previous trip. And she had seen Arthur's ring. And she said, Ahh you know Swami must be good at ahh sleight of hand.
Ted: Ya.
Shaun: So I decided that I would ask Swami to show me something unmistakable so that I could say, No. Not sleight of hand.
Ted: [You wanted] to ask him that!
Shaun: No. Just inside.
Ted: Okay.
Shaun: Just Inside. So Swami is sitting here [Shaun gestures] with his hands resting on the side of his chair. I can see his hand. Swami looks - I am just staring only at his hand. Swami looks at this fellow's wife and says, Jealous! Like that [Shaun shows a facial expression]. In the time it took him to say Jealous, I looked from his hand to his mouth to his hand. When I looked back there was a watch underneath Swami's hand. It had been empty a half a second before! Not even that. He just said jealous - like that. When I looked back there is a watch sitting there.
Now this was a silver watch with gold filigree, beautiful thick band on it, and Swami just goes like that [Shaun gestures with his hand/palm]. Everyone, of course, went, woooo [Laughter].
Swami got the wife to come up. And he unclasps the band and put it on her hand, looked at it and went, 7:30 - perfect. Watch your words. Watch your actions. .. Watch your thoughts. Watch your character. Watch your heart.
---- end transcript snippet ---
===============================================================
On my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2063833413833225, associated with this blog post, I had the following exchange with Martin Evind:
Martin Evind wrote (slightly edited):
Sairam I witnessed the same in 1983 interview. I was sitting on the right side at Swami’s feet, He placed His hand forward and I will never forget seeing a strand of pearls descend from the palm of His right hand. A white pearl japamala which he gave to a woman and told her “very valuable”. Swami also manifested pendants for two Italian students and changed a man's ring from Jesus to Sathya Sai Baba. And answered every person's questions and concerns. Thank you for allowing me to share this. Sairam
-----
Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Sairam Martin Evind. Thanks for sharing this wonderful eyewitness experience of yours. May I share your public comment above, on my associated blog post here: http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/01/shaun-browns-souljourns-interview-in.html? Note that the blog is freely viewable on the Internet and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.
-----
Martin Evind wrote (slightly edited):
Ravi S. Iyer Yes that would be fine. It was Dec. 1983. There were about eighteen devotees from San Francisco Ca. (California, USA) Bay Area
-----
Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Thanks Martin Evind. I will put it up shortly.
-----
[I thank Shaun Brown, Souljourns and Ted Henry, and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above transcript-snippets and screenshots of their youtube video on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
Above pic: Shaun Brown (from screenshot of video)
[To open pic in higher resolution, right-click on pic followed by open in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.]
Overall I think the video expresses Shaun's experiences of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Swami) very well. Note that Shaun also seems to have played a role in spreading the word about Swami in Australia.
I think most other viewers will agree with me when I say that the viewer feels that Shaun is speaking the truth without any exaggerations, about his journey with Sai Baba and his efforts at following Swami's teachings, especially Swami's main message of Love. To me, it comes across as an honest and genuine account of a young - mid 30s at time of interview in January 2005 - Western (Australian) devotee about his experiences of Sai Baba.
Ted Henry, the interviewer, and his videographer and publishing colleague(s), have done a great job in conducting and publishing this interview which I am quite sure would be especially useful for new Western devotees who have not had the privilege and blessing of interacting directly with Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in physical form.
I have captured two parts of this interview in part transcripts below as I think they form an important eyewitness account related to Bhagavan.
From around 23 mins 40 secs:
Shaun Brown: Also, I think it means, and for me, my own experience has been, through your conscience. Now what's led me to that conclusion is again my interview in 1992. I had been through a very, very, very bad period for about the past two years before that. Bad in the sense that there [were] a lot of challenges for me. Very good in terms of Sai lessons. It was a period of great growth for me and I am eternally grateful for it.
But, I went into this interview wanting to offer my heart to Swami and just say Swami, whatever you tell me to do, I will do. So I sat beside Swami's chair in the interview, in the private interview, and I am saying, Swami, Swamiji.
Totally ignored me! He was talking to all my friends, promised them all good jobs and [Laughter] whatever else - totally ignored me.
So finally, he turned to me. I said Swamiji - he turned to me - and he mentioned something that had happened to me three years before that I had forgotten about.
Ted Henry: Specific episode that you knew happened in your life?
Shaun: Yeah. Just something that had happened three years before - Swami mentioned. And I said, what can I do Swami? I tried to work that situation out. But that's the way it went.
Ted Henry: So it was unfinished business in your mind.
Shaun: Yes. But it was a situation that involved some other people. And those people - I had said to Swami I will not leave these people until I feel they are affecting my sadhana (and) I will follow my conscience on this one. And so I didn't. Eventually, it came a time where I had to leave those people and move to another house but I tried to stay with them.
So Swami actually looked at me in this interview and said you followed your conscience. That is good and he patted me on the head. And he said, follow the master, face the devil, fight to the end, finish the game.
Ted Henry: Boy, he really helped you, didn't he?
Shaun: Yes. Yes.
Ted: That wasn't just an affirmation. That was, Hey you are on the right road. Keep going full speed ahead.
Shaun: Yes. Exactly. And that's my teaching for this life, (which) I think is - Follow the master. But the thing is I had a little confusion in my mind. You know, I knew that saying and actually I said it along with him. [He said:] Hey, patted me on the cheek. He said, OK. Come. We go now.
That was the end of the interview and I was going, but Swami, Swami, I wanted to ask you, what do you mean, follow the master? Does Swami mean, follow his example? How am I going to do that? Swami ..
Ted: Listen to your voice within?
Shaun: Yeah. Voice within, the conscience - what does Swami mean? Six days later, after the interview, I was walking past the Poornachandra and that voice of conscience came. Go and read the thought for the day. Now I had read all the Sathya Sai Speaks at that time. (I) didn't feel the need to read the thought for the day because it was all taken from those books. So I thought - No, no, I have got to get back to the room. I have got all this to do. The thought came again or the feeling came again from the conscience. You must read the thought for the day.
[Crosstalk]
Shaun: It (was) more forceful. And - No, no, no, I am too busy. I got about six steps later and this feeling came and it was almost a physical voice (that) came - Go and read the thought for the day. So I turned around, went and read it.
Everything in that thought for the day, everything was completely relevant to me. But the last paragraph I will never forget.
I tell you to follow the master. By the master I mean the conscience, the voice of God within you.
Ted: ...
Shaun: But notice this. Had Swami told me in the interview [incomplete sentence]. Conscience is the voice of God within you. That is the master that you must follow. He didn't. He gave a practical example of me hearing the voice of conscience and then following it, and getting the confirmation, the answer that I needed to hear.
Ted: It is also - you had a further confirmation or affirmation that your path is unmistakably correct because you keep having these clues revealed to you. They can only mean you are going in the right direction.
Shaun: Yes.
---end of this transcript snippet ----
From around 46:20
Shaun: We are in an interview in 1997. And these were two experiences - one is just sort-of a leela and the other is quite profound. In this interview I was sitting right beside Swami's chair - was very, very close to him and there was a man there. Swami came in. We had a new group from Australia - mostly new people. Some had only known about Swami for about six months. There was an Indian man sitting there at Swami's feet as well. Now, all of these people seemed to be new.
When Swami walked in, he sort of looked around stirring the air with his hand. Everyone thought that he was going to make some divine pronouncement. They didn't know what he was going to say. But they thought this was going to be really profound. And this is Swami for me.
Swami said, are you happy? Do you want the fan on? [Laughter] Swami then adjusted the fan, made sure everyone had enough room to sit. Only after everyone else was comfortable would Swami himself sit down. The perfect host. So human, so loving and so divine at the same time.
So Swami sat down. He said to this man, when are you leaving? The man said, tomorrow. Swami said, tomorrow. International? This man said, Sorry Swami? Swami said, international flight? He said, Oh yes Swami - Geneva. Swami said, yes, yes, I know you are from the UN. This man was stunned.
And Swami said, do you want [Kankanam] which means bracelet? And before the man can answer, Swami waved his hand. Now I could see underneath Swami's hand. And this bracelet slid from the middle of Swami's palm and he just caught it by the last link. [Laughter] [The screenshot below captures Shaun showing from where he saw the bracelet come out of Swami's open palm.]
So he took it and he said, come, come, come. He took this bracelet like this [Shaun gestures with his palms/hands]. He said, see here is the clasp. Here is how it works - fits together like this. He said, come, I will put. And He went and put it on this man's wrist. And it wouldn't fit. It was too small.
Swami [said] Haaa! Phuh! He blew on it and it was big enough to fit. So this man was just looking at this bracelet (and) looking at Swami. Swami smiled and blessed him. Then he sat back on his chair. Now my mother, who is not a devotee, had met Arthur Hillcoat in the airport when she came to pick me up on (our) previous trip. And she had seen Arthur's ring. And she said, Ahh you know Swami must be good at ahh sleight of hand.
Ted: Ya.
Shaun: So I decided that I would ask Swami to show me something unmistakable so that I could say, No. Not sleight of hand.
Ted: [You wanted] to ask him that!
Shaun: No. Just inside.
Ted: Okay.
Shaun: Just Inside. So Swami is sitting here [Shaun gestures] with his hands resting on the side of his chair. I can see his hand. Swami looks - I am just staring only at his hand. Swami looks at this fellow's wife and says, Jealous! Like that [Shaun shows a facial expression]. In the time it took him to say Jealous, I looked from his hand to his mouth to his hand. When I looked back there was a watch underneath Swami's hand. It had been empty a half a second before! Not even that. He just said jealous - like that. When I looked back there is a watch sitting there.
Now this was a silver watch with gold filigree, beautiful thick band on it, and Swami just goes like that [Shaun gestures with his hand/palm]. Everyone, of course, went, woooo [Laughter].
Swami got the wife to come up. And he unclasps the band and put it on her hand, looked at it and went, 7:30 - perfect. Watch your words. Watch your actions. .. Watch your thoughts. Watch your character. Watch your heart.
---- end transcript snippet ---
===============================================================
On my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2063833413833225, associated with this blog post, I had the following exchange with Martin Evind:
Martin Evind wrote (slightly edited):
Sairam I witnessed the same in 1983 interview. I was sitting on the right side at Swami’s feet, He placed His hand forward and I will never forget seeing a strand of pearls descend from the palm of His right hand. A white pearl japamala which he gave to a woman and told her “very valuable”. Swami also manifested pendants for two Italian students and changed a man's ring from Jesus to Sathya Sai Baba. And answered every person's questions and concerns. Thank you for allowing me to share this. Sairam
-----
Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Sairam Martin Evind. Thanks for sharing this wonderful eyewitness experience of yours. May I share your public comment above, on my associated blog post here: http://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2018/01/shaun-browns-souljourns-interview-in.html? Note that the blog is freely viewable on the Internet and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.
-----
Martin Evind wrote (slightly edited):
Ravi S. Iyer Yes that would be fine. It was Dec. 1983. There were about eighteen devotees from San Francisco Ca. (California, USA) Bay Area
-----
Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Thanks Martin Evind. I will put it up shortly.
-----
[I thank Shaun Brown, Souljourns and Ted Henry, and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above transcript-snippets and screenshots of their youtube video on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
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