Saints and wonders which they work, – an integral part of the Indian religious traditions and folklore. Seldom the western scientists manage to see and comprehend all this. India conceals in itself many riddles, and two skilled psychologists, doctor Erlendur Garaldsson and doctor Karlis Ozis, had an opportunity to meet one of the most famous and popular Indian Saints – Sri Satya Sai Bab. Its miraculous healings attract a great number of pilgrims and followers; its doctrine on the basis of which he developed the program of seminars is perceived with interest in India and beyond its limits. “Materializations” about which Ozis and Garaldsson told, – only one manifestation of infinite number of magic and psychokinetic abilities of Sai Bab. Doctor Garaldsson is professor of office of psychology of the Icelandic university in Reykjavík; doctor Ozis is the member of the American society of mental researches in New York. Here what they told. Legends of mysterious emergence or disappearances of objects are known to many people. This phenomenon means that an object appears or disappears without everyones on that the physical reasons. So far as concerns emergence of a certain object, we call it a materialization. When already existing object moves in space from one place to another without any supportive applications, this phenomenon is called teleportation. Teleportation – the frequent phenomenon in cases with the poltergeist. The materialization of human forms occurs in the presence of mediums. In the Indian popular scientific literature it is possible to read about creation of lifeless objects, usually the amulets made of valuable materials and having magic properties for example capable to provide contact with the guru. Disappearance and emergence of objects, of course, often happens a usual trick which the conjurers addressing the audience use. By means of tremendous sleight of hand, derivation of attention, the hidden devices they force the objects “disappear” and again “to appear”, and the audience at the same time notices nothing. Declaring that show extraordinary “phenomenon”, showmen at religious meetings cause “spirits” and “demons”. On closer examination it is easy to explain all these materializations and teleportations in the natural ways, having exposed focus. But also cases which cannot find a reasonable explanation are known. In general, however, despite laborious researches in this area scientists of the beginning of the century, all statements for a materialization and to that similar phenomena are not perceived seriously practically by none of modern parapsychologists and are considered as falsification. We adhered to such point of view too and did not attach great value to the similar phenomena prior to our meeting from Sri Satya Sai Bab, the religious figure of more than fifty years who lives in the State of Andhra Pradesh in the Southern India and has a great number of followers. His pupils and many other eyewitnesses testified not only to its various psychokinetic abilities, such as a materialization, teleportation and healing, but also to many forms of ekstrasensorny perception and in not corporal projections. About it several popular scientific books are written. For the first time we learned about these phenomena when we investigated visions in India in 1972-1973. During the subsequent visits to India at the end of 1973 and the beginning of 1975 we met Sai Baboy several times, and also talked to many people, including the Indian scientists who witnessed these phenomena or were even influenced by their influence. Garaldsson visited India once again in 1976 for further researches and an interview from Sai Bab. Thus, we had an opportunity to have a talk with Sai Baboy and to observe his miracles. He knew English, but often preferred to use translation service. He was inclined to underestimate own abilities, calling them “small tricks”, and constantly emphasized the importance of the spiritual and moral beginning. Our request to show something was rejected as Sai Bab used the gift only to help the parishioners with a trouble or to turn into belief of ardent agnostics, but never in the demonstration purposes. During our 11 conversations from Sai Bab it, however, it is possible besides the desire, nevertheless showed us thanks to what became well-known in India. Conversations with Sai Baboy usually will not be organized in advance. Those who would like to meet it – and it is, as a rule, several hundreds of people, – gather near his house in Ashram. Twice a day he quickly bypasses the audience and chooses those with whom he wishes to speak. Many wait for weeks and all the same do not receive a conversation alone or group. The “negotiation” room of Sai Bab where there were those phenomena about which we want to tell, turned out absolutely empty, with concrete walls and a floor, without carpets or any jewelry. The chair was the only piece of furniture. Visitors during the conversation sat, having crossed legs, on a floor. Sometimes Sai Bab accepted only one us, sometimes the number of attendees reached 9 people. We became witnesses of 21 phenomena of disappearance and emergence of objects, however, any of these cases did not manage to be checked. Below we will describe four examples and we will try to give them an assessment. In the first case we became witnesses of mysterious emergence of a rudraksha which is similar to an acorn, about an inch in the diameter” with the beautiful surface similar to a stone of apricot color. At first Sai Bab presented both of us vibut (sacred ashes, it it is possible to compare to a communion ceremony in Christianity when believers taste bread and wine). Vibuti arose after some manipulations with the right hand turned by a palm down, – the small roundabouts proceeding 2-3 seconds. After the short conversation he presented to one of us (Ozis) a gold ring (after it the jeweler who confirmed that it is made of gold examined. The ring was estimated at 100 dollars), having again done the same manipulation with a hand. During the dispute with Sai Baboy on the value of scientific researches and experiments it transferred a conversation to the favourite course, having led a conversation on spiritual life which, in his opinion, has to “merge” with everyday ordinary life as “a double rudraksha”. We did not understand that it means, we were not helped also by the translator. Sai Bab made several attempts to explain us value of these words, at last, stopped and a little with irritation clenched a fist and waved a hand. When it unclenched a fist, on his palm the accrete rudraksha lay, is as we were explained by the Indian botanists, very unusual occurrence in the nature, approximately as accrete oranges or apples. We attentively observed for Sai Bab. After we expressed the admiration rudrakshy, Sai Bab took it again and, having turned to Garaldsson, told what wants to give it a gift. It clamped a rudraksha between palms, blew on them and again opened hands. On his palms the double rudraksha still lay, but now on its each party there were gold figured guards. Guards were about an inch in the diameter and were fastened with gold chains. From above each guard there was a gold cross to which the small ruby is attached. Behind a cross the opening was seen to hang up this amulet on a chain and to carry on a neck. (The jeweler estimated this ornament at 80 dollars and told that it contains 22 carats of gold. The small ruby was investigated by laboratory according to jewelry at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Because of the closed frame on the back of a stone it was impossible to define, whether original it. The rudraksha research under a microscope showed that it is really real fruit.) Many, though not everything, jewelry which Sai Bab gives to people as speak, are made of precious metals and stones. Sai Bab it is always dressed in a tselnokroyeny uniform with the sleeves reaching wrists. We watched his hands very fixedly and did not notice that it took out something from sleeves, from the magnificent head of hear or from any shelter. We, of course, could not check Sai Baby’s clothes. Incidentally, however, an opportunity to make out closer two uniforms from what it usually carried was presented to you. According to eyewitnesses, he always wore the same clothes and when one uniform wore out, threw out it. Two uniforms which we saw did not contain any pockets or the hidden bags. We got acquainted with professor of chemistry from Bangalore doctor D. K. Banezhi. Once Sai Bab unexpectedly came to him home and “created” for him and his wife several objects that usually did everywhere where came. Before going to sleep, Sai Bab asked Mrs. Bayaerzhi to wash his uniform that she also made. Having taken an opportunity, it, doctor Banerzhi and his colleague, the doctor of chemistry from Illinois P. K. Bkhattacharya, carefully investigated a uniform and did not find in it any pockets. Doctor Banerzhi in the past was the manager of office of organic chemistry at Vseindiysky research institute which is the lead scientific institution in India. These three people told us about the above described case during two independent interviews. During the third conversation the midday sun is bright a star in a window of the meeting room where several people sat on a floor around Sai Baby. Garaldsson saw how illuminate sunshine through thin silk sleeves of a uniform of Sai Baby who sat in a chair approximately in 5-6 feet from it. The most part of time passed in a discussion, but Sai Bab nevertheless created several objects which presented to attendees. As Sai Bab sat in a chair, his hands were at the level of the heads of the audience. The sun shining through sleeves of his clothes would note the hidden objects a shadow, but in them nothing was. And now we want to tell about a gold ring which Sai Bab presented to Ozis at our first visit in more detail. On a ring there was a big, enameled color image of Sai Baby. The drawing was inserted into a ring and had the oval form, about 2 centimeters long and 1,5 width. To a ring it fastened by means of a gold rim with four speakers teeth. The image kept in a ring reliably as though both of them were made of a uniform piece. During our second visit when we tried to convince to Sai Bab to take part in an experiment, it, having lost patience, told Ozis: “Look at the ring”. The image disappeared. We looked at a floor, but it was not visible anywhere and its trace. The rim and teeth which had to hold the drawing remained intact; we investigated them later by means of magnifying glass. To take the drawing, it was necessary to unbend at least one tooth and a little rim, but nothing it was not made. It was also possible to take the drawing, having broken it in a ring. When Sai Bab paid our attention to disappearance of the picture, we sat on a floor in several feet from it. We did not do sharp movements by hands, and he did not come nearer and did not touch us. We sat, having crossed legs, Ozis’s hands lay on hips, and Garaldsson saw Sai Baby’s image on a ring during the conversation. Garaldsson at first thought that the picture for some reason became transparent. Doctor D. Sabnani from Hong Kong and Mrs. L. Hirdaramann from Ceylon whom we met for the first time on this conversation, confirmed too that saw a big gold ring with Sai Baby’s image on the left hand Oaisp. When disappearance of the picture was found, with a smile noticed Sai Bab: “Here to you and experiment”. During our next conversation in 2 days of Sai Bab asked Ozys whether he wishes to return the picture. That answered in the affirmative. At the request of Sai Baby Ozis gave him a ring, he took it in a hand and asked: “You want the same picture or another?” – Tuzhe, – Ozis answered. Sai Bab was clamped by a ring in a fist, brought to a mouth on distance of centimeters ten and slightly blew, then gave a hand and unclenched a fist. The ring was still on the place. And on it there was a hectare the picture; but the ring changed. However the first case with disappearance of the picture was more remarkable, than its emergence again what we can tell the little about. During this conversation we became witnesses of one more phenomenon. With us there were the lawyer from Los Angeles with the wife, Mr. and Mrs. Cristal. The 33rd anniversary of their wedding came, and Sai Bab, appear, it was pleased with this event. It waved a hand and when unclenched a fist, on his palm the Golden Ring lay. He gave him to Mrs. Cristal and asked to put on the husband’s finger as it is usually done during the marriage ceremony at Indians. Sai Baby’s hand was still given to us, and he did not touch clothes or any objects. We attentively watched it. Suddenly Sai Bab waved with a hand 2-3 seconds again, turned a hand a palm down and quickly clenched a fist. His hand was almost parallel to the earth, and at such situation it was very inconvenient to get something from a sleeve. We stared as Sai Bab was slowly unclenched by a fist: on a palm the big double necklace lay. Its length made approximately centimeters 40, and in it there were many various stones. Sai Baby’s image bordered with the gold socket, about 5 centimeters in the diameter was attached to a necklace. He presented this necklace to Mrs. Cristal. The fourth case of a materialization about which we wanted to tell occurred in the open air. We sat on the earth in a row together with other people, by us went Sai Bab. It stopped against professor Hasra, the friend of doctor Banerzhi about whom we mentioned above, sitting the second to the left of Ozis and the third from Ga-raldssona. Sai Bab waved the right hand. As we sat, and it stood, his hands were slightly higher than the level of our eyes. Sai Baby’s palm was opened and turned to the earth, fingers are extended, and he made bystry roundabouts by a hand. During these manipulations we noticed how near his palm there was a certain-gray substance. It was below a palm, and Sai Bab seized her as though not to allow it to fall. Ozis sitting slightly closer to Sai Bab noted that in the beginning substance appeared in the form of the granules similar to very coarse sand. Then Sai Bab poured out granules on a palm of professor Hasra and doctor Banerzhi, and their most part was burned to ashes with which each of them strewed to himself a forehead. Obviously, granules were very fragile and would lose the structure made by the bystry movements of hands of the magician which remained unnoticed for us (“a hand quicker than an eye”). When Ozig noticed vibut (sacred ashes), granules were whole. Sai Bab often made such materializations when passed along a number of people. We observed many similar cases, but only once from such short distance. These paranormal disappearances and emergence of objects were a complex problem for researchers-psychologists as those circumstances under which they occurred excluded a possibility of any reasonable explanations. We intended to carry out shooting with the camera or to establish the sealed or closed receptacles where objects had to appear. Unfortunately, to us did not allow to use them in the meeting room of Sai Baby. We photographed it in the open air when it produced ashes, but from insufficiently short distance and therefore shots did not suit for the serious analysis. Everything to what we became witnesses, occurred mostly spontaneously. Therefore our conclusions were not sufficient. Let’s try to explain hypothetically those phenomena which we witnessed. 1. We could be in partly unconsciousness like mass hypnosis, and inspired in us that we have to see what actually was not and not to pay attention to real events. For example, Karl Vett in this way explained the Indian trick with a rope which he observed. Both of us are psychologists and we can declare with all confidence that both of us were not exposed any sort to mental influences during the conversations with Sai Baboy. We always controlled ourselves. Moreover, those objects which appeared in the course of a materialization (a double rudraksha and a gold ring) still are at us. 2. The magician in the meeting room could have an assistant. But it is impossible as the materialization occurred and when we remained alone from Sai Baboy. Besides, sitting, especially at some distance from the others, it is very difficult to make any trick. At meetings there were visitors who every time menyalis.3. In the meeting room there could be any devices by means of which objects appeared. In the room there were no objects which could be used in this way. Sai Bab usually sat, having crossed legs, on a concrete floor out of reach from any objects, such, for example, as the bag for purchases standing on a window sill in which it would be possible to hide packings of a vibuta or something else. Sai Bab every time at our meetings changed the location, that is was not tied to a certain place. Besides it made a materialization and on opened prostranstve.4. Sai Bab could cover objects on itself and then the dexterous movements to take them. We knew about suspicions that, perhaps, he hides objects in sleeves of the uniform, the hidden pockets and even in hair. However we do not know any person who could confirm this hypothesis. We consider that the first three assumptions are groundless and they need to be rejected. However the last hypothesis of sleight of hand demands more careful analysis as magicians usually thus “make” various objects. Now we will return to our observations over Sai Baboy. We saw about 20 times as in his hands various objects appeared and disappeared. Always it happened unexpectedly so we had no opportunity to check it or to prepare for what will occur. Therefore at us was not as – or serious reasons to take all what was seen in all good faith. It is necessary to tell that under the circumstances we could not carry out an inspection on existence or lack of any magic devices. The following facts give to us the grounds to consider phenomena which showed Sai Bab, really paranormal.
1. For many years of Sai Bab showed the miracles, and any fraud was never revealed. According to those who know to Sai Bab long ago, the paranormal phenomena happened to him about 40 years, since the childhood. Most of people whom we met, even those who saw to Sai Bab only once, declared that they witnessed a materialization phenomenon. We did not meet any eyewitness who would claim that Sai Baby’s miracles could be explained natural sposobami.2. Certificates on other mental phenomena, such, as out of sensory perception, transfer of messages in a dream, healing, in not corporal projections, movement heavy objektov.3. Various circumstances under which objects appeared: during the private conversations, in the car, on the street, in various houses etc. Almost every time when we saw to Sai Bab, he created chudesa.4. Materialization in response to certain circumstances or at the request of the visitor. We interviewed many witnesses who declared that Sai Bab at their request made a deity figurine, a ring with the image of the deity esteemed by the visitor and t. 5. A materialization of big objects, for example bowls of the size of a lunch plate or baskets with sweets of 40 centimeters in diametre.6. A materialization at distance from Sai Baby. For example, emergence of beads on a windshield of the car moving on the road, sacred ashes in Sai Baby’s drawings (what two research associates testified to), the fruit arising directly in a hand posetitelya.7. Several leading Indian scientists scrupulously investigated Sai Baby’s phenomenon and came to the conclusion that there is no fraud. Among them there were doctor S. Bkhagavantam, the former director of Vseindiysky research institute and the famous Indian nuclear physicist. We already mentioned doctor D. K. Banerzhi and chemist doctor P. K. Bkhattacharyyu. We want to mention also doctor K. Venkatessan from the same institute which worked before in Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at Stanford university, doctor V. K. Gokak, the former vice rector of university in Bangalore. We met all these people, and they told us about phenomena which observed personally under different circumstances. Particular interest is deserved by a thought of a special attire where it is possible to hide objects. Bab’s dignity carried a uniform with sleeves of the same length and width, as the western jackets. These clothes were buttoned on a breast, in it there were no visible openings or pockets; it from a uniform piece of fabric is sewed. As it was already told above, we had an opportunity to consider one of uniforms close and did not find any pocket, a sling, suspicious seams or other secret places. Several witnesses pointed to the fact that separate objects which created Sai Bab for example ashes, would soil its uniform, be they are hidden in it. In one day it produced ashes once four times to what we witnessed. After each materialization of his hand were in ashes, but neither we, nor other witnesses noticed ashes on his clothes. Sometimes Sai Bab made the whole heap of ashes which had to be held with two palms, according to the teacher from college and her husband is a psychologist. Among other objects of a materialization it is possible to mention the Indian sweets and the food cooked in oil; all this by all means would soil clothes. One of us – Garaldsson – witnessed a materialization of vegetable oil, and one doctor observed how an amrita, too liquid, resulted from Sai Baby’s hands. We consulted with Douglas Hanning, the professional magician living in New York which gave improbable representations in big cities of the different countries. It was recommended to us as one of the most skillful conjurers in the world. He watched the movie about Sai Bab and expressed the opinion. He was sure that he by means of the skill could repeat everything that saw in the movie. However recognized that the episode with a ring the most improbable and is outside its opportunities. He also noticed that if Sai Bab made objects on demand, then it is inaccessible to any magician in the world. We also talked to the Indian dental technician studying in Great Britain, doctor Erukh Fannbunda who was fond of magic and wrote two books on this subject. He traveled from Sai Baboy and removed it on a video tape, but did not suspect any deception. Of course, disappearance of the image of Sai Baby from a ring was the most tremendous of everything that we saw. It could not be in any way result of sleight of hand because Sai Bab, other people who could be his assistants approached a ring. We cannot find a reasonable explanation for this incident. We realize that without a series of documentary experiments it is impossible to find convincing proofs. However it seems to us that a variety and uniqueness of the phenomena shown to Sai Baboy can become excellent material for further researches.
V. M. Kandyba “Mysterious superopportunities of the person”
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