“Money and Sai Baba Will Never Go Together”
Now I move on to the next episode. This incident is an example from Bhagavan’s life. Swami was sitting on His chair when He suddenly called a gentleman from the devotees -- an elderly person, an old man, wearing a dhoti with a long shirt.
“Come here!”
The man came forward. Bhagavan introduced him to all of us. He said this man was a correspondent for a chain of schools in the State of Karnataka.
Then He looked at him seriously and said, “What is it that you are doing there in those schools? You have named your schools after Me. All your schools are named as ‘Sri Sathya Sai’ schools, but you are collecting money. You are collecting fees. You are collecting money for examinations, sports, library and all that. That is very bad. You cannot bear My name and collect money. Money and Sai Baba will never go together. You cannot have My Name if you want to collect money like that. I am dead against any fund-raising. Do you understand?”
That gentleman started shivering. “Swami, I beg Your pardon. I understand.”
And Baba said, “Immediately after your return, refund all the money. Refund it all and write to Me. Only then will I permit you to enter Prashanti Nilayam, not otherwise. It is not proper on your part to put education on sale -- like selling toothpaste or a matchbox. You cannot have education for sale. I don’t like it. Don’t do that.”
