“Paramam Pavitram Baba Vibhutim
Paramam Vichitram Leelaa Vibhutim
Paramaartha Ishtaartha Moksha Pradaanam
Baba Vibhutim Idam Aashrayaami.”
“The sacred ash of Sathya Sai Baba is supremely pure.
It is wonderfully mysterious—a shimmering expression of His divine play.
It bestows the highest spiritual purpose, fulfils cherished wishes, and grants liberation.
With complete faith, I surrender to this holy vibhuti of Baba.”
From my earliest years, this Vibhuti Mantra forms the gentle, familiar cadence of Thursday evenings Sai bhajans. As the final bhajan fade cymbals stillnand lights flicker ,the fragrant vibhuti prasadam is passed around, a pinch applied reverently between the eyebrows, a little consumed with devotion. Its subtle perfume and serenity lingers longs and imparts an uncanny calm.
My own family’s tryst with vibhuti began much earlier. In the 1970s, my father had the blessed fortune of Baba’s darshan in Srinagar, where Swami personally handed him five tiny pink packets of vibhuti. Treasured like heirlooms, they were opened only on special occasions. Years later, during his posting in a remote Army area of West Bengal, we came into the fold of an ardent Sai devotee—Capt. Mahindra—who introduced us to regular Sai bhajans.
One day, driven by childhood curiosity, I turned over a black-and-white photograph of Swami. To my utter amazement, a mound of fragrant vibhuti had manifested on it. That moment marked a turning point. From then on, there was no looking back; my family surrendered unconditionally at the lotus feet of Baba.
For us, Sai Baba’s vibhuti became a panacea—a source of spiritual strength, physical healing, and inner calm. It reminded us of the transient nature of worldly life and the eventual dissolution of the body. Vibhuti is the sacred residue that remains after ignorance, desire, and attachment are burnt away by sadhana. It symbolises purity, wisdom, and the cleansing of the inner self.
In Sanskrit, the word vibhuti also signifies glory, wealth, and divine potency—qualities that naturally arise when lower impulses are reduced to ash. With a simple, graceful wave of His palm, Baba would materialise vibhuti in innumerable forms: sometimes as a powder, sometimes as a cube, sometimes fragrant or pungent, sweet or salty, white or grey. There were occasions when Swami materialised vibhuti along with the container itself—a testament to His boundless compassion and mysterious leelas.
Swami often said that Vibhuti is the identity card of a Sai devotee—given not merely as an ornament for the forehead but as an armament to face life’s storms. Everything may not go smoothly at all times, yet the vibhuti offers courage, endurance, and a silent reminder that divine grace is ever-present.
One day, our own bodies will return to ash. Vibhuti teaches us to shed ego and selfishness, to live with humility, and to walk the path of righteousness.
Even today, every visit to Puttaparthi brings home the familiar golden packets of vibhuti—the eternal prasad of Baba. Our homes and hearts feel incomplete without them. They continue to remind us of Swami’s message of love, service, compassion, and selfless living.
On this sacred day, 23rd November, as we celebrate the Divine Advent of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, may the holy vibhuti inspire us to purify our thoughts, ennoble our actions, and transform our lives into offerings worthy of His grace.
Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu.
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