Puttaparthi (Andhra Pradesh), Nov 19 Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday said Sri Sathya Baba’s blessings gave him inner strength to go out and give his best in the 2011 World Cup.
He said that Baba’s blessings also reassured him to face all the challenges whenever he was on the field.
Tendulkar said it was from Sathya Sai Baba that he understood that being a successful person is not about accumulation, but it is about contribution and giving something meaningful to the less privileged.
Addressing the birth centenary celebrations of Sathya Sai Baba in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharat Ratna awardee revealed how Baba’s gift of a book during the World Cup camp gave him confidence and inner strength.
“I remember 2011. After having played multiple World Cups, I knew it would be the last World Cup. There were huge expectations. Emotions were running high. We were having a camp in Bengaluru, and I received a phone call saying Baba has sent you his book. It brought a smile to my face. I know that this World Cup is going to be a special one for us. It gave me that confidence, that inner strength and as an athlete, I would feel that spring in my legs. It was very much there during the camp,” he said.
The legendary batsman revealed that Baba’s book became his constant companion. “We all know what happened after that in 2011 when India played against Sri Lanka in Mumbai and ended up lifting that trophy. The entire nation was celebrating,” he said.
Tendulkar called it the golden moment of his cricketing life. “I don’t think I have expressed anything like that in my career where the entire nation got together and they were celebrating and that was only possible because of the blessings of our well-wishers, our gurus and above all, Baba’s blessings,” he said.
“It gave me inner strength to go out and give my best and reassured me, during all those challenges, whenever I was on the field, to face those challenges without any fear because Baba is with you,” he added.
The former Indian captain said he was feeling very lucky to participate in the centenary celebrations and called it a huge honour.
Referring to Puttaparthi, he said this place brought "so much comfort, purpose and direction to millions of us".
“I am reminded number of ways Baba contributed to our lives, making us better human beings,” he said.
Tendulkar also shared that when he was five, and whenever he went, including to school, people around him would refer to him as a small child whose hair was like Sathya Sai Baba’s hair. “That was only because I had not had the haircut till the age of five. My hair was long like his hair. I was too young to understand the enormity of Baba’s contribution to humankind.”
The former cricketer recalled his first meeting with Sathya Sai Baba in the mid-1990s. “It was in Whitefield and from there on I had the honour of meeting him on several occasions,” he said.
Sharing the anecdote from his meeting and interaction with Baba at Puttaparthi in 1997, he said Baba had the ability to be with you wherever you go in the mental space. “There were a number of questions in mind. I was thinking, should I ask him and if it is appropriate to ask. Without asking those questions, Baba had answered those questions. That was an unbelievable experience for me. I was thinking how he knows what is going on in my head. He answered my questions, blessed me and gave me direction.”
He said they learnt many things from Baba. He always said, "Don’t judge, don’t judge people, understand them, learn to accept the way they are and adapt accordingly because understanding creates acceptance, acceptance builds adaptability and when we adapt, many conflicts resolve even before they take shape.”
“He did it by giving us multiple examples. It was never an instruction to someone to go and do it. He himself did. He believed in helping people, healing them and uplifting them. It was in his nature to contribute and bless people with better mental space. Sometimes we address only physical health, but mental health is equally important,” he added.
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