He explained that when he began to chant the mantra in the Moscow metro, he did not know, for sure, whether the sacred ash would appear or not. It became clear that not only Sathya Sai Baba could perform the miracle of the materialization of sacred ash, but also devotees who found a deep spiritual unity with God. Being in a state of perfect devotion to the Lord, genuine devotees are able to perform amazing miracles, such as foreseeing the future and healing other people. I realized that deeply devoted people were pure instruments in the hands of the Avatar.

In dealing with Kumarji, I was struck by his deep modesty. He had a number of abilities, including clairvoyance and the gift of healing, however, he completely denied his talents, arguing it all happened solely by the grace of God.

Comparatively, some people try to assert themselves and convince others of their alleged greatness, but those who are truly in the deepest inner oneness with God always show gentleness and modesty.

Sathya Sai Baba instantly answers the prayers of his sincere devotees. Of course, not everyone can receive answers to their prayers immediately, but if a person is in a state of perfect trust in the Almighty, the answer to prayer can be prompt. In unity with the divine, a false sense of egoistic authorship dissolves and a person embarks on the path of perfect service, which is only possible when the small ego dissolves in the infinite wisdom of God.

As a result of these amazing events, I was able to understand the colossal power of the Holy Names of the Lord. Mechanically pronouncing mantras, even if you pronounce them for a very long time, will not give you spiritual self-realization and abilities beyond reasoning. The holy names of God uttered with the deepest devotion and love will not only do this but also perform a miracle, instantly.

Almost ten years before my meeting with Sathya Sai Baba, I began to practice yoga and meditation. Even as a child, I had all sorts of mystical experiences, such as astral travel in the subtle body and memories of past lives. For a long time, it seemed quite natural for me to come home from school, lie down on the sofa and in my astral body go for a walk in the neighboring park. With age, it became clear that such experiences do not happen to everyone.

I was very lucky with the social circle that has been around me since childhood. Among my parents' acquaintances were people who were seriously interested in esotericism, meditation, and yoga. It must be remembered that these were Soviet times during which yoga and meditation were banned.

At that time, it was not possible to go to India – there was no free sale of books on the topic of spiritual practices. Despite all the difficulties, there were enthusiasts in Russia engaged in practicing meditation and yoga underground. Now, it sounds very strange, but such was the reality of Russia in the mid-twentieth century.

Quite a few people practiced yoga in Moscow, Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Kyiv, and other cities, and it was a very interesting and difficult time. Now we have many opportunities to find necessary information instantly, but at that time, there was no such option.

Russian yogis of the Soviet era drew information about meditation practices either from the few books they managed to bring from abroad or from internal mystical experience. They very quickly developed many supernatural abilities in themselves and entered deep meditative states to quench their spiritual thirst by immersing themselves in the inner space of the spirit first of all.