Through Sai Baba Answers on Spiritual Experiences and Parallel Worlds, seekers discover that mystical journeys and visions of other dimensions are not literal travels but reflections of the mind. Baba teaches that parallel worlds may exist in theory, but true realization comes only by awakening within, not by chasing illusions.
Are There Parallel Universes or Other Dimensions Accessible Through Spiritual Practices?
The dense forests outside Shirdi whispered with the soft rustling of leaves. The traveller walked carefully along a narrow dirt path, the moonlight filtering through the towering trees. He had come here seeking solitude, but his mind was restless.
He had read stories of sages who travelled to other realms, of mystics who entered dimensions beyond this world. Were these merely visions of the mind, or did such places truly exist? Could meditation or spiritual practice open gateways to parallel worlds, or was it all just an illusion?
As the traveller stepped into a small clearing, he saw Shirdi Sai Baba sitting by a smoldering dhuni (sacred fire), weaving a garland of fresh flowers. The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows against the trees.
The traveller bowed and sat beside him.
“Baba,” he asked, “Some say that deep meditation or spiritual practice can take us to other worlds or dimensions. Do parallel universes truly exist, and can we reach them?”
Baba smiled, His fingers gently threading jasmine flowers into the garland.
“Child, tell Me, where does the scent of this flower come from? From the flower itself, or from the air around it?”
The traveller hesitated.
“The flower holds the scent, Baba, but the air carries it.”
Baba nodded.
“So, if I take this flower to another place, will its scent change? Or will it still remain the same?”
“It remains the same, Baba.”
Baba placed the garland beside the fire and looked at the traveller with quiet amusement.
“Then tell me, child, if you were to enter another world, would you change? Or would you still carry the same mind, the same thoughts, the same self?”
Are Parallel Worlds External or Within?
The traveller thought for a moment.
“Baba, I suppose I would still be myself, even in another dimension.”
Baba nodded.
“Then what have you really traveled to? Another world? Or only another state of perception?”
The traveller’s breath caught in his throat.
“So, Baba, are you saying that all these experiences of ‘other worlds’ are just within the mind?”
Baba smiled but did not answer immediately. Instead, he picked up a small clay bowl and filled it with water from a nearby earthen pot.
“Look into this water, child. Do you see the sky reflected in it?”
The traveller peered into the bowl. The moon and stars shimmered on the surface, appearing as if they were inside the water itself.
“Yes, Baba, I see the sky in the water.”
Baba swirled the water gently, making the reflection ripple and distort.
“And now?”
“The sky looks broken, Baba.”
Baba chuckled softly.
“But has the real sky changed? Or only its reflection?”
The traveller’s mind expanded with the realization.
“The real sky is untouched, Baba. Only the water’s reflection changed.”
“Exactly,” Baba said. “Many who practice deep meditation believe they have entered another dimension, another reality. But tell me, child, are they seeing something truly separate? Or are they only looking into a different reflection of their own mind?”
The Science Behind the Illusion of Other Worlds
Baba gently placed the bowl down and looked toward the embers of the dhuni fire.
“Scientists speak of parallel universes, of quantum worlds beyond what you see. Some say that every decision creates a new reality, some say that space holds hidden dimensions. But tell Me, child, have they ever stepped into one of these places?”
The traveller shook his head.
“No, Baba. They only exist as theories.”
“Yes,” Baba said. “And even if they exist, scientists say they are beyond human interaction. The extra dimensions in string theory are curled so small they cannot be touched. If they cannot be reached through physical means, how can they be reached through thought alone?”
The traveller was silent.
“And yet,” Baba continued, “when some enter deep states of meditation, they feel as if they have left this world, met divine beings, or entered new realities. But does feeling something make it objectively real?”
The traveller hesitated.
“No, Baba… dreams feel real when we are inside them, but they vanish when we wake up.”
Baba smiled.
“Ah! Then are these spiritual journeys to other dimensions truly travels? Or are they merely shifts in awareness?”
Vedantic & Sufi Wisdom: The Journey Inward
Baba picked up the flower garland He had woven and placed it into the traveller’s hands.
“Vedanta says that what you seek is not in another world, but within yourself. The Upanishads teach that reality is layered, not as separate dimensions, but as levels of perception. The deeper you go, the more you realize that what you call ‘the world’ is only a veil.”
The traveller listened, his fingers gently touching the jasmine petals.
“And what do the Sufis say, Baba?”
Baba’s eyes gleamed.
“The Sufis do not seek new dimensions, child. They dissolve the self completely. Rumi says, ‘You wander from room to room, searching for the diamond necklace that is already around your neck.’ What you seek is not found by traveling outward, but by turning inward.”
The traveller’s heart pounded.
“Then, Baba, if these ‘other dimensions’ are not real in the way we think, what is their purpose?”
Baba smiled.
“Child, a dream may not be real, but does it not hold meaning? These visions are not places to go, but mirrors that show you your own mind. Do not be lost in chasing new worlds, seek instead to wake up from all worlds.”
A Logical Example: The Dream Paradox
Baba pointed to the fire before them.
“Tell Me, child, when you dream of fire, does it burn you?”
The traveller shook his head.
“No, Baba. It only feels real while I am dreaming.”
“And when you wake up, what do you realize?”
“That the fire never existed, Baba. Only my mind created it.”
Baba nodded.
“Now tell Me, what if this waking world is also a dream? And what if the highest realization is not to travel to other worlds, but to awaken from all illusions?”
The traveller sat in stunned silence.
The Answer
Parallel universes may exist, but science offers no proof that they can be accessed through spiritual practices. Mystical experiences feel real, but that does not mean they are external dimensions, they may simply be reflections of one’s own consciousness.
Vedanta and Sufism teach that truth is not found in new realms, but in awakening from illusion. The real journey is not outward, but inward, beyond all perceptions of self and world.
A Final Thought
If a man dreams of a vast new world, does that world exist outside his mind?
And if life itself is a dream…
Should the seeker travel to new dreams, or wake up?
Source: Sai Tatva E-Magazine Authored by Murali P K
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Posts in this Series
1️⃣ Sai Baba Answers About Human Suffering
2️⃣ Why Is God Worshipped in Different Forms?
3️⃣ Existence and Reality – Sai Baba Answers
4️⃣ Why Does the Universe Seem Fine-Tuned for Life?
5️⃣ Is There Life Beyond Earth? Sai Baba Answers
6️⃣ Sai Baba on The Unseen Laws of the Universe
