Isaac Tigrett

The Blessed Horse That Died (Posted on wordpress.com by prashanthi on April 25, 2009

Isaac returned to Sai Baba’s ashram with his daughter in Feb. 2009. He was a changed man. His previous quiet meditative approach to darshan had disappeared.  He stalked the veranda as if he owned it. He  never sat for long before finding someone to talk to. He was animated, attention seeking, and very arrogant. On one of the first afternoon’s back, he excitedly gave Sai Baba several letters and a photograph of a horse he wanted to buy for his daughter. Sai Baba took the letters and blessed the photograph. Isaac appeared to be happy for once..

I don’t know why his daughter has decided to live at Prashanthi Nilayam but one must assume it would have something to do with her still needing her father. I doubt this 23 years old spoiled girl would be interested in  Sai Baba or would be willing to sit  for long hours in darshan, if her father was not living there.  She sits in a VIP chair towards the front where she and her friend have great darshans. Yet even the VIP seating she is privileged with, does not make her a regular at darshan. She is hardly ever to be seen. Not once have I seen her in the mornings.

To keep her happy, Isaac decided to buy her a horse. He, together with his daughter, visited a reliable  horse dealer in Bangalore, where they found a suitable horse. Isaac does nothing without first consulting Sai Baba. In this case, a photo of the horse was given to Sai Baba for his blessing. Once the photo was blessed, the horse was purchased. Augusta, his daughter, appeared thrilled. She had something to do with her days now. Dad was probably relieved too. He could get on with his own life, making plans for his future project, a Spiritual Retreat to be built in Coorg, near Mysore, that is if he can raise the money. The retreat, he claims, was ordered by Sai Baba to be built by Isaac. Yet, Sai Baba’s name, it was made clear, was not  to be placed on the retreat. The retreat already has a name: The Mystic Inn of The Seventh Ray. This is a name, I might mention, closely related to a posh restaurant located high in the hills above L.A.   Seems as if everything Issac does, has to be connected to a restaurant. 

Some three to four weeks after the purchase of the horse, it died. Isaac was seen with muddy trousers (had he been riding the horse at the time?) one morning consoling his very distressed daughter. Both were walking back to the her apt.

The sadness at losing the horse so upset his daughter that she wanted to leave. It was some time before Sai Baba would accept a leaving letter from Isaac. Actually Isaac had to get up from his chair and give the letter to Sai Baba, who did not look at all pleased with it. 

Isaac and daughter left shortly thereafter for a holiday in Cambodia.

Surely, if Augusta was there for spiritual reasons, why would she want a horse?  There’s  every opportunity for volunteer work to be done throughout the ashram. Many young girls of her age sitting in general public, offer their services while visiting P.N. Ashram. Yet, like her father, Augusta steers well clear of ordinary devotees and visitors.

I wonder if Isaac realises that his eratic lifestyle  will one day be his daughter’s legacy.