What was going on when I was born?

''Satyagraha,'' an opera by Philip Glass, will have its New York City premiere tonight at 8 in the Opera House of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, using the same principal singers and huge set and costumes as it had when presented in its successful world premiere a year ago by the Netherlands Opera in Rotterdam. The opera is based on the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi during his years in South Africa (1893-1914), when the father of Indian independence first used the tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience to fight racial discrimination. The libretto, by Constance De Jong, is in Sanskrit, and the entire performance takes place behind a scrim. The music, with full orchestra, is described as softer and more lyrical than most of the other works of the avant-garde composer. Christopher Keene will conduct the Brooklyn Philharmonia, and Douglas Perry will sing the role of Gandhi. The staging is by Hans Nieuwenhuis. Tickets are $10 to $20 (benefit tickets for Monday night, at $100 each, which includes a party, are also available). Reservations only through Chargit: 944-9300. Box office information: 636-4100.

With the winner of the race for Governor of New Jersey still in doubt, representatives of the Republican and Democratic candidates began preparing yesterday for potential court action on a recount while trading increasingly bitter accusations. The latest unofficial tally, based on a canvass of county clerks by the News Election Service, showed former Assembly Speaker Thomas H. Kean, Republican of Livingston, leading Representative James J. Florio, Democrat of Runnemede, by 1,726 votes out of more than 2.28 million cast. But more than two days after the polls closed, the Secretary of State's office, which had expected to release unofficial figures yesterday, remained unable to determine the winner as county clerks continued to correct and revise their tabulations. The Secretary of State, Donald Lan, said he did not expect to issue any figures until Monday, when county clerks must certify their vote totals to the state. Without a firm vote total from the state, neither candidate could move forward on a call for a recount, which aides for both Mr. Florio and Mr. Kean now say is virtually certain.

Mubarak works to untangle Egypt's economic plight A2 U.S. protests to Britain on support for Saudi peace plan A3 Lord Carrington calls Saudi peace plan "serious" A3 Oman asks the U.S. to reduce the size of war games A4 Around the World A5 West German opposition party fights old-fashioned image A7 Tokyo court hands out first prison sentence in Lockheed scandal A8 Alarmed Mexico spends heavily to improve farming A10 Government/Politics Nancy Reagan is turning to humor in self-defense A17 Governors tell Senators of budget cut plight A18 Conferees decide to close National Acquarium in capital Secretary of State is in the middle of N.J.'s election problems B2 A18 Kemp is not expected to seek nomination for Governor B3 Washington Talk Briefing A16 Many pause at the Bernard Baruch Bench of Inspiration A16 Gamesmanship is rampant in scramble to avoid budget cuts A16 Required reading A16 General Around the Nation A14 Detroit News jumps gun on space shuttle "launching" A14 Dealer losing service station after rent dispute A14 Retired city detective finds his parents murdered B1 The City B3 17 members of Muslim sect found guilty of bank robberies B4 Trial opening in $21.3 million theft from Wells Fargo bank B5 Weekend Weekender Guide C1 Shipwrecked treasure on view at Queens museum C11 Theater: Broadway C2 The stars of "Crimes of the Heart" C3 "Cloud 9," an Off Broadway hit C4 "Shiro," samurai rock musical, to open at La Mama C5 Screen: French film series begins at Modern Museum C8 "Time Bandits," a post-Python fantasy C8 Soviet documentary of Moscow Olympics C8 At the Movies C13 Music: Piano virtuosos take center stage C1 Nathan Milstein playing Carnegie Hall C3 Hugh Shannon takes over piano at Cafe Carlyle C16 Regional rock-and-roll bands get national attention C16 Art: Bonnard works at Wildenstein C20 Jean Helion exhibition C21 Art People C22 Auctions C25 Books: Publishing C27 "Poppa John" by Larry Woiwode reviewed C29 Restaurants C18 TV Weekend C28 Health/Science Crib death linked to high hormone levels A14 Style The Evening Hours A20 Dramatic end to spring fashion shows A20 A life of sharing with women of third world A20 Obituaries Dr. Samuel Rosen, ear surgeon B6 Sports Brunner will start at quarterback for Giants on Sunday A23 Steinbrenner says Yankees will skip free agent draft A23 Losing is no joke for Northwestern football team A23 Brooks of Rangers will rely on quiet inspiration A23 Carter's controlled style may help direct Knicks A25 Glenn, now with Hawks, sees trouble for Knicks A25 Rare meeting of Bills and Cowboys spices N.F.L. fare A25 U.S. rider complains of ban on drugs for horses A25 Red Smith on a tuneup for Larry Holmes A26 Snipes still thinks that he can take Holmes's title A26 Features/Notes Sports People A25 Man in the News: Frederick Schwarz, Corporation Counsel B3 Notes on People C12 News Analysis Philip M. Boffey on trial of Elvis Presley's doctor B5 Jonathan Fuerbringer on Washington economic fight D2 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A30 Labor tries to unfly a kite Mayor Koch's new diplomacy Impressive strides on Namibia Topics: secretaries of state Letters A30 Tom Wicker: an election force, not a tide A31 Flora Lewis: the souring of France A31 Edward Heath: pursuing detente and deterrence A31 Jerry J. Jasinowski: amend the Clean Air Act A31

Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. said today that more American aid for El Salvador was needed and indicated that the Administration was examining ways to combat the flow of external military support to leftist guerrillas there. In an interview, Mr. Haig acknowledged that the Reagan Administration was studying various new options on El Salvador but said that he was ''not going to discuss issues under review and study interdepartmentally prior to their presentation to the President.'' Reagan Orders End to Feuding He did say, however, that he was not ruling out actions outside El Salvador but related to that country's guerrilla war. And indirectly, Mr. Haig confirmed the substance of a report in The New York Times today disclosing that he had asked the Defense Department to examine measures for a possible blockade of Nicaragua, or actions around Cuba, including naval exercises, a show of air power, a quarantine or even stronger action, all aimed at curbing the arms flow toward El Salvador.

Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger contradicted Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. today by saying that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization did not have a plan to use a nuclear explosion as a warning to the Soviet Union in the event of a war in Europe. ''There is nothing in any plan that I know of that contains anything remotely resembling that, nor should it,'' Mr. Weinberger told the Senate Armed Services Committee, which offered him perhaps the harshest criticism so far of the Administration's program to revitalize the nation's strategic nuclear arsenal. Mr. Haig told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday that contingency plans for a conventional war in Europe included the possible detonation of a nuclear weapon to deter the Soviet Union from overrunning Western Europe. Blast 'for Demonstrative Purposes' ''There are contingency plans in the NATO doctrine to fire a nuclear weapon for demonstrative purposes, to demonstrate to the other side that they are exceeding the limits of toleration in the conventional area, all designed to maintain violence at the lowest level possible,'' said Mr. Haig, a former commander of NATO military forces.

The International Business Machines Corporation will pay the Ford Motor Company $100 million to $200 million for the right to use Ford's investment tax credits and depreciation deductions on almost $1 billion worth of machinery that the troubled auto maker has purchased this year, the two companies announced yesterday. The transaction is built around a new kind of leasing arrangement approved by Congress in August as part of the Reagan Administration's tax program. To secure the tax benefits, which Ford cannot use this year because it is losing money, I.B.M. will pay for the equipment and lease it back to Ford. The announcement had been expected since the two companies disclosed early last month that they were negotiating, but it attracted wide attention because of the size of the deal and because many similar transactions are said to be pending.

The Government will institute a trade action for the first time next week, accusing foreign governments of unfairly subsidizing steel exports to this country, Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige announced. The move was viewed as increasing the dangers of a trade war. The countries that are expected to be cited are France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Rumania and South Africa. (Page A1.) President Reagan is inclined to maintain his economic package unchanged, despite advice from aides and Republicans in Congress that he raise taxes to balance the budget. The debate within the Administration on the course of economic policy was said to be growing increasingly bitter. (D1.)

THE renowned pianist Abbey Simon, whose recital tonight at 8 in Carnegie Hall comes as part of his 60th birthday celebration, is convinced that the solo performance remains the ultimate test of any artist. ''I think it is the most illuminating thing that an artist can do,'' he said the other day. ''I was brought up in the great tradition of the piano recital. I heard Hofmann, Backhaus, Rachmaninoff, Lhevinne - all great artists -and I believe they achieved their greatest heights not in concertos, but in their recitals. Playing with an orchestra is an exciting experience, it's a chance to make an impression and all that. But when all is said and done, we're going to judge the artist not on the Rachmaninoff Third, or the Brahms D minor, or Beethoven's ''Emperor,'' but on how he plays in recital. It's his opportunity to show himself as whatever he is. How else can you judge an artist, or better yet, how can an artist reveal himself more fully, than by playing for an hour and a half up there?

By a unanimous vote, the Federal Communications Commission put out for public comment today a staff report that recommends the removal of all restrictions on cable television ownership. The debate before their 7-to-0 vote indicated that a majority appeared to favor the report's aim. For years, the communications agency has protected the fledgling cable television industry by prohibiting ownership of cable networks by local television stations and by major networks. to prevent boradcaters from buying into cable and undercutting as a competitor.The commission had also limited the number of systems that could be held by a single owner.

A conspiracy charge against Cynthia Boston, a suspect in the Rockland County armored-car robbery, was dismissed yesterday because a ''reliable witness'' had seen her in New Orleans at the time Federal authorities believed she was in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Miss Boston declined to comment when she was released last night from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where she had been held on $250,000 bail. She was arrested in Mississippi on Oct. 27. Her husband, William Johnson, who is a fugitive, is accused of having participated in the Oct. 20 robbery. Magistrate Joel J. Tyler dismissed the charge against Miss Boston in Federal District Court in Manhattan late yesterday afternoon when United States Attorney John S. Martin Jr. informed him that Federal agents had checked the suspect's alibi in New Orleans.

Six months ago this dusty, western Colorado town, 17 miles from the nearest motel room and an hour's drive from a hospital, had only 300 residents, most of whom maintained a weary cynicism about yet another series of reports of impending economic boom. No longer. Parachute now has a population of 900, the first traffic light has been installed, the price of commercial property has tripled, to about $6 a square foot, there is talk of paving the streets and on a nearby mesa previously inhabited mainly by elk the first house has just been completed in a new community that eventually will be home to 25,000 people. (Page D4.) Parachute's part-time Mayor, Floyd McDaniel, an owner of the town's food market, says local nerves are frayed by all the activity. Behind it all is oil shale. Up in the mountains along both sides of Parachute Creek the Exxon Corporation and other companies have begun to pour billions of dollars into two huge projects to turn the nation's immense reserves of oil shale into shale oil.

Just a few weeks ago, John Alberga, 81 years old, and his wife, Jinny, 75, signed themselves out of a hospital -they were both patients - so they could attend the wedding of a grandchild, a daughter of their son, James. They were also celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. Yesterday, James Alberga, a retired New York City detective, arrived at 7:55 A.M. at their home, 97-17 104th Street, Richmond Hill, Queens, for a daily breakfast before beginning his workday in the plumbing business started by his father long ago.