Article of the week - Kinship

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Article of the week

 

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Kinship

 

I have often wondered about Swami's brothers and sisters. And his

surrounding kin. Kondamma Raju, Swami's Grandfather, comes to mind,

quickly. The Kannam had two childless wives, Subbamma, and

Kamalamma, who were Swami's "aunt-mothers" for want of a better

term, during his childhood.

 

Seshamma Raju is sometimes poorly portrayed in Sai Literature as the

elder brother (Telugu Pandit he was called); I made many enquiries

recently around Puttaparthi about Seshamma Raju and found that he

was a devotee of his brother. Certainly he was the instrument of

divine revelation taking young Sathyanarayana to Uravakonda where

the Divine Self revealed itself. Seshamma Raju was also the

instrument occasioning the historic Letter of 25, May 1947, wherein

Swami revealed hitherto unknown aspects of his mission, the task,

the vow, the work, the 'reason to be proud' and the definition

of "devotee" who will never be given up once they attach themselves

to Baba. I understand Seshamma Raju gave some talks, and these have

been set to paper.

 

Swami's sisters, Venkamma (1918-1993) and Pavathamma (1920-1996)

were closely associated with Swami all their lives.

 

When Sathyanarayana was a young boy, Venkamma was the occasion of

one miracle with nature:

 

It was one evening during the Uttara (northern) monsoon. The sky had

grown dark and menacing. Raju's sister, Smt. Venkamma was building a

house then. There was yet a large kiln of wet bricks waiting to be

baked. The logs of wood were readied but the fire could be lit only

the next morning for the day was inauspicious. There would be A

downpour was imminent reducing all those bricks to a huge mound of

clay.

 

A helpful neighbour told Venkamma to cover the bricks with bundles

of dry sugar cane leaves. He suggested a friend of his living on the

other side of the Chithravathi who could be persuaded to give these

leaves. A long line of men, women and children ran over the sands in

desperate hurry. Raju too joined the last in the line of volunteers.

But when he got to the middle of the riverbed he suddenly called out

for everyone to stop. "Venkamma!" he said. "Vaanaraadu! (The rains

will not come)."

 

Astonishingly, the clouds scattered, the day brightened and the

threat was over.

 

Sathyam had a deep affection for sister, Smt. Venkamma. She was

staying with her brothers then at Uravakonda. Often, both Sathyam

and Venkamma used to go together to fetch water from the si bhavi

(sweet water well) or the bungalow bhavi (bungalow well, since it

was next to the traveller's bungalow in Uravakonda)

 

It was at Venkamma's insistence that Subbamma requested Baba to set

up an Ashram on her land. There were days when Baba and Venkamma

were the only ones to lead the bhajans.

 

His other sister, Parvathamma, looked after Baba's food right from

the days when Baba set up the Mandir in 1945; at one time, Baba

remarked that it was because of Parvathamma, his body was being

sustained. She had lost her husband early and Baba had seen her

through a series of personal tragedies. Every time Baba brought

Parvathamma through tragedy, Parvathamma would plunge herself into

zealous service of Baba.

 

Swami's other brother, there are many photos of him with the young

Sathya Sai Baba around Puttaparthi in the early 1940's and there is

a record of Swami conducting the marriage of Janakiramiah, and there

is also information that Janaki suffered from athsma as a youth, and

Swami healed that. One picture of Swami and Janaki with Lakshmi

(calf) comes to mind. In later times, Janakiramiah was well known

for conducting meetings at the ashram gate after morning darshan,

ditto Swami saying he was good with dealing with people. Many

decisions in Puttaparthi Village were referred to Janakiramiah, and

so he performed service to the community and to Swami in this

manner, effectively. I have also seen photographs of Janakiramiah

with arathi lamp, inaugurating service projects in and around the

region of Puttaparthi.

 

I often wondered what it must be like to have a Poorna Avatar for a

brother. Given the magnificent developments in the small town, once

known as Puttavardini, to Puttaparthi, to the first mandir, to the

now magnificent Prashanthi Nilayam, to look back on the past to

early origins in Pathi Village must have been an awe inspiring

experience. And a mystery, this brother of theirs, as well as ishta

deva, their personal Guru and God.

 

I am speculating here, but I imagine that all in Swami's family were

sent there by him for reasons of spiritual merit from previous

lives, to play many different roles in the divine story this time

around. Certainly his father and mother were great devotees, also.

Swami, on the demise of his father, told that HE chose his father,

and that is only a priviledge granted once in a yuga. A very rare

priviledge.

 

Kinship also extends to our own families also. I wonder about that

frequently at times also. I have been reading an older book, Sri

Sathya Sai Anandamayi, the recollections of a devotee lady and her

daughter, right from early days. Frequently Swami is quoted saying

that the spiritual merit one acquires is passed down through the

family for 7 generations. When I read that, I reflected back to the

faith of both my grandmothers. Very devoted Christians. I imagine

the divine plays all roles in your family, and so the interactions

set up the events, the relationships, the environment to provide

that perfect journey that lands us at the Feet of the Avatar this

time. This time, this body, this is the Divine Will. As with

Janakiramiah, so with ourselves.

 

Sai Ram

Chris.

 

Source: http://pavanaputra.tripod.com/news/kinship.htm