OmSaiRam (April 1987)

[Guest guest]

OMSAIRAM (April 1987)

It was on 25th December 1985. We were carrying "Lord Sai-nath's Padukas" brought

from SHIRDI. The Padukas were kept in a wooden Pallaki made exclusively for this

purpose. The organisers of "OM SAI SRI SAI JAVA JAYA SAI" Akhanda Nama Sapta

Saptahams from 26-12-1985 to 13-02-1986 at Sri Sai Baba Temple near Maristella

College, Ring Road, Vijayawada had brought the 'holy Padukas of Sri Sai Baba'

from Sri Marthanda Maharaj of Shirdi. They brought these 'holy Padukas' for

darshan at different places of Andhra Pradesh and finally to our Machilipatnam

and we decided to carry them by walk from Machilipatnam to Vijayawada. We

started on 25-12-1985 with these Padukas at 8.00 A.M. by Padayatra, walking

from Vuyyuru to Vijayawada a distance of nearly 40 to 54 Kms. nonstop with the

above Nama jap.

The wooden Pallaki in which Baba's Padukas were kept was very heavy. Moreover,

we had to walk and cover such a long distance before the evening because on the

25th evening the organisers had arranged a procession with these Padukas at

Vijayawada. After leaving Vuyyuru town i.e., after walking 2 to 3 Kms. with

Pallaki on our shoulders we felt very tired and hungry. But every one of us was

determined to walk the entire distance with Pallaki on our shoulders with

nonstop namajap. One among us who had taken two halves of the coconut offered

to Baba before starting, distributed its pieces to all of us. Exactly at that

time we saw a Sadhu standing to the left of the road with four to five vibhuthi

lines on his fore-head and with Kumkum in between the eye brows. He was short in

size. Sri P. Madhava Rao, Manager, Zilla Parishad who was one among us asked me

to offer his share of coconut piece to that Sadhu. While giving it I observed

his face, which appeared very attractive, calm and peaceful.

We were almost running on the road with a determination to reach Vijayawada

before the evening. In such a hurry, we had covered nearly 4 or 5 Kms. in

half-an-hour. Every body in our group was uttering the above Sai namam loudly

with great dedication. To our surprise we saw again the same Sadhu a little

ahead of us standing to the left of the road and looking towards us.

All of us were thrilled at this. This old Sadhu, whom we had seen standing still

had overtaken us! How did he do this? No bus or any other conveyance had been

seen by us in the mean time. How was it possible for him to come before us? In

our heart of hearts, every devotee in our group concluded that he was not an

ordinary Sadhu but was Lord Sai Himself. With enthusiasm and happiness we

proceeded further with the Name of Sai on our lips. At last, we reached Lord

Sai Baba Temple in Vijayawada. When we saw the idol in that temple it was short

in size and four cross lines decorated its fore-head with a kumkum in between

the eye brows. I was the first man to notice this and stood stunned to discover

that Baba in the very form of this idol had come to receive us!

In a few minutes, we were directed by the organisers to see an old lady who had

brought tea and biscuits for us. She told us that around 3.00 p.m. that day

when she was sleeping, Baba told her in a dream to take something to his

devotees who were coming completely tired and hungry. She also told us that she

didn't know who these devotees were and from where they were coming. She didn't

know about the Padukas and Padayatra. She prepared tea at her house, purchased

some biscuits and came to Baba's temple by a City Bus. While in the bus she saw

all of us coming with Pallaki towards Baba's temple. Then she recognised about

whom Baba had told her, earlier in her dream.

Telling this story, she distributed biscuits and handed over a cup of tea to each of us.

Dear Sai Leela Readers! Please try to cast all your burden on Sai and he will

look after you just as he followed us from the beginning till the end and also

arranged tea and snacks, after our reaching his holy place.

OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI

A. SambasivaRao,

Machilipatnam,

Krishna Dist., (A.P.).

The experiences of Devotees as published in Shri Sai Leela Magazine, can be read

at www.saileelas.org/magazines/SAILEELA/exp.htm