How I was Drawn to Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi

[Guest guest]

The next morning we reached Hyderabad, finished my discussion with the said

official and started for Secunderabad in an auto. After travelling a certain

distance, my friend informed the auto driver to take a turn from the main

road. The driver could not take the turn as directed, the breaks failed, the

auto hit against the rear side of the car plying ahead of us and the auto

turned turtle. By the sheer grace of Baba what could have proved a major

accident, involving loss of either limb or life, had left us unscathed. We

were dazed for a few minutes. As soon as we recovered from the shock, my

friend decided to visit Shirdi along with me. We immediately telephoned to

his son at Ongole to join us on our trip to Shirdi. There is another side to

the whole incident. My friend had no son for a long time and his father

prayed to Baba to bless him with a grandson and vowed that he would take the

latter to Shirdi. Baba answered his prayer but the old man died without

fulfilling his vow.

 

As per, Baba's mysterious design we reached Shirdi, visited all the holy

places there and stayed for a day and returned to Ongole.

 

During 1981, I visited Shirdi twice in the happy company of my music

teacher Shri Y. R. Rao of Hyderabad who is also a "friend, philosopher and a

guide" to me. Dr. R. P. Rao is my close friend, a talented doctor and an

ardent devotee of Baba. My third visit to Shirdi along with Dr. Rao was

quite strange and interesting. Together we first proceeded by bus to Manikya

Nagar named after Shri Manikya Prabhu (believed to be the fourth incarnation

of Lord Datta). Then we reached Pandharpur.

 

After darshan and pooja in the holy and ancient temple of Vitthal, we were

informed by a pilgrim that H. H. Jagadguru Sankaracharya, the senior of

Kanchi was camping on the other bank of the sacred Chandra Bhaga river and

my joy knew no bounds. I was thrilled at the multiplicity of unexpected

blessings which the call of Baba implied. Swamiji is considered to be one of

the great living saints and an embodiment of the perennial wisdom of India.

 

A small group of devotees including us reached the other bank of the

Chandra Bhaga river by boat. Then Swamiji was in deep meditation. We were

blessed with his holy darshan for a couple of hours and the most generous

and gracious blessings.

 

From Pandharpur we reached Shirdi and spent three days on the sacred soil.

During my second and third visits to Shirdi, I visited Sakori, the sacred

place of Shri Upasani Baba, a direct disciple of Sai Baba and had the

darshan of Sati Godavari Mata, the disciple of Upasani Baba. On our return

to Hyderabad, we had the darshan of Shri Samarth Narayana Maharaj, who

belongs to the 'Guruparampara’ of Samarth Ramadas (Shivaji's Guru).

 

My fourth visit to Shirdi in 1982 was the most significant one. On my

routine visit to Hyderabad, on July 4. I was inspired to visit Shirdi and

was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was on time to attend the most

auspicious and important Gurupurinama day on the 6th. All this happened

without my knowledge but by Baba's grace alone. Most fortunately, the

penultimate day (7tb July) of Gurupurnima festival was followed by Thursday

which is considered sacred by all the Sai devotees round the world.

 

 

 

(To be contd......)

 

 

K. C. Pandu Ranga Rao

Ongole (A. P.)

 

 

 

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

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