Miracle of the Statue of Shri Sai Baba

July 27, 2008

It was in November 1977 that I went to my brother, Shri B. Madhava Rao, a Porcelain Factory Officer, in Malleswaram at Bangalore. He is an atheist and an out and out materialist, who shuns any talk on God.

In the course of our general talk, be suddenly said, "I will give you a gift worth a million dollars. You care for no money or material, but you will welcome this most". I could not understand anything from his talk as I care for nothing and welcome anything, yet, anxious as I was to know what he meant? I asked him what that precious gift was. He then replied, "What you most care and welcome in your life-SAI BABA-Your God"

Derisive as it appeared, the offer comes from an avowed atheist. I was not shocked, but amused at first, but later baffled over a materialist's bent of mind—incomprehensible—indeed!

In my next visit to him in December 1977, when I reminded him of his gift to me, he said, "It was not such an easy task for me to send Sai Baba to you, but come He will, shortly".

In the meantime, I went to Madras and being anxious, I wrote to my brother if my Sai Baba was ready and to my joy and surprise, he replied stating that Sai Baba was ready awaiting me to take delivery. My joy knew no bounds.

Immediately, I cancelled all my pending programmes and hastened to Bangalore on 22-2-1978.

The next day, 23-2-1978, Thursday, I rushed to my brother's house in the evening and saw to my great joy, a Porcelain Statue of Sai Baba, most realistic and attractive. The Statue is one foot high, seated on a black pedestal, clad in red dhoti and upper cloth, in porcelain, at the sight of which I felt Sai Baba is physically present before me, the kind of feeling could understood only by the Bhakta dedicated to HIM.

I expressed my profound pleasure and gratitude to my brother, Madhava Rao, for the rare, priceless and precious gift, offered to me I brought the statue home and installed HIM in Sri Sai Kutirat 8.00 p. m.-on a-Thursday, with the usual rituals and commenced my daily worship with deeper and firmer devotion and with added enthusiasm.

It also may be noted here, that this incident hardly 25 days before my 67th birthday took place. I may also state here that the statue came into my brother's house on 9-2-1978(Thursday) and left his house on 23-2-1978 a Thursday thus staying with him for 3 Thursdays. The statue cost my brother Rs. 20.62 as per his factory Cash Bill No. 4247 dated 9-2-1978.

It is really a pose at to how Shri Sai Baba inspired and induced my brother Madhava Rao to get this statue made for me, apathetic as he is for any spiritual learning’s.

I asked my brother, how he got this statue made for me, he told me that there is a mould of Sai Baba in his factory to be cast only for some Very Big Persons. On requisition under special permission from Delhi Chief Office, the statue is made for them, on rare occasions. He said the idea of gifting to me the statue suddenly struck him and he ventured to get the sanction from Delhi with his influence. But, a small Section Officer as he is, in the Factory, he was not sure of getting the sanction, until he got it, which he said was my luck; and as such he could not reveal the matter with confidence to me. In my subsequent visits, he used to say that the matter was under way.

To sum up this miracle, it is pointed out to the Sai Devotees, that only when a devotee is possessed by HIM and that the devotee is already on the path of His glory with devotion, seeking liberation from the worldly attachment and ultimate salvation, that Shri Sai Baba comes to the devotee in some form or other to protect him and jot otherwise. ., , .

As a proof thereof, I could state with confidence, that when a Bhakta is possessed by His grace only,' he will be allowed or Initiated, to His sacred Shrine at Shirdi, as in my case, when I have the fortune to visit Shirdi every year since last 20 continuous years without break for my annual prayers at His sacred feet, and every year, I go there, I get recharged by Shri Sai Baba for increased devotion with added vigor and enthusiasm, and nearer to liberation and for merger into HIM.

Further, it is too well known to Sai devotees and a proven fact with Sai Baba that unless and until He calls His devotees, they dare not and cannot step in His holy Shrine with all their hectic efforts. Likewise, unless one has His grace, he will not be with the devotee too. As such my brother, Madhava Rao also, though an atheist and a materialist, some inexplicable, phenomena must have worked on him, that drove him to this task, and that Shri Sai Baba stayed in his house for 3 Thursdays, he should be lucky to have His blessings, unknown to my brother for the PUNYAM of his previous birth. This has its own significance.

And again, why and how I got Sai Baba without my thought, imagination, or attempt for it I also did not know that there was such mould in my brother's factory and that it could be got so easily; why He came in this form to my house at my 67th birth year is only known to Him and that too through a materialist and atheist, who would not allow my puja to Shri Sai Baba in his house, for that matter, worship of any God is vehemently opposed and prohibited in his dwelling. Nevertheless, Sai Baba alone was permitted to remain with him - How? A wonder that has no explanation

In conclusion, I may be allowed to state with due apologies to H. H. Radhakrishna Swamiji, the apostle of Shri Sai Baba, President, All India Sai Samaj and Founder President of Shri Sai Centre at Bangalore, has installed in May 1978, at Sai Centre at Bangalore, a life size statue of Sai Baba in Marble Stone, while I did so with a porcelain statue of a smaller size - of course, size is no concern or consequence for devotion - almost simultaneously at a very short interval.

My daily prayer to my Lord Shri Sai Nath is that so long there is life in me, to allow me to pray to His sacred LOTUS FEET and grant my prayer to merge me in HIM, while at prayer, as a token of my devotion and dedication to HIM.

It may be noted that while both the statues at Shri Sai Centre and at Shri Sai Kutir, at Bangalore, were almost simultaneously installed at very short intervals, the installation at Shri Sai Kutir was devoid of all pomp, splendor and publicity at Shri Sai Centre.

But his Holiness Radhakrishna Swamiji is a great Saint, an apostle of Sai Baba, to whom I bow in reverence and devotion as a humble Bhakta seeking his Blessings.

I hope, that this article would interest and impress all Sai Devotees.

B. Ramanadha Rao

Bangalore

(Source Shri Sai Leela Jan 1979)