DEVOTEE EXPERIENCE By Narayan Swamy Mahadevan

[Guest guest]

DEVOTEE EXPERIENCE

 

First of all I am submitting this letter to the lotus feet of my beloved BABA.

 

By the grace of Baba, I share with you all, some precious segments of my life.

Baba has been helping me in every possible way. But in desperate times I totally

forget all that and start worrying. Now I learnt that nothing is impossible for

those who believe in Baba. Neither should helplessness set in for us. He is

there to help us all the time. He will never forsake us! I request all the

readers not to lose hope in desperate hours. Baba is always there to take care

of us. I am a mute spectator to Baba's lute. There are everyday miracles by our

Baba in our everyday lives, but this particular incident is unforgettable.

 

My name is Narayan Swamy Mahadevan. I belong to an average family financially

and have a daughter, named Sai Veena N. Swamy who is 18 years old and a son

named Sai Venkatesh Mahadevan, who is 14 years old. My wife and I along with our

children are all believers of Baba.

 

My daughter passed her XII Std. CBSE last year (2002) scoring 81 % marks and my

son is presently in 9th Std. My daughter wanted to take admission in a

professional course during 2002. She had appeared for an entrance examination

conducted by Government of Kerala and the All India Entrance Examination, but

she didn’t succeed. In the meantime I tried to get a seat in some professional

courses in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, but that also did not materialize.

 

The huge capitation fees demanded by these private colleges hindered her

admission because of my financial position. So I told her to take admission in

any of the degree courses without wasting a year, but she didn’t want to do

it. I had a strong feeling that if she was destined she would get admission in a

college of her choice the successive year. Subconsciously as a father, I had a

strong intuition of Baba’s grace. I was confident of Baba’s help, and that

he would test us in innumerable ways. I also thought that by the grace of my

beloved Baba, this time she would get admission in the college of her choice.

But this year also she didn’t succeed.

 

In despair I wailed in our pooja room. I learnt that her friends had got

admitted in some colleges dealing in various schools of medicine. As I browsed

through the net I got the following message: “We should not worry. We should

have implicit faith in Baba, in our Inner Pilot or in our spiritual Master. We

have to feel that not only does Baba know what is best for us, but He will do

what is best for us.

 

We worry because we do not know what is going to happen to us tomorrow, or even

the next minute. We feel that if we do not do something for ourselves, then who

is going to do it? But if we can feel that there is someone who thinks then we

will not worry about our destiny; we will not be afraid of us infinitely more

than we think of ourselves, and if we can consciously offer our responsibility

to Him, saying, ‘You be responsible. You be responsible for what I do and say

and grow into,’ then our past, our present and our future become His problem.

 

As long as we try to be responsible for our own life, we will be miserable. We

will not be able to properly utilize even two minutes out of every twenty-four

hours we have. When we can feel that we are Baba's conscious instruments and He

is the Doer, of us infinitely more than we think of ourselves, and if we can

consciously offer our responsibility to Him, saying, 'You be responsible. You be

responsible for what I do and say and grow into,' then our past, our present and

our future become His problem. We should not and we need not ever worry about

destiny. On the strength of our surrender, we become inseparably one with Saba's

cosmic Will.â€

 

As per the above stated Shirdi Message, as per that in my practical experience,

there is no need for us to worry about anything. We should have implicit faith

in Baba, in our inner pilot or in our spiritual master. We have to feel that not

only Baba knows what is best for us, but also he will do what is best for us.

 

In this critical situation I decided to go on short vacation from Jubail (from

24th July 03 to 14th August 03). Only by the grace of Baba within this period I

thought of completing everything connected with admission and reached Cochin (my

house) on 24th July 03. The purpose for my leave was mainly to try professional

course admission for my daughter.

 

The day I left that was Thursday, the same day I received Shirdi Message for the

week “His Grace†dated 24th July 03. That means I got green signal from my

'Sai Ma’. After seeing this Shirdi mail by ‘Baba’s grace’ I got some

courage, the 24th July 03 was Thursday I was very sad, full of tension. I kept

on praying, remembering Baba all the time.

 

During this period through Sri Sathya Sai Organization I met Dr. Sujith, and

only by the grace of Baba through the help of Dr. Sujith we all went to J.K.K.

Dental College on 01st August 03. With a worried mind my daughter and I entered

the Principal’s room for the admission. There I noticed a Picture of ‘Balaji

with Padmavathi’ and ‘Baba’. And I also noticed something written in

Baba’s picture “I am always with youâ€. In the meantime Principal agreed to

admit my daughter and also informed me to pay the fees yearly. I left everything

under the lotus feet of Baba and came out from the Principal’s room with peace

and happiness. Once again Baba showered His grace on us and she got BDS

admission on 01st August 03 in J.K.K. Dental College, Erode & her BDS classes

started on 11th August 03.

 

We were really surprised but not shocked as we knew as to who had done it all

for us. Baba will take care of my daughter, He will arrange everything and also

teach her the knowledge, good habits and impart her the power of God. After

reading Sai Satcharitra I came to understand Baba's love towards his devotees.

And after this incident I completed Sai Satcharitra two reading. Baba has his

own ways of helping his devotees. He is always there for his devotees whenever

they call him. He tests his devotees and again he rescues them from their

difficulties. He is the whole and sole protector of the universe. I can never

forget the ‘bhiksha’ you have given to my daughter. May Sai bless you all.

For me Baba is anything and everything.

 

Today (that is 2nd September 03) I received one letter from my daughter stating

that Baba started coming in her dream and told her to have 'Padanamaskar'

 

Today's Ms. Renu’s column dated 24th July 03 & Mr. R.V.S. Mani Column dated

31st July 03 brings the other side of the issues, that is Baba does not leave

his devotees. All his actions have a purpose. Ms. Renu is exactly right, that

anyone who believes in him strongly.. .he will show up and may be he may not

always grant us what we ask for but he'll be always there with us. Still I am

confident Baba always helps, he may test us but he'll never leave us with our

trouble. Really Ms. Renu is lucky, she got Baba’s darshan.

 

I had told Baba if he helps me I'll share this with all devotee friends through

this forum so that we learn not to let our faith in Baba get shaken in times of

crisis. May Baba always help all his children in this way and that with every

breath that we take we forever think of him only. And the best news is that by

the grace of Baba we will be going to Shirdi during May 2004. I pray to Baba to

let this peace remain in my life forever, as money, I think, is only secondary.

I have lot of experiences in my life where Baba helped me a lot. He is always

with me, with my family and everyone. As of today whatever I am, it's only by

the grace of my beloved Baba. Even now also I am able to write this experience

only by the grace of Baba. May Sai Baba bless everybody.

 

Bow to Shri Sai – Peace be to all

 

Swamy Mahadevan