Existence (Asthi) V. Narayana Rao

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Existence (Asthi)

There is no end to the glory of the Eternal father. It is ever flowing. Many a

holy person will take a dip in the holy waters of grace that flow from His feet.

They are not quite satisfied by the bliss they enjoyed. They speak of Him and

His leelas to others, who are interested and by telling them to the deserving

and devotional persons, they enjoy a reciprocal happiness. That is why they are

all considered by the Lord as dear and near to Him and are always blessed by

Him.

 

The following is one such narration of a bee's enjoyment, who felt the

sweetness of the nectar that flows from the Holy feet of Shri Sai Baba. With due

respect to his Holiness and with so much humbleness to all His devotees, this

heart and pen have become bold enough to submit a few lines of the experiences

of this humble being. Thanks to the management of Sai Samsthan, who provided the

best 'media' through which we speak of Him together.

 

It was March 1977, when the accounts branches of the entire state were

busy with the completion of the transactions connected with the spending of the

Budget, the poor fellow, hereinafter termed as T was also engaged in attending

to his normal duties in his office.

 

When I was busy in this manner, we had to celebrate the Ugadi of that

year in this busy month. I was so happy in the morning, but I became so unhappy

in the evening when my wife suddenly developed shivering and high temperature. I

suspected it to be an infection in urine and the next day before consulting any

doctor. I gave her urine for culture test and took her then for treatment, which

was later confirmed by the doctor. The result of the culture test also proved

our doubt to be true and the treatment continued under that Doctor, a qualified

M. D, During the treatment there were no symptoms of reduction of the disease,

but the unrest grew from day to day. The sun was hot. The children were having

examinations and I was busy in office, even on holidays and there was nobody to

attend to this sick lady in the house. The temperature was being controlled by a

particular medicine for some time; but when the power of the medicine would

become less, say for 4 or 5 hours later, she again used to get high temperature.

This continued for 15 or 20 days and I had no time to give a second thought,

since she was under the care of a good doctor. Simply I was praying to Baba

alone to give me relief by

giving her normal health and normalcy in the family affairs.

 

While it was so, one night (it was Wednesday) my wife woke me up in the night

at 3 a.m. or so and said, " One old man came to me and gave me some lump to

eat. I do not know what it was; but I ate it. He said that I will be alright " . I

replied to her, " If it is so, you will be alright " and asked her to sleep. I

always had a belief that He alone will change the position whenever He feels

fit. I had a confidence that it was He who gave her this lump of medicine to

cure her, who was almost neglected by me. After five or ten minutes later, she

woke me up again with the words: " I have seen Sai Baba " . " When and which Sai? "

was my question, as I have two photos, one of Shirdi and other of Puttaparthi,

one on the side of her head and the other towards her feet, in reply to my

question she pointed out to Shirdi Sai. Then what happened was my question.

She said, 'He was grinding some-thing in His masjid and I stood before Him

leaning to the pillar before Him. He addressed me in Hindi saying, " Aao beli,

daro mat, baitho " . These words gave me much confidence. I humbly requested Him

to permit me to take curdbath for which He said that I can take any thing I

like " . I told her that she cannot have any doubt and that she will have

anything she wanted as I cannot stop when permitted by Baba. She slept a while.

In fact she was provided with the dish she required on the next day.

 

She again surprised me by saying after few minutes, " This time Baba

brought new chappals and asked me to wear them and when I had done so,

we both were lifted in the air high from the earth. He then projected

his palm downwards; rays of light spread all over the ground in which

light I saw some children playing. Baba said to me that it was called

'Bal Vikas' and I can visit these places when the sun gets cold as it

was very hot. " He then promised her that He will take care of her health and her

family affairs and there would be no worry thereafter. He brought her back to

the place where she was. With this her dream or

trancequences ended.

 

Now starts His leela. My wife was running the highest temperature at

that time, when she talked to me all these things and there is every

doubt that delirium might have started, as the other day the Doctor

treating her also expressed her doubt whether it would lead to

meningitis. But to clear the doubt or doubts I had at that moment, she

put me a question, " It is Puttaparthi Sai Baba, who started Balavikas

schools for children and why Shirdi Sai is telling that there is

Balavikas? When did he start them? " It was really an intelligent

question showing that her brain was working properly. We had not been to Shirdi

till then and in fact I did not read anywhere that Shirdi Sai started Balavikas

schools. I simply interpreted her saying that it might be Baba once again

declaring to me, that He makes no difference whether He is Shirdi Sai or

Puttaparthi Baba. She was also satisfied then and slept.

 

Next morning as usual I had Thursday pooja and questioned Baba about the present

situation by opening His 'Satcharitra' as I do usually at the time of doubt or

when I require an answer to my problem. The reply He gave was Dr. Pillai's

story, in which Baba tells Dr. Filial not to

request for postponement of Prarabdha and then assures him of the cure

from his guinea worm disease within 10 days. It assured me that my wife will be

alright in 10 days. This was conveyed to my wife and we were waiting for a

change. We never tried to change the doctor.

 

On the same evening, one doctor, who is a friend of mine, returned

from Iran only on the last night and came to visit our house. He

being a doctor, rebuked my negligence for having kept a patient for so

many days in the house, not hospitalizing her and he never took

rest, till she was admitted to the Hospital the next day. It was 1st April.

Doctors thereafter made a thorough check up and admitted my wife in the

emergency ward, which terrified the lady; but she took courage on hearing from

me, Shri Baba's assurance and took the medicines as directed by the doctor, They

took all the tests that

are possible in a hospital; but they could not diagnose the disease.

The medicine given by them was only nominal; but she started

improving day by day and on the third day she showed symptoms of

normalcy. She picked up her health and was discharged on 11th April.

See, it was only 10 days she took to regain her health as promised by Baba. It

was really a rebirth. The doctors, who looked after

her told me later that they could not find any defect in her, but they suspected

that the dosage given by the previous doctors was less, which could not improve

her health. Anyhow, I felt that the disease was cured on Wednesday night itself

by the Divine treatment of Sai and

nothing was left over to doctors to find out. The question arose

what was the use of our going to the hospital? I humbly remembered the

words of Shri Swamy Ramaadas of Anandashram (Kerala State) " Human

effort is necessary to know that human effort is useless. Then divine

will start worming " .

 

In four days after coming back from the hospital, one of my friends came from

his village and after completing his work in the city suddenly proposed to go to

Shirdi, with me. One can imagine my condition. I was penniless; but he assured

me of the expenditure and wanted me to be his guest. Next, my wife also showed

her willingness. My trip to Shirdi was an unimaginable happiness to my heart and

soul. We had a pleasant journey and darshan of the Lord Sai Baba from near, I

dropped off all my anxieties and worries at His feet and made my heart and mind

so empty that I filled it with His grace and prasad. I returned with these to my

wife and children. My wife asked me whether we have seen the things used by Him.

It was surprising to me. She did not tell me in her trance, the stories about

what was worn by Sai Baba and how he was looking like. I told her that all the

things used by Him are preserved in a glass cupboard. She suddenly put me a

question, how His shoes were. With so much curiosity I asked her whether she saw

them, while He was wearing them and how they appeared like. She said, " Sai wore

shoes like those that the Muslim Fakirs wear " and her description of the shoes

was exactly of those, kept in the Samadhi Mandir by the Shirdi Samsthan. This

shattered my last doubts whether Shri Baba appeared in person before her in her

experience and I bowed with reverence at His holy feet with a humble prayer.

 

In 1978 February my Mrs. could travel to her Ishta Deva and then she

herself saw what was shown to her in her dream. She recognized the

highest place where she was taken as " Bhakta Niwas " top floor, where we stayed

and the " Balavikas " under the shade of trees by the side of the Bhakta Nivas!

V. Narayana Rao

Hyderabad (A.P.)

(Source Sai Leela August 1980)