IS SAI BABA LIVING AND
HELPING NOW?
Sai Baba seems
determined to solve the above question to the satisfaction of innumerable
enquiries found here, there and everywhere in the country. It is not merely a
question arising from curiosity. It often arises from necessity. Persons there
are in thousands who get into trouble and cast their eyes about in every
direction in quest of relief. ‘Is there no God? Is there no Saint? Is there no
Mantra? Is there not anything that will come to my resque?’ Is that what a person
cries out. At such stages when there is some person or other in the
neighbourhood connected with Sai Baba, then that person in distress runs up to
Sai Baba, with the assurance (born of need) that He is not only living and
helpful, but that He is the only person that can help one in such
junctures. Therefore it is of the utmost importance that people throughout the
country should be kept informed in their own languages or in any common
language, English or Hindi, of the fact that Baba is now living and working to
benefit all and sundry in a way in which no other person known to us is shown
to be working. There is no other person shown to have such chamatkaric
superhuman power and intent solely upon benefiting all persons that put their
trust in him. Of course, mere chamatkar or magical feats or psychic power,
unaccompanied by a noble purpose or by divine qualities is not worth the
attention of pious persons intent on achieving their own spiritual welfare. But
supranormal events always draw the attention of the educated and cultured
classes and of others. So, without further excuse, we shall proceed to
describe and narrate various circumstances and events which carry conviction to
the mind of even the dullest that Baba is living, is powerful, is beneficent and
is just the divine person that one needs in any juncture.
Baba's
lilas or chamatkars are very varied and have extended over a very long period.
Somewhere about the close of the last century they began. They are continuing
still up-to-date, and from time to time in new places and in varied ways. Baba
is showing all people irrespective of religion, caste, age, sex, position etc,
that he is that superhuman, beneficent power that people call their Ishta or
Ishta Devata or Guru-Deva, and that he is available to any earnest soul and
responds to every earnest call. There are several books (notableGospel of Sai
Baba and Sai Satcharita) setting out Baba's lilas upto recent times. For the
sake of convenience, we may begin with Baba's recent lilas through Matru Sri Krishna
Bai of Ramacbandrapuram nearRajahmundry, East Godavari District, Andhra State.
Her husband is Mr. Sehagiri Rao, Superintendent of the office of the Accountant
General, Posts and Telegraphs, Simla. That gentleman got first a very
superficial contact with Baba, as numerous South Indians at Nagpur (where Mr.
Seshagiri Rao was at the time) were adoring Baba and communicating facts about
Baba, It is the need, as we already stated, that creates faith. On one occasion
in 1946 Mr. Seshagiri Rao was in a tight fix. In his official capacity as
Senior Divisional Accountant, Nagpur Telegraph Division, he was entrusted with
the Treasury keys, and be had put them in a drawer and kept the key of the
drawer alone with him. One morning when he came and opened the drawer, to his
dismay he could not discover the keys. There was no sort of explanation for the
disappearance of the keys. All the same he would get into hot waters with his superior and
might suffer in his prestige and position.
He did not know what to do. So, he suddenly offered a prayer that if Baba is really powerful and helpful,
he should discover for him the
keys. Soon after making that prayer he went to the box again and opened it. This time alone,
behold! the keys were there right in front of him, and it was a wonder where
they had gone, how not found at so many previous searches by himself and his
servants, and how suddenly they reappeared.
So, he had some faith in Baba.
But it was his wife that had to play the all important part of a very
powerful, spiritual dynamo for the spread
of Sai propaganda, She also had at first only a very superficial
knowledge of Sai Baba. In 1950,
in May-June, she was with her father at Ramachandrapuram and
her husband had come from Nagpur to stay at Ramachandrapuram for recuperation of
his health. He wanted to start back on the 16th June 1950 to Nagpur. But suddenly on the 14th she took ill. She did not get up from her bed until 10 in ths morning, whereas
her usual hour for quitting bed was between 5 and 6. So, the husband
went into her room at 10 a.m. to see
what the matter was. She slowly
opened her eyes and
called him to her side. Her
voice was feeble. She
said weeping. “I am going to die; please look after my
children”. This was a stunning statement and a great shock to the husband. He asked her, 'What are you ailing; from
!' She Said, “I cannot say what I ail
from, but 1
feel terrible pain.'Mr. Seshagiri Rao
thought that this must be heart
attack. Then she pointed to a portion of the room, and said
'There, that fellow, that fellow; 1 am nearing my death by reason of that
fellow ' Then Mr. Seshagiri Rao thought that it was all hallucination, and the
best thing would be to get medical
aid. But she again said, "You do
not believe me. I see that fellow is there. You tell me that I will become all
right." Mr. Seshagiri Rao asked his father-in-law to get medicine. She
could not even gulp down water. So, some medicine was forced down her mouth,
and yet she was restless. In the evening at 6 or 7, she again called her
husband to her said, and repeated, “I am going to die. You do not believe
me.”To overcome her fears, the husband took a photograph of Sai Baba (which had
been given to him by his Nagpur clerk) and kept it under her pillow and told
her, 'This Sai Baba (photograph of Sai) will ward off all evil spirits.” He was
not quite sure that Sai would, but necessity made him say it. Then he went
upstairs to sleep. Downstairs the lady was sleeping and her father was
watching. At 12 midnight the lady cried out, 'Father, father, I am dying.
Somebody is taking out my life.' Then the father got up and rushed and saw that
her body had already been partly dragged out of the cot and her legs were
dangling down. H» put her body into her bed and retired. Thon a conversation
was heard in her room. The lady was uttering the name of Sai Baba and
Raghavendra Swami. She said that these two had come to rescue her. She asked
her father, who ran up to her. 'Lift up the pillow. Take out a packet,
and put its contents into my mouth.' That gentleman thought she was raving, as
nobody had put any packet of medicine under her pillow. But she repeated her
words, and said, "simply obey; do not argue." Then the father lifted
up the pillow, and there was a packet there. That was opened. It contained a
tulsi leaf as big as a betel leaf. There was also Vibhuti. Then he took up both
these, put the vibhuti into her mouth and retired. She then had very good
sleep. The father on further examination found that the wholeof her sari was
covered with vibhuti and (here were "Kolam" borderline marks of
vibhuti on all the four sides of the cot. Then the husband came down and saw
all these things for himself. In addition, he noted the impression of a hand on
her head. Thereafter she recovered completely. Some time later Krishna Bai said
that Ragbavendra Swami and Sai Baba wanted one anna nickel piece to be kept
under her pillow. Her husband placed it under the pillow. They were waiting to
see who would take that one anna piece, and how it would disappear. They went
for their meals. At that time, in Krishna Bai's room some conversation was
going on. He got up and entered the room. He found the room was full of a sweet
smell. She said that the one anna coin was taken away by these two, namely,
Raghavendra Swami and Sai Baba, and in its place they had left something, and
she wanted them to see what it was. The husband removed the pillow, and found
that there was no one anna piece, but in its place, there were fresh lulsi
leaves and bilva leaves. These were left as a protection to her. That is what
she said. That day she was all right, and, therefore went upstairs to sleep. At
12 midnight again there was some conversation in this lady's room. The husband
went up and found that she was reciting four Gita stanzas.
B.C. IV (7)(1) Yadayadahi
B. G. (8) (2) Paritranayasadhunaro
B. G. V (22) (3) Ananyaschintayantomam
B. G. XVIII (66) (4) Sarvadharma
Parityajya
Raghavendra Swami had asked her
to get
these by heart. She pleaded that she did not know
Sanskrit, it seems. But Raghavendra Swami
did in fact, teach her these four stanzas, and other parts of Gita, explaining their meanings
also. She said that Raghavendia Swami and Baba had kept three things under her pillow, in addition to
tulsi leaves and bilva leaves. She
said, “Please look for them”.
Seshagiri Rao lifted up the pillow and searched. He found three things, namely, (1) a packet
of vibbuti (2) a big tulsi leaf enclosing kumkum and (3) mrittika, that is, the
sacred earth of the tulsi plant used with great reverence by Madhvas especially
- the lady belongs to the Madhva Sect, Later her husband went to his own room,
and found under his own pillow sandalwood paste in two pieces. His father-in-law
also had the same in his room. They were all fragrant. These evidently were
shown to them to put faith in Baba and to believe that there is some superior
and great powerful force which cannot be easily understood by ordinary men.
From that time onwards, as a regular feature at about 6-30 p.m.
vibhuti marks would appear on the forehead of the lady. This went on for 8
months, that is, till about February, 1951. That was seen by many people. Then
Sai Baba asked the lady to do Sai puja on all Thursdays. Her puja was very
peculiar. During that puja, she would be going on talking in an undertone,
something midway between delivering a lecture and loud thinking. On closer
examination of what she spoke, the husband found she was discoursing on
philosophic truths, Gita slokas, their meanings, the definition of Maya,
Prakriti, etc. Some phenomena also began to be exhibited through her or by her.
At the beginning of the puja she would place an empty dubba (a closed
receptacle) in front of her, and at the close of the puja, mysteriously that
empty dubba would be found to be full of vibhuti. This is from Baba
himself This vibhuti was distributed to all people as Sai prasad. Another
remarkable fact was that Baba said on one occasion that 'this lady had eight
more births to get Mukti (Liberation) but he would compress all those eight
births into this very birth on account of his infinite compassion for her. He could not prevent
prarabdha but could compress prarafadba. So she had to die and come back to
life every month in the course of eight
months. During her monthly
period, she would become
hopelessly ill, her face would show signs of a dying person,
i.e., livid pallor. Yama kinkaras would come,
their songs and shouts would be heard in the room etc. There
were also other indications of impending death, that is, on all the four sides
of the cot, lines which
bad been drawn
with Vibhuti previously would disappear. At such times, Baba.
said, 'She and all connected with her should make Nama Smaran' i.e. remember
God. Even doctors who attended on her
at such times would join in the Nama Smaran.
At 12 midnight, she would cry
out, 'lam dying”. Immediately Mr.
Seshagiri Rao and others would cry out
'Baba! Baba!' Her life actually did depart from her body which became a livid,
corpse, and then Sai Baba again gave her life. On one occasion, she vomited blood from her mouth. Sixteen
times are vomited, and the vomit still
went on. Seshagiri Rao just
then returned from his office. All the
medicines he tried to stop the vomit failed. Then he took Baba to task for not
curing his wife. Baba through the mouth
of his wife answered. "Your
husband is abusing me, because I do not cure you. I can cure anybody but not you. If you are to be cured now you will have to take another birth
to work out your prarabdha. So you must undergo this trouble now. Again he said,'When I have assured him
that there is no danger to life, why should be be angry?' So saying he
stopped the blood vomit in a most miraculous way. As she was lying down, something like a root fell on her hand
from above, and that stopped the blood vomit. Sai Baba was not opposed
to cure her disease, but be wanted that her prarabdha should be worked out. On
the last and final, occasion, the Lord of Death himself came (Yama).
All people
including Seshagiri Rao were by the side of her bed. They left a sudden
fragrance in the room and an overwhelming fear in their hearts. That indicated
that Yama was present. Then some conversation was going on in the room between
the unseen Sai Baba and the unseen Yama. Yama said that he had to do his duty.
Baba said,'Go on. Carry out your duly. Sounds alone were heard by those in the
room. Then Mr. Seshagiri Rao and others were all overjoyed. Thus, all her
future janmas due to prarabdha were wiped out. She recovered her health soon.
The lady through Baba's favour was able to have clairvoyant ideas as to
what things were going on and where. On one occasion, she and her husband had
to leave Rama-chandrapuram for Nagpur. The lady said at 3 p.m. ‘Let us start’.
But by starting at 3 p.m. they would not get any train at Rajahmundry for
Bezwada, according to the railway time table. At Rajahmundry they would have to
wait for several hours. But as his wife insisted, the party started, and by bus
they reached Rajabmundry at 6 p.m. They went to the booking office and asked
about trains. The booking clerk said, 'The train which should have come in the
morning has come only just now. You can start and go to Bezwada.The booking
clerk gave them the tickets. So they reached Bezwada at 1 in the night. They
were so late that they did not know where to stay. But at Bezwada there was Mr.
Seshagiri Rao's cousin. Mr. Seshagiri Rao did not know his address. There was no
one to tell them of his address. Suddenly, a young boy of sixteen came and
said, 'I will take you to the house of a municipal councillor who will direct
you.’ He took them to the municipal councillor who showed Seshagiri Rao the
house of his cousin. The young man suddenly disappeared. The lady said, 'That
young man must be Baba himself.' Again, sometime later, Mr. Hanumantha Rao, the father
of the lady got a letter which bore the mark of Shirdi as the despatch station
with a signature purporting to be that of Sai Baba attached to the bottom of
the letter. The postal mark was Rahata Post. The letter said, 'Go and see the
puja peiformed by your daughter at Nagpur.' It also contained Gita slokas.
There was also warning that Hanumantha Rao should not treat the lady merely as
his daughter. He must treat her as Baba's disciple. So, in obedience to the
letter, he came to Nagpur and saw her puja. There he was impressed with the
wonderful spirituality of his daughter's puja.
Baba said that
he must carry out certain things through Krishna Bai. In order to communicate
his ideas Baba was writing on plantains. This was one of the things which the
father saw. Baba wrote sometime on several plantains but at other times on one.
Sometimes Baba would write on very small leaves in microscopic letters. One
evening when Seshagiri Rao was meditating in his room, Baba appeared and told
Krishna Bai in her room, 'Your husband is praying to me in his room. Why not
your husband come here? When the husband went to her room, he saw a wonderful
thing. The table near her was smeared with vibhuti. On that, a huge person sat.
That was Baba. The breadth across the two parts of his nether body on the table
were over four feet. This phenomenon was repeated at Ramacbandrapuram also
twice or thrice. One of the men said at a puja, 'Let us see how Baba is
eating." The pooja room was full of a number of Baba's pictures. On one
picture, under the mouth, a small peda was placed. This peda moved from the
mouth of one photograph to another photograph, and, after going to the last
photograph, disappeared. Then the audience said, 'We are satisfied as to your
eating.' Again this lady's grandmother came up one day and said that she would believe in Baba if Sai
Baba himself put one peda prasad into her mouth. People laughed at the idea.
But late in the night, she suddenly woke up and said something like a lizard
had fallen into her mouth. Light was brought, and it was discovered that it was
not a lizard but a peda that was in her mouth. So, she got convinced that Baba
was working lilas there. Mr. B. Venkataratnam, Ex-Minister of the Madras
Government, attended her pujas. On one occasion, when she was going on talking
in a peculiar, unconscious way, like one possessed, she asked him whether on
such and such a day some body did not go to his house for food, whether he had
not tried to send him away, and whether he did not accommodate that man on that
day when he insisted on accommodation. Again Baba through her asked, 'Did he
not ask for Rs. 2 when leaving the place?' Mr. Venkataratnam's reply was in the
affirmative to all these questions. Again Baba asked Mr. Venkataratnam, whether
on the day previous to his coming to Ramachandrapuram, be did not give a
two-anna piece to a beggar on the way. Mr. Venkataratnam admitted it. Then Baba
said, ‘I was that beggar.' Similarly, Sri G, Viswanatham Chetty, Joint
Registrar of Co-operative Societies, attended her puja. He said while leaving
the place that he had a heavy programme and therefore could not return for a
long time. But after he left, the lady said, 'You will see that he comes back
and for three days attends the puja.' Actually for a variety of reasons, Mr.
Chetty could not leave Ramachandrapuram for three days and he did attend puja
on all the three days. (The above are extracted from Mr. K. Seshagiri Rao's
lecture at the Mylapore A. I. S. S. Sai Mandir in February 1953 in obedience to
Baba's order to him to publish all he knew of Baba's lilas as manifested
through Srimathi Krishna Bai).
Mr. G: V.
Chetty had plenty of experiences of a most convincing sort, and therefore, he
is a staunch bhakta. On one of the earlier occasions, that is, at the
commencement of his contact with Sai Baba, there, he had striking proofs of
Baba's being alive, being useful and responding through human voice to the
callsof his bhaktas. Out of true devotion, when be was proceeding one day to
Ramachandrapuram from Kakinada, he got a very large rose garland, called 'Nela
Malai' in Tamil, because its rolls from the neck to the ground. That garland was
full of roses and the number of petals may therefore be easily guessed to be
something in four figures. This garland was placed round Baba's neck i.e. on
the portrait. He also carried flowers, fruits, etc. When the puja was over, he
noted that somehow (mysteriously) every petal of every rose in that huge
garland had on it written (OM SAI. If any one of us attempts to
write 'Om Sai* on rose petals, the chances are that very few petals would be
left on the stalk, and the petals would all be on the ground. Besides, it would
be a matter of several hours for us to complete the inscription on thousands of
petals. On the other hand, suddenly in a few minutes the whole garland became
full of inscriptions. Mr. G. V. Chetty was blessed with response in other respects
alto. The plantains he took got inscriptions on them. He had taken an
apple and placed it before Baba. At the close of the puja, the lady asked him
to take the apple. Then he wondered ‘What, with no signs of Baba accepting, am
I to take the apple?' He only thought so but said nothing. But Baba knew it,
and through the mouth of the lady said, 'What does he say that there is nothing
worth of note? Let him lift up the apple.’ When the apple was lifted up, it was
noted that the bottom portion had disappeared, cut of clean with a knife,
and the cut portion had disappeared, that is,
accepted by Baba. Inscriptions
and removal of cut part were all
done by invisible hands while he and all were in the pooja room. Seeing
that Mr. Chetty was quite happy and quite sure
that his offering had been
accepted by Baba, Similar to this, numerous other incidents took place. Mr.
Chetty got also specific answers
for his problems about his son, his
daughter, etc. Baba's answers were so
clear and full that be (Mr, Chetty) could answers clearly
the question at (be top of this pamphlet
without a moment's hesitation, that Baba is undoubtedly living and
is undoubtedly helpful at least to
those who have faith (bhakti) in him.
Now, on one of those occasions, Baba's
lilas took a peculiar
shape. One Mr. Ramachandra Rao
from Nagpur, businessman and a devotee
of Baba, through that lady, and some
others came to
Ramachandrapuram. They had an
idea that a temple must be built for Baba, and
that instructions must be got
from Baba. They put the question to
the lady. The answer was that Sri B.
V. N. Swami, President of the AH India
Sai Samaj, must come.Sri B. V. N. Swami, and with him a number of bhaktas
started from Madras. The chief amongst the bhaktas was one Mr. S. N. C. Sriman
Narayana Chaudhry, formerly Public Prosecutor (at Guntur) whose mental health
was affected, and who consequently,
could not practice. They took with them three apples and one casket
(sampatam) full of halva, and this was opened by Swami and again closed
after noting that it was full. All these with other fruits and flowers were
taken to Ramachandrapuram, which was reached at about 11-30 a.m. on I8-3-I952
and placed in the small puja room
about 10'xlO*, where puja was going on, and where the
entire ground floori was
full of bhaktas and their
offerings. On a wall 'there were many
pictures of Sai Baba, The lady herself (Krishna Bai) was In deep concentration
and going on with Sai puja. At the close of the puja (i.e. by noon or 12-30
p.m.) her father asked the devotees the question. 'Have you counted your
offerings?" The swami and others laughed, because there was no necessity
to count what they offered to God. But then S. N. Chaudhry said that he had
placed three apples for naivedya, but there were only two then. It was
Impossible physically for anyone to get into the room across the seated bhaktas
and carry away one apple. But there it was, that one apple had disappeared. The
lady herself then lifted up the casket and opened the lid and lo! and behold!
there was a deep ploughing up of the halva. A finger had evidently been
inserted and a good quantity or halva removed. Where the removed halva had
gone, and who removed It was a. mystery. The only explanation was that Baba had
accepted the halva prasad also. On the fruits that had been placed,
inscriptions were found. It was made clear to S. N. Chaudhry, Sri B. V. N.
Swami, and others that Baba was gracious enough to accept the presents of the
party. Then Mr. S. N. C answered to himself the question at the head of this
pamphlet. He felt firmly convinced of the truth that Sri Sai Baba is living
now, and is mysteriously helping his devotee by acceptance of their gifts. This
at once effected a change in him. He was no more abnormal. He lost his
diffidence fear, etc. From that day onwards, he began to attend to his private
and other work, and he could also attend court and is now having good practice.
So, many other persons also got convincing answers to the above question. As for
the Swami, he found that the lady at the close of the puja was rapidly
lecturing away in Telugu on matters of philosophy and religion. The best
lawyers and pandits there could not repeat or translate what she said. On the
second day, questions wore
put to Baba through her. The answers came. The answers related to the health of
some of the visitor present, their relations and other matters. On the whole
(he answers were intelligent and satisfactory. This again helps us to answer
the question mentioned above. As for the main matter, for which Sri B. V. N.
Swami was invited, the answer was that Sri B. V. N. Swami's present work was
quite satisfactory, that he need not do anything more than simply remain at
headquarters and ask his devotees and friends to carry out Baba's work, and
that everything would get on all right. That settled the question of Sri B. V.
N. Swarai's responsibility for a new temple building. But Sri B. Venkataratnam
Garu was there. He is the President of the Co-operative Bank at Rama-chandiapuram.
He, with the help of others, has succeeded in building a beautiful temple and
placing in it marble images of Sai Baba, Radha and Krishna and he has carried
out the other instructions of Sai Baba, as to the fitting up of the temple and
the pratishta itself. That installation took place on llth April 1954, that is,
on the Rama Navami day. The puja by the lady is now going on in that temple.
The best way of winding up this small pamphlet is to refer to very
recent instances in the East Godavarl District. Some twenty miles from Pithapur
Railway Station are the Thotapalli Hills, and on them, His Holiness Sri Omkara
Swami has put up a Shami Ashram, that is the main mother Ashram. He is carrying
on his life of peace and propaganda for peace with the aid of an English
Journal Peace and a Telugu Journal Shanti. The Swamiji's work is
mainly philosophical. He is the author of 'Cosmic Flashes’. showing his
elevation of thought and dignity of expression with a mastery of style rarely
to be seen.
What, however, came to this philosophical Swami at the beginning
of this year was Sri Sai's grace to inspire in him some more spiritual
development based on attachment to Sai. It is for such spiritual developments
that Baba shows his chamatkars. About March last, chamatkars began in the
Thotapalli Shanti Ashram in a strange way. There was Birthday celebration going
on and some lady devotees of the Swami had gone there. They were staunch Sai
bhaktas, and they carried their Sai pictures, etc. with them. After the usual
pujas on that Ashram were over, these ladies sat up in a small room and carried
on their Sai puja. Others of the Ashram and visitors joined them. This Swamiji,
seeing the vast crowd and the insufficiency of the room, asked them to go
upstairs to his own meditation room. Then perhaps as a result of the Swami's
dedication of his meditation room for Sai Mandir, Baba's lilas began to be
shown abundantly. Naivedyas placed included plantain fruits, and inscriptions
in Telugu letters (Sai) appeared on these fruits. On the flowers placed before
Baba, inscriptions similarly appeared. People were wondering, and one of those
present placed a wood apple as an offering to Baba and prayed that an
inscription should appear on it. The letters 'SAI’ appeared on it. His Holiness
Omkar Swami himself came up with a coconut without bark, and placed it as an
offering before Baba. Then the letters 'SAI’ in Telugu were found to be written
on the two sides of the coconut. The Swami is retaining that coconut with these
inscriptions. Faith, full faith began to develop all round. Sri Rajaji of the
Ashram had a gold ring and he offered it to Sai Baba with these words. 'Baba, I
will give this to you in case you write your name on it’, and placed the ring
before the picture in the puja. At once the Telugu letters 'SAI' appeared on the ring.
Some others who did not believe began to offer watches, chains etc, and placed
them before Baba, and the name 'Sai' appeared on every one of them.
Some one present, feeling that the rich
and the well to-do classes alone were the beneficiaries in the chamatkars,
wanted something to be done for
the Daridra Narayana and sickly
Narayanas. He took up a ball of
Vibhuti and offered it at the puja.
Lo.'and behold, in a few minutes, the
letter ‘SAI MANDU' in Telugu appeared on the ball. Mandu means, medicines. The whole ball was therefore the medicine
which was consecreated by Baba and could be given to all and sundry. There was
a patient with high fever in
the Ashram. A bit of that Vibhuti ‘Sai Mandu' with water
given to him removed the fever and enabled him to discharge his normal duties
immediately. The Ashram cow had some
disease, and the milk drawn from its
uudder was blackish and this Mandu
was smeared over the cow, and
Lo! and behold, thereafter the milk yielded by the cow was sweet and normal.
So, Sai had really given his 'Mandu' medicine for the benefit of the dumb, the
poor and the helpless. Faith in Sai
was very powerful and combined with the previous faith of the Ashramites. This was shown in a
remarkable incident one evening. A lady taking leave of the Swami at
his Ashram at dusk was going over the lawn to reach
her room, but, on the way a serpent
crawled over one of her feet and she placed the other foot on
its tail. At
once she noticed that it was a
serpent. She cried out 'OM SAI'; and the serpent instead of striking at her
quietly bowed its head, retreated and climbed up a tree.
People said, ‘Baba is here doing wonders.
So we must build a permanent temple for him', Then a piece of paper was found
in front of the devotees with the following written on it, namely, "This
is Sai's Sarmidhya (or presence)" in Telugu. The same Telugu letters were
seen simultaneously to appear on the wall of the puja room. People were convinced
that undoubtedly Sai Baba was present, and was responding to the devout and
earnest prayers of the bhaktas there. But as the Swamiji said, Sai being a form
of God, He is present not only in one place, and people should not overstress
the miraculous appearance of Baba's lilas, though He is more easily communed
with there. So Omkar Swami invited and invites people to go there for such holy
communion. On RamaNavami night he got up at midnight and wrote out a manifesto
containing all the above facts and extending an invitation to all devout
bhaktas to go to Shanti Asnram for communing with Sri Sai and not for the mere
curiosity or fun of getting inscriptions on watches and chains. As for himself,
the Swami declares that he felt that a Divine presence was now covering him up
both inside, outside, and on all sides. He has composed songs in English and
Telugu mentioning that he felt identical with Sai, and that the feeling was one
of Bliss. This appeared in an issue of the Telugu journal ‘Shanti' and has been
broadcast. This is an excellent answer to doubting Thomases who still ask, 'Is
Sai Baba living and will he help or can he help?' Even the dullest intellect
must now see that such questions are ludicrous or flippant. We need not repeat
other instances where Baba had come to help. The number of such instances now
is legion. Baba has shown His powers at Coimbatore, Madras, and so many other
places. We may perhaps make an exception in favour of Coimbatore and Ahmedabad
and close this pamphlet.
Coimbatore
Coimbatore was specially lucky in having extraordinary benefits
granted to some
of its citizens.
During the last great world war, a Coimbatorean, (Medical) Captain
Devaraj, was in the Mediterranean on board a ship. The enemy attacked that ship
with bombs, and the vessel very badly suffered damage. Captain Devaraj was at
one end, and Sri Sai, his Guru-Deva saved him completely from any harm.
This became widely known, and at Coimbatore many bhaktas turned
their hearts to Baba. Amongst these one prominent devotee was Sri
Soundararajan. He started Sai puja and Sai Bhajan at home. He constructed a
small cottage for the public 10 carry on puja and bhajan at one end of the
town. One evening when puja with bhajan was going on, there was a fairly good
crowd, and amongst the crowd came in a snake. It crawled over the foot of a boy
who in fright cried out ‘snake, snake’. But he was the only one frightened. The
snake stood coiled 5 or 6 feet from the crowd and seemed to follow the music of
the bhajan. It was dangling its head from side to side but kept its place.
People who looked at it were wondering what sort of snake it was that was not
frightened at the sight of men and could appreciate the bhajan music. It kept
on there from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the time for closing the bhajan temple. The men
who were all anxious to depart went away then and came back next morning. What
a strange thing was it for them to note! The next morning when they came they
saw the snake was still in the Temple. The temple was a mere thatched cottage
and not a pucca building. It is near the road side. The people there made up
their minds that the snake was nothing but Sai Baba, and that they should offer
their worship to Sai Baba by taking heaps and baskets of flowers of samanai (Chrysanthemum).
A number of devotees stood all round this snake and picked up these flowers and
dropped them over the head of the snake uttering the
Ashtothra Namavali of
Sai Baba, namely, Om Sri Sainathaya Namah, etc. The snake stood all this
quietly and when over a thousand
flowers had fallen on its head, it was still in
their midst, and then they were quite
sure and perfectly convinced that this snake was nothing but Sai Baba, and they
called it Naga Sai. Then one of
the devotees said, 'You are undoubtedly
Baba. If we tell people that we worshipped you like this,
they will not believe us.
So we must take a photograph of
you. So, Baba, you must remain in your position till a photographer is brought
from the town.' It took more than half an hour for a photographer to come, but
the snake was still there. The photographer placed his camera close to it and
took an excellent snap of it. Even men - let alone children - snake there
heads at the time of taking photographs, and
thus spoil the photos. But Sai did not quail in the least. The firm attitude of Naga Sai was shown
by the excellent photograph that
was the result. Then after 11 a.m. the
Naga Sai that had come in at 5
p.m. the previous day left the
place. This place is fairly close to
the town, and Coimbatore being highly pupulous, thousands of people,
hearing of the marvel, came from the town and beheld Naga being in the midst of
the temple and getting worshipped. The photograph is now a standing proof of
Baba's lila. Baba showed this lila
evidently in order to strike the
attention of even the dullest in these days of atheism, indifference,
and scorn at religious matters. Something wonderful is necessary to shake
people out of all this. So, Baba showed these chamatkars to convince them. This
result was that more and more, thousands upon thousands, came day after day
to look at the place where Baba came and got worshipped. They put up a Naga Sai
temple of Baba at Coimbatore and it is highly popular.
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad is a still stranger-though not so very dramatic -
instance of Baba's chamatkars. Here a well-known lawyer of good standing, Sri
C. C. Mankewallah, was the person to whom or for whose benefit Baba's lilas
were performed. We may give his experience as it appeared in the September 1953
issue of the Sai Sudha, in the words of Sri Mankewallah himself.
From 1948 to 1952, for five years continuously, I suffered from
Dropsy and gastric ulcer. I had no appetite. I vomited blood and could not eat
anything or even take water. My weight became abnormal, viz. 300 pounds last
year, from January onwards. I was bed ridden. Doctors attended on me. About
1952 April, the chief doctor of the hospital and other consulting doctors of
the city gave up hope of my recovery. On one day, the chief doctor noticing
that blood in profuse quantity was coming out of my mouth and that my weight
due to dropsy was abnormally high, viz. 300 pounds said that there was no
sufficient blood in the body and that surrounding poisons would prove fatal in
2 days. Some friends and relations had advised me to worship Sai Baba (whose
temple was opposite to my house) in April, 1952 and I had hung up Baba's
picture in front of me and worshipped him. After looking into his photo, I got
affection for him. First, I had apprension that I should not worship a
Mohammedan Saint. But, the continuous attraction of His photo on my mind and
relation's talk gave me a sudden vision of Baba when I was awake at 6 p.m. He
then said to me. "I am not a Fakir. But I am an incarnation of Guru Datta.
There are nine gems (including me) who are incarnation of Datta, namely.
Tajuddin Baba of Nagpur, Dhuniwala Dada of Khandwa, Vishnu Debananda Saraswathi
of Narmada,
the Mahant of Akkalkote, etc." The next day, I got 2 books in Gujarati on
Baba and read them. Some days later when the doctor completely gave up hopes
and stated that life will pass away in 2 hours (at noon), then Baba appeared in
front of me at about 1 p.m. First a light came from the door and Baba came in
that light, and my mother Sri Sivaganga and I saw Him and Heard his words. He
said "Baccha, Mad gabra tumara sub dukha me hardeya" to me; and to my
mother he said "Tumara sub dukha me hardeya" which means,
"Child, fear not, All your disease (or troubles) I have taken away."
"Send your grandson Turt immediately to Shirdi."
Then he disappeared through the door. As
my son had not sufficient experience of travel and as my sudden death would
necessiate the presence of my son for funerals as apprehended by some, I and my
mother had to consult together, but we told my son to start in the evening for
Shirdi, and he did. At 6p.m. on that day, Baba again appeared and told us.
"Do not be afraid. I am with your son also. Tomorrow at 12 O'clock you
will receive a wire from your son that he has reached Shirdi safe." After
6 p.m. the doctor visited me. He again gave up hopes of my survival and mocked
at the above experience which was narrated to him. He said. "This is mere
hallucination."In 1 or 2hours, life would depart. This he said to my
mother, and other close relations. Next day, at 12 noon, I got my son's wire
"Reached Shirdi safe." Then from that moment, I began to purge. I
purged continuously for 24 hours. Urine also passed. No blood passed. Next day,
all poisons had passed out in that way, in the stools and urine; and my body
became light. It is weighed. The weight was 75 pounds. The heart beating and
the pulse were normal. The doctor came when the purging was going on. He was surprised. He was
present at the weighing and the resumption of normal pulse and normal beating
of the heart. The doctor was satisfied that I had now become safe and was saved
by the "mysterious ways of Baba". From that date of my health
regularly improved. In 2 months, I could and did take ordinary food. I am alright
since then. I am doing regular lawyer's work now as before. I am always praying
to Baba. In other matters, e.g., domestic, Baba is guiding me and protecting
me. Then I went to Sbirdi and I have now completed all my South Indian
pilgrimages. I will visit Shirdi again on my way back home. I came to Madras 3
or 4 days back, as the guest of Mr. Ambalsi Khapadia of Adyar. On 8th night and
on 9th morning. I had a vision of Baba (about 5 a.m.). He commanded me to visit
his temple in Mylapore and all his devotees there. So I came here yesterday and
to-day.
In 1953 was the first appearance of Baba to Sir Mankewalla but
this did not stop with 1953. In 1954 he had repeated appearance and help of
Baba. That was for his benefit. But Baba appeared before him in August 1954 for
the benefit of the public. This pamphlet had been written, and attempts were
being made to print it in August. There was inordinate delay on the part of
some printer who undertook the task of printing it. Meanwhile Baba made use of
the delay for furnishing the best answer to the question at the top of this
pamphlet. He appeared on the morning of 23-8-1954 to Sri Mankewalla and the
message he gave was for publication and broadcasting in this pamphlet and in
the History of Sai Baba that was being written by Sri B. V. N. Swami and
nearing completion for which also the following message in the best Epilogue as
it is for this pamphlet. This message published in Sai Sudha, September, 1954,
runs as follows:—
“It is with great sense of surprise, joy, and blessedness that I
am penning these few lines to you, being yester night reminded by ShreeSai
Baba, who, with His habitual smiling face, inspired me in semi awakened state
at the dawn of the morning to refer this matter to you, and to bring to your
notice that Shree Baba is always present before his bhaktas. He is the guiding
and all pervading power that shapes the ends of devotees and even of the
universe. He has once saved me from the jaws of death, and he only guides me in
all my and everybody's career, in this world. I saw Baba standing before me
with his stick laughing, and telling me the above fact and especially asking me
to refer the same to you. Why? That I do not know.”
By the grace of Shree Baba after I recovered from (attack of the
icy hands of Pluto) death I appeared in many civil and criminal cases including
cases under sections 302, 307 I. P. C. murder, and homicide, and I have become
successful in all cases. Every moment in life, I feel the presence of Shree
Baba. I always feel that like a parent taking care of his child, He
always takes care of me. I have sometimes to pass through severe tests in
life. I had to struggle hard with worldly affairs, but in all, lam triumphant.
Even in spiritual worship, Baba's presence is felt. He always reminds me at the
proper time and make* me feel that he is present watching all my movements,
and guiding and shaping my life's career in a wonderful way.
I again remind you that I am writing you this at the express
command of Shree Baba, who has commanded me to refer this matter to you."
Again to make assurance doubly sure, Baba was invited to write his
name at Thotapalli hills, Santi Asram on a silver plate. His autograph in
Telugu was, accordingly found on the plate. That by the kindness of Sri Omkar
Swami was sent to Sri Rajeswarananda who presided on 6-10-54 at the 81st
birthday celebration of Sri B. V. Narasimha Swami and presented by him to Sri
B. V. Narasimha Swami. It is now kept among articles in the pooja room of the
A.I.S.S. Mylapore Sai Mandir to enable all devotees to see for themselves how
Baba is the "Living" God of his devotees actively helping every cne
in the universe.
From all these the above instances are only an infinitesimal
fraction of the miracle and benevolent acts done by Baba throughout the country
- one would see that Sai Baba is undoubtedly now living and retaining the same
nature and carrying on the same mission. During his life in the flesh up to
1918 at Shirdi, Baba said 'Malm Allahnm.' His nature functions and mission were
all divine. There are undoubtedly to help people who put faith in God,
especially in the form of Sai. So, Sai is still carrying on his mission of
removing the distress, of strengthening faith, of helping devotees of trouble,
(Paritranaya Sadhunam), and of leading those who surrender themselves to him to
the highest goal that man can attain, (Dharina samstapanartaya). Baba is
continuing his life in ethereal or Apantaratma shape without any fleshy body,
though whenever he chooses, like Narada and Bhrigu, he does put on his fleshy body
and appears to people in order to carry out his high and divine plans for the
benefit of individuals or society. This will, therefore, suffice for this short
pamphlet to enable people to shake off their doubts, fears, and inertia, and
rouse them into a determination to get to know more of Baba, to get more
contact with him, and to get all that they want, especially freedom from
disease, trouble, etc. with his aid, ultimately freedom from all bondage,
sorrow and misery.