Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future - Part 2

Dissatisfaction is the nature of the world

In the art of storytelling, it is important to know where detailed descriptions have to be given and where they should be avoided. The story should be long enough to cover all points but short enough to keep it interesting. Having gone into all the details of that momentous single day of Mohammad’s life in Part 1 of this story,  I shall avoid the mundane details of the next 3 months. But there is one detail that has to be narrated because it inspires interest and also conveys a lesson. And that is the fact that Mohammad, in those 3 months, often kept thinking about his benefactor at the Arabian sea. As he thought more and more about him and the episode, he began to realize more and more that  there was no peace or joy in the world that he was acquainted with.

There is a feeling of emptiness. A sense of dissatisfaction that engulfs us without exception. It rises and ebbs, perhaps, depending on the phase of life we are in. I doubt if this hollowness will ever be filled. It was there when we were born and it continues to grow as we age. Filling this emptiness, this dissatisfaction is possible only by spiritual means.

Though he began to make a decent living catching fish in the new motor boat, his inner world was in total turmoil. He now began to smoke even more than before in search of an escape from his mundane existence. But whatever he did, a strange sense of dissatisfaction plagued him. He remembered his fakir friend so much that he got an irrepressible urge to meet him. He decided to undertake another journey to Bombay and seek him out.

If one makes a close enquiry, one will notice that at some point in everyone's life, a sense of dissatisfaction sets in. The actual point of this dissatisfaction setting in might vary but this definitely happens irrespective of one's wealth, position, relationship status and age. This is a dissatisfaction that can be 'cured' only by spiritual means because true happiness lies only in union with God. That union can come about only when one drops one's desires and one's false sense of identification with one's body. That is precisely the reason why when anybody asked Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, "I want peace", His reply was,

"Drop the 'I' and drop the 'want'. You have peace automatically."

These statements are not only high in literary  value. They are profound spiritual truths packed in a very concise manner. In that sense,  though not in Sanskrit, they are mantras indeed.

The address that the fakir had given lead Mohammad to a temple in Bombay.  

[Note: The building indicated by the fakir friend was a Shirdi Sai Temple known as Shri Sai Dhaam Mandir located near Congress House on Vithalbhai Patel Road in Girgaum. A Christian lady, Mrs Valentine, sold the house to the Trustees of Sai Dhaam for Rs.50,000/-. The house was then remodelled as a temple for another Rs.20,000/- and was inaugurated on Gudi Padwa day in 1960 by Shri Yeshawantrao Chavan, the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The statue of Baba, in sitting posture, was carved by Shri Balaji Wasant Talim]

Not finding any house, he began to make enquiries about the fakir's whereabouts. He regretted that he had not asked the fakir his name which made the task of finding him very difficult. He had to go around describing him to the people there. Finally, somebody directed him to go into the temple. (Mr. Venkatesh Prithviraj, the narrator and witness to whom Mohammad told his remarkable story, personally visited this Shirdi Baba temple in the later years.) Mohammad had never entered a temple in his life. But today, nothing would stop him from doing so. Strangely, nobody seemed to be surprised to see a Muslim enter a temple. It was as if that was normal! Walking in, Mohammad got a shock of his life. He fell on his knees and began to sob uncontrollably.

Time-travel to the days of declaration of Avatarhood of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Part 5

The second Gopuram which leads to the main sanctum in the Virupaksha temple at Hampi. 

Lord Virupaksha

For those that have come in late, let me confess that it has been the most memorable ‘Life of Fly” for me in my time-machines of imagination and information. However, I cannot say the same about the journey in the space-machines, Toyota Innova and the Tata Sumo Grande, from Uravakonda to Hampi. The roads in some stretches are like fields being ploughed for an additional crop! It is advised to travel light in the stomach lest the mixer of a journey force one to throw up. Hampi is a good 4 to 4.5 hours drive from Uravakonda instead of the 3-hour one it could be if the roads are good.

The story so far has been absorbing because it has allowed us to witness those episodes in Swami’s childhood life that very few are aware of. It is thus suggested that the reader move on to this fifth and penultimate part, only having read the previous four parts.

Part 1: Time-travel to the days of declaration of Avatarhood of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba- 1

Part 2: Time-travel to the days of declaration of Avatarhood of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba- 2

Part 3: Time-travel to the days of declaration of Avatarhood of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Part 3

Part 4: Time-travel to the days of declaration of Avatarhood of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Part 4

A magnificent view of the entire sun-kissed temple complex. 

“When Swami tells you something, do it immediately!”

That is my motto because if His words are not adhered to immediately, I end up as a big loser. He, I am sure, is planning every moment of my life for me so that it is fulfilling and enriching. And so, His look was enough to send me flying into the Virupaksha temple along with the others. The main temple is very simple at first sight but one entering it, one is almost hit with the beauty of the art and architecture that adorns it. Though almost all of the idols and statues in the temple complex have been disfigured and badly damaged by the ravaging Muslim sultans who foolishly thought of destroying idolatry by breaking idols, their beauty shines through the disfigurement too.

My teeny weeny heart bled with pain as I saw the beautiful granite stone sculptures damaged. On one hand I wondered what terrible emotions hatred and anger were, knocking the senses out of a person. On the other hand, I marveled at the timelessness of beauty which shone forth even through the damaged sculptures just like sweetness exudes from a even a crushed sugarcane. Among the several architectural marvels in the temple is the ‘pinhole-camera’ image of the Gopuram the falls on one of the western walls. I was stunned to see the inverted gopuram on the wall and was equally stunned to see that the source of the image was a small hole, made precisely in the opposite wall. What scientific geniuses our ancestors were!

The inverted image of the Gopuram as it falls on a wall in the temple.
Inset: The Gopuram seen through the 2"x 3"hole which acts as a pin-hole camera substitute.

But the greatest wonder lay in the sanctum - Lord Virupaksha, a form of Lord Shiva. It is the Bharatiya tradition to not worship idols which are broken. That is the reason why the Muslim sultans broke and ‘desecrated’ the idols to ensure that their worship would cease. Legend goes that as they marauding hordes neared the Virupaksha shrine, a pig crossed their path. Pig is considered haraam (forbidden by Allah) by the Muslims and thus the Lord’s idol was spared - saved by a pig. I remembered the lines from a famous song - Kabhi Kabhi Bhagawan Ko Bhi Bhakton Ka Kaam Padhe - there are times when even the Lord needs help from His devotees! I also remembered how a form of Lord Vishnu, Lord Vitthala at the Vijaya Vitthala temple nearby, was saved by the devotee Pundalika from the same marauders. The idol was then installed by the saint in Pandharpur, the center for Vitthala-bhakti!

A part of the Vijaya Vitthala temple complex with its beautiful and artistic, multi-dimensional carvings.

The famous stone chariot with movable wheels which adorns the Vijaya Vitthala temple complex.

I prepared myself to see the beauty of my Swami in the Virupaksha form. Virupaksha literally translates into “malformed eye” in reference to the third-eye in the center of Lord Shiva’s forehead. As the priest waved camphor before the deity for Aarthi, I became ‘Virupaksha’ too as my eyes bulged out in disbelief. What shall I say! It was such a significant and thrilling moment. The glow of the Aarthi flame lit up not the idol of Virupaksha but the tiny frame of my Swami! There was a collective gasp as everyone saw their Raju receiving the Aarthi in place of Virupaksha! Everyone was surely stunned. However, Seshama Raju seemed enraged. He seemed to be thinking that his brother had surreptitiously entered the temple and smuggled himself into the sanctum. The fact that the priest was blissfully unaware and was going about the Aarthi ritual did not knock any sense into him. Seshama charged out of the temple. I wanted to tell him that he was being foolish, not seeing a miracle happening in front of his eyes. I too buzzed out.

The Shiva Linga which has been christened as Virupaksha. There is also a silver cast of Lord Shiva with huge eyes
which is placed atop this Linga. Thus the name. It was in it's place that the entourage saw Raju!  (Photography prohibited in the sanctum. This picture is courtesy of the priest who gave me a folded photo which I re-clicked.)

On the way, I heard Ramaraju, the Municipal Chairman say,

“See! I told you. Raju is Virupaksha and Virupaksha is Raju! There is no difference between them.”

Two others also had followed Seshama. Imagine their shock and my thrill when we saw Swami seated exactly where we had left Him, lost in thoughts! I smiled. Now Seshama would have to believe! But that was not to be so. He told his two ‘followers’ to go into the temple and see it Sathyam was in the sanctum while he himself stood watching his brother in the courtyard. Two minutes later, they came out running to report that Sathyam was still receiving Aarthi in the sanctum!

Seshama stormed towards one corner of the huge temple complex. What was he up to? I saw Swami smiling gently and curiosity made me buzz off towards His ‘elder brother’. It was a happy sight for me. In the secrecy of his assumed solitude, Seshama seemed to be rejoicing. He was smiling and almost seemed to be drinking deep from some unseen fountain of bliss. By the time we returned, the group was out of the temple and everyone was seeking blessings from Raju. We soon departed from Hampi and reached Bellary.

The golden pin

Swami’s ‘stock-price’, if I may call it so, had soared after the Hampi incident. Not for Ramaraju though. From the beginning itself he was blessed to have recognised Swami’s ‘value’. Now, he openly began to treat Swami like a Master that He is. Ramaraju introduced Him so to all his colleagues too. Many of them felt that he had gone crazy and even made fun of him as a mad man. Ah! That is the nature of the world for which a God-intoxicated man appears mad. But it is the wise who are able to realize that a world-intoxicated man is actually mad!

In sheer gratitude, Ramaraju approached Swami with a bundle in hand. Placing it in Swami’s hand, he pleaded Him to accept the offering of love. The bundle contained a shirt and a pair of shorts! Ramaraju now knelt down and called Swami close to him. Ah! Another God-devotee bonding and so I flew up. He slowly opened his clenched fist to reveal a shining, golden collar pin. Wearing a collar pin symbolised status and Ramaraju felt that this was the least he could do for his Lord.

“Please Raju”, he beseeched, “accept this and promise me that you will remember me whenever you wear it...”

It was a touching sight to see an elderly person at the little Master’s feet. Swami just smiled and accepted it. “Blessed indeed is Ramaraju”, I thought, “that the Lord chose to accept from him!” Thus it was that Swami willingly got Himself pinned! It was Seshama’s turn now to be Virupaksha as he saw his little brother adorned with a gold collar pin.

The adieu from Bellary and Ramaraju was a tearful one. He embraced Swami lovingly before the Uravakonda party boarded the bus to return. The school would begin in a couple of days and life would return to its erstwhile “normalcy” was what I thought. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Maya leaves

It was the 19th of October when the party returned from the Hampi (humpy and bumpy too!) trip. I was happily perched on the Divine shoulder, without a care in the world. Why would I have any when He was (and is) always shouldering me? Swami got down from the bus and instead of heading home, began to walk in another direction. There was a steely determination in His eyes and everybody wondered where he was going. The entourage followed Him as He headed straight to the house of his teacher, Manchiraju Thammiraju. Commissioner Narasaraju was also in the entourage. I remember this because everyone seemed to be giving him regard and respect.

The devout teacher, Manchiraju Thammiraju with his wife, Kameswaramma.

Walking into the house, Swami went to his teacher’s wife and literally commanded her,

“Ammayi, serve snacks and coffee to all these people.”

A shock came over the woman’s face and she knelt before Swami in humble submission. She showed him the pot which had coffee enough for about 6 people. The stock of snacks was also enough only for 6 people.

“Don’t worry, serve the people now”, said Swami.

“Yes! Just start doing what you are told. Swami will take care of everything”, I buzzed aloud knowing that when God gives a task, He also gives the strength to fulfill it.

The snacks and coffee remained even after all the 36 people and a solitary fly had their fill! (Thammiraju, apart from being a teacher to The Teacher, is also His staunch devotee! He had many experiences and all that he experienced on that day in 1943, he would write about in the September 1963 issue of Sanathana Sarathi.) Spending some time in His teacher’s home, Swami finally returned home.

I couldn’t sleep that night. The happenings over the past couple of days filled my being. Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t realize the whole night passing. In no time, it was the morning of the 20th of October, the day when the Karibasavaswami District Board High School (KDBHS) re-opened after the vacation.  

Swami woke up early as was his wont. However, He appeared so different today. He seemed lost in some reverie. It was very silently that He got ready for school. He made it a point to put on the collar pin. It seemed to be an ‘instrument’ with which a devotee had ‘pinned’ his Lord! With His books, Swami walked towards the Excise Inspector, Anjaneyulu’s house.

Above: Sri Anjaneyulu's house is today a bhajan hall.
Below: The bhajan hall hosts weekly bhajans, every Thursday

He was joined by the children, Narasimha Dass and Subburathnamma and the trio walked together towards school. Just before they could disperse into their respective classes, Swami showed them also the collar pin. Subburathnamma said that the first class in the morning was by Seshama Raju and hurried towards her class. Curious to know how good a teacher Seshama was, I thought of going along with Subburathnamma for just a few minutes.

The teacher arrived and began to speak in flawless and poetic Telugu. It felt nice. Having satisfied myself, I decided to buzz back to my Swami.

Suddenly, Swami arrived at the classroom entrance and exclaimed,

“It is gone! It is gone!”

I looked at Him and saw that the golden collar pin was missing. It was evident that it had dropped off somewhere.

“I have lost my collar pin”, He told Seshama.

Angry at being rudely interrupted in the middle of the class, Seshama said,

“Don’t tell me anything! Go talk to your sister-in-law.”

Promptly, He walked away. I too promptly flew out to go with Him. On the way, a smile blossomed on His face and He broke into a song,

“Praapanchika Sambandham Pinnai Tholagen

Kshetra Darshanamu Kooda Chellenu Hampin

Maya Tholagenani Gruhamunu Veedenu.”

(The link with worldly ties has gone in the form of the pin,

The pilgrimage to Hampi has also served its purpose,

Having attained freedom from Maya, I leave home.)

He walked into His classroom and picked up His books. He looked all around one final time. “What happened Raju? Where are you going? This is your classroom...”

“The whole world is His classroom! He is the Universal Teacher!” I buzzed excitedly but who had time and ability to listen to a fly?

Swami had already gone, walking away from school. I buzzed back to Swami. He reached home and opened the door.

“How are you back so early Sathyam...” Susheelamma, the sister-in-law,  began to ask. Her question was suddenly halted with a thud. Swami had thrown all his books to the floor in a bang!

“I am no longer your Sathyam! I am Sai.” He said aloud.

A fly has compound eyes which means it cannot see as good as people. Things appear very blurry to my eyes. But I am sure, as Swami made that statement, there should have been a shower of flowers from the heavens above. Nobody seems to have seen that. Maybe, you need divine fore’sight’ to witness such things!

Susheelamma dropped her work with the grinding stone in the kitchen and came rushing out. She shrieked closing her eyes as if she was seeing some blazing light around Sathyam’s head. Swami continued to address her,

“I am going. I don’t belong to you alone. Maya has gone. My devotees are calling me. I have my Work to do and I can’t stay any longer.”

It was with a shocked expression that
Susheelamma witnessed Sathyam casting
away his books. 

The scholar Narayana Shastry was blessed to be at the doorstep of Seshama’s house when this was happening. Desperately, Susheelamma enterated to the scholar,

“ Please ask him what has happened? Talk to him...”

But the scholar only fell at Swami’s feet in awe. Swami walked out and sat on a ledge outside. I buzzed behind Him. He was constantly uttering,

“Everything is Maya... Everything is Maya.”

The message must have reached the KDBHS for very soon, He was accosted by Seshama.

“What has happened to you?”

“Give up your efforts to ‘cure’ me. I am Sai. I do not consider myself related to you.”

He got up and started walking away. Seshama’s countenance underwent a change. After what he had seen at Hampi, he knew that that this was no longer his little brother but a very powerful force. He seemed to address that ‘force’ as he asked,

“How long will you remain as a boy?”
“Till Maya arrives”, Swami said and moved on. He was now heading back towards the direction of the school. On the way, He turned into Anjaneyulu’s bungalow.

The entrance to the erstwhile bungalow of Sri Anjaneyulu. Today this is a Sathya Sai Center in Uravakonda.

Enjoy the thrilling conclusion in the next part...

From Maya to Manasa Bhajare as Sri Sathya Sai declares His life mission - Part 2


In the meanwhile, you might also enjoy these other articles:

1. Evil Eye, Duradrishti or Nazar - a perspective based on an experience with Sri Sathya Sai Baba

2. An amazing experience with Sathya Sai and the Suka Nadi

3. God's love is not bound by time and space - a devotee's experience at Sri Sathya Sai Mahasamadhi

For all readers:

(If you enjoyed this and wish to subscribe to this blog, please go to the right hand side and choose the last 'box' which says subscribe. Also explore the 50-odd 'previous articles' listed month-wise on the top right here. Another blog which I maintain with more than 230 articles on it is at http://aravindb1982.hubpages.com. If you wish to be added to my mailing list, please email me via this page with the subject "ADD ME TO MAILING LIST".

A memorable journey in a time machine

One of the most common questions asked to trigger a creative essay in our school days is often a variant of the following question:

“If you could travel back in time, where would you go and what would you do?”

I have read many essays of this type and they are a wonderful read because they give us a peep into the deepest desires of the writer. Naturally, when I pose this question to myself, my deepest desires too spring forth. So, here is a description of how it would be if I could spend a day in the past. The only difference between this and my school essays is while the latter were based completely on imagination, this piece is based on narratives by several devotees of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Of course, I have garnished those episodes with my imagination to produce this work of fiction. It has been presented as an autobiographical account because I wish to enjoy what those devotees enjoyed decades before. All the beautiful images here are courtesy of the wonderful book - Love is My Form.

So, are you ready to travel with me in the time machine? Let’s get on to it and turn the dial to 1945. Hold on. Within minutes, we would have traveled in time!

Whirrrrrrr.......Swooosshhhhhhhhhhh..............Blip.

The journey to Karnatanagepalli

This is the village of Karnatanagepalli - cluster of houses would be more like it!The journey so far has been back-breaking to put it mildly. A train journey lasting almost four hours chugged me from Bangalore to Penukonda. From there, I had to engage a horse-drawn carriage, tonga as it is locally called, to take me to Penukonda bus-stand. An hour’s wait there was rewarded with a seat in the coal-fed, steam-driven bus which jumped and rattled along every bump and crater on a hard-mud path that the locals called as a road.

All through the journey, the locals asked me where I was headed to. The words ‘Puttaparthi’ and ‘Sai Baba’ had a magical effect on them. In an instant, they changed from friendlies into hostiles!

“You are going to meet that crazy lad? Wonder what has gotten into you...”

“It does not augur good for you to go to that boy. He is possessed by some evil spirits...”

The comments and stories went on but I turned a deaf ear. I am really keen to meet this wondrous lad who has been introduced to me as God-incarnate on earth. The bus journey of nearly two and a half hours deposited me at a big village, Bukkapatnam. Baba is said to have studied here in the government school. From Bukkapatnam, it was an hour’s journey by bullock cart to this point on the banks of the river Chitravati at Karnatanagepalli.

And so, here I am with a motley group of five other people who have traveled along with me for 9 hours from Bangalore to reach within a kilometer of Puttaparthi for the first time in our lives.  

We are told that the last kilometer has to be on traversed on foot across the shallow river. Raising up my pants, I wade through the knee-deep water, luggage in my hands. Reaching the other side, I am accosted by a few cows which are peacefully chewing the cud. How do I get to Baba’s ashram?

Friendly villager

Amidst the cows is one village lad, stroking the cow gently.

“Hey boy”, I call out. He looks at me and walks up to me.

“Could you tell me how do I get to Sathya Sai Baba’s place?”

“Oh! You have come to meet Sai Baba?”

Even as that question is posed to me, I mentally get prepared to face a volley of insults and rebuke. But surprisingly, this villager is friendly.

“Shall I take you to Baba’s mandir? I am anyway heading towards that direction...”

“Thank you”,  I reply, “that would be most welcome.”

The friendly villager takes one of my bags into his hands much against my wishes.

“We are all one family”, he says and I am so touched.

We walk for about ten minutes and soon, arrive to a gated courtyard. Within the walls is a medium sized hall measuring about 10 ft wide and 20 ft long.

“That is Baba’s mandir,” my guide tells me, “to its left is a tap where you can get water for your wash and ablutions. For drinking, you can draw water from the well behind. The water is sweet and wonderful.”

By now, a few more people have clustered around me. They too seem to be finding my guide helpful!

“The trees around will be your home. Pick any spot and spread your sheet there. Baba will come for darshan today evening by 3 o clock. There will be bhajans after that and, who knows, if things work out well, all of us will go to the sands of river Chitravati...”

“What happens there?”, a member from the group asks and everyone looks expectantly at the villager for the answer.

“That you will see for yourself”, he says and happily skips away.

I settle down comfortably under a tree trying to wonder how this Baba would look. One look at the watch which suspends by a chain from my waist tells me that I just need to wait a couple more hours to find out. Food is being served on leaves nearby by some ladies. I go there and partake it and also drink the well water. I am told that it was Baba who indicated the precise spot for the well to be dug and it has since overflowed in abundance in the drought-prone Rayalaseema region.

The first darshan

As assured by the guide, the darshan is about to happen as the clock strikes three. The first look at Baba and I am in a state of shock - it is that same village guide! He comes walking towards my tree with a broad smile,

“Are you comfortable? Hope you enjoyed your lunch. Your journey must have been long and tiresome. Rest here and stay here for as long as you want. I am so happy to see you.”

No words escape my lips. I am stunned. Needless to say, I have already been won over by this Baba’s sweetness and charm. I call out to Him,

“Swami...”

He turns back and comes to me.

“I don’t know why but my heart tells me that you are my Lord.”

Saying so, I simply fall at the feet of this teenager. My eyes are closed and I am in tears of joy. As I open my eyes, I see that the complexion of Swami’s feet have changed. They are a shade of blue! Surprised, I look up. Instead of the cow-herding lad I saw a few hours ago, I see the cowherd boy of Brindavan from thousands of years before!

Did I turn the dials of the time machine again? No, I didn't! But then, I realize this Baba is beyond the shackles of space and time. He is that ultimate ultimate whom we refer to as God! The experience just dumbfounds me into supreme joy as Swami proceeds for the darshan.

Bhajans and divine play at the Chitravati sands

The darshan is followed by bhajans and the crowd of about fifty of us sat in the mandir. Swami Himself was leading the bhajans in His mellifluous voice. The words of the bhajan were all simple and easy to follow. Even as I sing, I look around at the newly-constructed hall. I am thinking of all that I had heard about this place from other devotees. This hall had been inaugurated a few weeks before on the 15th of December, the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi. I begin to think about the amazing miracles that Swami performed on that day.

Apparently, Swami had dug deep into the sands of Chitravati and unearthed a tiny silver vessel with a spoon. The vessel was full of divine ambrosia, the amritha. While everyone wondered who would be the lucky soul to get that ambrosia, Swami went around distributing those few drops to nearly the hundred people who had gathered there! My heart now pines to experience such miracles. The pining manifests itself as loud singing of the bhajan. I am in a totally carefree state as I sing along. Suddenly, the singing has come to a halt. I open my eyes to see Swami beckoning to me.

“Sing a bhajan ...” He says.

What do I sing? I have never sung a bhajan in my life. Out of the ‘blue’ words form within me. A tune springs forth from my heart and, even before I realize it, am singing a bhajan! That is when I realize that when Swami says something, the universe reorients itself to make it happen. Everybody follows the bhajan that am leading, including Swami Himself. Ah! What a thrill it is.

December 15, 1945. The day of inauguration
of Baba's first mandir. 

The bhajans conclude with Mangala Aarthi. As everyone returns to their respective ‘trees’, there is a lot of excited chatter. Swami has decided to visit the sands of Chitravati and everyone is readying in anticipation of miracles. I too feel the excitement brewing in me. Even as it is gathering momentum, I hear a few sniggering voices. They are those never-satisfied critics.

“He would have buried stuff in the riverbed which he will dig out for us.... Hahahahaha”

“I just wonder when he goes there to bury the stuff?”

“He does not do it. He has some assistants to do that for him...”

I look at the trio. I am so irritated. Dealing with such critics is something that I will learn much later in life.  

Soon, we are walking on the sands of Chitravati. The ‘critical’ trio are closely following Swami. Swami suddenly turns to them and says,

“Pick any spot where we should sit.”

They are taken aback but they soon gather their senses and plot of a wicked plan. They decide to choose a spot in the middle of the village burial ground which was also nearby! Swami accepts the spot with a smile. All sit down and Swami asks the trio again,

“What do you want?”

They are delighted. They decide to ask for something that Baba could not have buried in the burial ground.

“We want an Alphonso mango”, they chorus, asking for the best variety of mangoes in India.

“Start digging”, Swami instructs them.

“Where?”, they ask, bewildered.

“Anywhere you choose”, is Swami’s reply.

Am now enjoying this play and I want to see where it heads to.

The trio start digging in some random spot. They dig upto three feet into the ground. In the fading twilight, one of them strikes something cold. He shudders in fright thinking it is a human skull. To his surprise, it is a large Alphonso mango!

Magical moments on the sands. 

Swami takes the mango and pulls a knife out of the sand beside Him. He slices the mango into half and gives it to one among the trio. Then, turning the mango over, He slices another half for the second member. I think that the third one is going to get the seed. But no! Swami turns the mango over and slices another half! That is followed by another turn and another slice into half. In this way, He goes on slicing till the trio plead that their stomachs are bursting. All of us are bursting with laughter. Swami says,

“Come to me and I shall fill your life with sweetness till you are bursting with it...”

I stop laughing and drink in the profundity of that statement.

Many miracles follow on the sands and am simply stunned. He pulls out a small idol of Lord Ganesha for me from the sands. Time flies so quickly that am tempted to rush to the mandir and turn the dial of the time machine backwards a few hours. But I am not a fool. Why should I go to a time machine when I am in the presence of one who is beyond time?

We return to the mandir late in the evening. Dinner follows. It is now time to go to sleep. A cot is placed in the centre of the courtyard. Apparently it is for Baba to lie down. All of us spread our sheets on the floor around The Cot. But even after an hour’s wait, Baba is not to be seen. I drift off into sleep. Sometime in the night, I wake up. I check the time. It is 11:00pm. I also see Swami. He is walking around the premises, torch in hand, performing watchman duty! It is amazing how He is the last to sleep and first to rise in the morning.

Even as I am lost in wonderment, the buzzer on my time machine is beeping. It is the alarm indicating to me that unless I board it now, it will be too late. I would b stuck in the ‘past’ and would have no chance of a return to ‘my time’. I don’t care about it. I don’t mind being ‘stuck’ in this past! But then, I feel a light on my face. It is Swami and His flashlight. He comes to me and pats me on my head.

“Bangaroo, it is time to return.”

“But Swami, I want to be with you forever...”

“Don’t worry. I will be with you forever. Today is Krishna Janmashtami in ‘your time’, one of your favorite festivals. Go on and enjoy the festivities. I promise that I will be with you forever.”

Swami persuades me to return on the time machine and am back in my residence at Puttaparthi. What a trip it was!

....Golden days indeed....

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