Delhi-Simla Memories- Part 4 - Drama at Dwarka

Sathya Sai is a silent worker - whether we realize it or not!

A revelation during tiffin

Swami was already at His table as we made our entry into the dining hall. On seeing us, He told us to enter. Even before we reached our chairs, He asked us what we saw during the outing. Jagdish Kanadia answered Swami on our behalf with one word - Qutub Minar. 

“What is that?”

That query was an opportunity for many to enjoy the bliss of Sambhashanam with Swami.

“A long Stambham (pillar) Swami!                                  “

“It’s a tall structure.”

“... a historical building with many intricate carvings...”

As the explanations went on Satyajit stepped in and summarised our outing.

“Swami they went to Qutub Minar, India Gate and the Rashtrapati bhavan.”

Sai Krishna added, “We saw the parliament house too.”

“You went into the parliament?” Swami seemed amazed.

“No Swami, we saw it from outside only.”

Swami then asked CG and Prabhakar as to what they saw. Prabhakar thought Swami was asking him where he came from and so, said, “Hyderabad.”

Swami smiled.

“You saw Hyderabad and came?”

All of us smiled too. Even the slightest of Swami’s smiles become a source of mirth for everyone. That, I felt, is the capability of the divine. Since it is absolutely selfless and giving, even it’s smile spreads so spontaneously top everyone.  

The tiffin session then began with the usual Brahmaarpanam. As we ate, Swami gently prodded Sai Krishna to induced Him into chatting with us. It began with Swami asking him as to where he had been. He said the same answer. When Swami asked  Devasenapati’s father as to where he went, Sai Krishna answered on his behalf,

“Swami he too came with us. We all were together.”

Sai Krishna then continued,

“Swami when you visited North India in 1973, You went to Delhi, Mogha and Shimla. In the films shot during those times, Swami is seen walking so fast amidst all the devotees.”

I realized that Sai Krishna was using the first few lines of his Telugu commentary in the Sai Blossom DVD titled, Love Flows North. For those who did not know this, his words came like a spontaneous flow of beautiful Telugu!

Swami began His elaborate response,

“Yes! At that time, the visit was for ten days. I had stayed at the place of the Gwalior Rani(queen) also. Many people had come to see me. On one side, it was all turbans (the headgear of the people of Punjab and Haryana) and on the other side, it was all burkhas (the dress worn traditionally by Muslim women). Indulal Shah and Sarla Shah were there.”  

We all nodded in agreement. People of all faiths and religions have always found a place at His lotus feet and, from Swami’s own description, it was evident that this held true even for the 1973 visit. GV Sir (Prof. Venkataraman, director of Radiosai) entered the conversation saying,

“Swami we have the original films of that visit in our archives! We also have the films of Swami’s trip to Kashmir.”

On His way out to grant darshan in the International Centre. Living each day on the inside was such a revealing
experience. I am grateful to Swami forever. 

Swami continued to speak about our outing. He asked,

“What did you buy there?”

Sai Krishna was quick to respond,

“Swami we did not buy anything. We only saw everything and we took some good photos.”

Swami nodded and said,

“Though you did not buy, seeing  some things the desire to buy arose in you.”

Again, there were smiles all around. We looked at each other and understood that we could not deny what Swami had said.

{This is the 4th part of an ongoing series. You can read the previous part at this link:

Delhi-Simla Memories- Part 3 - Sights of Delhi

Or you can read from the beginning. The link to Part 1 is here:

Delhi-Simla Memories- Part 1 - Hello Delhi }

The tiffin session continued. After a few minutes of silence, Swami looked up and said in a matter-of-fact manner,

“When you went to see all that, Satyajit and I went in flight to Puttaparthi. There I gave prasadam to all the sick and ailing people and we returned.”

The Pav in my hand dropped to the plate! I stopped chewing too. This was an amazing revelation and Swami had made it so casually without any ado. The impact of the revelation seemed to slowly hit the others too and they also looked at Swami in awe. Even as we were beginning to glimpe at Swami, the Supreme Universal Lord who can never be totally understood, Swami, the sweet friend came to the forefront.

The handkerchief-mischief of my sweet Swami - 3 episodes of insight with Sri Sathya Sai Baba

If we take any aspect of Swami’s (Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s) physical life, we see that it has changes according to the time, place, person and situation. The way He grants darshan, for instance, changed from walking among a few dozen people in a small hall to walking in a disciplined gathering of thousands (with music backing) to personal appearances at the homes of the devotees themselves currently! And in between this spectrum of three distinct points that I have mentioned are many other intermediate stages. Each of these stages have their own speciality.

During the late 90’s and early years of the new millennium, Swami used to bless the students with one special kind of chance - the handkerchief chance. Before I proceed to narrate three interesting stories, let me explain this 'kerchief chance'.

Unlike the years before and after, 1997-2001 saw Swami walk alone during darshan without anyone following Him. So, He would collect and carry all the letters which devotees offered on His own. Thus, when He materialized vibhuti (holy ash) for any devotee, any student in possession of a handkerchief could run up to Him and offer the same for Him to wipe His hands. And I was one among the many students who decided to build a relationship with Him through this ‘kerchief chance’! In fact, my first, memorable interaction with Him was also through this kerchief chance.

Now, we are ready to enjoy three little episodes that hold a significant message for all of us.

Whenever Swami materializes vibhuti, it is a source of joy not only for the recipient but to everyone, all around!

Mischief should only bring joy and no pain - Episode 1

It was one hot afternoon in the holy hamlet and all of us students were assembled in the Sai Kulwant hall by 3:15 pm for darshan. I got a chance to be seated in the first line and since I had a handkerchief in my pocket, I feverishly hoped that Swami would create Vibhuti for some devotee who was seated near me. I could see another boy who was also cuddling a handkerchief in his pocket. If Swami created vibhuti at little distance away from me, then the ‘kerchief chance’ would fall in that other boy’s ‘territory’! And so, I was hoping that it would happen close to me!

I scanned out the faces of devotees with the hope of being able to locate one who might be in ‘distress’ and thus deserve the materialized vibhuti. Today I realize that all these efforts are so foolish but those were my ways then. And almost every other kerchief-chance-seeking-lad had similar ways. 

Darshan began. The gentle music floated through the air and the Lord floated into the hall. He seemed to glide so beautifully. One would find it hard to believe that He was actually walking - the full-sized robe made it seem like He was skimming over the land surface. When He was just a few feet away from me, He materialized vibhuti for a devotee. It was in my ‘territory’! I was overjoyed! I rushed to Him with the kerchief. 

He took the kerchief from me and wiped His hands. Then, instead of throwing back the kerchief to me, He threw it down. It fell down straight on His lotus feet. I thought that I would wait till He moved ahead and then pick up the kerchief before returning to my place. And then, the unexpected happened!
As Swami walked ahead, I saw that there was no kerchief on the ground! I wondered as to what had happened? Had some devotee taken the kerchief as a token of Swami’s blessings and grace? It was very much possible - in the bygone days, people used to collect the sand on which He walked as a treasure! I began to scout the devotees quickly to see who had taken away ‘my’ blessed kerchief. Even as I searched desperately for about 9-10 seconds, I saw smiles blossom on the faces of many devotees.

I looked up and saw Swami at a distance. He was about 10 feet from me. He turned around, smiled and gently shook His foot. As He walked on then, I saw the kerchief neatly deposited on the floor. The mischievous Swami had held the kerchief with His foot and had carried it away! Now, a smile blossomed on my face too. I walked the ten feet, picked up the kerchief and returned to my place.

The beauty of His mischief is that it never hurts anyone - it makes everyone around happy. How wonderful if all our mischief too can be that positive and beautiful?

The gift of the holy ash is to remind us the transience of everything worldly. From dust we have come; to dust we shall return.

Love God's uncertainty, even when things seem to go wrong - Episode 2

On another occasion, the ‘kerchief-chance’ competition really had heated up. It was a session when two of us with handkerchiefs were sitting side-by-side. Just like any devotee who wished to give a letter could get a letter, any student who wished could get a kerchief. There were no restrictions. (In fact, many devotees too would get handkerchiefs with the hope that they would be able to beat the student and offer the same to Swami!) Thus, I knew, if Swami created vibhuti I would have to be really quick to outrun my ‘competitor’.

That is the beauty of being with Swami. Competition gets created for who can get first to the Lord - a far better alternative to the rat races that exist for money, position and fame. 

Swami came for darshan. As He came near where we were seated, He began to talk quite a lot with a devotee. Now, this meant that there was a high chance of that devotee getting vibhuti. My muscles tensed and I saw my ‘competitor’ tense his muscles too. He was sitting by my side and I could feel his muscles tensing! 
“I have to be real quick if I have to get this chance”, I thought.

And then, Swami slightly moved and began to encircle His palm. Ah! That is a sign that He is materializing vibhuti. Even before He could create the same, I got up and rushed to Him with the handkerchief. I had beaten my competitor who was still sitting. With jubilation at this victory and the anticipation of the ‘kerchief-chance’ with Swami, I went to Him.

What an anti-climax it was!

Swami did indeed wave His palm. But instead of the fragrant, grey ash, out came an emerald-studded ring. Even as He placed th ring on the devotee’s finger, He seemed to look at me questioningly. It was as if He was asking me,
“Why did you come running here?”

While a ring instead of vibhuti may make the recipient smile, it made me, the 'giver of the kerchief' feel embarrassed! 

Since Swami is a strict disciplinarian, I got so scared. I returned back to my place at double the speed at which I went to Swami. Everyone there were smiling and laughing. It was with great relief that I saw my fear turn into a joke and I too joined in the laughter.

“Love my uncertainty”, Swami says. 
We love it only when we get unexpected bounties, but can we love it even when things seem to go wrong?

God has a plan for us and that is all we need to know - Episode 3

This time, Swami created vibhuti for a student. Three of us students rushed to Him with a handkerchief. Each one of us had started off at the same time and though each one saw the others, nobody wanted to give up. And so, all three of us kneeled before Him with our respective handkerchiefs. Now, it looked real funny! And we were wondering as to what He would do.

I secretly hoped that He would simply wipe His hands on all the three handkerchiefs being offered. In that way, everyone would be happy. But what Swami told was totally the opposite. He told all of us to put the kerchiefs back in our pockets! When I was hoping He would bless all the three of us, He seemed to have decided to bless none of us!

Even as we put the kerchiefs into our pockets, came the unexpected master-stroke. It was one such occasion where Swami's uncertainty brought joy with certainty! 



Swami told each one of us to stretch out our hands and gave us also the same vibhuti which He had materialized! We were pleasantly shocked. Presently, a fourth student came to Swami with a handkerchief and Swami wiped His hands on that! The fourth guy was also thrilled at this unexpected bounty. 

God’s plans for us are always way better than our plans for ourselves. If only we can hold on for that extra bit longer, we will enjoy His love and grace in a greater measure!




If you enjoyed reading this, you will also enjoy the following articles of a similar nature:

1. Vibhuti manifestations: Sathya Sai keeps up His word and His pranks too

2. God's sense of humour - incidents with Sri Sathya Sai.

3. Sai Humour: Speech bloopers in the Divine Presence of Baba

For all readers:

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It is darkest before dawn: Sonja Venturi finds light and purpose in life_Part 2

A new ‘career’ for Sonja

Every life has a divine destiny to fulfill. The goal is pre-determined. It is only the paths that vary. There are numerous ways to climb to the peak of a mountain but the peak itself is one. The path that Sonja had to take to fulfill her divine destiny was that of music. She could feel it, not just in her bones, but deep within in the core of her heart. That also, was Swami’s gift to her.

She realized that she was being inspired from within to exude music. It was now time to channelise them into words and tunes.

Sonja continued visiting Prasanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi as often as she could. After her ‘angels choir’ experience, her ear and heart began to get more and more attracted to bhajans. 

{This is the second part of story which will make better meaning and sense if you read it after reading the first part. If you have come here directly, you could visit the link below to read the first part.

It is darkest before dawn: Sonja Venturi finds light and purpose in life_Part 1 }

Though the tunes won her over, she struggled to grasp the words. Again, Swami came to her rescue gifting her a Bhajanavali (book of bhajan lyrics) through a friend. Now, Sonja could get some idea of the lyrics and sing along the bhajans. She really loved this way of praying and found it easy to connect with her Swami in this manner.

Once back in Italy, she did something she had never done before. She picked up a harmonium and began to play on it. She tried singing the bhajans she had heard in Prasanthi Nilayam. Having enjoyed the bhajans there so much, she attempted to create her own abode of peace in the confines of her home. Even as she put in efforts to sing bhajans, Swami gifted her with a second present!

While the first gift had been the music ‘processor’, the second gift was an ‘output device’. Without her knowledge and in a most miraculous manner, Sonja noticed that the voice emanating from her throat sounded so different from what it had been all her life! It was no longer her voice but a different one, perfectly suited to singing! Sonja was surprised and wondered what had happened. Was she dreaming?

A friend walked into the room and exclaimed,

“What a voice  that is!”

There was nobody else singing but Sonja.

“ Oh my God! How beautiful you sound!”

Such was the beauty in her voice that Sonja had no doubts that it was Swami. How else could someone with zero music-training and zero voice-culturing create music and sing so well?

Sonja now began to interpret, rearrange and shape various bhajans using the inspiration in her heart. The bhajans acquired the romantic hues of Italy - full of deep-seated passion, love and energy. Those bhajans became Sonja’s prayer, meditation and offering to Swami and her Krishna. By now, Sonja had become divinely obsessed with these two forms of Divinity - Swami and Krishna.  She would laugh and cry, playing the piano and singing. This would be her way to celebrate and her way to battle loneliness. She realized that every emotion and feeling that arose in her heart expressed itself through this music that Swami had gifted her. And every emotion - good or bad; happy or sad - got sanctified because it was offered to Swami.

Divine confirmation of the story so far

The blessing of music seemed to be building up for a crescendo as Sonja made a trip to Brindavan, Whitefield in Bengaluru. The Italian group was called into Trayee Brindavan for an interview.

Quantity of money vs Quality of money - Prof.Sudhir Bhaskar's experiences with Sri Sathya Sai

Prof.Sudhir Bhaskar with his Swami in the Kodaikanal hills.

Noble money or noble wealth?

In a world which seems increasingly susceptible to corruption and dishonesty, the terms “tainted wealth” or “tainted money” are often encountered. These terms carry stigma and a definite negative connotation whenever and wherever they are used. In fact, the Bible has a proverb which says,

“Tainted wealth has no lasting value.”

Does that mean that ‘tainted’ money holds any less value than ‘just money’? Come on, lets face it. Whether money is ‘tainted’ or not, it’s value remains the same right? There is this famous anecdote of a college lecturer holding up an American dollar note and asking,

“Who wants this dollar bill?”

Several students raise their hand. Seeing this, the lecturer furiously crushes the bill and asks again,

“Who still wants this bill?”

The hands continue to remain raised.

“What if I do this?”

He throws the bill to the floor, stamps it, soils it and then holds it up, all dirty and crumpled.

The hands continue to be held high because irrespective of what is done to that piece of paper, the fact cannot be changed that it is worth a dollar.

However crumpled or stained, a dollar is worth a dollar! 

What we are talking about here is not the physical ‘taint’ on money, but a moral one. Therefore, quite obviously now, ‘tainted money’ refers to money or any other form of wealth that is gained through unscrupulous means. This could be earned as blatantly as demanding a bribe to do one’s duty or as subtly as pocketing a currency note lying lost and neglected on the road. Blatant or subtle, discovered or hidden, dishonesty is dishonesty because the individual indulging in it is definitely aware. Such acts ‘taint’ the money with their dishonesty.

But hey! What do you expect me to do with a currency note that I find on the road which belongs to nobody? You want me to walk away? How is picking it up being dishonest? What should I do then?  Well, those are nice questions to think about and I would definitely be enlightened by any and all the answers which the reader can post in the comments section of this article.

I shall not go into that answer here because I want to think about something that is quite the opposite of tainted money - what I would like to call as noble money!

What is noble money?

Building on the flow so far, just as ‘tainted money’ is morally inferior money, ‘noble money’ is  morally superior money. Therefore, though there is no such proverb in the Bible, intuitively there seems to be a provision for this statement,

“Noble wealth is of ever-lasting value”.

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, my best friend and master, offered tremendous insights into the nature and power of ‘noble money’. That becomes crystal clear when we understand the amazing correlation and connection between two experiences of a professor from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning.

“Do you work commensurate to your salary?”

The blessing came out of the blue for Prof. Sudhir Bhaskar
and he began to walk behind Swami, to assist Him, during
the darshans in Prasanthi Nilayam.

It was the 10th of June in 1993. Prof. Sudhir Bhaskar was seated in the portico of the mandir in Prasanthi Nilayam. Alongside him were a couple of other senior professors from the Institute. They had all come to seek blessings from Swami to start two new courses in the University - MFM (Master of Financial Management) and MTech (Master of Technology in Computer Sciences).

Swami arrived for darshan from His new residence space at the head of the Poornachandra Auditorium. He completed the darshan rounds and walked up to the three professors seated in the portico. He saw the proposal and plans for starting the two new programmes in the University and blessed them. After that, in an unexpected shower of divine grace, He looked at Prof.Sudhir Bhaskar (SB) and Prof.G.V.Prabhakar Rao (GVP) and told them,

“You two, come behind me...”

That was the beginning of the greatest opportunity of SB’s life. He began to assist Swami, walking behind Him, carrying the letters He had taken, ensuring a smooth and disciplined darshan session, keeping the interview room ready, carrying messages from Him to several administrators/devotees and so on. He enjoyed this beautiful and bountiful seva opportunity for more than a decade! That 10th of June marked the beginning of this divine period.

That day, Swami returned to the portico and, in front of everyone in the portico, asked SB,

“How much salary are you getting?”

SB was taken aback. He did not know what to say. Should he just state his salary? Or should he tell Swami the truth that the actual salary he received was His love and his peace of mind? He just kept silent instead. Then, Swami asked another question,

“Are you working commensurate to the salary you are drawing?”

Once again, SB kept quiet.

Swami left it at that and walked away.

An addiction called God - experiences of Navaneeth Kumar_ Part 3

God qualifies the called

The rules by which man judges man and the rules by which God judges man definitely vary. For instance, while man judges man based on the results produced, God judges man based on the efforts put in. While man checks a man’s qualifications before giving him a call, God calls the man who needs Him and then bestows the necessary qualifications on him! That was what Navaneeth realized with goosebumps after he joined the hostel as a student in the Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri College of Music.

It was the first week of June and Swami was in Brindavan, Bangalore. He was expected to arrive to Puttaparthi somewhere in the middle of the month. Navaneeth was among the senior-most students who had enrolled for the Foundation course. He saw that all his classmates were between 12 and 16 years of age. He was 22. That was when it struck him hard. He clearly remembered reading the statement in the prospectus:

The foundation course in these subjects is for two years and is open to boys of the age group 13-20. The diploma course is of three-year duration and is for boys of the age group 16-23.

How on earth had he secured the seat even though he was ‘overaged’? He also remembered another miracle that had played out during the final interview. Thrilled at ‘doing well’ in the entrance test and excited at the prospects of being a student in Bhagawan Baba’s college, Navaneeth had written a letter of gratitude to Swami. The icing on his cake of excitement was Swami’s acceptance of his letter. The cherry on the icing was the manner of His acceptance. As Swami took the letter from Navaneeth’s hand, their little fingers touched and Navaneeth felt electrified. He looked into Swami’s eyes and felt a warm surge within as Swami bestowed a gentle smile. Ah! Swami was fulfilling every little desire of his. It was in this happy mood that Navaneeth had gone to attend the interview.

The only qualification that the Lord requires from His devotee is that he need Him.

{This is part 3 of a riveting story. Enjoy it fully after completing the first two parts at:

PART 1:

An addiction called God - experiences of Navaneeth Kumar_ Part 1 PART 2:

An addiction called God - experiences of Navaneeth Kumar_ Part 2 }

Among other questions, the Vice Chancellor had asked him,

“Are you a Bal Vikas student?” (The Bal Vikas movement is a unique concept where the child is educated with the goal of inculcating character. This is done via love for God.)

Navaneeth had not attended any Bal Vikas classes and was about to answer the same, but his eyes fell on his application form that the Vice Chancellor had placed before him. To his utter amazement, the tiny box next to the statement, “Have you been a Bal Vikas student?”, had been ticked. He had definitely not ticked it, and so, in response to the VC’s question, Navaneeth just presented an awe-struck face. The question was repeated to him,

“Are you a Bal Vikas student?”

“Er... Yes sir...”, he replied.

Navaneeth recalled that episode and realized that him getting a seat in the Music College would have involved quite some work for Swami. But then, the Lord never considers it as ‘work’. On one occasion when a devotee thanked Swami for the ‘Shrama’ (efforts) He had made for him, Swami replied,

“Bangaroo, idi Shrama Kaadu; Prema” (Dear one, this is not ‘effort’ but ‘love’.)

Days of darshan bliss

Navaneeth waited for Swami to arrive from Brindavan. In the meanwhile, he got reunited with his other love - cricket. Cricket seemed to be the official game in the hostel and he got opportunities to bat and bowl to his heart’s content. It is like a ‘buy one get one free’ offer when one desires for the Lord alone. The desires of the world that the individual nourished previously also get fulfilled automatically.

It was almost July by the time Swami arrived and Navaneeth now began to enjoy darshans. The Sai Kulwant hall felt like home for him because he had spent hours on the end here. He was happiest here and he seemed to know every pillar and tile that constituted the hall. It was but natural that he also knew the vantage points and vital spots to sit for a good darshan.