Delhi-Simla Memories- Part 11 - From Sathya Sai School to Shimla finally

The darshan on the morning of the day when Swami would leave for Shimla. It
appears as though Swami is also happy in anticipation of Shimla. The experience
at Shimla would show the reason for the same. 

An impossible luncheon with Swami becomes a reality

At the end of the drama, all the children came together for the final formation after which Swami moved from His perch on the mini platform. Blessing all the children, He moved down and headed for the car. The principal invited Him to bless the school building. She was quite insistent and Swami seemed to yield to her entreaties. There were rows of girls holding glasses of water and sherbet for the guests. Swami entered the school building, moving towards an outdoor hydraulic lift which had been temporarily erected to take Him from the ground to the first floor. It was an open lift and the distance to be covered vertically was quite a bit.  

{This is the 11th part of an ongoing series. You can read the previous part at this link:

Delhi-Simla Memories- Part 10 - Hans Raj concert, dinner at Cheemas and blessings to sevaks

Or you can read from the beginning of the serial where each part is linked to the next. The link to Part 1 is here:

Delhi-Simla Memories- Part 1 - Hello Delhi }

Blessing all the children Swami enters the school building. This was not expected.

Grating and grunting, the lift began its slow ascent to the first floor. Meanwhile, all the boys were instructed to get into the cars, ready to return to the International Centre where lunch had been arranged. Swami would not be having lunch with us because He was scheduled to visit the homes of some senior devotees in the afternoon. CG and I however, using the license of cameramen, tailed Swami. Swami moved through the corridors and looked into one or two classrooms whose walls were filled with posters and charts made by the children. Swami then entered a hall where tables had been laid out and a banquet had been arranged! Swami went straight to the table that had was laid out for Him. Even as food was served to Him, He asked for the boys. Ah! What a feeling it was to see God seek us. I had thought that this would be a day when we wouldn’t be dining with God because of fate but Swami had slightly twisted destiny to accommodate us!

The backdrop to Swami's luncheon table had been artfully made by the children and teachers.

I rushed out to the cars and called all the boys to come in. Even as I was calling, I was being told that the ‘instructions’ were to return to the International Centre. I said that when Swami says anything, all instructions get overruled. Some boys were still hesitant and continued to sit in the car. I decided that whoever was ready to run up, should leave. At this point, Satyajit also came out and called everyone inside. In an instant all car doors opened and the boys streamed out in a hurry. I realized what power and influence Satyajit had because everyone felt that his instructions were Swami’s instructions. Mine too had been Swami’s instructions - the SAME instructions - but didn’t have the same effect.

Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 6 - Sathya Sai's message at Hadshi

Swami is all smiles as He enters the hall where all the members of the Jadhav family have gathered.

Padapooja or Padasevanam or the worship of the Lord’s feet has been considered as the fourth among the nine forms of devotion. Though Swami has given the unique interpretation of worshipping the Lord’s feet as following in the footsteps of the Master, He also allows the devotees to actually perform worship to His feet when they pine for and pray for it. The Jadhav family had been blessed thus.

(Dear reader,

If you have come directly to this post, I would like to egg you on to enjoy the full story with its history. Link to part 1 is given below and the link to the next part will be at the end of each previous part. Thank you.

Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 1 - The Blessing Materializes)

As expected, it was the parents that got the opportunity to worship His feet.

The worship of His feet began once they had been prayerfully washed with scented water and dabbed dry with a soft cloth. The parents of the Jadhavs began the ceremony by offering rose petals and golden flowers at His feet. Mr. Shivajirao Jadhav recalled later,

"We thought that our parents should get this chance to worship His feet. But Swami was so merciful; one by one, He allowed this coveted opportunity to all the members of our family. The last time He was at Latur, many of our family members were unhappy as they did not have close darshan to their heart’s content. But now all are so happy."

A pair of wooden sandals and a pair of silver sandals were offered at the Lotus Feet.

Swami permitted the padapooja to go on for about half an hour. His feet decorated with red and gold was resplendent. Swami then moved around granting namaskar and blessings even to the workers, staff and servants of the household! At about 5:20 p.m., He emerged out of this hall and once again was by the poolside. I got a few wonderful photos from across the pool and Swami looked at me from there too. Once in the car, Bhagavan started His return journey to the Residence.

What joy to behold the beautiful, divine feet adorned thus!

We started to follow Him but He said, "All the boys go down and start bhajans." Implicit obedience was the nature of everyone among the team for Swami always has His wisdom behind everything He says. We went to the porch of the Vitthala temple on the first floor and started bhajans. Ten minutes later, as the door of the lift opened, Swami arrived onto the makeshift dais. Bhagawan then asked Mr. Shivajirao Jadhav to address the gathering. As this speech progressed, Swami gently dropped the rose that the Jadhav had given Him onto the floor by Him. I called the security guard seated nearby and told him to take and treasure that special flower. Any rosebud offered to the Lord is definitely special for it has received the divine touch.

Mr.Shivajirao Jadhav addresses the huge gathering.

Mr. Jadhav, who spoke in Marathi, thanked Bhagawan profusely in all humility for His visit. He was also grateful to the masses who had stepped into that pristine surrounding sanctified by Bhagawan’s Divine Presence. To the delight of all gathered he declared that Pandurangakshetra was in the shape of the Divine ‘Om’ – the source of all knowledge, the seat of all dharma. Mr. Jadhav then reverentially reminisced the day’s events when Bhagawan had graciously performed the Prana Pratishtha ritual for enlivening the divine energy in the Ganesha, Vitthal Rakhumai and Shirdi Sai Baba idols. He had no words to express His gratitude to Bhagawan for His grace and earnestly prayed that each one involves themselves in spiritual and service activities. He concluded by urging Swami to visit Hadshi as often as He can even as the crowd clapped in joy.

After this, Swami asked Mr. Srinivasan to speak. The rose offered by this distinguished elder was also again slipped by Swami onto the ground. As I was going to make another signal to the security person, Bhagawan looked at me and with a smile told me to let it be. I was lost in thoughts again.

“This Swami never gives importance to such ‘memorabilia collecting’ though it is a source of great joy to the devotee. If that security guard is not blessed enough to pick up that rose, I will definitely pocket it at the end of the day’s function”, I thought. The guard was blessed enough indeed for within a few minutes he noticed the rose and pocketed it!

A sweeping view of the gathered thousands.

In the meanwhile, the All India President of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation spoke on in Hindi and declared that for 37 years Sai devotees from Lonavala and Pune had been eagerly waiting for His arrival. They had severe faced problems as even rains had become scarce. With Bhagawan visiting Pune, even dry and arid lands would now become fertile, the speaker felt. He stressed that bhakti is the only way to reach Swami and reiterated Swami’s teachings on Love. Later he went on to mention about various institutions established by Swami namely, the free University, Hospitals, and so on. Exhorting the devotees to follow His path and making their lives His message, he emphasized that the Sai Avatar has come for our transformation and to help us realize our innate divinity. In the end He appealed to all to engage in service activities in the rural areas saying only through Grama Seva can one be blessed with the fulfillment of doing Rama Seva.

Even as Mr. Srinivasan was winding-up, Swami looked at Nishikant as if confirming with him if he was fully ready to speak. He had fixed him as the speaker in the afternoon and seemed to feel personally responsible for his success. I was touched at His concern and receiving a ‘Yes’ from Nishikant, Swami asked him to begin. He too, spoke in Marathi and started by narrating experiences of his life.

Dating back to the times of Shirdi Sai Baba the stories of Nishikant Barodekar went thus:

In 1912 on one occasion when his great grand uncle and aunt were travelling by train, the condition of their 3 year old daughter who was suffering from typhoid deteriorated greatly. So they alighted at Kopergaon and someone there guided them to go to Shirdi. Once they did this pilgrimage, their daughter was completely cured. Years later, in 1965 the same girl who had by then, become a famous singer, Mrs. Heerabai, was going to be felicitated by renowned artists and other dignitaries at a function to be held in her honour on her 60th birthday. On the very same day Swami called for her to perform before in His divine presence. Without a second thought, Mrs. Heerabai decided to skip the function and landed in Puttaparthi. Once she was in His presence, Swami told her that she had seen Him before, clearly referring to her first encounter with Him during Bhagawan’s Shirdi sojourn.

Nishikant Barodekar is blessed by Bhagawan with an emerald ring after his speech.

At another time Mrs. Heerabai had been invited by the Government of India to perform before a group of foreign delegates. Once again, Swami asked for her exactly on the same day and like before she declined the invitation and rushed to His presence. A few days after she returned from Puttaparthi, came a cheque for her from the State congratulating her for her splendid performance at the all important event! Clearly, Bhagawan had Himself assumed her form and delighted the audience at the prestigious event.

Finally, Mr. Nishikant recalled his own experience. Once his guru, from whom he was learning Tabla, asked him to perform in his place owing to his ill-health. Extremely nervous, Nishikant thought of Bhagawan and His advice to contemplate on Him. No sooner he did this, Swami graced him with His divine darshan and needless to say, his performance was a great success!

The moment he closed his talk, a beaming Swami blessed him with a ring even as everyone applauded. Next, Swami Himself rose to speak much to everyone’s joy. Here is a note about the translation that day which was unique.

There were actually two translators, Prof. Anil Kumar for Telugu to English and Mr. Bhagawat for English to Marathi. The styles of both these people were so distinct and different. While the inimitable Prof. Anil Kumar was at his vociferous and enthusiastic best, Mr. Bhagawat seemed cool and collected! There were times when Swami who is generally accompanied by a single translator would often start speaking just as the Professor would end making the task of the Marathi translator even more challenging. But then, who can stop the flow of the Divine Ganges? However, after about 5-6 sentences Swami seemingly would 'remember' that there has to be Marathi translation and it must be said to the credit of Mr. Bhagavat that he did an excellent job of summing up what the Lord had said in the past few sentences. The whole experience was novel and interesting. This is what Bhagavan said in His discourse:

In the land of Bharat, real beauty lies in tolerance and forbearance.

Is there a feeling more nectarous than what one has towards one’s own mother?

How much ever you may know, there is always much more to learn

As knowledge which is infinite

Bharat is most sacred – it is a land of Divinity. Everyone born here has done a lot of meritorious deeds in their past lives.

What is the purpose of this human life? It is gifted to earn God’s grace. The person who receives His grace in abundance can bring transformation in society. Modern society is full of anxiety and restlessness. Wherever you go, whatever you encounter, you only find misery. We have witnessed several natural calamities recently. These have nothing to do with God; it is because of man’s own mistakes and makings. God teaches only Dharma (righteousness). He never wants you to walk the path of adharma (unrighteousness).

Satyam Vada, Dharmam Chara – always speak the truth and follow righteousness.

We cannot escape from reflection, reaction and resound. Therefore we should know that God is one. We give many names to the One and the same God. All are indeed one. Therefore, in the whole world, there is only One in existence.

There is the same consciousness in all beings - Ekam Sath, Vipraha Bahuda Vadanti.

We feel we are miserable. If you ask yourself, you will know that the grief is of your own making and not related to God in the least. Therefore, never think that everything is given by God. In fact everything comes back to us because of our own thought process. God only confers bliss on all of us which is not dual, ethereal, and one without a second. If we make deep enquiries into our Vedanta, we realize that God gives us nothing. Pain or pleasure is what we gift ourselves with. We are mistaken if we think that someone else is responsible for our joys and sorrows.

Help Ever, Hurt Never; Love All; Have faith in everyone.

The hovering para-motorist was a feature throughout the evening.

There is no human being without love. Even beasts, birds, animals, insects including the smallest of creatures experience love. We should have deep conviction that God is present in everyone in the form of the Atma or Consciousness. When you dislike others, you are in fact hating yourself. Every human being is like a mirror where you find a reflection of yourself. In many mirrors, you see many reflections of yourself. There is always Reflection, Reaction, and Resound.

Therefore, whoever you may come across, have deep faith that they are all God’s forms. Man fails to understand this truth. It is not proper on our part to ridicule or hate anyone. Love is the only royal path that takes you closer to God.

All noble souls merged in God because of their incessant love for Him. Sakkubai  repeatedly chanted “Ranga, Ranga, Ranga”. Everybody insulted her including her husband who persecuted her. Ultimately, she merged in God. She always said “I am not different from Ranga”. In all the three states of awareness, she thought of only Ranga. It is only God who speaks, walks, and listens to every activity.

We go by name and form and identify a particular thing as a snake or scorpion. God is indeed in every creature and has given skills to each of them to protect themselves. The scorpion stings in self-defence and not with an intention to hurt. In a dense forest, a lion hurts only if challenged. Everything therefore is reaction, reflection, and resound. Bad actions lead to unpleasant results. So do good. All that you face are consequences of our thought processes. Therefore be pure in your thinking. A human being should have human values. Today, men are treated like dogs. In fact all defects and mistakes lie within man. That is why it is absolutely necessary that we correct our own follies and not search for them in others.

People mocked at those who were involved in the rescue of flood victims. In the same way, the whole community castigated Sakkubai who constantly chanted the name of Krishna. They were finally taught a lesson by the Lord. God is an ocean of love. Out of gross injustice and utter ignorance, we don’t understand ourselves and blame divinity. The good or bad that we face is the consequence of our own doing. We therefore have to correct ourselves within.

The Christians believe in the Cross; cut the ‘I’ and it becomes a cross. The ego has to be killed. Once we get rid of this ego, we can then realise the real self. Man today is knowledgeable in all aspects of life. He is conquering space and is prepared to count the stars but fails in simple things. Love is the undercurrent of everything. There are different kinds of sweets, but the sugar is one. The Upanishads say that whomsoever you salute, it reaches God. Understand your own mind and realise your own mistakes.

Help Ever. Hurt Never. He is a true man who knows this fundamental truth and has morality and character. If you understand this, you will never put the other person to suffering. Recognise the unity in diversity. God is only One, He is Atma or Consciousness, and has no name or form. It is the Spirit or Cconsciousness which permeates all beings. Several lights exist, but current is one. We may undertake different spiritual activities but it all comes back to oneness. If you recognise this, you will have peace and bliss. You are Atma, the only One eternal. God is only one – never think that He is many. When we face difficulties, we chant many names. But when we don’t have any problems, we forget God. We should cling on to ‘Soham’. In fact this is the name given to everyone at the time of birth. We will redeem our lives, working for liberation, if we know the divine principle and divine nature.

It was late in the evening when the discourse concluded and Bhagawan received Aarthi.

Many people speak of Swami differently. It is their imagination; all of this should be dispensed with. If only the politicians know the Truth, the nation will be a better place. Do not follow politics. There is no relation between what the politician says and does. Follow only that person who does good! This is the message of Baba to all of us today. 

The whole world should be happy. Let all the beings live in joy. You will acquire this bliss through love. We say ‘Peace, peace, peace’. Where is this peace? There is only pieces outside.

As I sat on the steps to the grand temple, listening to Swami, the security guard called me and said, "There is an ant on Swami's lap! What should we do?"

As he spoke to me, Swami saw me. What was I to answer? Being an embodiment of sweetness, it was but natural that He attracted ants (whom does He not draw?). I just sat straight and told the guard to look ahead. Sitting in such a prominent position and being caught talking by Swami is not an experience that one usually pines for! Swami also seemed to have left the matter there once I sat motionless and quiet. The ant crawled on Him for a while and then on its own, left having fulfilled its desire maybe!

Swami completed the discourse and wanted the mike to be removed. As I moved ahead to do this He looked at me and said,

"Tell the boys to do bhajans."

So a Vitthala bhajan began and as it progressed to the second speed, Swami signaled to me again and mentioned,

"Let them sing fast - Vitthala, Vitthala....Panduranga, Panduranga." I conveyed this to the singers (It was only later when I thought about it I realized that Swami wanted the bhajan to proceed to the third speed too! Ah! I prayed then for forgiveness and better understanding). Midway in the next bhajan, Swami asked for aarthi.

As I clicked away I saw Swami blessing all the thousands gathered who were all positively charged at this shower of nectarous words and grace. It was now 7:50 p.m. and Swami moved down the lift towards His car. There were many devotees who had sat by the side of the temple to have a glimpse of Him from close quarters as He left for the Residence. All the students made a security belt around the car as always to ensure that sudden outbursts of devotion did not turn to disasters of indiscipline.

A quick discussion on the evening's proceedings before dinner.

As Swami arrived, dinner was ready at the Residence. Bhagawan called the elders to sit by Him and the conversation then centered on Swami's discourse, AIP's talk in Hindi and Nishikant's speech in Marathi. After taking a bite or two, Swami told all of us to occupy the tables. He then moved up the lift and retired for the day. Meanwhile, I collected a few pictures on a DVD to be sent to Pune for printing. It was another blissful sleep that night, the second one at Hadshi.

to be continued in Part 7.

Hadshi Mumbai diaries - Part 7 - A day for group-photo taking and group-photo viewing.

For all readers:

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"Why fear when I am here" - the story of Anantappa and Sathya Sai

The relationship between God and the devotee is the relationship between God and God!

God and devotee

It was one of those famous ‘Trayee sessions’ at Brindavan, Whitefield (Bangalore). Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, ‘Swami’ as He is affectionately called, was seated on the ornate swing in the jhoola room and all around were the students who had decided to stay back in the ashram even during the summer vacations. This was a ‘sacrifice’ that they had gladly made for they knew for sure that they would receive much more than they had ‘given up’. Nothing is greater than being near and dear to the Master, their Swami, whom many even considered as their Lord. I too was among those students who considered Swami as his Master and Lord and so, for me, every word that fell from His lips and every action that He did was of great significance.

That day, Swami asked one of the senior teachers, Sri.Sanjay Sahni, to address the boys. As always, Sahni sir had a unique style of blending stories with messages. That day, he chose a very reassuring theme - that God will never sit quiet when a devotee is harmed or subjected to injustice. He narrated the experience of a devotee who was not ‘worldly-wise’ or ‘smart’. Thus, he was naturally exploited by many in different ways - especially emotionally and financially. During the narration, I was lost in my thoughts of Swami as I was sitting quite close to the swing. So, I am unable to remember the details of the experience he narrated. However, I cannot forget the ending statement that Sahni sir made,

“If you criticize the Lord or even harm Him, God will forgive you but just touch His devotee and you are finished!”

I remember that statement because there was a spontaneous applause and Swami looked at Sahni sir as if asking him to repeat the final statement. Sahni sir repeated the statement with greater volume and greater emphasis and that message got firmly reinforced in my heart.

In times of trouble

Many have been the instances in life when I know that people are being unfair to me or are trying the cheat/harm me. Sometimes, these ‘people’ have been those who are apparently very influential, powerful and wealthy. What I mean to say is that when they decide to put you into trouble, it looks like nobody can save you. You feel a great fear in the heart and think that maybe the best way out would be to compromise your stance and bend in front of them. At such times, it feels as though it does not matter what is ‘RIGHT’ or ‘WRONG’. Might automatically becomes right and since you are a weakling, you just have to shut up.

It is precisely in those times that I always recollect this episode at Trayee Brindavan. There is definitely a reason why Swami made Sahni sir repeat that statement. He wants it to be drilled deep within me that come what may, when I am right, the greatest power in the Universe is on my side. And that is the power of goodness or the power of God. So, all that I have to do is ensure that I am good and on the right path. The Lord may be loving and forgiving enough to suffer pain and ignominy. But He will not tolerate it if such pain and ignominy befalls the one who is dear to Him; the one who is on the path of goodness and love. Before I dilate further on a few other points, I must relate the powerful experience of Ananthappa’s daughter. This has been recorded by the legendary Prof.N.Kasturi in his autobiography, Loving God.

Anantappa’s problem

Anantappa was one among the sixteen peons at the college in Davanagere, Karnataka, where Kasturi was the College Head. He was slow in his thinking and considered by everyone as a dullard. He had difficulty carrying out the simplest of commands and any shopkeeper who was unscrupulous could cheat him with the greatest ease. He slept when he was supposed to be on guard-duty and did not seem to understand whether he was being scolded or praised.

And yet, Kasturi employed his services because he was a very pious soul. He seemed to have all his mind and heart dedicated to Swami. He spent hours of sincere efforts when it came to things related to Swami. Kasturi felt that Anantappa would surely lose his job if he was in the service of any other. Kasturi felt redeemed in his choice when Swami reciprocated Anantappa’s love. Swami showered him with grace divine and, on one occasion when Kasturi had taken him along to Puttaparthi, told Kasturi that Anantappa was not an ordinary soul. In his slum dwelling surrounded by drunkards, drug-addicts and vagabonds, Anantappa was like the saintly Vibhishana in Lanka, Swami had said. Numerous were the miracles that Swami performed to safeguard Anantappa and his family. That was the reason why the world could not take him for a ride even though he was a dullard - Swami would never allow that!

Anantappa’s younger daughter was wedded to an employee of the Mysore Railways(which has today been replaced by Southern Railways). This son-in-law, though a smart and intelligent man was of a highly suspicious nature. He always felt that his wife was flirtatious and even suspected that she kept the window of the house to ogle at men on the streets! In spite of all her explanations and pleas, he did not listen to her and often locked her within the home without even allowing a window to be opened. He even beat her at times based on his suspicions. Anantappa tried a lot to convince his son-in-law that his daughter was chaste and pure but it was all in vain.

Doubt is such a deadly demon and there is absolutely not cure for it! And before we start to criticize Anantappa’s son-in-law for his dastardly acts, we should examine our own selves to realize how often we fall prey to this demon called doubt. As Swami says, when things do not ‘seem’ to be going our way, we begin to doubt even God! We wonder at times whether God, in His ultimate knowledge, actually knows what is good for us? The demon of doubt can be defeated only by the angel of faith. But hey wait! Faith is so ‘unscientific’ right? Faith implies taking things at face-value without deep inquiry. Faith is only for those that are irrational!

Please allow me a much-needed detour before I get back on track to Anantappa’s son-in-law’s story.

Faith is about being rationally irrational instead of being irrationally rational

A simple case to point here. How do you know that you are your father’s child? Isn’t it because your mother told you that and you have faith in her words?

“Nah! I have a birth certificate issued by the doctor in the hospital that I was born. So, its not as if I am my father’s child because of faith.”
That means that you have faith in the doctor and the hospital where you were supposedly born. How are you sure that the doctor is not lying? Or that he is hand in glove in a nefarious scam with your ‘alleged’ mother/father?

“I see where you are going. But don’t think that proves me to be unscientific in my conviction about my parents. There is this thing called parental testing which is scientific. I can get that done.”
But hey! Wait a minute! You mean to say that you have faith in the instrument that does the test? How are you sure that there is no malfunction of the instrument? Worse still, how do you know that the method works? Isn’t that confidence based on faith that every hospital in the world is using the method and so it must be true? How can YOU be sure? Have you personally checked it?

If one goes on this way, one will realize that the only way one can be scientific is to have all the knowledge in the world - biological, engineering, medical, chemical etc. Then alone one will not need to take anything on faith. Else, somewhere along the line, one would have to have faith. There is no other choice. Now, here is the ‘faith way’ of parental testing. It works this way - Accept the person as your father/mother and the way he/she treats you in life will prove to you that the person has to be a parent to be so loving and sacrificing!

That is why, when science screams, “Seeing is believing”, Faith softly but firmly proclaims,
“Believing is seeing.” All said and done, faith is the only cure for doubt.

Swami cures the doubt of Anantappa’s son-in-law

Frustrated with her imprisoned life, the wife told her husband,

“Take me to Puttaparthi and ask Baba about me. He will vouch that I am a faithful wife to you. Else, I shall put an end to my life by jumping into the well there and you will be rid of me forever.”

Hearing the drastic words, the son-in-law agreed to accompany Anantappa and his family to Puttaparthi. With great love, Swami immediately granted them a personal audience. Without even being updated of the state of affairs, Swami told the doubting son-in-law,

“Your wife is as pure as Mother Sita (consort of Lord Rama). She is as noble and loving as Mother Parvati (consort of Lord Shiva). Take care of her.”

The son-in-law was struck by Baba’s omniscience and he nodded. Swami told Anantappa,

“Don’t worry. He is a good fellow. They will live happily from now on.”

But Swami’s words somehow seemed to be going wrong as the son-in-law was again caught by doubts. He wondered whether Anantappa and Baba had conspired to create this drama of ‘omniscience’. He charged his wife of infidelity and said he would take revenge. He got up and stormed out of the room, without bothering about Swami’s presence. Swami just smiled.

That night itself, the son-in-law said that they should leave Puttaparthi. At Penukonda railway station, the four got into the Bangalore-bound train. The son-in-law, by virtue of being an employee of the Railways, could get a first-class seating for his family. However, doubts and thoughts of revenge made him place his in-laws and wife in the wooden-seater, third-class compartment. He himself got into the empty first-class compartment. Now, he could plan the remaining part of his revenge in the solitude of luxury he thought.

The next morning, Anantappa was shocked to see a completely transformed son-in-law. He spoke humbly and sweetly and treated his wife with the greatest dignity and respect. In fact, he never locked her up ever again and almost worshipped her. Every month, he even submitted his entire salary to her to use for the house as per her discrimination and just sought a paltry sum of 15 Rupees as his pocket expenses! And Anantappa’s family indeed lived happily after that, just as Swami had said.

The consequences of ‘touching’ a devotee

What had actually transpired was something that Kasturi got to know later in a strange sequence of events. When he was waiting for a bus, his student came along in a horse-carriage and offered him a lift. Then, this sworn athiest of a student asked Kasturi about Puttaparthi and Baba. He was actually eager to meet him. When Kasturi asked him the reason for such sudden spiritual thirst, the student, a Railway Guard by profession, related the happenings of that fateful night when Anantappa’s son-in-law was transformed. He had been a personal witness to the events as they transpired.

Anantappa’s son-in-law was deeply lost in his plotting and planning in the late hours of the night in the first-class compartment. When the train was about 10 kilometers from the Thondebhavi railway station, all the lights in the compartment suddenly were ablaze and turned deep red. Suddenly, he saw Swami. But there was not one Swami. There were Swami’s everywhere and He seemed so angry. Blows began to rain on him from all sides and he was wondering how could Baba get on to a speeding train? How did He multiply Himself and how did He know what he was planning to do? But all those thoughts soon vanished as the pain from the blows hit him. Swami said,
“Won’t you believe me when I say she is innocent? Stop beating her! She is my child! In fact, all those who suffer are mine…”

Such was the impact and pain from the blows that the son-in-law rushed out of the compartment at Thondebhavi seeking solace and protection. His face and body were badly battered and he complained to the Railway Guard. Moments later, the compartment was completely empty and there was not a single red light therein. Anatappa’s son-in-law had experienced a transformation, albeit a forced one.

Months later, Kasturi was with Swami when He said that in His previous Avatar at Shirdi, He even beat people with sticks in apparent ‘bursts of anger’. Kasturi asked,

“Swami, in this Avatar, have you hit any one?”
“No. This Avatar is all love.”
“Still Swami, if not directly, have you hit anyone indirectly?”
“That is also out of love”, replied Swami with a twinkle in the eye.
Kasturi also just smiled in understanding as his heart completed,
“Love showered on a poor, hapless daughter!”

Concluding thoughts

“Why fear when I am here”.

Swami’s statement takes on new meaning for me here. All that I have to do is ensure that I am on the path of goodness and purity. Swami’s protective bubble is around me always when I do that and I have nothing to worry. Great forces in the universe may conspire against me but they are no match to the greatest force in the Universe that is protecting me. That is why the ancient Indian scriptures emphatically stated,

“Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitaha. Dharma Eva Hatho Hanthi.”
(Righteousness/Goodness protects those that protect Righteousness/Goodness. Righteousness/Goodness destroys those that destroy Righteousness/Goodness.)

Now that gives us reason to be good and fearless. It gives us reason and need to realize the importance of being good. Right? And while I am being good and following righteousness, those that wish to malign, criticize or torment me, beware! I have a great good wonderful Lord watching over me! Hehehehehehehehehe!

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:

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

2. Sathya Sai fulfills a promise He gave as Shirdi Sai

3. Being an apple of the eye for God

4. The Sri Sathya Sai Education revolution sweeping across Karnataka

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