BABA'S GRACE AND BLESSINGS

No sooner did I complete my last post, got the information of a similar event happening in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh. This information is provided in the May 2010 issue of Sri Sai Darshan magazine.

Sri Alla Nageshwara Rao lives in the village Subhadrayyamma Peta. This village is in the Tuni Mandal of East Godavari District. Like his fellow village men, he is also a simple person, hailing from a very ordinary family. His living was also very simple as he did not have any ancestral property.

The only thing he knew was to sing, melodious devotional songs. Every evening, he would go on top of the nearest hill, select a comfortable place, sit there and sing songs. Occasionally, he would take other children and made them also sing devotional songs. Other than this, he was not tainted by the so called wisdom of the world.

Without his knowledge, one day, Baba blessed him. And in no time, Nageshwar Rao had built a temple for Baba on the same hill on which he used to sing songs. A beautiful Baba idol was also installed. When asked if this was not a task beyond his capabilities, the answer is simple, like the person himself.

“You yourself are saying that the task was beyond my capability. Then how do you think the task was completed? You are thinking that I have done it. But there is no power greater than the power of Baba in this world. I did nothing. Baba himself built this temple. He made all the noble minded people to donate lakhs of rupees and completed the temple.”

The villagers visit the temple every day. No day dawns for them without the darshan of Baba. In fact, the villagers have changed the name of their village from Subhadrayyamma Peta to Chinna Shirdi (small Shirdi).

A parallel event which happened in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh as recently as last year, wherein I was involved from the very initial stage is narrated below.

I met Sri Venkatesh, for the first time, in an exhibition more than 15 years ago. The exhibition was the annual All India Industrial Exhibition conducted every year in the month of January. He had put up a small stall dedicated to Sri Shirdi Sai Baba. A notice proclaimed that Baba’s Prasadam would be delivered at home for a small amount of Rs. 11/-. I thought that the amount was too small for the service being rendered and immediately registered. From the next month onwards till now, I have been getting Baba’s Prasadam at my home and during these long years my friendship with Venkatesh has also grown considerably.

To my surprise, I found out that Venkatesh does not do anything else for his livelihood. He has a mother, a wife and two small baby girls to support. Every month he goes to Shirdi by train, collects the Prasadam there, brings it to Hyderabad and delivers to all the devotees through out the month. Even if he has a clientele of one thousand devotees, a monthly income of Rs.11, 000/- is too meager to sustain himself and the family. The most stunning fact is that, he has unflinching faith in Baba and does not believe in working for anyone else. And he can talk only in Telugu.

Last year, may be in the summer months, one of the devotees, Sri Visveshwara Rao told Venkatesh that he would give him 200 Sq yds of vacant land in which a temple for Baba should be built. The land is several kms after Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. Anyone who has knowledge of Hyderabad can understand the location. There is no house or any human movement within the purview of the human eye. I tried to dissuade him from the project, but Venakatesh was very firm. He said that Baba wanted a temple there and a temple there will be. Then things began to happen. People came flocking to help the construction work.

On the Vijayadashami day of 2009, the foundation stone was laid and the temple is ready to be inaugurated in the month of June 2010. It appears that the gram panchayat have come forward to offer another 2,000 sq yds of land behind the temple for the temple activities.

Would all these efforts have been possible without the explicit grace of Baba? Rajesh, Nageshwara Rao, and Venkatesh, to name only few, who are utterly simple and highly devoted, have immortality conferred on them by Baba himself!!!!

SHIRDI SAI BABA IN KARNATAKA - PART 5

Some more photos are added here to show the isolated place where Rajesh lives with Baba. The photo on the left shows the pathway used by Baba on the morning of 09 September 2007. The one above on the right shows the backwaters of Hemavathi river.

SHIRDI SAI BABA IN KARNATAKA - PART 4

(The photo shows the place where Baba sat)

Rajesh and his friend Nagarjuna came to Bangalore on 19 May and I went and received them. My impression of Rajesh, at that time, was that he looked totally like someone out of this world. He was direct, simple and full of affection. His eyes were blazing and very rarely he batted his eyelids. He and Nagarjuna stayed with us for nearly four hours. At the time of leaving, he asked me to bring a particular girl with a pink frock. I was surprised as I had not paid any attention to anyone other than Rajesh. After some searching, I located the girl and brought her. As soon as the attention turned on the girl, the girl’s mother was scared and she also came to Rajesh. Rajesh told her that the girl would experience some health hazard and that Baba had provided a remedy also. The parents are to take the girl to Shirdi, get her teertham at Dwarakamai, and then sit there in meditation for a few minutes. That would cure the girl of the problem. Rajesh also told them that Baba had asked him to tell this to the parents, though Rajesh himself was not for telling this, this being not very pleasant information.

If ever a proof was needed for Baba being active even after His Samadhi, this was one. All the names given above are real. Any or all of them can be contacted over the following mobile numbers:

1. Sri Rajesh - +919343291342
2. Sri Nagarjuna - +919741105026
3. Sri Krishna Murthy - +919490956511
4. Sri Srinivas - +919880333479

In a recent mail, Rajesh adds:

"It was the month of February 2008. Our farm has one open well of 31 feet deep, 18 feet radius and one bore well of 240 feet depth. Both are having plenty of water. I was using only the bore well for both drinking and agriculture. We were not using the water from the well as it was stagnant and green in colour due to fungal growth. I was afraid to use it for cooking and drinking purpose. The well could be seen next to the building on the right side of the photograph. (The photo also shows the pathway taken by Baba on that September morning in 2007)

One day, due to voltage fluctuation, the motor of the bore well was burnt and there was no water for either drinking or agriculture. I requested Baba, after pooja, about this. He advised me to collect 7 flowers from Baba's Idol and drop the flowers, one by one reciting the names of holy rivers, Ganga, Yamuna, Godhavari, Saraswathi, Narmada, Sindhu and Cauvery. I did as told by Baba. It was Monday. Later he told me not to go near the well for three days. After three days i.e., on Thursday I went with my wife Mangala and peeped into the well, only to find crystal clear water in the well. At that time there was water for 22 ft out of 31 Feet. The water was available at 9ft itself. I came running to temple and prostrated at the feet of Baba. He said, “Use it”. Since then we are using only the water from the well and not from the bore well. Whoever drinks the water not only quenches his thirst but is also cured of skin problems, if any."

SHIRDI SAI BABA IN KARNATAKA - PART 3

It is not that Baba has been kind always to Rajesh. There are occasions when He punished Rajesh very severely by beating him with His satka. Once, Baba told him to wait for one of His devotees who was coming. Rajesh waited till 3.00pm and assuming that the devotee may not turn up, he went for some other work. The devotee came half an hour late and waited for Rajesh for nearly an hour and left. When Rajesh returned, Baba bet him with his satka below his right kneecap. The satka made a cut and it started bleeding. Rajesh apologized for the inadvertent slip and begged Baba for mercy. The bleeding stopped, but the cut can still be seen.

Rajesh has a friend, Sri Nagarjuna. He was working in Secunderabad, and is a staunch Baba devotee. Baba got him posted to Tumkur, so that he could be of help to Rajesh. Rajesh asked Nagarjuna to visit Sri Sai Baba temple at Siddipet in Andhra Pradesh and meet Sri Krishna Murthy. Sri Nagarjuna visited the Siddipet temple and talked to Sri Krishna Murthy and later met him at his residence in Hyderabad. Sri Krishna Murthy called me for three consecutive days, but for various reasons, I was not available. Then he called in the evening of the fourth day and told me that he wanted to narrate a great miracle. I asked him to come over, as these could not be talked over in detail over a telephone. He came a few minutes later on and told me all the details. Then he connected me to Rajesh over my mobile. As he knew Kannada very well, I talked to Rajesh in Kannada and Rajesh was overjoyed to tell me about his experiences. He later gave my number to his friend Nagarjuna who was at that time in Hyderabad itself. I met Nagarjuna next day at his residence and heard the details once again.

I narrated all these strange but true happenings to Sri Srinivas in Bangalore. Srinivas is also a Sai devotee. Over the weekend he went with his family to Rajesh’s place and saw the temple, the idol and the surroundings. He took photographs of the same and sent them to me. He invited Rajesh to his residence on 19 May 2010, the day being his birthday. Srinivas told Rajesh that I would also be coming to Bangalore for the birthday and Rajesh could also meet me.

SHIRDI SAI BABA IN KARNATAKA - PART 2

(Photo shows the outside view of the Temple)
Then the moment came for installing the idol of Baba. Rajesh did not know from where to get it. Baba once again guided him and told him to go to Shirdi for the idol. Next day, Rajesh went to Tumkur and was enquiring about how to go to Shirdi. Different people told him different methods. An old man, chewing mouthful of pan, called him and asked him if he wanted to go to Shirdi. When Rajesh confirmed, the old man asked him to go to Pune where a tonga would be waiting for him and would take him to Shirdi. When he reached Shirdi, Rajesh was stunned by seeing so many people. He was standing in front of Dwarakamai. He did not know where to go and how to buy. Once again the same fakir who came to his house was there. He warned Rajesh that people in Shirdi would cut his purse and rob him. He advised him to go to a particular shop and buy the first idol he saw. Rajesh bought the idol. It was very heavy. Without thinking any further about visiting the Samadhi Mandir or Dwarakamai, he returned back to his place.

So far, so good. Rajesh could not get anyone to install the idol and he did not know any mantras. Baba guided him not only for the installation, but He taught him how to do daily puja also. After some more days, Baba asked him to quit his job and dedicate himself to Baba. Rajesh argued that he had two young daughters who had to be brought up and groomed. Baba asked him to have faith in Him and not to worry. Rajesh duly resigned his job. He spent all his time in Baba’s service. After a few months, time came for paying the examination fees of his daughters. Rajesh needed Rs. 3, 000. He told Baba, “I have followed your instructions, see, what has happened now. I do not have any money to pay the fees.” Baba told him not to worry. He asked Rajesh to put his fingers in the slit of the cloth tied to the hundi vessel and take out three times whatever came without opening the cloth completely. Rajesh thought that this was another of Baba’s jokes. There had been no visitor for the past several days, and at most the vessel might contain a fiver or a tenner. However, he followed the instructions and placed his fingers inside the vessel and lifted out a one thousand rupee note. He repeated it two more times and removed, in all, three thousand rupees. Baba then asked him to go and pay the fees. Rajesh was diffident. He told Baba that it was His money and how he could use it. Baba asked him not to worry and pay the fees immediately. Since that moment, Rajesh’s duty has been to visit Baba’s devotees as per Baba’s directions and give them Baba’s instructions.

SHIRDI SAI BABA IN KARNATAKA

Devotees are often in the habit of falling into the trap of disbelief and loss of faith. It is during these times that Baba manifests Himself and redeems his devotees. The following is a great example of the same during very recent times.

Rajesh was living with his wife, Mangala and two young daughters - Harshita aged 14 years and Reema aged 9 years - n Mallasandra, somewhere between Tumkur and Gubbi. He was a Kannada teacher in Aryan High School in Tumkur. Rajesh had a farm and a farm house nearly 8 kms from Mallasandra. Off late, he found out that the farm produce was being stolen by someone unknown to him. So, he decided to move into the farm house and take care of the farm. The farm house was an excuse of a house. It had bare brick walls, without any plastering and a zinc sheet for a roof. The cooking gas was absent and all the cooking had to be done by burning the firewood. Rajesh used to commute by public transport to Tumkur – his place of work. Photo above shows Rajesh's house.

Life went on uneventfully till that September morning in 2007. It was a cold winter morning, and the time was nearly 5.00 am. The farm house had a wooden compound and a wicket gate. At that time, a simple looking fakir opened the gate, entered the verandah of the house and sat there. Rajesh’s wife, who got up early everyday, saw the fakir entering through the gate and was terrified. The farm house was a lonely structure there and as far as the eye could see, there was no other house anywhere near. There was no approach road to the farm house and the house could be reached only by walking through the fields. Because of the loneliness, she was scared of any unknown attacks and woke up her husband. By the time Rajesh could come out, the fakir was sitting on a stone and mumbling something to himself. When he saw Rajesh, he asked for some rotis as he was hungry. He indicated his stomach and asked for food. As the morning was cold, Rajesh’s wife thought that it would be good to offer some hot tea and then think of food. The fakir agreed for the tea and waited. When both Rajesh and his wife went inside to prepare tea, the fakir, meanwhile went to the farm and began making some gestures with his fingers in the air. He had the tea and then asked for rotis. He took out a packet of lemon rice, which was steaming hot. By the time anyone comes from the road to the house, any hot item would have become cold. Even after lapse of so much of time, the steam was coming out. Rajesh thought that that was a miracle. The fakir told him that the lemon rice was for his lunch and he wanted something to eat immediately. Rajesh’s wife, however, was hesitating to prepare the rotis. The fakir saw this and told them that as they did not want to prepare the rotis, he was going and then got up and left. While he had gone a few steps, Rajesh’s wife felt some compassion and asked her husband to give some money to the fakir so that he could eat something at the nearby hotel. Rajesh ran, patted the fakir on the back and gave him a five rupee coin and asked him to eat something in a nearby hotel. The fakir smiled and said, “Baba will bless you”.

That night Rajesh had a dream. The fakir who came in the morning appeared in the dream and said that he was none other than the Sai Baba of Shirdi, and that Rajesh had failed to recognize him. He also told that He had made markings in his farm for the construction of a temple and asked Rajesh to build a temple for Him. Rajesh thought that it was a very crude joke as he had no money at all. He told the same to Baba. Then Baba told him, “Why do you worry when I am here!” Next morning, the first thing Rajesh did was to check his farm. There were clear white markings on the farm, indicating where the idol should be placed and the outer boundary of the temple. After a few days, an unknown gentleman gave Rajesh Rs.40, 000 for the construction of the temple. Rajesh was a typical villager and did not know anything about either Sai Baba or how to go about the process of building a temple. He was a simple man who knew only the basics of maintaining himself and his family. He was totally perplexed about what was happening to him. When he told this to Baba, He appeared once again in Rajesh’s dream and gave him the name of a mason in a neighboring town. Rajesh went there as instructed and found that no one existed by that name. Finally he asked someone about the mason. The person was surprised and asked Rajesh how he got this name. This name was the pet name of the mason, as he was called by his relatives. Rajesh then came to know that he was talking to the mason himself. The mason was happy that Baba had referred his name and told Rajesh that he would build the temple without charging anything for labour but Rajesh should give him the materials. Thus a temple was built for Baba.