It
was a serene evening in the Mandir during the rainy
season of 1990. Swami had completed His usual Darshan
rounds and had called some devotees for interview. All
the students were eagerly waiting for Swami to come out
and spend some time with them. They were surprised by
the sudden brush of a cool breeze that heralded soothing
showers.
It was the time when the Sai Kulwant
Hall had not yet been built. To those directly exposed
to the scalding rays of the sun, the rain was a welcome
relief. To the students it meant a blanket permit to
rush forward and occupy the front portico of the Mandir.
It was a vantage spot as it gave us the advantage to be
very close to the interview room door so that when Swami
came out, His gaze in our direction was guaranteed. I
was then in my second year of the MBA programme. Along
with another brother of mine I was blessed to secure a
strategic spot in the front portico. From here we had a
clear view of Swami's throne in the Bhajan Hall.
As the rain persisted
without any respite, I began reading a book on Swami's
miracles in Africa. I was particularly drawn to an
incident where two of the devotees who were driving a
car on an express way at speeds over 110 km/h suddenly
met with an accident. Their car was thrown out of the
express way and into the bushes. The car was totally
smashed and there was no chance that its occupants would
survive such a crash. The devotees in the car however
had taken the Lord's Name on their lips at the critical
juncture and had escaped unscathed. They were nonplussed
and thanked Swami for His Omnipresence. I was quite
overwhelmed by this incident and happened to share it
with the brother beside me. I couldn't but help remark –
'Look Swami is in Africa also'.
African Avathar
Some
moments later the interview room door opened. Swami came
out and stood on the upper portico of the verandahh
in the Mandir. He paused and looked at me and my brother
for a few seconds. I looked at Swami with reverence.
Suddenly Swami asked the students sitting in front of me
to make way. A path was made for Swami in the tightly
packed verandahh. Before I could realise Swami
walked straight up to me and then paused. Gazing into my
eyes He remarked –"Dunnapotha! You are talking
in the verandah."
Then after a small pause
He continued, "I am here. I am in Africa. I am
everywhere." Saying this, He walked away with a
nonchalant gait. Do I have to say anymore?
Six years later while I
was in search for a job, a Singapore based multinational
company hired me and sent me on my first assignment to
guess where: West Africa ! It has been six sweet years
in Africa. I have been blessed to get involved in the
Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation here as an office
bearer. I try to serve the Lord in my own little way,
feeling and experiencing His constant Presence and
Guidance.
One important truth that
we, His students, must cherish always in our hearts is
His Omnipresence. Wherever we are, we need to conduct
ourselves accordingly. Swami is our Inner Soul. He is
always with us, in us and around us. The awareness of
this truth suffices to boost our confidence and help
mould our lives in the right direction.
Heart to Heart
During my student days at Swami's Lotus Feet, I learnt a
lot through innumerable such instances. Many times it
happened that Swami would refuse to accept a letter from
me and I used to feel completely dejected. On one such
occasion, Swami gave me the 'cold storage' treatment by
not accepting my letter for many days at a stretch. One
fine day, He suddenly called me and literally grabbed
the letter from my hands. Even without opening the
letter, He went on to reveal its contents and concluded
with a great revelation, 'I need not go through your
letter to know its contents. The prayer in your heart
reaches me instantaneously, even before you pen down
your thoughts.'
To be frank, after this
incident I reduced the 'written mail' and instead
concentrated on heartfelt prayers. This is what Swami
implies when He exhorts us to develop 'a heart to heart
relationship' with Him.
I Shall Write Anew
On another occasion, Swami
walked up to where I was seated, looked into my eyes and
said 'Faithkaawali raa' in Telugu, which means
– 'You need Faith'. Putting His hand on His forehead He
went on 'If you have faith in Me, I shall wipe
out your old Karma and write a new one. But faith is
required.'
Swami is Premaswaroopa.
Just pure, unsullied Love on two Feet. He loves His
students so much. His love for us is unfathomable and
indescribable. Let me share a very cherished incident in
my life.
Baba's Bangra Boys
It was the time of Swami's
60th Birthday in the year 1985. A group of 25 boys,
which included me, were selected to perform the Bhangra
dance before Swami's chariot as it made its way from the
Mandir to the Shanti Vedika in the Hill View Stadium. We
had practised more for a stage performance rather than
for a procession in front of Swami's chariot. But then,
Swami's message came on the evening of November 22nd
that we need to be prepared for the procession the next
day. All of us were too tired because of various
activities on 21st and 22nd November. But we had Swami
in our hearts.
Though we slept very late
on 22nd night, all of us got up by 3 a.m. on 23rd
morning and managed to reach Mandir before 3.30 a.m.
Even at that time, all the streets of Puttaparthi were
overflowing with devotees moving towards the Mandir. We
managed to squeeze through the crowd. We were tired and
by the time we reached Mandir we were already feeling
drowsy. But nevertheless, we started dressing up and
were ready by 6 a.m. for the procession. The procession
was scheduled to commence at 7 a.m.
Students Come First
Swami had already come out
at 6 a.m. He then summoned all of us, the Bhangra group
boys, into the Bhajan Hall. We were quietly dressing up
at the car shed behind the Mandir when we received this
message. We rushed into the Bhajan Hall. Swami then
enquired from us whether we were ready for the
procession and we replied in the affirmative. Then Swami
said 'Oh no! You boys did not have anything to
eat or drink since morning and you need to be in the
procession for at least one and half hours.'
While everybody including
the VVIPs were waiting for Swami to come out for
Darshan, Swami was inside the Bhajan Hall, catering to
the little needs of His little ones. Swami then sent
someone to bring breakfast for us from the canteen and
ensured that we had had our fill. He also went
into His room and got apples for us to partake.
All the while Swami was waiting for us to say, "We are
ready Swami, we can start". At about 7 a.m. when all of
us were ready, Swami put on His white robe and walked up
to the chariot and stood on it while the first golden
rays of the rising sun fell on the Divine Lotus Feet.
The procession started with us performing ahead of His
chariot. By His Grace everything went on well. In that
huge crowd we were thrown around like puppets. But for
Swami's Love and Grace in the morning, we could not have
performed the dance. That is the Love of Swami for His
students. Students always come first for Him.
Spiritual Practice
in Business
Such
incidents are unlimited. Each one of His students have
baskets-full of such stories to narrate. The underlying
theme is Love, Love and Love alone. Swami loves us so
intensely and expects us to share this love with the
people around us in the same way. He wants us to look at
the unifying principle that binds us all. We need to
start in our own little way to practise what Swami says.
I would like to state how this has helped me in my day
to day business.
When I deal with
my customers I feel that it is the same Swami who is
also in them and that I need to approach them with the
right attitude and love in my heart. This has
always given me an upper hand to solve the most
difficult issues which could not be handled by others.
When I am at peace, have Swami in my heart and look at
my opponent as a reflection of the same Being, positive
vibes are generated and that gives me a cutting edge.
While other preparations are definitely required for a
good negotiation, positive attitude and good vibes can
change the whole negotiating atmosphere. In the
corporate world, my company calls negotiation and
wheeling as dealing skills. I am ranked highest on these
skills in my company. But for me the real skill is 'Love
in the heart'.
I end this article here
with a small prayer to Swami……
"Dear Lord, Let our Hearts overflow
with Divine Love for Thee at all times".
- Courtesy: 'Fragrance'.
- Heart2Heart Team
Source: Radio Sai
E-Magazine, February 2006 Issue
http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_04/01FEB06/Sweet-memories.htm