Powerful Reminiscences of His
Presence
By Mrs. Asha Pai
Asha
Pai
was
born
in a
Sai
family
in
Bangalore.
She
was
blessed
to
be a
Sai
student
from
Grade
9
till
she
completed
her
Bachelor’s
degree
from
the
Anantapur
campus
of
the
Sri
Sathya
Sai
University
in
1991.
Currently,
she
lives
in
Malawi,
in
Central
Africa,
where
she
spends
a
lot
of
her
time
and
energy
in
social
service
initiatives
of
non-governmental
organisations,
especially
the
Sai
Organisation.
In
her
spare
time,
she
also
enjoys
fabric
painting,
specialising
in
African
themes.
Isn’t it
so
uncanny
that
each one
of the
millions
of Sai
devotees
has a
personalised
account
of how
Swami
drew
them to
Him,
like a
bird
with a
string
tied to
the
foot?
What is
even
more
extraordinary
is that
each of
these
experiences
is
special
and
unique,
and
includes
the
blissful
recall
of His
constant
guidance
in the
devotee’s
life, in
matters
both
spiritual
and
mundane.
Going
down the
memory
lane, I
see my
family’s
experiences
with
Swami as
a
testimony
to this
fact,
for He
has been
our
omnipresent,
omniscient
and
omnipotent
guardian
angel,
forever
giving
us proof
of His
love and
concern.
In early
1967,
even
before I
was
born, my
father
lived in
Bangalore
where he
worked
for a
multinational
firm.
Despite
the
physical
proximity
to both
Brindavan
and
Prasanthi
Nilayam,
my
parents
were not
inclined
to go
and see
Swami
because
they had
read a
negative
media
report
about
Him in a
periodical.
Finally,
three
and a
half
years
later,
in
August
1970,
the
miraculous
cure of
my 13
year-old
cousin
peaked
the
curiosity
of my
parents
to
explore
the
phenomenon
that is
our
Bhagavan.
Miracle
Cure
Brings
Family
To Sai
My
father’s
elder
brother’s
son in
Mumbai
used to
suffer
from an
excruciating
backache.
My
cousin
was
being
treated
by the
late Dr.
Choubal,
a
leading
orthopedic
surgeon
of
Mumbai.
During
Swami’s
visit to
that
city in
1970, my
cousin
was
taken to
Dharmakshetra
(Baba’s
abode in
Mumbai)
and made
to sit
in the
enclosure
for sick
persons.
Being a
13-year-old,
his
mother
was
allowed
to be
beside
him.
During
darshan,
as Swami
glided
along
serenely,
without
being
told
about
his
problem,
He came
near him
and
casually
put His
hand on
my
cousin’s
spine,
under
his
shirt,
and lo
and
behold,
in an
instant,
he was
relieved
of the
excruciating
pain of
several
months!
A week
later,
when the
boy was
taken
for the
follow-up
to the
orthopedic
surgeon,
the
doctor
repeatedly
looked
at the
latest
x-ray
taken
after
Swami
blessed
him at
Dharmakshetra
and
compared
it with
the one
taken
about a
month
prior.
Noticing
the
doctor’s
predicament,
my uncle
asked
whether
there
was
anything
wrong
with the
boy.
The surgeon replied that there was absolutely nothing wrong; he was just baffled trying to understand from the two x–rays the incredibly rapid healing process which was nothing short of a miracle. My uncle narrated the happenings at Dharmakshetra to the doctor who then remarked that though he was not Swami’s devotee, he had to admit that the remarkable improvement in such a short span of four weeks was indeed inexplicable. |
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The
surgeon
replied
that
there
was
absolutely
nothing
wrong;
he was
just
baffled
trying
to
understand
from the
two
x–rays
the
incredibly
rapid
healing
process
which
was
nothing
short of
a
miracle.
My uncle
narrated
the
happenings
at
Dharmakshetra
to the
doctor
who then
remarked
that
though
he was
not
Swami’s
devotee,
he had
to admit
that the
remarkable
improvement
in such
a short
span of
four
weeks
was
indeed
inexplicable.
My
cousin’s
experience
in 1970
was my
family’s
passport
to the
sacred
journey
to Sai.
Along
with my
two
older
brothers
and I,
my
parents
began to
frequent
Whitefield
and
Prasanthi
Nilayam
to be in
His most
auspicious
presence.
He
Loosens
Our
Bonds
It was
sometime
in
October
1970,
when I
was
about 13
months
old and
could
barely
walk,
that we
experienced
Him as
an
active
presence
in our
lives.
My
mother
had to
take
care of
three of
us and
my
cousin
who was
barely
four
months
old. For
the most
part,
this was
not at
all a
problem
as we
were
staying
in a
large
joint
family
along
with my
great-grand
mother
in a
huge
house.
However,
once it
so
happened
that
only my
mother
and I
were at
home.
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Asha's vibrant fabric work of an African dance
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Before
going
for her
shower,
my
mother
tied my
legs to
a piece
of cloth
which
was tied
at the
other
end to
the
window
bar and
around
me were
many
toys –
the idea
was to
make
sure
that I
do not
drag
myself
under
the
furniture
or pull
things
which
could
injure
me while
she was
busy in
the
bathroom.
Therefore,
on that
particular
day,
leaving
me in
this
fashion
at one
end of
the
house,
my
mother
went to
the
restroom
which
was at
the
other
end.
When my
mother
finished
her
shower,
she was
astonished
to see
me
standing
near the
bathroom
door by
leaning
against
the wall
– at
that
time I
had not
even
started
talking.
She was
surprised
all the
more
because
to reach
to that
end of
the
house
one had
to pass
through
three
rooms
and two
passages.
She
wondered
how I
could
make it
without
straying
into the
other
bedrooms,
kitchen
or the
shrine
room en
route.
When she
took me
near the
window
where I
was
tied, my
mother
asked me
who
untied
me. I am
told I
had
pointed
at
Swami’s
photograph
which
was on
our
bedroom
wall!
On
another
occasion,
during darshan
at
Whitefield,
when
Swami
came and
stood
before
my
mother,
she
urged my
brothers
and me
to seek
His
blessings
by
prostrating
at His
feet.
For some
reason,
my
second
brother
hesitated
to touch
Swami’s
feet,
and just
sat
looking
down.
Swami,
on the
other
hand,
waited
patiently
almost
for
nearly
three
minutes
till my
brother
finally
took
padanamaskar.
Finally,
upon
reaching
home, we
discovered
the
reason
for my
second
brother’s
hesitation.
It
turned
out that
my
maternal
uncle
had
warned
my
three-year-old
brother
not to
go
anywhere
near
Swami as
there
were
“serpents
in His
hair”!
While
none of
us had
any clue
about
the
reason
behind
my
brother’s
mental
block,
the all
knowing
Lord
knew
what had
happened
the
previous
night in
our
house.
Thereafter
my
father
advised
my uncle
to
remain
silent
even if
he did
not have
faith in
Swami.
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A celebration of African culture with colourful motifs - by the author
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My two
brothers
and I
were
fortunate
to be
enrolled
in the
Sai
Spiritual
Education
classes
in
Bangalore.
The
values
instilled
in our
hearts
by our
teacher,
Mrs.
Geetha
Mohan
Ram have
stood us
in good
stead.
As
children,
we found
ourselves
riveted
to the
wonderful
Sai
experiences
of
Geetha
Aunty
and her
mother,
Mrs.
Kamala
Padmanabhan,
which
they
joyfully
shared
with us.
One
unforgettable
lesson
that I
learned
from her
was the
need to
play
every
role
life
throws
at us
with
self-confidence.
Once,
when
Mrs.
Kamala
Padmanabhan
had to
go out
of town,
Swami
asked
her
daughter,
Geetha
Aunty,
to
conduct
Balvikas
classes.
When
Geetha
Aunty
expressed
her
reluctance
to play
the role
of a
teacher
to her
own
friends,
Swami
advised
her: “If
you
behave
like a
teacher,
they
will
listen
to you.”
And true
to His
word, I
have
come to
realise
that
many
students
hesitate
to teach
their
own
colleagues
or
harbour
reservations
regarding
their
ability
to carry
out an
unexpected
task.
Yet each
of us
has it
in us to
surpass
any
self-imposed
barriers
we may
have and
rise to
the
occasion,
as
needed.
Close
Conversations
with The
Lord
March 2,
1981
marked a
major
milestone
in our
lives.
That
day, our
house
help
came
late to
work.
When we
asked
her to
explain
her
tardiness,
she told
my
mother
that it
was due
to the
elaborate
cleaning
she did
at the
other
house
where
she was
working
and
added
that
Swami
was
visiting
that
house
that
evening,
which
belonged
to Dr.
Kuchela.
Immediately
my
mother
went to
that
doctor’s
house
and
requested
permission
for us
to be
present
when
Swami
came to
their
house,
However,
Dr.
Kuchela,
who was
the
Professor
and Head
of the
Department
of
Physics
at
Bangalore
University,
told my
mother
that
Swami’s
visits
are
meant
strictly
for the
inmates
of the
house
and it
was not
proper
on his
part to
agree to
her
request.
On my
mother’s
perseverance,
he
reluctantly
agreed
to allow
only my
parents
to come.
My
parents
reached
Dr.
Kuchela’s
house
before
Swami
arrived,
and when
they
disclosed
to their
host the
manner
in which
they had
slipped
out of
the
house
without
any of
us
knowing
anything
about
their
destination,
Dr.
Kuchela
yielded
and
called
the rest
of the
family
including
all the
children.
And so,
we were
all
present
for the
wonderful
darshan
and
discourse
of Swami
which
went on
for more
than two
and a
half
hours.
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Asha with Swami
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On this
very
same
occasion,
my
mother
requested
Swami to
perform
the
Upanayanam
(the
traditional
thread
ceremony)
of my
two
brothers,
and He
readily
agreed.
In a
private
ceremony,
that
lasted
about 45
minutes,
Swami
performed
their
Upanayanam
on May
22, 1981
in the
interview
room of
the old
bungalow
at
Whitefield.
It truly
was a
never-to-be-forgotten
event
for our
family.
Being
the
perfect
host,
Swami
had made
all
arrangements.
On
arrival
at
Brindavan,
we were
seated
at the
Kalyana
Mandapam
hall.
Swami
called
me even
before
physically
seeing
members
of our
family
and
asked me
to take
out a
stool
which
was
under
the
table
and keep
it close
to His
chair.
I was
left
wondering
about
the
reason
for this
unusual
move.
Then He
asked
all the
family
members
to come
to the
interview
room and
sit
down,
and then
made my
great-grand
mother
sit on
the
stool He
had made
me place
near
Him.
While
holding
my
great-grand
mother’s
hand, my
father
was
advising
her not
to step
on the
rangoli,
a
decorative
flower
arrangement
laid on
the
ground,
as she
walked
into the
interview
room,
but
Swami
immediately
remarked
“it
doesn’t
matter”,
demonstrating
His
compassion
and
consideration,
for
nothing
is too
small
for the
Lord!
After
the
thread
ceremony,
Swami
also
mentioned
that my
mother
had
slept
very
late the
previous
night
preparing
the
sweets
and
rinsing
in
turmeric
the new
towels
to be
worn by
my
brothers,
as per
the
tradition.
Those
days
Swami
used to
eat
paan
– the
betel
leaf.
When my
mother
asked my
brother
whether
he had
packed
“chunnam”
in the
bag,
Swami
replied
in
Konkani
(the
language
we spoke
at home)
that it
is in
the bag!
Truly,
nothing
escapes
the
attention
of the
all-knowing
Lord,
who is
conversant
with the
language
of the
heart.
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Swami with the boys in Muddenahalli
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My
father
harboured
the wish
that all
three of
his
children
should
be
blessed
to study
in
Swami’s
school
and
college.
With His
divine
grace,
this
wish
came to
fruition.
In 1981,
my
brother
was
fortunate
to be
accepted
at
Bhagavan’s
school
in
Muddenahalli.
Since he
wanted
to
pursue
engineering,
after
Grade
10, he
moved to
Bhagavan’s
college
in
Whitefield
to purse
his
pre-university
course.
My other
brother,
who was
interested
in
studying
Commerce,
joined
Swami’s
college
at
Prasanthi
Nilayam.
Thus,
both of
my
siblings
were
blessed
to be
His
students,
just as
my
father
had
wanted.
My turn
came in
the year
1984. On
the last
day of
my Grade
8 final
exams, I
saw
Swami in
a dream.
We were
in my
school
building
at
Bangalore,
and
Swami
told me:
“Come to
Puttaparthi
– this
school
is not
fit for
you”.
Even
though I
could
not
accompany
my
parents,
they
proceeded
to
Puttaparthi
to
request
Swami
for my
admission
in the
next
grade,
which
was IX
class.
Upon
reaching
Puttaparthi,
they
learnt
that the
last day
for
submitting
application
for
admission
was
over,
and they
were
perplexed
as to
what to
do next
as the
school
did not
accept
new
students
in the
next
grade
which
was the
X class.
This
meant
that we
would
have to
wait for
two
years
and try
to admit
me at
Anantapur
College
for my
pre-university
courses.
‘The
school
is built
for you’
- Baba
At this
moment
of
confusion,
by some
strange
co-incidence
or
should I
say
‘Sai-incidence’,
my
father
got the
chance
to sit
in a
good
spot at
darshan
and he
was able
to hand
over the
letter
about
the
matter
to
Swami.
While
the Lord
took the
letter
in His
hand, my
father
requested
Him to
admit me
in the
IX grade
for
which I
had
missed
the
deadline.
Swami
remarked,
“Bangaru
(golden
one),
the
school
is built
for you
– go and
talk to
them",
and
moved
forward
leaving
my
father
perplexed
as to
whom he
should
contact.
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In the year 1983, he was worried about a structural change in his company which would have affected him. Faced with the problem, he was able to pass on a letter to Swami, requesting His blessing. Though the reengineering envisaged by his management was implemented, by Swami’s Grace he was elevated to a higher position. |
Coming
out
after
the
darshan,
my
father
met a
friend
who
enquired
about
his
conversation
with
Swami.
My
father
explained
his
dilemma
to this
gentleman
as Swami
had not
mentioned
the name
of the
person
to be
contacted.
That
friend
advised
that my
father
should
contact
the
School
Administrator,
and
further
explained
where
and when
she
would be
available.
The
advice
relieved
my
father’s
tension
and
after
two
meetings
with the
concerned
official,
I was on
my way
to
joining
Grade
IX, at
His
school
in
Puttaparthi,
as per
Swami’s
command
in my
dream.
From
there, I
moved on
to His
college
at
Anantapur,
graduating
with a
B.A.
degree
in 1991.
Swami’s
grace
shielded
my
father
even in
his
professional
life. In
the year
1983, he
was
worried
about a
structural
change
in his
company
which
would
have
affected
him.
Faced
with the
problem,
he was
able to
pass on
a letter
to
Swami,
requesting
His
blessing.
Though
the
reengineering
envisaged
by his
management
was
implemented,
by
Swami’s
Grace he
was
elevated
to a
higher
position.
But the
interesting
part of
this is
yet to
follow.
When the
news of
his
promotion
came,
Swami
was at
Whitefield.
When my
parents
entered
the
Brindavan
Campus
there,
bhajans
had
started
and they
saw
Swami
coming
out of
the
Trayee
Brindavan
gate.
The
volunteer
on duty
in the
old
‘Sairam
Shed’
made my
father
squeeze
by the
back of
the
Krishna
statue.
My
father
had a
very
pleasant
surprise
to find
Swami
coming
straight
to him
and
saying
in
Kannada
“Santosha,
Santosha,
Bahala
Santosha”
meaning
“Happy,
Happy,
Very
Happy”.
My
father
conveyed
the good
news to
Swami
who
accepted
the
letter
and
granted
padanamaskar.
If this
was not
enough,
on the
ladies’
side, my
mother
too got
padanamaskar
and
Swami
accepted
a
similar
letter
from her
as well.
In 1987,
when I
was a
student
at
Anantapur
Campus,
during
one
particular
darshan,
Swami
enquired
why I
look
worried,
I
replied
that my
father
was
being
posted
at
Mumbai.
Swami
replied,
“Happy,
very
happy".
While
Anantapur
was
close to
Bangalore
and
Mumbai
was far
off, I
felt
reassured
by the
Lord
that
there is
nothing
to worry
even if
it means
my
parents
would
not be
able to
visit me
as
frequently
as they
used to
from
Bangalore.
Today,
this
message
resonates
with my
life
experiences
more
than
ever, as
I live
in
Malawi,
in
Central
Africa,
with my
husband
and son.
In every
situation
I
realise
that in
the end,
as long
as we
remember
Him as
our
constant
companion,
we have
every
reason
to be
“happy,
very
happy”,
as He
told me
to be
some 21
years
ago!
We are
grateful
to Swami
for His
presence
in our
lives,
His kind
guidance
in all
areas
and His
abundant
Grace
throughout.
The ball
now is
in our
court -
to prove
ourselves
worthy
of being
His
devotees.
May we
always
prove to
be His
loving
instruments!
Jai Sai
Ram
Artwork
created
by the
author
Source:
http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_07/01FEB09/07-Asha.htm
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