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Oh! I am a Chowkidar (watchman)
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
On another
occasion group captain Bose, driving with his wife and father-in-law
from Ambala to Gauhati in a high powered car with low clearance was
unable to move on the slushy road near Hariharganj. The entire area
was dangerously flooded by serpentine heavy rains; the road was a
lake. The back wheels of the car sank completely into the mud, while
up front, one wheel was stuck in a ditch! At that late hour of 11.30
p.m. no help was available, nor would it have been of much avail
since all efforts to free her only succeeded in making her sink
deeper.
The occupants were
able to procure shelter in a nearby school, and slept on bare
benches at night. Mrs. Bose felt that Baba had spared them a long
and hazardous journey, driving through the night, but her husband
was determined to reach Gauhati where he had to preside over a Court
Martial. "Duty is God. Work is Worship," he quoted Baba.
When dawn broke,
no passing car or truck would agree to help, nor would the small
crowd of amused villagers lift a finger! Their enjoyment of the
pitiable spectacle only fanned the flames of despair. Unfortunately
Mr. Bose had a little bit of ego left in him; he decided to rely on
horse power rather than Sai Power! Ropes were procured, but the car
would not move; the engine was restarted, but she only sank further
into the slush. Eventually, an exhausted Bose flopped to the ground,
saying, "The Lotus Feet of Baba is our only refuge." Almost
immediately a gentle looking man with a strong physique came towards
them. No one seemed to recognize him, nor could they guess his
whereabouts. Handing his umbrella to Mrs. Bose, he became master of
the situation. Bose was asked to get into the car and take the wheel
- a sweet fragrance flooded the interior, but before the engine
could be switched on, or the gaping crowd could offer assistance,
Mrs. Bose saw the man 'put his right hand under the bumper, and with
one lift, he placed the car forward upon hard ground, all wheels
safe out of the awful mire.' Then all the occupants were requested
to get into the car! Puzzled, they tried to thank him and to ask
who, and what he was, "Oh, I am a Chowkidar (watchman)," he
said, and walked away. Disengaging itself from the now vociferous
crowd, the car moved away, and soon caught up with the man, walking
briskly down the road. Bose begged the man to accept something but
he refused. Then He spoke one sentence, "Why did you not call for
me last night itself?" The Lotus Feet had indeed come to them!
From: Sathyam Shivam Sundaram. The
Life of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - Part III
Written by N. Kasturi M.A., B.L.
Source:
http://www.saibaba.ws/avatar/sss/sss3.htm
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