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How Baba was simultaneously
present in Venkatagiri and Manjeri
“Baba Appeared in front of My
House”
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
This is an
incredible miracle
that demonstrates
how limitations of
time and space can
never bind Bhagawan
in His task of
ensuring the joy and
happiness of His
devotees. Indeed,
events surrounding
this story are so
incredible, that
Prof. Kasturi took
great pains to
convince himself of
its authenticity.
His sedulous efforts
culminated in the
narrative that
follows:
On Sunday, the 13th
day of December
1964, Baba was at
Venkatagiri town. He
had reached the
place a few days
earlier in
connection with a
heavy schedule of
discourses in
Chittoor and Nellore
Districts, in Andhra
Pradesh. On that
very day, about 8
a.m., "Baba
surprisingly
appeared in front of
my house", says, U
Ram Mohan Rao,
Superintendent of
the Junior Technical
School, Manjeri (28
miles south of
Calicut on the West
Coast, in the State
of Kerala).
As the crow flies,
the distance between
Manjeri and
Venkatagiri is more
than 600 miles! But
distance is only a
game that Baba plays
to keep us, poor
mortals, apart.
We shall listen to
Sri Ram Mohan Rao
describing this
visit, "My wife and
I were indoors with
our daughter. The
maid told us that a
Sadhu (sage) had
come. We went out to
see who it was and
we were surprised to
see Sri Sathya Sai
Baba!
Baba said, Hari Om,
Shanti, Shanti,
Shanti; we
prostrated ourselves
at His Feet. We led
Baba into the
officer room, but,
on the way, He saw
our Pooja room where
His Photo was hung,
along with several
holy pictures. He
said He would sit in
the Pooja room
itself. He told us
that He had come to
us that day, being
very pleased with
the Bhakthi
(devotion) of
Sailaja, my
daughter. He asked
me to send word to
devotees if any were
available, for
Bhajan and Pravachan
(discourse).
"He sent word to his
neighbours and
people collected
immediately", says
Ramesh Rao, his
cousin. "Swami sang
the bhajans
‘Nandamukunda
Sayinatha’, ‘O
Bhagavan’, ‘Jayaram
Jayaram’, along with
the devotees. After
Bhajan, He talked to
me in Tamil, to my
wife in Canarese and
to the others in
mixed dialect of
Tamil-Malayalam. He
blessed us by the
gift of a Sankhamala
(rosary of small
conch-shells) and
Himself placed it on
His own photograph.
He told me that my
father had decided
on a rite to
propitiate the
Snake-God
(Sarpasamskaram) at
Bangalore on 25th
February, Thursday
('My day' He added),
but He told me that
he need not perform
it, since He had
already wiped off
the calamity it was
intended to avert
and the sacrilege it
was designed to
atone.
He took some light
refreshment. Then,
He told the persons
around Him that all
will be anxiously
awaiting Him at
Kalahasti. So, He
took leave of us and
asking us not to
follow Him, went
through the gate. He
disappeared in a few
seconds. We all felt
happy at this
unexpected Darshan
and were struck by
his miraculous
disappearance”
But, this was not
all. In the letter
written by Sri Ram
Mohan Rao to Prof.
Kasturi he goes on
to describe
Bhagawan’s next
visit to Manjeri:
"24th December,
Thursday, was a
holiday; we felt
lonely since our
daughter, Sailaja,
was away at
Mangalore. So we
went out in the
afternoon to visit
some friends and
returned home at
6-30 p.m. We were
shocked to see the
lights burning
within the house.
My wife asked me
whether I had
forgotten to switch
off all the lights.
I first examined the
lock of the main
door and finding it
intact, went round
the house to see
whether the other
doors were bolted
from within. They
seemed alright.
Then, both of us
came to the front
door, opened the
lock and walked in.
We found everything
intact. All the
lights were on. And
Baba was in our
Prayer room!
We prostrated
ourselves at His
feet. He asked us
(in Kannada) whether
we were afraid! We
replied that we were
very lucky and that
we left very happy!
Baba said that He
had come because we
were lonely and
said, 'Let us sing
Bhajans. If Sailaja
were here, she would
have liked to sing',
He said. He sang a
few Bhajans. He took
food later, we
discussed some
general topics
together. Then, Baba
retired for the
night.
Early next morning,
Baba had His bath;
He had coffee with
us and then,
discoursed on Bhakti
and the basic Truth
of Nature. All of a
sudden, we saw a
rosary of Rudraksha
beads in His hand;
He put it on my neck
with His Blessings,
with the direction
that I should wear
it during my Sandhya
(evening prayer)
rites. After those
rites, I was to
place it on Baba's
photograph.
We had breakfast
together. The Puja
room was decorated
specially with
garlands and
flowers. Bhajan
began. Meanwhile,
devotees came to
know that Baba had
come; so they too
assembled for
Bhajan. Baba
discoursed on
Bhakthi in the
Tamil-Malayam
dialect. He granted
every one the
coveted interview.
At 12 Noon, Baba
himself waved the
Sacred light of
Mangalarathi and
distributed
Prasadam, to every
one present. The
quarter kilogram of
dates that I had,
sufficed for 100
persons!
We had our lunch
with Baba. He rested
for a couple of
hours and we had
'tea' at 4-30 p.m.
Then He told us that
several devotees
were eagerly waiting
for Him at
Kalahasti. He
blessed us again,
when we fell at His
feet. At 5 p.m. He
went out on the road
through the gate and
suddenly
disappeared. What a
wonderful miracle!
We could not believe
our own eyes!”
Nor could I, without
confirmation through
independent sources!
Baba had given
Darshan to persons
in distress in
distant places but
nowhere, so far as
we knew, did He stay
so long and so
concretely. It was
too overpoweringly
unscientific!
I wrote a letter to
two friends, P.K.
Panikkar and P.A.
Menon in Kerala
enclosing a list of
84 questions for
which I wanted them
to find answers at
Manjeri. They
proceeded to Ram
Mohan Rao's house
and sent me a
comprehensive
report, which dotted
all the 'i's and
crossed all the 't's
of his letter to me!
Ram Mohan Rao and
his wife told them
that Baba was
wearing a yellow
gown on the 13th
December; He walked
in, barefooted and
went into the shrine
room saying, "I
shall go into My own
place." My
friends saw the
picture on which the
rosary of Rudraksha
beads were placed.
It had a thick
outgrowth of sacred
ash in a few days.
Strangely enough,
the face of Baba was
clear but from the
outer area in the
picture, “there fell
a continuous shower
of Vibhuthi dust
which was being
collected and
distributed with the
reverence due to the
divinely created
gift of Grace!”
The report further
went on to mention:
“Rao and his wife
have been devoted to
Shirdi Sai Baba for
many years; they
have not visited
Prasanthi Nilayam,
but they had secured
a picture of Sathya
Sai Baba seven years
ago and placed it
amidst the other
pictures in their
shrine. When Baba
sat in the shrine
room and leaned
against the wall,
right under His own
picture, they saw
that the picture was
genuine! That was
the first time they
saw Him; they had
borrowed the book
'Sathyam Shivam
Sundaram' from a
friend to read it.
They thought that
Baba had by
happenstance come to
Calicut or some
nearby town and had
decided to bless
them by this visit.
When Mrs. Rao was
listing her sorrows
to Baba encouraged
by His overflowing
love, Baba said,
‘sorrow and pain are
the lot of all;
don't you know that
both sisters of this
body are widowed?’
When Sailaja asked
Baba for a Bhajan
Book, Baba said,
"Palghat Menon has
brought 400 Bhajan
books, printed in
Malayalam, to
Prasanthi Nilayam. I
shall give you one".
So saying Baba held
His palm upside
down, waved it twice
and caught with His
fingers the book
that appeared and
gave it to the girl.
We saw it! It was
the same book, with
the blue paper
cover! Sailaja had
great faith in Baba,
since her eczema on
the foot was cured
by Baba a year ago,
in answer to her
pleading before His
picture.
When he was asked to
bring some persons
for Bhajan, Rao did
not go far, for he
did not desire to
miss Baba's company
for long. He brought
in the owner of his
house, an old
gentlemen, by name
Thalayur Moosad and
his 5-year old
daughter; he brought
the widow of
Madhavan Nair, the
founder of the
renowned Malayalam
newspaper,
'Mathrubhoomi', and
his sister.
Baba asked Moosad,
‘What ails your
leg?’. He gave
Him an account of
his disease and
prayed for some
drug. Baba told him,
‘The course of
treatment you are
now undergoing is
enough.’ Mrs.
Rao is now sending
him the Vibhuthi
Baba showers from
His picture; he
finds it very
effective.
The widow told Him
of her diabetes. "I
am getting bags and
bags of rice from my
fields; but I cannot
eat a grain," she
said, Baba replied
in Malayalam. ‘It
is the result of
your past Karma’.
He asked Rao to
bring an empty
glass. When Baba
held it in His Hand,
it was full of a
pink liquid. He gave
it to her. ‘Take
this thrice daily
for 3 days; you can
then eat any
quantity of rice you
like.’
“One cynic was
there, among the
rest. Baba knew it
and so He jocularly
asked Ram Mohan Rao
to bring a pair of
scissors and He
asked the fellow to
cut for Himself a
single hair from His
Head! The man tried
hard but failed,
whereupon a bigger
pair was brought at
His command. This
time too he failed.
So, he put down his
head and walked away
without a word,"
writes U.N. Ramesh
Rao, Rao's cousin,
who visited Manjeri
soon after this
incident.
Baba sang four songs
in all, during the
Bhajan, asking the
gathering too to
sing them after Him
in chorus. They
were: 'O! Bhagavan',
'Pahi Pahi
Gajanana', 'Shiva
Shiva Shiva' and
'Omkara Priya Sai
Ram'.
"We saw the
Sankhamala, the
rosary of small
conch-shells," says
the report. "It is
of the type
available at
Kanyakumari, each
shell being no
bigger than a seed
of pepper. They are
white in colour,
with brown dots.
There are 108 of
them in the rosary,
created and given by
Baba. When we saw
it, Vibhuthi had
heaped itself over
the beads. The
rosary of Rudraksha
beads also was
examined by us. Baba
told them that,
until he could
string them in gold,
they should place it
on the picture.
Baba also created an
orange-size
bell-metal drinking
cup with a spout and
gave it to Sailaja.
He created a piece
of scarlet silk
cloth with borders
of gold thread, and,
presenting it to the
girl, asked Rao to
have a jacket sewn
for her. He gave Rao
additional Vibhuthi
and Kumkum created
on the spot to be
given to "Calicut"
(meaning U.N. Ramesh
Rao, his cousin
living there). Baba
left at 11 a.m. on
the 13th, saying,
"I have to keep to a
programme at
Kalahasti."
They did not then
know that Kalahasti
was about 20 miles
from Venkatagiri.
They were too
aggrieved at His
resolve to leave to
ask where it was. He
said, "No one
need come with me."
He closed the
gate behind Him and
disappeared!
The second visit was
on a Thursday. Mrs.
Rao was afraid to
approach the house,
since the lights
were on. Rao opened
the lock and
entered. He saw Baba
in the shrine,
sitting leaning
against the wall.
Baba asked him in
Tamil, "Are you
afraid, seeing me?"
"I have come to
join your Bhajan",
He assured him.
Rao had brought some
dried dates from the
bazaar; he gave the
plate into the hands
of Baba for
distribution; he
felt that He alone
could make it
suffice for all
those who were
present. Baba
entered the kitchen
and protested
against the dish of
'Kheer' being
prepared. He did not
"relish that sweet
dish".
"This is enough
for six", He
said! They had
cooked only for two
but, after dinner,
food for three more
was available. Next
morning, the couple
partook of it as
sacramental food.
Before retiring for
the night, Baba
removed one picture
of His from the
shrine and hung it
on a nail in the bed
room. "Let it be
here", He said.
From that picture
too, Vibhuthi is
showering in large
quantities now.
Rao peeped through a
slit in the door to
find out whether
Baba was sleeping
well, but he saw Him
sitting up, most of
the time, 'lost in
thought, as one in
reverie.'
Next morning, Baba
had His bath and
breakfast. When the
housewife started
preparing 'festive
dishes,' He noticed
her enthusiasm and
warned that He would
leave without eating
anything at all; He
insisted that only
their daily menu
should be given to
Him. He discoursed
to them of
Sankaracharya being
caught while young
by the crocodile
(Maya) in the river
Poorna (Brahma) and
saved by
renunciation
(Sanyas). He spoke
of Shirdi Sai Baba,
and about Lord
Subrahmanya.
While speaking of
Subrahmanya, He
created a thin plate
of gold, drew on it
with His nail the
picture of
Subrahmanya on a
peacock and rolling
it directed her to
wear it around her
neck, inside a
golden cylinder, to
be made later. He
said jocularly,
"Sorry! I have no
gold!"
Prof. Kasturi ends
the narration of
this incredible
incident saying –
“This is perhaps the
most dramatic,
detailed and
authentic narrative
of the multilocative
miracle performed by
Bhagawan Sri Sathya
Sai Baba.”
Reference: “Sathyam
Shivam Sundaram” Vol
– II, by Prof. N
Kasturi. Page:
92-99. Published by
Sri Sathya Sai Books
and Publications
Trust, Prasanthi
Nilayam.
Courtesy:
http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pages/Devotees_Experiences/Manifesting_Baba_Appeared.htm
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