Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan | Group V | Dr. N. M. Alreja

Dr. N. M. Alreja,
South 1- B Floor,
Prasanthi Nilayam - 515134.

Dr. Narottam Maharaj Alreja (85) worked for a long time in the J.J.Hospital, Bombay as its Superintendent. On retirement, he joined Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam as its Superintendent in 1975. Ever since, he has been holding the post. A long standing devotee of Bhagavan very intimate to Him, Dr. Alreja, narrates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'In 1965, I went to Swami's ashram at Brindavan. There was one Mr. Dixit at the gate. He told me that Bhagavan had gone to Ooty and that He would come back in 2 or3 days' time. It was Thursday. About 9:30 a.m., when I was there, three cars arrived one after the other. In the second car was seated Bhagavan. At that time, there were about six persons only, who stood in line with folded hands. When He passed me, He enquired, 'Doctor, when did you come from Bombay? And what do you want?' I replied that I came the previous day and wanted an interview with Swami. He said 'I will call you'. Then He went inside the bungalow. After 45 minutes, He came out in a car and went to the city.

He returned at 4.p.m. By that time about 100 people had gathered. He parked the car by my side, but did not call me. At about 5.15 p.m., Dixit started to close the main gates. I told him that Bhagavan had told me that He would give me an interview, and that Mr. Dixit should kindly find out. He said 'come tomorrow'. While this talk was going on, a watchman from the bungalow came running and asked, 'any Bombay doctor is there? Swami is calling him.' I rushed to the verandah of the bungalow and went inside leaving my wife outside sitting in a chair in the verandah. Swami looked at me and enquired 'why do you want an interview?' I replied 'I seek your sparshan, sambhashan and blessings.' Swami again asked 'what do you want?' I replied 'by Your grace I do not need anything'. He said 'still you may want something'. This promoted me to ask 'what can you give?' He said 'you ask anything, I will give'. My head started reeling, and then I realized that my buddhi was cautioning me not to ask for any material thing. Swami said 'yes, I know your buddhi is paripakva (ripe) enough. What do you want?'

I said 'I want shraddha and bhakti.' Then He embraced me. My hair stood on its end and the tiresomeness in me disappeared. When I touched His feet, I felt that I was touching the feet of my earlier preceptor. Thus I was totally subdued and I surrendered at His Lotus Feet.

Later on, at Dharmakshetra, Mumbai, He gave me a mantra 'Sai Krishna' along with a lingam to do abhishekam and drink the water every morning. I joined the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital in 1975 during the Bhagavan's 50th Birthday celebrations.

My sister Shanthi had a tumour in her left breast. A doctor colleague of mine in the hospital wanted a needle biopsy done for her. Accordingly, the biopsy was done. The report showed malignant cancer. She was shown to Dr. Ramdas, a surgeon at the Tata Memorial Hospital. He fixed a date for operation. Meanwhile, I went to Swami and explained to Him thus: 'My younger sister has cancer on her left breast and she is to be operated upon'.

Swami gave me seven packets of vibhuti and enquired if she had any faith in Him. I said 'I don't know that'. Then I gave her the vibhuti packets to be applied on the malignant part everyday for seven days. The operation was fixed for the fourth day, but Dr. Ramdas got a call from Madras for an urgent operation. He went to Madras and my sister's operation was postponed to the 16th day. By that time, my sister had completed applying the seven packets of vibhuti on the affected portion as prescribed by Swami. Further reports of investigations done showed there was only inflammation of tissues, but no malignancy. The original slide showing malignancy and the recent one with non-malignant tissues were shown to an expert, Dr. Purandare, oncologist, for opinion. He opined that the first slide showed severe malignancy whereas the other showed no trace of cancer.

Once I was called upon to do a post-mortem on the body of one Joseph about 45 years of age which was found in a well in the second week of June 1970. After the post-mortem, I gave the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning. In the middle of August, a Police Inspector came and told me that he and I were in trouble as the body had to be exhumed and a second post-mortem done. I told him 'you look after yourself and when the time comes, I know what to so.' As informed by the Police Inspector, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. John Croft and the Police Surgeon Dr. Majumdar came to the hospital and told me that the body had to be exhumed and repost mortemed. We went to the cemetery of the Church where the body was buried. The priest showed the chart and the coffin was taken and kept in the open. I told Mr. John Croft that as per rules a fresh panchanama had to be done. He called upon the brother of the deceased and his relatives to show us the injuries and fractures as complained by them. They turned the body upside down, but no injuries or fractures were found.

The Commissioner of Police rebuked the relatives for making false allegation. The Police Surgeon Dr. Majumdar took a copy of my previous post-mortem report and wrote 'cause of death: asphyxia due to drowning.' After the post-mortem was over, it started raining. I ran to my car and got inside. I suddenly realized that the body was as fresh as when I had first conducted the post-mortem. Was it saponification or mummification? I went back to the Church later and told them to take off the lid over the coffin and, to my surprise, I found a conglomeration of decomposed flesh instead of the body.

Subsequently, when I met Swami next time, I asked Him about this miracle. He said 'I kept the body fresh for two months as one piece to preserve your integrity and good name.'

Once I was sitting in the verandah of the mandir and evening bhajan was going on. In the middle of the bhajan, Swami came out in the varendah and told me that He had received a telegram that Kumar's (an alumnus of the Bhagavan's Institute) mother, Smt. Seethalakshmi was seriously ill and that I should go and see her.

I went to her room and found her unconscious. There was an insulin needle and insulin vial lying on the table nearby. I knew that she was a diabetic. She was in hypoglycaemia. I put glucose in her mouth along with water. I repeated the process till she recovered.

I went back to the verandah and told Swami 'she had taken insulin without having food.' I further told Him 'I did not see the postman with telegram'. Swami said that her son had prayed before Swami's photograph to look after his mother and that was the telegram. This is enough to prove Swami's omnipresence.

Once swami called me to His residence at 1:30 p.m. and said that He was feeling uneasy and asked me to take count of His blood pressure. He always allowed me to take BP on His right side. When I took BP, it was 80/56 and pulse rate 48 per minute. He looked at me and enquired whether there was anything serious. I said 'there cannot be anything serious with Swami'. He said 'the expression on your face changed.' Then I said 'I want to take BP on the left side.' When I took BP, it was 120/80 and the pulse rate was 72 per minute. 'Now come out with your diagnosis' He said. I replied: 'You got a heart attack with a blockage of the artery. You say that you are Siva Shakti Swarupa. Siva on the right side had taken over the heart attack of a Siva bhakta. On the left side, Shakti aspect was unaffected. This proves medically that you are Siva Shakti.' Swami said 'see, on the right chest and arm, there is hair. On the left side of my chest and arm, there is no hair. I have got a mole on the left cheek. When you look at my back, I look like a lady and from the front side My face is that of Siva'.

I pleaded to Him to take some rest. Swami asked me 'how can I take rest and not come out for darshan when so many devotees are waiting?' I further requested 'for today evening at least, You just come to mandir for bhajan, take Arati and go back.'

-- Dr. N. M. Alreja

(Source: The devotee's article in the special souvenir Tribute published by the Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust on the occasion of the 80th Birthday of Bhagavan.)