Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group III | Dr. P.V. Punnaiah

Dr. P.V. Punnaiah
37, Royal Plaza, Janakapuri
Karkhana, Secunderabad - 500 009
Tel: 040-2784 9090

Dr. P.V. Punnaiah (62), a retired Assistant Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Andhra Pradesh, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'I had the Darshan of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Sivam, Hyderabad in the eighties. My mother Mrs. Hanumayamma was a great devotee of Baba and provided inspiration to all of us to emulate her.

I came to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1987 to participate in veterinary medical camps. We conducted camps in a few surrounding villages. Swami addressed all those who participated in the camps. He advised us to take up similar seva activities wherever we were. 'You need not come all the way to Puttaparthi for that. I will be with you wherever you do seva', Swami told us.

Taking a cue from His advice, I conducted several camps in coordination with local Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithis and the help of my Department. All camps were held very successfully. Medicines poured in more than our expectations owing to Swami's grace. The companies themselves donated most of the medicines. In one or two camps, vibhuti came on Swami's photograph indicating His presence with us.

In 2001, we held a camp at Gollamudi. A day before the camp, there was a heavy downpour. Every one was apprehensive of conducting the camp as scheduled. But miraculously the rain stopped in the night. More amazing was that the ground where the camp was to be held dried up completely in spite of the downpour.

Same thing occurred in Atmakur, Nellore district. A day before the camp, there was heavy downpour but there was no hindrance to the camp. The donation of medicines by Companies for camps reached the peak crossing often 25 to 30 thousand Rupees in cost. For V. Kothapalem camp, it touched a record high of Rs. 45,000. All this was owing to His grace. Camps enabled us to take the veterinary care right to the doorstep of villagers in remote villages free of cost.

My son, Pratap Srikisan had a cardiac problem. We took him to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. In those days there was no Super Specialties Hospital in Puttaparthi. The veteran, Dr. Gopinath, examined him. The process of various tests dragged on for nearly two years. Finally a date for surgery was given. I wanted to get the operation done by Dr. Gopinath, but the Doctor felt that it was too minor for him to do personally. I prayed to Bhagavan. Unexpectedly, Dr. Gopinath informed us that he would personally do it. The change, I am sure, was owing to Swami's grace.

Just a few days before the surgery in 1981, the whole file relating to my son was missing. The Doctor declined to operate unless he had the file. The alternative was to do the tests all over again. It will take two years again. However much I pleaded, the doctors did not relent. When we were all sad on account of this, my sister, Mrs. Adilakshmi said, 'you go on praying to Baba. No one can help except Bhagavan'. She is an ardent devotee of Bhagavan.

I began doing Swami's sahasra namam and ashtottara satanamam, and we all began to pray to Swami fervently. After three days, I went to the hospital hoping against hope. The Record Room Assistant gave me a file and asked me to see if it was that of my son. It was humanly impossible to locate the misplaced file amidst 65000 files. 'How did you find it?' I asked. 'While searching for it, I noticed some paper stuck in the cobwebs behind the rack', he answered, 'when I looked, it was your file'. 'I see Bhagavan in you' I told that Assistant with folded hands. Thus Swami came to our rescue and saved my son. Owing to His grace, the operation was successful. My son has had no problem ever since.

In February 1992, we were in Pandillapalli near Chirala. We used to put a flower on Swami's photograph. One day I observed vibhuti emanating from the flower. We used to replace the flower. Next day vibhuti emanated in the new flower also. This went on for 5 to 6 days.

On October 7, 1992, we broke a coconut after bhajan. There was no water in it, but kumkum was in. At that time, my wife Mrs. Rukma Bai was oblivious of my presence. She came to the photograph of Bhagavan and sat near the photograph of Swami as if Swami was there in the chair. I was silently observing her. She held her hand as if Swami was giving some thing to her and wanted her to stretch her hand. Then vibhuti began to drop slowly into her hand. I could not see anyone, but could observe vibhuti falling from nowhere. I was so excited that I called my neighbour. She came and saw.

Earlier to this incident, that lady (my neighbour) was given vibhuti from a photograph of Swami in her house. After vibhuti came into the hands of my wife, my wife gradually came out of trance. She told me that she saw the right hand of Swami held to her. She went near and kneeled down holding her hand when Swami dropped vibhuti into her hand.

The lady who was our neighbour and who came to witness the miracle was issueless till that time. They used to feel anguish for lack of children. After a month or so, she became pregnant, and was blessed with children.

In 1994, I went to attend the house warming ceremony of the new house of my brother Mr. Venkateswarlu. They prepared poornalu - a sweet eatable for naivedyam. After bhajan, we saw that poornalu, kept as an offering before Swami's photograph, were full of vibhuti signifying the arrival of Bhagavan for the function.

In the same year, on the day of Mahashivarathri, I found vibhuti emanating in the book Sai Saccharitra which I was reciting then. Vibhuti came in that book on two Thursdays consecutively. I expected it to come on the third Thursday also - may be due to a streak of ego in my assumption, but it was not there. Later, vibhuti came, as I mentioned earlier, at the time of the house warming ceremony at Hyderabad in my brother's house on the sweet eatables, poornalu. That was on the fourth Thursday.

I had been to the USA in 2002. When I was in Detroit, I used to recite Sai Saccharitra - the same book in which vibhuti emanated in 1994. In August 2002, vibhuti came in the same book on a Saturday there. On the last Thursday of parayana, vibhuti appeared in the same book again.

I came to Prasanthi Nilayam in November 2004. I went back to Hyderabad by month-end. I had severe stomach pain on December 1 and underwent colonoscopy and other tests. On December 3, my problem was diagnosed as Caecal-amoebaeoma - nodular overgrowth in the caecum (large intestine) of 5 cms. large. Besides, there were polyps in ascending colon also. Usually, such overgrowth would be cancerous. But owing to Swami's grace, this was all non-malignant.

'This is a disease that comes to one in a lakh', the doctor told me, 'you have to undergo surgical correction'. The surgery was fixed for December 10, but the doctor, somehow, deferred it.

'Let us try medication first', he said, 'before we decide on operation'. These days there is a feeling in public that big hospitals go in for operation even in cases where medication would suffice. In my case, it is a miracle that the doctor deferred surgery, preferring medication in a clear case for surgical correction.

I used to smear vibhuti on the affected area of my stomach and in-take vibhuti daily. I used to pray to Bhagavan. The medication was worse than the disease. After 21 days, the doctor asked me to stop medication. I felt immense relief after stopping medicines; I underwent colonoscopy again. At that time some medical conference or seminar was taking place at Hyderabad. My case was selected as a typical one for display at the seminar. I was told that they displayed the video of colonoscopy at the beginning and also that done for the second time. All participants were saying that it was amazing that the tumour disappeared in such a short time without trace only with medication.

For my part, I have no doubt that it is only owing to Swami's grace that I am all right now. I have now come to Prasanthi Nilayam only to have Darshan of Bhagavan and pray to Him thankfully.

-- Dr. P.V. Punnaiah.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 19.03.2005.)