Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group I | Mr. B.Lakshminarayana

Mr. B. Lakshminarayana
209, Garden Manor Apartments
Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082
Tel: 040-55660643
E-mail: lakshmirao_99@yahoo.com

Mr. B. Lakshminarayana (49), a Software Engineer from the I.I.S. with a 8-year stint in lucrative placement in the USA, has the good fortune of being under the personal care and guidance of Bhagavan since his student days. He has now returned to India. Presently he is the Director of a Software Company. He narrates a few of his experiences in his own words.

'It was in May 1980. My wife, Mrs. Sandhya had been to her parents' house for delivery. The date for the delivery indicated by the Doctor was around May 31. But on 28th May, her BP had come down. She was admitted in a Nursing Home. The Doctor, after examining her, said that the child was not getting oxygen (asphyxiation) and that she should be under observation.

We were very much upset and sent a telegram to Bhagavan who was, then, at Brindavan. We applied vibhuti on the forehead and stomach of my wife and gave a little of it with water as teertham. In the early hours of the 29th, we received a telephone call from the Hospital and rushed there. The Doctor said that the child inside the womb was getting convulsions. 'Unless the baby is taken out by caesarian, it would get further complicated', she said. The situation, we were told, was critical. The chances of survival of the baby were around 20%. We telephoned to Brindavan. Mr. Ramabrahmam lifted the phone. He said that Swami was leaving by air for New Delhi. He promised to take our problem to His notice if he would get an opportunity to do so.

On the 29th of May, Doctors performed the caesarian. A male child was born, but it was getting severe and frequent convulsions. The chances of its survival had come down, after delivery, to a mere 1%. They kept my wife under complete sedation lest she should know the position of the baby and become worried and anxious. My mother and I had been praying to Bhagavan intensely.

Just then we received a telephone call from the Hyderabad airport that Bhagavan was there during a transit halt en-route to Delhi and that He wanted my mother and me to meet Him at the airport at once. We rushed there at once. Knowing that Bhagavan would be at the airport for sometime, they arranged Bhajan. Bhagavan came to us direct and said, 'don't worry. I will give you vibhuti. Apply it to the baby daily. Come to Puttaparthi after three months with the child'. Bhagavan materialized vibhuti and gave us. My mother was one of the very few persons who could speak to Bhagavan freely and frankly. 'Don't play with us Bhagavan!' My mother told Bhagavan, 'by the time we go to the Hospital, the baby might not survive. Doctors said that its brain collapsed'.

'Boy is normal', Bhagavan said emphatically. 'Those who say the boy's brain collapsed have no brains. Don't delay. Go to the Hospital without waiting for the Bhajan to end'.

We returned to the Hospital. While we were talking with Bhagavan at the airport, here the child was beginning to show signs of recovery. Doctors said that it was a miracle that the boy was alive at all. 'His brain was damaged. He should be on continuous and expensive medication. Even if he survives, his will be a life of a vegetable', they added.

After administering vibhuti, we started medication, too. The improvement in the boy was rapid and marked though he was getting occasional convulsions. After three months we went to Prasanthi Nilayam. Bhagavan was kind enough to call us for interview.

'Throw away the medicines', Bhagavan told us, 'if you have faith in me'.

'The EEG report says his brain was damaged. His would be a life of a vegetable', we submitted.

'Put aside the EEG report', Bhagavan said. 'Far from leading the life of a vegetable, he will become an engineer, take up a good job and will go abroad. I am telling you'.

Swami materialized vibhuti and applied it on the head of my son. He materialized a talisman as Raksha for the boy.

We stopped all medication at Prasanthi Nilayam itself. On return to Hyderabad, our son was improving rapidly. On the insistence of our Doctor, we took EEG again. 'Is this the same boy?' the Doctor wondered on seeing the EEG report. 'It is quite normal'.

My son passed BE and worked here for sometime. He is going to the USA to study MS (Computers), just as Bhagavan predicted when the boy was a few months old. It is Bhagavan who performed Namakarana (christening the child) for him as Sai Ramakrishna (Sai is a prefix indicating Bhagavan's name and blessing; Ramakrishna is my Father's name). He performed Aksharabhyasam also to him.

During 1992, we were in Atlanta, USA. Those were the days after Bhagavan's Birthday in November. We went to a market in the suburbs and were returning by car. I was driving. Our two sons were in the front while my wife and an Indian lady were in the back. As I was turning from a lane to a bigger road, I misjudged the position and did not yield place to the vehicle passing straight into the lane from the bigger road in the opposite direction, as was required by road rules there.

The car coming speedily in the opposite direction hit mine at the front right (on the side I was sitting) side and flew into the air owing to the impact, made three somersaults and fell down on the road. My car came to a grinding halt. It seemed that there was no chance of any survivors in both the cars. None of us, however, were injured owing to Bhagavan's grace except for a minor scratch suffered by my wife. My car was not damaged though it suffered a dent. All persons travelling in the other car also escaped unhurt.

In fact, it was they who could come out of their car fast and came to me while I was still dazed. They accosted me. 'Hey man! Don't be in shock. We are all ok. Insurance will take care of car damage'. In fact, their car was smashed completely. I was in the wrong and in a foreign country and the accident was serious. Had anything happened to them, I would surely have landed in jail. I did not get even a red mark on my license. Such was the grace of Bhagavan.

In 1997, we came from the USA to Prasanthi Nilayam. Madurai Paduga Trust was organizing Paduka Pooja then at Prasanthi Nilayam. We enlisted and sat for the Pooja with a pair of silver padukas along with a number of others. Bhagavan came along the Pooja lines in Purnachandra Auditorium and saw us. He was happy that we were in the Paduka Pooja, spoke to us and blessed us all by sprinkling Akshatas on all those performing Paduka Pooja.

Later, we returned to the USA and landed in Dallas where we kept our car before coming to India. The person with whom I left my car is a devotee of Swami. He organized Bhajan in his house welcoming Padukas of Bhagavan. That was a Saturday. Everything went on well.

On Sunday evening we left Dallas for Austin in our car with Padukas; my second son, my wife and I were travelling. I was driving. It was a Highway. I was speeding along my line when I noticed that a truck was trying to merge into my lane. I could not understand why that fellow was doing so. It was unexpected. I blew horn though usually we avoid blowing horn there. The truck was still merging in my lane without caring for my horn. I looked and found that no vehicle was coming on the lane on my left. So I tried to take a turn into the lane on my left.

As I did so, my car racing along at high speed, went out of control and seemed to be heading into the divider. At that point the divider was like a lawn. It was not wide. Had my car crossed the divider, it would have collided with the traffic coming in the opposite direction. It would have been a calamity.

My wife began praying aloud 'Sai Ram, Sai Ram' in alarm. I was literally stunned at what was happening. Though I did not say aloud 'Sai Ram' like my wife, I was conscious of Bhagavan and just gave up driving. I do not want to use words like 'total surrender'. I can say that I sat doing nothing. I was no longer in control of my car. An unseen hand had taken over from me and was steering the car. My car, as though moving by itself, had veered into the lane without running on to the divider and came to a halt.

A second before, it was heading speedily towards the divider. How did it turn into the lane? Traffic was passing smoothly on both sides unmindful of our existence. Whose was that unseen hand that steered my car to safety? Who but Bhagavan could do that?

My wife was thinking that I had driven well and averted a calamitous accident. She heaved a sigh as if saying 'well done'

'I did not do anything. I gave up long back', I told her. 'It was Bhagavan, not figuratively but literally, that had averted the accident; not me!'

In 1998, we came to Prasanthi Nilayam. Ashadhi Celebrations were going on in Purnachandra Auditorium. I was sitting in the 10th line or so. Bhagavan sent word for me to come to the front. When I went to the front, Bhagavan blessed me by placing His hand on my head to signify how he had saved us on our way to Austin.

I always cherish that momentous Divine Bliss of His protective Hand on my head!'

-- Mr. B. Lakshminarayana

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 17.07.2004.)