Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group I | Mr. D.Narasimha Reddy

Mr. D. Narasimha Reddy,
Sri Sai Prasanthi Enterprises,
Main Road, Puttaparthi - 515 134
Tel: 08555-287659 / 287863

Mr. Dodda Narasimha Reddy (67) belongs to an agriculatural family. He lost his wife, lost heavily in agriculture and was down with cancer when Swami helped him to turn the corner in a miraculous way. He narrates his experiences hereunder.

'I was born in an agricultural family in Ayyavaripalle, Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh. I purchased some lands in Balaganuru area of Raichur District, Karnataka, and settled there in 1967. I came to Puttaparthi with some friends and had darshan of Bhagavan in 1973 for the first time. I was certain even then that Sri Sathya Sai was God-incarnation. I was regretting why I had not come to such a holy place till then. From that year, I used to come to Puttaparthi on all festival occasions.

In 1975, I raised cotton and suffered heavy loss. Since then I faced many difficulties. My wife passed away in 1975, leaving three small kids and me.

I later went to Ballari and stayed with my younger brother. Then I had an attack of cancer and took chemotherapy at Bangalore. As I saw one patient after another passing away with cancer, I lost hope and decided to go the Puttaparthi and be there. I came to the conclusion that instead of dying in a new place, it would be better to be near Swami, and die in His divine presence. On seeing my poor attire and sickly face, the person in-charge of the shed (dormitory) in Prasanthi Nilayam did not allow me in, even though he had known me well. I stayed outside in a rented room for sometime.

One night, I suffered a bout of severe stomachache and had nausea and a few vomiting. When I was crying 'Baba, Baba' with pain, I heard a voice telling me, 'why do you cry like that? You have Betnasal tablets in your pocket. Take three with a glass of water. You will be all right'. I got up and looked around, but could find no one.

Again the same voice was heard uttering the same words. Hospital people had given me 20 tablets. They were there in my pocket. I took three of them, swallowed with a glass of water and lay down. The nausea and vomiting subsided. I could sleep well. I got ready for Darshan the next morning.

Previously they gave some injections to my feet in the hospital. As I was a diabetic, boils developed there. So I bandaged them and went for Darshan. I got the first line. I sat resting my head on my knees, lamenting my fate. Swami came to me and I prostrated. Swami moved forward a few paces and laughed aloud. I thought that Swami laughed because I was crying being a male person. Swami called some people for interview and I was not one of them.

One of my friends, Sri Venkayya took me to his room to stay with him, as I could not afford rented accommodation. I came to Puttaparthi on the night of June 13. Swami did not call me for interview even for a month. I was frustrated that Swami would not call me for interview. 'He gives interviews only to big shots but not a destitute like me. Why should He call me? What great things did I do?' - I was thinking.

On July 2 I was in the Darshan lines. I sat keeping my head on my knees, as was my wont when in distress. I was literally weeping considering my bad luck. I did not even notice Swami coming along the Darshan lines. Then someone stepped on my toe. I lifted my head only to find Swami before me. 'Swami had come. I did not notice. What a fool I am?' - thinking thus, I caught hold of Swami's feet, put my head on them and paid respects. Swami bent a little, touched me on my shoulder and directed me towards the interview room. I got up and ran towards the interview room. Swami came and called me in. As soon as I went in, I fell on the feet of Swami and wept unabashedly.

'Why do you cry?' Swami told me caressingly. 'Why fear when I am here?'

'You have to look after my children, Swami!' I cried. 'Doctors told me that I am suffering from cancer'

'Did Doctors say so?' Swami asked. 'Don't worry. I will cancel the cancer. I will take care of you. God gives pains and pleasures'.

After a few seconds, 'Oh! You don't have any money! Isn't it? I will give you all again. Your children and yourself will be ok'.

Suddenly Swami's face changed. Till then he was smiling, pleasant and re-assuring. But now He turned ferocious. How can I describe it? Large-sized head, His mouth was like a mountain cave. Am I looking at Lord Narasimha? I was terrified. I was in doubt whether it was real Swami, or whether I was seeing something different? I bent, and held the feet of Swami and sat still. I could not look at Him. Swami caught hold of my shoulders and raised me to my feet. Now He was in a pleasant mood again. 'Within a month', Swami declared, 'all your problems would be solved'. He gave me fistful of vibhuti packets. My interview came to an end.

I was in the shed for a couple of years serving Swami. A few days after my interview, I had a violent attack of cough in one night. I vomited blood. Those, who were by my side, thought that I might not survive till dawn. I was praying to Swami. In fact, I too lost hope. I did not know when I had fallen into deep slumber. When I woke up, I was better. Cough and vomiting ceased. Cancer has never bothered me since then. Swami literally cancelled it.

One day Swami told me to go, see the children and come back. I went and returned after spending a few weeks with my children.

One day, after the interview was over, I met Sri Madiraju Venkateswara Rao. I had known him ever since my first visit to Puttaparthi. First he could not place me as I became very lean due to cancer. Then he asked me it I had money, and gave me Rs. 300. 'This is all I have at present', he said. After going to Hyderabad, he sent Rs. 7000 by Money Order. With that I could pull on for a year.

One night Swami came into my dream. As I was pressing swami's feet (legs) and chatting, my second son Srinivas and third son Raghavendra came there. I told Swami, 'these are my sons' and asked them to prostrate before Swami. Swami put his foot on Raghavendra's head, I saw Swami's leg bleeding. The dream ended.

After Darshan the next day, my brother-in-law Ranga Reddy came to me and said, 'one bull attacked your son Raghavendra at your people's house in Nagarjuna Sagar camp. Its horn pierced his thigh. He fell unconscious. Later, he got up'. I quietly listened to him and asked, 'how is he now?'

'A Doctor from Balaganur cleaned the wound and dressed it. He put nine stitches; Ranga Reddy told me. 'The strange thing was that, though the wound was a big one, there was no bleeding! Come, let us go'.

'Swami appeared in my dream last night', I told him. 'He took on himself the bleeding of my son. He is looking after my children; there is no need for me to go there!'

After a couple of months, I went to see my children and stayed for 4 months. Because of my love for them, I did not feel like leaving them.

One night I had a dream. I was on a mountain peak. I slipped and started falling down into the valley below. I cried in alarm 'Baba! Baba!' Baba was wearing tiger skin, and sitting on the peak of a nearby mountain. He had a long bone in his hand. With it he picked me up and lifted me. I was to have fallen into the valley, had He not rescued me. I flew in the air and fell at His feet, and caught hold of His feet tightly. The dream ended. I realized that my place was with Swami. I took leave of my people and children, and returned to Puttaparthi.

I was made in-charge of the shed. One day a Brahmin came from Krishna District. He was an old man. I showed him a place near mine. He told that he was constructing a Mandir, and that it was not getting completed. He wanted to ask Swami why the work was getting stalled.

As we were talking, Sunandamma who was cooking food for me came and told me, 'food is ready, finish your Gayathri Japam and come'. I then asked the Brahmin gentleman to excuse me, turned towards Swami's Photograph and did Gayatri Japam. Later that night when we were all asleep, the old Brahmin gentleman suddenly woke up and began to cry catching my feet in reverence.

'What is the matter, Sir?' I enquired.

'Mr. Reddy', he said weeping, 'kindly excuse me'.

'Why?' I asked, 'what for?'

'When I heard about your doing Gayatri Japam', he replied, 'I was wondering - what! He is a sudra! He chants Gayatri! What Kali times! - When I slept tonight, Gayatri Devi appeared in my dream, and slapped me severely on my back for thinking like that about your Japam'.

I was in the shed for 7 years after swami blessed me in the interview, cancelling my cancer. In 1990, I started a small electrical shop and kept my son Raghavendra and Sri Sai Kumar, the son of Sunandamma, in-charge of it jointly. After sometime, both of them set up separate shops. Owing to swami's grace, our business improved. My agriculture also fared better. There has been no looking back for me, thanks to Swami's grace. I left the shed and moved into my own house at Puttaparthi. All my three children were married, and are settled comfortably in life. I am spending my days having daily Darshan of Bhagavan and enjoying His bliss.'

-- D Narasimha Reddy.

(As narrated to Mr. B.Parvatala Rao on April 1, 2004 at Prasanthi Nilayam)