Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group II | Mr. Girish Mohan Kamra

Mr. Girish Mohan Kamra,
1531 - Knott wood Road. N.,
Edmonton, Alberta, T6K - 2B8
Canada.
             Or
Apartment No. 304, Bay View, 4th Seaward Road,
Valmikinagar, Chennai - 600 041
Tel: 044-52049936

Mr. Girish Mohan Kamra (75), formerly an Indian Army Officer who worked, later, in Survey of India as Class 1 Officer and as a Faculty in Civil Engineering in Canada, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'I happened to read a book on Sri Sathya Sai Baba in 1979 by Murphet which made an indelible impression on me of the Divinity of Bhagavan. I became the founder member of Sri Sathya Sai Centre in Edmonton in Canada and was attending bhajans from 1979 onwards.

I came to Puttaparthi for the first time in July 1982 and had Darshan of Baba. Later, I visited Puttaparthi again in July 1983. Then I attended a meeting in which (late) Mr. N. Kasturi spoke. Just then a thought flashed in my mind. 'If only Baba gave me also a ring - not an ordinary but something nice and worthwhile'. Minutes later, I forgot all about it.

Next day, when I was in Darshan line, Swami came to me. 'Interview, Swami!' I prayed. 'Go!' Swami said waving His hand towards interview room. I felt as if I had struck a gold mine. At that time, I did not know that when the husband is called his wife also could go for the interview. But my wife joined me, advised by people sitting near her, even though I did not call her.

In the interview room, Swami, after some preliminaries with the group, asked me in Hindi, 'what do you want?'

'You are everything for me, Swami! I answered.

'Everything?' Swami smiled and materialised a ring and put it on my finger Himself keeping my hand on His lap. It has two white diamonds fixed side by side in gold. I had not seen any ring like that and was wondering in my mind as to its meaning.

Swami, meanwhile, called my wife, materialised a chain with a locket and put it around my wife's neck Himself. The locket has Bhagavan's picture on one side and Aum on the other.

Swami then came to me and said, 'you want to know its meaning?' This diamond is I and this (the other diamond) is you. You and I are ONE!' I was overwhelmed by joy.

'Don't take it out', Swami cautioned me. I have been keeping the ring on my finger since then. I do not take it out even when I go to take bath. Similarly, my wife also has not been removing the chain from her neck.

We were coming to India via Tokyo in 1980. We booked a hotel room at the airport accommodation reservation counter. We had to reach there before 12 midnight going by metro train. No one knows English in Japan. Even if a few know, they do not speak. All signboards, nameplates, etc will be only in Japanese language. How to know which train in the subway we have to catch? How do we know in which direction our destination lies?

I prayed 'Lord, help'. Suddenly, an American in business suit accompanied by a Japanese similarly dressed came to me and asked in English, 'you want any help?' I explained my predicament. 'I am also going in that direction', he said. He helped us get tickets using automatic machines; took us to the train and helped us entrain. 'I will sit here', he said, 'alight where I alight. There you have to change to another train'. We sat comfortably. I kept my sight riveted on him. You don't get more than a minute or two to alight from the train there. After we all alighted, he showed us the platform on which the train into which we had to get in was expected.

As we proceeded further towards that platform with our luggage, an Indian accosted us. 'I am a taxi driver', he told me, 'I can take you to the hotel you want to go. Give me US $ 25'. I was happy. Then suddenly the same American who was apparently standing at some distance away, keeping an eye on us while appearing to be conversing with his Japanese companion, rushed towards me and whispered in my ear, 'I know this fellow. Don't go with him. 'He will kill you and rob you'. I did not know how to come out of the deal I had just concluded with that taxi fellow. Then the American himself spoke to him in Japanese. I don't know what he told him but he brought me out of that deal.

Then he helped us get our tickets, put us in the train and said, 'count the stations carefully. You will have to get down at the eleventh stop'. We thought that Swami came in that form and helped us. We got down at the 11th stop and came out of the metro only to find that we were face to face a four-lane highway on which traffic was whizzing past speedily. There was none to guide us. It was night already. We tried to stop the passing vehicles, but no one stopped. What to do? We prayed 'Lord, help!'

Within minutes, an English lady with bobbed hair wearing a skirt came to us. 'You want help?' she asked. When I explained our problem, she said, 'your hotel is in walkable distance. Passing vehicles do not stop because it is one way. Come, I will take you to your hotel'. We started with our luggage to walk along with her. She even carried a bag of ours. As we reached our hotel, I was about to hurry to the reception when I remembered that I did not thank her for her help. I turned and she was nowhere to be seen. Where had she gone or how had she disappeared? - No knowing. We were sure it was Bhagavan Baba again!

In 1983, we went to Puttaparthi. I went out after morning Darshan to explore various sites in Puttaparthi related to Swami's boyhood history. I climbed up the hill (on which we see Hanuman statue today) and walked towards the Administrative Building, which was then under construction. There was a wall around the compound, but people were climbing over it and getting down to the other side as a shortcut to Mandir. I, too, climbed over the wall, which was low. I then walked towards the Mandir and sat in the verandah for the evening Drashan.

Swami came out and walked along Darshan lines. He came to me and whispered 'discipline'. I fell at His Divine Lotus Feet and duly apologised for my act, on knowing of His displeasure! I alone could understand that my climbing over the wall to find a shortcut did not find favour with Bhagavan. I realised that He is omniscient and that nothing would escape His notice.

We came to Puttaprthi in 1984. When I saw an Australian youth coming out of the interview room with a shining silver bracelet on his arm, 'Swami gave that?' I asked. 'Yes', he said, his face brimming with joy. Just at that moment, a thought flashed in my mind, 'how I wish Swami gives me one, too!' Soon I got over it, and forgot. A few days later, while sitting in the verandah, I had a strange feeling that I was wearing a bracelet around my wrist. It was just a feeling. Within minutes, Swami came out of the interview room and walked towards me. He materialised a gold bracelet with Aum in Devanagari script on it, and gave it to me. I wear that always.

In 1985, I was having a shower bath in my house in Canada. The ring with double diamonds was on my finger, as I had no habit of taking it out while taking bath. Immediately after the bath, I noticed that one diamond was missing. Its hold was empty. I was shocked; losing God's gift was like the loss of a treasure to me. I thought it must have fallen in the tub. I searched in vain. It must have gone down the drain along with bath water. I wanted to open the drain coupling at the basement, but I could not find necessary instruments.

Meanwhile, I remembered that I had to drop my daughter at some place. So I dressed up and walked towards my car parked in a grassy patch outside my building. I was in a sunken mood. Suddenly, I saw something shining near the rear wheel of my car. I went near and picked it up. It was the very diamond, which I had lost in my bathtub! I thanked Swami profusely. How did it come from the bathtub to the grassy parking slot? No chance at all! But it did happen. Swami made it possible, as He is omnipotent.

One day in 1986, I had some work in my house. So I did not go to the place of my work. My wife also went out. I made some coffee for me, drank it and went to the kitchen sink to wash the cup. When I was about to turn on the tap, I noticed a tiny creature - a fruit fly struggling to come out. Its wings were still wet. 'Lord you are in it, too' - I said in my mind, 'I must help it live.' I did not turn on the tap, took a piece of tissue paper, lifted gently the fly and carried it to the window and let it go off. No sooner I did this than I heard a sound as if something had splashed on the closed windowpane. I looked. There, on the windowpane, was a splash of amrit (honey) like viscus liquid. I took a photograph also. It tasted excellent - like of which I had not tasted earlier. Even for a small act of kindness shown to a fellow creature, however tiny it might be, God is happy and responds - responds, as in this case, with intensity, too.

In 1996, we were coming to Puttaparthi. Our daughter, Mrs. Monica wanted to have a second child - a daughter this time, since she already had a son. 'You are going to Bhagavan', she told us, 'pray to give me a daughter'. We came to Parthi for the Birthday of Swami that year and prayed to Swami in our minds to bless Monica with a daughter. Later, we returned to Canada. A few weeks later, Monica was in the family way. We both went to her to be with her during delivery. She delivered prematurely. We were at the house while she was in the hospital. We learnt the good news that she gave birth to a daughter.

On the day of her discharge from the hospital, I lit an agarbatti before Bhagavan's Photograph in a small altar kept by Monica in the house and prayed - 'Lord! Bless the newborn who is coming home today'. Later, we found that the ash from the agarbatti fell on the floor in the form Aum (Devanagari script), signifying blessing from Swami for the child and its mother. Later, we heard more. As the delivery was premature, the hospital people calculated the possible date of conception and said, 'the baby was conceived on November 23'. It was Swami's Birthday on which we prayed to Swami for a daughter to Monica.

In 2001, we came to Puttaparthi to attend Swami's Birthday celebrations. Even at 5:30 a.m., on November 23, the Sai Kulwant Hall was full. I could manage to sit on a parapet wall in the lane with great difficulty. A small passage was set apart for the movement of devotees. But for that, even the lane was jam-packed. Just then I noticed that there was an injured wasp on the floor near my feet. It was in the danger of being trampled. If it was trampled upon, it might sting the foot that treaded on it. What to do? I took out my kerchief and lifted it up gently. But where to drop it? If I dropped it in the lane, the heavy crowd would trample it. If I went out to leave it outside, I was sure to lose my place, and my chances of Darshan of Bhagavan on His Birthday for which I had come here all the way from Canada. What to do?

I decided to drop the wasp in a safe place and returned. I did not tell anyone to look after my seat. Nor could I put my handkerchief to indicate reservation because I carried the wasp on it. Bhagavan's grace was such that my place, which I had left unguarded, was vacant till I returned despite the surging crowd. And Bhagavan came out of the hall, and gave us all Darshan. When I tried to help the fruit fly in Canada, Swami splashed amrit. Now, when I tried to save the injured wasp at Prasanthi Nilayam, Bhagavan Himself came out, gave Darshan, looked into my eyes and showed abhayahasta as a gesture of blessing.

Recently I noticed that Swami's figure has been taking shape on my palms. From the Birthday of Swami in 2003, Swami's bust has been emerging slowly as a line drawing on my right palm. I find, conjoined to Baba's bust, another face (a female face) emerging. It is to signify Shakti- maa. Baba is Shiva-Shakti, and is blessing my body - which is His body - as He had said to me at the time of giving me the ring - 'you and I are one!'

Since April 2004, another figure with beard (Prema Sai?) has been emerging on the right palm. Since September 2004, a large head of Swami has been taking shape on my left palm. They are now clearly discernable.

I am also noticing the Devanagari symbol of Aum appearing superimposed on these Divine faces on my right and left palms. Of late I am also noticing that whenever I dip my finger in the vibhiti container for partaking of the holy Divine vibhuti, the symbol Aum in Devanagari script gets formed on that fingertip. The Devanagari Aum is also appearing on various other parts of my body ever since the Divine Lord Sai has connected me in this body to Him while bestowing that Divine ring and bracelet to me. Over these years, since the award of this ring and the bracelet, the merciful Divine Lord Sai has bestowed on me the full knowledge of His Divine mystery and, therefore, that of God-Almighty to the extent I could grasp!'

-- Mr. G.M.Kamra.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 26.11.2004.)