Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group V | Mr. J. Srimantha Rao

Mr. J. Srimantha Rao,
7-1-125, Pullamma Doddi,
Sitarampeta, Tandoor - 501 141.

Tel: 08411-273827

Mr. J. Srimantha Rao (63), a retired teacher, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'In 1991, I heard of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for the first time from some devotees in Tandoor. I began to attend bhajans.

In 1991 itself I got an opportunity to come to Prasanthi Nilayam for seva. I had darshan of Bhagavan for the first time, and took padanamaskar at the end of seva.

In 1993, I came to Prasanthi Nilayam for seva. I was posted at some waste material dump as guard in the SSSIHMS. Some persons were stealing some items there and selling outside. Some of the materials in the dump were poisonous. But they were being sold by selfish people causing health hazards to ignorant people. So we were posted there to prevent thefts.

One night two people came and were lifting the material. I ran to them when one of them jumped over the wall and escaped. I caught hold of the other by hair on the head. It was a young and hefty lady. I was no match to her. But I don't know how I could drag her by hair notwithstanding her struggle, though I was very lean and weak and not keeping good health. I handed her over to the Security. It must have been the strength given by Swami. At the end of the seva, I was in the line when Swami came to us and gave padanamaskar. 'You caught hold of her, though it was risky, and beyond you, to struggle with the hefty lady, unmindful of your health' Bhagavan said to me. I was immensely happy.

In 1993, I went to Hyderabad on some work. While travelling by a city bus, I reached my destination stop. As the bus slowed down, I got down when it unexpectedly picked up speed. By the unexpected momentum, I was about to fall from the running vehicle. I cried 'Sairam' in fright. I felt as if someone had held me from the back, and lowered me on the road slowly. I landed on the road safely. I am certain that it is Swami who held me and saved me from falling head on heels on the road, because when I turned back to look who was holding me, there was none nearby.

In 2001, we started to have bhajan every Thursday in our house. One day there was sweet fragrance when we were doing bhajan. We did not know how it occurred. That night, my son pointed out to me a white patch on the photograph of Bhagavan and asked me 'what is it, Dad?' I wiped it with my finger. It was vibhuthi. It did not strike me that it emanated from the photograph. I cleaned the photograph and did not give much importance to it. After a few minutes, I happened to come into the hall and looked at the photograph; the white patch appeared again. Then I realized that it was Divine grace of Bhagavan. After a couple of days, we noticed that vibhuthi was emanating daily. One day I saw a few akshatas at the bottom of the plank on which Swami's photograph was placed. I thought that my wife had worshipped using akshatas. I picked them up ad packed them in a white paper. After two days, one person came and asked me if I had any pooja akshatas for his son who was not well. I remembered the packet and opened it to find to my amazement that the akshatas grew in quantity. After giving some akshatas to that person, I put them in a plastic tin. In a couple of days, the tin was full with akshatas. We used to distribute akshatas and vibhuthi to any one that asked for them.

One person used to come daily from the village Gollapalli, 40 km away from Tandoor to sell roses. Daily he used to offer roses for pooja and I used to buy only from him. 'My flower gardens are withering' he told me one day, 'I want to put a new bore. But all those that tried new bores in nearby fields ended up in failure and lost heavy amounts'.

'Have faith in Bhagavan' I told him, 'I give you some vibhuthi. Put it at the place where you want to drill the new bore after praying to Bhagavan. Let us hope for the best'. He did likewise, and told me later that he had struck water within a few feet. 'My well gives plenty of water' he said, 'Swami has given my flower gardens enough water'. This happened in 2001.

Mr. Gangadhar, a person hailing from our village, set up a cloth shop at Puttaparthi. His wife was given a date for delivery. 'I hear you have some vibhuti that emanated from Bhagavan's photograph' he said to me one day when I came here in 2001 and asked 'can you give me a little for my wife?' I gave a little.

Meanwhile, she was taken to the hospital. Doctors examined her. 'The delivery is going to be difficult' they said, 'we will do caesarean'. Her husband who took vibhuti from me put a little in her mouth and had the rest rubbed on her stomach. Within a few minutes, she delivered a son normally.

After two years of emanation of vibhuthi, it stopped on its own.

All Sai devotees at Tandoor joined together and began construction of a mandir at Tandoor. We got the plan blessed by Bhagavan. One day some people from Tamilanadu came to us. They said that they are good in designing temple gopuras and sculpting figures. We employed them to prepare Dasavatara idols for the mandir bhajan hall. About 50 persons such as masons, carpenters, phumbers, labour did various works in the mandir. We took all of them to Prasanthi Nilayam. They all had darshan of Bhagavan happily. The persons who did centring and slab laying for the mandir were so impressed that they gave 10% of what we had paid them, as their donation to the mandir on their own. The mandir was dedicated to Swami in December 2004.

Later, all of them (those that worked on the mandir) have become very busy with work elsewhere. All the fifty including those who came to build the mandir as daily wage workers are now well off by Swami's grace. A few of them have no time even to collect payments from us for work done by them in spite of our reminding them many times.'

-- Mr. J. Srimantha Rao

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 21.11.2005.)