Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group III | Mr. K. Bhaskara Rao

Mr. K. Bhaskara Rao,
54-16-7, Loyola Gardens,
Vijayawada – 8
Tel: 0866-2450950

Mr. K. Bhaskara Rao (57), who retired voluntarily from the post of Senior Manager, Andhra Bank, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

‘My mother Mrs. K.S. Prakasamma was partially paralyzed long back in 1964. One of the relations of Sri Sathaya Sai Baba, working at Vijayawada, suggested to my father Mr. Jaganmohan Rao to take my mother to Puttaparthi. So we all went to Puttaparthi in January 1965. That was my first visit to Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami called us for interview. ‘You take on your head all types of unnecessary things, and spoil your mental balance’, Swami told my father, ‘you also smoke too much. It is not good’.

Then Swami turned to my mother and said, ‘you have gone to many a doctor without any use; what happened in your case happened due to a problem in the uterus. No fear. Swami will take care of it’. After that He looked at me and asked, ‘what are you studying?’ ‘B.A. First year, Swami!’ I replied. ‘You are in bad company’, Swami told me, ‘you are not able to concentrate on your studies’. ‘No, Swami!’ I replied, ‘I do not have bad friends’. ‘You have’, Swami insisted, ‘you don’t water each leaf and fruit in a tree. If you water the trunk it will go to the entire tree. Similarly you place your faith in me and serve me with devotion. I will take care of all your needs’.

We all came out of His antechamber into the interview room. My grandmother began hesitantly, ‘Swami! …’ Even before she asked any question, Swami replied, ‘his job will be made permanent’. My father’s younger brother was without a job then. Swami told about him. Then my grandmother said again, ‘Swami!’ Immediately Swami said, ‘next time you will come here with your grandson’. This was about my uncle only. My father’s brother had no children even after a lapse of 12 years after marriage.

At the beginning of the interview, Swami materialized vibhuti and put ‘bottu’ (dot) on the forehead of gents and dropped a little in the hands of each of the ladies present.

After we returned, we found improvement in the condition of my mother. My uncle got employed.

Swami gave another interview to all of us in 1966. During the interview, my grandmother said, ‘Swami! …’ Before she asked the question, Swami told her, ‘I told you that you would beget a grand child. Forgetfulness is for human beings, not for the Divine’.

Later, Swami gave them an interview when my uncle went to Prasanthi Nilayam with his wife and mother carrying the newborn baby. I was not there. Swami gave the child the name Sai Manohar and blessed. Owing to His grace, the boy grew up well and is now employed at Hyderabad.

In 1968, I went to Prasanthi Nilayam. ‘What are you doing?’ Swami asked me.

‘I passed B.A. and applied for M.A.’ I replied. ‘Where did you apply?’ He asked. I said ‘Hyderabad, Vizag and Nagpur’. I applied to Guntur also, but I did not mention it.

‘Applied for Guntur also?’ Swami asked.

‘Yes, Swami!’

‘Outside education is not good. Be near Swami’, He said.

Finally, I joined at Guntur. Dr. Amarendra, an ardent devotee of Bhagavan, was the Principal. Under his guidance, I had the good fortune to participate in many seva programmes including the founding of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi there. Those who joined at Hyderabad lost one academic year owing to the Telangana agitation. Thus Swami saved my studies.

In 1969, I went to Prasanthi Nilayam. At the time of Darshan, Swami coming along the line asked me, ‘what are you doing?’ ‘Passed M.A., Swami!’

‘Well, go and join the job’, Swami said.

The same year, I went to Prasanthi Nilayam again. Swami called me for interview.

‘Pray give me a chance to serve at Brindavan as a lecturer’, I asked Swami.

‘There is no vacancy at present as the college has been opened newly’, Swami replied, ‘we will see a better job’.

My brother Venkateswara Rao and my friend Eswara Rao went to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1970. On February 12, Swami called them for interview.

‘What is your brother doing?’ Swami asked my brother about me.

‘He is in Vijayawada, Swami!’ he replied.

‘He will get a Bank job in May or June’, Swami told them about me, ‘let him join. If he does not get it, I will give a letter to the G.M, Canara Bank. He can join in that’.

Swami told the same thing about me to my brother as well as to Eswara Rao in separate interviews. They told me on return to Vijayawada.

In May 1970, I got orders of appointment in the Andhra Bank and joined the Bank on May 18.

In 1974, I went to Shirdi and then went to Prasanthi Nilayam. That was Sri Krishnashtami day. Swami materialized vibhuti and gave me. In the same year, I had a dream. Swami appeared and asked me in the dream, ‘what have you done about marriage?’

‘As you please, Swami!’ I said, ‘I have no say in it’.

‘Rajahmundry alliance will come’, Swami told me in the dream, ‘accept it. I will settle it’.

An alliance came from Rajahmundry. We agreed. The marriage was consummated on January 2, 1975.

In August 1975, I had a dream. Swami asked me in the dream, ’do you want a son or a daughter?’

‘According to the will of Swami’, I replied.

I was blessed with a son on Vijayadasami day, October 14, 1975. Swami came in my dream and gave him the name Sai Rakesh. He was the first student to do from class I to M.Sc. in Swami’s Educational Institutions. He studied M.Tech. in IIT, Delhi. He is now working as a Software Engineer at Hyderabad.

In 1978, I was blessed with a daughter. Both to my son and daughter Neeraja, Swami did aksharabhyasam at Prasanthi Nilayam.

In December 1976, Swami appeared in my dream. ‘Swami! I don’t know whether it is my misfortune or lack of Swami’s grace on me; I am not getting promotion’, I asked in the dream.

‘You are coming to me at Hyderabad on promotion next month’, Swami assured. ‘How is it possible?’ I thought. But unexpectedly, the Bank held interviews among the CAIIB candidates, and I was selected. I was promoted and posted to Hyderabad, and I joined there on January 26, 1977 as predicted by Swami in my dream.

In 1976, Swami called my brother Venkateswara Rao for interview. ‘Where is your brother?’ Swami asked him. He gave vibhuti prasadam and said, ‘give this to him’.

I have been a sevadal member since 1965 to date coming for seva regularly. In 1968, I came for seva during Dasara. I was on canteen duty. When I was serving, unfortunately a drop of my sweat fell into the plate of a devotee having his meal. He did not notice it but I did. I felt immensely unhappy for the inadvertence. That day, delivering His Divine Discourse, Swami said, ‘Annam Parabrahma Swarupam. You have to serve as well as eat it with pure mind’. That evening Swami came to the canteen.

‘Who is serving food?’ He asked.

‘I am, Swami!’ I said, ‘you have to clean your hands and feet before serving. You have to serve it very cleanly and carefully’, Swami told me.

I realized that though Swami had known my fault, He did not expose me or chide me openly. But He made me understand how much importance He was giving to serving food in the canteen with utmost care and cleanliness.

In 2003, I came for seva at Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami was in Brindavan. After completing seva, we went to Brindavan to have Darshan.

Swami called me and asked, ‘how many have come?’

‘650 came for seva at Prasanthi Nilayam’, I replied, ‘of them, 550 came for Darshan to Brindavan, Swami!’

Swami laid His Divine hand on my shoulder and said, ‘very well! I will give prasadam’.

After Krishna Pushkarams all those who had participated in Pushkara-seva came as a batch to Prasanthi Nilayam. I was one of them. Swami asked me, ‘when are you leaving?’ I was overwhelmed with joy that Bhagavan cared to have a word for me in spite of His busy schedule.

In August 1968, I came to Prasanthi Nilayam. Even before we had Darshan, we had to rush for seva. We were attending to the work of bringing sand from Chitravathi and filling the Poornachandra Auditorium ground. We could not have Darshan both in the morning and evening. After completing the day’s work, I took bath and came for bhajan. At that time Sai Kulwanth hall was not there. I sat away from the public in a corner thinking about our missing Darshan during the whole day.

Swami came down from His room. ‘Who is sitting there?’ He asked as He walked to me. On seeing me, He asked, ‘why are you sitting here?’ ‘For your Darshan, Swami’, I replied.

‘Why are you here?’ Swami asked again.

‘For your Darshan, Swami!’ I repeated. ‘Rowdy, rowdy!’ remarked Swami as He walked away. ‘Dunnapothu’ (he buffalo) and ‘Rowdy’ are some of the words He uses affectionately while addressing devotees. I was overwhelmed with joy that Swami came all the way to the lone corner to have a word with me, as a mark of recognition for the seva we did.

In 1966, Mr. Yajna Narayana Sastry and I went to Venkatagiri thinking that Swami was there. We went to Tirupati after learning that Swami had left Venkatagiri. From Tirupati, we came to Prasanthi Nilayam. By that time Swami returned to Prasanthi Nilayam. He called us for interview.

‘You have gone to many places’, He remarked even before we opened our mouth. He whispered in my ear, ‘I gave your mother hands and feet’. True! Owing to the grace of Bhagavan my mother is able to attend to her work, without being confined to bed as a paralytic.

I have been fortunate to witness many miracles performed by Bhagavan. In 1974, I sat in Darshan line. Six people carried an aged person who could not sit in a chair even, into the interview room. After half-an-hour he came out. He was walking as Swami held his hand. After coming out of the room, he left the hand of Swami and walked on his own, though a little slowly.

On a Gurupoornima day, before 1970, I was at Prasanthi Nilayam. Three or four people carried a twelve-year old boy into the interview room. After half-an-hour he came out walking without support.

In 1969, I went to Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami called me for an interview. He said, ‘My abhayahasta rests always on your head. I will be always with you’.

In 1967, I was showing some photographs to a co-devotee in their house. I showed a photograph and said, ‘this we had in Ooty’. Next day Swami called me for interview. I requested Swami to autograph that very photograph. He signed and said, ‘this was taken in Brindavan, not in Ooty’. This is just illustrative of the omniscience of Bhagavan.

On the Sivarathri day in 1968, Swami personally saw the members of sevadal who came to do service. He turned to one of the devotees and said, ‘you are not in a position to do service. You better withdraw’. We came to know that that devotee had undergone a major surgery only a couple of months earlier.’

-- Mr. K. Bhaskara Rao.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 30.04.2005)