Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group III | Mr. Krishna Murali Sarma

Mr. Krishna Murali Sarma
Tahachal Bageecha
Ward No. 13, P.B.No.3790
Khatmandu, Nepal
Tel: 009771-4271356, 4271827
E-mail: satya@wlink.com.np

Mr. Krishna Murali Sarma (64), who retired from private service, is a long-standing Sai devotee. He relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'I was hearing about Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba from my friends since the seventies. In fact, I was criticising Him for claiming to be God in person.

In 1975, I came to Prasanthi Nilayam with two Nepalese including a cancer patient. We arrived at Prasanthi Nilayam a day prior to Sivaratri after 8 days of strenuous journey. On the morning of Sivaratri, we sat for Darshan. As soon as Swami appeared, the cancer patient who came with us suddenly exclaimed in visible fright, 'oh! I can't stand His sight, He is a ghost, not God'. So saying he ran away in spite of my effort to make him sit for Darshan.

I was looking at Bhagavan, and He came towards the ladies side. He was taking some envelopes from ladies, and pausing for a minute or two to exchange a few words with some. 'Is that money?' I asked my neighbour, a German, in English, with aversion, 'is He accepting money?' 'It's not money but prayer letter', he told me, 'those who have a desire or prayer to make, write it in a letter and keep in their hands. He takes such letters if He chooses.' 'He is God. Why should He need a letter? Does not He know what we desire?' - I thought thus being a sceptic.

Suddenly I felt an impulse to give a letter to Swami. I kept my kerchief reserving my seat, ran out, and bought a notebook. Returning to my seat, I began to write a letter to Swami. I was suffering from itch on my face and eyebrows for the past 19 years. I tried all types of medicines but in vain. 'If you are God, cure this ailment. I don't want anything else', I wrote. As I signed the letter and raised my head, Swami was right before me again.

I had no time even to tear the page and give it. He gently touched it beaming with a Divine smile. I felt as if an electric current had passed through me right at that moment. Swami moved away. The whole environment seemed surcharged with peace and tranquillity as absolute silence reined the place. For the first time I experienced the truth of the slogan written there, 'God speaks to you through silence'. It was indeed divine. I, too, was overwhelmed by emotion. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

On return to my place of stay, I picked up all medicines I was using till then, and threw them into the flowing waters of the Chitravati. In those days, the Chitravati was full of water. My two decades old companion, the itch, left me for good and forever. I have not used any medicine for it since then. It has not showed its face to me again owing to Bhagavan's grace.

Then we forced the cancer patient to come to see Bhagavan in the Poornachandra Auditorium at about 11 a.m. Swami performed vibhuti abhishekam to the idol of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba. He was moving His hand in an empty metallic pot held upside down. Vibhuti materialized by Bhagavan was flowing down on Sri Shirdi Baba's idol in heaps filling almost the entire stage like dew. My companions were not interested to sit for bhajan. So I had to return to Bangalore against my will leaving an excellent programme of bhajan in the Divine presence on an auspicious day like Sivarathri.

We came to Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, where our cancer patient was admitted in the cancer ward miraculously as a free patient. Admission there, itself, was considered difficult. He got that without any payment. 'You are very lucky. You will get VIP treatment here with the best medicines available', a nurse congratulated him. In the afternoon, we again visited our friend. After sometime, we rose to leave and he, too, rose with us. 'I don't stay here', he told us, 'they are not allowing me to smoke'. We tried to reason with him but he was adamant.

When we sought discharge, the official on duty was surprised; 'you don't realise what you are losing due to your folly', he sighed with pity on us, and signed the discharge forms. Our patient got the admission free of charge despite a long waiting list only owing to the grace of Swami. No wonder that he who had seen a ghost in God preferred smoking, and let go the god-given opportunity to get cured of cancer free of charge. We all returned to Nepal. I regret to say that both of them who were with me on my first visit to Prasanthi Nilayam are no more in this world now.

I was feeling uneasy that I had to return on Sivarathri day, and felt an urge to be back in Prasanthi Nilayam again as soon as possible. Therefore, within three months, I came to Prasanthi Nilayam along with my wife and five close relatives. We left our second son Rupesh with the sister of my wife in Khatmandu as we felt it would be difficult to bring him to India braving long and arduous journey. Swami called us for an interview. He materialised vibhuti and applied it to gents on the forehead Himself and then dropped a little in the hands of ladies. After talking for a few minutes on spiritual matters, Swami told us, 'you have left your small kid behind in Nepal. He has been unwell for the last four days. He was not taking milk. They took him to a doctor who advised them to admit the boy in the hospital. They could not do so as the hospital is far away. So I took charge. The boy took his feed of milk just now. He is all right. Don't worry; I will take care of him.'

I looked at my watch. It was 9.01 a.m. I felt credulous. In those days there was no telephone service, as it is now. On return to Nepal, I checked. Every word uttered by Swami at that distant place was true. This further strengthened our belief that Baba is God in person.

We used to come to Prasanthi Nilayam at least once in a year, and sometimes even four or five times a year. We have a bhajan hall in my house where we conduct bhajan. By Swami's grace, I opened Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samiti in my house for our locality and conducted it for five years before handing it over to others. In 1994, when we came to Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami gave me His robe. I kept it in the Centre (Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samiti). Next time when I came to Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami asked me, 'what have you done with the robe?' 'I kept it in the Centre', I replied. 'Why did you do that? I gave it for you to keep it in your house, not in the Centre', He brought another robe and said, 'I don't give this to you. I give to your wife.'

Swami was kind enough to give us an interview whenever we came to Prasanthi Nilayam. My son Rupesh studied in Sri Sathya Sai School at Muddanahalli. Once Swami materialized a ring and gave it to him. Swami materialised a ring and gave it to me also.

During our visit to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1976, Swami called us for interview. Swami was telling us about spiritual matters. I rose with a camera and prayed, 'Swami! May I take a few snaps?'

He looked at me seriously and remarked, 'this is your golden opportunity. Don't forego this (bodha - teaching)'. I was keen on taking photographs. So, after a while, I said, 'Swami! ….', raising my camera a little. Swami looked at me seriously. I kept quiet for a while and then repeated my request. 'Well! Take', Swami condescended. I took a few snaps.

Bhagavan performed upanayanams for my two sons, Rajesh and Rupesh. He materialized Yajnopavitams for both of them and gave them. He administered Gayathri mantra Himself. He materialized cash of Rs. 400, gave them each Rs. 200 and told them, 'don't give this to papa (father). Go to the shopping centre and buy new clothes for yourselves'. This was on December 7, 1985.

Swami told me, 'I am Mahakala and Kalavijeta (conqueror of Time). Every second is important. Do good, and that very second amounts to living in the Divine. Like that minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. Go on doing good, and go on making your life divine. That is Swami - doing only good for others all the time'.

In 1982, my father passed away. During that period, our Sathya Sai Organization came to know that Swami was likely to come to Delhi in 1982. We wanted to invite Bhagavan to Nepal, so we planned to send a delegation. All our members wanted me also to go and request Bhagavan, as a member of the delegation. I told them that I had to observe one-year asoucha (pollution) as my father had died. But they did not agree. 'How can asoucha exist in the presence of Bhagavan?' they asked. So I agreed. One of the leaders of our Samiti was also in the delegation. He objected. 'If we take a person with pollution', he argued, 'our mission will become a failure'. When I heard this, I felt hurt and shed tears in agony. 'What is this, Swami?' I prayed, 'why this predicament to me?'

When we all came to Prasanthi Nilayam, we were told that Swami was in Brindavan. 'See, what did I tell you?' the leader who had objected to my inclusion remarked, 'our mission is doomed to fail'. We went to Brindavan only to know that Swami had left for Prasanthi Nilayam only a few minutes before. Our leader was blaming me for all this. We returned to Prasanthi Nilayam. I was very hurt and sad. I began to pray to Swami and wept openly shedding tears. I did 1008 times Sai Gayathri sitting in Poornachandra Auditorium.

Next morning, I got token No.1 while our leader got No.8. Swami came to me and called me for interview. When Swami calls any one for interview, all those who came with him can also go. So the leader also came to the interview. In the interview room, Swami came to me and almost hugged me placing both His hands around me. 'What do you want?' He asked. 'My father passed away, Swami, recently, my mother died in my childhood. Though I went to Gaya and offered pindas, I pray you grant them higher worlds'.

'Both of them are with me', Swami said, 'don't worry'.

After that Swami turned to the leader and remarked, 'what is the use of being in the organization? You must cultivate love and compassion'. He could not understand why Swami was reprimanding him. Was it because he was pointing out the aspect of pollution repeatedly in my case instead of showing compassion and sympathy on my bereavement?

Whenever, I was called for interview I used to take the lotus feet of Swami into my hands and press them gently with reverence. I used to kiss gently His toes also.

I used to bring large groups of devotees to Prasanthi Nilayam from Nepal since 1976. That, I thought, was the seva I could do. Once we were waiting outside while our king, Rana Birendra was having interview with Bhagavan inside, which was a matter of pride and happiness to us. Another time Swami called our group in, asking a Union Minister to wait; 'let me first call these devotees from far-off land', Swami was heard telling the Minister.

Of late, we have been coming only in small groups since 1996, as the Indian Railways are collecting exorbitant waiting charges on hired coaches. Once, in our group only nine members were there. I brought a bottle of water to wash the feet of Bhagavan and take that water as teertham back to our place. When I told Swami in the interview room about our plan to wash His lotus feet, He refused to allow it. 'If I allow such things, there will be no end to it. The entire room will be full of water'. After much pleading on our part, He took the bottle in His hands and blessed. We all took a little of that water as teertham there itself, but forgot the bottle while coming out of the interview room, after the interview ended.

In one interview, I asked Swami the correct way of using a japamala. Swami took my japamala into His hands, and demonstrated.

'Some people say that we should not use our pointing finger to rotate the beads', I asked noticing that Swami was using the pointing finger.

'That notion is wrong', Swami explained, 'it came into vogue only a few hundred years ago. Many people, out of ignorance and superstition, have sidetracked many of our age-old traditions like that'.

'Take the rosary with your thumb and the pointing finger', Swami explained, as He went on demonstrating, 'let the rosary hang freely over the remaining three fingers. Now rotate the beads moving your pointing finger towards you'. This was during an interview He gave us on November 9, 2001.'

-- Mr. Krishna Murali Sarma.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 16.02.2005.)