Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group III | Mr. Mr. M.Rambabu

Mr. M. Rambabu
Sai Ram Theatre & Sai Gayathri Temple
Chebrolu - 534 406
Ungutur Mandal, West Godavari District
Tel: 08818-251535 Mobile: 98494-05883

Mr. M. Maheswara Prasad (62), popularly known as Rambabu, an agriculturist and cine exhibitor, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'Dr. (Mrs.) Lakshmi, a long time devotee of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, our family doctor, used to suggest to us to go to Prasanthi Nilayam and have Darshan of Bhagavan. But my father, Mr. Bala Durga Krishna Prasad, popularly known as Babu Naidu, believed in living one's life in righteousness and charity rather than in visiting temples and doing rituals. So he was not enthusiastic at first but agreed finally owing to his regard for the doctor.

So Dr. Lakshmi took our family to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1958. We reached there in the evening. As we went to the mandir, Swami came out and accosted my father by his name even though no introduction took place. 'Babu Naidu! Has your journey been comfortable?' Swami told my father, 'they will give you room. Go and take rest. I will call you tomorrow'. My father was surprised that Swami could tell his name. For my part, on seeing Bhagavan, a thrill ran threw my veins as if I was pleasantly electrified. That was my first Darshan of Baba. It was also my first visit to Prasanthi Nilayam.

Next morning Swami sent word to us to our room. We all went to mandir. Bhagavan received us personally and took us into the interview room. 'What Babu Naidu? You were not interested to come here?' Swami asked my father. He then began to narrate our family history with so many details such as the construction of the temple of Veerabhadraswami by our people. My father was stunned. He fell on the feet of Bhagavan in total surrender saying, 'pardon me, Baba! I now realise you are God!'

We stayed there for five days. Swami used to call us for interview daily. One day Swami asked my father about his health. 'I am a diabetic, Swami!' my father told Bhagavan.

'Taking medicine?'

'Yes! Swami, but….'

'What happened?'

'We did not plan our visit this long. So the tablets I use were over. I will send the driver and get them', my father replied.

'Why should you take such trouble?' Swami said and waved his hand 'take this'.

In the hand of Bhagavan was a bottle of tablets, which my father was taking usually. Next day, Swami got the urine of my father examined in the hospital. The result was: 'Sugar nil'.

Afterwards we all returned to Nellore.

My father was in iron-ore mining business at that time. He received a notice from the Collector to stop mining in an area of 1500 acres. All the three thousand workers working in our mines faced a threat of being thrown out of livelihood. So my father went to court, obtained a stay order and ran the mining without break. However, he had no hope of winning the case. So he went to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1960. I, too, accompanied him. Swami accosted us an arrival there in the evening enquiring how our journey went on.

Next morning he called us for interview. Before my father broached his problem, Swami narrated what all had happened till then.

'Do you think you will win the case in the court?' Swami asked.

'No hope, Swami', my father replied, 'I had to go to court only as a matter of prestige'.

'You will lose all if you lose the case', Swami said, 'all the 1500 acres of mining. But don't worry. I am here. Your case will come for hearing on the 26th. Isn't it? Go to the court. Your advocate will be absent because he has no hope of a win. He will keep his junior with papers. That fellow, of course, knows nothing. On the Government side, the Government pleader and his assistant will be present. You will be asking for time saying that your advocate is on the way. Finally at 1:30 p.m., the judge will ask you, 'Has your advocate come?' You will tell 'no, sir!' Then he will ask 'where are the papers?' The junior lawyer of your advocate hands over the papers to the Judge. He takes papers of Government side also. Then he will go through them and then put his fingers on his face between his eyebrows. That is the sign, remember, that I am in the Judge. Then the Judge says, 'this order should have been given by the Mining Labour Inspector who is the competent authority, and not by the Collector'. So, he strikes off the case in your favour!'

Hearing took place on the day mentioned by Swami. Everything happened exactly as Swami had foretold us in the interview. When my father phoned the advocate, he could not believe that we won. A few days after that, we came to Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami remarked on seeing my father, 'So you won the case!'

My second brother had a vow to go to Tirupati and to have tonsuring there. Somehow my father could not find time to fix up a programme to Tirupati. So he had to go on growing his hair without the periodical haircut. One day he went to the bus-stand and got into Tirupati bus without telling anyone in the family. As he had left on the spur of the moment, he did not take any money also. The supervisor on-duty recognised him and having learnt that he had no money, arranged for sending him without charges. He was also taken up to the stairs to go to up hills at Tirupati by the bus staff and left there on the instructions of the supervisor.

As he was ascending steps, a dog began to follow him. It was halting when he halted and was ascending steps when he did so. After reaching Tirumala, the dog was found nowhere. He felt exhausted and fell down unconscious. Then a sub-staff of Devasthanam came and carried him to the shade of a mantapam. He brought drinking water and prasadam and gave him in spite of my brother protesting that he had no money to pay him any tip for the service. The sub-staff said, 'you rest now. I will take you for Darshan after a couple of hours. Don't worry about money. I will not ask you anything'. And then he left.

Meanwhile, in our house we noticed the absence of my brother and did not know where he had gone. We were all searching. A sizable crowd gathered at our house. One washer-man named Mr. Ramaiah who is also a Sai devotee used to come to our house daily. He came that day, saw the crowd and asked me, 'what is the matter, sir?' I told him that our second brother was not to be found.

Suddenly he said, 'oh! He has gone to Tirupati'.

'How do you know?' my father asked.

'I felt like that and said so', he replied.

It appeared plausible. So my elder brother went to Tirupati in a car and found my younger brother near the temple absorbed in watching the idols on the gopuram. When he was found, he was looking for someone - the sub-staff who promised to take him in for tonsuring, and Darshan. He could be persuaded to return and later we all went to Tirupati when he could clear his vow by getting tonsured.

Later we all went to Prasanthi Nilayam.

Swami, on seeing my younger brother, remarked, 'what have you done, my good fellow? For you, I had to ascend all the steps to Tirumala with you as the dog! For you, I had to wear a sub-staff's uniform and bring you prasadam. But on seeing your brother, you returned home. Of course, you searched for me, I know!'

My younger brother was so overwhelmed with emotion on listening to Swami that tears were rolling down his cheeks.

In 1961, my father was seriously ill. He was admitted in Pandali Nursing Home on Poonamalli High Road, Madras. He was a diabetic. The apses on his heel grew worse. Surgery was indicated. Swami was in Chennai at that time. He assured us that everything would be all right. My father had to undergo surgery - amputation of his leg at knee-joint. We used to go to Swami daily and apprise Him of the position. Swami used to call me and talk to me in spite of His being busy with the heavy crowd.

On the morning of the third day after the surgery, my father breathed his last. Doctors examined him and pronounced him dead. I ran to Swami weeping uncontrollably. On hearing the news, Swami said, 'don't believe the doctors. Who said your father is dead? What do the doctors know?' So saying, Swami got up and proceeded to the Nursing Home with me. He came to the room where my father's body was kept. All the doctors and staff of the Nursing Home, and all the patients and their attendants had Darshan of Swami - many, perhaps, for the first time.

Swami materialised some jasmine flowers and put them in my mother's plait of hair Himself. He materialised akshatas and sprinkled on my mother. He materialised some kumkum and put it on the forehead of my mother and said, 'don't worry. Everything will be all right'. He then struck on the chest of my father twice with His fingers and called, 'Babu Naidu! See! Swami has come!' Doctors who pronounced him dead were all there seeing this.

To their surprise, my father opened His eyes. Swami opened the buttons of the shirt of my father Himself and waved His hand above it. Vibhuti showered on the chest of my father in heaps. Swami smeared it all over the chest. My father tried to tell Swami something in a feeble voice. 'Oh! You are telling me about Rambabu!' said Swami, 'don't worry. I will look after him all through his life completely'. Swami took the hand of my father and placed His hand in it as a seal of confirmation. 'Sleep happily', Swami said, 'I have to go to Tirupati. Mr. Boorgula Ramakrishna Rao arranged a big meeting there. I have to go. Even if I go, I am with you always'.

At 1:30 a.m. in the night my father passed away. We could not follow the meaning of what Swami told my father - 'sleep happily'. We did not know at that time that 'sleep', in this case, meant the longest one. We came to know afterwards that Swami while addressing the gathering that night at Tirupati had called Raja Reddy to Him and told him, keeping His hand on the mike (covering it), 'Babu Naidu would breathe his last at 1:30 a.m. tonight'. Mr. Reddy was about to say something in his shock. Swami told him to keep quiet. Then Swami continued His Discourse.

After 15 days, Swami personally phoned to me when we were back in our house. 'Come to Puttaparthi with your mother. First go to Madras, pick up your sister and come to Puttaparthi', Swami told me on phone. I did not expect a call from Swami directly, so I could not identify His voice till He said, 'I am Swami from Puttaparthi'. I did as I was bid by Bhagavan. Swami told my mother, 'Babu Naidu did not die. He is here!' Swami showed His chest. Swami asked us to stay at Puttaparthi for a few weeks till the initial wave of sorrow that followed my father's death abated.

We were three brothers; the eldest was Mr. Gurunath Prasad and the second was Mr. Varaprasad. Both of them are no more now. My second brother was completely absorbed in spiritual thoughts and refused to marry. Swami sent word to us suggesting an alliance for me. He sent word to the bride's family also likewise. The bride was the daughter of His long time devotee, Mr. D. Subba Rao. Swami asked both our families to come to Puttaparthi. Bhagavan performed my marriage in the mandir on August 26, 1962. The venue is the dais where the set of 'Gita-prabodham' (Chariot of Arjuna with Krishna driving it) is located now.

Swami told Mr. Raja Reddy to tell me how to wear silk dhoti. Under his guidance, I could wear it well but it was getting loose. Swami came there and commented in a hushed whisper, 'it (silk dhoti) is loose and will drop down to the floor. Shame. Shame.' Then He asked Mr. Reddy to go and get the belt. Mr. Reddy knew that there was no belt, but could not dare reply like that. 'Go and see. It will be there', Swami told him again.

Mr. Reddy went and brought the belt. When Swami said, 'it will be there', then it would be there. It just materialised there. Mr. Reddy, by experience, knew it. Swami personally tightened the belt, as He was not satisfied with the way Mr. Reddy was doing it. Swami sat by my side as the ritual of the wedlock proceeded. At the time of muhurtham, purohit paused and looked at Swami for permission to go ahead with sutradharana. Swami did not assent. He continued to recite mantras for some more time. He paused again, but Swami's assent did not come. Finally Swami rose, materialised mangalasutram and asked me to tie it round the bride's neck.

There was only one tali and the thread was wet with the wet haldi (turmeric powder) smeared afresh to it when I took it into my hands. I tied only two knots, as I was not aware of the tradition of tying three knots, Swami then whispered in my ear, 'tie the third!' The whisper was, of course, audible to ladies who had a nice laugh at my expense. My wife and I both took padanamaskar. Then Swami stood facing the side where the idol of Shirdi Sai is there now. Our backs were to Shirdi Sai. Swami raised both His hands when there was a shower of talambralu (rice smeared with haldi) on our heads. The hall was full of devotees from various states attending the function out of curiosity to see how Swami performed the wedding.

It was Bhagavan who personally partitioned our father's property between my elder brother and me, when it was time for us to get separated. I went to Puttaparthi to consult Swami on this when He told me all about the lands and houses we had. He brought a paper and directed me to take down as He dictated. I had no pen. He then materialised a pen for me. After I made two lists of our lands and houses according to His dictation, he asked me to go back to my place and execute partition deeds as per those lists. One list was marked for my brother and the second was marked for me. By that time our second brother passed away, unmarried.

'Swami!' I asked, 'if my elder brother does not accept this?'

Bhagavan smiled and remarked, 'is this what you have understood after coming to me for years? When Swami says something, it is as good as done'.

I went to my brother. He saw the lists given by Bhagavan and signed the partition deeds without a word, willingly.'

-- Mr. M. Rambabu.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 07.03.2005.)