Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan | Group V | Mr. N. C. Suri

Mr. N. C. Suri,
Air Chief Marshal (Retd),
New Delhi.

Mr. N. C. Suri retired from the Indian Air Force in 1993 as Air Chief Marshal after distinguished service of nearly 42 years. He has been an ardent devotee of Bhagavan for several years. He narrates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to me is Supreme God, primarily because of my repeated personal experiences over a very long period. I have seen Him frequently not only in His physical form, but more importantly, He has shown me a few of His true forms both in dreams and by physical manifestation, be it in India or aboard. Having experienced what I have, I realize that what I know is only a miniscule part of His prowess, His omniscience and omnipotence.

Five years ago, in my dream, I felt the presence of Swami but I could not see Him. I yelled 'where are you Bhagavan'? Suddenly I saw a very tall figure, almost touching the sky, playing the flute. I immediately recognized Him as Krishna and said 'this is Krishna, where are you Swami?' Instantly, Krishna's figure turned into that of Shiva sitting in His usually depicted manner.

I again said 'this is Shiva, but where are you?' I had hardly said this when Shiva turned into a towering, sky high figure of Narayana displaying His magnificent form. With deeper reflection and introspection I now realise that I had experienced similar visions in many decades of my present life without being able to perceive the reality.

I had never before July 2003 visited Bhagavan to get His blessings on my birthday. However, on this occasion, I felt a very strong urge to go to Puttaparthi. I arrived there on the 20th July. During morning darshan, He came to me in the verendah and asked 'Suri, when did you come? When is your birthday?' I responded 'I came this morning, Bhagavan. My birthday is on the 26th'. He said 'very happy, very happy'.

In the days that followed, to the best of my recollection, every morning and afternoon. He would ask 'Suri, when is your birthday?' Eventually, on the 26th morning at 4 a.m., I was awakened, in the Shanti Bhavan, by a strong aroma of vibhuti (sacred ash). My instant reaction was that Bhagavan had come to bless me. Seconds later, I again got a strong aroma of vibhuti followed by that of marigolds; I then felt an acute sinking felling and wanting to throw up. This was immediately followed by the scent of marigolds and then again the aroma of vibhuti. During the next 12 hours I had, what appeared to me to be, nineteen such episodes. This did not deter me from going for the morning and afternoon darshan. Since I was sitting not more than 30 feet from the interview room, He passed by me a number of times, but never looked at me. All that I kept saying in my mind was 'Bhagavan, what could be a better way for me to die than at Your Lotus Feet'. Finally at 4 p.m., He called me to the interview room, materialized vibhuti, and rubbed it on my forehead and chest. Thereafter, He recited some mantras whilst keeping His Divine hands on my shoulders. The following morning He again blessed me placing His hands on my shoulders and reciting mantras. On my return, I narrated the episode to my family, whose belief in the Divine is not as deep as mine, and they insisted that I undergo a series of checks by a heart specialist. I succumbed to these pressures most reluctantly, purely to have peace at home. The results of the test, as expected, showed nothing beyond multiple bypass surgery that I had undergone some years earlier.

I had been suffering from enlarged prostrate for almost a decade. Recently I had begun to experience acute restriction in passing urine. In December 2004, whilst in my temple at home, I asked Bhagavan if I should undergo surgical procedure. Early the next morning, I had a very long dream of Swami. This dream was not only full of blessings given to me but the finale was most amazing. I not only saw but also felt and experienced the chill of the huge slab of ice, which extended from my navel to my toe. As soon as I woke up, I told my wife that I felt Swami had carried out a prostrate operation on me. The restriction that I was suffering from disappeared completely thereafter, and I was back to normal. On the 3rd February 2005, during the interview granted to me by Him, I thanked Him for having carried out an operation on me for prostrate. He said, 'yes, very difficult operation, but I take care'.'

-- Mr. N. C. Suri

(Source: The devotee's article in the special souvenir Tribute published by the Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust on the occasion of the 80th Birthday of Bhagavan.)