Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group VI | Mr. P. Arun Kumar

Mr. P. Arun Kumar,
29-A, Railway Quarters,
Near Mal Dakka.
J.J. Road, Pune - 411 001.

Tel: 020-2611 4683

      Mr. P. Arun Kumar (58), an employee of the Indian Railways, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'Born in a communist-atheist family and married to a girl form another communist-atheist family, I was ridiculing Babas - particularly Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. My marriage took place in 1973. One of my friends, who was sponsoring a tourist bus, forced me and my wife to go with him in the bus. 'Treat this as your honeymoon trip' he told me, 'as you are a non-believer.' I agreed. So we were one of the eight newly married couples on the bus besides others. He brought us to Puttaparthi from Tirupati. It was not part of our itinerary, but a diversion to enable him to see his mother who resided at Puttaparthi being an ardent devotee of Bhagavan.

When we arrived at Prasanthi Nilayam, Baba was being taken in procession to the mandir over a path spread with roses. Sai Gita which was in its tender age garlanded Bhagavan. I followed Swami pretending to be a devotee chanting with others 'Sai Ram, Sai Ram'. I do not remember the occasion, but Swami performed vibhuti abhishekam to the idol of Shirdi Baba. I could sit very near the idol, and witness it. Yet I considered it some trick of an expert magician but not a miracle. That was my first visit to Prasanthi Nilayam and that is how I had my first darshan of Bhagavan.

In the eighties, I ran into serious difficulties in my personal life. One friend advised me to light a perfume stick daily before the picture of a deity. That is how my atheistic stance was burnt gradually. In 1999, I even made a pilgrimage not only to Tirupati but also to Prasanthi Nilayam. Bhagavan was not there at that time.

In 2003, a friend of mine residing in Bangalore came to see me. 'I came here on official work' he told me, 'and thought of dropping in'. We were taking a stroll in the streets and saw young people making preparations to strike the pot as it was the day of Gokulashtami.

'How is it that you, an atheist became a devotee of Sai Baba?' my friend asked me. 'A time comes' I replied 'in the life of a human being when he has to run for the protection of some superhuman force.' By that time we came to a point where my friend sighted a pan shop. 'Let us go and have a pan' he suggested making a beeline to the shop. As I moved forward to follow him, a speeding motorcyclist suddenly came and hit me. The impact was so much that I rose into the air and fell at a distance doing a couple of summersaults. Onlookers later told me that I had cried 'Sai Ram'. The motorcyclist fell at a distance while his vehicle was thrown a few yards away and fell somewhere. My friend came running to me cursing himself. 'Had I not suggested taking pan' he lamented, 'this would not have happened'. Everyone thought that I would die or would be found with multiple fractures. All were surprised that neither I nor the motorcyclist were hurt. We escaped without a scratch. The motorcycle, too, was not at all damaged. The motorcyclist was about to be beaten into pulp by the crowd that gathered there. Almost all of them knew me as a resident of the railway colony. I interfered effectively to save the poor motorcyclist and hastened him to leave at once. He rode on his vehicle and disappeared.

'Now I realize' my friend told me, 'how your Baba keeps on protecting you.'

I came for seva once in 2002. I was new to seva. I was given accommodation with others in the shed. I got ready early in the morning but had no vibhuti to put on. I could not get it in the shed. As I came out of the shed, a young man met me on the way. I did not know him, but he came to me. 'I am from Srikakulam district' he said in Telugu, 'here is some vibhuti which Bhagavan materialised and gave me during darshan'. He gave me a little. I put it on my forehead thanking the boy with a heart full of 'Sai Ram'. Though, outwardly, I was thanking that lad, I knew in my heart that I was, in fact, thanking Bhagavan for His spontaneous, loving response to fulfil my need for vibhuti, coming in the guise of this lad.'

-- Mr. P. Arun Kumar

   (As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 05.03.2006)