Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group V | Mr. R. Anil Kumar

Mr. R. Anil Kumar,
E-517, New Bombay Colony,
New Palwancha - 507 115.
Khammam District, A.P

Mobile: 94400-63645

Mr. R. Anil Kumar (32), Assistant Divisional Engineer, A.P.GENCO, Kothagudeam Thermal Station (Stage V), relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'I heard about Bhagavan for the first time in 1990 from my cousin, Mr. Sai Mahadev during a speech he delivered at our village, Gunjepadugu, Karimnagar district. My parents were so impressed that we started a bhajan mandali in our house.

We came to Prasanthi Nilayam for Sankranthi in 1991. It was my first visit here. We had darshan of Bhagavan and had the fortune of listening to His discourse.

Owing to His grace, I got admission in Engineering at Hyderabad. As Sivam is very near to our college and hostel, I could attend bhajans at least once or twice a week. Everyone was saying at that time that there were no jobs for engineers as they were in surplus. But soon after completion of my graduation in 1996, I got appointment in the Singareni Collieries. I joined later the A.P.State Electricity Board on January 1996 at Palwancha. Bhagavan's grace allowed me to be the convener of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi at Palwancha first and later elevated me as convener of Khammam district.

He also blessed me with the opportunity of attending as a delegate of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithis Conference in 1997 and 1999, and the seventh Sathya Sai World Conference in 2000 and the International Seva Conference in 2002. Mr. Indulal Shah told the World Youth Conference in 1997: 'If you are here as a delegate, it is not a coincidence, but Bhagavan's selection - a miracle He brought about in your life'.

Around 1998, I had a dream in which I saw Bhagavan leading me by hand through lines of devotees somewhere in that congregation. Some people were singing and Bhagavan remarked, 'they don't know how to sing, even so, they sing.' The dream ended.

I was transferred from desk work to the technical side in 2000. I was on duly at the boiler and furnace. The furnace occasionally emits flames owing to positive draft. None can predict or anticipate when it will happen. When it happens, one should know how to get out through the emergency exit. Being new, I did not know in the beginning how to get out in such an emergency. I had no idea of it. Once, when I was on duty, flames burst out of the boiler in giant size. It was only Swami's grace that I came out from the emergency exit as if someone was leading me by hand through it to safety.

In 2000, I was made the chairman of a committee to build a mandir in Palwancha. I am not a civil engineer and do not know anything of construction work. I prayed to Bhagavan to help me complete the work successfully. The construction proceeded without any hitch to its successful completion owing to His grace.

In 2002, my sister Mrs. Rajani came for delivery. She was blessed with a son. It was her first pregnancy, and she underwent caesarean operation for delivering the child. On the 20th day after delivery, she was sleeping with her son on a cot. My mother was sleeping on another in the same room. That was a Thursday. I was in the adjoining room. That night the ceiling fan got detached and fell down. It had been giving sounds for about 3 or 4 days. I sent for an electrician, but he was not available. I did not take it seriously because fans emit sounds when bearings are gone. It is only a nuisance but not dangerous. Fans, usually, do not fall down like this as they are securely hooked to the ceiling.

A few minutes before this happened, the child began to cry. My sister cajoled him and put him to sleep. After he slept, she pushed him to the edge of the cot on the side of the wall. Then she moved to the other side and slept. This manoeuvre caused a gap between mother and child on the cot. The fan fell exactly in this gap. Both the mother and her child were unhurt. As soon as I heard a loud crashing sound, I woke up saying 'Sai Ram' aloud and ran into my sister's room. My sister, though unhurt, was in a state of shock. I carefully lifted up the fan and examined the child and mother. We all felt relieved that two lives were saved by Bhagavan that day. A caesarean patient and a 20 days babe are very vulnerable, but they both escaped unhurt. I believe Bhagavan made the child cry so that my sister had to put him to sleep again and then pushed him to the side of the wall lest he should fall under the fan in sleep.

In 2003, I came to Prasanthi Nilayam to participate in youth rally on the day of the anniversary of Declaration of Avatar by Bhagavan, that is, October 20. We entered from the gate near Sri Rama mandir (earlier called Dasavathara gate) and went out of the second gate on East Prasanthi side, parading right in front of Bhagavan. As I was passing in front of Him, He raised His hand and blessed. That is the only darshan I had from the nearest. In the rally, we conducted a sort of display of different religions on the theme 'Unity of Faiths' in which I played the role of a Hindu Brahmin.

In 2004, Sri Sathya Sai Gurukula Seva Yajnam was launched in the State. In Palwancha Samithi, we had a target of one village where we had to renovate or build a school building. After necessary survey, we selected Narayanapuram village 14 kilometres away from Palwancha. The school building was in bad repair there. When we approached the Education Department, they told us 'leave the existing one like that, and build another in the vacant site available, leaving place for playground!' We contacted the MRO who showed the Govt land by the side of the existing school building.

On August 2004, we went to the village and saw the site. We took Bhagavan's photograph and pasted it on the wall of the existing school building. Mrs. Usha Rani, one of the teachers working there, came and saw the photograph! 'Whose picture is it?' She asked. 'He is God incarnate, Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba' we replied.

'Strange' she remarked.

'Why do you say so?' we asked.

'Three days back, He came in my dream and told me 'I am coming, I am coming, I am coming', three times' Mrs. Usha Rani said, 'and I could not place Him. Now he has come to help us and our school.' We were amazed.

On September 1, 2004, we performed Sankusthapana'. Soon after, trouble arose. One woman brought some goats, etc and kept them tied in that site claiming it hers. 'If you evict this poor lady' she was pointing to herself, 'I will die here and you will be responsible for my starvation death'. As she threatened us like that, we told the villagers that we had no intention to trouble anyone. 'We came here to help you by constructing a new school building here for your children' we told them; 'if you cannot show us a trouble free site, we will leave this village and construct the building in some other village'. We came back.

I was worried that our project met with teething troubles. I began to chant in my mind three names of Bhagavan picked from His 108 names used in pooja, namely, 'Om Sujnana Maragadarsakaya Namaha (salutation to He who shows the way illuminated with good knowledge), Om Asahaya Sahayakaya Namaha (salutation to He who helps the helpless), and Om Prema Swaroopaya Namaha (Salutation to He who is embodiment of love)'. I continued to chant these names for two days continuously. On the third day, the villagers came to me and said, 'don't go to another village. We offer her an alternate site if you can pay for it'. They asked for only Rs. 4000 for the site. We agreed. One farmer agreed to give his land as the alternate site to her. In fact, no one was willing to sell his land. It was a miracle that one agreed to do so. The poor lady was happy. The villagers and the staff of the school were happy. Needless to say, we were overjoyed at the amicable solution Swami had given us. He is truly Sujnana Margadarsaka, Asahaya Sahayaka and Prema Swaroopa.

On December 21, 2004, the new building was dedicated to Bhagavan. The inaugural function was attended by the local MLA (CPI -ML). It is a wonder of wonders that he spoke at length praising Bhagavan's social service activities to the surprise of all those assembled.

In March 2005, I had an idea to collect Swami's precepts and bring out small, low cost booklets. I prayed to Bhagavan to enable me implement the concept. I am new to writing a book or publishing it. Yet, within a month the work of culling out Swami's precepts from the old Sanathana Sarathi magazines, arranging them topic-wise and bringing them out as booklets was completed. The first book 'Kopamu-Nivarana (anger - its prevention)' appeared in April 2005. It was followed by the second 'Daiva Chamatkaram - Divya Charyalu (God's miracles - Divine actions) in July, 2005. Now the third also appeared owing to Bhagavan's grace a few days ago this month, under the title: 'Manava Jeevitha Lakshyamu'. All the three have met with good response.'

-- Mr. R. Anil Kumar.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 16.11.2005.)