Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan | Group V | Mr.T.N.Chaturvedi

Mr. T. N. Chaturvedi,
Governor of Karnataka,
Bangalore.

Mr. Chaturvedi, a distinguished administrator who is now the Governor of Karnataka, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'When I saw Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Delhi in 1972, as far as I remember, for the first time, I experienced an unusual sense of peace. My late wife and a few other friends accompanied me. As Baba stayed for five or six days in the Golf Links in Delhi, we would go every morning to have his darshan from the road below. He would make his appearance at the window in the uppermost storey of the residence of late Shri Sohanlal, His host. In the afternoon there used to be His public discourses at some well-known public places, which would be attended by many leaders of public eminence. The gatherings would comprise people belonging to different sections, religions, views and thinking. I was highly impressed by the peaceful conduct and the discipline that the entire concourse would observe politely guided by the volunteers. It was unusual for Delhi to have such disciplined and dignified meetings in public places. Baba's presence used to have an almost hypnotizing influence on the devotees and admirers. They would listen to Him spell-bound.

I was working as Chief Secretary, at that point of time, of the Delhi Administration, and knew Baba's host slightly. I rang him up with my request for a personal darshan of Baba and he very kindly accepted my request. Next morning, I was ushered along with my wife in His room, which gave us a feeling of indwelling peace. We were so overwhelmed that we found it difficult to respond to His query about our wellbeing. We could do only our pranams. But Baba by His graciousness made us feel at ease and asked us to sit down comfortably. He seemed to know everything about us. My second son of eleven years at that time had accompanied us. He had been ailing with some kidney problem from birth, and was operated upon at the Vellore Christian Hospital where we were required to stay for a month. For sometime he would occasionally fall sick even after the operation. Baba blessed him and His words of assurance had a healing touch for us.

But, for my wife, who had suffered a lot and was disconsolate due to an infant's death when she was not with her and had only just regained her composure after a month, the intense underlying grief surfaced in Baba's presence. But Baba's soothing words, gestures and blessings provided her a steadying solace. That peace stood with her. During her last illness in the U.S.A. and return to Delhi, she would sometimes talk of writing to Baba, but would feel next morning that His grace was with her. I think it was her faith in Baba, which gave her moral strength to bear her pain without sighs or sobs, and with great dignity, to the amazement of doctors in Delhi or in Washington.

During the first meeting, Baba materialized for me a ring of 'panchadhatu' (five metals) with His engraved visage, and vibhuti to my wife and son. Since then we saw Him again once privately during Baba's stay, but would go regularly for morning darshan and public discourses till he remained at Delhi. We also organized sometimes Baba's bhajans at our place, but we were, I would say, fairly regular visitors to some places where they were organized meticulously and regularly.

I was in the US and Canada for quite sometime and returned to India in 1984 to join as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. I wanted to spend Diwali with the family before taking charge of the post. Luck had something else in store for me.

After late lunch one day, I went out with my youngest son for a short stroll with our dog and on that broad road, Ashoka Road, a scooter with husband and wife going to meet some relations hit me, and he somehow failed to control the vehicle. I was on the footpath, but the leash of the dog got loosened and thus I came to the main road and fell down. At that hour, there was no other vehicle or pedestrian on the road.

But when I fell down on the road, I felt as if Baba's protection from the blue sky was being received by me. I was not unnerved. Though I could not get up, there was no blood or pain except a scratch on the pyjama. My son shouted for my other servants as my official residence was so close. I allowed the scooter driver to go away, and did not report against him. As I could not get up, my servants carried me to my residence and later on to the hospital. It was a long travail thereafter. But in the innermost recesses of my heart, I had confidence of Baba's protection. That same feeling and faith have remained during many an occasion of trial and tribulation in life and that feeling persists with me all through.'

-- Mr. T. N. Chaturvedi

(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.)