Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group II | Mrs. A. Annapurna

Mrs. A. Annapurna,
G3, Govind Palace, Alwal,
Secunderabad - 500 015
Tel: 040-27960088

Mrs. A. Annapurna, who is running a school at Secunderabad and a realized devotee of Bhagavan, relates a few of her experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in her own words.

'I went to Puttaparthi for the first time on January 6, 1995. I went there for a cardiac check-up. At that time, I had no belief in Sri Sathya Sai Baba. So I did not go for Darshan even though I was there for four days. But I liked the way things were organised there. Everyone does his / her work in silence. There is no particular attention paid to any because he / she happens to be rich. I liked mainly the spirit of service with which sevadal work. I, too, participated in seva.

We were scheduled to return on the 10th. Persuaded by our people, I went for Darshan on the last day. As I saw some carrying letters, I asked them why they did so. 'If we have anything to convey to Swami, we can give Him a letter', they said. I took a paper and a pen from somebody there and wrote a letter to Swami. I sat in a corner. Swami did not come near me. I was coming out after Darshan from the gate on the backside of the Mandir. I kept the letter on a window of the Mandir.

As I came out, we were all stopped there as Swami was expected to go that way. 'Swami does not come that side usually', they said. But on that day Swami came that side unusually and went in front of us. When His car was going by my side, He looked at me with wide-open eyes piercingly. Then blue waves emanated from His eyes and entered me. I felt as if I was dozing. I thought that Swami had cast some spell on me. I could not realise then that Swami has chosen me as His instrument. Though our train was at 9 p.m. from Dharmavaram that night, I left Puttaparthi for Dharmavaram at about 9 a.m. itself. Though, outwardly, I was moving normally, I was under some sort of intoxication from the time I had that close Darshan of Bhagawan.

On February 19, 1995, Swami 'came' directly to my house. I could not understand what was happening. Swami came (in his physical body), placed vibhuti prasadam before His photograph in our house and disappeared. After that, for days, Swami was giving us vibhuti prasadam like that before the Photograph. In our house I could only see Him in flesh and blood, while no other member of our family or in the vicinity could notice Him physically. I realized that He was coming to our house in the astral plane, only visible to me. We used to find vibhuti before Swami's Photograph though no one in our house put it there. It was manifesting however much we were giving to the devotees. At first, I was frightened on seeing these happenings. I could not tell anyone for fear of their not believing what I would say. I was even worried that they might take it as a joke, or even heckle. So I did not tell anyone for a long time.

Swami was performing mass-upanayanams in August 1995. I wanted to get the upanayanams of my two sons also performed there. But my husband said, 'it is not customary to perform upanayanam of two brothers on the same day!' So he paid money only for the elder. I could not do anything. We went to Puttaparthi. When we were there, Swami appeared in my dream on the day of upanayanams. He asked, 'where is your younger son?' He asked me to call him. He gave yajnopavitam and new clothes to him. I felt immensely happy. Even though it was a dream, I revelled as if it was true.

In November 1995, Swami gave me interview in my dream. I went directly into the interview room. Swami was arranging some saris neatly, He gave me one sari and asked, 'do you like this?' 'Whatever Swami gives, it is prasadam for me,' I replied, 'why are you straining yourself like this, Swami?' I asked. I arranged all saris neatly. 'Take padanamaskar,' Swami said three times. Dream ended.

From the birthday of Swami that year, Bhagawan has started appearing to me in my house very regularly, on the astral plane (in His physical body). I was experiencing His taking me to various places on the astral plane. He used to teach me many things in spiritual angle. 'Do bhajan daily,' Swami used to ask me. 'I don't know any bhajan songs, Swami!' I used to reply. 'Play cassette No. 21 and do bhajan', Swami used to tell. We have been doing bhajan daily in the evening playing the cassette.

During Vasantha Navarathri, Swami brought Kamakshi, our family deity to our house with Him. This happened on April 5, 1995. It was a Friday also. Kamakshi came in the form of a small child of 3 years. I like small children very much. So Swami brought her as a child. 'I will take her back on Srirama Navami', Swami told me. But the child did not go. She has remained with me ever since. She is like a child for me in our house. I have forgotten that she is our deity.

While I see the baby deity in physical form, she appears as an idol made of mud to others. At the physical level, we have kept the idol in the pooja room. All people worship the idol as Kamakshi.

Two years later, we were going to Brindavan from Hyderabad by train. We were travelling in the sleeper bogie. The ticket examiner insisted on our occupying the beds after 9 p.m., without standing in the middle of the berths. On my berth, our child deity, Kamakshi was lying on the berth and I was not disturbing her. The ticket examiner and the others travelling with me could not notice her there physically. To avoid the predicament to me, Bhagavan placed a small plastic baby girl toy on the berth in the place of Kamakshi. I moved the toy a little farther and made space for me to lie on the berth. Ever since, we have been having both the idol of mud and the plastic toy in our house in our pooja, while both are one for me in the physical form of the three-year-old Kamakshi.

The toy has grown in size. The hair of the toy also increases month after month. We arrange haircut for the toy almost every month to keep it trim. All treat her only as a small baby and worship her.

Swami also brought Krishna and Ganesh later as kids to keep company for Kamakshi in our house. Krishna is a ten-month-old baby that crawls on ground. Ganesh is a year and a half old child. Kamakshi, Krishna and Ganesh have all remained of the same age every since Swami brought them to our house. All three are very mischievous. They play together and make lot of noise. Some devotees also observed the leelas of this trio. While I see Krishna and Ganesh also in their physical form as children, they are only idols for others in our pooja room.

One Mr. Mani Ramachandran came to my house in December 95. It was reputed that Swami would appear to Mr. Ramachandran and speak to him on the astral plane. 'Go to Annapurna', Swami told him. So he came to me even though he had not known me. He brought many persons to our house on Swami's instructions on the astral plane. He passed away in a road accident sometime in 1998.

I went to Puttaparthi in early January 1996 for seva. 'Start a school!' Swami told me in the Darshan line. 'I don't know anything', I replied, 'it is not possible for me to run it.' Swami did not heed. I kept quiet. I returned home after Sankranti.

Mr. Mani Ramachandran came to me and said, 'Swami is telling you to start a school'. He told me how to go about it. One Mrs. Saila Kelarkar runs a school of Swami in Hyderabad. Swami told her also to help me. All procedural matters were explained to me through her. Mr. Ramachandran helped us in getting the Society registered. All preliminaries were completed in a couple of months. I did not have money. Swami made some people come to our house and leave money at the feet of Swami (near the Photograph of Swami) for the school.

We used to do Aumkar before the Photograph of Swami daily. Swami used to bless us all (in the astral plane). On the day of Ugadi in 1996, we sat before the Photograph of Swami after pooja. Swami performed upanayanam to my younger son while I was in meditation, even though I was pleading with Him not to do so. But He wanted my husband tell Gayatri Mantra. My husband had seen yajnopavitam being fixed around my son's neck and below the right arm. He could not, however, see Swami fixing the yajnopavitam. My husband was annoyed when I informed him about Swami's instructions. He refused to obey in the beginning, but finally recited Gayatri.

He used to suspect that I was doing all these things in the name of Swami. For several days, my husband was sceptical of these happenings. One day, amritam came from the Padukas of Swami. My husband was present then. After that he stopped doubting outwardly, though he remained sceptical in mind. He used to harbour many doubts.

Swami was in Brindavan. Here, in Hyderabad, Swami fixed the opening of the school on April 29, 1996 (on the astral plane). He gave a design for the invitation card. We could not initially get it. Finally, we got it in a printing press. We made two invitation cards in the manner Swami desired while we made other cards in an ordinary manner. We meant one card to Swami and the other card to our family deity Kamakshi in our village in Vizianagaram District, which we got delivered there.

We all went to Brindavan to give the card to Swami. Luckily, the sevadal allowed me to sit in the front line. Swami came, but went further without taking the card. Then He came back and took it saying, 'I have already seen it.' On the day of inauguration of the school, Swami put the same card on the table in the office room of the school as a token of His presence at the function. As we opened the door of the office room after inauguration, all the invitees found the same card given to Swami on the table, to their astonishment.

'Swami! Kindly develop the school.' I prayed to Swami. 'Do you want quality or quantity?' He asked, 'look! How many are there with me after 10 years?'

Even today, I can't understand how my school is running. On the advice of Swami, I gave up my job in the college as a lecturer in Hindi and have been devoting my attention to the school since its commencement. The school was started only with four children. The school ran for 2 years only with 2 teachers. The school is named 'Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Deepa High School' as directed by Swami. It is now a full-fledged high school with 250 students and 15 teachers. As instructed by Swami, we have registered the Vijaya Charitable Trust to meet the recurring expenses of the school including payment of salaries to the teachers.

I went to Puttaparthi in January 1997 for seva. Swami asked me to give up meals. I followed the instruction and gave up usual diet. I was living for quite sometime only on milk or fruits.

When I went for seva to Puttaparthi in January 1998, Swami did not allow me to return immediately after seva was over. I was there up to Sivaratri. Swami gave us room in the Mandir. At that time, I had cancer in the stomach. I used to vomit soon after I ate anything. I used to go for Darshan of Swami and do Pradakshinas to Ganapati. This was my daily routine. After Sivaratri, I returned to Secunderabad.

Many doctors at Secunderabad advised me to undergo surgery, but I did not follow their advice, as Swami said 'no'. Swami asked me to come to Brindavan. So I went there with some friends. Swami asked me to get checked up in the Hospital there. He asked me to meet Dr. Savitri. I went there. She referred me to another who advised surgery. But Swami did not agree. I returned to Secunderabad on April 2, 1998.

When I went to Sivam, immediately after my return to Secunderabad, I had terrible pain in the abdomen. On April 4, 1998, I was on my bed. It was around 11 p.m. Swami came and performed surgery to me. One young lady was by His side, carrying a tray filled with surgical knives and other instruments. Swami removed the malignant tumour, put sutures and washed His hands in the basin of water brought by the young lady. He then disappeared along with the lady, as I was witnessing all this in a dazed state.

Later I slept as if I was under sedation. When I woke up in the morning, I was unable to place my legs on the floor and get up. That day, exams were to be held to the students in the school. So I came to the school with great difficulty, and got immersed in schoolwork. By evening, the sutures gave way making a hole though which bleeding appeared. I did not go to any doctor. I bandaged the wound myself, and continued to do so for nearly four months. I used to take some medicine. Swami did not allow me to go to any doctor during those four months.

When I went to Puttaparthi on July 28 for Gurupoornima that year, Swami looked at me in a piercing manner in the Darshan line. After that I went to the room and opened the bandage with a view to putting a new one. The wound disappeared! Till now I have not had any problem from that cancer. No relapse.

When I purchased the school building, I had no money. But it was purchased and registered. Mr. Gowrishankar who was then working in the SBI, Prasanthi Nilayam arranged for loan for the school from the SBI, Kothi Branch, Hyderabad. He came in contact with me in strange circumstances. About that time, Mr. Gourishankar was not able to locate an important file of the Bank, which he was handling. Somebody informed him that if he contacted me, I would speak to Swami and indicate to him the location of the file. He called me on telephone when I was in Secunderabad and mentioned about the loss of the file seeking information as to its location. While he was talking to me, I was able to see the file in his own cupboard at the bottom of the files. After passing this information, I put down the telephone. Mr. Gourishankar had earlier searched his entire cupboard thoroughly, and was sceptical of the file being there itself. Anyway, he looked into the cupboard once again and, to his astonishment, found the file there intact.

On the word of Mr. Gourishankar, the SBI people themselves came to me and helped in processing the loan of Rs.10 lakhs very fast. On May 3, 2001 registration was done. Same day Grihapravesam also was done.

Swami gave mangalasutrams for the brides of our two sons and our daughter at the time of their marriage. Swami had informed me in my house earlier that He would give mangalasutram on the occasion of their marriage.

Our eldest son was married in 1997. My husband was anxious to get the mangalasutram for the bride, from our side. I mentioned to him of Swami's word to give it Himself. My husband did not believe that Swami would give the mangalasutram. He forced me to purchase one locally a few days before the wedding. I went with my daughter to the shop and settled to purchase one costing Rs.2,400. I carried one hundred rupee notes. I counted 24-hundred rupee notes and sought to give them to the shopkeeper. He laughed and said that I was giving 24 fifty rupee notes. My daughter confirmed that I was carrying only fifty rupee notes. My assertion that they were hundred rupee notes was just laughed at. We returned without purchasing the mangalasutram. A day later, and a couple of days before the wedding, Swami gave me mangalasutram for the bride in my house itself.

Our daughter's wedding took place in 2001. We went to Prasanthi Nilayam to give the invitation to Swami, much before the wedding. When Swami was returning from the Mandir to the Purnachandra Auditorium after bhajan, He gave me mangalasutram for our daughter.

Our second son was married in 2003. We went to Brindavan to handover the invitation to Swami when He was there. I was sitting in the front row of a block where some ladies from the family of Swami were also seated. Swami passed by us towards the dais. Just before the dais, instead getting on to it, He returned and came to me. He took the invitation from the plate and also touched the akshatas. By the time He lifted the hand, there was mangalasutram for the bride.

I came to the school, as usual, on the morning of November 2, 2001. There I found the idol of Shirdi Sai wrapped in a shawl. It was wet as if abhishekam had been performed to it just then. I did not know what to do with it. Swami told me on the astral plane to install that idol on His Birthday, that is, on November 23 in our house. It was installed accordingly. Many came and performed abhishekam to it that day. All those who performed abhishekam found lingas manifested in the vessels used to bring water for the abhishekam.

All through the Telugu year of Iswara, Swami gave a linga everyday in vibhuti in our pooja room.

In December 2001, Swami asked me to send my husband, who had retired from service on October 31, 2001 at Secunderabad in the Defence Accounts Department, to Prasanthi Nilayam, and gave him service in the Chaitanya Jyothi from January 6, 2002. My husband is still serving there.

Swami granted me fresh lease of life three times. Once when I was sitting in meditation in Prasanthi Nilayam, I experienced that I had passed away. My body was placed near the Purnachndra Auditorium. Swami came to the body while returning to His room, and sprinkled vibhuti on it, and revived. My astral body was witnessing the event.

Another time, I had a dream that I had died in my house. Many were coming and seeing the dead body. My eldest son closed the school and came. Then Swami came and told me 'look! Your son closed the school. Get up!' Saying so, He tapped me and revived me.

Another time, I had a dream that I had died and that the dead body was seated in a chair. A long queue of women was entering the house. They were doing final rites such as applying wet turmeric to my face, legs and hands. My astral body was witnessing the entire event. In the morning after I got up, I found that my face, hands and legs were fully smeared with wet turmeric. It took me considerable effort to clean all of it.

I went to Shirdi in February 2002 with some teachers. We left on February 2 and returned on 18. One red car was seen parked on our return before our house. We enquired our neighbours about it, but no one could give any information whose car it was. When I entered my house, Swami told me in the astral plane that that the car was for Kamakshi (my family deity living with me as a girl of three years) and that its keys were with her. 'Why Swami?' I pleaded but Swami did not listen. 'Chittitalli (loving daughter) will go round in it.' He said. (Chittitalli is the pet name by which we all call Kamakshi)

I went to the pooja room and saw the keys at the idol of Kamakshi. A couple of days later, Swami brought and gave me the RC book of the car. According to the book, the car was purchased from the Varun Motors, Begumpet, Secunderabad in the name of Kamakshi. Sometime later, the Varun Motors people were calling for Kamakshi, as the purchaser of the car, to pass some information relating to it.

Though the car has been with us for over two years and seven months, we serviced it only four times with the first three services provided by the dealer free of charge. We did the fourth servicing only recently as Swami told us that the air-conditioning of the car was not working properly and that it should be repaired and serviced.

We notice that Swami takes the car in the nights occasionally and brings it back. The watchman at the house reports on enquiry that some boy or somebody had driven the car in the night and returned it later. Then only we know that Swami used the car the previous night. When ever Swami took the car and returned it, the petrol tank would always be full.

Since the car came to us, we may have put petrol into it only about ten times so far, that too, in small quantities. But the car will have enough petrol every time we use it. It is our experience that the petrol we put into the car has no relation to the mileage it gives.

While returning from Shirdi in February 2002, our bus stopped near a dhaba. It might be around 11 o'clock in the night. As we were walking after alighting the bus, my friend Mrs. Satyavathi got stuck in a slough, which she had not noticed in the darkness. There was a danger of her bogging down into it gradually and completely. Even though I stood at the edge of the slough, it was difficult to catch her. I don't know how I caught and pulled her out. There was the danger of myself falling into it. But Swami gave me the strength to pull her out, and thus saved both of us.

Once I had a dream in which Swami appeared. All devotees were sitting in Sai Kulwant Hall. Swami was coming, but everyone was dozing. I was shouting at them, 'Swami is coming. Get up.' But no one awoke. Swami went back. I was looking from above while He was returning. I could not bear it. I jumped down and went near Him. Dream ended.

We went to Vaishnavi Mayi Temple on a pilgrimage in August 2004. I thought I would not be able to climb the steps. We commenced climbing at about noon on August 17, 2004. We climbed up to 7 p.m. After that I could not climb further. I sat down there out of exhaustion.

Then, a person of about 80 years age came to me and started talking. We both walked engaged in conversation. I don't know how I climbed the steps fully absorbed in his engaging conversation. I could not see my people either in my front or behind. We completed the trek of three miles by 10 p.m. He was telling me stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata. He asked me about my school and said, 'I will come to your school!'

When I was going into the shrine, I saw him again. He gave me a holy cloth, which was taken from the apparel of the Deity, and gave it to me saying, 'keep it'.

When I was going to the medical camp on September 10, 2004, I had an attack of chest pain. I was unable to withstand it. Swami told me in the astral plane not to go in for cardiac surgery. If my children came to know about this, they would take me to a hospital for surgery. So I went to my friend's house. They did some reiki, but the pain did not subside fully.

Swami later told me on the astral plane to go to the Usha Mullapudi Hospital. I went there on October 11. The doctor said, 'we have to do angiogram'. I said, 'we will come back on Wednesday'. He gave some medicines. We went back on Wednesday. I was asked to be in the hospital for two days. That evening at 6 p.m., I had chest pain but I did not tell them. They did angiogram. No defect was found. My heart was as clear as that of a new born. Doctors were surprised. They tested again. The result was the same. However, the doctors gave me medicines for heart problem and discharged.

My chest pain still persists. I take medicine whenever I have pain. There is no other treatment.'

-- Mrs. A Annapurna.

(Based on a note sent by Mrs. A. Annapurna from Secunderabad on 28.10.2004 to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao and clarified further on telephone.)