Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group V | Mrs. M. Rama Sundari

Mrs. M. Rama Sundari,
Lecturer (Selection Grade) in Bio-Sciences,
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning,
Anantapur Campus.

Mrs. M. Rama Sundari, Lecturer (Selection Grade) in Bio-Sciences in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus narrates a few of her experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in her own words.

'It was Krishnashtami, 1971. Swami was distributing laddu prasad with His own Divine hands. Swami put a laddu in my hand, but it slipped and rolled away. Then He turned to me and said 'padipoyindaa? Poneele, Nenu istaanu (Did it fall? Let it go. I will give you). He gave me another.

I applied for placement in the erstwhile Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Science College for Women, Anantapur. Bhagavan blessed me on the day of the interview to perform well. Other co-applicants seemed confident of their preparation and recommendations. Seeing them, I lost confidence and entered the interview hall in low spirits. All my hopes were shattered because I felt that very casual questions had been put to me unlike the previous interviewees. I prayed to Bhagavan for a positive outcome. My prayers were answered.

My sister Kanaka Durga was blessed with a baby girl. The parents wanted the child to be named by Mother Sai and so they reached Prasanthi Nilayam. My sister and I sat for darshan with much expectation. Bhagavan Baba came close, looked at the child, keenly, and walked ahead. We were disappointed. Some devotees advised us to ask Swami to perform the Annapraasana - the ceremony signifying the first feed of solid food for the baby. In the afternoon, we came prepared with the sweet dish for the same. Swami came to the baby, created vibhuti and applied it to the infant's forehead. He then lovingly fed the sleeping child by inserting His fingers into its mouth. He blessed the mother and the child, but avoided naming the baby. Later we discovered the reason - my sister's in-laws were not keen about Swami naming the baby.

Once in 1990, I was sitting with my three year old younger son for darshan. The little boy was restless. He too wanted to give a letter to Bhagavan. I gave him a pen and paper, more to keep him quiet than to make him write a letter. He drew lines and scribbled on the paper. Bhagavan came close to us and, with a loving smile, took letters from the devotees around me. My son stretched out his 'letter'. I pulled his hand back quickly and prevented him from giving the meaningless bit of paper to Swami. As Swami started walking ahead, my son suddenly screamed in Telugu 'why did you not allow me to give my letter to Baba?' Mother Sai heard it and retraced His steps. He bent low to take the letter and patted his cheeks. The child's earnest desire did not go unnoticed by the Lord. The boy grew up with an ardent desire to study in Bhagavan's school. He used to fast, in order to earn this blessing. He used to say 'amma, I want only one thing - admission into Swami's school.' Swami responded to his prayer and took the child into His fold by granting him admission to the Sri Sathya Sai Primary School, Prasanthi Nilayam.

I planned to go on the 31st March, 2000 to Trayee Brindavan for darshan, and was preparing to go to the bus-stand. Suddenly there was power cut, and we lit a candle. My husband started filling the gas-light cylinder from the cooking gas cylinder. After filling the small cylinder, he de-linked the two, and was about to close them. Accidentally, the candle fell on the open cylinder, and in no time both my son and husband were amidst rising flames. In panic, I screamed 'Sairam'. With great difficulty, my husband closed the cylinders, and ran to the water tub.

As the flames subsided, we took stock of the situation. My son escaped unhurt, but my husband's face was severely burnt. He also had some minor burns on his hands and feet. Fluid started oozing from his burnt face. I applied plenty of vibhuti to it. On my husband's insistence, I reached Trayee Brindavan the next morning as planned. The next morning, I got an opportunity to tell Bhagavan 'Baba, maavaariki fire accident ayyindi (my husband had a fire accident)'. Then Baba replied in a loving voice 'Nene kaapaadaanu. Fire ante saamaanyamaa? (I only saved him. Is fire an ordinary thing?)'. Thus the Divine Mother protected my maangalyam.

During the 50th Birthday celebrations of Bhagavan, we, the staff of the erstwhile Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Science College for Women, Anantapur, were assigned different seva activities. I was the only person left out. I prayed to Mother Sai not to deny me the precious opportunity of serving. Unexpectedly, Bhagavan blessed all the staff members with a group interview in the Poornachandra Auditorium. He benevolently explained the service activities to be taken up by each person. When He looked at me, I said 'Swami, I have no work.' 'I will give you work' was His instant response. He assigned to me the work of selling cool drinks. Bhagavan supervised the work Himself and encouraged us with His abhayahasta, a smile or a word of enquiry.

In the year 2000, my husband took up papaya cultivation with a farmer friend. As they did not have any knowledge of the aforesaid cultivation, they raised saplings and planted them with the guidance of an agriculturist. Unfortunately, these saplings got infested. In their anxiety to save the crop, the two of them liberally sprayed an insecticide of high potency. The next day, to their dismay, they found that the papaya saplings had withered away. They also spotted animals like snakes, lizards, etc dead in the field and discerned that the dosage used was indeed very high.

The two farmers returned home crest-fallen and turned to their only refuge - Bhagavan. With the name of Swami on their lips, they mixed vibhuti with water and poured it to each and every dying sapling. The next morning, when they visited the farm, they were overjoyed to find that the papaya saplings had revived. They realized that their Aarthathraanaparaayana had indeed heard their prayer. Thus Swami instantaneously responds to the call of His devotees in distress.'

-- Mrs. M. Rama Sundari

(As extracted from the souvenir Ananta Prematarangini published by the Anantapur Campus of the SSSIHL on the occasion of the 80th Birthday of Bhagavan)