Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group III | Mrs. N. Sita Mahalakshmi

Mrs. N. Sita Mahalakshmi
A5, Sai Harsha Apartments
Sai Rama Colony
Puttaparthi – 515134
Tel: 08555-288775

Mrs. N. Sita Mahalakshmi (65), who is presently in seva at Prasanthi Nilayam, relates a few of her experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in her own words.

‘Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba came to our village, Kaldari, West Godavari District in 1966. Then we all had His Darshan for the first time. By that time I had three children, two daughters and a son. My husband, Mr. N. Ramakrishna was then working in a Sugar Factory.

I think it was around 1973 we first came to Prasanthi Nilayam. My parents also came with us. Swami called us for interview. ‘Your children seem to be restless’, Swami asked me, ‘would you like to return home?’ Then He added, ‘I will take care of your children’. I did not realize at that time that it was not a casual remark, but an assurance from the Lord, which He kept. Swami named my eldest daughter’s son as Sai Ramesh. On return from Prasanthi Nilayam, we had a huge profit on sugarcane. My mother, who was unwell earlier to our visit to Prasanthi Nilayam, recovered completely. We began coming to Prasanthi Nilayam for seva.

Once we came to Prasanthi Nilayam with my mother, Mrs. Lakshmi Narasamma, who had a stroke and was in coma. Her wish was that she should be taken to Prasanthi Nilayam when she was seriously ill. So we brought her to Prasanthi Nilayam. It was the time of Swami’s Birthday celebrations in 1973. She made a sound for the first time after she went into coma, on reaching Prasanthi Nilayam. She opened her eyes and showed immense happiness as if she had understood where she was.

She passed away at Prasanthi Nilayam on November 22, 1973. We did not know what to do. It was a new place. Swami sent through Mr. Kutumba Rao a new yellow sari to be spread on the body before taking her for cremation. He also said, ‘keep the body till 1 p.m.’ On that day Swami installed Ganesh idol, opposite the main gate. The scene was so exuberant with chanting of Vedic hymns, band and music, signing of devotional songs and happy throngs around; we did not feel that a death had occurred in the family. After the installation, all left. We were left with the problem of doing last rites to my mother.

Just at that time a stranger came and brought a few people with him. He made all arrangements and took my mother’s body to the cremation ground. ‘As there are no male issues to your mother, you also come’, he told me. Thus, her body was consumed to flames.

Next day was the day of Bhagavan’s birthday. But we had to do chinna-karma. The place of cremation was near to samadhi of Swami’s parents, in those days. There was heavy rain. Bhagavan started to offer new clothes at the samadhi of His parents. It was His practice in those days. As Bhagavan came out, the rain stopped. Our people could go and perform the china karma in that interval. During that interval I went and sat near the samadhi. Swami came there. He saw me and came to me. ‘Go to your place and complete her obsequies’, He told me. We came back to our village. When the word spread that my mother had passed away in Prasanthi Nilayam, many Sathya Sai devotees came and helped in performing pedda-karma. It was held on a grand scale as if it was a marriage function owing to the grace of Bhagavan. Everyone said, ‘she is a great soul, therefore, her death came at Parthi’.

Swami performed namakaranam of my second daughter’s son in a dream. He named him, Satya Jnana Datta.

We saw the grandson of Karanam Subbamma in a telephone booth. We did not know him. On learning about his family and that he was unmarried, we suggested a match to him. He agreed and the marriage was consummated. Afterwards, Swami blessed the couple at Brindavan. Encouraged by our success in this maiden match making, we suggested a match to the daughter of Sri Padmanabha Sastry.

As he was hesitant, my husband suggested, ‘you write a letter to Swami. You agree only if He approves’. My husband drafted the letter. Mr. Sastry sat with the letter in the line. Swami told him, ‘think well and do’. On our insistence, he sat again with a letter, which was also drafted by my husband. That day Swami came to me, looked at me and smiled. I thought that Swami gave consent to Mr. Sastry’s daughter’s match. In fact, Swami took the letter from Mr. Sastry. Soon after that, I had to go to Hyderabad.

Unexpectedly, matches for my daughter’s daughter and daughter’s son were settled. When I came back to Puttaparthi, Mr. Sastry’s daughter’s wedding was over. Swami performed it. But not with the match we had brought. Swami Himself fixed another match. Then I realized why Swami had smiled at me. While I was busy trying to fix up match for the daughter of Mr. Sastry, Swami fixed matches for two of my grandchildren as well as to the daughter of Mr. Sastry in a trice.

In 1996, I underwent blood test at Kakinada and was advised to go to Bangalore for further tests. But I wanted to go to Prasanthi Nilayam. I went there. Usually Swami used to come and talk to me. But He was not even looking at me. I waited for six months. He did not look at me. We took a toss before the photograph of Swami whether to follow doctor’s advice or not. The toss came in favour of doctor’s advice. The SSSIHMS people advised me long back to go to Bangalore. We went to Bangalore. They did not tell me in the beginning, but it was diagnosed as cancer. I underwent surgery and radium treatment for four months. At that time Swami was in Brindavan. I used to go and have Darshan twice a week while undergoing radium treatment. Finally, I was told to go home.

We went to Kaldari and returned to Bangalore after sometime for check up. I went for Darshan. Swami came straight to me first time after more than 10 to 11 months. He asked, ‘are you all right now?’ He materialized vibhuti and gave me. He gestured to me that I was completely cured. Then I was very happy. I realized that though Swami did not even look at me for months, He was closely following my treatment and guiding me, without my knowing it, towards complete cure of my ailment. When I went for check up, they confirmed what Swami had gestured to me that I was cured completely. After that we decided to settle down at Puttaparthi, and shifted here from Kaldari for good.’

-- Mrs. N. Sita Mahalakshmi.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 29.04.2005)