Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Mrs. Nitthila Radhakrishnan

Mrs. Nitthila Radhakrishnan,
5803 - Dalton Dr.,
Calgiry - Albrta
T3A - IC 4, Canada.

Tel: 001-403 247 6924

Mrs. Nitthila Radhakrishnan (65), a housewife from Canada, relates her experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in her own words.

'My grandparents (my mother's father, Mr.Ramachandran and mother, Mrs. Kamala Ramachandran) were the first generation devotees of Bhagavan. I went along with my parents and grandparents to Puttaparthi around 1945 for the first time. Then, we all stayed in Pata Mandiram. Swami used to play with me and other children of my age. When my mother was distributing any eatables to me and other children there, Swami also used to come and put his hand forward as if He, too, were a child.

One day, my father wanted to broach some of his problems with Swami. But Swami told him, 'I will come to your house.' We were in Kadaluru near Pondicherry at that time. Swami visited Kadaluru later and stayed in our house for three days. I was about 7 or 8 years old at that time. Swami used to play with us at Kadaluru also.

I was married in 1959 and left for the USA and, later, Canada with my husband. For some inexplicable reason we could not go to Puttaparthi for the next 35 years.

Meanwhile, my brother, Mr.N.S.Nagayya went to Bangalore and began to participate in the construction activities at Brindavan. Finally, he became completely involved in Swami's work.

I was, in the beginning, a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba. I keep the Photographs of Shirdi Sai and Sathya Sai in our Pooja room. I keep a Photograph of Swami in my purse always.

In 1987, the marriage of my daughter was fixed. I came to Bangalore to make some purchases in India and to visit my brother and parents. On the advice of my brother, I went to Puttaparthi and sat in the Darshan line, the same day. I couldn't get the front line. One lady saw the new sari, mangalasutram, etc in my hand and understood that I had come to seek Swami's blessings for wedlock. She volunteered to give her seat to me and went back. Owing to Bhagavan's grace, I could sit in the front. Bhagavan came to me directly and took the invitation card for my daughter's marriage from my hands saying, 'manchidi, manchidi.' He was carrying the invitation card with Him all through. He blessed the wedding set, sprinkled akshatas and left after giving me Padanamaskar. We performed the marriage in our Indian traditional manner in Canada even though our son-in-law is a Swede.

One day in 1988, I went out for lunch. Returning from lunch, I stood on the pavement waiting for the signal, to cross over to the other side. Then two cars collided accidentally and one of the two came towards me, and hit me. I was thrown off to a distance of about 15 meters. I sustained fractures and injuries all over my body, and fell unconscious. I do not remember anything that happened afterwards.

I was told later that I had gone into coma, and was rushed to a hospital. Though I underwent surgery at 53 places all over my body including brain, I continued to be in coma for about one month. No one had any hope of my survival. In fact, a note was displayed at my bedside - 'Not likely to survive.' Many of our family members used to come to see me, but I could not recognize anybody, nor was I aware of their presence. But I could see Swami coming to me daily to put me to sleep. Parvati Devi accompanied Him whenever He came to my bedside. When I came out of coma, I could remember only one thing - that Swami was coming to me with Parvati Devi and was putting me to sleep. Even during coma, I used to talk to Swami, but my people took it as incoherent babbling of a patient in coma.

One day while I was in coma, I asked Swami in anguish, 'what have I done, Swami, to meet with this fate?' Swami waved His hand in a peculiar gesture and left. Since that day, He has not appeared even in my dream. I was for a year in the hospital before I was discharged. In 1992, my husband and I came to Brindavan. Swami called us for an interview. He asked me in the interview room, 'kuurcho' (sit). He used to talk to me always in Telugu. As I underwent surgery on my legs, I hesitated to sit. He materialized a ring and gave it to me. Then He looked at my husband and quipped, 'jealous?' He materialized another ring and gave it to my husband.

After some days, He called us again for interview and gave me a chain with a locket carrying Bhagavan's bust with golden face. I was at Brindavan for a month. Swami used to come to me daily, touch me on my head and bless me.

Had I sat in the first interview during my stay at Brindavan, as per Swami's word, I would have been able to squat normally like anybody else. Every one knows that when Swami says anything, He will see to it that that can be done. It was a grave mistake on my part not to have sat then. So, I am not able to sit except on a chair even though 16 years have passed after I underwent surgery.

In 1993, after our return to Canada, I felt uneasy one day. I had severe pain in my chest. I did not know that I had a heart attack. Owing to Swami's grace, my husband had a hunch that it could be a cardiac problem and arranged to rush me to a hospital. They did angiogram and detected a block of 95% at my back, and at once performed angioplasty. I recovered gradually. Doctors were surprised later on my miraculous healing. 'Usually there would be a scar after it healed', they told me, 'in your case no scar is seen. It is strange!'

I came to Prasanthi Nilayam after that. 'Be here for six months in a year', Swami told me, 'and the next six months there (in Canada)'. I am doing accordingly.

In 2000-01, my husband had kidney problem. I was giving a letter to Swami at Prasanthi Nilayam about his health daily. I gave up to 24 letters. 'How many letters will you give?' Swami asked me one day, in the interview room, Swami enquired, 'does he have high BP?' 'Yes', Swami', I replied. 'It is only due to that', Swami said, 'rammanu (ask him to come to Prasanthi Nilayam)'.

It is only Swami that diagnosed the kidney problem as arising out of high BP. No doctor could detect that link. I immediately asked my husband to come to India. This was in December 2000. 'Anyway I am coming there in February', my husband replied, and did not come immediately. It was a costly mistake. When Swami tells us something, we have to do it at once. His problem aggravated. He was advised kidney transplant even. He had to be on dialysis. When we asked Swami about surgery, He said, 'no!' Swami prohibited. Therefore, he was in a dilemma. For my part, I was confident that when Swami said 'no' to surgery, He would save him without resorting to surgery, by His bliss alone. So we wait and hope.

Swami blessed us with many experiences. Once, on my request, He placed His Hand on my mangalasutram that was held out by me, and blessed.

In 1995-96, when we came to Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami called us for an interview. Just at that time, my husband went out. When I was entering the interview room, Swami said to me, 'come, come! Oh Bride!' Then he asked, 'where is Bhaskar?' (Swami used to call my husband 'Bhaskar.') He reminded me that it was the Shashtipuurthi-year of my husband. I was pleasantly surprised. We forgot it but Swami remembered! Next day, He called both of us for interview. He materialised a gold chain with a locket and gave it to my husband. 'Tie it around her neck', Swami told him. Then my husband put it around my neck while Swami Himself recited some mantras. Swami gave us interview like that for four days daily. He blessed me with as many as 18 interviews in all.'

-- Mrs. Nitthila Radhakrishnan.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 21.11.2004.)