Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group VI | Ms. Geeta Bala

Ms. Geeta Bala,
Lecturer in Economics,
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning,
Anantapur Campus.

Ms. Geeta Bala, Lecturer in Economics in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus narrates her experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in her own words.

'A close friend once came to me. He was in need of someone who would stand guarantee for a Bank loan he was taking. Without much knowledge of the implications of such an action, I really became 'a friend in deed for a friend in need'. One year elapsed. Suddenly, one day, I received a court notice. The friend had been a defaulter, never repaid the loan amount, and now he was absconding. So, as his guarantor, I was expected to pay the Rs. one lakh he had borrowed, along with its interest for a year.

I was in a terrible state of mind, having been betrayed by a trusted friend, and also condemned by my family for such a foolish act. My brother refused to even talk to me, contending that, being educated, I should not have acted so ignorantly. I was also worried about what everybody would think of me.

In utter desperation, I turned to Swami for He alone could help me. I went to Prasanthi Nilayam, stood before the Sarvadharma-sthupa and cried out to Him, saying that, knowingly or unknowingly, I had made this mistake, and now He alone could save me from this predicament. I left everything in His hands, and was ready to face any consequence. Feeling much relieved and relaxed after handing over my problem to Swami, I returned to Anantapur.

The court case against me was adjourned for a while. One day, my lawyer informed me that I did not have to worry as my name as one of the defendants in the case had been cleared. I was totally dumbstruck, as it sounded impossible. The lawyer shook me out of my shock to tell me some facts - I had signed the surety bond for Rs. 1 lakh for my friend in the college where I was working, but the contention of the plaintiff (the Company) against me was that on a particular date I had gone to their office to sign the document. Much to the dismay of the plaintiff, on the date mentioned by them, I was not at Anantapur but at Kodaicanal writing my M. Phil. Examination. The hall ticket and a letter from the Controller of Examinations proved this. I was absolved by the court of any liabilities.

Who changed the facts - the date of my signing and the place where I signed; it still remains a mystery. But I learnt my lesson. I realized that problems put before us are only excuses for us to turn towards God. The moment I beseeched His help, He fought my case for me. He not only waived away the amount of Rs. 1 lakh which would have been impossible for me to pay as I was still financially dependent on my brothers, but also protected my honour by not letting me appear in the court. Moreover, I learnt to distinguish 'a friend' from 'the Friend'.

Being confident that Bhagavan has always been with me, guiding and guarding me, I have been able to overcome a lot of hurdles that have come my way in life. My health has never been very good but I carry on with His grace. Once, my feet started giving me trouble. It was an unusual pain. I could not even explain what exactly the problem was. In the evenings, and sometimes even in the mornings, my feet would start shivering. This increased as night approached. I started finding it very difficult to sit for hours for darshan. No amount of medication helped. One day, during Swami's Birthday celebrations, I approached a doctor at the General Hospital at Prasanthi Nilayam.

As I briefed him about my problem, he interrupted me with a casual conversation and handed over a packet of vibhuti as medicine. I dutifully took my dose, and sat through Bhagavan's discourse. After two or three days, I realized that there was no more shivering in my feet. I did not even realize when it had stopped. I had totally forgotten about my problem. It was the magic of His love and grace on me again.

I realize that Swami has always been with me at all moments. Innumerable are the incidents that I can quote wherein all my little and big problems became His. He has been on a full-time job with my life. My house is situated in a low lying area of the town. Whenever it rains, the joy of the showers turns into a nightmare, as water collects to a level of two feet and more in our house. When the monsoons started this year, I prayed to Swami to let the rain come, but not to let the rain water come inside the house. I could barely sleep one night when it rained torrentially. To my surprise, in the morning, I realized that water had flooded most houses in areas even higher than ours, but it had not entered even our compound.'

-- Ms. Geeta Bala

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