Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group VII | Dr. Chaya Hemadri

Dr. Chaya Hemadri,
Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital,
Prasanthi Nilayam.

      Dr. Chaya Hemadri, a senior gynaecologist, had served in the Railways Hospitals in India. She had also worked for sometime in the UK. From a family of ardent devotees of Bhagavan for generations, she has come to stay at Prasanthi Nilayam along with her husband and work in Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital. She records an experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan in an article published in Arogyapradayini, the Golden Jubilee publication of Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam released in August 2006.

'It was the year 1972. My father, who was a retired member of the UPSC, and my mother were visiting us in the UK, where we were working. Both my parents were ardent devotees of Bhagavan. As far as my mother was concerned, it was a case of instant recognition of God descended on earth in human form as Sri Sathya Sai Baba. From the first time she had met Swami, till the time she died, she knew of no other God except Swami.

My father reached the UK after obtaining due permission from and blessings of Bhagavan. In an interview that preceded the trip, my mother seemed to have made a request to Swami, amongst other things, that she should die a 'sumangali', and Swami accordingly blessed her. In the UK, things went well for them till one day, when my father suddenly developed acute retention of urine due to prostate enlargement, and the doctors decided to operate on him. My mother, however, would not hear of it, till we sent a message to Swami and obtained His permission.

The operation went off successfully, and after the patient was shifted to the post-operative ward, my mother, my husband and I went home for a quick lunch. Even as we reached, and were about to put the first morsel of food into mouth, there was a shrill ringing of the telephone. Somewhat apprehensively, I rushed to answer the phone. A lady surgeon's voice at the other end spoke to me in an urgent hushed tone 'Mrs. Hemadri, I am afraid you have to get back to the hospital immediately as your father collapsed suddenly. His pulse and BP are not recordable…' And she went on with further details but the receiver of the phone dropped from my hand; overcome with emotion, I started crying loudly. I looked up straight into Swami's eyes in a photo, which was standing prominently, right in front of me on the mantelpiece of our drawing room. I confronted Swami saying 'Oh Swami, what has happened? How could you do this to my mother? They have undertaken this trip to this far-off land with full faith in You, and You do this to them…'

Suddenly, I felt a thump on my back; this abruptly halted my hysterical babble. I felt myself looking into the eyes of my mother, filled with tears, and angry at the same time. She shouted 'stop there at once, don't you dare utter one more word about my Swami. He had blessed me that I would die a sumangali, but who knows what sin I have committed in this interim period.' The thump and the impact of those words of utter faith in the Lord, despite hearing the worst news, gave me a jolt. I blinked and looked at Bhagavan's photograph with fresh realisation dawning upon me. As all this was happening, a voice started calling loudly from the handset of the phone, which I had left hanging in midair. I slowly picked up the receiver to hear the same surgeon's voice on the other end 'come on, doctor, cheer up. I told you, we are resuscitating your father. He is already showing signs of recovery.' Oh! What a miracle. What sweet sounding words they were. I looked up at Bhagavan and thanked Him profusely, at the same time apologising for my foolish outburst. I looked at my mother with great admiration. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude, she seemed to be saying 'see, I told you I knew my God will never let me down.'

That is the day I learnt what absolute faith is and how God, across the oceans, comes to answer the prayer of His devotees, and upholds their faith in Him.

-- Dr. Chaya Hemadri

(Extracted from Arogyapradayini, the Golden Jubilee Commemorative volume of the General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam released in August 2006)