Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group IV | Dr. Ravi Dabir

Dr. Ravi Dabir,
3197 - Reston Drive,
Baldwinwille
New York - 13027, USA.

E-mail: ravidabir@hotmail.com

Dr. Ravi Dabir (56), a leading dentist, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'My parents used to visit Prasanthi Nilayam since 1948 onwards. We used to ride on their shoulders in our childhood and cross the Chitravathi while Bhagavan used to wait on the opposite bank anxiously for us. I remember my first visit to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1955 clearly when I was six years old.

While I was studying in the Dental School at Manipal, I did not like the way things were there. I wanted to quit in exasperation. But my father, Dr. D.S. Chander, who was a leading dentist at Bangalore, was reluctant to allow me quit.

'I will go to Bhagavan' I said one day, 'and seek His guidance'.

'But then you go alone', my father counselled. This was in 1970.

So, I came alone for the first time to Prasanthi Nilayam and stayed for ten days. The mandir at Prasanthi Nilayam was being renovated to give it the look of a temple. Till then it was a simple structure. I had the good fortune to participate in seva carrying sand from the Chitravathi for the purpose. On the tenth day, I told Swami that I would return. He then called me for interview with a group of 20 Tibetans. During the interview, He materialised His visiting cards and gave each one. I was sitting at the end. He gave the cards to all except me. He told me to wait, and talked with the others. After that He called me for a private interview. He materialised a ring and put it on my finger. 'Go to your Dental School', Swami counselled, 'I will protect you'.

So, I went back to my Dental School. One day there was a disturbance in our School which, in no way, caused any harm to me. But in the melee, the picture of Bhagavan in the ring given by Him had an impact, and a small piece of the ring was broken. Bhagavan took upon Himself, that is, on His picture in the ring, the full impact of the disturbance, and saved me. Afterwards, when I went to Prasanthi Nilayam, Bhagavan blew on the broken ring and changed it to a new one which I have continued to wear till today.

After receiving my B.D.S. degree, I set up practice but wanted to go to the USA. My father was not inclined favourably to my proposal to go abroad. Once, a Nadi expert was consulted. 'You will not cross the door of your father's house', the Nadi expert told us quoting from the Nadi-grandha with him. I still insisted on going to the USA.

'I will go to Prasanthi Nilayam' I said, 'and take Bhagavan's guidance'.

My father agreed.

'In that case' my mother said, 'I will come with you'.

We both went to Prasanthi Nilayam. This was in 1974. We stayed there for a week. Whenever I tried to raise the issue with Bhagavan in the darshan line, He used to say 'wait, wait'.

One day, He called us for interview.

'I want to go to the USA', I told Bhagavan; 'pray permit me and bless me'.

'No! You can not go to the USA' Bhagavan declared.

'No, Swami, I have to go'.

'You can't ' Bhagavan showed no sign of relaxation in His stand.

I caught hold of His robe. Tugging at it like a child tugging at the sari of its mother, I pleaded 'Swami! Pray bless me. I have to go to the States'.

'In that case' Bhagavan said with a smile, 'get married and go. I will send you to the USA'.

I could not see any connection between my marriage and my going abroad. But I did not argue and readily agreed, though reluctantly.

On February 25, 1975, I married Ms. Harini from a respectable family. Swami was kind enough to give new clothes to both the bride and me and blessed our wedlock. In 1977 I left for the USA where I did my post-graduation and set up practice in New York State.

By Bhagavan's grace, I could have a spacious building of six thousand square feet for my office and clinic in which we started Sai Centre setting apart an area of two thousand square feet. Later, we enlarged the centre by adding another fifteen hundred square feet.

As I have been in the dental line, I thought of bringing complete equipment and tools to set up a full fledged dental clinic at Prasanthi Nilayam. In my clinic, I have four rooms to serve as surgical theatres. Only three of them were earlier equipped to conduct dental surgeries.

I went to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1980 and broached the matter with Bhagavan.

'Wait' Bhagavan said.

I was broaching the subject whenever I visited Prasanthi Nilayam and Bhagavan used to say 'wait'. However, in 1986, He agreed for the proposal. So I got the equipment specially made to suit Indian conditions. In the USA power supply is at 110 volts while in India it is at 220 volts. So I ordered the Japanese firm to specially manufacture equipment to work on 220 volts. The equipment arrived, packed and made ready for shipment to India. I went to Prasanthi Nilayam in 1988 and prayed to Bhagavan to ship it to India.

'Wait' said Bhagavan. For two years, the reply from Bhagavan continued to be only 'wait'. The packages with equipment were lying with us in our office in New York.

In 1990 I came to Prasanthi Nilayam and pleaded with Bhagavan rather insistently to allow me to ship the equipment to India.

'You do one thing', Bhagavan began raising hopes in me, 'use it (the equipment) in your clinic. You have the fourth room vacant. Install it there'.

I was shocked. Not because He told me about the vacant fourth room in my clinic though I had not shown Him the plan of the building. He is omniscient. The shock is for not accepting the equipment for use at Prasanthi Nilayam after the story had come this far.

'Swami' I made one last ditch effort, 'I can't use it there. We have power supply on 110 volts and the equipment works on 220 volts suited for India'.

'Does not matter' swami said in a decisive tone as if closing the matter at that stage! 'Use it in your clinic'.

I returned to the USA and asked the concerned to install it in my clinic.

'How can it be?' they asked me in surprise, 'the equipment works only on 220 volts and not on 110 volts'.

I could not dare defy Bhagavan. So I insisted on the equipment being installed in the fourth room in my clinic.

'Let us first open the packages and see', I told them as if arriving at a compromise.

They opened the packages only to get stunned. All the equipment in the packages was of a type that works only on 110 volts! Swami converted that to suit conditions in the USA when He said, 'does not matter. Install it in your fourth room'.

Later, we drew up a programme for providing qualified personnel to provide dental care at the General Hospital, Prasanthi Nilayam. We have enlisted about 18 dentists from the USA, the UK, Australia and India, who go over to Prasanthi Nilayam by turns and serve there voluntarily. Bhagavan provided accommodation, equipment, dental chair and tools in the General Hospital. On our request He allotted one more room also. This programme has been running well, owing to Bhagavan's grace, for the last three years.

Swami performed my upanayanam when I was a boy. Likewise, in deference to my request, He performed upanayanams of my two sons also in 2000 when He materialised yajnopaveetam and a chain with locket for each of them. On that occasion, He materialised a watch for me.

Earlier in 1999, Swami materialised a diamond ring for me. 'This boy used to play in my lap when he was a child', Swami told those present in the interview room while I munched His sweet remembrances reminiscently.

In 2001, I brought a large group of devotees from the USA. Swami assembled us in the mandir prayer hall and blessed us with Divine Discourse. On that occasion, He materialised a gold bracelet and gave it to me.'

-- Dr. Ravi Dabir

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 18.07.2005)