Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group IV | Mr. B. V. Satya Murthy

Mr. B.V. Satya Murthy
Sri Saikrupa Apartments
Red Hills, Hyderabad – 500 004
Tel: 040-2331 7473 E-mail: sssds@rediffmail.com

Mr. B. V. Satya Murthy (66), famous cartoonist and leading commercial artist, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

‘When some of the friends of my father, Rao Sahib Bhavaraju Satyanarayana suggested to him to come to Puttaparthi, he was at first reluctant to agree. But, later, he agreed to join them. I don’t remember when exactly this happened, but this might have been around 1963. Within one hour after his arrival, Swami called him for interview. We all followed him.

At the entrance to the interview room, Swami accosted my father saying, ‘you were saying ‘I don’t come, I don’t come’, but you have come!’ My father was amazed. How did Swami know that he was reluctant to come?

During the interview, Swami said to my father, ‘in your family the eldest son used to wear an amulet. You, too, wore it for some time but lost it somewhere. Take this. This is what you lost’. Swami materialised an amulet and gave it to my father. My father was stunned. We, too, were unaware of this. Only our father was aware of the tradition of the eldest son wearing the amulet. Now Swami gave him the same amulet which he had lost. ‘Who can do this except God?’ That is how our first visit to Prasanthi Nilayam concluded. Afterwards, I had Darshan of Bhagavan again in 1965 in the house of Mr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao.

In 1970, I saw Bhagavan in the house of Mr. Satya Murthy. His house is adjacent to the site where Sivam stands now. At around 8:30 p.m. Swami was retiring into the house. Sevadal stood on either side in a line while Swami passed in between. I, too, stood along with them in the line. No one was supposed to talk to Swami as He moved into the house to retire. But I could not contain myself. ‘Swami!’ I said, ‘I want to resign my job’.

Swami paused before me and said, ‘we will discuss tomorrow’ and left.

Next day, I sat in Darshan lines in the back. Some one came and said, ‘Swami is calling Mr. Satya Murthy’. I did not tell Swami my name. He not only remembered to discuss my problem but also sent for me by name. When I went in, I found many big shots there. My brother, Mr. B.V. Ramana Rao was also there. After completing my graduation in Law, I began working in a private company. I wanted to resign as I did not like the work environment there.

On seeing me enter the room, Swami accosted me, ‘what Swatantrudu (independent person)? What do you propose to do?’

‘I want to resign, Swami!’ I said.

‘Have you told your brother?’

‘Yes, Swami!’

‘What did he say?’

‘He agreed, Swami!’

Swami called my brother Mr. Ramana Rao. (How did He know that I was Ramana Rao’s brother?)

‘What did you tell him?’ Swami asked my brother.

‘He is keen to quit, Swami’, my brother replied, ‘so I said ok’.

‘Boys will say anything’, Swami told my brother in a tone of reprimanding him, ‘but should you not guide him properly being an elder? Younger fellows ought to learn to put in hard work and come up.’

Turning to me, Swami signalled me to go into the ante-chamber for private audition.

‘I said all that only for their sake’, Swami confided in me, ‘you want to resign? Resign. I will take care of you.’ I was overwhelmed with joy on hearing the Divine assurance. So I resigned and set up, in 1971, commercial artiste’s business on my own.

While assuring me of His protection, Swami materialised a small plate with His photograph in enamel colour and said, ‘keep this in your purse’. I kept it in my purse. It was with me for several years. I lost my purse one day and it was lost along with my purse.

Immediately I went to Prasanthi Nilayam and informed Swami about the loss. He said, ‘does not matter. I will take care of it’.

Once I went to Prasanthi Nilayam. Swami called me for interview along with some others. My brother, Mr. B.V. Pattabhiram also was with me.

‘What are you doing? ‘Swami asked me as if He did not know.

‘I am working as a commercial artist, Swami!’ I replied.

‘How is the work?’ Swami asked.

‘It is good, Swami!’

‘What good?’ Swami said looking at others in the room, ‘everyday this fellow starts from his house estimating his income on that day. So and so will give Rs.100, and so and so will give Rs 100 – like that. But that so and so will give this fellow Rs. 20 instead of Rs. 100 or Rs. 200 and say; ‘keep this. We will see later’. That’s all’. Swami then looked at me and said, ‘How can you manage if you are like this? You must be assertive though polite. Ok! Ok! I will take care of it. Don’t worry’.

Then Swami asked my brother, ‘have you written a letter to your brother?’

‘Yes, Swami!’ Pattabhiram replied.

‘What did you write?’

‘That we all are well, Swami!’

‘What more did you write?’

‘That we all are ok, Swami!’

‘Haven’t you written about what I told you?’ Swami asked.

My brother was nonplussed.

Then Swami looking into the air began reading the letter that my brother had written as if the letter was before Him.

‘I told you not to tell anybody what I had told you. Isn’t it?’ Swami asked, ‘and here you write what all I told you, in the letter, adding, of course, that you were not to reveal it to anyone. What does it mean?’ Swami laughed. We all joined.

Swami performed the wedding of another brother of mine, Mr. Chandrasekhar at the mandir in Prasanthi Nilayam. It was in 1968. He materialized mangalasutras on that occasion. As is His wont, He arranged everything including the marriage feast Himself. After the wedding, He called the parties of both the bridegroom and the bride for interview.

‘Whatever you desire I will grant. Ask me without hesitation’, Swami told us.

None of us asked anything. ‘This is a golden opportunity for you’. Swami said again, ‘ask anything. Don’t hesitate’.

None of us asked anything. Then my wife said, ‘Swami! My daughter Padma is in her third year. We pray to Swami to pierce her ear lobes’.

‘Have you brought the golden wire or rings?’

‘No, Swami!’ My wife replied.

‘How do you expect me to do it?’ Swami remarked adding, ‘does not matter. There is Sai factory’.

He waved His hand and materialised two diamond studded ear rings. He came near my daughter and asked her with a smile, ‘where is your husband, oh, nice girl?’

None of us realised that Swami had finished piercing and fixing one ear ring already as he engaged the child in conversation. The child did not scream as would be the case usually on such occasions.

‘Look that side, my child’, Swami said and finished His job on the other ear in a trice as my daughter turned her head to look in the direction Swami pointed out to her.

We were all amazed at the smoothness with which Swami accomplished His job.

‘Well!’ Swami told us, ‘all of you have forgotten one important thing. Try to remember it’.

All of us scratched our heads in vain.

‘Pattabhiram has undergone surgery and is in a hospital at Kakinada’, Swami told us, ‘you have left him there alone and all of you have come for the wedding.’

We were taken aback. None of us thought of asking for Bhagavan’s blessings for him when Swami asked us to desire anything. He Himself had to remind us.

‘Take this’, Swami materialised vibhuti, ‘and give this prasadam to him’.

Swami was laying the foundation stone for Brindavan Campus at whitefields, Bangalore. I went there along with other members of Hyderabad sevadal to do service on that occasion. We started in a bus at about 5:30 p.m. When our bus came to Osmania Hospital area, the tyre punctured. The driver and the cleaner left with the tyre for getting the tyre patched. They returned only around 10:30 p.m. When we came to Jadcherla, we noticed that some serious disturbances occurred there only a few hours ago. Mobs might have indulged in stone pelting and arson. It was evident from the stones strewn all over the streets and road blocks erected by the mob. Some shops there were still with the ugly scars of arson showing half burnt logs, etc. Smoke was still emanating from them. However, we were not affected fortunately. When we reached Brindavan next morning, Bhagavan came out and asked us, ‘what? No bandages? No injuries? How come?’

We could not understand what Swami was driving at.

‘Your bus had a tyre burst at Hyderabad and you were delayed for more than four hours’, Swami told us, ‘had you come as per your original programme you would have been caught in the midst of the riots at Jadcherla. So I delayed you by causing the flat tyre. Otherwise, you would have all landed here with bandages and slings’.

Once my brother, Chandrasekhar wanted to resign his job to join another company. We went to Prasanthi Nilayam for the consent of Swami. When we reached there, we were told that there were no interviews as Bhagavan was busy with some work. We stayed for three days. My brother decided to leave. I was still lingering under the trees near the mandir when Swami came out and told me, ‘your brother is loading luggage on the bus in the bus stand. Go and call him’. I ran at once to the bus stand. My brother was loading the luggage on the bus. I told him Swami was calling him. We both ran back to the mandir.

On seeing my brother, Swami said: ‘Don’t leave the job, be where you are. You will get better placement soon. Meanwhile your present employer will offer you the rise you would get in the new company’. We returned to Hyderabad happily. Everything happened as Swami had told us. The employer of my brother offered him the same rise in emoluments as he was expecting in the other company, to retain him. Afterwards he was selected as a Bank officer. Recently he retired as the Regional Manager of that Bank.

In the same interview Swami turned to me and said, ‘you are worried about the delivery of your wife. Don’t worry. She will be all right. Come to me with your son’.

My wife delivered a male child. We went to Prasanthi Nilayam and had Darshan of Bhagavan gratefully.

In 1985, I had brain tumour. I underwent surgery. But it was not a success. When I was in the ICU after surgery, Swami told some devotees around him at Prasanthi Nilayam, ‘Ramana Rao’s brother had brain operation. It was not a success. But I will take care of him’. Later, He called my brother Ramana Rao and sent vibhuti prasadam with him for me.

I had fever which was not subsiding in spite of medication. I was suffering from severe pain in the head. I had already been in the ICU for 40 days, yet my sutures were still oozing fluid. Doctors tried all sorts of medication and indented on the services of top specialists in the field as well. The specialists began experimenting with some latest medicines on me. All this was of no use. Finally doctors told my people, ‘there is no hope of his survival. You may think of shifting him to your house. There is nothing more we can do’. Just at this juncture, vibhuti prasadam came to me through my brother Ramana Rao sent by Swami to the hospital. I was given a pinch of it on my tongue and a little was placed on my forehead. That very day, my temperature came to normal. The pain in my head ceased completely. The oozing of fluid stopped. Next day, the doctors were amazed at my instantaneous miraculous recovery.

‘What medicine have you taken besides what we are giving you?’ they asked.

‘Only vibhuti sent by Bhagavan from Prasanthi Nilayam’, I replied.

After a few days I fully recovered and was discharged.

I went to Prasanthi Nilayam after my recovery. Swami asked me, ‘have you taken vibhuti I sent you?’

‘I am alive only because of it, Swami’, I replied.

Swami waved His hand. There was a big block of sugar candy in His hand.

‘Eat this’, He gave it to me. I ate then and there all of it.

By Bhagavan’s grace, I have had no problem since then. I have a feeling always that He is with me, behind me protecting me and taking care of me as he assured me long back in Sivam in 1970 itself when He permitted me to resign. He has been taking care of me, my wife and children, my family, my business and all my people as well. If I have anything today, it is only His. If I am anybody now, it is only owing to Him.’

-- Mr. B.V. Satya Murthy

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Hyderabad on 13.05.2005)