Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group IV | Mr. B. Venkata Rao

Mr. B. Venkata Rao,
Retired Head Master,
Vysya Street, Saravakota - 534 426
Srikakulam District.

Tel: 08946-257352

Mr. B. Venkata Rao (61), who retired as Head Master of Low Female Literacy School, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'I was passing through financial cringe during 1974. I wanted some respite and left for Tirupati to pray to Lord Venkateswara. On April 30, I reached Tirumala and had darshan. As I was relaxing in my room that evening, a thought crossed my mind, 'why not I go to Prasanthi Nilayam?'

It is, indeed, an astounding idea for I was not a devotee of Bhagavan at that time. Far from it, I was His bitter critic till that moment. I did not understand why I thought so. Next morning, I was in the meter gauge train and got down at Mudigubba from where I took a bus to Bukkapatnam and, somehow, reached Prasanthi Nilayam. I was given accommodation in the shed. In those days, there was no charge for accommodation. The shed was in the place where Subrahmanya temple stands now. Swami used to move amidst devotees. We all used to do seva. I was watering the plants. Swami used to talk to us freely. I do not know what happened to my antagonism to Swami. I became a devotee. I stayed on for 29 days. Even Swami looked surprised and asked me one day, 'won't you return to your house, Bangaru!'

Mr. N. Kasturi's book 'Satyam Sivam Sundaram' was published just then. I bought a copy and gave it to Swami to bless. Bhagavan took my pen from my pocket Himself, and wrote on the book, 'Abhinandanalato - Baba' neatly in very good hand in Telugu.

When I was at Prasanthi Nilayam, the branch of the State Bank of India was inaugurated by Bhagavan. I, too, attended that function. When some children who came there grew restive, Swami took a handful of petals of flowers placed on the table before Him and threw them at children. The floral petals turned into chocolates in the mid air, and chocolates rained on the children. We all witnessed this miracle.

One day a couple came there with their son.

'We came last year', the father told me, 'Swami materialised vibhuti and put it on the forehead of each one of us in our family but, somehow, omitted to put it on this boy; so we brought him now'.

After sometime, Swami came there. As He saw the person, He remarked, 'oh! You have brought him because I omitted to put vibhuti on his forehead that day.' So saying He materialised vibhuti and put it on the forehead of the boy and said, 'everything will be all right'. We were all amazed that Swami remembered that even after a year, and recognized the couple.

I had a stroke on June 15, 2000. I was taken to Visakhapatnam. After doing various tests including angiogram, doctors advised bypass cardiac surgery. I was not willing to undergo surgery even though my sons-in-law came forward to foot the bill.

Dr. Ananda Mohan, one of the doctors who examined me, was a devotee of Bhagavan. 'Better you go to Puttaparthi', he advised me.

I came to Puttaparthi immediately after Gurupoornima and got checked up at the SSSIHMS.

'No problem at all with your heart', doctors told me after seeing all my reports including the video tape of the angiogram and examining me.

They prescribed medicines and said, 'you don't need surgery'.

After three months, I went to the SSSIHMS, Whitefields and had a check-up. They also said, 'you don't need surgery. Continue the same medicines'.

In August 2002, I came again to Puttaparthi as the doctors here gave me date on September 4 for a check-up. On September 3, I had a dream. Swami appeared in the dream and conducted all tests in the dream and said, 'every thing is all right. There is no problem with your heart'. He then drew a curtain in His clinic when alarm blew in my room and I woke up. The dream ended.

After doing all tests at the SSSIHMS, doctors also said the same thing. Since then, I have been coming for darshan every month to Prasanthi Nilayam. Whenever I have any problem, I take a little vibhuti of Bhagavan. I have not used any medicines since.

In October 2002, I came to Prasanthi Nilayam. It was Dasara festival time. After conclusion of navarathri, I left for Tirupati by train. The engine gave trouble near Pakala. All passengers got down and left by buses. A few of us remained. I was doing Sai Gayathri. Miraculously, the engine started. We reached Tirupati four hours late at 9:45 a.m. I had advance reservation for my place by that evening train. The time available to visit Tirumala temple was short. I went ahead. I was praying to Bhagavan all the time and doing Sai Gayathri. I could complete tonsuring, bath and darshan of Lord Venkateswara to return in time to catch the train in the evening.

In 2001, I was working at Kurudingi. There we arragned akhanda-bhajan. As shamiyanas were being erected, the radio announced about cyclone, and warned of heavy rain and gale. What to do? We prayed to Bhagavan and started bhajan. Bhajan concluded successfully without any disturbance from rain or gale. There was heavy rain all over the village except at the pendal of akhandabhajan. The whole village was amazed of the Sai miracle.

In 2003, I came to Prasanthi Nilayam. One devotee from Heeramandalam village came with padukas and sat in darshan line for seven days to get them blessed by Swami. Swami did not look at him. On the advice of someone, he gave them to me and wanted me to get them blessed. I did Sai Gayathri the whole night without a wink of sleep and went for darshran with padukas next morning. Just before Swami's arrival, someone called me to Mr. Suman Babu who took the padukas. Swami came and asked him about the health of his mother. Mr. Suman Babu held padukas up and began to explain about his mother's health condition. Swami blessed padukas, materialised vibhuti, gave a little of it to Mr. Suman Babu for his mother and poured the rest on the padukas. I felt immensely happy that I could be instrumental in getting the padukas blessed owing to the love, compassion and grace of Bhagavan.'

-- Mr. B. Venkata Rao