Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group VI | Mr. Ch. Kodanda Ramaiah

Mr. Ch. Kodanda Ramaiah,
Vidyanagar Colony,
Kothagudem, Khammam District.

Tel: 0844-244067

      Mr. Ch. Kodanda Ramaiah (65), a retired employee of the Singareni collieries, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'In 1973, I accompanied Mr. B.N.Raman IAS, the then MD of the Singareni collieries to Bangalore. His PA, Mr. D.N.Sarma has been a devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I had not even heard Baba's name till then. 'Why not we go to Brindavan Ashram and have darshan of Bhagavan?' he asked me.

We both went to Brindavan. In those days there was no building except that of Bhagavan's residence there. There was a peepal tree under which an idol of Krishna was seen. Ladies put flowers along the path in which Bhagavan was expected to walk. The places where devotees were to sit were indicated on the ground in lines. We went and sat. Luckily, I was number one in the front line. Swami came along and paused before me. When I saw Him, I was overwhelmed by some emotion and remained stunned. As He stood in front of me, I tried to touch His feet with both hands. Though my hands were on His feet, I could not feel any touch. I felt as if I had placed my hands on empty space and air. He moved a little and asked Mr. Sarma who was sitting next to me, 'how are you, bangaru?' before He moved on.

On our return to Kothagudem, we started a centre on a very modest scale and started bhajans. The centre has grown over years to great heights to the delight of all of us.

In 2001, I went to a temple. While I was returning after doing bhajan there, rain started. I was riding on my cycle. The book of Sai bhajans was in my pocket. The rain began to fall in very large drops. 'Swami', I cried in anguish 'the book of bhajans is getting wet!' Instantaneously, the rain ceased completely to my joy and surprise. I reached home. The moment I was in the house, the rain fell in a torrent!

In 2004, we were doing arrangements to celebrate Gurupoornima in the mandir at Kothagudem. When I was about to leave for the mandir, my wife asked me to pick a few drumsticks from the tree in our yard. I went up a wall and collected a few drumsticks, and threw them on the ground. Suddenly, I slipped and fell down. Underneath there were stone pieces, some very sharp, besides thorny bushes. The moment I fell down I lost consciousness. My wife called some neighbours and was about to shift me to the Collieries hospital. They called an auto-rickshaw also. Just then I awoke as if from sleep. 'Where are you going?' I asked my wife, seeing the auto-rickshaw.

'We are taking you to the hospital' she replied, 'you fell down from the wall'. I did not remember anything.

'I am alright' I said, 'I don't come to the hospital. I am going to the mandir'. Owing to Swami's grace, there was no scratch anywhere on my body even though I had fallen on sharp stones and thorny bushes from a height of eight feet. No pain anywhere.

In 2005, I was going to do some service in the mandir. On the way, a shandy was being held. I was riding a scooter. Before me was an auto-rickshaw. The driver was, perhaps, drunk. He was going at high speed even thought it was shandy time. Suddenly, he applied brakes. I was coming just behind the auto-rickshaw. I, too, applied brakes and tried to move to a side to avoid hitting the auto-rickshaw. In the process, I fell down. Even though the auto driver was at fault, he came on me hurling abuse in unprintable words. I did not know what to do. I was afraid that he might beat me even. I began praying to Swami. Luckily, I was not hurt. No damage to my scooter and also the auto-rickshaw. Just then, a jeep came and stooped. A well built person in white dress got down wielding a lathi. 'Who do you think this Sir is?', he demanded the auto-rickshaw fellow 'first apologise to him'. I did not know the person. I do not know if he was from police. But whoever he was, he did not even ask what was going on. He straightaway started to defend me. This happened 5 years after my retirement from the Collieries from a small job. I surmised later that it was none other than Swami that had come to save me. The auto-rickshaw fellow apologised to me promptly.

I came for seva in March 2006. I sat in darshan line. Swami was coming. The car stopped for a second in front of me. I became emotional and did not know what was happening around me. After Swami's car had left, I became normal. This is the same experience I had during my first darshan in Brindavan. It happened again when we performed seva in Prasanthi Nilayam in 2002 or so, and went to Brindavan for darshan at the end of the seva period. Then also Swami came along the lines of the sevadal. I was gripped by the same emotion. Swami paused before me then and asked 'ye vooru (which village)?' I was unable to reply because of emotion. Some one behind me answered 'Kothagudem, Swami!'

-- Mr. Ch. Kodanda Ramaiah

   (As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 27.03.2006)