Mr. Oruganti Sitaramayya Sastri,
Sri Sathya Sai Vriddhasrama,
Kadugodi, Bangalore - 560 067
Tel: 080-28454624 (preferably, between 8:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. - IST)
Mr. Oruganti Sitaramayya Sastri (60), a retired Engineer, has been in-charge of Sri
Sathya Sai Vriddhasrama, Kadugodi, Bangalore. He narrates a few of his many experiences
in his own words.
Since my childhood, my personal deity has been Lord Sri Rama. Though I was a student
of engineering of the Indore Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, it, somehow, did
not occur to me to have Darshan of Bhagavan when He used to be at Brindavan. After
my studies, I joined service at Garividi in Andhra Pradesh and was attending Bhajans,
organized by Sai devotees there. In 1978, Mr. S.G.K.Raju, my well wisher gave me
a Photograph showing Sri Sathya Sai Baba inside Sri Rama's Picrture. That was exactly
the type of Photograph I was longing to receive as it showed Sri Rama, my personal
deity, with Sai Rama.
I went to Puttaparthi in 1985 for the first time. We were allowed to sit for meditation
near Gopuram. At that time, Sai Kulwant Hall was not there. As I sat for meditation,
I had the vision of Viswarupam - the cosmic form of the Almighty punctuated by the
stars and planets. Some one tapped me on my shoulder and I awoke only to find Bhagavan
Sri Sathya Sai on the balcony of the Mandir giving Darshan. I turned to be a devotee
of Bhagavan from that time, as I could find no difference between my Sri Rama and
the Sai Rama. I was regularly going to Puttaparthi for Swami's Birthday since then.
In fact, I could not remain without having His Darshan at frequent intervals, by
going over to Puttaparthi though I had to spend two days each time in journey alone.
Due to Swami's grace both our two sons and daughter were students of Swami's Educational
Institutions.
In 1990, I was at Puttaparthi once again when I had a strong desire to get 'Aksharabhyasam'
done to me by Bhagavan. At my age it would appear odd, and expose me to ridicule.
So I prayed to Bhagavan in my mind, 'Bhagavan! I pray you perform 'Aksharabhyasam'
to me. Normally we do it at the age of 5. I came to you in 1985. This is 1990. So
I am only five years old as Swami's devotee. This Aksharabhyasam is not to make
me literate but to realize Aksharaswarupa. As people would think it odd for an aged
person to undergo this ritual, I will tell others that I am getting it done for
Bala Vikas children'.
After praying to Swami thus, I sat in the lines with a slate and a slate pencil.
Swami came to me, took the slate and wrote 'AUM' on it. I took it to our Bala Vikas
children and got it framed up and preserved carefully.
While I was at Sri Rama Nagar Township, Garividi, I had the good fortune to be the
organizer of Gita Yajnam for 18 years. Each time after the Gita Yajna, I used to
submit to Swami in my mind, 'Swami! I cannot continue the Yajna next year'. But
after Darshan, I used to feel as if some new energy was infused in me and the Gita
Yajna used to be held next year, by Swami's grace, on a bigger scale successfully.
On the 18th year, we wanted to do it for 18 days. Earlier, we used to do it only
for three days with Gita Parayana with commentary of one Shatkam (Six chapters)
of Gita with Homam, and Veda parayana in the evening each day. We used to arrange
spiritual discourses. With the grace of Swami, we could perform the 18th Gita Yajna
with redoubled vigour. On December 30, 1999, the 18th day, the Gita Yajna concluded.
I was transferred from Garividi on December 31, 1999! I joined on January 1, 2000
at Visakhapatnam. It was as if I had been kept at Garividi only to complete 18 years
of Gita Yajna with the crowning 18-day finals to round it off happily on a grand
note.
Later, I applied for voluntary retirement and came to Puttaparthi on Februaly 20,
2000. After Shivaratri, Swami let for Brindavan but I stayed behind at Puttaparthi
to make arrangements to settle down there permanently.
On March 6, 2000, I came to Brindavan and sent my bio-data to Bhagavan. On the same
day, I was informed that Bhagavan instructed that I should be kept in-charge of
the Vriddhashramam at Kadugodi. 'I know him', Bhagavan reportedly said, 'I see him
frequently in Darsan lines and Bhajans. He can be kept in-charge of Vriddhashrama!'
I joined immediately. The Ashram was inaugurated on March 18, 2000.
In May 2002, I was thinking about my children - not without some anxiety. Just at
that moment, Bhagavan, who was delivering a Divine Discourse at Brindavan, said,
'don't worry about children. I will look after them'. Though He seemed to have uttered
these words as part of His Discourse, there was, in fact, no context at all. I assumed
that the words were meant for me.
At that time, I was not aware that my second son who was at Hyderabad had met with
an accident while he was going with his pregnant wife and son on a scooter on that
very day. When they were thrown on the roadside with my son becoming unconscious,
a person came there in a car, took all the three in his car to a Hospital, paid
Rs. 5,000/- as advance to the Hospital and told my son who, by then, regained consciousness,
that he would come the next day again.
Meanwhile, some students who were in the upstairs portion of a building in front
of which the accident occurred came, lifted the scoter and brought it to the Hospital
following the car. My son, his wife and their son escaped with minor injuries. The
scooter, too, was intact and safe. Fortunately, there was no adverse effect on the
pregnancy of my daughter-in-law, owing to the fall. She delivered a female child
in due course safely. I came to know of all this only later. When my elder son,
who was at Brindavan serving at Swami's campus there, mentioned this to Swami, He
gave vibhuti for my injured son and said, 'no need to worry'.
Earlier, when I was at Visakhapatnam, we gave new clothes to Panduranga and Rukmini
at Panduranga Temple there as per the wish of my Mother. When dhoti was worn to
the idol of Panduranga, it was a little short. I felt unhappy that we could not
buy the attire of required size. On that day, Swami wearing the same dhoti appeared
in my dream and said, 'pancha bagundi (the attire is good)'. This has only established
to me that Panduranga and Swami are one.
Swami blessed me with Darshan while I was in meditation, as Dattatreya, Sri Krishna
and Vinayaka on different occasions.
I do not remember the date I happened to read the book 'Prema Bandham' by Mr. Ramana
Rao in which Swami is reported to have observed that He would accompany His devotees
who leave, without an opportunity to take leave personally from Him, to their places
and drop them safely. I wondered if it would happen actually.
Sometime later I left Puttaparthi by train for Visakhapatnam. I lay on my berth
with eyes closed contemplating about it when I had a vision of Sri Sathya Sai preaching
Gita to students in the form of Lord Krishna. I was reluctant of opening my eyes
lest this vision should cease. It was before my eyes till I reached Visakhapatnam
demonstrating to me the truth of Swami's observation that He would accompany devotees
to their places to drop them there safely.
Bhagavan gave me two precepts to follow when He appeared in my dream in 1994. The
first is in English: 'Carry out all activities knowing that they are activities
of ignorance.' The second is also in English: 'Leave the things before they are
taken away.' 'Leave' here means to give them up through detachment, and not throw
them away in physical sense because all are like passing clouds.'
-- Mr. O.S.Sastri
(As narrated to Mr. B.Parvatala Rao at Sai Gokulam, Brindavan, Bangalore on 28.05.2004.)