Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group IV | Mr. Sivudu Satyanarayana

Mr. Sivudu Satyanarayana,
50-94- 21, Santhi Nagar,
Visakhapatnam- 500 016.

Tel: 0891 - 2573150

Mr. Sivudu Satyanarayana (71), a retired Medical Representative, who is venerated by many of his devotees as a spiritual preceptor, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in his own words.

'Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba came to Rajahmundry in1957. At that time I was in Kovvur. One of my friends fixed up some time for me to have darshan of Baba, but I could not reach the place owing to some trouble with the launch en-route. So I missed darshan.

In 1978, I was walking along the road in Visakhapatnam when I saw from close quarters Swami going in a car. I felt immensely happy. When I related this to some of my friends, they said that there was no programme of Swami at Vizag on that day. But I was sure I had seen Bhagavan that day clearly. Did Bhagavan bless me with His darshan that day in the astral plane?

I had dreams several times in which Swami appeared. Afterwards, I read that Swami Himself had said that He would appear in anybody's dream only by His sankalpa.

In 1990s, a lecturer by name Mr. Prasada Rao came to me. He was doing Ph.D. For some reason his work did not progress on expected lines. He was afraid that he might never complete it at all. He got very frustrated. He said, 'I have decided to commit suicide tonight at midnight'. His wife was also with him, perhaps, hoping that I would dissuade him from that horrible tendency.

'Tonight, at midnight, there is kshema-tara, according to the almanac', I told him, and 'no one can die when the ruling star is kshema-tara. Better postpone your decision by 24 hours when the ruling star is vipat-tara, a killer star. Sky does not fall down if you live for another 24 hours.'

His wife was aghast in disbelief. 'I brought him here with the hope that you would dissuade him. Instead, you are fixing muhurtham as if it were a marriage or a thread marriage', she shouted at me. I kept quiet. He agreed with me and went home.

I am generally known as a worshipper of Hanuman. Usually, I do not give advice to any one, particularly when someone is toying with the idea of committing suicide. If anyone approaches me on a Tuesday or Saturday, I do not know what I tell them. Nor do I remember later what I told them. I believe that Bhagavan speaks through me.

When Mr. Rao went home, he was told that his guide for Ph.D. had phoned for him that day several times. Next morning he went to his guide who, to his surprise, finalized his thesis and sent it the same day for evaluation. His thesis was accepted and he was awarded Ph.D. Not only that, he received a gold medal for his thesis. Needless to say that there was no thought of suicide on the following day after his visit to me

He came to me to thank me. 'Go to the Head Office and thank there' I told him, 'I am only a post man'. On my advice he went to Prasanthi Nilayam after he received his degree. Swami, he told me later, had called him for interview and told him what all had happened at Visakhapatnam before he got the degree. He then mentioned the name of a foreign country and asked him if he wanted it. Mr. Rao did not even know at that time that it is the name of a country. He could not follow what Swami was driving at. On his return, he asked me what Swami had meant by that. I, too, could not get its meaning. Next day he received an application from that country sent by one of his friends. There was a vacancy in that country for Doctorates in his subject. He applied and got that job. He went there and worked there for four years happily.

'I did my Ph.D. only to further my promotion chances' Mr. Rao confided in me, and 'Swami not only gave me Ph.D. but gave it with a gold medal, and then found me a decent placement abroad'.

I sent a letter to Swami through one Mr. Subhakar. 'Swami' I wrote, 'allow this body to see That body'. After that we happened to go to Whitefields. I had darshan of Bhagavan there. We were there on Iswaramma Day in 2001. We had excellent darshan. I gave a letter to Swami. While taking it, He touched my hand. Thus He blessed me with His Sandarshana and Samsparsana. As Swami was passing in front of me, I was amazed at the grandeur of His figure. Then I heard a voice say, 'come to Prasanthi Nilayam and see the real grandeur there'. Generally, during darshan, no one speaks. I wondered who spoke like that, and concluded that it must be only Swami. But, somehow, I could not come here till now.

Earlier in 1982, I was blessed with the darshan of Anjaneya at Visakhapatnam. The Lord came to me while I was in my house. It was not a dream. It was not a vision. I was wide-awake and seeing Him. The impact of that darshan was so intense that I could not become my normal self for several days. I did not stir out of Visakhapatnam for 12 years after that.

I was sixty. It is customary to perform some rituals on that occasion. But I did not like performing the Shashtipurti rites. As my wife insisted, I accepted to have it done on a moderate scale, only doing the parayana of Lalithasahasra-namam. We decided to offer lunch to those participating in the parayana. When we expected about 20 to 30 people, the turnout was 120. By the time the parayana concluded, the crowd bulged inexplicably to nearly 250. I prayed to Bhagavan to come to our rescue as the preparations were utterly inadequate to meet the demand. There was no time to prepare food additionally. By the grace of Bhagavan, there was enough food for all.

We, somehow, forgot the plate served for Swami as naivedyam. The head of the family is supposed to eat it. It was lying like that in the pooja. My people drew my attention to it only after all of us had taken our meals. 'What is there for us to do now?' I said, 'leave it like that. We don't know why Swami made us forget about it.'

At about 4 p.m., one of my relatives came to my house. His train was very much delayed. So he could not come in time for the pooja and was inordinately late. 'What about your food?' I asked him.

'It does not matter' he replied, 'I came too late to get lunch here'.

'It is never too late to those with praptam' I said, 'Swami reserved food for you. Go and partake it.' We then realized that our forgetting the Swami's plate was part of the Divine design, and not exactly our forgetfulness.

My wife Mrs. Vedavalli and I started on a pilgrimage to Tirupati on this July 25 from Vijag. We had darshan of the Lord Venkateswara on the 26th, Suprabhata darshan on the 27th and another darshan on the 28th before we went to Kalahasthi, and performed Rahu and Kethu pooja there. Then we visited Kanipakkam where we were blessed with nijarupa darshan as it was a Friday. We went to Arthagiri and had darshan of Anjanaya there and returned to Tirupati. We had no programme to visit Prasanthi Nilayam in the beginning. But at Tirupathi I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Prasanthi Nilayam. It was Swami's sankalapa. We came here on the 30th morning and had an excellent dashan. Swami's hair appeared to me white. Was it an aura around His head or vibhuti emanting from His hair? On the 30th evening, Swami gave darshan to me as Lord Rama sitting on his throne. He had no crown on His head, but had long locks of hair.

On the 30th morning, I went to get our return reservation to Vijag. We wanted to return the next day, that is, on the 31st. By mistake I wrote August 1 on the form thinking that the next day was August 1. We got the reservation for August 1 when I realized the mistake I had committed. Swami thus wanted to keep us here for one more day.

I usually write a letter to Swami on His Birthday and also for Guru-poornima praying to Him to bless all who could come to Prasanthi Nilayam and also those who could not come. Within a few days, some one who went to Prasanthi Nilayam would come to me to deliver prasad. This year many came to me and told me about their trip to Prasanthi Nilayam for Gurupoornima, but did not give prasad. When I went to one of my acquaintances, He surprised me with a gift of a container, with Hanuman's picture, with vibhuti. Swami sent me prasad that way.

When I was having darshan of Bhagavan on the 30th, I happened to scratch my cheek as some mosquito bit me there. Just at that time, I saw Bhagavan wipe with a kerchief that very spot on His cheek. Was He telling me that He only reflects our responses?'

-- Mr. Sivudu Satyanarayana

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 31.07.2005)