Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group I | Mrs. Bhagyam Mahadev

Mrs. Bhagyam Mahadev
G4, Sai Prasanti apartments
Swami Vivekananda Road
Sesha Sai Colony
Puttaparthi - 515134

Mrs. Bhagyam Mahadev (72), a housewife from Mumbai, has had many experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan. She narrates a few in her own words.

In the year 1969, I do not remember the date, I had a dream in which a 16-year-old lad appeared to me. His hair and face were of reddish hue and he wore an ochre robe. He gave me five stones and said, 'I will be with you. When you face any difficulty or problem, I will remove it. I am Sathya Sai Baba.' From that day onwards, I became a devotee of Baba.

But till 1983, I could not come to Puttaparthi. My daughter and I came by train to Dharmavaram from Mumbai in 1983. We were told that we would have to engage a horse-cart (Jetka) to Puttaparthi. I was hesitant and even afraid to travel in a Jetka as we both were ladies. After alighting at Dharmavaram, we were enquiring for coffee when a gentleman came and told us to hurry up, as the Bus was about to leave for Puttaprthi. We rushed out of the platform and, indeed, there was a Bus waiting. Later, we were told that the Bus service was introduced to Puttaparthi only that day. We, thus, journeyed to Puttaparthi in the maiden ride of the Bus service. At Puttaparthi we had Darshan and Padanamaskar.

In 1986, I had a dream in which Bhagavan appeared and said, 'come to Puttaparthi for Onam'. For us Keralites, Onam is an important festival. That year, Onam and Raksha Bandhan came on the same day, Friday as well as Varalakshmi Vratam. We came to Puttaparthi, and were told that Swami had sustained a fracture, and there was going to be no Darshan.

'How can it be?' I thought, 'Swami instructed me to come and have Darshan for Onam. So He will definitely give Darshan.' At that time there was no Sai Kulwant Hall. We were all standing in the open yard looking at the first floor of Bhajan Mandir. Suddenly, Swami came out of His room in a wheel chair. He was passing slowly along the parapet wall of the verandah. He looked at us and raised His hand in a gesture of blessing, thus, fulfilling His promise to give us Darshan on Onam.

I do not remember dates now but I can narrate some incidents. Once my Brother took leave from his Office and made railway reservation to go to Puttaparthi. Just a few days before the date of his proposed journey, his leave was cancelled. He was told to receive some important person who was expected at Mumbai. Utterly disappointed he cancelled his Railway reservation. A little later, he came to know that the important person, on whom he was asked to attend, put off his visit.

'You can avail of leave', his officer told him, 'If you want'.

'What is the use?' my brother wondered, 'I cancelled my railway reservation'.

One of his friends that met him that day gave him vibhuti of Swami and said, 'why do you want to go to Puttaparthi now? Swami is not there. He is in Ooty'.

Swami, perhaps, had my brother's proposed trip to Puttaparthi cancelled on the pretext of some important person's visit only to avoid disappointment and expense to him later at Puttaparthi. He knows better.

There was a strike in the L.P. Gas Industry once. We had two cylinders. One was empty and we booked for another cylinder. Our waiting list number was 800. Meanwhile, the second cylinder also was about to be over in a day or two. I was praying to Swami. About that time, we learnt that the strike was called off. But it would take at least a week before the backlog was cleared and our turn could come. What to do? I was praying to Swami. At 10 a.m. that day, the doorbell rang. 'Who could it be?' I wondered as I opened the door. There was a person carrying a gas cylinder. After he installed it, I asked him his name. He was not the person who usually brought the cylinders.

'Krishna', he replied.

'How could you give us so soon?' I asked, 'our waiting list number is 800'.

'Our Manager wanted me to deliver here first', he replied, 'our Manager said that aunty is a heart patient. Deliver the cylinder first at her house. So I brought'.

I was happy that the Manager had a soft corner for us. After a few days I happened to go to the Gas Company office to make a phone call from there.

'Nice of you to have sent gas just in time', I told the Manager gratefully.

'We have not sent your gas so far', he replied in surprise, 'we are still clearing the backlog'.

'But Krishna brought it!' I remarked.

'We don't have any Krishna in our office', he replied.

I realized that He who has a soft corner for us was not the Manager, but Sai. He is not only 'Gokul Krishna' but also our 'Gas Krishna', too!

Every year we used to go to our native place in Kerala to worship our Kuladevata. But once we could not go there for three years. One day Swami came in my dream and said, 'go to your place, worship Kuladevata and other deities and come back'. So we made reservation to start on October 31 that year. I do not remember the year.

'There is Kerala bandh', my husband told me, 'how do you go?'

'Swami wanted me to go', I replied, 'He will take me'.

On October 16, I had a heart attack and was hospitalized. But surprisingly I recovered in a few days.

'You are now all right', our Doctor told me, and 'you can go home'.

I asked the Doctor, 'can I travel?'

'By all means', he replied, 'no worry, you can go'.

I landed in Palakkadu. I enquired the Manager of the lodge where we were put up about how we could reach our native place, as there was Kerala bandh.

'You can go by taxi', he replied.

'But there is bandh?' I asked.

'It was called off from 12 midnight', he replied.

So I reached my place.

'How could you come in the bandh?' my people asked in surprise.

'Swami brought me', I replied.

After completing worship of Kuldevata and other deities, I started on my return journey from Ernakulam. In my coupe in the train, there was the family of Mathews.

I enquired about the availability of meals.

'You will get your meals only in Erode', they said.

We reached Palakkadu. I enquired for meals again.

'You will get meals at Erode', was the reply.

Mathews said, 'we can have it at Erode'.

The train stopped there for over 20 minutes. Just a couple of minutes before the departure, one person in white dhoti came in with a wooden tray saying, 'curd rice'. I called him and took three packets for us. We had our meals.

Mathews wanted to take meals at Erode. So he did not take curd rice. But at Erode, they found the refreshment stalls closed. The others had to miss their meals.

I believe that it was Bhagavan that had brought us curd rice that day.

Once we went to Tirupati to fulfill my vow to offer my hair when my brother was ill. He recovered. So I had to fulfill my vow. But we could not go to Tirupati for a longtime. My tuft (hair) was growing. When we could go to Tirupati, there was a cyclone. No buses were there. Just then a bus from Tiruttani came. It was going to Tirumala. We boarded it and reached up-hills. We had tonsured our heads, and had a good Darshan as there was no crowd due to the cyclone.

'How to get back?' was our problem.

Then a jeep came along. We stopped it. The driver allowed us to get in. When we started, there was curfew, too, at Tirupati. The jeep was stopped.

'Police jeep', the driver said.

They let us go. We reached the railway station safely. Swami sent us a Police Jeep so that we encountered no difficulty.

After my husband had passed away in 1994, Swami appeared in my dream. 'You gave me five stones long back', I asked Swami, 'what for?'

'They stand for the five serious diseases you had', Swami replied, 'I removed them.'

Really I had five serious ailments one after the other. But Swami saved me each time. I had T.B., Cancer of uterus, twice heart attack and blood diphtheria. When I had blood diphtheria, my temperature shot up to 108 deg F. The Doctor said, 'this patient may live for 15 minutes more.' He gave me an injection and said, 'I gave Peraxin. If it works, she may live for another six months, at the most'.

After a few days, Swami appeared to my brother in his dream and said, 'go to Himalaya Drug Co. and use the medicine given by them to your sister'. I took the Ayurveda medicine given by Himalaya Drug Co. as suggested by Swami. I am all right even now.

In 1996, I came to Puttaparthi with my daughter and settled down here to be near Swami.

Once Swami left for Brindavan after Shivaratri. I was crying that night, 'Swami, you are going. We are left behind. We cannot come with you; who will be here with us?' That day, I found vibhuti on the pocketsize Photograph of Swami, which I keep always with me. Swami has assured me by that, that He is always with us.

In 1980, I had cancer of uterus. I was to undergo surgery. I prayed to Swami to avert operation. When we went to the Hospital to undergo surgery, the Doctor made all tests again before operation.

'There is no trace of the disease', she observed in surprise, 'you need no operation'. Swami cured my cancer like that.

For about 25 years, I was suffering from piles complaint. Occasionally, there used to be bleeding also besides severe pain. If I ate even a little of mirch- powder (mixed in eatables), I used to get burning sensation.

After we came to Puttaparthi, the problem aggravated. I think - it was in 2000, that I was praying to Swami one whole night because of pain. Next morning, when we sat in Darshan lines, they distributed prasadam. I thought it was some sweet, but when I opened it, there was mixture. It contained mirch-powder also. I was hesitant to eat it for fear of my pain being aggravated.

Then a lady who had known me told me, 'you eat this prasadam. Hereafter you can eat as much mirch-powder as you please. It is medicine for you'. I ate the mixture completely. I did not get any burning sensation. My piles problem disappeared. Since then, I have been able to eat food mixed with normal doses of mirch-powder without any problem. What all kinds of medicines could not cure, Swami cured with a mixture packet!'

-- Mrs. Bhagyam Mahadev

(As narrated to Mr. B.Parvatala Rao at her residence, Puttaparthi on 06.06.2004.)