Keep It UP
The glory of Baba was for years a fairy tale for me. My wife was an ardent devotee and believed in His Divinity with her entire heart. But she was not free to worship Him in my house, since I had no faith in Him. I did not allow her to keep His photograph or even the vibhuti [sacred ash] given by Him in my house. Whenever I saw His picture or that of the Sai Baba of Shirdi, I used to tear it and throw the pieces out of the window.
During the month of May in 1960, I fell seriously ill and was bedridden for about 60 days. One day my wife summoned enough courage to apply the vibhuti given by Baba on my forehead and to put a pinch on my tongue! I resented her action and told her, “I cannot believe that your Baba is an incarnation of God or of any saint. If He is really so why does He not make me believe in Him?”
Years rolled on. My wife was sad because she could not worship Baba as freely as she would have liked. She used to keep His photograph in her jewel box and worship it whenever she could seize the chance. She knew that I was not interested in her personal belongings. Baba’s picture was safe from me, there.
In May 1963 I suddenly fainted while in my office! I was moved to a hospital, and my condition was declared bad. My wife was permitted to stay near my bed for the night. Around midnight, she saw a vision of Sai Baba of Shirdi. He told her, “Your husband will not die, don’t weep in vain.” He then became Sri Sathya Sai Baba and vanished. My wife woke up in astonishment and awakened me and related to me this incident. I brushed her story aside, saying, “This is but the reflex action of your own subconscious cravings and desires. I cannot believe that Baba personally came to this hospital to bless.” A few minutes passed. It was around one o’clock. I saw a strange face, the head with thick growth of hair like a lion, clad in a long red gown, standing before me, with the right palm raised in a blessing gesture. I heard Him say, “Your belief is not wrong; keep it up!”
The vision vanished suddenly. I fell fast asleep. In the morning I started worrying about who had granted me that vision, and why He had said that my belief was not wrong! I could not get an answer. When my wife awoke from sleep, I asked her to show me the photograph she was carrying in her purse. She replied that she had no picture with her. I assured her that I would not tear it to pieces. I only wanted to confirm whether the face I saw in the vision was that of Baba. Then she produced a small photo of Baba in a blessing posture. My illness was beyond [the comprehension of] all the doctors of Bombay. I used to faint suddenly, at all odd moments, in all sorts of odd places. One peculiar circumstance aroused my curiosity: whenever I fainted, I recovered without any help from outside and I was saved miraculously. When I fainted in the busy Queen’s road opposite Churchgate station [Bombay], there was a long traffic block at both ends and the road was free from vehicular traffic. When I fainted while entraining or detraining the Bombay suburban electrical local trains, I used to feel someone pushing me back into the coach, and I went safely on.
In March 1965, my daughter was admitted into hospital for suspected Thromboflebitis. It was the same hospital and the same room where I had the vision. After pathological investigation and long deliberation, the doctor decided that she must be operated on to examine one of the lymph nodes in her thigh. The day and the hour came. My wife opened the handbag and took a quantity of vibhuti granted by Baba; she smeared it over her daughter’s leg with all the faith she had. The patient was removed to the operating theatre. The surgeons could not find anything wrong. The chief surgeon was immediately consulted, and on his revised advice, the operation was canceled and the patient was discharged.
I attended the birthday celebrations at Puttaparthi in 1966. I was blessed by Baba during an interview. Since then I have had no trace of fainting or giddiness. I can boldly assert that I am perfectly healthy. I am just one among the countless millions who have been blessed by Him and led on to the path of glory by His omnipresent grace. May His blessings be shared by all for all time to come.
~B. P. Kombrabail
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, February 1969
