My Experiences

The common questions often asked [of me] by inquisitive friends, visitors, and acquaintances with a desire to know about Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba are: (1) What attracted me toward Him, (2) How I am attached to him, and, (3) Why do I revere Him? I tried to answer to some extent the last question in the book At the Lotus Feet. I do not know what exactly attracted me toward Him as I do not have the capacity to clearly understand that, but as to the steps that led me toward Him, I shall try to explain below:

It was the year 1942 when I spent my vacation at Kurnool. With a group of relatives I visited a place called Brahma Gunda, near Kurnool where a sacred spring fills a tank. After a bath in the tank we learned that a divine lady with supernatural powers was staying in a house nearby. I got an intense desire to see her though that was not the day on which she would give darshan [vision of a holy person], according to the inmates of the house. When I sent word that I had a great desire to have her darshan at least the next day, she called us in. It was the first time in my life that I had seen miracles being performed. She created a date fruit that was so graciously offered to me with her blessings, although I stood behind her and out of her sight.

While coming out of the place with pleasure and satisfaction, one of the devotees present at that place informed me of a still greater miracle seen by him in Anantapur district where a kshatriya [warrior class] boy in his 14th year turned into a yogi with unimaginable powers of creation. This information thrilled me, but I could not go and witness this balayogi [child spiritual aspirant] although I really desired to have His darshan. Can this be called a contact with Him? I do not know as I forgot that incident completely until Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba reminded me of it in my first meeting with Him at Hyderabad in 1962.

This is the difference in the memory of an avatar and an ordinary mortal like me. What is it that attracted me to Him? The answer is perhaps that a part of the whole is always attracted to the whole from which it has emerged.

At Hyderabad, one of the memorable incidents I had witnessed was [related to] Baba’s darshan by a poor man and his family. Several bhaktas [devotees] in high positions in the government visited Bhagavan to have His darshan. None of them were admitted in, as visitors could get in only with Bhagavan’s desire and instructions. Every minute increased their anxiety as they waited outside.

At that time, a poor, middle-aged man with shabby clothes got down from a rickshaw with his wife and a child. While all the elite of the city were waiting outside the house, this family got in as if they were no strangers to this house. To our surprise, Bhagavan received them and blessed them with a private interview. This incident impressed me and confirmed what I had learnt in my childhood, that `God is for the poor.’ Baba makes no distinction between the rich and the poor, between the haves and have-nots. He is for His bhaktas, and only He knows the attachment they [bhaktas] have for Him.

I have had a number of personal meetings with Baba and had the fortune of learning several new points every time, which drew me closer to His feet. On a Sunday I visited Brindavan at Bangalore to have Bhagavan’s darshan. That was the day Bhagavan personally initiated about 400 selected bhaktas into dhyana [meditation]. He instructed us to practice meditation regularly at 5 a.m. during Brahma-muhurtam [the auspicious time for spiritual endeavor]. The pleasure of participating and the fruits of dhyana have to be realized by oneself and cannot be explained or written.

Following the meeting, we waited to take leave of Baba. After satisfying a number of His bhaktas, Bhagavan came to us and in a humorous tone said, “I shall certainly come to Delhi only when you are there.” His patting me on my shoulder with this remark made me recollect [the time] a couple of months earlier, when I heard that Baba was visiting Delhi and I had to go abroad during those days. I was terribly depressed and had told my friends that Bhagavan would not come when I was away. Now Bhagavan repeated what I had said at Delhi. Immediately I burst out that I had said the same words in Delhi. Baba nodded and said that He knew.

In one of my meetings, Bhagavan indicated that everybody should visit Puttaparthi, at least once. Within a few months, I had the good fortune to visit Puttaparthi, for Shivaratri, with three other senior scientist colleagues. At Puttaparthi we were told that Bhagavan was not giving interviews to any one. I was not sorry because I came to Puttaparthi as directed by Bhagavan.

However, to our good fortune, Baba especially favored us with an audience. In all we were six. I sat very close to Bhagavan and translated His discourses for my friends. He created vibhuti [sacred ash] with a wave of His hand and distributed it to all of us.

Ten minutes later, in the middle of His discourse, with a wave of His hand He created and distributed a handful of halwa [an Indian sweetmeat] to each one of us. The amount of halwa distributed was much more than what could be held in both palms put together. Since I was the last to receive the prasad [blessed food], I looked at His palm and saw that His hands were absolutely clean while all our hands were greasy. 

After showing a few more miracles during His discourse on ‘adhyathmika’ [pertaining to the body and mind], He asked me to find out from our group if they would worship. When all of us said yes, He created six identical copies of His photo and distributed them to us.

We were thrilled with this extraordinary grace and took leave of Him to return to Bangalore by the evening. Just before our departure at 4.30 in the afternoon, He gave us darshan near our room and inquired whether we were starting back for Bangalore. I told Bhagavan that we would start immediately and reach Bangalore by 9.30 p.m. Bhagavan laughed and said that we would not reach before 10.30 p.m. I went to the extent of contradicting Him, but He laughed and left us.

We started immediately, fully satisfied with our visit and reminiscing over it. The driver who was well acquainted with the route was proceeding at a good speed. A couple of hours, later we discovered that despite his familiarity with the route, he had taken us in the wrong direction and had to retrace about 20 miles. I immediately felt how foolish it was on my part to insist on my calculations and how accurate Bhagavan was in giving us the correct time required. We reached Bangalore at 11 p.m.

What is the significance of the miracles performed by Bhagavan? They are certainly not for pradarshana (exhibition) as there is no personal gain involved in it. It is only for nidarshana (visible proof) and to create confidence in bhaktas to lead them to the path of truth. Whatever Bhagavan has spoken to me has come true, sometimes in a short period and sometimes after years. My personal experience during these contacts with Bhagavan has convinced me that He is an embodiment of satya [truth], dharma [right conduct], shanti [peace], and prema [love]—a Divine stature in human form.

~Anonymous
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, April 1970