No More Fires!
My husband and I were returning from Tijuana, a town on the Mexican border, 42 miles away from Tecate, when we saw big clouds of smoke in the distance. Alfonso, our headman, who was at the wheel, said, “Fire, on Rancho Cuchuma!”
When we drove into the gates of our ranch, we saw the wall of fire and smoke rapidly approaching the students’ house. A strong wind was blowing in the direction of the house. Firemen and people from the nearby village were there; but they were watching the vast area of burning brush land without being able to do anything, for, there was no water outlet anywhere around.
“Did you talk to Sai Baba?” asked my husband.
“Not yet. I’m going to now,” i answered, running toward the main house.
“Ask Him to change the direction of the wind,” shouted Renia, who was living on the top floor of the students’ house. “Nothing else,” she added, “Change the direction.”
i went downstairs into Bhagavan’s meditation room (we also have another meditation room with a light perpetually burning in it). i lit all the candles, about 30 of them; and while lighting them I decided not to ask Him for anything, just let Him know that the fire is within a few minutes of the house. If He thinks it should burn down, let it go. If He thinks it should stay, He’ll protect it somehow. Then, i sent for my husband and Renia, deciding that i should not be the only one involved.
When the three of us came upstairs, we all stood still in amazement! The wind was chasing the `fire wall’ into exactly the opposite direction!
“There goes Sai Nilayam,” i thought to myself.
i learned later that the firemen on the American side prevented the flames from leaping across the border, although everyone at the Nilayam had packed their things and sat ready to leave by car.
The Mexican workers watched the wind turn round, and exclaimed, “Milagro! Senora!” (Miracle! Madam!)
Rosita (our instructor and my adopted daughter) and Lynn (one of the participants and the only one who had remained reserved about Bhagavan; everyone else became His devotee) in the Teachers’ Course were standing behind the students’ house, watching the approaching flames. All of a sudden, Rosita felt something happening within her. “Sai Baba” was her first thought. She turned to Lynn and Lynn gave her a strange look, saying, “Sai Baba is here,” and tears tolled down her cheeks.
“Look,’’ Lynn said, grabbing Rosita’s arm. Both saw a most unbelievable thing happen. The ‘running fire’ stood still for a moment! And then, as if swept by the movement of an invisible hand, turned around and `dashed’ into the opposite (!) direction!
“Do you have a photo of Sai Baba you could give me?‘ asked Lynn in a hurry.
“Mataji,” concluded Rosita, “I’ve never seen such a quick change in anyone, as I saw in her.”
Wearing Bhagavan’s ring, japamala [rosary], and a new sari, i took the movie camera, and went to take a picture of the fire.
Later, toward the evening, as we sat in the kitchen with all our workers to have some tea, Matias, our cook, said, “I shall have to start believing in Sai Baba after what I’ve seen today with my own eyes.” The phone rang and the telegraph office clerk said that nobody came to pick up a telegram that had been lying there for a whole week, since we had totally forgotten to send for it.
When Rosita brought it in, it was a wire from Baba (!) inviting me to come to the opening of the Anantapur College on July 8th.
“He wants you to come,” said my husband, “so, why don’t you go?” Three days later, i was on my way to India. Oh! Bhagavan!
While i was leaving Prasanthi Nilayam for Tecate, Bhagavan gave me a beautiful medallion of Laxmi. “That is for the house,” he explained, “for protection….” “No more fires.”
~Indra Devi, Tecate, Mexico
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Sept. 1971
