Parva Nai (Does Not Matter)

In Goa, a state in Western India, the late Indra Devi of Tecate, Mexico, spoke to people assembled in the presence of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on December 12, 1970.

Although most of us know that Baba is Bhagavan [Blessed Lord] and nothing is impossible for Him, still we like to hear about His mahimas (miracles), marveling at them all over again, as if they were not a self‑understood matter where He is concerned.

When addressing the fourth All‑India Conference of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithis [service committees] at Prasanthi Nilayam on November 21, I preferred to share with the delegates some of my experiences rather than bore them with a lengthy report of the Sai family’s activities in California, where we have the Sathya Sai [Baba] Society, the Sathya Sai Book Center of America, and the recently formed Sai Foundation (in place of the Indra Devi Yoga Foundation), which maintains a center on 2720 Sunset Boulevard, and Sai Nilayam, a retreat in Tecate, California, especially popular with long‑haired and big‑bearded youngsters, who are prevented from crossing the border into Tecate, Mexico—the home of our main center.

A recent fire, the biggest ever in that area, had destroyed 3,000 homes and thousands of acres of forest. It was threatening to burn down both our branches on the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border. The devotees in Sai Nilayam (the American retreat) had no time even to save their belongings from a tent pitched near the house; the fire was spreading so fast. They all fled in cars to the top of Mount Chuchuma, where they had to spend some hours, hanging between life and death, in a small cement building, praying to Baba. The entire mountain caught fire and was engulfed in a blaze of flame. After the fire subsided and when they were able to come down, they found, to their amazement, that though the truck was destroyed by the fire, the house had remained intact! Inside, it was covered by a thick layer of soot except for the meditation room, which had the picture of Bhagavan. In that room, the carpet had remained white! Baba must have been here, protecting the place, someone suggested.

This fire broke out when I was away in Chicago lecturing on Bhagavan. So when I saw it on television and read in the papers that it was raging 200 feet away from the Indra Devi Yoga Foundation, to my own surprise the news didn’t touch me in the least bit. To the suggestion that I should fly home immediately, I answered, “What for? It is Bhagavan’s place. If He wants to protect it, He will. If He thinks it should be destroyed, let it be.” They asked, “What? Do you have so much faith in Him?” I answered, “Yes, I do.”

I then told the delegates at the conference that there were many more things happening to me, but I didn’t want to take up their time. But, a “parva nai” (does not matter) from Baba encouraged me. So, I told them about another miraculous happening that occurred several months ago when I was driving alone at midnight from Los Angeles to San Diego, where I was to give a lecture at the university the next morning.

It was raining heavily and I was tired. So I must have dozed off at the wheel for a moment, when suddenly my car skidded and, making a swift turn, swerved across to the other side of the freeway, where cars were dashing in the opposite direction at 65‑70 miles per hour! The freeways have eight lanes—four on each side—and no other traffic except motor vehicles is allowed on them. Having lost control of the steering wheel, I was awaiting the unavoidable crash, as the car kept on circling from one side of the freeway to the other, like it was on a merry-go-round.

Luckily, there was a narrow strip of grass there, as the dividing line between the two halves of the freeway, instead of the usual iron grilles. “Stop, Stop, Stop!” I finally pleaded with the car, in despair. At that moment, my eyes, fell on Bhagavan’s photograph. I realized only then that my right foot was still on the gas pedal!

Afterwards, when the police came to my rescue (I had a flat tire), and I told the officers what had happened, they simply could not understand how I did not meet with a fatal accident. “You must have a special guardian angel,” one of them said. “A very special one,” I answered, without mentioning Bhagavan, lest they would take me to a mental hospital to be treated for hallucinations.

Once on this subject of car accidents, I briefly described to the audience another incident that took place when I was about to get on the freeway from a lower road and make a turn—when a passenger bus speeded by in front of me like a hurricane, narrowly missing the nose of my car. Completely flabbergasted, I stopped with an open mouth, having just sung “Govinda Krishna jai,” and after a deep breath, continued “Gopala Krishna jai,” offering the song to Bhagavan in praise and gratitude for saving me from being run over by that flying giant of a bus (which I did not see coming from behind a parked lorry [truck] that had obstructed it when I looked to find out if the highway was clear).

I ended my talk, saying that many miraculous things had happened to me during this past year, which was a very trying one for me. I added that if it were not for Bhagavan’s help and guidance, I don’t know how I would have gotten through it alive and sane, since I found myself in the most incredible situations, including those involving use of witchcraft and black magic to do away with me.

“Tell them about the ring,” urged Bhagavan, as soon as I had concluded.

So, I resumed my talk and told about the ring Bhagavan had given me about three years ago when He was pleased with the yoga asanas [postures] I had been teaching the boys of the Sanskrit Pathashala (Sanskrit school) at Prasanthi Nilayam. Actually, He first gave me a different one He had created. “Sadguna,” He said. “Rays of virtue,” He explained as He gave it to me. When I went to my room, I didn’t feel too happy about the ring because it didn’t have His image and I had given up wearing ordinary jewelry ever since starting to teach yoga in 1939.

The next morning, when we were all called back into the interview room, the first thing Bhagavan did was to turn to me and say, “Give me the ring. Acha nahi hai [it is not a nice one].” Then, taking it in His hand, He merely blew on it, thereby transforming it into a ring set with a single diamond. “You wanted to see My image in it?” He smiled, knowing my thoughts. “You will see it whenever you want, but no one else will.” With these words, He placed the ring on my finger. “Wear it, especially when going out,” Bhagavan instructed. “It will let me know when you are in danger so that I can protect you.”

Once when I was in far-off California, I looked at the ring and clearly saw in it Baba sitting in a white car. “He must be going somewhere,” I figured and wrote down the date in the calendar. On another occasion, I saw Him addressing a crowd that was sitting in a semicircle. It did not look like Prasanthi Nilayam. Again, I made a note of the date, and on my next pilgrimage to Prasanthi Nilayam, I checked the dates with Brother Kasturi. He attested to the fact that on the first occasion Bhagavan had gone on tour on the date I saw Him. “I saw Him in a white car, whereas His car is a dark one,” I argued. “He now has a white one,” replied Kasturi. He also verified that on the second occasion Bhagavan was addressing a gathering in Kerala, where people sat in a semicircle!

“Are you spying on Him?” Kasturi asked me jokingly. When I quoted this remark, Bhagavan, and with Him the entire audience, broke into laughter. I felt that was the best time for me to end my talk.

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, February, 1971