Three Handfuls of Dust
For many years, we yearned to witness the Shivaratri (night of Shiva) festival in Puttaparthi. Last year, we left Madras in our car in the early hours of the day before Shivaratri. We thought we could reach the presence of the Lord in Prasanthi Nilayam by 5 p.m., and have His darshan (glimpse of a holy person) in the evening.
With our bad luck, the car started giving trouble. The engine was getting too hot, and the car came to a stop every 10 miles. Each time, we had to wait in the hot sun for hours, for the engine to cool down. Imagine our plight when we realized at 10 p.m., that we had covered only 70 miles in that hapless vehicle Fortunately, we were able to secure the services of a good mechanic who set to work quickly, but he could not get the car on its wheels again until 5 a.m., on Shivaratri day!
We were at Ranipet then; all hopes of being present at the magnificent and inspiring flag-hoisting function at the Nilayam were blown away. Nevertheless, from the smooth running of our car, we were confident that if all went well, we could be at the holy kshetra [place] by 11 a.m., in time for the vibhuti [sacred ash] abhishekam [purification bath]. The milestones were flying past quite fast. We were in a happy mood, singing bhajans [spiritual songs].
Then, the fuel pump gave way. Twelve miles after Chikballapur the car came to a halt! The poor thing had taken us merrily on many occasions to the Nilayam from Madras, but this day it was haunted by a series of mishaps. Other cars were racing along the road with devotees anxious to reach the Lord’s presence. Some noticed us; many did not. One car stopped; the chauffeur walked toward our car and attempted to set it right in all earnestness.
Suddenly, to our utter consternation, the gas caught fire. Big tongues of flame rose to the skies. The friendly driver was caught in the flames, but he jumped out in the nick of time and saved himself. His dhoti (white cloth worn by men) was on fire; he managed to douse the flames and get back to his car. I lost all hope for the vehicle, and was all in a shiver. It was impossible to put out the fire. But my friend, Kameswara Rao, called out most piteously “Sairam, Sairam” and threw three handfuls of road dust on the ghastly flames. And the miracle happened. The fire became extinct and the car was free from any sign of fire! Master of all the elements, Baba heard the agony and ordered the fire to leave the car alone. It obeyed.
We gave the driver some money and a dhoti to wear. He, too, was dazed at the miraculous extinction of [gas] flames, because he knew that the tank was full of combustible material. I boarded a bus that took me back 12 miles and I got a mechanic from there to repair the fuel pump. He brought all the implements necessary for the operation and started his work, promising to restore the car to perfection in half an hour.
But, his treatment went on endlessly. It was 3 p.m. already and he was still twiddling. By 3:30 p.m., we got desperate again. Cars sped past us toward the Nilayam. One party took pity on us and gave us some coffee from their flask, saying, “Take this; it is sent by Baba!” It was such a welcome refresher as we were really very thirsty and very hungry. They offered to take us along with them and pressed us to get into their car, but there was no one except a milestone to whom we could entrust that car of ours!
To persuade them to proceed, I told those kind friends, “Don’t worry. Baba will not start the evening meeting until we arrive. He would certainly take us there to witness His glory, the lingodbhava [emergence of lingam by Swami].” They left us with heavy hearts.
Meanwhile, time was flying. It was 5:30 p.m. and there were still a little over 50 miles to go, driving in that recalcitrant car. All hopes of seeing the lingodbhava vanished.
Suddenly, the pump began working. The mechanic smiled, though it was working only intermittently. I requested him to sit in the trunk and shake the pump whenever it stopped working. I sat at the wheel and the car moved. It was a fine show for all we met on the road. Nevertheless, in spells of spurts tossed between hope and despair, the car brought us to Prasanthi Nilayam, racing over the 50 miles in 60 minutes! Another miracle by Baba…
With tears of joy, we ran toward the Shanti Vedika [the hall]. Baba was waiting for us to arrive, before coming Himself to the meeting! When we reached the lotus circle in front of the porch, Swami was proceeding to the Shanti Vedika! What compassion! We pressed forward with folded hands. He smiled at us, showered grace with His blissful eyes, and said, “Santosham (happy)! You have come at last.’’
As we sat in the front rows facing Baba, tears of gratitude welled from my heart. “Lord,” I said within myself, “while thousands and thousands of devotees were singing and adoring You here, You heard our anguish, stopped the fire to save the car, and brought us in time to see Your glory. We felt Your presence and grace at every inch of the road.”
The friends who brought the coffee for us and who had tried to bring us to the Nilayam were sitting just behind us; they congratulated us with their meaningful gestures. We saw the lingodbhava from our Lord; we sang enthusiastically and with a contented heart. Within minutes, the mechanic came to us and said that the car was perfectly all right.
~Dr. A. Ranga Rao
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Feb. 1969
