He Knows Us and Loves Us

Dr. Choudary Voleti, a cardiac surgeon, comes from South India. He was drawn to the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, one of Bhagavan’s many contributions of divine grace to mankind. Baba’s divine nature captivated him and made him a devout follower. Here are excerpts of his talk at the San Diego, CA, Sai center in 2002. He is the author of a book My Holiman is Avathar Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, which has been translated into Italian and several Indian languages.

I was born in Andhra Pradesh, the state where Swami lives. I speak the same language (Telegu), and yet I was 53 years old when I first heard of Him. When I first visited Him, it was not to have His darshan [sight of a holy man], but to visit the Super Specialty Hospital. It is so interesting to see how each of us enters into Swami’s fold. When I was a medical student, the Indian government sponsored the bulk of my education, and the cost to me was only about ten dollars a month. When I left India for the United States, I felt guilty and always thought that I should return some day and pay my dues to my country. The idea became more intense when I became a cardiac surgeon because cardiac surgery is not freely available to the common man in India.

I did not want to offer my services in private institutions because they tend to be “for profit” corporate hospitals. One day, a colleague of mine informed me about a unique hospital where free cardiac surgery is offered. I was very skeptical because cardiac surgery is never free. He said that the hospital is in Anantapur district, one of the poorest districts in Andhra Pradesh. This shocked me, and I made a mental note to check into it.

Many events appear as isolated happenings, but in retrospect one sees that they are actually all connected. I would go even further and say that they are all very meticulously planned. Soon after I heard about Sai Baba and the Super Specialty Hospital, I was invited to attend an international convention of cardiac surgery in Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh. While attending the conference, I made inquiries about this hospital and got very mixed views some had not heard about it and others could not believe that such a place existed. Very soon thereafter, a good friend of mine invited me to Bangalore. I decided to go and investigate this hospital for myself.

When I reached Bangalore, I realized that my friend and his family were completely devoted to Swami. His wife and son accompanied me to the ashram in Puttaparthi. The first stop we made was at the hospital. I was completely taken aback to see that it did not look like a hospital at all, but true to its name it looked like a ‘temple of healing.’ The next thing that struck me was that there were big pictures of Swami all over the hospital. Everything was very calm and peaceful. It looked too good to be true. I was given a tour of the whole hospital, and I must say it is state of the art.

The next morning we went for darshan, my friend’s son and I sat in the front row. He told me to concentrate and pray to my favorite deity and Swami would talk to me. I was doing that when the soft music started to play. I set my eyes on Swami for the first time and I was transported to a different plane. I could just see Him, a small figure of five feet two or three inches gliding down the aisle, and it all seemed so unreal. The next thing I knew He was standing right in front of me—I looked up at Him and He looked down at me. I quickly blurted out that I was Dr. Choudary from Los Angeles. He quickly said, “Yes, yes, I know who you are.” He moved His hand quickly and created some vibhuti [sacred ash] for me. Everyone around me was very excited and I was totally confused. I did not know what to do with the vibhuti till a volunteer gave me a small square paper to keep it. As I was trying to collect myself, Swami moved away. After darshan a seva dal man [volunteer] came running to me and said, “Swami wants to see you.” I quickly ran after him as I realized I had to get Swami’s permission to operate in the hospital.

He took me to the interview room. I found myself alone with Swami. The first question He asked me, in Telegu, was, “How come you lost weight?” For six weeks, I had had a tooth abscess, had been unable to eat, and had lost a considerable amount of weight. Not many people besides my family knew of this, but Swami did. Suddenly, I burst out crying and He asked me, “What do you want?” Without hesitation I said, “Swami, I want peace, I want peace.” He held up three fingers and pointing to each finger He said, “Take out ‘want’, take out ‘I’ and what is left?” I said, “Peace, Swami.”

I could not really understand this equation then and I said, “I want to work in the hospital.” He quickly said, “Oh, it is your hospital—come any-time and work. We will give you the operating room whenever you want to come.” He then said, “You have a monkey mind; it is very restless and wandering in many directions. But do not worry, it will all be OK.” I agreed with Him and said that my mind really wanders and asked Him what I should do about it. He said “Do not worry, all will be alright.” Now I knew that I could work in the hospital, but I was uncomfortable with the idea that He knew everything about me—by now He had told me a few more things about myself that only I knew.

It felt like a crisis had occurred in just a few moments, like an avalanche had hit me. It took me a few months to get myself together and understand what had really happened. I realized that Swami knows everything that happens and everything that will happen. He will tell you things that do not make sense at the time, but which all fall into place later. I only talk about Swami when I am specifically asked about Him because all this is very personal. A stranger cannot understand that He is an avatar [incarnation of divinity], and he would think that I am crazy for saying that. But when our minds are ready for Him, He is there waiting for us. Only after I read a few books about Him did I come to grips with the whole experience. This is how I came into the fold of divinity.

Nothing happens without His approval. He is the master of time and His knowledge is tremendous. One day, we were sitting on the verandah, and in just about two minutes He gave a basic lecture comprising everything the American Heart Association tells us about heart disease. He asked about a man who was absent, and someone said that he had gone to Madras. Swami said, “Oh, his brother had a heart attack, the second one.” Then He looked at me and asked, “How many heart attacks can a person have?” I said, “Swami, three or four.” He immediately quipped, “What good are you!” I replied “Swami you are the only one that can control these situations, I am just a mortal.” He said, “Don’t you give instructions to your patients? A lot of them do not listen to you.” I said, “Yes, Swami, that is true.” Then He said, “It is the rich who do not listen to you because they can shop around for another doctor if they want. The poor man will obey you implicitly because he has no money.”

Then He looked at a fat man sitting there and said, “You have had heart disease for the last 10 years, haven’t you?” He agreed. Swami said, “You must have tight diet control.” He recited a beautiful Telegu couplet that said that if you eat too much, you destroy your mind and your body, but if you eat moderately then your whole body stays healthy. He asked me, “Doesn’t your medical association say that? Don’t you tell your patients about exercise and how they should be walking everyday?” He looked at the man and asked him if he walks everyday, and he said, “Yes Swami, I try to walk.” He spoke about personal habits, about not smoking and drinking. So in a matter of a couple of minutes, He had outlined what was important for the health of the heart.

One year I was with Swami in Kodaikanal [a hill town] for seven days. Each day He spoke to His students about various medical subjects—ranging from cholesterol to pregnancy and delivery. It should not surprise me, but every time I hear Him, I am baffled and I ask myself if there is anything He does not know about.

I call Swami a medical miracle because He sustains Himself on 300 calories a day. One day I asked Him, “Swami how do You survive on 300 calories? Your weight is 108 pounds, so you need at least 1080 calories per day.” He replied, “You people spend energy while I create energy.” He very categorically said that this physical body is basically mind over matter. He has never taken any medicine at all. Once when I was going to visit Him, I bought some nice fancy vitamins, body lotions, and other things for Him. I carried it all the way to Puttaparthi, and they were taken to His quarters. The next day in His speech He said, “This body does not need any vitamins at all.”

Many people say that He looks old and frail. His body is 76 years old, but He is not frail. Two years ago, we were in His quarters and going through the floor plans of the Bangalore Super Specialty Hospital while sitting on the sofa across from Swami. When we were finished, the other cardiologist and I foolishly extended our hands to help Him get up. Before we knew it, He was up and helping us, saying, “No no! These hands are for you.” On [the festival of] Sivaratri, He was holding coconuts in both His hands, hitting them together and breaking them right in the middle. I cannot break a coconut like that without a hammer. He broke about 40 of them, one after the other.

Some people say, “Oh Swami walks very slowly, His leg is bothering Him.” So, the next time I was with Him, I asked about His leg and He said, “No, there are so many people gathered here. I walk slowly so that they can have longer darshan.” He picked up His robe and asked me if I saw anything wrong with His legs. I quickly grabbed them for padanamaskaram. Then, like a child, He offered me His wrist and asked me to check His pulse. And believe me, it was like a 10-year-old child’s pulse—so strong and steady. He said, “It is 70. You know My blood pressure is normal—120/70—and I have weighed 108 pounds for the last 60 years.”

It is very fascinating to see how He takes care of His people. The last time I was there, He asked me to do a check-up on an elderly person who works very hard for Him. The man said that he was fine, but his wife wanted proof that all was well. We did all the important tests and found that everything was fine but for a slight rise in his blood pressure. When Swami saw me in the evening, He asked me about the man’s health. I said, “He is very healthy, but…” Swami said, “No ifs and buts” and walked away. This was around His birthday. Three days went by, and on the fourth day He walked straight to me and said, “But?” I couldn’t understand at first, and then I realized what He meant and said, “Swami, blood pressure.” Swami looked at me and said, “What do you expect for an 85-year-old man? Don’t you think his blood pressure should be a little high?”

Swami brings you down to earth in no time at all. I always tell people that you have to be on your guard when you move around Swami. Never answer a question because you will be wrong. One day He asked me, “What is the meaning of anesthetist?” I did not reply. He continued, “He should be called anesthe-strict, because of all doctors he has to be most strict with the amount of medicine he gives to a patient.” He explained, “When the patient is under anesthesia, he has to be monitored very closely for any reactions that he might have to medication.”

At a heart exhibition in Bangalore during the first anniversary of the super specialty hospital, Swami’s students made several nice big charts. It is amazing how Swami’s students can apply themselves to anything. I reviewed all the charts that were made to demonstrate the anatomy of the heart so that a layman could understand its functioning. Swami came, looked at the first chart and remarked, “Isn’t the heart too close to the chest wall?” It was absolutely true because the normal heart does not actually touch the chest wall; it is a little bit inside and above the diaphragm. I wished the earth would open and I could just sink in because I should have seen that blindfolded. There is nothing that escapes Him.

He has a master plan for all of us. Let me tell you about this very healthy-looking devotee of Swami who had retired at the age of 58. He came to Swami and said that he would like to work in the hospital. He was ready to do anything. Swami said, “First take care of your health and then I will give you work.” The man said, “Swami, I am perfectly healthy. I walk every morning and I have no illness.” Swami said, “No, first take care of your health.” Then this man realized that there was some discharge from his ear, so maybe Swami was asking him to take care of that.

He went to the ENT specialist, who told him that he needed a small operation on the mastoid bone. Before that could be done a complete check-up of the body was required. He failed the treadmill test in the first three minutes and had an angiogram the next day. All three arteries supplying the heart were severely blocked and the doctors forbade him to even leave the hospital. However, the man’s son was a student of Swami, so he told him to ask Swami. Swami told the student to tell his father not to do anything and to come straight to Puttaparthi. The man just got up, left the hospital, and took the bus to Parthi. This was during the time when our team was working there. Swami told me about him and asked me to operate on a specified date. He also instructed me to not to talk to his wife as she was not prepared, and that He Himself would explain everything to her.

The day before the surgery, Swami came and visited the man in hospital. The surgery was performed and word was sent to Swami that all was well. Exactly 48 hours later, it was Guru-poornima morning. Swami came to me in the verandah and said to bring the patient for darshan in the evening. Who am I to argue with Him? I just asked Him how. He said, “Do not worry, my car will be there to bring him, and arrangements will be made to have a chair ready for him when he arrives here.”

I went to the hospital and checked my patient out. He looked good. Out of curiosity I asked him why Swami was calling him for darshan that evening. With moist eyes he said, “Oh! Swami has heard my prayers. Ever since I got up this morning, I have been praying to Swami for His darshan.” I was totally wonderstruck at the way Swami hears the prayers and grants the wishes of His devotees. However, I warned him that he should be very careful and not bend down to take padanamaskar [touching the feet of a holy person], for his stitches could burst.

I returned to the guesthouse only to find that Sri Chiranjeevi Rao (one of Swami’s close assistants) was looking for me. I went to meet him and he said, “Swami wants a 100 percent guarantee that the patient will be fine for the evening visit.”  I know how Swami tests you, and without hesitation I told Mr. Chiranjeevi Rao to tell Swami that I will give Him 150% guarantee that the patient will be alright. Swami is the doer and I’m only an instrument.

In the evening we brought the patient for darshan. The first speaker had finished and the next one was getting up when Swami asked him to wait. He came to the patient and gave him darshan. I told Swami that we should not exert him too much and He quickly said, “No, no, take him back, he has had his darshan.” In His discourse he spoke about the man, how three specialists from America had operated on him, and how, because of his prayers, he was able to come and have darshan just two days after his operation.

The next day, I remarked to the patient that he must be someone special since Swami had taken such good care of him. He said that he did not even know much about Swami and only his son went to Swami’s school. So I asked whether he was very religious and whether he visited a lot of temples. He said, “No, I do not even do that. I just do namasmarana [repeating God’s name].” In many of His discourses Swami says that namasmarana is very beneficial. Even if people make fun of you, just continue with it—it is the simplest and easiest way to reach Him. We have to make namasmarana our second nature. We all have to evolve, and for that we need divine grace and human effort. Divine grace is always there, but our effort is required. We may not always understand His ways, but if we follow Him implicitly, then life becomes easy and simple.