The Hand Of God
Saturday, April 21st, 2012
How does God Who walks this earth respond to a child’s prayer? The purity
of the call cannot be ignored by God. When karma came knocking at a child’s
door in the form of an ailment which almost chased away the colours from her
life, God with just a few grains of rice knocked it out of her system. Read on
to find how God’s amazing grace works ever so silently and forcefully, as
chronicled by Kum. Sai Deepika Amirapu, 1st Year M.A., Anantapur Campus,
published in Ananta Prematarangini, the Anantapur Campus Souvenir 2005,
republished in Sai Spiritual Showers.
Much have you given to me,
Yet I ask for more…
I come to You not merely for the draught of water, but for the spring;
Not for guidance to the door alone,
But entry into the Master’s hall;
Not only for the gift of love, but
For the Lover Himself!
As I sit back and ponder over the bygone days, I realise that someone has
secretly entered into my life and enriched it with priceless love. I was
blessed with boundless gifts. I did not know who the giver was, but felt His
presence and His gentle touch.
‘Once in the early nineties, Swami visited Madras, and was staying at
Sundaram. After the suprabhatam was sung, the Lord glided onto the balcony and
gave darshan to the thousands who were waiting there. My parents and I were
also amongst the crowd of devotees who had come to enjoy the spectacle of love
spreading far and wide to rekindle the spirit of mankind.
The mass of devotees, who were seated till then, rose in reverence with
folded palms, and tried hard to get a glimpse of the Almighty. Tears of joy
rolled down my mother’s cheeks as she saw the beautiful form of Love in front
of her. I was surrounded by people, and couldn’t catch sight of the wish
fulfiller, as I knew Him to be. I tugged at my mother’s sari. She seemed to
understand what was going on in my mind. Just then, the devotees started
murmuring amongst themselves that the Balvikas children were to present a
programme in the portico so that Swami could see the tiny tots from where He
stood. As the crowd made way for them, I rushed through the narrow passage, and
positioned myself in the front row. It was then that I had a glimpse of my
Guardian, my Eternal Friend. I knew for certain that He is my comrade, and that
the unseen hand is His.
As I grew up, God to me was only an entity I used to look up to in order
to satisfy my petty fancies. When I was promoted to the sixth grade, attending
bhajans in the neighbourhood was a part of my everyday routine apart from
academics, fun and frolic. After the bhajans, it was a regular practice among
the devotees to narrate some experiences of how Swami had touched their lives
and made a difference. Hearing them, I used to yearn for the day when He would
enrich my life with an experience.
My life that was filled with the warmth and affection of my kith and kin
until then was suddenly thrown into turmoil and tension when I was afflicted by
what the doctors diagnosed as tuberculoma of the brain. Initially, I had an
agonizing pain in the head which eventually began to run down my spine. Sitting
in the classroom for prolonged hours was becoming impossible. I could not
sprint in the streets and sport with my friends. I had to discontinue my
studies before a week elapsed, and my sprightly spirit, that always soared
high, plummeted. I withdrew myself from academics and all the activities and
aerial ambitions that an 11-year old would dream of.
A score of bitter pills, steroids and splenetic syrups replaced the bars
of chocolate puddings and pastries. The doctors were not happy with my
progress. The oral medication did not suffice, and they decided that the needle
had to be used to relieve me from the anguish. I had sleepless nights due to
the sudden spasms, and my colourful childish world was flooded with darkness.
My worried parents surrendered to Swami. I was sure that Swami was making my
biography a momentous and memorable one.
I asked Him to hold my hand and deliver me from despair. I prayed
fervently and asked Him to renew my lost strength. Behind the silent dark
walls, God answered my prayer, and my parents decided to take me to
Puttaparthi. I was fortunate to sit in the front row. My mother too secured a
convenient position to have Baba’s darshan. The music began. Swami came gently
walking towards where I sat. He took some rice grains from the lady who was
sitting besides me, and showered them thrice on me. In my anxiety, I blurted
out ‘Swami, I do not want to take those injections any more.’ His benign smile
gave me an assurance that everything would be taken care of.
I travelled back counting my blessings. The follow-up CT scan reports
disclosed that I was on the way to speedy recovery. My parents were grateful to
Bhagawan who had granted their daughter a new lease of life. It is said that:
‘the strongest metal cometh from the toughest furnace.’ This phase of despair
strengthened my faith in Bhagawan.
The love story does not end there. Years passed. Now, as His student, I
am a humble part of His Avataric Mission. He shows us the path way to
immortality by being our guardian. This is the assurance given to me in one of
my dreams. I dreamt that all His students were made to stand in a line forming
a human chain and were asked to walk behind Him. He turned to see if all His
children were following Him. When He found that some of us had slightly
deviated, He gently pushed us into the path set by Him. To my right was a
beautiful garden, and to my left was marshy land. He said to me, ‘if you follow
Me, I will guide you to the garden.’ The dream ended there but the message was
clear. The goal is set and the path is clear. All we need to do is to tread it
with commitment.’
II Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavantu II
sourced:
http://www.theprasanthireporter.org/2012/04/the-hand-of-god/
Adoration
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012
A year went by since the most Beloved Divine Form staged a Divine Drama,
exiting the physical plane, leaving the world of devotees aghast. Following the
trail of emotions, as devotees around the world await the day, the day when
Beloved Bhagawan chose to move on from the physical plane, should we call it
exaltation…lamentation…commemoration…celebration or simply Adoration…Read on a
poem from Sri VN Prahlad, summing up the feeling for the day…
As I put pen to paper
Multi-coloured ink flows
The characters are Red and
Black and green,
Commemoration, celebration
Exaltation, lamentation?
All emotions unfit for the
Occasion
Anniversary (is it already)
A year!
Since that beloved form
Hid itself from our limited vision!
How fast have the weeks and months
Fled, while seconds and minutes
Crawled, like drugged ants!
Who needs an Einstein to tell us time passes
At different speeds?
But no!
Assures His voice from within
How weak is your faith,
That allows you to say
I Am absent? When did I
Ever leave you?
All these days, months, aeons
Kalpas, Yugas, years of sixty names
Akshaya – that is Thy nature
Never changing, ever giving
From the never drying ocean
Of Love Divine,
THAT is My Form, Dive in,
Unfearful of the waves and the foam
For you are but a bubble
A micro form of my VIRAT frame
Swim, sink and drink,
You and ocean are one
It matters not weather
You float or gloat
Make yourself dripping wet
By the infinite waves of My Love
That splash and slosh
Within the flask of your heart
Prasanthi is the lake,
Where My grace is filled,
For the seeker and forlorn,
Brave heart, fear not
And Adore, with abandon
This day, a year ago with benighted heart
You wept without cause, Today do
Rejoice, Adore your Loving Sai.
II Samastha Lokaaha Sukhino Bhavantu II
sourced:
http://www.theprasanthireporter.org/2012/04/adoration/
SSSVIP Workshop in Prasanthi Nilayam
Saturday, April 21st, 2012
A two-day SSSVIP – Sri Sathya Sai Village Integration Programme –
workshop is being held in Prasanthi Nilayam, today and tomorrow, 21st and 22nd
April 2012. Commencing the session in the morning, All India President of
SSSSO, Sri V Srinivasan spoke briefing the Workshop Objectives. Agenda for the
day includes Corporate Experience presentation by TVS group, Zonal Level
presentations involving group discussions, presentation of Field Level
experiences etc. Discussions on various workshop objectives would be held on
the concluding day tomorrow.
sourced:
http://www.theprasanthireporter.org/2012/04/sssvip-workshop-in-prasanthi-nilayam/
