"Should I create something in order to show you a miracle?" - By Siddhanth
Chandrashekhar
Siddhanth with Sri Sathya Sai - Convocation Drama 2009
We are always thrilled when we witness a miracle of Bhagavan or for that matter
even hear about it. That is why whenever we talk about Bhagavan, the first
thing that very often comes to our mind are His miracles. Miracles reveal His
omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence and thrill us, fascinate us and leave us
amazed. These ‘visiting cards’ of His have been drawing so many people to
Prasanthi Nilayam from all parts of the world. In fact, how we came to Bhagavan
is quite miraculous. Let me narrate to you how my father came into Bhagavan’s
fold or rather how Bhagavan got him into His fold.
It was way back in the year 1987 when my father came to know that there was a
person by name Sathya Sai Baba. He knew nothing more and he never bothered to
know anything more. One day, he was returning home in the train, as usual after
the day’s work. A stranger, sitting opposite my father, for no apparent reason,
suddenly took out a photo of Bhagavan and gave it to my father. My father did
not understand but nevertheless he took the photograph. He enquired from my
father, “Why don’t you attend Bhajans?” My father was taken aback because he
had never attended any Bhajans till then. The man told my father that there was
a doctor in my father’s locality who was a devotee of Swami and advised my
father to go there. When my father’s destination arrived, this man who was
supposed to go further down got down with my father. Even though he was a
chronic asthma patient himself (as he mentioned to my father) he took the
trouble of taking my father to the doctor’s place and introducing him to the
doctor. My father didn’t understand what exactly happened and he took it
lightly. The following Sunday my father did not go for the Bhajans. But the
next Sunday, my father, out of curiosity, went for the Bhajans. At first, he
felt it quit strange that somebody was singing and everybody was repeating, but
nevertheless he liked it. >From then on he started attending the Bhajans
regularly and developed more and more interest in Swami and soon became an
ardent devotee of Bhagavan. The whole incident is so mysterious and miraculous
though the whole incident looks normal. The slow transformation and the
difference in the outlook were greatly influenced by Swami’s impact. After all
everything is His will.
Speaking of miracles, I am reminded of what Bhagavan once said to Dr. Osis who
had come to meet Bhagavan and to investigate into His miracles. This is what
Bhagavan said: “I do not perform miracles to procure certificates from anybody.
So it is not possible for Me to do anything just for the purpose of your
investigations. I perform the so-called ‘miracles’ only to show My love,
protect My devotees in distress and to reveal the extra-ordinary powers of the
Supreme.” Many a time, we have seen our Lord creating material objects and
presenting them to His devotees for their protection. But it does not
necessarily mean that creation is necessary for protection. Let me tell you the
experience of my mother in which the Lord proved to be her Saviour in dire
need. The experience shows how Bhagavan responds to every little prayer that
emanates from a pure heart.
My mother is a chronic asthma patient. It so happened that my grandmother, who
stayed with us, wanted to meet a few relative’s and was quite adamant in
wanting to go to those relative’s house. Now, she was dependent on my mother to
take her to the relative’s house. But it was impossible for my mother to take
her out because it would be quite a long journey and my mother already had a
slight wheezing problem and over exertion would make it severe. But my other
had no choice but to take her. So my mother went and prayed in front of
Bhagavan’s photo and totally surrendered at His feet. When she left home she
had slight wheezing which to her surprise stopped as she got down the stairs.
She took my grandmother, left her in her relatives’ place and returned home
after three hours and believe it or not, for the whole three hours she had no
wheezing at all!
There are so many people around the world who seek the Lord’s help in their
dire needs and He readily responds. His is a 24-hour ‘Help-Desk’; you can call
up anytime and He is there to respond in a flash. Bhagavan moves among us,
talks to us, and laughs with us in such a humanly manner that we tend to forget
that He is the Supreme One. But sometimes in order to reveal His supreme power,
the Lord performs miracles, which stun the people who watch them and even those
who hear of them.
In those good old days, Swami used to go to the banks of the Chitravati with
His devotees. One day, Swami was seated on the riverbed with His devotees. The
sun had set and the full moon in the sky had filled it with its cool radiance.
Swami looked at it for some time and asked if the moon looked like His face? As
He moved His fingers on the Earth, an extra-ordinary phenomenon took place in
sky. A halo appeared around the moon like Swami’s hair! That was not all. The
pointed fingers of Swami wrote something on the dark dome. Then there appeared
on that heavenly hair-do, a Shanka and a Chakra (Lord Vishnu’s conch and disc)
streaked in lightning. With a further wave of His hand, the conch of lightning
dived into Swami’s hand itself and converted itself into a conch shell as found
on Earth. Swami then poured Amrit from it into the mouths of more than hundred
devotees. All the devotees who watched the whole scene were stunned.
All these miracles are very fascinating, but Bhagavan performs them with a
purpose and not for our entertainment or to please us. Once, a group of college
students had come from Bangalore to Puttaparthi to have the Lord’s Darshan.
They all were pleading with Swami to take them to the hilltop near the
Chitravati with the hope that Swami would perform miracles by materialising
different objects from the Kalpavriksha. Prof. Kasturi was also there and he
too joined in the plea. Swami was determinedly silent for a while. A little
later He said sharply, “Do I require that particular tree? Any tree will do,
will it not?” They were filled with the hope that Swami would give them objects
from some tree. But no, instead He continued, “Why do you imagine that I want a
tree? Is not the sand bed good enough?” They now thought that Swami would give
them something from the riverbed as it was off-season and the flow of water was
reduced to a trickle in the river. Soon they were disillusioned, for He
continued, “Why do I need the sand of the riverbed? Will not any sand do?” At
that time building construction was in progress in Prasanthi Nilayam and
noticing a sand pile nearby, Prof. Kasturi suggested to Swami that they could
sit on that sand pile itself. Swami retorted, “Do you think that creation out
of sand alone is a miracle? Is sand so essential?” They were stumped and did
not know what to say. Prof. Kasturi just then recalled that Swami had created
objects from a wave of His hand. Meanwhile Swami continued, “Should I create
something in order to show you a miracle. Is not your existence itself a
miracle of Mine?” He then walked away leaving them stunned with the revelation
that He is none other than the Supreme Creator Himself. Only mere creations are
not revelation of Bhagavan’s Godhood; there is something deeper and that is His
boundless love. His love is not only confined to Prasanthi Nilayam but
envelopes His entire creation and that is why what we have to really try and
understand and experience is His greatest miracle, His miracle of
transformation.
Siddhanth with His Lord - Sri Sathya Sai
Today the world has reached such a miserable state that love has dried up in
the hearts of man. His mind is totally corrupt with ego and selfishness is
ruling over him. Man is killing himself and that is why the Lord has to come to
transform the whole world. Transformation is His mission and with His love He
has been tirelessly transforming us every moment from bad to good, from good to
better and from better to best and He will continue to do so till this world
becomes the best place to live in.
Oh Lord! Please bless us with Your grace and strength so that we may form
ourselves into what You want us to be and thus experience Your greatest
miracle.
- Siddhanth Chandrashekar
Student (2006-2010), Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences
Sri Sathya Sai Institute Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam Campus
Currently, Scientist at GE Global Research, Bangalore
Source: SAI NANDANA 2005 (80th Birthday)
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