When the truck tyre went over the Divine Hands... - By S. Shashidhar
Sri Sathya Sai
Man views the various incidents that occur in life in a rational manner by
applying his limited intelligence. Certain experiences in life cannot be
explained in a convincing manner by taking the rational approach. It is the
occurrences of such events which make man think about the invisible power that
controls the entire creation and which cannot be comprehended by human
intelligence.
One such incident occurred in my family about forty years ago. The beginning of
our physical relationship with Swami dates back to 1945. From the very first
few years of acquaintance with Swami, my grandparents had total faith that
Swami is our dearest Lord and Protector. Swami blessed my grandparents by
giving a room, when Prashanti Nilayam Mandir was built in 1950. It became a
regular feature for my grandmother to come to Puttaparthi along with her
children during summer, when the children had vacation. The severe heat and
tough living conditions did not deter them from coming to Puttaparthi as they
had the fortune of close physical proximity of Swami, in those days. The
children enjoyed the sense of adventure in store for them in the dusty streets
of Puttaparthi and on the banks of the Chitravati River.
Swami supervising construction work at Prasanthi Nilayam
Whenever any activity took place around Prasanthi Nilayam, the boys would be
there trying to get involved in it. The summer trip of 1955 had a lot of action
in store for my father and his brothers. Construction work was in progress on a
huge scale as several residential buildings were coming up around the Mandir.
My father, an energetic boy of 11 along with his brothers, was helping to
unload a lorry full of bricks. After the job had been completed, he was
standing behind the lorry dusting off the dirt on his hands and clothes. He was
so absorbed in dusting himself that he was totally oblivious of the sound of
the lorry engine which had been started. The driver of the lorry in his own
mechanical way slipped the lorry into the reverse gear, totally ignorant of the
boy's presence behind the lorry.
By the time my father could grasp the situation, he saw the huge vehicle
bearing down on him like the ominous shadow of death, growing bigger and bigger
as it neared him. He found his body totally unresponsive, with his legs rooted
to the ground due to fear.
The inevitable happened and he was knocked down by the moving mass and to his
horror found the mammoth tires go over his slender leg. All he could do was to
cry loudly, "Swami..."
No sooner had he said this, than the world blackened out in front of his eyes
and his consciousness slowly ebbed out of him. Some of the people who were
around and who had heard this boy's cry immediately took him out from the lorry
and wrapped a towel around his blood-soaked leg. The next reaction of the
people was to turn towards the Mandir for Swami's help. As the concerned crowd
turned towards the Mandir, they found, to their amazement and relief, Swami
Himself standing in the Mandir balcony. Before they could explain anything,
Swami indicated them to take the boy to the small dispensary that was close to
the Mandir.
As His instruction was being followed, the boy's elder brother ran up to Swami
with tears in his eyes and cried, "Swami, the whole leg is totally damaged".
Swami consoled him by saying, "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to his leg". So
saying, He pulled up the sleeve of His robe and showed him the tread marks of
the truck's tire imprinted on His hand.
No other words of reassurance were required as it clearly showed that Swami had
taken the weight of the truck on His hand to save my father. Little was spoken
by his brother but the tears in his eyes spoke of the gratitude to the Lord.
The doctor found to his utter amazement that not a single bone was broken in
the boy's leg. With Swami's constant attention and Vibhuti Prasadam, the outer
wound of the leg healed in a record time of one month. The leg became perfectly
functional with the only tell-tale sign of the accident being, little widening
of gap between the toes of the leg.
This incident cannot be explained scientifically. The glimpse of the Lord's
power, which is beyond science, has made my father, who is presently a
scientist, to have a broader perspective of life.
- S. Shashidhar,
Alumnus, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
Source: Sai Nandana 1995 (70th Birthday Issue)
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