(All the featured photographs in this section were taken by the author)

Each one of us has unique memories of our stay with Swami -glorious moments indelibly etched in our hearts. Though our memories and experiences may be different, the common factor is LOVE. Swami’s immense, unending, overwhelming Love. I am ever grateful to Swami for His love and compassion.

I am also ever grateful to my parents, Sri Ghandikota Subbarao and Smt. Lakshmi Devi, for placing me at Swami’s Lotus Feet in 1981. Reflecting on my years with Swami as a student and later as a lecturer in His college, I realize now that my path could not have led me elsewhere, for it is Swami who guides us, whether we realize it or not.

My revered grandfather, Br. Sri Ghandikota Subrahmanya Sastry garu was a renowned Vedic pundit , but his greatest joy and accomplishment in life lay in coming to Swami’s Lotus feet in the early 1960s. My father often recounted the words grandfather spoke before he merged with Swami – “The truth is that Swami is God – never leave Him”. In the same way, my parents placed me at Swami’s Lotus feet in 1981 and forever enriched my life. It is said that the mother is the one who shows the child the father, the father points the child to the Guru, and in turn, the Guru directs the child to God. In my case, my parents pointed me to God.

Homecoming
As a young boy, I recall my earliest memories of Swami from the early 1960’s – of Swami patting me on the cheek; of my mother and other ladies waving Aarti to Swami in the early morning hours as He stood on the balcony of the mandir in Puttaparthi, of Swami conversing with my grand-father and father on vedic subjects that were beyond my comprehension but were awe inspiring nevertheless, and of numerous other moments that are suffused with the warmth of love, and which I cherish deep in my heart.

Even though I was born and brought up in the United States, the Sai environment was the bedrock of our family life and we made periodic trips to India to bask in Swami’s presence. However, I never did realize the extent of the divine love one can experience as a student, until I joined His College at Prasanthi Nilayam. In June 1981, during one of our visits to His divine presence, Swami graciously performed the upanayanam of my younger brother. It was during this visit that my parents prayed to Swami to allow me to join His College. Swami readily agreed. Then, in the flow of casual conversation that followed, He outlined the future events of my life! He said that I would not only complete my bachelor’s degree in His College, but also my masters, that I would then become a lecturer in His College, and that He would conduct a grand wedding for me and send me back to the United States after that. Believe me, as a teenager I had never thought so far ahead! Yet, this is exactly what happened. Truly it is Swami who directs our lives, and after eleven years in Swami’s presence as student and lecturer, after being “home” with Swami and experiencing the love Swami gave me, I returned to the United States just as Swami had predicted.

A Special Bond
The relationship between Swami and His students in a collective sense is indeed unique, but it is also a special at an individual level. I recall that in my first few weeks as a student, Swami would ask me everyday how I was doing, if I was eating alright, etc. ensuring that I settled down well in the hostel. It would also often ‘happen’ that Swami would ask me a day before I got a letter from my father, if I had received any news from my father! This occurred so many times that soon, I knew if Swami asked me about my father‘s letter, I would get one the next day! By taking care of illnesses/ injuries and constantly providing words of comfort and guidance through everyday happenings, Swami was the bedrock of my existence.

Those years in Swami’s presence were but one facet of experiencing Swami’s Love. The teachings, memories, and love we all experienced in Swami’s divine presence are what that sustains us even today. Swami took a group of students and staff to Kodaikanal one summer and I was fortunate to be in that group. Could I have ever imagined – thirty days of being with Swami; breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner with Swami; hours sitting at Swami’s feet hearing great truths; loving inquiries by Swami about each one’s welfare; witnessing acts of great kindness by Swami; marveling at wondrous creations; and quite simply – seeing Swami in the midst of nature. It was paradise indeed, and after the end of thirty days all of us were in tears and none of us wanted to depart. Swami then lovingly came to our bus to see us off and told us that whenever we recalled these events and experiences with Swami, we would be with Him again. Such moments with Swami are alive in our hearts always. They not only form what we cherish, but also what sustains us when we are physically away from Swami. And the periodic visits we make in the present times are nothing short of homecomings for us.

The ‘Focus’ of My Life
In my years with Swami in Parthi and in Brindavan, Swami most graciously gave me the opportunity to take photographs in His divine presence. It is only through Swami’s encouragement and love that I got the opportunity to take His photos and by doing so ‘focus’ my life on Him. Each of Swami’s students is given a vehicle to allow us to concentrate our lives on Him; that vehicle may be music, sports, or academics, and in my case it was photography. I began by taking photos for brother students as Swami blessed them on their birthdays. Swami then encouraged me in many ways to continue to take His pictures. Naturally, any photos we take are in reality given by Him. Yet, the opportunity that he gave me, allowed me to experience great truths that he taught all of us.

Dear to the Lord

The Divine Hand

Swami explained that a diamond is considered priceless, but that is so only because men ascribe value to it –
therefore, man is more important than material objects. Then, with the brilliant diamond placed at the center of His outstretched palm, He asked me to come and take a photograph of the diamond in his palm. I readied the camera and adjusted the focus to get the clearest view of the brilliant diamond. Everything seemed perfect, but just as I clicked Swami blew into the palm of His hand and made the diamond disappear! His timing was incredible! Everyone, including Swami, laughed at this leela. We marveled at the disappearance of the diamond, but Swami also made us all laugh. I couldn’t help feeling that Swami had just proved to all of us that what He most cared about was our happiness and well-being. Instead of overawing us with His divine majesty, Swami began to joke with us and then even inquired about what we ate and how our accommodation was.

The Golden Leaf
One evening at Brindavan, Swami had gone to the “Sai Ram” shed for granting darshan, while the staff and students of Brindavan waited in front of Trayee. As Swami returned to Trayee, He stopped for a moment at the gates and plucked a leaf from a tulsi plant. As he walked to Trayee and motioned we go in, we couldn’t help wondering why Swami had plucked the tulsi leaf. We were soon to discover why. As He entered Trayee and sat down, Swami asked everyone

‘What is in My hand?’

‘A tulsi leaf, Swami’, we replied.

Swami then blew onto the leaf. When He opened His palm we saw the leaf was transformed into gold!

‘Where is the leaf, boys?’

‘It’s gone, Swami’

‘Really? Is it gone?’ asked Swami, playfully.

Swami then ‘broke’ a old petal to reveal the tulsi leaf, intact inside the gold casing! He then expounded how divinity permeates everything. Just as he finished explaining the significance of the divine, Swami then blew on the golden leaf once again. Right before our eyes, the gold cast disappeared and all that remained was the original green tulsi leaf, fresh as before! As if to quell any doubts, Swami promptly put the leaf in His mouth and ate it!

Love – His true visiting card
Our final year in the Bachelors program was drawing to an end, and in those days, Swami would call the graduating class for an interview. It was His special ‘gift’. Sensing the sadness we all felt at the close of a wonderful chapter in our lives, Swami spoke lovingly and at great length with all of us. He explained how we should conduct ourselves after leaving Swami’s institution, guided each of us on the path we should take in our lives, and enquired about everyone’s welfare. Then, Swami then waved His hand and created a stack of visiting cards and handed them out as a token of His Love – all the while saying He would always be with us. After Swami had finished the distribution, one extra card remained. How was it that one card was extra? Just as we began to wonder, Swami mentioned that the card was for one of our classmates who lay sick in the hostel and could not attend the interview. None of us had remembered, but can Sai’s loving gaze miss anyone, ever? Though we forgot about that Sai brother, Swami reminded us that He never forgets anyone!

All Else Melts Away…
Through the lyrics of the song “Love is My Form” that Swami wrote, He tells us “..No reason for love, no season for love..” I believe these words truly epitomize the love Swami holds for each of us. I also believe that this is a lesson for us – that we should also offer, albeit in our own small way, unconditional Love for others. Especially for those who are in need. Over the years Swami has done so much for me that it would take a volume to recount – from healing a chronic problem with a fractured wrist, allowing me to be in His presence and bask in His Love, to verily giving me a clear direction in life. I always wonder what I have done to deserve His Love. The love of Swami is such that it leaves one speechless. He is there for all of us, each of us – at all times, and unconditionally. What more can one say?Swami is indeed Love incarnate.

(The author is the grandson of late Br. Sri Ghandikota Subrahmanya Sastry garu (renowned Vedic scholar, referred to as a Rishi by Swami) and son of late Sri Ghandikota V. SubbaRao (retired senior United Nations official, and vedic scholar). He was born and brought up in the United States of America, and had the privilege of joining Swami’s college at Prashanthi Nilayam in 1981, completing his undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in commerce. After receiving the gold medal for best all-round student from Swami in 1985, he served as a lecturer in Commerce from 1986 to 1992 at the Brindavan campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. Currently, he is an Associate Director at SNL Financial, a financial information company in New York, USA.)