Dr Kiran Patel
1977 Prasanthi Nilayam

My journey with Swami started on the evening of the 31st December 1971 when I arrived at the portals of Brindavan in readiness for joining His college. My elder brother Navin who was part of the first batch of students in Swami’s college had sought permission from Swami for me to join His college. The first Summer Course in Indian Culture and Spirituality was in progress when I arrived. After finishing the interviews, Swami came out and saw us. He exchanged a few words with brother, then He looked at me and asked my name and where I was from. At that point, brother nudged me to take namaskaram, something that I didn’t know how to. I bent down to my knees a meter away from Swami not realising that I should have been actually touching the divine feet! He was so loving and asked me to go and sit in the congregation since bhajans were going on. The hall behind Swami’s Ashram was packed with students and devotees with hardly any space available. I managed to get a little spot just behind a pillar and resigned to the fact that Swami was all knowing, so He would know where I was sitting. He walked around and went to His room post aarthi. My brother came down after a few minutes saying Swami was calling me. I walked up the stairs. On seeing me, Swami asked me, “Where were you? I was looking for you.” In response, I replied, “ Swamiji, I was sitting in the hall.” To that He responded, “I was walking around looking for you and could not find you.” I thought, wasn’t He all-knowing and omnipresent? Surely He would have known where I was sitting! It took me quite a few years to realise why He said what He had said. To Him, every person that came to Him mattered and was important. Whilst He was the almighty, having all attributes that one could possibly assign to Godhood, He had come down at a physical level to establish kinship with fellow beings so that He could raise us to the precincts of Divine heights. God was no longer an abstract entity but in flesh and blood. To be in His presence was like walking on a razor’s edge since He knew and felt our every little thought and emotion.

Swami then lovingly instructed me to stay with the college boys. They were 8 of them. They had the most pristine place to stay which was the veranda adjacent to His bedroom separated only by a large window. I couldn’t believe my fortune! You could see all of Swami’s activities through the window be it His writing & reading letters, making phone calls, taking rest etc. Occasionally, He would also peep through the window to see what the boys were up to.

Next day, Sri Rambramhamgaru, the caretaker of the Brindavan Ashram came to me and indicated that Swami had said to Him that my sideburns were long, and they needed to be trimmed down. I implicitly obeyed to Swami’s commands and acted upon the instructions. On the 2nd day, the same instructions came through and I cut back my sideburns further. This little drama continued until the 4th day! By this time, I had more or less nothing left of what one would call sideburns! It was evening time and Swami was walking at the back of the ashram after offering fruits to Sai Geeta. He saw me, summoned me towards Him and had a good stare at my face and my sideburns before responding,”abhi acha lagtha hey! (Now it was looking good)”. A perfectionist indeed! He knew His ways to make things happen without hurting anyone. He was already working on my transformation; it started from the outside before He started working inwards……

Brother Kiran Patel has retired post a career in Pharmaceuticals R&D. He also served as a lecturer in the Institute’s Chemistry department. He serves Bhagawan as the Chairman, Sri Sathya Sai Organisation (UK)