Vedanarayanan
Prasanthi Nilayam
Whenever God incarnates, He also chooses His fellow humans, to play a small part in His Divine Mission. God has touched our lives and it will never be the same again. When I look back in my life, 35 years of physical proximity, and so many incidents, many of them very significant and most of them may not be that significant. But when you are with God, I feel that nothing is insignificant.
Apparently all of us came to Swami, because He started these educational institutions and we want to enhance in our studies. But, apart from the knowledge that we received for our living, we also got more than we aspired for- education for life. If anywhere else we would have studied, probably we would have got only collection of facts, but here we had the transformation of ourselves, under the immediate guidance of our Lord!
For me, living with Swami was a series of trials and tests for self-betterment. There came a time, when we always question ourselves, “Am I doing the right thing?
Does Swami approve of this?” When I look back in my life, I found that Swami was trying totally to annihilate my ego and I was trying my level best not to give up. In due course, I learnt the hard way that ego is the root cause of everyone’s downfall. Coming from the land of Maha Bali, this is one thing I have inherited. Though it is a simple three lettered word, it was not that simple to get rid of.The more you prune, the more it grows! The sooner you surrender to Him, He will take care of the situation.
I had such dislike for Sanskrit from my school days. I studied this as my second language in my school, only because of the compulsion of my parents. Because of my consistent bad performance, I did not want to do anything with it after my school finals. But when Swami decided to send me to teach Sanskrit in Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, against my protests, I had no other option! But, His supreme grace alone made me understand the subject well and I could also teach Sanskrit as a communicative language. In due course, I forgot completely the fact that, it was Swami’s grace that was working and my ego in me wanted a better recognition! Swami was also waiting for a good opportunity to teach me a good lesson. Once, during Veda chanting in Sai Kulwant Hall, He asked me to translate ‘Sri Suktham’ line by line, which I did successfully, and my ego got further enriched. Then Swami thought it was high time to bring me down to ground realities. Another day He called me to translate ‘Purusha Suktham’, which I thought was very simple and I could really do a better job. Contrary to that I could not even remember even the first line of ‘Purusha Suktham’, forget alone translating it. I could see the world going around me. Then the Lord looked at me compassionately and started telling me ‘Purusha Suktham’ line by line – and I was just translating that. That day, He drove home the point that it was only His grace that made a dumb speak and the lame climb the mountain.
For further confirming my understanding of this fact, He called me another day, and asked me whether I could converse in Sanskrit, which I nodded affirmatively. After that I came and sat back in my place. Within few minutes, He beckoned me again and told me, “Give a speech in Sanskrit to all those who are present in Kulwant hall.” Bewildered by His command, when I looked at Him, He told me firmly, “Tell them in your talk that you did not know anything in Sanskrit, and it is Swami’s grace that has made me speak in Sanskrit.”
How true indeed! “I completed the 15-minute talk and took Padanamaskar of Bhagawan. Thus, throughout my stay with Him, He has taught me again and again, through various instances, the greatest lesson – surrender to God and you are saved. Allow your ego, you are doomed!
Brother Vedanarayanan K, a familiar face in Prasanthi Nilayam, has been leading the Vedic Chants in the Prasanthi Mandir since the inception of the practice in 2004 besides teaching Sanskrit in the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School for nearly three decades now.