Dr. Veerabhadra Rao Mudigonda
1985 Prasanthi Nilayam
I do not remember to who I prayed during the first 4 years of my life, or even, whether I prayed at all! But in the ensuing forty-two years of my life, God becamereal and alive, palpable and perceptible, nearest and dearest in the enchanting name and bewitching form of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba – the very embodiment of divine love! I fell instantly in love with Him when I first saw Him in Hyderabad in the year 1973 as a little four-year-old! Every story of God that I ever heard or read since; every image of God that I ever beheld in places of worship- be it in a temple, a church or a mosque; every scripture that I ever had a chance to study ; every ritual and worship that I ever offered; and every saga of a saint, sage or a devotee that I discovered since: All have become alive, valid, personal, immediate and thrilling experiences only whilst walking in the splendorous, supremely loving and divine Presence of Bhagawan Sri SathyaSai. And the summumbonum of these experiences has been an understanding, granted purely by His Divine Grace to many like me who walked in His Presence: An understanding that God is Pure Love; that God exists in every being and permeates the entire cosmos as Love.
I recall an incident when a brother asked Bhagawan, “ Swami! Please make me love everyone like You do”! What a wonderful prayer to the One who is capable of granting it! Perhaps this brother made bold to articulate clearly, a natural desire in every heart to reach ‘home’, and ‘be’ like our Loving Lord: Always full of happiness, peace, patience, gentleness, contentment, selflessness and sacrifice; always loving everyone and everything as His reflection; in whose auspicious presence, all turbulences disappear; and the body, mind and spirit simply dissolve into a singular, happy and harmonious state of Existence. It was like the wise girl who, when granted a boon by the King, asked for the King himself rather than any of his riches, thus gaining access to the very source of all riches. Bhagawan acknowledged this heartfelt, guileless, child-like prayer with a glowing and compassionate smile, and said, ‘Arey! Such a profound thing you asked so simply. You make your effort. I will help”!
On one occasion, He lovingly asked me with that enchanting and mischievous smile dancing on His face, “Where is your brother?” I replied, “At work, Swami”. The divine Lord quickly pointed to the group around me and said, “Are these all not your brothers?” In that instant, I knew that He drove home to me a profound message in such a simple way, thus helping me to start expanding my consciousness! What a divine way of teaching the greatest lesson of life that “We are all One!”
On another occasion during one of the visits to Prasanthi Nilayam, whilst enthusiastically offering at His Lotus Feet a report of the alumni activities in the neighbouring villages, He suddenly enquired ‘why’ we went and served. Various replies were offered, ranging from the prevalent dire health needs to share Swami’s love, but none could satisfy the Lord. He then explained patiently that we should be eager to serve fellow beings with the realisation that it is our mother who is suffering, that it is our father who is struggling, that it is our own kith and kin who are starving, and therefore it is our bounden responsibility and birthright to serve! Another practical message on ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to help me understand that there are no ‘others’ in this world! Be it in these experiences, or whilst gently admonishing a devotee to close the door softly ‘because there is Consciousness in it’; or demonstrating to Late John Hislop that even ‘sarees’ shed tears when not picked up by His Divine Hands; and through myriad such examples, our most compassionate Lord has encouraged us to recognise and feel the existence of God’s Love and Consciousness in all matter around us, whether animate or inanimate.
The grandest legacy of the unparalleled Sathya Sai Avathar, is not just an institution or an organisation. But His Divine Legacy is each one of us! He has lit the Lamp of Divine Love in each one of our hearts indeed, I feel that each one of us is a ‘trustee’, so to speak, of this sacred treasure. It is our foremost task as ‘trustees’ to not only preserve His Love in our hearts, but also enhance our experience of it by sharing with everyone in our daily lives. At times it seems, all that is necessary to connect us with the glorious light of His Universal Love are small gestures, sweet smiles and kind words that show concern and are with no trace of ego. Let me illustrate through Bhagawan’s words. He says, “You are all seated where you are. I Myself walk towards you, bending my back, stretching my hand, to receive your letters. If I had chosen to sit and ask you to come and hand over the letters, what would be wrong? Still, with no sense of ego, I am going to each of you, to set an example. This is Sai’s ideal. To demonstrate that I am free from ego, I am acting in this manner to teach a lesson to you. I have no feeling of attachment to anyone to treat some as mine and others as not mine. All are mine and I am yours. Every student and devotee should recognise this truth. ”
Recently in the UK, there had been unprecedented flooding and prolonged power outages that affected thousands of people, who had to abandon their homes and sought shelter in government buildings and churches. In an affluent society such as UK, people do not seek help or offer help except from the government! But propelled by a sense of kinship, based on His Love in their hearts, Swami’s devotees took the initiative to offer help to the affected people. Despite an initial reluctance, but seeing the genuine flow of love and unconditional service, doors were soon opened and hearts were connected by an Unseen Hand! Many local councils, charities, and the flood victims themselves welcomed the Sathya Sai Emergency Relief Volunteers (SERVE), and the relief material and manpower they brought along, with warm smiles of joy and gratitude. This is yet another example of how His Legacy of Universal Love is connecting hearts and healing minds in the communities we live today. I am ever so deeply grateful to Him for choosing me as one of the millions in this lifetime to see the face of God, hear the voice of God, touch the hand of God, and kiss the feet of God… Thank you Swami…my loving God… for being always with me, loving me and leading me from Darkness unto Light.
Brother Veerabhadra Rao Mudigonda resides in Cardiff, UK. While in Bhagawan’s school he was the cricket captain & active participant in elocutions, debates & music group. He is the Vice-Chairman, Central Council of SSSSO UK. He is associated with the Healthcare &Educare seva activities