I completed my MBA programme at Prasanthi Nilayam on 31^st March 2004 and stayed back in Brindavan to spend the vacation with Swami. The 8^th of April became a memorable day in my life. I was late for Bhajans that day and managed to sit in the last row of the students’ block. During the Bhajans Swami kept looking in my direction. It was thrilling at the beginning but soon I began to worry at this scrutiny. After Arati, Swami called the students for a ‘Trayee session’. That day, our row got token number one and I landed up in the fourth row from Swami’s Jhula. 

Swami came and sat on the Jhula. The first thing He did was to call me. He took my letter and asked me my name. Swami then asked me to address the gathering. I had progressed from the last row to the fourth row, to accepting my letter, giving me Vibhuti and now a speech in His physical presence. Incidentally, I had given a speech on the same date 8^th of April the previous year in Trayee Brindavan. Even as I began to give my speech, I recollected a series of incidents that had happened the previous month. 

It was March of 2004. It was a tradition in those years that the graduating batch of students would give some token of gratitude to Swami. That year, we decided to present Swami with coloured robes. We creatively packed them and wrote gratitude letters. Along with our Warden – Dr. Siva Sankara Sai, a few students went to Swami’s Poornachandra residence. Swami accepted the letters and sent a message, “I don’t want robes. Tell the boys, if they want robes, I will give them.” We were terribly upset. Why did Swami not accept our gift? Back in the Hostel room, our class was discussing probable reasons for not accepting our gift. Then I said, “If Swami wants to give us robes, let Him give. We will give it to our parents to keep in the altar.” One of my classmates said, “Why don’t you go and tell Swami in the Mandir tomorrow that you want a robe?” “Why should I tell Swami in the Mandir? (Pointing to His photograph) He is here, and I am telling Him, Swami please give all of us robes so that we can give it to our parents.” The dinner bell rang, we left for dinner. 

The following day Swami asked for all the students to come early for the evening Darshan. That afternoon, when we reached the Mandir, all over the portico, there were at least a thousand robes neatly piled up for distribution. After the distribution was over, Swami looked at me (I was sitting in the tenth row), smiled and nodded His head, as if asking whether I was happy that my prayer (to the photograph) had been answered. I folded my hands in gratitude. As we returned to the Hostel, my classmates said, “The next time you get a chance to speak before Swami, you must share this experience of His omnipresence.” 

I recollected this incident and finished my speech. Even before I could resume my seat, Swami told the students sitting in the first row, “I knew this boy will talk about the robes, that’s why even before coming down, I told Satyajit to keep the robes ready. Prasanthi Nilayam boys got robes last month. Brindavan boys were left out. Today they will get.” Swami then asked for the robes and gave me the first robe with His hands. 

I not only gained a second robe, this time from the Divine Hands, but also learnt two lessons that will stay with me for a lifetime. The first one is on His omnipresence. This experience convinced me that Swami in the photograph, Swami in proximity, and Swami at a distance reading your thoughts and prayers is the same principle. 

I thought that I came late for Bhajans, that I got the first row, that Swami called me, that He asked me to speak, and that I spoke about the robe as I had planned a month back. He had already decided even before coming to Sai Ramesh Hall for evening Bhajans that He was going to distribute robes to Brindavan students. He had already identified His instrument. It was only for the instrument to learn through a series of events that it is He who is doing everything. This was the second lesson. It clarified the clarion call given 5,000 years ago on the Kurukshetra battlefield by Lord Krishna, ‘Nimitta Matram Bhava Savyasachi’ (Oh Arjuna, just be My instrument – Bhagavad Gita 11.33). 

The Lord is the Divine Director. We have been assigned human roles in His cosmic drama. The most befitting offering that we can make to Him is to consistently discharge our role with all sincerity and surrender. The dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna concludes only when the latter assures the Lord “Karishye Vachanam Tava” (I shall do Your bidding – Bhagavad Gita 18.73).

Let us make this very commitment to our Master on His 95^th birthday. 

Dr Shashank Shah MBA, MPhil, PhD and Postdoc, 2002 – 2014, Prasanthi Nilayam, a recipient of the President of India and Governor’s Gold Medals. He is a national bestselling author, focusing on corporate strategy and responsibility. He has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School and Copenhagen Business School; Fellow and Project Director at Harvard University South Asia Institute; and Consulting Editor with Business India Group.