K Sai Kanta Rao
Prasanthi Nilayam
Explain God! This is not an elementary subject. Can any human being answer this question to everybody’s satisfaction? From the sages of yore, to the Vedas, Upanishads and, in later days, Shastras – they have all tried answering this question. For generations, scholars have debated this topic, but with no fruitful outcome. Well aware that it is certainly the greatest adventure on my part to make a humble effort to explain Swami, the only living God for me, I prefer to be one among the above.
Blessed am I to be born a contemporary to the Loving God, to experience His love in all its facets that this little human body can experience.
Revelation of the Upanishads
It so happened in 1985, I was sitting in the Abode of Peace, with my mind on Swami and His literature. I was mentally Swami’s speeches and literature and concluded that the Upanishad Vahini is too difficult to digest. While this thought was crossing my mind, believe it or not, the Lord of the Universe, just opened the interview room door, instantly drawing my attention. Swami walked straight towards me. He looked into my eyes for a while and asked me, as if He was reading my mind, “What is the Upanishad?” I was completely dumbstruck. I rose on my knees, keeping my head up while the illumination of His face was over my head. Except the aura of the Lord in all its effulgence, nothing else was visible to my physical eye as well as my inner eye (my mind). In a sweet and very composed voice He said, “Upanishad ante ananthamaina divyatvamunu athi sameepamulo undedatlu nirupinchedi.” (To prove the infinite divinity in the closest/nearest proximity of one’s own life). Truly, what a revelation! I still carry that divine revelation He made about the Upanishads. It was so simple that a lay man could understand easily, yet astound the greatest scholars of philosophy at the profound meaning. Wherever I am and whatever I may be doing, these revelations are always in my mind.
Our Bhagawan Shows that He is Omnipresent – Always
I was part of a group of students that Swami took along with Him for the inauguration of Sai Shruti at Kodaikanal. It was a wonderful opportunity as every second of our stay was filled with learning. During those days, Swami gave a few of us the opportunity to share our thoughts and narrate experiences in His presence. To me it was always a Gnanasabha where the Shivashakthi Swaroopa unveiled our ignorance through His divine intervention. One day, Swami asked me to talk. I stood up and started saying in a mechanical way that Swami is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Immediately, He stopped me and said, “Explain with your experience how Swami is omnipresent.” One elderly devotee asked me, “Do you feel His omnipresence?” I spontaneously exclaimed, “Yes!” I continued my narration. In light of this I would like to share two distinct incidents that proved His omnipresence beyond any doubt.
Once, during the 1960s, during a home Bhajan in my native village in East Godavari district, we had the singular pleasure of having His Darshan. Swami manifested Himself and sat on the throne kept for Him and gave Darshan to all the devotees present there. As a mark of His presence, He also left behind His beautiful footprints on the white cloth that was spread over the throne and the fragrance of Vibhuti permeated all over the place. But that was not the only instance… One day in 2002 when my family and I were in Penang, Malaysia, we visited a Sai Center. We were pleasantly surprised when Swami revealed that no place is beyond His reach. We witnessed honey oozing out from the lotus feet of the idol of Sai Krishna. The photos of Swami were also emitting Vibhuti and Kumkum.
Bhajans started and as we sang with gusto, we noticed that an idol of a Chinese goddess suddenly appeared over the letters that devotees had placed in front of Swami. After Bhajans, as we were discussing these Leelas, a few devotes went into the Puja room which was after the Bhajan hall. Suddenly we heard some of them shout with surprise. We all ran from the Bhajan hall to the room and saw a strong stream of pearls flowing from Swami’s picture! I was standing in the center of the room. However I was not much moved by the experience. The knowledge of the omnipresence of the Lord is a definite reality. At that moment, pearls started falling on me from all the four walls, the ceiling fan and even the tube lights! And I was suddenly overwhelmed by the thought that my Swami is all around me. He is indeed omnipresent!