Swami Knows

I recently underwent a minor procedure at a hospital and of course prayed to Swami that everything would go well. After it was over, I wrote a letter of thanks to Him and said I looked forward to thanking Him personally during my trip to Puttaparthi in September this year. I knew of course that there would be little chance of saying “Thank You” face to face and consoled myself that it was just as good thanking Him from a distance during darshan.

On my first day at darshan, our group was ushered to the back of the hall to sit together. “Just as I thought,” I said to myself. “I’m miles away from Swami and I can see Him only as a small speck when He enters the hall.” After we had sat for a while, a member of the group suddenly nudged me and said, “Look, your Mum’s coming with a seva dal.”

Mum usually goes to darshan in a wheelchair as she is unable to walk all the way from our room to Sai Kulwant Hall, so she sits with the other wheelchair ladies in the far corner of the hall. I got up to meet her and asked what was wrong. She said she had a tummy ache and wanted to leave. Since Swami was expected any minute now, I said it would be best to go back to her place and assured her that the tummy ache would go away soon. She did as I suggested but I could see that she was not very comfortable. Due to her advanced age, she sometimes gets confused and a little lost when surrounded by a sea of people, so I asked the young seva dal who had accompanied her whether I could sit next to her wheelchair. She said I should ask the Ah Ma in charge.

The Ah Ma in charge of the wheelchair area, as many who have been to Puttaparthi will know, is a lady of steel with a razor sharp tongue. Many, including myself, have on numerous occasions savoured her angry admonishments but since we knew she was only doing her duty, we ignored her most of the time.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t dare,” was my response to the seva dal. “She’ll probably scold.” The seva dal said, “No, it’s alright, come!” She then led me to Ah Ma and asked on my behalf. To my relief, she nodded her approval and pointed to a spot near my Mum’s wheelchair. I was very happy and sat down, waiting for Swami.

When Swami entered the hall, I decided not to waste time, so I thanked Him immediately from where I sat. He went for a full darshan round and after finishing the men’s side, I expected Him to go up to the dais but was surprised when He continued to proceed towards the wheelchair area and in a few moments, was right in front of us, about five feet away! He stopped and looked at us, then raised His hand in blessing. As for me, I was filled with joy and gratitude; I was close to tears and my thanks came out in a emotional flurry of words! He knew what I had been thinking and was giving me the opportunity to thank Him face to face!

Through His grace and compassion, I got to sit next to my mum during darshan for the rest of our stay and enjoyed the same “close-up darshan” like the first time! And every time I thanked Him again and again - I didn't have anything else to say! Incidentally, I should also thank Ah Ma, who despite her tough exterior, really has a heart of gold.

It was a wonderful trip, as is always every trip to Puttaparthi. Believe me, Swami knows everything and even though we may sometimes forget Him in our moments of folly, He never forgets us.

Jai Sai Ram.

~ Divine Blossoms ~