Swamiji gives a rose

By the time i was three years old, Swamiji had already attained samadhi. There was little chance for me to know him. Yet i always felt i knew him. I somehow felt very connected to him and infact mistook him for my grandfather, not knowing as a child that i could have only two grandfathers. So much of my interaction with Swamiji was through prayers.
I am sharing this today more out of the need to communicate his greatness to one and all. While there are several sannyasis who are well known, Swamiji was like the rare flower which blooms once in 12 years and to be seen by a few. He shunned publicity, behaving like an ordinary man yet touched the lives of many through his unseen actions.
When i was 8 or10 years old, along with my parents, paternal and maternal grandparents visited the Sai Spiritual Centre in Bangalore. We went to Swamiji's room, 'Hamsaniketan'. This room is special as it engulfs visitors with calm and peace. The room houses many of the artifacts used by Swamiji during his lifetime. This includes the clock which jumped by itself to remind a devotee of the time to serve neivedhyam to Baba in Swamiji's absence.

When we went inside i noticed a beautiful red rose on Swamiji's life size picture. I used to be crazy about roses, especially Bangalore roses. I badly wanted the rose as children do and asked my maternal grandfather to give it to me. My maternal grandfather Shri.R.Seshadri however told me that it was not possible. I was a bit dissappointed but quickly sent a prayer to Swamiji himself requesting him for the rose. I forgot all about it later and we returned home following the darshan.

Me and my cousin began playing in the backyard and were actually building a miniature temple for Sai with bricks we had found. Just as we were placing the Sai idol inside i heard my grandfather call out my name. I went inside to find him holding the very same rose in his hand. He explained to me that he found the flower while untying his dhoti. It had fallen from his dhoti out of the blue. He was very surprised. I was happy beyond words. Swamiji had granted my prayer though small and insignificant for adults but important for a child. If you thought i got the rose in one piece, not at all. It was quickly seperated by the petals and everyone took it as prasad. Swamiji let me know that he had heard me.

A Bond Spanning Janmas

In Hindu Philosophy we often refer to relationships spanning seven janmas or births. Sai Baba also believed in reincarnation. He particularly lay great emphasis on the concept of ' Rinanubandha'. He stated that people are drawn together due to their past karmic debts. This is illustrated through the famous story of the frog and snake narrated by Baba. The two creatures were enemies in past births. Although born as humans the failure to resolve disputes brought them together in the next birth also as sworn enemies. When the snake is about to consume the frog Baba intervenes and reminds the snake of its past birth and its original identity. He beseeches the two creatures to give up animosity and escape the cycle of birth and death.

Swamiji and his devotees too must have come together through 'Rinanubandha'. The experience of several devotees is proof enough. For further experiences please consult Apostle of Love: Saint Saipadananda written by Shri Rangaswami Parthasarathy ( in English and Tamil) available with Sri Sai Spiritual Centre, Bangalore, India.

I never had the opportunity to interact with Swamiji. Yet for as long as I could remember Swamiji was the name I would call out when in need. I was indeed blessed to be born in a Sai family where all members were closely linked with Swamiji. I found it amazing that Swamiji had won my heart even without meeting him. But that isnt surprising actually, is it? Is god to be seen to be believed? No....faith is born in the depths of the soul. Who knows the secrets of the soul? Neither you nor me. But Swamiji most certainly knows, because he is a reflection of god. All that is in god is in Swamiji.

From different experiences time and again it is absolutely clear that Swamiji lives on. He is available anytime to anyone who seeks his guidance. The deep love his devotees feel can only be inspired by him. He enters people’s heart to make it his own. Swamiji treated his devotees the way they saw him. Mrs. Jaswant Contractor saw him as a father and indeed he treated her like one. In Mrs. Rajammal Parthasarathy's puja room he performed the miracle of lighting lamps with water as did Sai Baba because she believed he was the same as Sai.

How can words ever suffice to describe the greatness of such a Guru? A priceless gem even as Sai was. Lucky are the people who could associate with him.

Swamiji also appeared in several dreams one after the other with clear instructions and guidance to many. My grandmother has experienced this on several occassions. She is a staunch devotee of Swamiji. She would spend one hour in puja everyday. She would narrate tales of Swamji’s yogic glance showering blessings. This was hard for me to imagine.

My growing years where flooded with tales of Swamiji and his infinite compassion for suffering humanity. These tales had to be believed as many of my own kith and kin had escaped fatal illness due to Swamiji's grace. My grandfather too narrated the extraordinary circumstances that wrought his transformation from an atheist to a believer in Hinduism. He believed that Swamiji effected this change. My maternal grandfather also had very close association with Swamiji . Infact he was the person who introduced this holy saint to my paternal grandparents.

Speaking to family members revealed that Swamiji was a simple man, unassuming yet invaluable as a pole to a man struggling in a quicksand. Time and again devotees spoke of the glowing eyes filled with powerful light that made it impossible to look at for long. Swamiji had all yogic powers in him but rarely flaunted.He was able to sense even the stray thoughts of his devotees. People's minds were transparent to Swamiji.

Swamiji seemed to live on in his devotees hearts. Their nostalgic descriptions enabled me to reconstruct his personality. Swamiji also lived on through the articles he used. They are treasured by his devotees like my grandmother. The green chair, the small table he had meals from are carefully preserved in our home. I was surprised that a person could generate such reverence from another even after he was no longer in flesh.

Background

Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji also known as Saint Saipadananda lived between the periods of 1906 and 1980 in India. He was a spiritual master who transcended the barriers of body, time and space. He advocated chanting of ‘Vishnu Sahasranama’, the thousand names of Vishnu as a cure-all. His spiritual master was Shri Narasimha Swamiji, the founder of ‘All India Sai Samaj’. All India Sai Samaj is an organization that works to spread the teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba, considered an ‘Avatar’ or incarnation of god by many, including westerners.

Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji’s contributions to the Sai faith were many. The most significant of these was the inception and administration of the Sai Spiritual Centre in Thyagarayanagar, Bangalore. This is a trust that has been responsible for the growth of ‘Sai’ faith amongst millions of devotees in Karnataka. For detailed information on his life and works ‘Apostle of Love: Saint Saipadananda’ should be read and serves as a good primer. The book is also available in Tamil language.

Swamiji moved people by his simplicity, purity and love. He was the best of students to his ‘Guru’, the best amongst missionaries for the ‘Sai’ faith, a father to some, a mother to others, a child with children, a spiritual guide to others. He transformed himself to meet the needs of people who came to him. This process was mutually beneficial. The devotee’s material problems were melted away while Swamiji met the goal of guiding humanity from materialistic to spiritual way of life. This approach is in line with that of Shirdi Sai Baba.

Swamiji was not only sought by men and women but also by animals. He was compassionate to all life forms as is evident from the incident of the pregnant cow. The cow had been experiencing labor pain yet unable to deliver. The owner sought Swamiji’s help to alleviate its suffering by ensuring a safe delivery. Following a visit by Swamiji the cow delivered with ease ending the ordeal of several days. The same night Swamiji heard someone outside the door. The cow stood proudly displaying her new born calf. She thanked Swamiji in her own way. This reminds us of Krishna who established instant rapport with cows and was able to communicate with them as well as he could with people.

He performed no visible miracles. However invisible miracles were many. His uniqueness lay in the ability to transform situations, minds of men and women to bring the best from events. He served as a doctor curing diseases with simple application of ashes and chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama. He resolved marital issues without any court intervention. Couples were blessed with children after as many as 14 years of marriage. Unemployed persons got jobs they had dreamt of by mere mention to Swamiji. He was a doctor of minds too curing innate tendencies like excessive fear, uncontrolled anger and harmful jealousy. He was verily a wish fulfilling tree or ‘Kalpa Vruksha’ or the mythical ‘Kaamadhenu’ the cow that gave anything sought.

Swamiji’s outstanding quality was the indescribable love showered on all he met. People met him as strangers to part as long known relatives within a short timespan. He has been described as 'An Apostle of Love' and indeed every action of his revealed his great love for God and an even greater love for welfare of all living beings. He was more than a parent constantly working towards the spiritual and material upliftment of his devotees. This blog is aimed at increasing awareness of the existence and teachings of this great spiritual master. Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi in 1980 but continues to live on. Readers be aware that he is a living force and prayers directed to him evoke instantaneous responses.