Sai appears in Yoga Nidra

I do hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga and other forms of yoga. At the yoga centre, i go to, often we do Yoga Nidra too. Yesterday too we did Yoga Nidra and very strangely, Sai appeared in a vision. I was back in the Pooja room of my grandparent's home, where Swamiji has visited and blessed. There used to be a small mandapa where Shri Mahalakshmi used to be worshipped in the middle of the Pooja room. As i watched the vision unfold, Shri Sai appeared seated in the middle of this Pooja room, in the place occupied by Mahalakshmi. Then, i began to do Pada Pooja to him by washing his feet with water, sandal wood, honey, curds, milk and warm water. I clean his feet and drink the water and sprinkle it on my head too. Then, Sai dissappeared and little Krishna who used to be in the corner of the Pooja room, came walking to his place and stood with his hands on his hips, smiling. A small boy of five who is smiling and glowing. The vision disappeared then. Is Sai same as Lord Krishna? Yes, i think so, else why would Sai disappear and Krishna appear in his place. I visited the Sai Mandir at Mylapore the next day and very unusually was given Baba's mala, asked to touch a coconut and offered to the Dhuni and got yummy prasadam too. My mother Sai is so caring and loving and though i never got to meet him in person, this vision gave me that feeling of being with him and doing pada sevanam. Shri Radakrishna Swamiji used to talk to all gods including Sai at the Mandir in Bangalore. If Sai is in my life, it is because of his blessings and grace alone. Jai Shri Saipadananda Radhakrishna Swamiji maharaj ki!

Aksharamanamalai and Lord Shiva

I used to chant the Aksharamanamalai during the Covid 19 lockdown and quarantine period almost daily. I would listen to other Lord Shiva's bhajans and songs after that. One day i read the meaning of Aksharamanamalai as i was curious to know what the tamil words meant. As i read it, tears flowed from my eyes on their own as if those words of Sri Ramana Maharishi had a special power in them. That night when i went to bed, a strange experience occured. My mind took the form of Lord Shiva and spoke to me. It said 'I, Lord Shiva am real and within you' and then all night he was there with me. I could feel Lord Shiva's presence within me, and my mind became tall and big and assumed the Jatadhara form with the snake around the Lord's neck and i knew it was my mind. It was a powerful experience and the whole night went in Lord Shiva's company. It took a while for that feeling to go and luckily the next day, the mind was its usual self. My faith in Lord Shiva was made firm through this experience. I was never a follower of Lord Shiva but Aksharamanamalai gave me the Lord's blessings in the form of Arunachala. The Lord therefore resides within us only. Our saints are divine beings and their words hold great power, i think.Interestingly Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji had visited Tiruvannamalai once and had been given three stones by Shri Seshadri Swamigal and was asked to cook and eat those to find the truth. Later Swamiji told his devotees that the saint asked him to go beyond Sattwa, Tamas and Rajas to find god. My good Karma, that i listen to Saint's words and writings and i get the grace of the Lord immediately. That too is possible only because of my guru Shri Saipadananda Radhakrishna Swamiji's grace and blessings.

When the Lord awakens within

During the Covid 19 pandemic, i used to chant the name of the Lord throughout the day. I was particularly listening to Kadaiyanallur Rajaagopalan's Marathi abhangs followed by Shri Andal's Nachiyar Thirumozhi.Tears would flow ceaselessly when i would listen to Nachiyar Tirumozhi. Her devotion and faith in the lord was perfect and for her, he was the only goal. The Marathi Abhangs also spoke of Lord Pandarinath appearing and dancing with his devotees since he was overwhelmed by their bhakti bhava. The one specific abhang i got addicted to was titled 'Naam dev kirtankari, prema bharo nache panduranga'. This got stuck in my mind and i kept on singing this day after day. Evenings i would dance with my child and husband to the tune of the song and other Abhangs. Shri Radhakrishna Swamiji was very fond of Vittal and so also Shri Sai. In fact, Swamiji had gifted a beautiful idol of Vittal and Rukumayi that i used to be fascinated with, as a child. As a child, i grew up listening to Vittal's leelas and his extraordinary affecton for his devotees. Vittal would serve his bakthas in their homes by appearing as a cook, or as a maid or as themselves to help them get relief from their domestic problems. Such was the great love of the Lord for his devotees. Thus, the Vittal nama got stuck in my head and my mind went on chanting without stopping for three days and more. Then on the fourth day, a strange thing happened. The name started to fill my whole being. Like an incense stick being lit and the fragrance spreading everywhere in the space, the name and a divine energy filled my whole being from head to toe. I could not come out of this feeling and it was a very special feeling to be engulfed by the Lord's name from head to toe and floating in it like a boat in a calm ocean of peace. It was blissful. Then on the fourth day, gradually i was able to return to a normal state of mind. Is there so much power in the Lord's name!!?? This was a revelation for me. I am sharing so that those who read this blog also get that experience. Keep chanting Panduranga, Panduranga...when possible. He is the nama and the nama takes us beyond everything wordly. An out of the world experience! Looking back, i think it is the Guru's grace that gave me this experience of the Lord's presence within. He made my mind get attracted to the Lord. They say it takes several births for the mind to be attracted to the Lord. Then, many more births for it to remain with the Lord and then many more until it finally merges in him. However, with a Guru who is self realized, so many births are not required. The Guru carries us forward very quickly to our destination as he has already attained the goal and knows the path very well, says Sai in the Sai Satcharitra. Blessed is such a guru who cares for his disciples more than himself. Shri Saipadananda was such a rare selfless guru. Blessed to have you in my life, Swamiji! Jai Shri Sainath Maharaj ki!