Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group I | Mr. A.E.Muralidharan

Mr. A.E.Muralidharan
D.No. 4-77 / A
Yenumulapalli - 515134
Puttaparthi Mandal,
A.P., India.

Mr. A.E.Muralidharan (47), originally from Mysore, Karnataka State belongs to a family of Sai devotees. He narrates a few of his experiences in his own words.

'I saw Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in 1961 for the first time when I was four years old. He materialized vibhuti and put it in my mouth and told me in Tamil, 'not in words but in action'.

My parents, being Sai devotees, wanted Bhagavan's blessings to perform the marriage of my sister, Bhuvaneswari. They had been to Puttaparthi in the middle of February 1965. Bhagavan was luring them about the marriage as if He was playing with them, but there was no worthwhile proposal about it for six months. One day Bhagavan dropped a slip from the Veranda of the first floor of the Mandir at Puttaparthi, which was picked up by my Mother who was waiting in the yard before the Mandir. In the chit, Bhagavan wrote, 'I will perform the marriage of your daughter'.

After that Bhagavan selected the bridegroom and fixed to hold the marriage at 10 a.m. on February 10, 1966. On February 9, 1966, Bhagavan called us for interview and told my mother in Tamil, 'your mother and sister are coming here to see tamasha if Sai Baba would really perform the marriage of your daughter. You invite Puttaparthi people for the marriage, who are your true relations'.

Bhagavan gave new silk clothes to the bride and the bridegroom, materialized Mangalasutram and personally applied pasupu to the sacred thread bearing Mangalasutram. The marriage was performed at 10 a.m. on the 10th February and akshatas and flowers had fallen on the new couple from Bhagavan's hands at the time of the marriage. Bhagavan had borne all the expenditure on all of us for 4 days, that is, from February 8 to 11.

Bhagavan then called us for an interview, and asked my mother, 'are you satisfied now?' Prior to the marriage, He materialized a Shiva locket and gave it to my would-be-brother-in-law as he is a devotee of Lord Shiva. Bhagavan gave a silver casket (to put kumkum) to my sister. We arranged to take photographs of the wedding. But not even one photograph came, as the whole reel was blank when developed.

Four months after the marriage, my sister was necked out of the house by her in-laws on the allegation that no marriage had been consummated. My mother sought the guidance of Swami who said, 'How can anyone deny the marriage when it was performed by me? You go to the court'. We went to the court and the case dragged on for seven years and a half. As the photographs of the wedding were blank when the film reel was developed, we had no evidence to show that the marriage was actually performed. But before the day of final hearing, we received a parcel from Puttaparthi in which were several photographs of the wedding showing each instance in sequence clearly.

We could produce the photographs in court at the right moment and win the case in 1976. My sister was taken to her in-laws' house. They are living happily. We were told by some of our acquaintances that Swami had told them once, 'the couple is passing through bad period which extends nearly to 10 years. After that, everything will be ok'. It happened exactly like that.

I was a student of Swami's campus at Brindavan. In those days Swami used to distribute Degrees to those who passed graduation. I had the good fortune of receiving my Degree from the Divine hands.

When I had Darshan of Bhagavan in 1974-75, I mentioned to Bhagavan the advice He had given me in 1961, 'not in words but in action'. Swami remarked 'oh! You still remember!'

After I joined the Brindavan campus, Swami said in Telugu, 'Why do you tell other humans what you have in your mind? Why don't you tell Swami?' I then told the meaning of Swmai's observation in Tamil. Swami said, 'your Telugu is good. Continue to learn it'.

Though my name is Muralidharan, Swami used to call me always only 'Murali Krishna'. I don't know why. Perhaps, may be it is because I was born on Krishna Jayanti.'

-- Mr. Muralidharan.

(As narrated to Mr. B.Parvatala Rao at Sai Gokulam, Brindavan, Bangalore on 21.05.2004.)