Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group I | Mr. K.S.Gopalakrishnan Nair

Mr. K.S.Gopalakrishnan Nair,
Sai Geetham, Kadairuppu - P.O.
Via Kolencherry, Pin: 682 311,
Ernakulam District, Kerala.

Mr. K.S.Gopalakrishnan Nair, born on 05.01.1952, working as Clerk, St. Peter's College Staff Society at Kolenchery, Ernakulam, Kerala State has been coming to Puttaparthi since 1995. He has several experiences of which he narrates a few below in his own words.

'I went to Hyderabad in 1970 to attend a written test at the office of the Central Ground Water Board. While going there by train from Bangalore, I happened to overhear devotees in the train talking about Puttaparthy and Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, at Dharmavaram Railway Station. As far as I remember, that was the first time I happened to hear about Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Later, I went to witness a festival at a temple in a town near my place when the topic about Sri Sathya Sai Baba came up. One devotee of Baba whom I met there was mentioning Baba's name. I enquired about Baba and the vibhuti 'He creates'. That devotee who was then returning from a trip to Puttaparthi opened his suitcase, took out a vibhuti packet and asked me to put a little in my mouth. It was the first time that I could have the taste of Swami's vibhuti prasadam.

I went to Puttaparthi in 1995 for the first time. As my wife is a Central Government employee, we availed of LTC. First we came to Bangalore where my brother-in-law was residing at that time. I was advised to take a bus to Puttaparthi from Bangalore.

When I came to the Bus Station, I did not know where to get my tickets. I asked my wife to wait at one place and went about enquiring. I silently prayed to Swami to guide me. Finally, I took the tickets and was coming back when a stranger asked me where he could get tickets to Puttaparthi. I replied, 'on platform No. 9'. He requested me to show him the platform No. 9. In fact, when I saw him I felt a little bit afraid of him. When he asked me to show him the way, I obliged. As we were both going, he asked me, 'for how long you have been a believer of Baba?'

'I am going for the first time to Puttaparthi', I replied. 'By the way, I took the tickets just now. According to the ticket numbers, ours seem to be the last tickets. Any way, how many tickets do you want?'

'My wife, two children, and myself', he said.

It was similar to my case. 'Two full and two half?', I asked.

'No! No!' he said, 'I require four full tickets'.

At that Bus Station, booking of tickets was computerized. The computer issued only three tickets, and the machine stopped. In fact, he needed only two full and two half because it was enough to take half tickets for children. He might have thought that if he took all the four full tickets they could sit comfortably. But, usually they allow a child to sit in a seat even though the child travels only on a half ticket.

After he took tickets, he turned to me and said, 'I used to come to Puttaparthi by air. This time alone I am going by Bus. Perhaps, Bhagavan sent me to guide you'.

As I heard his words, I felt that my prayer to Baba to guide me was answered in this way.

As we were returning from the booking counter, he said, 'let us go and have some breakfast', adding, 'do you drink?'

'No' I said, 'I don't drink. My wife and children would be waiting for me, you know'.

'OK', he said, 'let us have tea.' Then he ordered for tea. Till then, I had not tasted such a costly tea. It might have cost about Rs.15/-, I thought. It was a big hotel, so naturally things would be expensive. He did not stop with tea but ordered breakfast to be packed for everybody, that is, his family and mine.

'Sir', I told him, 'let me pay the bill'.

'I know you have money', he replied. 'You keep it in your pocket'.

I was amazed to hear him say so. True. I was having Rs.4,500/- with me at that time.

On reaching the Bus Station, he served the breakfast to all - my family as well as his - starting with mine.

After finishing breakfast, we entered the Bus and sat comfortably in our seats. There was a person travelling in the same Bus, with his son going to Puttaparthi for treatment in the Super Specialties Hospital there. The boy was asking for something, and the father started beating him, as he did not obey him.

The person who served us breakfast earlier, intervened saying 'why do you beat him?'

The father replied that the boy was not obeying him. Our new friend then said, 'don't beat him. He is a good boy.'

Then our friend caught hold of the boy and gave him some biscuits. When I saw the boy eating them eagerly, I felt pity for him.

Later, our friend took the file of medical reports from the father and went through it. He advised him to go to the Super Specialties Hospital to which the boy was referred. He also said, 'I will make arrangements for the treatment'. On hearing this, I was stunned at his liberal attitude.

After travelling for a couple of hours, he gave us some biscuits.

'Do you think that you will get Darshan of Baba today itself?' he asked.

'Why not?' I replied.

On reaching Puttaparthi, he showed us the Ashram complex. Then calling a horse drawn cart, he said: 'let them (Jatka-walahs) also live! This is a place of Bhagavan's Lotus feet!'

I noticed that the security in the Ashram was tight. I was also impressed very much by the observance of silence strictly in the premises of the Ashram. I had not seen earlier a place observing such serene silence.

I did not know where to keep my suitcase, which contained money.

I went and asked a sevadal. Till then, I was not aware that there were sevadal people. He showed me a number of bags and suitcases left in the open there.

'See them', he said. 'All of them have money. Who is guarding them? Bhagavan! Believe in Bhagavan!'

I left the suitcase there and left for Darshan within minutes, I had Darshan of Bhagavan - the first Darshan I ever had! I cannot forget that scene even today. One leaf of the neem tree had fallen in my pocket at that time. I just shivered, which compelled me to sit quietly.

On another visit to Puttaparthi, I prepared a letter to be given to Bhagavan. Meanwhile my daughter also gave me a letter to be given to Bhagavan, asking me if Swami would accept her letter.

'When you are writing the letter, then itself Swami is aware of it', I told her. 'In such a case, why are you afraid that Swami won't accept it?'

At that time, I was going to Puttaparthi with one of my friends, who is familiar with the routine there. We both went and sat in darshan lines. Luckily I got the first row. When Swami was coming in darshan lines, a thought crossed my mind: 'Will Swami accept more than one letter?' So I gave the letter of my daughter, P.G.Gayathri to my friend, who is very familiar with the practices in Puttaparthi, and requested him to hand it over to Baba. Baba came along the Darshan lines, took my letter. He then stretched his hand and took the letter of my daughter also from my friend. That was the first time that Swami received a letter directly from my hand.

Again I visited Puttaparthy as a member of a group, along with the same friend. Bhagavan received letters from four members of our group including me.

My friend told me that when Bhagavan came near us, we could ask Him of any of our wishes or desires. When Bhagavan came to me, I wanted to ask a personal matter. But, somehow, I could not utter any words except 'Bhagavan! Bhagavan! Bhagavan' - three times. Bhagavan, I saw, waved his hand three times and moved forward. After going a little distance, Bhagavan showed his Abhaya Hasta to the delight of every one present.

Ever since we came into the fold of Sri Sathya Sai, many miracles happened in our family. In July 2003, after Bhajan, a garland put to the Photograph of Swami got untied on one side, and began to hang from one side only. We garlanded the Photograph in our Pooja room with that garland; again it got untied on one side and began to hang from one side.

My mother, K.G.Sarada Kunjamma who is an ardent devotee of Swami, was anticipating that some thing was going to happen. Her premonition came true. The very next day, my father, K.G.Sivasankaran Nair, was down with some illness. One side of his body was paralyzed. Doctors first thought that he had suffered a stroke, but later diagnosed it as 'Rat-fever'. It is a very dangerous disease affecting brain, heart and kidneys, often resulting in a fatal end. Doctors, therefore, had practically little hope of his recovery.

One night I was at his bedside when I could not resist a nap due to tiresomeness. My father got up, removed the tubes, etc arranged by the Doctors and sat on a stool. The nurse, on duty, saw this and reprimanded me for being careless. But how could he get up? He was not able to move. From then on, he recovered and became well. Even the Doctors were surprised about the miraculous way in which he recovered completely.

My father, later, told us that he had a dream that night when he saw a person catching him by hand and leading him through an ocean in which he could find a way out surprisingly. That person - we all believe - is none other than Swami who came to help him cross the ocean of samsara. Though he had the attack of the dangerous rat-fever at the age of 77, he recovered miraculously. He has been well ever since.

On another occasion in 2002, there was a fine fragrance of some (jasmine) flowers in our house after Bhajan. Next day my daughter matured.

In 1998, our mother prayed before the Photograph of Swami for employment of my brother, P.S.Sajith Babu. In a few days, he got a job as C.N.C. operator in A.B.G.Shipyard, Surat.

In 1999, I went to worship Naga Pratima when I felt a sensation of being bitten by something - may be an ant. I did not pay much attention and went to office. From there I went for lunch in a temple, and then to a Bhajan. When I came home, I was feeling pain at the place where the ant bit me. I applied some vibhuti as there was some swelling also.

On that night, I had a dream in which Baba appeared as a small boy - like Vamana, took a stick, beat and showed me an ant-like thing that was hit fatally by His striking it with the stick. After that the pain and swelling subsided, and I became all right.

In another instance, I escaped from a great danger to my life. Owing to politics, the atmosphere in schools and colleges was badly polluted. Student unions used to go on strikes and agitations more for strengthening their hold on students for votes than for bonafide reasons. In the year 1998, there was a proposal to provide drinking water facility in the campus. Some union people proposed to put it near the office. 'Why not put it in the canteen', I suggested. 'It will be more useful there. Besides, it is also in the same building'.

One group opposed this for political reasons. In the end, it led to the Union of that group going on strike on that demand. One day when I was taking lunch in the office during lunch time, some of the agitators threw some explosive at the building in which I was taking lunch. It struck the door and fell at a distance in the yard due to re-coil, and exploded. 'Had it exploded in the room', one police officer told me, 'it would have been very serious for you'. Swami saved my life by making the explosive recoil and fall in the yard away from my room.

On the Sivaratri Day, 2002, we went for Bhajan where our Samithi made elaborate arrangements for sale of books on Bhagavan as well as vibhuti. Arrangement was also made to show the scene of Swami taking out Atmalinga for which I lent my T.V. After doing Bhajan the whole night, we returned to our house. When I opened the Pooja room, there was vibhuti at the feet of Bhagavan's Photograph. It is still there. Many people come and witness it.

My wife, Mrs. C.R. Gita, was not a Sai devotee in the beginning, but after several miracles happened in our house, she too became a devotee.

One day in May 1997, my wife had to be admitted in Samaritan Hospital at Paghanganal near Aluva for cardiology tests. After some tests, the Doctors said that she should be on rest for a couple of months as she was having diabetes and hypertension. Besides, cholesterol in her blood was also on the high side. She was prescribed several medicines. Though she took them for some years, she became irregular in taking medicine. Gradually she stopped taking medicines except Dinol for sugar. Even then, her condition has not deteriorated. On the other hand, it has improved. She is also attending to service activities in the name of Bhagavan who, we all believe, is taking care of her.'

-- K.S.Gopalakrishnan Nair

(As narrated to Mr. B.Parvatala Rao on March 7, 2004 at Prasanthi Nilayam)