Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group III | Mr. S. Babu Rao

Mr. S. Babu Rao
9-A / 1, Saradambal Colony
Raja Street, Tiruvarur – 610 001
Tel: 0466-243162

Mr. S. Babu Rao (68), a businessman, relates a few of his experiences of the Divinity of Bhgavan in his own words.

‘I run a shop of sweets in our place. Owing to God’s grace, I earned well and became one of the rich persons in our place. Unfortunately, money begets bad company. I became used to smoking and consuming alcoholic drinks.

My wife did not like all this. She used to tell me to give up all that, but I could not. Finally one day she walked out on me. By that time, we had two daughters and a son. She took the children with her, and set up separately.

I did not care. I used to cook food myself. My wife filed a suit on me for maintenance. My son filed another suit for his share of my property. The litigation was dragging on for years. More than two decades passed this way.

One day in 1997, some people were going to Puttaparthi for Sivarathri. Though I was not a devotee, I too went with them. After Darshan of Swami, I became a devotee.

Afterwards, Swami used to come into my dreams. I was a chain smoker. One day I sat in an easy chair and was smoking. I dozed off like that with the cigarette burning between my fingers. Swami came into my dream and tapped on my shoulder calling, ‘Babu! Babu!’ He also gestured by rubbing at His nose with His finger displaying His aversion to smoke. I woke up and decided to give up smoking and alcoholic drinks from that very moment. Owing to Swami’s grace, I succeeded.

One day Swami came into my dream and gestured to follow Him. He was going, and I was following. He went into the open yard of our house, passed by the Tulasikota and then towards mountains. I could not grasp the meaning of it.

My friend, Mr. Muthaiah Ramdas and I used to go for morning walk daily together. One day when I came out to go for the walk, a white dog was there. I had not seen it earlier. Mr. Ramdas came to join me in the walk and asked, ‘whose dog is this?’ I said, ‘I don’t know’. When we proceeded on our walk, it began to follow us. It used to stop when we stopped and move again when we moved. It accompanied us during the walk and came with us back to my house.

I went in and brought some biscuits. I threw them before it. It did not take even one. It went a few paces and was not seen after that. Next day when we were ready for the morning walk, it was there again. It accompanied us during the walk and came back with us to my house. Then it went a few paces and was not seen again. That way, the dog accompanied us in the morning walk for seven days – from Thursday to Wednesday.

On the next Thursday morning we looked for it. It did not turn up. We searched around in vain. That day, after returning from the morning walk, I sat in a chair on the first floor of my house morosely and dozed off. Many of my friends were pressurising me to bring back my family as I had given up smoking and drinking. But I was adamant. Then, some one pressed the calling bell. I opened the door. There was Shirdi Sai Baba. It was a dream. I brought Baba in, giving my hand as support, to my pooja room. There I had a chair for Swami. I prayed to Shirdi Baba to sit on Swami’s chair. He sat and blessed me. The dream ended. That night one of my friends, Mr. Iqbal, a Muslim phoned from Palani at 11:20 p.m.

‘You must bring back your family and live together happily’, he advised me. I was surprised. Shirdi Baba came in my dream in the morning. Now a Muslim rang me up at on odd hour to advise me on reunion with my family.

Next day, that is, on Friday, the bell rang again. I opened. Iqbal was there in person. ‘I thought I must see you and make one more attempt to bring your family together’, he said. After an hour or so, my son and my friend, Mr. Ramdas came with Mr. Iqbal who must have gone to them and talked about bringing us together.

My son prostrated on my feet and said, ‘dad! Excuse me for my insolence. I want that we should all live together now’.

I agreed. I gave him the management of the sweet stall. My wife and son withdrew suits pending in the Court. Swami brought us all together – a reunion after 22 long years of separation.

Once, before the reunion with my family, I had a dream. Suddenly I found five or six eunuchs approaching me. I began to run away from them. They were chasing me. I ran and ran, and entered a temple. The eunuchs did not enter the temple. They waited outside for me to come out. There was another exit from the temple. When I came out of it, I saw Shirdi Sai Baba waiting there to protect me. Baba took me into His fold. The eunuchs saw me with Baba but dared not come near us as they saw Shirdi Baba. Shirdi Baba took me away running at high speed exhorting me to follow. After going far, Baba disappeared and the dream ended. I took it that Baba tried to wean me away from my bad company to lead me towards re-union with my family.’

-- Mr. S. Babu Rao

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 04.05.2005)