Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group III | Mrs. B. Jayalakshmi

Mrs. B. Jayalakshmi,
Near Janaki Ramaiah Kalyanamantapam,
K.N. Road, Puttaparthi – 515134

Mrs. B. Jayalakshmi (58), a housewife, relates a few of her experiences of the Divinity of Bhagavan in her own words.

‘My husband, Mr. Vijayakumar was a devotee of Kanaka Durga. He married me in 1962. In 1965, we went to Tirupati. There we heard about Sri Sathya Sai Baba. At that time, we had no children. We decided to go to Prasanthi Nilayam. When we reached Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami was in the bhajan mandir. Bhajan was going on. My husband went into the verandah and saw Swami. Swami gave him Darshan as Kanaka Durga. My husband became a devotee of Bhagavan instantly.

In those days there was a well near Gopuram. I went there. I would have fallen into it accidentally but Bhagavan suddenly appeared there and pushed me backward. I fell backward away from the well. Thus Bhagavan saved my life.

In those days, Swami used to give Darshan many times. He used to call us for interviews almost daily. In the presence of so many people, I could not talk to Him about what I wanted. I had a yearning for children. I wanted to know if I would ever have children. But, I hesitated to openly ask Him. ‘If ever He would call us alone?’ I used to think. Bhagavan called us alone as if He had read my mind. He told me ‘you will have children’. Even before I asked my question, He blessed me. ‘You will have a daughter first’ He added. Afterwards, I was blessed with two girls and a boy.

When I was carrying for the first time, Swami came to Hyderabad. We were there at that time. I attended the Divine discourse at Sivam. He said the name Radha, if reversed, would become dhara - flow, flow of amrit of devotion. I decided that my daughter should be christened ‘Radha’. When my daughter was born in 1966, I named her Radha. When I was carrying for the third time, we were in Guntur. Pedda Bottu, a devotee of Bhagavan who also had seen Shirdi Sai, used to come to our house. She told me ‘you will be blessed with a son, Sai Kishore’. It happened that way. We named him Sai Kishore.

My husband used to ask Swami to permit him to be at Puttaparthi and do service there. Swami used to say, ‘wait, wait’. My husband was to retire in 1998. Ten days before his retirement, alliances were settled for my second and third daughters. As my eldest daughter was not inclined to marry, we decided to perform the marriages of the next two. But we had no money as the terminal benefits were yet to be paid to my husband on retirement. Owing to Swami’s grace, money came from very unexpected sources. We could perform both the marriages on the same day. Then we shifted to Puttaparthi owing to His grace. My husband was fortunate to join the seva of Swami; thus his life ambition was fulfilled.

In 2004, our son-in-law came to Puttaparthi to stay with us for a few days. Suddenly, he collapsed and went into coma. He was taken to the General Hospital. They referred him to Swami’s Hospital at Whitefields. He was taken to the Super Specialties Hospital also. Everywhere, they said, ‘there is no chance of recovery’. My son gave a fax to Bhagavan. According to one of those near to Swami, Swami said ‘no fear’ when the subject of our son-in-law was broached to Him. Our son-in-law recovered completely miraculously without any surgery or medicines, owing only to Swami’s grace. He is quite healthy now.

My daughter Ms. Radha felt one day that her limbs were getting stiffened. Suddenly, she lost her eyesight. We got her examined and treated by many doctors. When we were doing bhajan in Sri Sathya Sai Samithi in Anandabagh, Hyderabad, we heard a voice saying, ‘you have gone to many places. Why not go to Puttaparthi once?’ So we took her to Puttaparthi. She was operated in Swami’s Super Specialties Hospital. The doctor told us before surgery, ‘I have no hope. But, I am not the one who does the surgery here. It is Swami. Pray to Him’. After the surgery, she miraculously got her sight. She is now doing job at Puttaparthi. When we were trying to get her married, Swami came in the dream of my husband. He said, ‘you leave her marriage to me.’

-- Mrs. B. Jayalakshmi.

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 29.04.2005)