Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group IV | Mrs. Vishnu Priya Erlendsson

Mrs. Vishnu Priya Erlendsson,
Flat No. 408, Sai Kailash Apartments,
Chitravathi Road,
Puttaparthi - 515134.

Mrs. Vishnu Priya Erlendsson (33), who resigned her job as a marketing executive at Hyderabad to join her husband at Puttaparthi after marriage in July 2005, relates a few of her experiences in her own words.

'I come from a family of devotees of Bhagavan Sri Satya Sai Baba. I studied in Hyderabad and was also attending Bala Vikas classes. Though I went to Prasanthi Nilayam as a child with my parents, I remember seeing Bhagavan for the first time at Sivam in Hyderabad, may be in 1978.

After I passed Inter, I tried for admission in Swami's college at Anantapur in vain. But I used to visit Prasanthi Nilayam regularly. Whenever I sat in token lines, I used to sit instinctively in that line which got the first token always. I don't have a count of the letters I gave Bhagavan, but the common refrain in all of them is only one: 'Bhagavan! Let me come and stay in Prasanthi Nilayam'.

One day when I was at Prasanthi Nilayam, I happened to meet a lady from Israel by name Ms. Veder. She asked me to write a poem on Swami. I wrote a poem and went to hand it over to her at the lawns opposite the North Indian canteen where usually some overseas devotees gather and do bhajans. I, too, joined the bhajan there though I was the only Indian present. Ms. Veder was there. When I was handing over my poem to her, a young man came there. Ms. Veder introduced me to him. He too brought a poem in Ice Land's language while mine is in Hindi. Ms. Veder asked us to read out our poems and explain the meaning in English. When we did so, we observed that the thought stream in both the poems is almost the same though written by two unconnected persons in two different tongues.

Afterwards, Mr. Erlendsson and I used to meet frequently. He even proposed to me, but I turned it down emphatically. 'I came here only for Swami', I told him, and 'I have no interest in other things now. Besides, in India, we don't entertain any such proposals on our own. They should come through our parents.'

He took my phone number and used to call me now and then. One day I thought,' if Bhagavan wants me to marry him, he will ring me up today.' That day Mr. Erlendsson rang me up!

After I left for Hyderabad, he came there and talked to my parents. A situation had arisen when I could not but take him seriously. One important aspect is that he was telling us that it is Swami that had brought him to Pasanthi Nilayam and told him that He would provide a wife to him. So I prayed to Bhagavan, 'If you want me to marry him, you will see that it works out'.

There were many hurdles in the way of our marriage. As long as I was praying to Swami keeping the onus on Him to decide, things did not move with the required speed. But when I prayed to Him to work it out, that is, expressing my consent to the alliance, every thing began to fall into place. In my view, Swami, in response to my prayers, blessed my marriage with Mr. Erlendsson and, therefore, saw to it that it worked out. Therefore we could have a civil marriage at the Registrar's office in Bangalore on July 11, 2005.

I always prayed to Bhagavan in my letters to bring me to Prasanthi Nilayam and allow me to stay here. He has granted my wish.'

-- Mrs. Vishnu Priya Erlendsson

(As narrated to Mr. B. Parvatala Rao at Prasanthi Nilayam on 24.07.2005)