Features | Experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan by Devotees | Group VI | Ms. Jaya Sharma

Ms. Jaya Sharma, II B.Com. (Hons),
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning,
Anantapur Campus.

Ms. Jaya Sharma, a student of the second year B.Com. (Hons) of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus narrates her experience of the Divinity of Bhagavan in her own words.

'Why fear when I am here?' says Swami. But, how many of us have realized it in our lives? There was a time when I used to wonder how He could be present everywhere at all times. It was very difficult for me to believe in His Omnipresence, until one fateful, yet fruitful day, the lesson was driven home.

My father has been in the manufacturing of incense sticks for the past 15 years. He is a very hard working man who has faced many problems in his life, but has never given up. In 1994, came the worst period of our lives. One night at about 1:00 a.m., there was a hurried knock at the door. My father opened the door to find a man who resided near the factory calling out to him in an agitated voice. As soon as he saw my father, he screamed 'sir your factory has caught fire!' All of us rushed towards the car. Owing to the panic and confusion, my brother forgot to take the car keys. Surprisingly, the car started without the keys! We reached there to find the factory engulfed in flames. We could do nothing but watch helplessly. All that I heard at that time was my mother calling out to Swami to protect us; my father was wiping his tears. We watched the blazing fire consume in hours the effort of years.

The fire brigade was already called, and they were doing their job. We went inside after two hours when the fire subsided, to find the building reduced to cinders. As we entered the office, my mother saw the book 'Sathyam Sivam Sundaram' lying on the table. The cover of the book including all the pages inside had turned black. Everything except Swami's face was burnt. We then realized that whatever happened had happened in His Divine presence, and by His Divine Will. It gave us immense courage and strength to know that Swami knows everything, and that this was not the end of our world. I remembered the saying of the Lord 'why fear when I am here,' and was now convinced that my beloved Swami is Omnipresent.

The story doesn't end here. That was the time when our financial condition was not so good. But my father did not give up because the memory of Swami's face that remained intact with everything else turned into ashes gave him the belief that Swami has always been with him. In the confidence of this belief, my father set up a new factory and named it Sai Herbal Dhoop Industries. God is indestructible, and faith in this fact can withstand the fire of circumstance. Most importantly it can help to build anew.'

-- Ms. Jaya Sharma

(As extracted from the souvenir Ananta Prematarangini published by the Anantapur Campus of the SSSIHL on the occasion of the 80th Birthday of Bhagavan)