There is a town called
Hindupur, about a two-hour journey from here. A colony of
weavers lives there. The boys went there to distribute
prasadam. They met a very old lady living by herself, with
nobody to take care of her. The tragedy is that she had lost
both her sons; both had died. So she had no children left to
help her. Swami had requested the boys to give her a
photograph of Himself, and also His prasadam. Then she said
to the boys, "Since this morning, I have been waiting for
this prasadam. In spite of the calamities in my family,
which have left me all alone, I was able to continue with my
life because of Sai's matchless Name. The glorified Name of
Sai has saved my life up to this day."
That year we had rain in Prashanti Nilayam and all over the
area. But the rain did not interrupt the work of the boys.
They travelled by truck, visited all the villages,
distributed prasadam to every family member, and the rain
did not come towards them. That is a miracle.
Sometimes the whole sky was clouded. At any time, it could
have rained, but it only rained after the work, not before
and not during the work. Why? The boys commenced their work
here in the mandir by doing pradakshina, circling around the
temple and receiving blessings from Bhagavan. So the outcome
could not be otherwise. There could be no obstacle, no
problem; the whole project continued excellently. This is
the strong unparalleled, irresistible Will of Bhagavan.
There is another place called Kadiri, which is about an
hour's drive from here. Near Kadiri, there is a small
village. The boys went there and tried to give food and
clothes to a person. He said, "Sir, we live at the outskirts
of this village. We are harijans . Nobody will come and
touch us. So, please don't come and touch us. We live far
away from the people. We are cut off from the higher classes
of society. Don't touch us."
But the boys went. They hugged the man and said, "This is
not what Baba said to us. Baba said, ‘There is only one
caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one religion,
the religion of Love.' How can anybody be an untouchable?
Impossible! No, my brother, please come. We are Baba's
devotees."
That man could not believe what was happening. He said, "For
generations, we have been the neglected class of society. To
have post-graduate students come to my hut and shake hands
with me, that is enough to convince me that Baba is God."
For all of us, it is a revelation to know that this is the
effect of Sai's message.
Then when they were returning, some of the villagers called
the boys and said, "You know, Baba loves us very much. Look
at that water tank, which was constructed by Bhagavan Baba
for us. Every day we get enough water because Bhagavan Baba
gave us the water tank. For years, this whole area suffered
from shortage of water. Today there is no water shortage.
Why? Baba gave the water tank for the benefit of the
village. We are the recipients of His Love."
These are the feelings of gratitude and thankfulness, which
have been shown.
When these boys went to a small hut, they saw a very old
lady who hadn't had food for two days. She was very hungry.
When they gave her food packets, she said, "I don't know how
you knew that I was very hungry, with no food for two days.
God Bhagavan knows that I am hungry. He sent you to pass
this food on to me. I am very grateful to Him." While
shedding tears, that is what she said.
There is another village by the name of Karnatakanagapalli.
Eshwaramma, the mother of Bhagavan, came from there. A lady
from far away came walking all the way to that village and
said to the boys, "I knew that you would be coming today. I
left about 3 o'clock in the morning, so that I could get
here." Then she said, "The sari I am now wearing was
presented to me last year by Bhagavan Baba. I have come to
receive that gift once more, because you have a sari, which
you are sure to give to me." She added, "My eyes were
operated on in Baba's hospital, so now I am able to see
everything clearly." The Love of Bhagavan and their Love for
Him is really great, unparalleled.
There is another village, Subbireddypalli. While the boys
were there, the school children gathered and started
shouting, "Jai Sai Ram, Jai Sai Ram, Jai Sai Ram." They were
jumping all around because they received pants and shirts,
books, pencils and pens. That is why they shouted, "Sai Ram,
Sai Ram" jumping in joy. Adults can control their joy, but
children express their feelings naturally. That was a
wonderful scene for all the boys.
They visited another village called Peddapalli. They tapped
on the door of a house. A man came, and they said, "Here is
prasadam for you and this is a sari for your wife." The man
said, "I have one request." They asked, "What is that?" "My
parents are staying in the next room. Please give to them
first and myself next."
These days, because of urbanisation and city culture, people
seem to have forgotten the ancient value of giving priority
to the parents. This is one of the effects of modern
civilisation. Bhagavan says repeatedly, "If the culture
still exists, you will find it in the villages." So this man
said, "Go to the next room and give first to my parents.
Then you can come to me."
In another village, one lady came in a wheelchair, which had
a little roof. She said, "This is my house. This is my
everything. Bhagavan gave me this wheelchair, with the
little roof. This is my whole property. I am so happy." Then
she said, "Bhagavan's Love is more than that of a thousand
mothers' love. Look at me. Though I am helpless in a wheel
chair, I am quite happy because of His blessings."
Wonderful Experiences.
Om Sai Ram
