San Francisco, CA

We should never doubt that Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is watching over us from moment to moment. Surely the following events will help verify this.

The first incident is about a remarkable happening in Canada, and the second in Northern California. Both are concerned with automobile accidents, and both are related to Sathya Sai Baba spiritual gatherings. 

After the very successful Sri Sathya Sai Centers of Western Canada First Spiritual Get-together has concluded, the groups from such far-away cities as Vancouver arranged their return trips. The large contingent from Vancouver decided to return caravan style in two vehicles, travelling some of the way by night. Shishu Sharma, President of the Vancouver Center, was driving his large van, and he was to be followed, all the way, by the other car. Shishu explained later to us, as we were driving from his home to the Center, that he had planned he would lead and would watch for the lights of the car following, at each bend in the road. By doing this he would always be aware of the progress of the other carload of devotees. The journey, he said, was long, and they had planned to drive at a moderate speed. 

For quite sometime, the trip proceeded smoothly. Then, after making one of the turns on the mountainous highway, he waited to see the oncoming lights, but they did not appear. He quickly turned his van around and swiftly drove back to see what was the matter. 

The scene he came upon was unbelievable. The car had struck a huge boulder and was completely overturned, and the four wheels were still spinning. The only sound he and the others from his van could hear was the screaming voice of a frightened child. A little girl was standing, tightly holding on to a side of the car. She was crying out, as loud as a four-year old could, "Baba, Baba, Baba." Except for the child, there was no other sign of life. Feverishly the devotees from the van wrenched away at the door areas of the car, trying to see inside. They found the entrapped passengers, and one by one they extricated them. Miraculously no one was hurt. They were bruised and dazed and bewildered, but there were no broken bones. 

When the police arrived at the scene, they instantly ran to the overturned vehicle to "remove the dead." They were greatly surprised when they discovered that no one was dead and there were no injuries. The police commented that they could not see how any of the passengers could have survived. 

While we were in Vancouver, we talked to Amita, the woman who had driven the car. She said she did not know what had happened. The car just suddenly hit the huge boulder on the side of the road.

The little girl, called "Shubby," who had Baba's Name on her lips, had been in the back seat. To allow some fresh air into the car, a window had been slightly opened. When the crash happened, she had been tossed directly through that small opening to safety. 

On the evening of July 25, at the Vancouver Center, Shishu, Amita, "Shubby," all the other devotees who were in the two vehicles and all the members and guests, with hearts filled with thanks and joy, sang praises to the Lord for His compassion. 

A five car collision

We had flown from San Diego to San Francisco, approximately 700 miles, early in the morning of September 7, 1984, to participate as two of the speakers attending the Sri Sathya Sai Regional Retreat. At the San Francisco Airport, we were met by three devotees and, to our delight, they were dear friends, Shirley Dahm, Riva Elderkamp, and Muriel Engle. We were to travel to the Retreat, 60 miles away, in Shirley's car. Although Shirley was not able to attend the function, she had graciously wanted to be of service to take us to the Y.M.C.A. Camp and Conference Grounds in the Santa Cruz Mountains, south of San Francisco. We were happy to be with these devotees whom we had known for many years.

We were early, and our drive to the redwood-covered mountain Retreat grounds turned out to be an eventful one. This was a time of day when the traffic was fairly heavy and we were on a two-way highway. Shirley drove cautiously; however, all cars are required to maintain speeds according to the flow of the traffic.

We had just passed through the small town of Redwood City when the car immediately ahead of us approached a large truck that had stopped. The driver of the car preceding us, instead of slowing down and stopping, drove around the vehicle and right into the path of the oncoming traffic. Within seconds the collision happened and five cars were being torn apart. We were just feet away from the scene. 

Skillfully Shirley slowed and turned to the right shoulder of the road, to avoid being hit by the mass of crashing vehicles. It looked like a battlefield. With parts of the cars seen sliding across the surface of the highway. Instantly we went to tend the injured and soothe the shocked passengers. We held a small boy, about eight years old; he was sobbing and saying. "Don't let me look at my brother; it hurts me too much." Then with folded hands he prayed aloud, "Oh, dear God, help us, help us."

In a few moments Shirley drove to a nearby house and brought to the scene some of the parents of the children in the wreck. News of the accident reached the Retreat. Robert Bozzani, Director of the Western Region of the Sathya Sai Council of America, in the course of his talk, cited the accident and mentioned that Baba's devotees were at the scene rendering service.
 

Sourced: Canadian Sathya Sai News Letter, Vol. 1 No. 1, http://mypage.direct.ca/s/sairam/nov86.doc