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VII.
Master of Matter
Divine Alchemy
Baba transmutes Water into Petrol
Howard Murphet records this fascinating episode
in his book “Sai Baba: Invitation to Glory”:
Divine alchemy is used only on rare occasions
under particular circumstances -as when Jesus turned water
to wine at Cana in Galilee, and Moses turned the waters of
the Nile to blood in Egypt.
An old Sai devotee told me that, just after
World War II, he was in a car with Swami and others driving
through the countryside. They were on their way to an important
religious festival, and did not want to be late. Suddenly,
in the middle of nowhere, their car ran out of petrol.
One of the passengers, who knew the district,
thought that there was a service station about three miles
up the road, but, as petrol was not plentiful at that time
there may not be any available there.
The driver said he would walk to the service
station, or somewhere, and try to get a can of petrol. But
even if he managed to secure any, this would mean a considerable
delay. Also it was a long, hard walk for the man on a hot
day, and, even though he was at fault for not having ensured
that there was enough petrol in the tank at the start of the
journey, Swami was merciful.
He said to the driver: 'Bring a bucket
from that house. There's a well there.' He pointed
to a humble dwelling, less than a hundred metres away. The
driver obeyed silently. Everyone remained silent in a kind
of hushed expectancy as they stood waiting with Swami beside
the car.
Soon the driver returned with a large pail
full of water. 'Here', Swami indicated, and the driver placed
the pail on the ground at the Lord's feet. All watched intently
as the red-robed figure leaned over and with one finger stirred
the surface of the water.
'Put it in the petrol tank and be
careful not to spill any', He told the driver.
Soon they were driving along again as the
engine drank the miracle petrol happily; they reached the
religious festival in good time. There is evidence, moreover,
that the divine finger will stretch many thousands of miles
to stir petrol into being.
A pleasant-mannered, turbaned Punjabi, named
Surjit Singh Chahal gave me a letter he had received from
a friend, a Mr Gordon Chetty of Durban, South Africa. In this
Mr Chetty writes:
'I have a 1970 model, nine-seater station
wagon which used to travel to any destination to spread Bhagavan
Baba's teachings. Bhagavan started providing petrol miraculously
for the vehicle.
This has happened eleven times in two years.
Each time the miracle has been witnessed by hundreds of people.
It happens like this: while the vehicle
is standing stationary, the tank fills to overflowing, and
a small quantity of petrol often pours out from the tank.
Many people have, in fact, placed containers in position to
collect the overflow.
One Sunday morning, for instance, I was at
a wedding party. I had left my vehicle parked on the roadside
among other cars. It was about 11.30 in the morning when I
was called urgently, and told to go to my station wagon as
petrol was spilling from it.
I found that the petrol tank had filled-up
completely and was overflowing! Many people from the wedding
party rushed out to see this miracle. There were, in fact,
about 800 witnesses that time. Twelve people collected petrol
from the overflow to use in their own vehicles.’
Although Swami, in other cases, transmuted
water into petrol, in Durban He seems to have multiplied the
petrol that was already in the tank. The help and grace of
the Lord comes at the place and manner that He Himself prescribes.
Reference: “Sai Baba:
Invitation to Glory” by Mr. Howard
Murphet. Page: 53-55. Published by Macmillan India
Ltd, 1982.
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