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VI.
Power over Nature
The Skies at
His Command
How Baba cleareds the cloudy skies
over Bangalore with one wave of His hand
Sri Indulal Shah, formerly the Chairman of
the International Sathya Sai Organization, recounts his first
Darshan of Bhagawan in his book “Sixteen Spiritual Summers”:
In the summer of 1965, which, to me, was
the first of my sixteen spiritual summers, I was in Bangalore
once to visit a friend. During an informal conversation one
morning, my host asked me whether I would like to see Sri
Sathya Sai Baba, who was to address a meeting at Malleswaram,
in the heart of Bangalore city, the same evening.
I had heard about Sri Sathya Sai Baba and
also read about Him in some Bombay newspapers, but had never
seen Him before. I had, till then, no particular urge to read
either His biography or discourses. My immediate response
to the question from my host, therefore, was somewhat casual
and uncertain.
However, on second thoughts, I felt that
I should attend the meeting and so, later in the day, accompanied
by my wife, Sarla, I went to Malleswaram where a mammoth gathering
was listening to Baba with rapt attention. We sat in a remote
corner of the big maidan (ground). I was swayed by a nameless
feeling, a strange inquisitiveness or curiosity, as though
I was adventuring into the unknown.
Then suddenly, the sky became rather dark
with thick clouds fast gathering overhead. The large crowd
became visibly restless, as people feared an impending rain.
We ourselves were in a quandary and my host hastened to take
us back to his car.
Just then, we saw Sri Sathya Sai raising
His hand and saying something aloud to the crowd in the local
South Indian language which, however, I could not grasp.
My friend said that He was asking the crowd
to sit down and that He was assuring them that it would not
rain. As He said this, we saw that the rain clouds started
disappearing and the gathering darkness was giving way to
bright sunshine. I remained spell-bound!
I could not believe that anyone could disperse
moisture-laden heavy clouds by a mere wave of the hand. And
yet, our eyes were a witness to this strange phenomenon, the
likes of which I had read about only in Puranic (Hindu legends)
stories.
The clouds are sent
away in Mumbai
While the previous incident happened in Bangalore,
Sri Indulal Shah was a fortunate witness to a similar and
equally astounding event, but this time it in Mumbai (then
Bombay) and the year, 1967.
This time, it was in Dharmakshetra in Bombay.
The month was July, the monsoon time in Bombay, and Baba was
paying a visit to Maharashtra State. The Bombay Samithi had
arranged a public meeting of devotees in honour of Baba at
Dharmakshetra.
I remember that it was a Sunday evening.
In Bombay, in the month of July, a heavy downpour can be expected
any time. That being a Sunday, a large crowd was expected
to attend, regardless of the possibility of rain. The Samithi
had taken all precautions to provide shelter to the devotees
from showers. The large pandal at Dharmakshetra was packed
with people to the full. The meeting was to commence at 6
p.m.
But at about 5.15 p.m., the sky was overcast
and we feared that the rains would lash down any time. We
were anxious to save the devotees from getting drenched in
heavy rains. Some of the office-bearers felt that we should
request Bhagavan Baba to start the meeting a little early,
say at 5.30 p.m. I felt that Baba might not accede to this
as there was 'Rahu Kal' (inauspicious time) upto 6 p.m., but
my colleagues insisted that there was nothing like 'Rahu Kal'
for Bhagawan.
Accordingly, I went up to Bhagavan and prayed:
"Baba, could we start the meeting a little early?"
"Why?" asked Baba
in a tone, which, by itself, was an answer to the question.
But we did not understand this then, as our mind was also
clouded like the overcast sky that evening.
I pleaded: 'Bhagavan, it is likely to rain,
the meeting may be disrupted, the devotees may suffer'.
In answer to this Baba smiled and that benign
smile remains imprinted in my mind even to this day - as bewitching
as the smile that we see in the picture of Lord Krishna.
He then held my hand and took me to the nearby
window where I saw that a drizzle had already started. Those
who have seen Dharmakshetra know that Baba lives in a lotus-shaped
mandir on top of a hillock and that the windows from His room
open out westward. So, we could see through them the entire
crowd gathered below and the dark expanse of the cloudy sky
above.
Standing near the window, Baba said: 'Yes,
yes, it will rain, and it will rain very heavily'.
This statement put me out completely. I could
see from the window, devotees holding open umbrellas in an
effort to protect themselves from the impending showers. I
was searching for words to pray to Baba.
Meanwhile, Bhagawan raised His hand through
the window and, in a moment, we saw the drizzle stopped and
clouds dispersed in the sky!
In that moment of anxiety, the full import
of what Baba had done did not strike me. Baba said that the
meeting should commence as scheduled and I rushed out to convey
Baba's decision to my colleagues outside.
The meeting started at 6 p.m. and, by then,
the sky had brightened enough to dispel all our fears about
the rains. It was during the meeting that I realised what
a great blunder I had made in praying to Baba to commence
the proceedings a little early. During those few minutes,
I had forgotten that Baba is God and that He had absolute
command over 'Prakriti' (nature).
When the meeting concluded and my colleagues
were saying happily that the meeting went off very well, I
shed some tears of joy and rushed to see Baba and fell at
His Lotus Feet.
Baba, then, smiled and said: 'You
forgot'.
When the heart is full, words are few. I
had no words to convey my gratitude. I was in an ecstatic
thrill. That was an unforgettable moment and I cherish the
thought that it was Bhagawan Himself who reminded me that
I had forgotten that He is God!
This incident is a conclusive proof that
Baba is Omnipotent, that He can control nature and that He
is an Avatar, God come in human form to bless all mankind.
Reference: “Sixteen
Spiritual Summers” by Sri Indulal
Shah. Page: 1-2 and 16-18. Published by Sri Sathya
Sai Books and Publications Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam in 1980.
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