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IX.
The Power of Prayer
The Fruit of
Penance
Swami Amrithananda’s penance
is rewarded with a vision of Lord Ganesha
The experience of Swami Amrithananda, a very
senior disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi is a testimony to the
fact that Baba is in fact the embodiment of all Gods and Goddesses.
Prof. Kasturi narrates this incident thus:
As soon as Swami Amrithananda reached Prasanthi
Nilayam, Baba accosted him, "Amritham," and, he
was genuinely astonished at the familiarity and even the affection
with which that call was saturated, for, he said, "Only
Ramana Maharshi with whom I spent 17 years used to accost
me thus and the voice and manner were exactly the voice and
manner of the Maharshi!" This is a miracle, indeed.
Later, Baba asked the 85-year-old Swami,
about a Ganapathi Homam (ritual worship of Lord Ganesha) that
he had performed for 41 days in as a seven year old boy! He
told the swami all the details of that Homam, including the
long involved Manthra with which the offerings were placed
each time in the fire.
Baba told him that he had repeated this Manthra
a thousand times a day, for forty-one days and made as many
coconut offerings in the Fire of the sacred Homa. "What
is the reward promised in the Sastras?" Baba then asked
the old ascetic.
He answered that the Sastras declare that
if the Homa is done with scrupulous regard for ritual, Ganapathi
Himself will appear in the Homakunda as the golden-coloured
effulgent elephant-headed God and with His trunk He will receive
the final and concluding offerings and He will grant everlasting
Bliss by means of the Darshan.
Baba asked Him whether he had the Darshan.
Amrithananda replied that it was not so easy for a seven-year-old
boy to get the Darshan of the Lord, by the mere number and
quantity of offerings and Manthras. But, Baba interrupted
him and said, "No, no. It is due to all that
Japa and all that Homa that you have come to Me now. You will
today, after an interval of seventy eight years get the reward,
mentioned in the Sastras."
Then, He asked the Swami to look at Him and,
lo, Amrithananda saw the golden coloured Elephant, the Ganapathi
as described in ancient texts! He was beside himself for about
four days after this Darshan and forsook food and drink and
sleep, in the Bliss which he derived therefrom.”
Reference: "Sathyam
Shivam Sundaram”, Vol-I by Prof.
N Kasturi. Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications
Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam.
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