“Is this your faith after all?”
Saturday, February 9th, 2013
“Sarvathah Paanipadam”, meaning His Hands Are Everywhere; His Feet Are Everywhere is imbibed by us from the Song Celestial, Bhagavad Gita, but not with absolute faith. Bhagawan Who is The Supreme Teacher gives the right dose at the right time instilling greater faith in devotees, often leaving the world aghast at His Omnipresence. Read on a narrative from none other than Prof. N. Kasturi, the illustrious chosen biographer of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai, explaining how he and Dr. Bhagavantam, scientist of repute, were tested for their faith in the Omnipresence of Bhagawan on two different occasions…
Once during Dasara, Swami asked me to speak before He spoke, and I began in my own enthusiastic manner about ‘Sarvathah Paanipadam”. I said, “Swami’s Feet are everywhere. He told one Dixit of Mangalore that He would come to his house in December. Dixit asked, Swami which December? Swami said, ‘This December,’ and gave him the date.
On this day, Dixit was not in the house, and the women were taking their meals. There was a knock at the door. ‘Dikshit, Dikshit.’ It was Swami’s voice. They stopped eating, got up and ran to the front door, and opened it. Swami was not there. But, there was a line of Footprints, right Foot and left Foot, in Vibhuti, from outer door to shrine room. Devotees who came to see removed Vibhuti from Footprints as ‘prasadam.’ Only one Footprint was saved from being washed out, and the Vibhuti in it began to grow, upto two centimeter thick and stopped growing. The house became a place of pilgrimage. So, His Feet Are Everywhere.” I said this and sat down happily.
Swami Who spoke next said, referring to me, “This fellow says something, but does not believe what he says. He says, My Feet are everywhere, but, when I go to Whitefield, or some other place and stay there for a week or more, he writes letters to Me saying, “Swami! When am I to get Your Feet to fondle them, to massage them, and be at Your Feet?” Why? Whenever he wants to fondle My Feet, massage My Feet, he can do so wherever he is, because My Feet Are Everywhere! But, he identifies My Feet with these two Feet. So he does not believe what he says”.
Kasturi ji writes further:
‘Saksi’ – God is a witness. Always remember that God’s eye watches you always. Swami is ‘Saksi’. He sees everything. He tells you. “I know, I know.” He knows, He watches, He warns. It is only He Who can do that all over the globe, watching, warning, awakening, directing, guiding, guarding all, with His eyes on us.
Then,’Nivasa’, residence. We reside in Him, and He resides in us. He is the Nivasa. That is why He is called Vasudeva. You cannot escape Him.
A Norway man Tideman Johanson, a marine engineer, had a special equipment by which grains coming in steamers from abroad could be pumped on to shore and put into wagons. He was in India, and later went to Chittagong in Bangladesh with Swami’s permission to install the same equipment in that harbour. He came to Whitefield, and finding people all around Swami, slipped into a corner and sat quietly. Swami watched him, went to him and asked “Where is the ring?” He had given him a ring, but his finger was empty now. He said, “Swami! I was sliding down on a rope from a steamer and it slipped and fell into Chittagong river.” Swami said, “Papam” poor fellow, and waved His hand and materialized a ring. I was tempted to ask “Is it the same ring Swami?” Everybody there wanted an answer to that question, but nobody dared to ask.
Dr. Bhagawantham, former Scientific Advisor to the Defence Ministry of India and former Vice Chancellor of two universities could not restrain his scientific curiosity, and asked “Is it the same one Swami?” Swami looked at him rather angrily, and said, “Yidena nee nammakam?” “Is this your faith after all? It fell into My hands. I was in that river!” Imagine, who could say that, “Sarvatah Paanipadam” He has His hands everywhere. We read it in the Gita, we repeat it, but we don’t believe it. That is why God has come again, to make us believe.
Samasta Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu
Posted in From Kasturi's Pen |
