Sai Baba the Master - By E.Bhardawaj

[Guest guest]

M. Venugopal Reddy of Manepalli village (Hindupur Taluk, A.P.) was a

budding saint. Since his nonage he had been having a mystic experience.

Whenever he closed his eyes he saw a mystic light between his eyebrows. The

sight of it enchanted him and he spent all his time attending to it. Seeing

him quite uninterested in play and other boyhood pastimes, his parents

suspected that he was troubled by spirit-possession and took him to several

witch-doctors. But all their efforts proved in vain. At last, a sadhu

assured them all, that the boy suffered no spirit-possession and that he

was gifted with a mystical experience. He even suggested a few guidelines

for the boy’s practice.

 

A few years after, Venugopal started seeing Goddess Lakshmi in the centre

of the inner light. She spoke to him, and even gave him holy articles like

sivalingas, small idols, vibhuti, kumkum, etc. He had been in this stage of

development for a few years. At length he visited many a holy person for

guidance. Even Sri Purnananda Swami of Srisailam told Venugopal, that he is

in no need of a human guru and that the Goddess would herself take care of

him.

 

On hearing of Venugopal I was happy but I was concerned for his proper

development. For many are the seekers who, after evolving to such a state

have stumbled and fell morally too. On 2-1-78 I had been at Shirdi and his

case flashed in my mind. On my way back, on 8th I visited Venugopal at his

village. He told me of his yearning for further guidance along his

devotional way. And he sought my counsel. I suggested to him that he should

fix his mind on Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi as his guru. Venugopal was immensely

happy. For, just a few days earlier, he asked the Goddess to take him to

the higher stages of meditation. She smiled and kept quiet. At last he

asked her to suggest a way to attain higher spiritual states. She told him

to look upon Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi as his guru. And I, on my way back from

Shirdi, happened to give him the same piece of advice.

 

(Source : http://www.saibharadwaja.org)