Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part I

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his friends only the first and last letters of the names of the persons

possessing the lost articles. He would leave them to their own resources to

recover the goods. A typical incident was that of a teacher who had

lost a valuable pen and persuaded Sathya to disclose the identity of the person

who had taken it without permission. In this instance Sathya revealed the name

of a servant, but the teacher dismissed the idea because of the servant's

faithfulness and honesty. Furthermore a search in the servant's room did not

disclose the lost pen. Sathya persisted in his statements. He said that the man

had

sent the pen to his son who was studying in Anantapur and offered to prove this

fact. He had a letter written to the son as if from the father, who was

illiterate and always needed the services of a letter writer. After the usual

inquiries about the son's health and welfare were made, the son was asked how

the pen the father had sent was writing. The father advised him to be careful

when using it because it was costly and might easily be "stolen!" There was

enclosed a self-addressed card for reply. Within four days the reply came into

the teacher's hand! The card read that the pen was writing magnificently, would

be carefully kept because of its value, and was considered as a precious gift

from the father. Thus Sathya's miraculous power was vindicated. Everyone

concerned complimented him. Sathya also won the respect of the

common man in Uravakonda by an incident similar to one in the life of Sai Baba

of Shirdi. A Muslim was frantically searching for his horse which had either

strayed or been stolen. The horse was used to pull a cart transporting men and

goods and was the Muslim's sole source of livelihood. Now he was desperate, for

he had searched the entire area and his friends had combed the countryside far

and wide. There was no trace of the animal. At last someone told the Muslim

about Sathya. He came to the boy and poured out his grief.

0pt"> Sathya immediately told him to go to a certain grove a mile and a

half away from the town. When he did so, the horse was found grazing all alone,

quite unconcerned at the furor its disappearance had caused. This made Sathya

famous as a wonder boy in the Muslim community. Many times thereafter drivers

of carts stopped when seeing Sathya and insisted on giving him a lift to or

from school, for they felt his presence would bring them good fortune.

Incidents such as these continued, with an occasional glimpse of wonders, a tiny

indication of the might and majesty hidden in the slender body of the young lad

now thirteen years old. The Serpent Hill (To be continued..) SaiRam