Sathyam Sivam Sundaram - Part I

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completely and make him fit to go to school again. The bullocks and cart were

readied in preparation for the journey, but the bullocks refused to move! There

were all kinds of difficulties and sicknesses on the way. At last the place was

reached and the "case" handed over to the famous expert in devil-craft.

He was a gigantic figure, terrible to behold, with bloodred eyes and untamed

manners. He tried all his devil-craft sacrificing fowl, then a lamb, and making

Sathya sit in the center of the circle of blood. He chanted all the

incantations he knew. He did not allow the parents to take the boy away, for

he assumed it was a case entrusted to him and that it was a trial of strength

between his power and that of the young boy who was smiling at his failures! He

even attempted desperate techniques with which he had not dared experiment even

on his adult patients! For example, he shaved Sathya's head, and then with a

sharp instrument scored "x" marks on his scalp from the top of his head all the

way to his forehead. Sathya sat through the pain without flinching. The

witchdoctor poured on the open wounds of the bleeding scalp the juice of limes,

garlic and other acid fruits. The parents, who were watching the proceedings in

utter despair, were surprised, for there was not even a tear or a gasp of pain

from the young boy! The "torture-specialist" was furious! He arranged that

every day for some days, early in the morning, one hundred and eight pots of

cold water were to be poured on the scalp. That, too, was done. His armory was

now almost empty, and the "evil spirit" that

possessed the boy had not admitted defeat; it had not shouted that it would

leave him and go elsewhere! He then beat Sathya on the joints with a heavy

stick to drive out what he called "stag fever" when the boy moved about, and

"rock fever". when the boy was quiet! Finally he decided to use his

strongest weapon which the toughest spirit cannot withstand, the "Kalikam." This

is a magic collyrium, a mixture of all the fiery abracadabra in the repertory of

torture. He applied it to Sathya's eyes. The parents were aghast at the

consequences. Sathya's head and face swelled beyond recognition; they became

red,

and the burning sensation could be felt even by those who went near, according

to the sister Venkamma. His eyes exuded tears and his entire body shook under

the impact of pain. The master of devils was happy that success was

in sight, that the spirit would soon take formal leave. Sathya never spoke a

word or moved a finger. Those around, especially the parents and sister, felt

guilty to be merely helpless onlookers of all this torment. They wept in

uncontrollable anguish and tried to console Sathya without the knowledge of the

magician, who did not allow anyone to approach his patient. Meanwhile Sathya

was making some signs to his parents, off and on, asking them to be quiet. By

means of gestures he told them that he would get out of the room under some

pretext, and he asked them to be ready for him outside. There he told them to

bring a remedy he knew. It was brought and applied to his eyes; the two eyes

which had been reduced to the size of thin slits opened wide and the swelling

subsided! He asked later, "Even after seeing all that fortitude and

that miracle of a young boy passing unscathed through all that terror, you are

not now convinced that I am Sai Baba. How then would you have reacted if I

just made the Announcement one fine day? I wanted to make known that I am

Divine, impervious to suffering, pain, or joy." The "doctor" was

angered by the interference with the normal course of his treatment; he fretted

and fumed as a wild animal balked of its prey. "I was within an inch of

victory," he raved. The parents wanted to save their boy from the jaws of that

"God of Death" in human form; they had seen and suffered enough. They paid the

practitioner full fees, gave him some unasked gifts, and thanked him for all

the "learning" he had utilized; they cursed only their fate; they promised to

build

up the boy's stamina a little more so that he could stand up to this wonderful

course of exorcism and then bring him again for the continuation of the

"doctor's" attentions. Somehow, they won! The bullocks and cart moved away from

the house of horror, and eventually they reached Puttaparthi. The Serpent Hill

(To be continued..) SaiRam