SADGATI TO HIS DEVOTEE

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".... so he was enamoured of Baba and stayed there till his death. As his end

was approaching, sacred literature was read out to him and at the last hour

Baba's Pada-tirth was brought and given to him for drinking ..." –Sri Sai

Satcharitra, Ch. xxxi

Mrs. Hira Bai Iyer, W/o later Sri Rao Saheb V P Iyer, writes about her husband as follows:

They had six children, Sri V P Iyer was a sugar technologist who worked for

various sugar mills; he worked on a contract, at different places. Mrs. Iyer

stayed at Lucknow with her children to give them education. In 1944, he got a

contract to work in Lakshmiwadi Sugar Mills, near Kopergaon, Maharastra.

Because of its nearness to Shirdi, Sri Iyer would take every opportunity to be

in Sai Baba temple. He had expressed often that his wish was to be near Sai

Baba always. In May 1945, the sugar season was over and his contract with the

factory came to an end, and he had planned to leave for Lucknow on 27th May

1945, his two sons had gone to Lakshmiwadi to spend their holidays with their

father. On 26th evening he went to Shirdi to have darshan of Baba.

At 2 a.m. on 27th, he woke his sons stating that he was not well. The doctor was

summoned and medicine was given. He was lying with his eyes closed and would

open his eyes at times only to look at Baba’s photo. At 4:30 p.m. he opened his

eyes and beckoned to a person standing near him to bring the Baba photo and

place it on his chest. Embracing the photo of Baba, and crying "Baba, Sai

Baba", he smilingly breathed his last.

Baba heard the prayer of His devotees that he should always be near Him, and has

kept him near Him forever.

Sri Iyer had endeared himself to all sections of the people at Shirdi, and they

approached the Samsthan and requested that a Samadhi be build for Sri Iyer,

which was agreed to. His ashes were buried and a Samadhi was built and his name

engraved on it. There are a few samadhis to the right side of the entrance to

the Lendi garden and one of them is that of Rao Saheb V P Iyer.

(Taken from the book "The Eternal Sai")

Arun Reddy Nukala

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