Dr Hislop and Baba in a car Sai show's Krishna,s face.

[Guest guest]

Dr. John Hislop (Sai Krishna) Excerpts from My Baba and I.

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This is a story about Krishna. In a way, the story was not completed until

November, 1975. A number of years ago, I was in Bhagavan’s car. He was in the

rear seat with two people, one on each side of Him. I was in the front seat

with the driver. We were on our way to Puttaparthi.

 

Driving in the car with Swami is a fascinating experience. Not only is there

the thrill of being close to the Divine Lord Himself, but sometimes He gives

you the oppertunity to ask questions. Sometimes He engages in animated

conversation in Telegu with companions. Sometimes He indulges in jokes with

them. Sometimes he remains silent, making the characteristic gesture with His

hand that seems to indicate that He is giving attention to Beings quite unknown

to us.

 

Very often He sings bhajans in (devotional) songs. Everyone in the car joins in

the chorus (except) me, who has a singing voice akin to a crow). The net result

of all this is enthralling activity is that my neck is constantly twisting in

order to see what is going on in the back seat. Swami understand my plight but

He does not advise me to desist. Rather, He allows me the liberty of turnning

around. I try not to stare. I look only as long as I dare, then resume my

posture of facing forward. I look at Swami intermittently back and forth.

 

At some point in the journey I speak of, Swami was talking and I turned to look.

My breathing stopped and I was transfixed, I could not believe my eyes. Devotees

see Swami's face as very very beautiful, although the chief impression I have

from His apprearance is power and majesty.

 

What transfixed my movement and stopped my breathing was Swami's face. The Swami

I know was not there. Instead I saw a face of the most extraordinary beauty,

quite different in shape and cast from the features of our beloved Swami. The

charm was so great, so poignant that my heart seemed to twist almost as though

it were in pain. Never in life---not in photos in painting by great

artists---have I seen a face of such exquisite beauty. It was beyond

imagination and concept and totally beyound experience.

 

His colour was blue, not just the blue with which artists paint Krishna, but a

deep blue like the velvet that is sometimes seen in a dark sky, like a blue I

have seen from the deck of a ship thousand miles from shore on the Pacific

Ocean. I do not know how else to describe it.

 

I could not remove my eyes from Swami. At length, I caught myself and turned

away. But in a moment I looked again and the same beauty which is surely not of

the world, was still there. This continued for atleast fifteen minutes. The two

men sitting with Swami were beginning to look at me with somewhat puzzled

expressions for my staring was different from what they had become used to.

 

After a few miles, Vittala Rao (Gentleman sitting on Swami's left) asked me

“Hislop, why were you staring at Swami like that? Instead of answering, I

directed a question to Swami, “Swami what was that blue colour?” Swami replied,

Oh, that ? Whenever there is something of unfathamable depth, it appears to be

deep blue.

 

That was the end of the conversation. Naturally the thought had come to mind

that may be He was Lord krishna, but neighter then, nor at any time in

connection with this experience, did I ever say the name Krishna to Swami.

 

The matter rested until November, 1975, just before people started to arrive in

multitudes for the birthday celebration. Swami’s schedule was still somewhat

free and He was talking to me, in the jeep and so on. Probably that was why I

got invited into the interview. An army man and his wife and children, come

from Assam. They were devotees, but this was their first time to actually see

Swami. Often people wait for months for interview, but this family was called

as soon as they arrived. I was seated on the verandah of the mandir (temple)

and saw them go into Swami’s room. No sooner had they entered, then Swami

motioned to me.

 

I saw the mother, father, son and daughter of the family. Swami spoke to them

most lovingly. He knew everything abt their lives and it was very evident that

He was an intimate member of their household.

 

After a while Swami said to me, “Hislop, tell them some experiences.” I compiled

and after mentioning a few experiences, I told the same story of the blue face

that I have just related to you. But not even then did I mention Krishna’s

name. The man was deeply impressed and words spilled from his lips, “Oh That

had to be Lord Kirshna.”

 

Swami smiled and said, “Yes, that was Krishna, not the Krishna pictured by

artists and imagained by writers. I showed Hislop the real Krishna, the

military man said, “Oh! How I want to see Krishna! Baba smiled again and said

‘wait wait.’

 

There is a sequal to this story. About a month later, in December, at Brindavan,

I was taking with Swami and I mentioned the names of some famous saints and

gurus of the past and Swami said some things about them. Then the idea struck

me that, wonderful though it must have been to know those great personages and

learn from them, the present day was the first time since Krishna lived that

one could have God Himself as guru. So I started to say, “Swami, in the

thousands of years of time, since Krishna…Swami interrupted me before I could

say another word and exclaimed, “Time since Krishna? I am Krishna, where is

time? I folded my hands and bent low to Him and said, Well, Swami, this is the

best of all time, to be born.

 

Swami replied, Yes, the most fortunate of all times. It is even more fortunate

to be born now, than during the “Krishna Avatar”

 

Once before, within my hearing, Swami declared Himself as the Lord Krishna. This

story has been told in details elsewhere in these pages,

 

It happened in the Dharmkshetra in Bombay, and came about as a part of extra

drama of “Weeping Saris” This story will be continued soon as experienced by

Dr. Hislop.

 

(Sharing with Sai Love Ram.Chugani)

 

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