The Gayathri - Article published in Singapore's Sai Vahini

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fold.> > Our elder twin daughter, Yasodha, was expecting her> > third child

after three miscarriages. She was not>her> > normal, robust self.> > So my

son-in-law, a Consultant Surgeon in Obstetrics> > and> > Gynaecology in London,

sent us an SOS. In April of> > that year, Singapore was in the throes of the

SARS> > epidemic and we were having our fair share of> > anxiety.> > Like all

parents, my husband and I have always been> > the safety net for our three

children. It was> > decided> > that I go to England in response to their appeal

for> > help.> >> > My husband and I had been listening regularly to the> >

enchanting, lilting music and recitation of the> > Gayathri mantra. It filled

our home with peaceful> > vibrations. So we felt our pregnant daughter ought> >

to> >

listen to it. My husband took pains to record it and> > explain the deep meaning

behind the four> > lines.> > That was how the Gayathri Mantra took a firm> >

foothold> > in a Buddhist home in England. My son-in-law is from> > a> >

staunch Buddhist background. Although he had heard> > and> > started reading

about Sai Baba, he was not fully> > convinced. Nevertheless, the whole family

began to> > enjoy the divine cadence of the Mantra. It played on> > the lips of

their 9- year-old daughter and 5- year->old> > son.> >> > Near their home in

Kingston-upon-Thames is the Sai> > Bhajan centre in a hired Community Hall. A>

> congregation of about 80 devotees of diverse race> > and> > religion meet

every Sunday morning for bhajans. We> > were grateful to attend the bhajans

there

regularly.> >> > Two months later my husband joined us in London and> >

immediately set about grooming us to sing bhajans at> > the Centre. The

Gayathri Mantra and Bhajans became> > our> > regular spiritual diet. Before my

husband returned> > to> > Singapore, he touched our daughter's stomach and> >

said,> > " You will have a daughter and you must name her> > Gayathri!"> This,

as he revealed to us, was because he had>earlier dreamt of the name 'Gayathri'

spelt out in a>garland of white flowers.> > My daughter rolled her eyes and

said that it was too> > powerful a name. Her husband was both taciturn and> >

hesitant. Furthermore, they reminded us that> > Gayathri> > is not a

traditional Sinhala, Buddhist name. They> > would> > like to name the baby the

way the other two

children> > were named i.e. by consulting the Buddhist> > Astrological Chart in

Sri Lanka. Anyway, everything> > seemed blissful and we were contented in

family> > togetherness. Medical scans soon pointed to the> > possibility of a

baby girl.> > Unknown to us, Baba was setting in motion a> > completely> >

different scenario.> >> > The little girl was born in a big pool of water with>

> her doctor father and a mid-wife in attendance. My> > daughter had opted for

this form of Hydro-birth,> > known> > for its benefits. It was the easiest

delivery> > compared> > to the other two children. According to her husband> >

it> > was a text-book case without any complications.> >> > Everything was

beautiful and the infant girl, so> > angelic. Her deep, dark-blue purple eyes

reflected> > fathomless divine love for us as she stared> > unblinkingly.> >> >

That week while mother and child were in hospital,> > the> > rest of us

attended the regular Sunday bhajan, full> > of> > joy as we praised and thanked

our Bhagawan Baba.> > Then,> > just as my son-in-law did the Arathi for Baba

the> > fire> > alarm of the Community Centre, let out a hideous,> > unceasing

scream and the whole congregation was> > shaken> > to bits. It was uncanny as

this had never happened> > before.> >> > Surely, it did not augur well.

However, I left> > everything in Baba's Hands consolidating my faith in> >

Him.> > Was it pure coincidence or an Omen of what was to> > follow?> >> > What

was to ensue was beyond our wildest dreams.> > Doctors

discovered that the baby had to udergo> > reno-corrective surgery. The problem

was that the> > anal> > opening was narrow and higher than normal. The

best>time was to> > correct it in infancy. It was a relatively straight> >

forward operation according to Specialists. The baby>was only 4> > days old

then. However, Anaesthetic complications> > even> > before surgery, resulted in

a punctured lung> > endangering her life. Immediately, the operation was> >

abandoned. The baby was rushed into ICU ( Intensive> > Care Unit ). Then, her

other over-worked, tiny lung> > collapsed. Consequently, she was fully

paralysed on> > the life-support system. Her heart stopped beating> > twice and

she had to be resuscitated.> > All that her Surgeon father could do was to look

on> > helplessly as his colleagues battled to save

his> > child.> > Father and mother clung to each other for moral> > support and

wept on each other's shoulders in sheer> > desperation. Sleepless, bleary-eyed,

hungry, they> > struggled to keep afloat in the sea of suffering> > that> >

threatened to engulf and consume them.> > Only ONE NAME - SAI RAM gave them

hope as their baby> > was on the brink of death. They did NOT forget to> >

call> > on Bhagawan Baba repeatedly. His Lighthouse of Love> > shone profusely

amidst the darkness. Our ever> > Compassionate Lord lifted the young couple

from> > their> > burning cauldron of pain, boosted their courage to> > stand up

and face life. HE was always there. HE had> > never left them for a moment. His

Divine Love was> > their spiritual anaesthesia.> >> > They never stopped

reciting the Gayathri

Mantra> > begging God to return His child to them as they took> > turns to stand

by the crib in the ICU.> >> > I was in-charge of their home and the other two> >

children and kept informed of all these dramatic> > happenings. Each time the

phone rang, my pulse> > galloped. My heart bled when my son-in-law described> >

the bleak scenario and cried,> " Please pray to Baba> > Amma. Tell Thaatha ( my

husband ) to pray. I think> > we> > are losing her. Only Bhagawan can

help......."> >> > I remember that night my son-in-law drove his two> > other

children and me to the hospital to have,> > probably, a last look at the baby

as she was in a> > critical condition. We recited the Gaythri Mantra,> >

non-stop, 108 times through the journey.> >> > My daughter, meanwhile, had

gained composure

and> > strength as she surrendered the baby to Baba. Her> > faith in Him did NOT

falter. The two other children> > understood the gravity of the situation and

cried in> > unison:> > " Baba will help! "> > " Let's pray to Baba!"> > " He is

God . He will save our sister."> > " Please Baba, don't let her die "> >> > As

an adult I knew my faith had to be equally> > innocent, egoless and unsullied

as a child's. At> > home> > we recited the Gayatri Manthra morning, noon and> >

night. We walked in the cold to school, chanting the> > Gayathri Mantra every

step we took, till we reached> > the gates. We spent the nights huddled

listening to> > bhajans and taking turns to sing.> >> > Neighbours of diverse

cultures, living down the> > road,> > rallied forth with a burst of love seldom

displayed> > in> > our materialistic world. There were many eager hands> > to

help. I was over-whelmed by their sincerity, a> > lesson to behold as I hardly

witness such a surge of> >> > neighbourliness in Singapore. The devotees of

the> > Kingston Bhajan Centre were all alerted to " Storm> > the> > Gates" of

Heaven and pray for the baby's life.> > One devotee taught me to repeat

continuously " Om,> > Sri> > Sai Sarva Roga Nivaarine Namah" ( Salutations to

the> > One Who frees us from all diseases. )> >> > It was my eldest grand

daughter's birthday - the> > last> > thing in the minds of the parents who were

keeping> > vigil at the hospital. Instead the Irish Catholic> > neighbours and

an English Nanny gave her a simple> > birthday party at their house to console

her.> > The

Protestant English, the Iraqi, Chinese and Hindu> > friends all chipped in to

alleviate our pain.> >> > The pressure of Hospital Admin formality made the> >

parents quickly name the baby Visakha, after a most> > pious and ardent devotee

and contemporary of the> > Lord> > Buddha. Visakha had sacrificed her immense

wealth to> > propagate Dharma. Meanwhile my husband's uncle> > sought> > the

assistance of a learned astrolger Buddhist> > priest> > in Sri Lanka for a

propitious name. He came up with> > several names, one being Gayathri. We were

all> > bowled> > over. Was it pure coincidence or the Divine Hand at> > Play?>

>> > As Baby Visakha lay still in ICU, her eyes closed,> > her> > tiny chest

heaving up and down, her parents, now>convinced, softly> > kept calling her

the auspicious name Gayathri. So it> > was registered Gayathri Gotami. Slowly

the Miracle> > began to unfold. The baby opened her eyes. One lung> > began to

function. Then the other. As soon as she> > was> > stable she was taken off the

ventilator.> >> > Gayathri was taken home . When she was a month old ,> > a

Thanksgiving Bhajan was held to celebrate our>Love> > for> > Baba. The

operation, which was not carried out in>the> > first instance, was scheduled

three months later.>> Meanwhile, Gayathri's father had to perform, twice>daily,

anal dilatations at home. This was to ease her>bowel movements as she was prone

to severe>constipation. Such was Gayathri's karma, as she would>scream out in

pain during the procedure. She was>fortunate to have her own personal doctor in

her>father.> >>

> The postponed operation proper was performed after I>returned> > to> >

Singapore. Initially all went well with this> > operation> > but a couple of

days later the wound became> > infected.> > This called for yet another

operation to put the> > Colostomy in place. My son-in-law took a month's> >

leave> > to care for Gayathri and to teach my daughter how> > to> > change the

Colostomy bag. My daughter recalls how> > she> > could see the tiny instestine

peeping out from her> > tender stomach. What amazed her parents was that> >

during the four months Gayathri was on the> > Colostomy,> > she was a cheerful

baby.> >> > After the second operation was healed, the surgeons> > reversed the

Colostomy in yet another operation.> > Gyathri had already become a medical

veteran

in the> > first year of her life.> >> > In an Interview granted to my husband in

August> > 2004,> > Bhagawan Baba revealed His Hand. When my husband> > humbly

thanked Him for saving Gayathri's life, He> > acknowledged His Intervention. He

shook His Head and> > declared :> > " Two doctors made two mistakes. But

Bhagawan will> > look after her! "> > My husband was dumbfounded.> > Yes, Baba

is indeed Omnipresent, Omniscient and> > Omnipotent.> >> > Gayathri visited us

in Singapore in December 2004.> > Our miracle Baby had grown stronger,

intelligent and> > adorable, her intense eyes shining even brighter> > with> >

Divine Love.> > For the first time she met her maternal grandfather> > who gave

her the name Gayathri, even before she was> > born.> > The family

attended our three weekly Sai Bhajan> > Centres for Thanksgiving.>> In March,

this year, my daughter's long-cherished>dream of seeing the LORD in person was

granted. I>accompanied her for the Maha Shivarathri Celebrations>at

Puttaparthi.> >> > Gayathri turned two in September 2005.> > Although> >

petite, her intellectual ability is beyond her age.> > She is Bhagawan Baba's

Gift of Love to us.> > Such is the power of the Gayathri Manthra.> >> > Sister

Lalitha Perera> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>

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