Shri Sai Baba's Divine Grace

[Guest guest]

Shri Sai Baba's Divine Grace

My first experience of the miracle of Shri

Sai was in the year 1942. I was posted as Medical Officer of Civil Centre at Ananthapur in June, during Second World War After taking

charge of the post, leaving my wife and child in traveler’s bunga­low; I

went in search of a house. Sri Hanumanthrao, a

leading Criminal Advocate of the place, whom I met, was very kind to promise to

get me a suitable house within a few days. Because I happened to be a doctor,

he was anxious to take me to his brother-in-law's house, Shri

Ramaswamy, an Advocate and an ardent devotee of Shri Saibaba. The time was 7 p.

m.

 

Shri Ramaswamy was sitting in the puja

room and praying to Baba with implicit devotion. His wife and other members of

the family were in the front varandah crying loudly.

After enquiry, I learnt that their daughter Pramila a

girl of 6 years had sustained severe burns all over the body upto neck because her pavadai had

caught fire when she was doing Pradakshinam to Tulasi Brindavan where a number

of mud oil lamps were lit on account of Uttana Dwadashi (festival of Shri

Krishna at Brindavan). This had happened about ten

days back. Her body was full of foul smelling pus, having lots of maggots

(young worms of flies). She was being treated at the local Government hospital.

She was unconscious for nearly six days with high temperature and had not taken

even a drop of water during the period. As her con­dition deteriorated, the

relatives were asked to take the girl home in a serious condition in

anticipation of an early end. That was the scene at my entry. As soon as I

entered the house, Shri Hanumanthrao

introduced me as a doctor from Madras. Shri Ramaswamy, who was praying

in the puja room, immediately came out and exclaimed,

" Shri Saibaba has sent

the medical aid at the critical time. " He asked me immediately to examine

the girl and treat the case suitably. I was dumbfounded because I had not heard

of any Saibaba before and more so it appeared that

the condition of the patient was beyond any human help. However, being a

doctor, I had to face the emergency. I went back to traveler's bungalow to get

my medical bag and inform my wife not to worry about me if I return late in the

night on account of this emergency.

 

The patient had 104° temperature, pulse was rapid but feeble. She

was not responding to any kind of stimuli. The pus was smelling

very badly as it was full of maggots. After pro­tecting my nose with cloth, I

cleaned the whole body, removed manually with forceps a number of maggots

(nearly 180) and applied gauze soaked in cod liver oil over the wound. The girl

did not show any sign of life during the whole process which took nearly 3

hours. As only sulfa drugs were available then, I got some M and B 693 tablets,

powdered them and asked the mother to give it with honey in case the girl awoke

in the night. Shri Ramaswamy

applied Shri Sai's udhi on the forehead.

 

Next morning I was sure that the girl would not be alive. With

great trepidation in my heart, I went to their house to know the position.

There I saw the miracle of Shri Sai for the first

time in my life. The girl was awake, had asked for water and milk in the night,

which were given. Her general condition was very much improved. The temperature

had touched normal and pulse full. She answered my questions clearly and

fluently.

 

Everyday I used to visit their house to clean and dress the

wounds. At the end of six months, the entire burnt area of her body had fully

healed up, covered with healthy skin, without any trace of a scar. Baba's grace

was primarily responsible for snatching that young girl from the jaws of death

and I was only a tool in His hands. Soon after that, I was transferred to

another centre in Madras.

 

Shri Ramaswamy

told everyone that I was sent to Ananthapur by Baba

to treat and save his daughter's life. When I

left Ananthapur Sri Ramaswamy

invited me and my wife to his house and gave, us a photo of Shri

Saibaba and a packet of udhi,

after a sumptuous meal. He asked me to worship Baba from that day. But my mind

was still not receptive at that time to get His blessings. Being young and full

of ego, I entirely forgot about the whole incident for nearly a decade when I

was again reminded by Shri Sai.

 

I shall narrate my next experience of Baba with His blessings in

the succeeding article in Shri Sai Leela.

 

With satsanga pranams to all knowing Shri Sai's incarnation of Sathya,

Dharma, Prema and Shanthi.

P. S.

Pramila I learnt now is married

and leading a very happy life with her husband and children in Hyderabad. We were

extremely happy to meet her when she came to our house to invite us personally

for her marriage some years back.

Dr. A.  R. Govind Rao,

M.B.B.S., M.S (Vaie)

Madras

(Source Shri Sai Leela June 1978)