DEVOTEE'S EXPERIENCE By Amrita

[Guest guest]

Amrita,

 

Its truely a beautiful experience. May Baba shower his blessings on you always.

 

Jaisairam,

Madhuri

On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 8:23 AM, swamy mahadevan <mahadevanvnswamy wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

DEVOTEE'S EXPERIENCE It had been a long time since my parents could leave me all by myself. After a period of prolonged illness, I had been totally drained of my mental and physical strength. There was time in my life when I could do things all by myself. Once upon a time, I savoured the joys of a solitary existence, wallowing in the warmth of my being. But those were things of the past. Solitude was now terrifying. It was as if life was mocking at me. But there comes a moment, a moment of epiphany in life, which heralds the coming of good times. Miracles happen, however tiny. You have to believe in them.

That evening in June, my parents had to leave me behind. I had managed to put a brave front and had calmly agreed to stay by myself. I had decided not to let my fears get the better of me. Because they had been invited to attend a wedding ceremony and were going to be late, I had asked a friend of mine to give me company for a few hours. My parents left. And I waited for my friend to arrive. She had called to confirm that she would reach me in half an hour's time. Gradually the afternoon melted into picturesque summer dusk. The sky was splattered with myriad hues. I stood on the verandah, looking at the scene outside. Children were playing happily. A cool breeze was cheerfully blowing. My parents kept calling me to ensure everything was fine. As the blissful dusk transformed into the darkness of the evening, I felt the shadows of fear slowly creeping into my heart. My friend had still not arrived…..

I sat watching the T. V. with empty eyes, to distract myself. Suddenly the doorbell rang. I was relieved; maybe my friend had arrived at last. I opened the door, and who should be standing before me? It was my aunt, a cousin of my mother's. What was she doing here, when she should have been at the wedding? I asked her to come in. But she was in a hurry. She was on her way to the ceremony, and decided to stop by and deliver a little packet on the spur of the moment. I took the packet and she left. By then, it was already dark outside. It was quiet and eerie. The street lamps had flickered to life, trying their best to cheer up the murky lanes and alleys and my miserable self.

I stared at the packet for a long time. It was from a friend of my mother's. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. To my surprise and delight, out came a little framed picture of Sai Baba, with a little packet of holy vibhuti and prasad. And it had come all the way from Shirdi! My mother's friend had been to Shirdi and had sent it for her. But for me it was a divine moment. My friend had arrived. Baba was my friend and he had come to ease the mental and physical agony that I was going through. I felt lonely no longer. I realized a friend was there for me, to help me in times of distress, to talk to me when there was nobody around. It was as if the colours of the sky had filled my bleak world with richness. The picture of Baba came as a blessing. I began to feel a lot better. I spent the evening, doing my work.

Soon, my parents returned. And with each passing day I began to regain my strength. I started enjoying the pleasures of solitude; I had learnt to do things on my own. Although it took me several months to become my usual self, I remained undeterred and kept fighting to get back my lost state of health. Every time the dark clouds of depressive bouts shrouded me, I looked into Baba's eyes and they vanished within a second. Miracles do not happen, they have to be sensed. Miracles do not announce themselves with a flash of lightening or a peal of thunder. It is the spark within, that whispers quietly into your heart that a blessing has been granted to you and that things will be all right...Thank you Baba, for being there for me and with me.

Amrita