Our family has always been staunchly devoted to Shirdi Sai Baba and Lord Dattatreya, and we have had several personal experiences. Back in 2007, when Bhagawan decided to take our family into His fold, He visited my father at his workplace in the guise of an acquaintance and strongly motivated him to visit Him in Puttaparthi.

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When that was not sufficient, Bhagawan followed up in my father’s dream and told him in Telugu – “You won’t realize the value, if you receive something effortlessly”, indicating we were not realizing what a great opportunity we have been missing by not visiting Bhagawan. My parents and my brother Girish instantly devoted themselves to Bhagawan after our first visit, but I remained neutral as I was quite happy with my experiences with Shirdi Sai Baba and Lord Dattatreya. 

 

Sometime around 2011, I had a dream where I was lost on the streets in the middle of an apocalypse and the world around me was filled with chaos. As I stood there clueless of my next action, someone showed me a building and informed me – “Peace is over there”. The next instant, I was entering a hall with my family next to me and there really was peace. I could see chaos outside through windows but everybody in the room was unaffected and there were kids playing around us. As I noticed Bhagawan’s chair at the end of the hall, I realized Bhagawan was there in his “subtle form” and decided to avoid Him. I used ‘washing my hands’ as an excuse and asked my folks to go ahead to take His blessings. As I purposefully wasted time washing my hands, I noticed Bhagawan’s footprints leaving the room. I immediately realized how much I took Him for granted. Until that point, I thought I could take His blessings anytime I wanted but when He left the room, I realized it was an opportunity that I just lost. It was this dream that made me devote myself to Bhagawan, and I realized what an opportunity I had missed due to my ignorance. Little did I know, Bhagawan will soon come back in the subtle form and pull us closer to Him.

 

The more I devoted myself, the more I started experiencing Bhagawan in my life. I moved to the US in 2014 for my Master’s program. The day after I reached the US, I organized my room without taking a break, though I felt tired. As I was unpacking my luggage to setup my new room, I found my favorite Mickey Mouse table clock broken, which upset me a little. I called my mother that evening as she was very anxious about my well-being when I left India. My mother started off the conversation by sharing her Bhagawan dream from the previous night which confused her a little. In her dream, Bhagawan asked her not to worry about me as He has been taking care of me. He said, His body was still aching from unpacking the luggage and organizing my room, and He was sad that His favorite toy was broken. My mother was shocked to learn that whatever Bhagawan claimed happened to Him, really happened to me.

 

Like Bhagawan said to my mother, He has been taking care of me through and through.  Because my education loan for Master’s was not approved for the entire amount I requested, an on-campus Teaching Assistant (T.A.) job was very critical to fund my living in the US.  Bhagawan miraculously created a vacancy and gave me the T.A. job in my very first semester.  Later that year, when my job was not confirmed for the second semester, I shared my concerns with my Russian classmate Maria. Surprisingly she gave me Bhagawan’s vibhuti and His photo, and suggested reaching out to a specific professor. After meeting with that professor, my T.A. job was confirmed for the next two semesters!

 

Around the same time, my family vaguely got to know about Bhagawan’s subtle form and they went to Muddenahalli in 2015. They were astounded when Bhagawan’s car stopped in front of my father and my brother, and Bhagawan familiarly greeted them both in Telugu. Though my family was planning to stay back overnight, Bhagawan instructed them to go to Puttaparthi that evening. My father started wondering about the transportation as commuting was not easy from the Muddenahalli ashram back in the day. It was another surprise to them, when my mother informed them how a Croatian lady offered to take them to Puttaparthi in her car about an hour before their encounter with Bhagawan!

 

As my mother was unwell during 2015 Athirudram, my father and my brother took turns to participate in the Muddenahalli service – first five days my father and the next five Girish.  At the end of the event, Girish had an interview with Bhagawan alongside other volunteers.  Bhagawan specially called him from the group and inquired about my father, indicating His acknowledgement of my father’s service. He also instructed Girish to come back for His birthday in November. As Girish followed His instructions, Bhagawan blessed Girish with a ‘Navaratna’ ring that He manifested. Girish has noticed many improvements in his life and health since then.

 

Since I completed my Master’s and started working in 2016, my parents began to consider finding a girl for my marriage. In our following visit to Muddenahalli, Bhagawan walked straight to me and He said – “marriage, huh!?” I requested Bhagawan to help me find the girl, to which He responded saying “find the girl yourself”. Though I said okay, I decided to marry only if Bhagawan approves of the girl. Along the process, my parents took a couple of girls’ pictures to Muddenahalli for Bhagawan’s blessings who I said yes to, half-heartedly. To my parents’ disappointment, Bhagawan always avoided the aisle where they were waiting with the girls' pictures. On January 1, 2018, we again had the same experience – He avoided my mother’s aisle as she carried some pictures, instead came to where my father and I were waiting. When I told Him, I was not happy with anybody I met so far, He asked me to search a little more. Few weeks later I met Maneesha and I instantly liked her. This time, Bhagawan greeted both my parents, blessed Maneesha’s picture, and conveyed His approval of this marriage individually to each of them. I then understood what He meant when He first asked me to find the girl myself.

 

Before Bhagawan’s annual US visit in 2018, I attended a Satsang in Seattle where Brother Vijay Sai shared his experiences with Bhagawan in His physical form. He shared how his sister asked Bhagawan for His promise when Bhagawan said He’ll attend her wedding. He also shared how Bhagawan sent his sister a saree for her wedding after He told Brother Vijay Sai that He can’t attend the wedding in His physical form. During Bhagawan’s Atlanta visit, I remembered these incidents as I was waiting for Bhagawan in the crowd with my wedding invitation. When Bhagawan came closer, I invited Him to my wedding and He said He’ll attend. He smartly touched my open palm when I asked Him to promise me. I thought it would be amusing if Bhagawan sends Maneesha a saree for our wedding like He sent to Brother Vijay Sai’s sister.  To our great surprise, Bhagawan asked me and Girish to follow Him on His way back to His room. We both walked into His room totally lost in that state of shock, it took us a few moments to realize that we were just called for a private interview. I was absolutely dumbfounded when He said He will send a saree to Maneesha for our wedding. He also added, He will be attending my wedding in a distinct form as all forms are His. Bhagawan hugged Girish and recollected how Girish used to be very sick during his childhood and how my mother used to sit in front of His pictures and pray for Girish’s good health. He said, Girish once made it out alive only because of His intervention. As we shared this conversation with our mother after the interview, she said Bhagawan was referring to what happened in early 2007 and shared the details of all the incidents Bhagawan recollected during the interview.

 

I can think of many other amazing incidents where we experienced His presence in our lives, His infinite love and blessings. We can only be forever grateful! I sincerely thank Bhagawan for being with us always and guiding our lives towards Him.

 

Hoping to become the person Bhagawan wants me to be, Jai Sairam!