6 IDENTITY FURTHER ESTABLISHED

 

One Thursday Baba told Smt. Kashi Bhatala Ramamurthy, "I have kept a picture in your shrine. Go and worship it." Hearing these words the lady hurried home, excited and elated. She took some friends along with her. Before leaving home she had bolted and checked all the windows and the doors, so as not to allow ingress to even a small monkey. When she unlocked the door and entered the shrine room, she found a beautiful picture of Shirdi Sai. In similar manner Sathya Sai has on several occasions presented materialized pictures of Shirdi Sai to many devotees, introducing them to the earlier Form and telling them other details of His life. He has even shown scenes of Dwarkamayi. To one such cynic, Baba once gave a conclusive proof by performing a miracle. He spread out His palms in front of that person and showed him Shirdi Sai Form on one palm and the Sathya Sai Form on the other.

 

Yet another incident concerns a Tamil gentle­man, Shri V. Chidambaram, from Madras, who was settled in Delhi and earned his livelihood by teaching music to children. He had visited Putta­parthi a few times and had darshans of Parthi Sai. He returned therefrom with his mind clouded by doubts regarding the avatarhood of Sathya Sai. He had entertained still greater doubts on the f act of the identity of the two Sais. One morning around 11.00 A.M., as he was cycling, he sensed somebody pedaling hurriedly to catch up with him from behind. As the sturdy old man came near, he heard him speak in Tamil saying, "Can you come along with me to the old tomb yonder? I shall not keep you long". In the conver­sation that followed the old man drew out all his doubts by clever questioning and resolved them one by one. He told the music teacher that it was a gracious gift of Providence alone, that he had struck upon a Guru who is Ishwara Himself. You should not doubt this in the least," he said. "He is no other than Shirdi Sai Himself. Look '" saying this He spread out his palms in front of the baffled teacher_once again in one palm was depicted an attractive and majestic picture of Shirdi Sai in His characteristic sitting posture and on the other was seen the beautiful and resplendent Form of Parthi Sai.

 

Getting on his cycle, the impressive stranger started to pedal, in the direction from which he had come, and a little distance further he vanished in thin air.