21. THE PAVITRA TIRATHA

 

The eighty two year old Janakamma, mother of Shri N. Kasturi, who had been living at Prasanthi Nilayam for the past twenty years, had repeatedly prayed to Baba to bless her with sips of holy water at the last moment of her life. The compassionate guarantor of the bhaktas' yearnings, had promised to grant her prayer.

Baba was away at Whitefield when the last day arrived. At about 9.00 A.M. that day, Janakamma had nausea whilst she was engrossed and deeply lost in her prayers during the bhajans. She immediately left the prayer hall and rushed to her room. Reaching there she vomitted. Thereafter, she abstained totally from any food or drink. Just as she was resting at about noon­time, she saw a stream of holy water flowing from the right foot of the idol of Shirdi Sai, placed in the domestic alter. She was startled on seeing this unique and Divine miracle. She sat up exclaiming loudly, "Oh ' Tiratha is falling from Baba's Foot' There and then she started collecting this Tiratha into a cup and with extreme devotion and sense of gratitude, she partook the Divine Tiratha. With the drinking of this blissful and life giving elixir she was filled with great Ananda. Within a few moments of this and having attained the fulfillment of her intense yearning, this purified soul departed from its habiliment. Three days after this incident Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai returned to Prasanthi Nilayam and informed Shri Kasturi, "On the last day of her life at the time when bhajans were going on in the Prasanthi Mandir, did not your mother have vomits in her room. It was I who had initiated the nausea so as to completely evacuate and cleanse her stomach before she could drink the Holy Tiratha". In 'Guru Gita' in 'Skanda Puranam' is delineated a phenomenon called the 'Sati Akaraka'. This is enumerated as one of the attributes of a real Guru and is said to be his ability to provide solace at the moment when the soul of a devotee departs. Shirdi Sai is documented to have provided this to many. In the above mentioned instance and on many other occasions, Sathya Sai has drawn a parallel clearly discernible.

 

Sometime ago during the period of His (Sathya Sai) Leelas and Mahimas, He used to go on a transcorporeal journey, coinciding with the moment of death of a devotee. Whilst His gross body lay at the spot, sometime 'vibhuti' and at others earth used to emanate from Him, depending on the cremation or burial that was he mortal remains. Invariably on Hls return, Baba used to narrate the escapade to those present there and confirmatory communications were always received from the relatives of the deceased within a few days.