53. THE SAKSHAT RESPONSE!
The Namavalis describe Sathya Sai as 'Shirdi Sai Abheda Shakti
Avatar (Indistinguishable from Shirdi Sai)', as Sulabh-Prasanna-Moorti (Easily
pleased)' and also ' Bhakta-Ananda-Dayak (One who confers bliss)'.
Shri U. Ram Mohan Rao and his family,living in a remote village
Mamjeri (600 miles from Venkatagiri), seem to have been chosen as the 'medium',
for a clear demonstration of the aforementioned attributes. The Raos were
devout worshippers of Shirdi Sai and their daughter Sailaja had intense,
innocent and pure devotion towards Sainath. They had also kept a picture of
Sathya
On 13th Decmber, 1964, Bhagavan was visiting Venkatagiri town. On
that date, He simultaneously appeared at the residence of U. Ram Mohan Rao at
Manjeri. The Raos were aghast to see Him.
Baba said, "Hari Om, Santhih ,Santhih ,Santhih", and
after a little while He said to them, "I shall go into My own place",
and proceeded to their Puja room. There He sat under His own picture. Baba also
told the m that He had come there in response to the 'Shuddha Bhakti' of
Sailaja. This was followed by bhajans, after which Baba spoke to Shri Rao in
Tamil, to Smt Rao in Canarese and to the rest in Tamil-Malayalam. He had light
refreshments with them and departed. They saw Him disappear within a few yards
from their house.
Eleven days after this event, in the evening when the Raos
returned to their house, they were surprised to see the lights on and Baba
sitting in their prayer room. To their dismay, they found the doors of their
house securely bolted and the locks intact, just as they had left them. They
chatted with Baba for some time and after dinner retired for the night To
reassure himself, Shri Rao looked into Baba's room, through a narrow opening in
the door. Sure enough, Bhagavan was there, awake and deep in thoughts. The
following day, Baba stayed on at their residence and did 'Mangalarathi' Himself
at noon. Rao had brought only a quarter kilogram of dates. During the bhajans,
the congregation swelled to 150 persons. Rao having become apprehensive, that
the 'date prasadam' will not suffice, handed over the same to Bhagavan for
distribution by the Divine Hands.
Certainly every one received sufficient
quantity.
At about five in the evening, Baba left, after blessing all. In
this single episode, Sathya Sai responded once again to the yearning of those
bhaktas, who worshipped the Shirdi Form. He gave 'Sakshat darsan!' pleased with
the sincere bhakti of a young one (Sailaja) and conferred immeasurable bliss on
the entire neighbourhood by His Holy presence.
Shri N. Kasturi summarises this incident as follows:
"Baba had given darsan to persons in distress in distant
places but nowhere, so far as we know, did He stay so long and so concretely.
It was too over-poweringly unscientific". "This is perhaps the most
dramatic, detailed and authentic narrative of the multi-locative miracle of
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba".