Letters from India

5. Everyone Coughing! Nov 26,1984

Everyone Coughing

November 26, 1984 

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Family plus any new animals or family members :-),

Sai Ram from the abode of the physical presence of the holy Avatar! Sorry I don’t have any juicy details of Sai talking to me or guidance on life or any great miracle, buuut that’s the way it goes sometimes. :-)

24 November: No one knew where to go or what time to be there for Sai’s blessings to all the delegates, so of course we all went to the Poornachandra early in the morning. I got a good place at 6:30 AM. By 8:30 AM there was a crowd of delegates and no Sai. Bingo – we found out there was NOT going to be a function for delegates. Just the usual bhajans at 11 AM. Soo we of course waited. And waited and attempted to meditate.

All the foreigners were in one place so they could all get in easily but no banana, as the crowds were let in at 10:30 AM, they suddenly told us all to go to another door, right in the middle of the crowd! Major disaster but we made it in.

I got a good place so when Sai came in, I could see His face clearly for the first time in days – what grace to be here!! To be in the Presence. Sai gave Darshan, walking around the whole place, then sat on the platform, then the chair, for bhajans.

We wondered if Sai would give us Seva people any goodbye, so we returned to the Poornachandra at 2:30 PM. No banana, news got around that there was just going to be the normal bhajans at 5:30 PM, so we waited. Some people came around asking for volunteers and one took me - an unknowledgeable one, luck for me. I got into the Poornachandra before the crowds – Blessings! Then they (the permanent, knowledgeable volunteers) found me out, sitting close up right on the isle row (center isle). No whities on the isle row. They threw me back to the 16th row (Still great!), 2nd from the isle.

Time passed, bhajans began. Sai appeared. This Indian lady in the row behind me, 3rd from isle, gave me an airmail letter to try to give to Baba - because I was closer I guess.

Sai come up, up the isle… He ignored the ladies side. When He was one row past our row I asked Him in my mind that if it was His will, please take this letter. As I started to ask, He froze and just stood staring and staring, as if off in a daze (you know the look, right?).

He usually always goes to the middle or ¾ the length of the hall, before turning around and coming back. We were up really close. I was still holding up the letter as I asked and all of a sudden, He turned right around after staring, walked straight over to my row, and snatched the letter – whooosh – from my hand! Then He took around 4 other devotee’s letters from my area.

What a great experience! Don’t hit me please, but I didn’t bring your letters, Sis and Mom, with me that day! Bummer but I guess it ‘twas meant to be (sure I can say that!)

The lady who gave me the letter said, “God Bless You!” after Sai had left (He never did go down the rest of the isle, but went to the stage). Then I thought, hey, what’s the big thing about a Father taking a letter from His own child??

During bhajans Sai was GOD Himself. He did the hand motion a lot, like He was controlling the Universe. When He stood straight and tall on the stage, He seemed to grow. He’d stand perfectly motionless and you’d know – this is IT, he is IT. He’s got the entire creation in His hand; He’s the Lord of all of it. He’d stare and stare at the singers, the Compassionate one accepting the praise and devotion of Himself, singing through the many throats in the hall. At the same time, He was unaffected, above and beyond it all: lotus-like, totally unattached to all that was going on around Him. You can feel all this here. Talk to anyone, devotee or skeptic, for any length of time and they’ll admit they felt it too. The Goal is among us… the Lord of the entire universe has come!