MI TULA KADHICH TAAKNAAR NAHI!!!
It was not even a month that I had moved to
Bangalore to work at a reputed
cardiac hospital and I was feeling homesick. My parents had advised me
to perform “Ahnik” daily and I was pretty regular at it despite weird
duty hours. 29th July 2007, It was a sunny weekend with no trace of any
rain. I had planned to catch up with an old school friend who like me
had moved temporarily from Mumbai to Bangalore for work. It was after 12
years that I was meeting him and we decided to have lunch together. We
met around noon, caught up with lots of things, revived old memories and
had a nice time together. As we left for our respective homes, I was
held back by a drizzle for which I took refuge near a shop. As I was
waiting for the shower to pass, I happened to notice a row of roadside
second hand book stalls like the ones we see at Flora fountain area in
Mumbai. Inquisitively, I started browsing through the available books
with a hope of procuring a good deal especially with a renowned and
useful medical textbook which usually are very expensive first hand.
My eyes fell up on a copy of “BIBLE- The New Testament” and a thought crossed my mind that who would think of disposing such a revered book, however the book was dirty and not in a visually attractive condition. With this though in mind I looked on and the next thing I saw was a English version of “SRI SAISATCHARITRA” !!!. My mind just could not accept the book to lie there and I picked it up to see the book. It was in crisp condition and seemed as if the person who bought it had never read it before disposing it off. Though I had a similar book at my house, I simply could not digest the fact that this sacred Granth (although in English edition) was lying in dust at the roadside. I asked the vendor its price . “Twenty rupees” , he said “ but I can give it to you for fifteen”
I did not haggle around with him further and bought it instantly, cleaned it gently and placed it in my bag. Then, I called up my father in Mumbai to tell him about this uncommon experience and could hear a constant jap in the background. I asked him about the jap and he replied that he was in a seva for Gurupournima utsav and I was taken aback. Guru Pournima !!! How is it that I was unaware? I cursed myself apologised to Sai. However,I was happy that He made me aware of this by His Grace and in His way. I happily took the book home, offered flowers and prasad, meditated on Sai, Bapu and considered it as His form always.
Later, I moved to Chennai for 2 years and took the book with me, read it with devotion till one day I gave it to my father for Bapu’s ‘hastasparsha’ and forgot everything about it. After my return to Mumbai, I took Marathi version of Shri Sai satcharitra to read completely forgetting about the English version.
It was Ramnavami day 01 April 2012 when my wife Shruti and sister Greeshma attended the Utsav at Shri Harigurugram. As they went for Sai satcharitra pathan, my sister opted to take an English version for the pathan and when she took the first book of the lot in her hands, she was surprised to see a label bearing my name “Dr Atul Prabhu”. Being confused, she couldn’t quite understand why a book with my name was lying there. After speaking to my father, they understood the matter and brought the book home after taking permission from the shraddhavan volunteer.
As I was in Sydney, I came to know this when I called them at night to enquire how the utsav was celebrated in Mumbai. I could not believe what had happened. The Sacred granth amidst a pile falling in only my sister's hands is definitely more than a mere coincidence and is nothing else than a glimpse of His unconditional love.
This is a perfect example of the magnitude of truth in Bapus gvahi “ I shall never forsake you”. It is not a mere statement but a representation of Bapu/Sai/Parmatma’s love and grace. He will never leave us alone ever even if we leave Him.
This reminds me of Dr Yogindrasinh’s magical words………….
Guruchi kripa Hich Gurupournima ho.
Pratikshani amha anubhav laho.
Guruchya runanche akhand smaran raho.
Gurumaulichya runi mi budalo . Aniruddha tujha mi kiti runi jhalo.
Hence I decided to share this experience with you all on occasion of Gurupournima 2012 since it has been 5 years since the day the Granth came to me. It relieved me of my loneliness, provided me sahvaas, took care of me when I was away from my family and brought me back safely. If it were not for Bapu's teaching, we would not have gauged the importance of Saisatcharitra in our life. Truly, I am indebted to you Bapu for thy grace in the way the granth came to me unexpectedly not once but twice and on both occasions during a major utsav was being celebrated Gurupournima and Ramnavami even when I had forgotten about it. Lots of Shreeram Bapu for your eternal grace.
My eyes fell up on a copy of “BIBLE- The New Testament” and a thought crossed my mind that who would think of disposing such a revered book, however the book was dirty and not in a visually attractive condition. With this though in mind I looked on and the next thing I saw was a English version of “SRI SAISATCHARITRA” !!!. My mind just could not accept the book to lie there and I picked it up to see the book. It was in crisp condition and seemed as if the person who bought it had never read it before disposing it off. Though I had a similar book at my house, I simply could not digest the fact that this sacred Granth (although in English edition) was lying in dust at the roadside. I asked the vendor its price . “Twenty rupees” , he said “ but I can give it to you for fifteen”
I did not haggle around with him further and bought it instantly, cleaned it gently and placed it in my bag. Then, I called up my father in Mumbai to tell him about this uncommon experience and could hear a constant jap in the background. I asked him about the jap and he replied that he was in a seva for Gurupournima utsav and I was taken aback. Guru Pournima !!! How is it that I was unaware? I cursed myself apologised to Sai. However,I was happy that He made me aware of this by His Grace and in His way. I happily took the book home, offered flowers and prasad, meditated on Sai, Bapu and considered it as His form always.
Later, I moved to Chennai for 2 years and took the book with me, read it with devotion till one day I gave it to my father for Bapu’s ‘hastasparsha’ and forgot everything about it. After my return to Mumbai, I took Marathi version of Shri Sai satcharitra to read completely forgetting about the English version.
It was Ramnavami day 01 April 2012 when my wife Shruti and sister Greeshma attended the Utsav at Shri Harigurugram. As they went for Sai satcharitra pathan, my sister opted to take an English version for the pathan and when she took the first book of the lot in her hands, she was surprised to see a label bearing my name “Dr Atul Prabhu”. Being confused, she couldn’t quite understand why a book with my name was lying there. After speaking to my father, they understood the matter and brought the book home after taking permission from the shraddhavan volunteer.
As I was in Sydney, I came to know this when I called them at night to enquire how the utsav was celebrated in Mumbai. I could not believe what had happened. The Sacred granth amidst a pile falling in only my sister's hands is definitely more than a mere coincidence and is nothing else than a glimpse of His unconditional love.
This is a perfect example of the magnitude of truth in Bapus gvahi “ I shall never forsake you”. It is not a mere statement but a representation of Bapu/Sai/Parmatma’s love and grace. He will never leave us alone ever even if we leave Him.
This reminds me of Dr Yogindrasinh’s magical words………….
Guruchi kripa Hich Gurupournima ho.
Pratikshani amha anubhav laho.
Guruchya runanche akhand smaran raho.
Gurumaulichya runi mi budalo . Aniruddha tujha mi kiti runi jhalo.
Hence I decided to share this experience with you all on occasion of Gurupournima 2012 since it has been 5 years since the day the Granth came to me. It relieved me of my loneliness, provided me sahvaas, took care of me when I was away from my family and brought me back safely. If it were not for Bapu's teaching, we would not have gauged the importance of Saisatcharitra in our life. Truly, I am indebted to you Bapu for thy grace in the way the granth came to me unexpectedly not once but twice and on both occasions during a major utsav was being celebrated Gurupournima and Ramnavami even when I had forgotten about it. Lots of Shreeram Bapu for your eternal grace.
Wonderful experience and what a sweet coincidence ... Bapu always does right things for right people and at right time... We just have to be patient and wait for that moment :)
ReplyDeleteVery blissful and enlightening Anubhav!!
ReplyDeleteGURU KRIPANJANA PAYO MERE BHAI...