How An Elephant and Her Caretaker
Rose to Shine Like Saints
Part 01
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This is no story but a real life narrative about two souls – an elephant and her caretaker - who were inextricably bonded in a special relationship through their unconditional love for Swami. Simple and humble, with every breath suffused with their love for Bhagawan, the two communicated not just in silence, but also through words! Their lives as retold here exemplify the power of unshakeable faith, trust and surrender. It also illustrates how pure and potent love for the Lord instils an aura of resplendent divinity in the devotee.This is the third article in this 90th Birthday special series, the previous two being: When Faith Powers You and Love Strengthens You and A Sai-Centric Life and Living.
Swami Reveals His Great Devotee
The date stood out on the
calendar – May 22 – a day that stirred some powerfully poignant and
vivid memories. “I remember that morning vividly,” said Mr. Pedda Reddy,
caretaker of Sai Geetha (Baba's beloved elephant) for more than two
decades. As he prepared to speak, he looked far into the distance. His
tender expression and glistening eyes gave away the emotions welling up
within him. He said:
“I cannot forget that day
ever. It was not even seven in the morning and Swami's car was already
there. As He alighted eagerly, His eyes were only searching for the body
of Sai Geetha that now lay silent and still. The moment He saw her,
Swami clasped my hands and broke down. He started weeping like a baby.
Seeing Him in that stage, the dam within me also burst. I just could not
hold myself any longer and succumbed to a sea of tears.
“Swami held on to my
palms just as a best friend would hold you and cry in a moment of
intense grief, somehow to lessen the sense of loss and find some solace.
At one point, His grip grew tighter and then He looked into my eyes and
shaking with anguish said, ‘We have lost a great devotee... I have lost My great devotee’.
The pain with which Swami uttered those words virtually paralysed me.
In that instant, intense remorse was transformed into a moment of
intense revelation.
“I knew how much
Swami loved Sai Geetha and how great her love too was for the Lord but I
had not known Sai Geetha meant so much to Swami!
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| Mr. Pedda Reddy, the indefatigable servitor, handpicked by the Lord |
“He repeated those words
‘I have lost a great devotee’ several times as He began moving closer to
her. My mind was now overwhelmed with powerful memories of this divine
elephant and her ethereal love... the way she would literally dash to
Mandir on festive occasions impatient to see her Swami; the manner in
which the Lord, the moment He spotted her, would cross the verandah and
walk all the way down Sai Kulwant Hall and allow her to caress Him,
touch His feet and fondle His hair; the uncontainable restlessness in
her to come on to the road the moment she ‘sensed’ Swami had left the
Mandir; the graceful, dignified and disciplined manner with which she
led all the processions in Prasanthi Nilayam, absolutely conscious of
what would please her Swami; the prayerful and patient attitude with
which she would wait for any length of time in the Mandir just to be
blessed with that one darshan and one look; how she always avoided
company and wished for silence at her shed and would not tolerate the
sevadals gossiping at the gate; the way she welcomed Swami's students to
her only because Swami too loved them; how she would inconsolably and
unceasingly shed tears and even go without food for days when Swami was
away from Prasanthi Nilayam - how life without Swami was just
unthinkable for her.
“In fact while tending to
her one night, about four days before she passed away on May 22, 2007,
she actually confided in me that she did not want to live any longer...”
Now Sai Geetha Reveals about Swami
“Is it? She told you that? She knew she was going?” I was absolutely bewildered and even intrigued. “How did she tell you?”
“She spoke to me in
Telugu,” Mr. Pedda Reddy replied nonchalantly as if it was common for
elephants to communicate with us in our native languages.
“What? Really?” It was obviously unbelievable.
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Mr. Pedda Reddy didn’t
seem in the least surprised – he was as still as a lake. “Yes,” he said,
“Actually no one knows this. In fact even I was startled when this
happened to me for the first time sometime in 2002-03. One
night after I finished her work and was about to leave, I heard a voice
calling out to me in Telugu. It was soft, serene, warm and welcoming. I
wondered who was calling me and looked around but there was no one.
When the call was repeated, I paid attention towards the direction of
its source and can you imagine what I saw? It was not Sai Geetha
anymore. Instead, where she stood, I saw a resplendent halo of bright
light. It was this light that began to speak to me. Since that
day, I have had many conversations with this Bright Light, generally
during the nights.
“Actually when Swami had
His first fracture in 2003, I asked her if Swami would walk again and
she clearly said, ‘No, He is never going to walk normally. Swami has
decided to slowly conclude His earthly sojourn’. And then, she stated
something that completely shook me. She said, 'I too do not want to live
long. I cannot stay here if He is not here.’
“Of course I did not
share this with anyone then for obvious reasons. Same thing happened on
May 18, 2007. That night she spoke her last words to me. With piercing
sadness she said, ‘Swami is not going to
be here for long. I am going... I just cannot live to see the day when
He is not here anymore. I cannot bear it. I have to go. I am going.’
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| A legendary love story... |
“But what puzzled me then
was the thought that we all knew - that there were at least 14 years
more for the Sathya Sai Avatar. Like every other devotee I had dreamt of
seeing Him till He was 96 as He had declared. So I asked myself, ‘What
is the hurry? Why does she want to leave so early?’
“Things became clear much
later. Sai Geetha truly ‘knew’ the Lord more than any of us on earth.
In fact, if you remember the discourse that Swami gave to students in
the institute auditorium in July 2007, which was perhaps the first
discourse after Sai Geetha's departure, Swami explained why Sai Geetha
had departed so early.”
“Yes, I remember,” I said. “Swami indeed was in tears as He recalled Sai Geetha and said, ‘When
I mention Sai Geetha, I am not deeply grief-stricken. In fact, I have
no sorrow. I am never worried. I am not remorseful at all. It is only
Vatsalyam – Supreme Maternal Love. When she arrived, I applied
honey to my finger and put it in her mouth and she went on sipping.
Later, I fed her milk through a feeding bottle, and from then on she
forgot about her mother. I christened her Sai Geetha.’”
“So true. She is His daughter,” Mr. Pedda Reddy continued, “Another
revelatory moment on May 22 morning was when Swami came close to her
and called ‘Geetha... Geetha’ and she did open her eyes for a few
seconds! She was waiting for her Lord. You may be amazed to know
that even though she was declared dead the previous night itself, her
body had not become stiff. Until Swami came and poured Vibhuti in her
mouth all her limbs were supple. She had not gone. How could she go
without seeing her beloved? She was waiting.”
“That is exactly what
Swami said to the boys that morning,” I added, “After revealing how she
was waiting for Him, Swami became intensely emotional and physically
tired too. So He took to His chair. His voice then grew feeble. But then
He said something that rattled everyone within earshot. It was so
disturbing that Prof. Anil Kumar too did not want to translate it. So
only a few people actually understood what He said. Fortunately we have
that video and now when we see the recording we can watch Swami clearly
saying in Telugu - ‘Sai Geetha left because she did not want to live when I am not here.’”
“That is precisely what
she told me,” Mr. Pedda Reddy continued, “She just could not imagine her
life without Swami. Her connection with Swami was so solid and her love
for Him so intense, so pure and so potent.
An Unmatched and Unprecedented Bond
“Tell me if there is anyone else in the history of the Sathya Sai Avatar for whose funeral Swami was present physically?”
Mr. Pedda Reddy went on, “Not only was He there early in the morning,
He in fact supervised every minute detail of the ceremony. He even gave
instructions that the body should not have a single scratch, and must be
carefully lifted not dragged. That is when a crane arrived to take her
off the ground and place her in the sacred pit – all under Swami’s
watchful and protective eye. Swami wanted that space to be filled with
all holy items like Vibhuti, turmeric, vermillion, loads of flowers and
all the choicest grass and other leaves that she loved to eat.
“As this was going on,
Swami returned to Yajur Mandir and asked me to follow Him. He handed
over to me all her precious jewellery that He always kept in His
residence. Sai Geetha used to be decked with these on all major
festivals. ‘All these should be on her now too. Place them on her,’
He instructed. After handing these over to me He again started off to
the Samadhi site. He wanted to be there all through the entire ceremony.
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| The morning of May 22, 2007 - it was for this day that the Lord cut short His Kodai sojourn and returned in a hurry |
“Actually it was very hot
then. It was 11 in the morning. But Swami insisted on being there until
the ceremony was complete. So lost was I in managing the proceedings
that I too in my foolishness did not request Swami to come inside the
planetarium and sit in a shady area. How negligent of me! I feel very
bad when I think of it now. Swami left the premises only after directing
all the offerings that should be made on her sacred body and watching
the pit finally covered with Vibhuti and then mud. It was beyond 12
noon.
“It did not end there. Eleven
days later, just as many in India conduct Narayana Seva as part of the
eleventh day ceremony, Swami too came to the Samadhi on June 3 and
offered her fruits and sweets, and then took them to the Gokulam and fed
those to the cows there. Have we ever heard Swami personally observing
this ceremony for any devotee? Sai Geetha's saga is simply exceptional and highly exemplary.”
“Undoubtedly,” I humbly nodded, trying to absorb everything he had narrated. But there was more coming.
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| A farewell as royal and divine as it can get |
“I must tell you this,”
Mr. Pedda Reddy went on, “At the time of the inauguration of the Indoor
Stadium, Swami brought Dr. Narendranath Reddy in His car. Seeing the
love that Swami had for Sai Geetha, he asked, ‘Swami, what will she be
in her next life?’ Swami replied, ‘No rebirth for her. This is her last life. No more birth or death for her.’ I remember how Dr. Reddy rushed to me later to share these prophetic words.”
“Wow! How holy she is!
And how blessed you are!” I told Mr. Pedda Reddy, “You had the chance to
serve such an enlightened being!” His fortune indeed was immeasurable
and I did not know how to congratulate him for that.
How Pedda Reddy was 'Picked and Ticked' by the Lord
“It is His love for me,
that’s all. I know I do not deserve any bit of it,” Mr. Pedda Reddy
admitted in all humility. “In fact I was a nobody and had He not saved
me, I would have got lost in the world leading a lacklustre regular life
with all of its trappings and trauma. Indeed, He pulled me to Him at
the right time!”
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| The fulfilment of the prayer of many lives - Mr. Pedda Reddy was blessed with the chance to serve Him closely and bask in His love for decades together |
“So when did that happen?
And how?” Having heard so much about Sai Geetha, now I was eager to
hear the story of her caretaker too. Intuitively, I knew that he too was
no ordinary soul.
“Well, I heard of Swami
for the first time in the '60s. By then I was studying in Sambalpur
College affiliated to Utkal University in the state of Odisha. Even
though we belong to West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, my parents
had bought some lands in Odisha as they were available for very low
prices then. However, during my vacations, we used to come back to
Andhra Pradesh.
“There was a Sai bhajan
group in my hometown, then run by a school teacher. Out of curiosity, I
had gone there a couple of times. Meanwhile, my uncle had already been
to Puttaparthi and seen Swami.
"Based on his experience,
he told me that Sai Baba was no ordinary being. Then I read some of His
books and heard recordings of His discourses. ‘He must be a great soul’
I said to myself. This itself was strange because until then I was
never inclined towards spirituality or anything to do with religion. But
somehow there was some attraction towards this ‘Sai Baba’.
“I saw Him for the first time in Brindavan (Bangalore) in 1969. There was some charm about Him.
I felt like coming back to the ashram. So the next year I was in
Puttaparthi for the Dasara celebrations. This time Swami picked me up
from darshan and told me to go in for an interview.
“Once inside, He narrated
every detail of my family to me. My parents had passed away by then. He
revealed all that was going on with my brothers and sisters. I sat
there zapped and stupefied. I was convinced He was not ordinary. That
day He foretold the direction my life would take. ‘You will be with Me in the future. You are not going to enter marital life. You are going to stay with Me.’
This came as a pronouncement, clearly and emphatically. I was too
stunned to even think. I came out of the interview room like a person
who had lost all awareness of himself. It was a life-altering
experience.
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What are your impressions about this story? Please let us know by writing in to h2h@radiosai.org or you may leave your thoughts in the comments section. Do not forget to mention your name and country.
How An Elephant and Her Caretaker
Rose to Shine Like Saints
part 02
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The Penance of Pining for Him
“Soon I returned to
Odisha as I was then a lecturer in Sambalpur University. After
completing my Bachelors in Science and Masters in Physics, the same
college offered me a job and I took it. I was back but my mind was
locked to Puttaparthi. I longed to return here. Swami started appearing
in my dreams. One night, He wrote on my tongue ‘Om’. Now the desire to
stay with Swami was only becoming more intense every day. I was almost
feeling like a fish out of water.
“So the next month I
returned to the ashram, now for the Birthday celebrations. I could not
stay long as I did not have enough leave. So reluctantly I returned but
came back again during the summer holidays of 1971. Every time I was in Prasanthi, I would ask Swami permission to stay here but He would always say ‘Wait, wait’. It was becoming really hard for me. I was desperate to work here.
“By now I was familiar
with all the service opportunities in the canteen (there was only the
South Indian canteen then). In fact if I was not in darshan I
was serving in the canteen. I loved the chance to do His work. Mr.
Kutumba Rao was the secretary of the ashram then. He was extremely
impressed with me. One day he suggested to me to write a letter to Swami
asking for the opportunity to stay here and do His work. So keen was
Mr. Kutumba Rao that I join the canteen that he himself wrote the letter
for me; I only signed it. It was sent to Swami but nothing happened.
Crestfallen, I returned to Odisha after the summer vacation.
The Fruit of Indomitable Focus
“I was in the ashram
again for the 1972 Birthday celebrations. I participated wholeheartedly
and served to my heart's content during this festival. However the
sorrow of not being able to secure permission from Swami to stay in
Puttaparthi was giving me sleepless nights. Every second was becoming
unbearable. I decided that I had to end this chapter of my life to
continue living in a sane manner. So after the celebrations concluded,
in a moment of intense agony and frustration, I wrote to letter to Him
saying ‘Swami, if You do not give me the
chance to serve here permanently I will never return to Puttaparthi
again! I will settle down in Odisha and start a new life.’
“The next day Swami
instructed Mr. Kutumba Rao to allot me a room in the ashram and I was
given some responsibilities in the canteen. That is how my life in
Prasanthi began.
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“The ashram had very few rooms then and no bachelor would be given a room all to himself. But Swami was too gracious with me.
“In those days my duties
apart from canteen tasks included looking after the gardens in front of
the Mandir. This continued till 1979-80. I would serve in the canteen
almost the entire day.”
“Were you getting any salary?” I could not resist asking this question.
Simple Living, High Serving
“No, I wanted to serve
freely. When I came I had brought with me Rs. 3,000. I had planned to
manage with this as long as I could, with basic self-cooking. But Swami
told me to keep this amount in the bank and gave instructions to Mr.
Kutumba Rao on the first day itself that I should always be given free
food in the canteen. For what else do I need money? Bhagawan gave me
clothes a couple of times or more in a year along with stitching
charges. So I never had the need to buy my dresses. In
fact I have not bought a single piece of cloth in the last 45 years
that I have stayed in Puttaparthi. The only other expense is soap and
razor, which cost less than Rs.50 per month. I cut my own hair with two
mirrors and do my own laundry. My brother used to send me some money and that would last the whole year. So why do I need salary?
“However when the
University came into being in 1980 Swami asked me to work in the library
too. I was now given a honorarium of Rs. 400 per month. I accepted this
for a few months but later when the college officials objected to me
working anywhere else I declined this offer. So I continued to serve in
the canteen and in the library in the early '80s.
“In the beginning of
1985, the work for the planetarium started and it was inaugurated in
November that year. Swami asked me to learn the operations and
maintenance of this edifice. Actually, my name was not listed as part of
the planetarium team but Swami made sure that my name was included. So,
during this time, I was really occupied. On Thursdays, I would be
extremely busy as the planetarium opened for the public on that day.
“Meanwhile, in the
mid-'80s many people who were managing the canteen left. So the task of
running the entire canteen fell upon me and I discharged this
responsibility for nearly 12-13 years since 1986.”
“But when did you start taking care of Sai Geetha? And how did that happen?” I was eager to connect this vital missing link.
A Golden Chapter of Mr. Pedda Reddy's Life Begins...
“Yes, it was during this
time, 1984-85. Sathyanarayana, a mahout from Andhra Pradesh, was her
caretaker then. However, he was not keeping well and one day he
approached me and requested to help him in his work. That
day, suddenly Swami came there and saw me in the Sai Geetha shed.
Sathyanarayana told Swami that he had called me to help him look after
Sai Geetha. Swami immediately said, ‘Yes yes, let him learn’ and then looked at me lovingly and actually laughed mildly.
“That was for me a
positive sign and blessing from Him. So from then on, I began tending to
Sai Geetha along with Sathyanarayana. He taught me all the nuances –
the words she responded to, what and how much to feed her, how to bathe
her, dress her up and so on. Sai Geetha got used to seeing me along with
Sathyanarayana, and slowly began to accept me. You know that the
elephant has accepted you only when it allows you to ride on her back.
One of those days I rode on her back too along with Sathyanarayana and
gradually we became comfortable with each other.
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| Sai Geetha wholeheartedly cooperated whenever she was being dressed because she knew she would be seeing Swami that day |
“A year later, Sathyanarayana left and I became Sai Geetha’s sole caretaker. That was a hectic period for me.
"I would wake up at 3.30
a.m. and open the canteen at 4 and manage all the activities there until
8 in the morning. Then in a bullock cart I would load Sai Geetha's food
for the day – the likes of ragi, pulses, vegetable fibre – and go to
her. She would be on the sands and her body would be covered with mud. I
would brush, clean and bathe her and then apply Vibhuti on her
forehead. In case she had any wounds, I would apply medicines.
"Once she was fresh and
ready, I would serve her breakfast. All this would take 2-3 hours. At 11
am, I would be back in the canteen and manage the crucial lunch hour.
At 3 p.m., I would return to my room for a little rest and an hour later
I would be with Sai Geetha again. I would take her for a walk for at
least two hours. Once she was back, I would cut grass from the adjacent
fields for her. In fact, I was looking after these fields too as they
provided the much-needed fodder for her. It would be nearly 8 p.m. by
the time I finished all her work. At 9, I was back in my room. That is
how packed my days were then.
“It would be even more
challenging on Thursdays as I had to be in the planetarium as well to
organise the shows! But the comforting factor was that with time Sai
Geetha became very friendly with me. I
always treated her with much respect and would constantly think of her
comfort and well-being. I would bring the sweets she liked and procure
the leaves and grass she relished. All this only brought us together. In
fact with time she became so close to me that she never allowed anyone
else to come near her, not even experienced mahouts.
“At one point, sensing my
work pressure, the ashram administration wanted to appoint a full-time
caretaker for her. They even brought in a few people but Sai Geetha
rejected all of them. She would follow me wherever I went. She became
really affectionate towards me and would listen to everything I said. I
did not need to tell her much; she was self-disciplined.
“I recall in early 2000
when she had many wounds on her legs, I would spend a lot of time
cleaning them, applying medicine and covering them with a cloth bandage.
She would let the bandage be – like a human child. Swami used to constantly enquire about her and when I narrated her problems, He would say ‘It will go, it will go’
and advise me a few solutions. When she was afflicted with the foot and
mouth disease, all leather came off from her feet and she was dripping
saliva all the time. She suffered for nearly two weeks until the disease
got cured by His grace.
“By this time, after the
year 2000, she showed visible signs of ageing. She was unable to move
like before. I would take her out for walks only on alternate days. But I
used to spend a lot of time with her. In fact she would not like me
leaving her in the night and would wait eagerly every morning to see me.
I too enjoyed serving and being with her.”
A Faith That Moved The Lord
I interrupted him at this point to ask - “But were you not missing out on darshans
as you had to be with Sai Geetha every evening while everyone else was
in the Sai Kulwant Hall?” I wondered how Mr. Pedda Reddy had reconciled
himself to the notion of serving Him without receiving anything in
return especially when I was so used to seeing people doing one tenth of
what Mr. Pedda Reddy did and yet looking for the chance of a pada
namaskar or a photo or a gift from Swami.
“Actually that thought never even crossed my mind. It was because I was extremely busy doing His work. I know He is God. This conviction was firm in me right from the time I came to Him.
I had heard how in 1979 during Shivarathri Swami manifested as Shiva
Shakthi in the house of a devotee in West Godavari district and blessed
them with a Shiva lingam. That year there was no Lingodbhavam in
Puttaparthi. This is just one instance. There are millions like this. I
had no doubt that He is Divine and that He knows everything. I do not
have to work in front of His eyes and see Him daily to receive His
blessings. Actually once He gave me responsibilities I never had
the time to sit for long hours in Sai Kulwant Hall. And, even when I
would go for darshans in the early days, I would sit among the general public, not with the staff.”
“Really?” I blurted out.
This was too perplexing. I know of scores of people whose only aim of
becoming a staff member was to get that privileged place in the Mandir
but here was someone who did the opposite. “Why did you do that?” I
prodded.
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Mr. Pedda Reddy laughed
heartily and said, “Sitting with the devotees had a charm of its own. I
loved waiting with the general public and eagerly expecting which token
our line was going to be awarded in the lots that day. If my row won
first or second line I would go inside the hall, else go back to work. The
most beautiful part was the fact that wherever I was seated, Swami
would always spot me. And if He happened to create Vibhuti for someone
there, He would place a little on my palms too. So it was always a special experience. However, I did this only for a few years. Later I got too busy with my tasks.
When The Lord Longed to Bless His Dear Devotee...
“I loved His form, yes,
but also knew that He is all-pervasive. In fact, in 1986 during Dasara
celebrations, Swami was giving clothes to all staff members. He did this
for three continuous days and I could not go because of work. Finally,
on the third day the warden of the hostel came to the Sai Geetha shed
and said, ‘Swami is waiting for you! Go quickly!’ As soon as I went to
the interview room Swami said, ‘Where were you? I have been waiting and looking for you for the last three days! I will never leave you. Do not worry!’ Then He gave me two pairs of clothes and money too.
“In fact Swami used to
give me clothes at least twice a year. That would be enough for 12
months. Actually even now I have clothes that will last me for the next
10 years minimum!
“Six months before Swami
left His mortal coil, one night Mr.Chakravarthi (then Secretary of the
Ashram) called me and said, ‘Swami is asking for your passbook. Bring it
and see Swami the next morning’. I guessed Swami wanted to give me
money. So I told him ‘Sir, I do not need money. Please tell Swami.’ But
he said, ‘You tell that to Swami directly.’ So next morning I went to
Swami but without my passbook. I persistently submitted to Him that I
was comfortable and did not need any money. Swami reluctantly acquiesced
to what I said.
“However, after a month,
during Sankranthi celebrations in 2011 Swami called me again and gave me
clothes and Rs. 5,000. He repeated this again after a month during the
Shivarathri festival. This time He put a lot of money in my pocket. In
fact, to share with you, I had saved all the money Swami had given me
from the beginning because I hardly had any expenses. During His 70th
Birthday I gave Swami Rs. 70,000. The money that I had originally
brought had accumulated a lot of interest. Besides, my brother used to
send me some money off and on. Swami however refused to take this. He
said, ‘I will not accept anything from you.’ So I deposited the money back in the bank.
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What are your impressions about this story? Please let us know by writing in to h2h@radiosai.org or you may leave your thoughts in the comments section. Do not forget to mention your name and country.
Posted on: June 30, 2015
How An Elephant and Her Caretaker
Rose to Shine Like Saints
Part 03
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Prophetic and Profound Blessings on the Final Day
“In the early years, when
I had just arrived in Puttaparthi, way back in 1972, Swami had said ‘I
will look after you in every way’. But He has done much more than I
could ever imagine. I have experienced His love in abundance!
"To give you another
instance, on March 25, 2011, during His last darshan, I was standing by
His residence with Sathya Geetha (the new elephant after Sai Geetha
passed away in 2007). Before going up to the devotees, when Swami
spotted me with the baby elephant, His chair turned and He came near us.
That day He personally wanted to feed Sathya Geetha. He put a few
apples in her mouth even though His physical frame was so weak, and then
He looked at me and said, ‘Take Namaskar’. So I immediately prostrated at His feet. When I rose He said, ‘This is the last, this is the last’.
I had no clue then what that meant. I thought maybe Swami did not want
me to get Sathya Geetha anymore to Mandir. Sai Geetha used to come only
on festival occasions. So I surmised that was the tradition we would
follow from now on with Sathya Geetha too. I had no idea that it was
indeed the last time I would be seeing my Swami.
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| Sathya Geeta, the little one that came under His loving care in 2007 |
“It was unbearable for me
to see His body in the casket. It reminded me of all those sweet
memories with the Lord. All my beautiful moments are those when I came
to Mandir with Sai Geetha. Every such encounter was so exceptional, so
eternally colourful. What a play of Pure Love it was! When
I look at the Samadhi, I miss Swami, I miss being with Sai Geetha. But
then I have no regrets. I have achieved my target. When Shiva Himself
was here in human form I saw Him, I served Him and I served His greatest
devotee. And I did everything wholeheartedly with absolute
sincerity, commitment and love. What else do I need? Everything else is
temporary. I have experienced His love in full measure.
He Strengthened the Mind and Safeguarded the Body
“I remember during one of the major Birthday celebrations, we had to prepare 1.4 million ladoos.
I did not sleep for days together. We did not have so many staff or
volunteers to execute this mammoth task. So Swami asked the students of
the Brindavan campus to help. We did this work in the Poornachandra
Auditorium. Swami Himself came to oversee this work.
“Like this, I have stayed
awake for nights together on so many occasions. I do not know how I got
that much strength and stamina. I would never fall sick. However, once I
did collapse. It was after the major world conference during 75th
birthday celebrations. I had perhaps exerted myself far beyond my
limits. That night the headache was severe. The pain was so excruciating
that I was rolling on the bed with high temperature, sweating and
groaning. The secretary of the ashram got very scared. He thought I may
not live. He immediately went to Swami and knocked on His room even
though He had retired. Swami called for Dr. Patel and gave him Vibhuti
for me. After partaking the Vibhuti I felt better. The next morning the
Secretary asked me to sit in the front in the portico. The moment Swami
saw me He asked, ‘What happened to you?’
“'Unbearable headache, Swami!' I said.
“'It will go away, do not worry.' Saying
this He patted me on my head and gave me some more Vibhuti. That was
it. The headache disappeared. I never had to visit the hospital or take
any medicine. Even now, although I am past 75, I do not take any pills. I have no ailments by His grace. He is taking care of me even now, as always.”
Sai and His Little Sathya Geetha
“Do you still work?” I was curious.
“Yes, of course. However, after Sathya Geetha passed away my workload has reduced quite a bit.”
“How was Swami's relationship with Sathya Geetha?” I did not want to miss this tiny but sweet chapter of His story.
“Well, initially Swami
had no interest in another elephant after Sai Geetha. However, when an
elderly devotee presented her to Swami in 2007, He called me and asked
me to take good care of her. Sathya Geetha was a few months old then. I
used to bring her for darshan every Thursday. Looking at her
growth, He even complimented me a couple of times. He would ask what I
was feeding her and one day I remember He put Rs. 5,000 in my pocket and
said, ‘Do not starve! You eat well and buy whatever she wants. Once this money is over, come to Me and ask.’
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| Sathya Geetha was slowly trying to fit into the big shoes of Sai Geetha... |
“In 2008, one day Swami
sent for me and enquired about Sathya Geetha's health. He told me she
was not well. That was true. She had suddenly developed arthritis and
was unable to walk. But I had not told Swami yet. He said, ‘Bring her in the evening. I want to see her. Call the doctors too.’
I told Him, ‘Swami, You alone can cure her’. Indeed by His grace in
four weeks she was completely cured. After this she was growing up well.
She was alright until the time Swami was there. However after 2011 she
started developing many maladies. She had a major gastrointestinal
problem in 2012. Her body swelled much beyond normal proportions; she
actually became like a drum. Many doctors tried to treat her but she did
not respond. Eventually one night she passed away peacefully.
“Now, I work only in the
South Indian canteen. I am there for two hours in the morning, three
hours in the afternoon and again three hours in the night. Of course my
body has slowed down now; it has become weak but my mind is peaceful.”
“I have attained my target” - Mr. Pedda Reddy
“You have spent more than
four decades in Prasanthi Nilayam and never stepped out beyond the Sai
Geetha shed on one side and the canteen on the other. Don't you feel
your world has been so limited? Does it occur to you sometimes that all
these years because you were so busy with Sai Geetha and Sathya Geetha
you actually lost out on many other things?” I wanted to probe if there
was any regret at all in his life.
 |
| Mr. Pedda Reddy - now a picture of perfect peace and contentment |
“Where is the question of losing anything? I have only gained. The
greatest blessing Swami has conferred on me is peace of mind. Nowadays I
do not have any desires. I feel so much at peace. I have no
obligations, no worries and no wants. Last year I donated all my
savings to the Trust - the money that Swami had given me over the last
40 years plus whatever my brother used to send me. It was a total of Rs.
1,20,000. I feel so grateful to Swami and just relive those beautiful
moments.”
“Did Swami ever create
anything for you?” I was just inquisitive and telling myself that it was
simply impossible that Swami had not materialised something special for
him.
“Why does He have to give
me anything else? He has sustained every cell of my body, literally.
From 1985 till 2005, I only ate the food that Swami sent me. Yes! Every
afternoon I would wait for the prasadam from Swami's residence. I never ate in the canteen. How much He has loved me and cared for me! I
never felt I lacked anything. In fact this Prasanthi Nilayam is my
father's property. This is all mine. I always have this feeling. I have
lived comfortably in my father's home, ate the sumptuous food He gave
me, wore the beautiful clothes He gifted me and worked happily looking
after His property. What better gift can anyone aspire for? Now,
He has blessed me with peace. I am only waiting for the final moment, to
just leave this body peacefully and go back to Him.”
 |
I was speechless. I had
read about the lives of many great saints and devotees of the Lord. But
now I was in front of one in real life. Truly, I was being blessed with a
glimpse of how a Ramdas or a Tukaram or a Surdas would have loved their
Lord, served Him and experienced the bliss of feeling His love and
presence in every pore of their beings every second of their lives.
“You are such a colossus
of inspiration to all of us, Sir!” I prostrated with folded hands. But
he just casually brushed it aside saying, “Nothing, nothing. He pulled
me. He blessed me. I am a nobody, sir. Who will care for me and bother about me? It is all His love. That's all.”
True enough - it is all
His love. But some people like Mr. Pedda Reddy know how to make the most
of that love – just as an oyster knows how to convert a particle of
sand into a precious pearl.
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- By Bishu Prusty
(Radio Sai team)
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