Those Memorable Moments with Sri Sathya Sai at Brindavan – By R. D. Prasad

One bus was on its way to a ‘pleasant destination’. All of us were joyful despite being stuffed in the bus along with our luggage. Sitting wherever there was a place, we were eager to reach our destination. I was sitting on a stack of beds in an awkward posture, often falling back and forth with the jerks of the bus. Ours was the last bus and I could see a caravan of five buses ahead of us running towards the same destination. Yes, we were all Brindavan students, on our way to Prasanthi Nilayam. It was my last trip to Prasanthi Nilayam as a Brindavan student. The thought of my stay in Brindavan and the sweetest moments passed in my mind. 

Sri Sathya Sai at the entrance of His residence Trayee Brindavan in the Brindavan Ashram, Whitefield, Bangalore

If I look back at my life and recollect the best part of it, it would be the three years of my stay in Brindavan as a student. Right from the day I stepped into the portals of Brindavan, till the day I left with a B.Sc. Degree, it was there that I learnt many significant lessons of my life. It was there, that I learnt the first few alphabets of spirituality. I was convinced about the existence of God and I could see Him face to face. I could experience God’s Love for the first time there. Moreover, I learnt the meaning of life and started living life in its full meaning. 

Trayee Brindavan

Trayee sessions were the charm of Brindavan, during which our proximity with Bhagavan was the maximum. Each and every session was an inspiration by itself and a class in spirituality. There, I could see how close the gracious God can be to ordinary human beings. I could see the extent to which the Divine Mother stoops down to lift up Her children to new spiritual heights. 

A Trayee Session in progress

It was in Trayee, I could listen to God. So gracious was He, explaining things again and again so that we would take them to heart and practice them. Many elders, whom He made to speak, were carefully instructed to speak things of common interest. He never allowed them to use spiritual jargon in their talks. We heard how Bhagavan saves His devotees, whether he is on the deathbed or in a crashing helicopter. 

Listening to the miracles of God is interesting. But, it was more thrilling to listen to them from the very God Himself. His miracles, transcorporeal journeys, His childhood and His conduct when He was a boy were all a part of that nectarine narration. He even went to the extent of narrating the rare miracles, which happen daily without our knowledge. He was full of grace and love. He had a childlike fun too. 

He used to narrate the stories of devotees like Meera, Purandara, Prahlada and other devotees. He used to point out their subtle misconceptions and minor mistakes, so that we would not commit even the smallest mistakes of that kind. He would offer to talk about patriots and their intense patriotism out of His concern. He used to explain the real significance of being a patriot and to be a true Indian. 

Walking in Trayee lawns in the peaceful evenings and the study circles we had there are part of the finest moments of my life.The amount of unity we had during the preparations for Sports Meet, our eagerness for Bhagavan’s arrival, and of course, the bus journeys to Parthi are a part of it. We had imbibed the spirit of brotherhood. 

When I recollect all those experiences that I had in Brindavan, I feel that the experiences are not important as such, but Bhagavan, who made them possible, is. He gives the student an opportunity to grow up in the best possible set-up. No wonder, I have nostalgic love for Brindavan and for Bhagavan just as a child has towards its mother. Bhagavan took great care of us. He gave us right from a shaving kit to a watch out of sheer love for us. 

Sri Sathya Sai with students in the Sai Ramesh Hall, Brindavan 

It is not the things that are of importance, but the amount of Love bundled up behind each one of them. No mother or father is patient enough to take care of his or her children so effectively. After all, how many parents can discuss spirituality and values with their children regularly? No wonder one loves Bhagavan more than one’s parents. 

After reading this much, if one feels that Bhagavan gave me a lot of physical attention, it would be a misconception. Believe me, not even once Bhagavan spoke a single word to me. But He spoke to me from within. He touched the very heart and guided me without having spoken a single word to me physically. Whether it is choosing my ‘major’ subject or any other simple things for that matter, He has guided me in different ways. He is pretty indirect in His approach, physically away and closer to the heart. 

If the question of giving back something to Him comes, I feel it is ridiculous. After all, what great thing can we give to the mother for all her love and protection? What can we give back to Him for all the grace and Love? Though we give Him the best of what we have, will it not be like a candle before the sun? How big it would be compared to the shower of His grace? Well, it is not the business of God to give and take something. We need not pay something but we have something inevitable to do. It is pretty simple. To love Him, in full measure and to never say goodbye to Him and the path that He has shown. He touches us and we grow. He lights our lamp and we should bear it forever. I recollect a poem – 

We met as strangers

Though We knew Each other.

Now that I am with You,

Let Your House be my Home,

Where We can share our joy forever. 

- R.D. Prasad
Alumnus, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Prasanthi Nilayam Campus

Source: Sai Nandana 2000 (75th Birthday)