It was around this time in 2003 that my wife's cousin wed. When my wife chose to accompany the groom (assume his name to be Anant) from his house to the marriage hall in a bus that was arranged by the girl's side, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the groom's mother-in-law (assume her name to be Shanthamma) was a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba too, and that the bride's parents had adorned the interior of the bus with a large image of Sai Baba. There were Sai Baba Bhajans (Hindu devotional songs) playing on the record player too. A few months after the wedding, my wife's aunt informed my wife that Shanthamma, in one of the gatherings at her cousin's house had suddenly materialised a figurine of Shirdi Sai Baba and presented it to her cousin. Soon Shanthamma's talent of materialising things spread around the families of all our relatives.
It was precisely at that time when I saw this middle-class lady with no ambitions of fame or glory, leading just an average life in one of the non-descript parts of Bangalore, it convinced me about the genuineness of such phenomenon. I agree that I didn't subject her to the rigorous scrutiny that a strong sceptic would subject such things to. To me that was unnecessary. To me the plain truth was evident in the very nature of those circumstances, and I felt I could trust her. We invited her home one day for lunch with a view to honor her, and as the lunch was being served and the kheer (dish made of sweetened milk) was being poured into the diners' cups, the lady (Shanthamma) told my wife "Please check up the kheer cup, Swamy has come !" (Swamy is a deferential term for a Guru and she meant her Guru Shirdi Sai Baba)
True enough, in the cup were what in India is referred to as Padukas (miniature footwear models considered to be a blessing from a Saint) made of white metal. Later that day, in a private meeting with her, she materialised a figurine of Sai Baba in my presence.
Meanwhile, it had so happened that my brother-in-law who was living in the U.S. was felled by severe rheumatoid arthritis that left the joints of his body painful and swollen. His health began deteriorating steadily and he had to resort to very potent allopathic medicines. Over a period of time these medicines wreaked havoc with his serum parameters and he became wan and haggard. He quit his job and decided to return to India. The doctors in the U.S. had warned him that should he happen to quit the medications prescribed, his condition would worsen drastically. But the drugs were playing havoc with his other health paramters.
On returning to India, he happened to meet Shanthamma who advised him a few spiritual practices to follow. Before he returned home, she asked him to place both his palms adjacent to each other facing upward, cupped adequately to receive whatever material that happens to appear. It so happened that his cupped hands were filled to overflowing with udhi (sacred ash), padukas, cardamom, nutmeg, rudrakshas and the such. She also advised him to mix a small portion of the sacred ash in a cup of water and ingest it daily. Simultaneously he also happened to consult a homoeopathic doctor who recommended that the strong drugs be suspended forthwith. With all these steps being taken, his serum parameters gradually revived and the severity of the rheumatoid arthritis gradually reduced to a great extent. Presently, he is free of all allopathic medication, and though he still suffers from an arthritic condition, his health has revived to an extent where he has returned to the U.S.
Our association with this lady who is a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba increased because of having seen such phenomena and over a period of time a Bhajan group (Hindu devotional songs) was formed and we have witnessed various forms of the occult manifesting at these congregations.
(To be continued ...)
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