MY VISION

(From Shri Sai Leela, May 1973)

Z.M.Rao

Jabalpur

I am at the fag end of my life. Before I leave this mortal body I want to release my experience for the benefit oi the true devotees of Sri Sai Nath. though I have kept it as a sacred secret for many long years.

It was the end of the year 1947. I casually came to know that there was a Saint in SHIRDI. Haphazardly I made arrangements to go to Shirdi. Neither I knew the way to Shirdi, nor have I seen Baba previously. At that lime, I was staying at Dehu Road, near Poona. The quarters in which I lived had two rooms. The night before starting for Shirdi. I slept in one room and in the other room my father and brother slept. Unexpectedly my sleep was broken early in the morning and I was rolling in the cot in the darkness. Suddenly I saw this vision :-

I was in front of a big 'KUTI'. It had one matted door, a thatched roof and broad varandah, with two steps in front. I was standing at the steps. All of a sudden the door was opened and from the door black person came naked and wearing a garland of human skulls and he stood holding the top comer of the door with his right hand. At his mere presence, I shook and shivered with great terror and a flick of thought crossed my mind as to who was this devil who came here to finish and eat me up when I came here for the Darshan of Babaji. Simultaneously at this moment I saw Babaji coming through the door and at His very presence my mind became calm and I was happy that He had come to save me from that devil.

Immediately I ran up the stairs, bowed before Him and asked Him, "Babaji! The worldly people say there is no God. Is there God or not?" Babaji bent forward, put his right hand palm on my head and said, "Yes." And at the same time both of them vanished.

As scheduled, I started for Shirdi next morning and reached in time and the first thing I saw as a surprise was a clav model of Babaji which was exactly like the one whom I saw in the vision. Immediately I purchased the clay model and brought it home .and ever since that time I have preserved it carefully. It has become my real Baba in the House.

I am still unable to make out who was this black person, naked and having a garland of human skulls. In due course of time when I read a description of Lord Shankara in Tulsi-Ramayana, it has exactly tallied with Him. Hence I understood that He is none other than (he great Deity Bhagwan Shankara.

Both of them were so immensely merciful towards me and I am ever and ever greatly eager for their darshan.

So one can imagine when Lord Shankara attended in Sai Baba as a humble servant, how great should be our devotion and service to Sri Sai Baba who is none other than the great LORD ALMIGHTY SRI MAHA VISHNU.

I hope this my vision will clear the doubts about the existence of God and about Sri Sai Nath as the incarnation of God.