Baba's Divine Manifestations

Baba's Divine Manifestations

December 2016

 By TA Balasubramanian

Compiled by Vinny Chitluri

Indus Source Books,  Paperback, INR 299, 290 pages

 “I vividly remember my first visit to Shirdi, as a child. Travelling from Mumbai, my aunt and I reached Kopergaon, where we hired a tonga (horse carriage) to cross the river Godavari. I was seated next to my aunt, and midway across the river, the tonga got stuck. Desperate and afraid, I clung to my aunt’s neck and started sobbing. I was afraid that we were going to drown. Suddenly, a tall fakir appeared and said, ‘Don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen to you.’ Expertly, he pulled the tonga out of the river, and led us to safety. When we reached Shirdi, I was astounded to find the same fakir seated there. From that moment, I knew that he was my savior.”

This is a book of miracles or astounding “leelas”. More specifically, each of the 108 stories is about the miraculous experience of a devotee who encounters Shirdi Sai Baba either in a physical manifestation, a voice, or a vivid dream when faced by daunting circumstances, physical illness or disease, or a crisis. The varied episodes range from the early 1980s to 2010, or across 30 years.

The author, Vinny Chitluri, is a qualified pediatrician. She was awarded the “Diploma of the American Academy of Pediatrics” on passing the board examination in the United States. Now retired and settled in Shirdi, she is a devotee of Baba, In the preface to this compilation of Baba’s miraculous manifestations, she explains why she chose 108 episodes. This is an auspicious number that adds up to nine, and Baba stressed the importance of Nava Vida Bhakti, or the nine modes of devotion. A devotee  may follow any one, or all of the nine modes. These are: sravanam (listening), kirtanam (singing), smaranam (remembering), padasevanam (serving at the Guru’s feet), vandanam (salutation), archanam (worship), dasyam (servitude), sneham (friendship), and atmanivedanam (surrender).

Baba’s devotees run into millions, and a selection of these nine bhakti modes are evident in various forms across the stories.

One story describes how Kishanrao, a devotee of Baba from Satara, got into an unfortunate accident and fractured his thigh bone en route to Shirdi. He was confined to a hospital bed in Satara, immobilised and dependent on pain-killers. On the second day, Baba appeared to him in a dream and urged him to get up and walk. Kishanrao’s leg was in traction, and held down by weights. Obeying the Baba’s advice, he simply got up and walked away to his home, confounding the attending doctors. In the next few days, the broken bone healed completely, and he walked all the way from Satara to Shirdi. This was recorded as a medical miracle. For devotees of Baba, the stories in this book come as an affirmation of their faith in their Guru’s assurance: “Even if I cast off this mortal body, I will come running to the aid of my devotees.” It is unusual, however, to find a scientifically trained medical professional endorsing the elements of faith enthusiastically. It seems that we live in a harmonious age of rational and spiritual fusion, where we seek and find many paths to salvation!