CONTROL OF ELEMENTS

[JR]

BHISHASMAD VATAH PAVATE, BHEESHMODETISURYAH,
BHISHAASMADA- GRISCHENDRASCHA MRITYUR
DHAVATI PANCHAMA ITI.
(TAITTEREEYA UPANISHAD )
Through fear of Him blows the wind. Through fear of HIM rises the Sun. Through fear of Him again Fire and Moon shine. Fifthly, Death runs to fulfil its duties.

In canto XVI and XVII of Srimad Bhagavata.we read that after driving Kaliya Nag from the waters of the Yamuna, Lord Krishna and the inhabitants of Braja with their cows spent that night near the bank of Kalindi, oppressed with hunger and thirst and worn out with fatigue. While they were all asleep fire broke out in the forest dried with summer heat and began to burn down Braja. The fire surrounded the sleeping inhabitants. The inhabitants found themselves helpless and sought refuge at the feet of their Lord Bala Gopala. Observing the perturbation and helplessness of His people, the Lord, in the abundence of His compassion for His devotees, immediately swallowed up that fierce conflagaration, possessed as He was of unlimited energy (Anantha Sakthi dhrity)- It is no wonder that as the creater of the universe and the elements, Lord Krishna had controlled and swallowed the encircling forest fire.

H. H. B. V. Narasimhaswamiji of revered memory, in his Preface to Vol. II of Life of Sai Baba observed "WHAT SRI KRISHNA WAS AND WHAT HE SAID PUZZLED THIS AUTHOR AND PUZZLED SO MANY OTHER PERSONS; AND AFTER SEEING WHAT SAI BABA SAID AND DID, ALL THESE PUZZLES DISAPPEARED AND CLEAR LIGHT DAW¬NED UPON EVERY ONE" etc When that is the case with a devout and religious minded soul like our Swamiji it can better be imagined how the sceptics and atheists respect the above mentioned incident in the life of Lord Krishna as unbelievable and as a figment of the imagination of the author, sage Veda Vyasa. Let us now see how Lord Sai in his own ingenious way proved the veracity of the above phenomenon.

One day at noon the fire in the dhuni began to burn brightly and the flames were seen to be reaching the rafters of the mosque. The people who were sitting in Dwarka mai did not know what to do. It was not for them to ask the omniscent and omnipotent Baba to do something to quell the rising flames. Baba was then evidently in a transcendental mood. But the feelings of the devotees reacted on him and he came to his normal condition. He immediately went to the Dhuni and with his Satka (Small stick) struck on the pillar nearby saying "Get down, Be calm" several times. The fire obeyed immediately and resumed its normal condition.

Commenting on this incident in his Sri Sai Satcharitra, that great devotee Sri Hemadpant says "This is our Sai, an incarnation of God. He will bless any man who will prostrate and surrender himself, to him" as did the inhabitants of Vraja on that fateful night referred to above.

Again on a midsummer day one of the hayricks at Shirdi caught fire through accident. There were many hayricks nearby. The wind was blowing fiercely and the other ricks were in the imminent danger of being caught fire and reduced to ashes. One of the residents ran up to Baba and craved to save them and their cattle. Baba immediately went to the burning stack and drew a thin line with water round that stack and said "Only this stack will be burnt, and no others". Only that stack was burnt, though other stacks were near and a wind was blowing.
( B. C, S. 342 )

Baba was occasionally preparing Meetha Chaval (Sweet Rice) or Pulava and feeding the people that cam&s*o him. He used to personally attend to the cooking business. To test whether the food was properly boiled or not and to ensure for its proper condition, jaba used to thrust his bare hand into the boiling cauldran and churn the whole mess from side to side and up and down. Strange to say that Baba's hand was never burnt in the process. This fact also evidences his absolute control over the fire and its attributes.

In this connection, it is worthwhile recollecting what Sri Sai Saran Ananda Swami (Vamanrao P. Patel in his poorva Ashram) says on this aspect of Baba's supernatural powers, in his "Shri Sai, the Superman". "The idea that He is an entity apart from God has entirely left Him. He lives, moves and acts in God and when any of the Supernatural Powers is being exercised or used by Him He never thinks that He has been doing anything extraordinary, the exercise of these Powers being so natural to HIM".

In St. Mathew, Chapter 8, verses 24-27 it is stated that when Jesus the Christ was asleep in the ship, there arose a great tempest in the sea and the ship was tossed up and down with the winds and waves. Then the disciples woke up Jesus and implored him to save them. Jesus then rebuked the winds and the Sea and there was a great calm. The men marvelled saying "What manner of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him".

We find a similar incident in the life of Sai Baba. Rao Bahadur Moreswar V. Pradhan, B. A. L L. B. recounts in his statements of experiences how in 1910, there was a severe storm and heavy down pour of rain in Shirdi and how Baba controlled it saying., "O God! Enough, stop the rain. My children have to go back home. Let them go back without difficulty". Immediately the storm  stopped and Mr. Pradhan   was enabled to  return home that, night.

,   Similarly in 1914 Baba controlled a fierce storm through his divine powers. He continues to exercise his supernatural powers for the benefit of his devotees, which evidences his God-head. Here is an instance.

In 1951, I was working as Stationary Sub-Magistrate, Kai-kalur There is a Sanskrit School there. As a devotee of Sanskrit Language, I was closely associated with the activities of the School. The teachers arranged literary meetings on 13th and 14th October, 1951 in consultation with me. I attended the Mahasamadhi Day on 10-10-1951 at the Sai Mandir, Ventrapragada. At the time of departure on 11-10-51, I earnestly prayed Baba to make the function a success.

Kavi Samrat, Padma Bhushan, Kala Prapoorna Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana Garu (Receiptient of Jnana Peetam Award of Rs. One Lakh) Kalaprapoorna, Pandit Penumatsa Satyanarayana Raju garu and some ten eminent scholars were invited and they attended the conference.

The opening session was held on the morning of 13-10-1951. At 3 PM the evening session began. Soon there was a gale and drizzle. The sky was cast with clouds and was threatening. The Pandal appeared to be in danger of being blown off by the wind. I felt nervous and mentally prayed to Baba. Soon the gale and drizzle subsided. Everything went on well according to Schedule. When we returned home the court yard of my house was very damp and wet. When questioned I was told there was a heavy downpour of rain at 4 PM that day as a result of which the side canals were flooded. And the whole area overflowed with water. My further enquiries revealed that beyond a radius of 2 furlongs from the meeting place there was fierce gale and heavy downpour of rain. The absence of gale and rain near and at the meeting place was entirely due to the kripa (mercy) and divine powers of Prabhu Sainath. This happened thirty three years after the Mahasamadhi of Baba which confirms the following assurances given by the benign Sai.

BABA'S CHARTERS
& SAYINGS.

50.   I shall be active and vigorous from the t9mb also.
51.   Even after my Mahasamadhi, I shall be with you the moment you think of me, at  any place.
52.   As soon as a devotee calls unto me with love, I will appear. I require no train to travel.
This is our Sai who is Krishna and Jesus rolled into one. The same divinity indeed. It is due to accumulation of merit of several births that we have become the children of Mother Sai and receive his constant care and protection. Let us repay our debit to our Prabhu through constant remembrance of HIM and through repeating His Holy Name 'SAI' always.
P. V. Satyanarayana Sastry, B. A.
Retired Thasildar,
Krishna Lanka,
Vijayawada - 2 (A. P.)