Sri Jodi Adipalli Somappa

He has a million names and a million forms, though He is beyond all names and forms, all adulations and attributions. The One whose stature transgresses all the limits and benchmarks set by the worldly, He often comes in response with the most viable and potent solution to his puzzles and problems. Quite often we have experienced this gentle tap from the Greater Heaven in the most unexpected, unfamiliar form. Read on for yet another story of His ‘visiting card’ born out of the pen of the illustrious Prof. N. Kasturi, as published in the Sanathana Sarathi, May, 1959.

Sri Jodi Adipalli Somappa

“Then, suddenly from among the crowd, an old man emerged. He shouted in a loud commanding voice, ‘Give the child to me;’ there were two women and one man with him, who also pleaded, ‘Give the child to him, lady! He is famous as a curer of children’s diseases. He has saved many children from death.’ And, so, losing all fear, my wife handed over the child to him.”

This is from a letter written by S. R.V. on 28th November 1958. The incident happened on 25th November 1958. The ‘old man’ was no other than Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Himself; the two women and the man who accompanied him were also creations of His Grace and Power, whom He had with Him, while He appeared in disguise in His Mission of Mercy! The child is the lovely little baby that Sathya Sai Baba is seen holding, in the picture that forms the front-piece of this number of Sanathana Sarathi. (NOTE: The same image is reproduced in this article) Let us now look a little closer at this strange story, this Leela of Bhagawan…

Sathya Sai Baba With Sudha

Sudha Raghunathan As A Child With Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

A devotee, S.R.V. from Bangalore had come to Puttaparthi, with his wife and child, for the Birthday Festivities of the Bhagawan, on 23rd November 1958 and he left the Prasanthi Nilayam on the 25th at 12.45 P.M. taking leave of Baba, and receiving from His hands, the Vibhuti which He gets by a mere wave of the Hand, as well as a few oranges.

At 5:30 P.M. that evening, when some devotees gathered round Him at the Prasanthi Nilayam, Baba told them a dramatic tale of ‘death’ and ‘rebirth!’ He said that S. R. V.’s child, Geetha Sudha, called Sudha, for short, had died on the way to Bangalore at 2:45 p.m. but, He had left His body at Puttaparthi and hurried to the place and manifested Himself as an old man and saved the child. His narration was full of details and very clear and devotees who keep diaries of their experiences have recorded every word of it. He said that the child was sleeping on the back seat; that a scratching sound was heard by the mother; that when she turned she was shocked to find the baby stiff and blue and practically lifeless; that the moving car was stopped; that the time was 2:45 P.M.; that the place was between Palasamudram and Bagepalli; that a huge crowd of villagers gathered on account of the wailing; that every one was advising all kinds of remedies and cures; that a bus proceeding to Hindupur came on the scene, was stopped and added to the confusion; that as soon as the bus moved off, He appeared as an old man and demanded that the child be given over to Him, saying that He heard about the tragedy and had come running to the place; that He asked the party for a little Vibhuti, because He was sure they had it; that, keeping the child on His lap, He showed it His real form, upon which the baby, as usual on all occasions when He took the child up in His hands, cried; that He pretended to go through some curative rituals and handed the baby to the overjoyed parents; that S. R. V. thanked Him profusely for His service; that he offered to pay Him a rupee, which He refused to accept; that he pressed upon Him an Orange out of the five or six that He Himself had given him at noon while leaving Him at Puttaparthi, and that after invoking upon that fruit the calamity that had pursued the baby, He threw it away before reaching the Nilayam!

On the 28th November, a long letter written by S. R. V detailing the entire incident was received at Puttaparthi and it was given over by Baba to be read by those who had heard Him describing the miracle, three days earlier, within a few hours of the ‘death’ and ‘re-birth.’ What a surprise it was to read in the letter that the child was sleeping on the back seat (!) there was heard a scratching sound (!) that the body was stiff, that the child was breathless, that the villagers ran in from all directions, that there were suggestions galore, that the Hindupur bus was stopped at the scene (!) and then, the para quoted above! “Then, suddenly from among the crowd, an old man emerged…”

The letter continued, “The old man placed the child on His lap and she began to cry (!) He also heated a copper wire and applied it to the brow. We thanked him much for saving the child to accept at least a rupee as a reward (!) But, in spite of our best efforts he refused to accept it. I then gave him an orange from among the ones which Baba had given us while leaving. He asked us to leave for Bangalore without worry and do Arati to our Ishtadevata, Venkataramanaswami as soon as we reached home. I asked him his name and he gave it as Jodi Adipalli Somappa.”

S. R. V. concluded his letter thus, “I am now certain that the Old Man was no other than Baba Himself. I also suspect that the three villagers who asked us very forcibly to give Sudha into His Hands were also ad hoc creations of His Leela. My inference is that Baba must have gone on a ‘trance’ about 2:30 or 2:45 P.M. on the 25th.”

We, who had heard Baba relate the whole thrilling story on the 25th evening itself, have no doubt in our minds that Jodi Adipalli Somappa is no other than Baba Himself, Baba manifesting Himself 48 miles away to save the child!

Om Jodi Adipalli Somappaya Namah. . . Mysterious are the ways of the Lord. Words are of no avail, if one desires to describe Him. The mind is too feeble and instrument to measure His Glory. . . . . aprapya manasa saha!

(Readers may note that the story is an episode from the life of one of the distinguished voices in the carnatic music in India, Sudha Raghunathan from Chennai. Smt. Sudha Raghunathan has experienced the rare blessing of singing in the Divine Presence of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on various occassions)

Reference

Swami Purushottamananda Is Granted A Divine Vision By Sathya Sai Baba

Jyothi Sai Baba

Swami Purushottamananda Is Granted A Divine Vision By Sathya Sai Baba

On the way back Sathya Sai Baba stopped the bus at a place, where a thin little iron rod carried a half-distinct nameplate, “Vasishta Guha.”

He proceeded to descend the rather precipitous incline to the river bank, as if He had been there often before and as if He had become aware of an engagement with the occupant of the cave.

The Ganga takes a wide curve near the cave; nearby a small rivulet pours her offerings into the Ganges, and so the scenery is doubly attractive. The Vasishta Guha bears a hallowed name; it has been sanctified by the austerities performed therein by many great recluses and monks in the past.

Swami Purushottamananda, a disciple of Swami Brahmananda of the Ramakrishna order, initiated into Sanyas by Mahapurushji, another direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, had been living in the cave since 30 years and welcomed Baba as if he too was expecting Him!

More than seventy years old, he had spent the major part of his life in asceticism of a most rigorous kind and in the study of scriptures. His face has the genuine glow of spiritual joy and the slightest mention of the glory of Godhead would send him into Samadhi (spiritual ecstasy). When he was still a young man, Swami Brahmananda had read his palm at Kanyakumari and predicted that he would enter a cave and go on meditating and meditating!

Baba reminded him of the travails he endured when he first came into the cave, leopards and cobras and the three-day trek to Rishikesh and the desperate struggle for salt and matchboxes! He spoke of the succour that came to him through sheer Divine intervention!

Baba repeated the visit the next evening in spite of a rumbling sky and the grumbling of some persons who accompanied Him. But, the rumbling ceased and the grumblers were humbled; by Baba’s Grace, the sky became clear and the rain held back.

Baba himself sang a number of songs that day in the Vasishta Guha and when one of the Swamis attending on Swami Purushottamananda requested Him to sing a song of Thyagaraja, He very graciously asked him which of Thyagaraja’s Krithis (compositions) he most liked to hear. Swami Kalikananda said that he was longing to hear “Sri Raghuvara Sugunalaya”!

Baba sang it, just to make him happy. No one had heard Him sing that song before and so it was an unexpected piece of good luck for which we thanked Swami Kalikananda. Hearing that Swami Kalikananda was suffering from chronic stomachache since many years, He took some ‘candy’ from nowhere and gave it to him, with instruction about diet etc. He also gave Purushottamananda, a Japamala of shining Sphatika beads, which ‘manifested’ itself in His Hand.

But, more mysterious and significant was the Vision that He vouchsafed to Swami Purushottamananda that evening. After sending every one outside the Cave, Baba and the Sage went into the inner room.

Sri Subbaramiah, President of the Divine Life Society, Venkatagiri, describes what he was able to see from outside the cave, thus:

“Even now that picture is imprinted in my memory. I was standing near the entrance of the cave. I could see what was happening. Baba placed His Head on the lap of Swami Purushottamananda and, laid Himself down! Suddenly, His entire body was bathed in divine brilliance. His Head and Face appeared to me to have increased very much in size. Rays of splendour emanated from His face. I was overwhelmed with a strange inexplicable Joy. The time was about 10 p.m.”

When pressed later to divulge the vision, Baba informed us that it was a Vision of Jyothir-Padmanabha! (Lord Vishnu as the Flame of Love-Wisdom) What supreme Karuna! (compassion) What immeasurable Good Fortune!

Swami Purushottamananda passed away on Shivarathri Night, 1961, four years later, during the Lingodbhava Muhurtham – the time Baba manifested the Lingam that Shivaratri.”

Reference: “Sathyam Shivam Sundaram”, Vol-I, by Prof. N Kasturi. Page: 111-113. Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam.

Swami Purushottam-ananda - Room Where He Attained MahaSamadhi On Shivarathri 1961

Dr. Michael Goldstein’s Golden Shiva Lingam 2008

Dr. Michael Goldstein’s Golden Shiva Lingam 2008
Towards the end of the 21 July 2008 – Sri Sathya Sai World Education Conference, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba materialised a Linga in golden colour to the delight of one and all. It was at the end of the world Conference that Bhagawan announced that the same would be presented to Dr. Michael Goldstein, Chairman, Sri Sathya Sai World Foundation and member of the Prashanti Council. Bhagavan asked to announce that the Linga would grow in size and the water from its abhisheka could be served to sick people. The day after the lingam was created, Sathya Sai Baba materialized vibuthi and poured it on the lingam.

(Click On Thumbnails To Enlarge)

Michael Goldstein’s Lingam From Sathya Sai Baba

Goldstein Golden Lingam 1

Goldstein Golden Lingam 2

Goldstein Golden Lingam 3 Vibuthi Abhishekam

Goldstein Golden Lingam 4

Goldstein Golden Lingam 5 Vibuthi Abhishekam

Gold Lingam For Dr Michael Goldstein

Michael Goldstein Shiva Lingam

July 21st 2008

Sai Students: All of a sudden, waving His hand, Swami materialised a huge golden Lingam. The lingam was awesome by its sheer size alone! He handed it over to Dr. Goldstein with some instructions. He asked for a cover and wrapped the lingam in the cover. He told him to perform the Abhishekam or the holy bath for the diety. Promising further instructions later, Swami displayed the lingam for all the eager devotees to have a look at. There were gasps and shrieks. It is true that in highest happiness, man does not know how to react. The mixture of spontaneous reactions was something that must have been seen and heard to be truly experienced! Blessing all the devotees, Swami accepted Aarati and returned to His residence at 7.30 pm while prasadam was distributed.

July 22nd 2008

Sai Students: At the end of His Discourse, He went to the interview room briefly, and returned with Dr. Goldstein in tow. Swami took the lingam that He had given to Dr. Goldstein last evening and displayed it to everyone. He then created vibhuti and sprinkled it on the lingam, and it was the perfect Abhishekam. He again created some more of the holy Vibhuti and asked Dr. Goldstein to immediately put all of it into his mouth. He announced that He’s giving the lingam to Dr. Goldstein for him to distribute the water from washing the lingam to those who are unwell. There was thunderous claps and joyous shouts of Jaijaikars as Swami said that. He then asked for the evening’s cultural programme to begin.

Also see:
– Sai Baba Of India – Pictures Of Golden Lingam Given To Michael Goldstein
– Sri Sathya Sai World Conference on Education Coverage