JaiSaiRam
The First Experience: In Absentia
Pranams to Pujya
Swamiji! Prior to June 1989, had anyone told me about Swamji
and his miracles, I might have pooh-poohed such information at the outset. On a Sunday in early June 1989, Mr. Thamban Kutty Nair, my colleague
in the Commercial Taxes Department made an unexpected visit to my house in Aravamuthu Garden Street in Egmore
with a news that while he was at the fabrication unit of his friend Mr. Deenadayalan in Aminjikarai he happened
to meet one Vikraman Swamiji. On seeing him, Swamiji asked him whether he knew
anyone by name Balasubramanian. Obviously, the
reference was about me. Then Swamiji remarked that I would be transferred out
of the city and that I would meet him one day. When Mr. Nair told me this, I
nonchalantly brushed it aside as a blabber by someone who has nothing else to
do other than scaring people unnecessarily. That very night, a friend in
Coimbatore called me up to convey that I had been transferred to Coimbatore and
that one Mr. Sundaram would replace me. I could not
believe this because the then Commissioner had immense faith in me and my
execution of task. However, due to the efforts of the Commissioner, I was
placed in Trichy instead of Coimbatore. But as
Swamiji had prophesied I was transferred.
The First Encounter
At
the end of that month, I returned to Chennai; I could not shift my family
because my children were studying. My wife suggested meeting Swamiji as
referred to by my colleague. We reached Swamiji's ashram at the 19th Street
in Thillaiganga Nagar, parked my scooter, and while
entering the ashram, one volunteer came out and asked me whether I had come by a
vehicle bearing the registration number 5846. He was referring to my scooter!
He informed me that Swamiji had called us inside the room. I was wonder struck;
how on earth, a person sitting inside a closed room of not even 10 by 10 could
summon a person outside the room that too by referring to the vehicle number,
which even my wife was not aware of! This was enough to make me surrender lock,
stock, and barrel before him. The first question he asked me was, "Do you
know Mr. Nair?" I replied “yes". Swamiji remarked that I did not
believe the message given through Mr. Nair. He then mentioned that it was Lord Anjaneya's wish that we, husband and wife, were separated
for a while to avert a calamity in the family and that even without anyone's
efforts, Lord Anjaneya would bring me back to Chennai within an year. The Lord
did so within 11 months. From June 1989 onwards, every weekend whenever I came
to Chennai to be with my family, I made it a routine to go to the ashram. This
was my beginning of a never-ending bondage with Swamiji. I am blessed to attend
all the Hanumanth Jayanthi celebrations except the
first one.
Blessings for the Neigbbour
One
day my wife was narrating our experiences with the Swamiji to our backside
neighbour Shri. Ramasamy, a grain merchant. They visited the ashram and Swamiji told
him that he would visit their house one day. Accordingly he visited. They
wanted keep Swamiji's visit a secret and even closed their kitchen window overlooking
our house. Swamiji had not visited our house earlier. On arrival, Swamiji told
the couple that he could see Balasubramaniam's house
and that we should be informed. They were at their wits end and had no other
choice. But, my wife was away. My younger brother Raja and his elder daughter
Rama were at home. When they went inside, Swamiji told her that she would take
admission for M.Sc in Statistics, leave studies, join
a bank, get married, and settle down in the US. All these happened! She joined M.Sc Statistics in Presidency College, but joined Bank of
India leaving her studies, got married to a hank employee
who went on an assignment in the US subsequently. Now they are US citizens. My
wife returned from her Veena Class and went to see
Swamiji in Ramasamy's house. When asked about our
children, Swamiji said that the first daughter would become a journalist,
second one a doctor, and the son a computer professional. For a specific query
regarding the first daughter's marriage, Swamiji did not respond. We realized
the reason for his silence only in 1992; it is a separate story altogether.
Showers of Grace
As
Swamiji had predicted, my first daughter did B.A in literature and M.A in
journalism against all odds with gold medal. She worked for the Indian Express
and later switched over to the Hindu, and is presently a free lancer
contributing to the Indian Express on yoga, mind, fitness, and body. She had
the opportunity to bring out two features on Swamiji recently.
Swamiji
had prophesied that Priya would get admission in
medicine, go to the US for higher studies and that he would visit her house in
Chicago. Priya had special interest in 0G, but Swamiji
used to ask her about the heartbeat of adults and children. The reason became evident
only later when she got admission for M.D in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital
in Chicago.
While
Priya was doing her M.B.B.S at Kilpauk
Medical College in Chennai, Swamiji used to mention that she would settle down
in Chicago. Once, Priya told Swamiji that she was
going to Singapore to write USMLE Step I; Swamiji said that Anjaneya would
accompany her. At the airport, somebody patted my shoulder saying
"Commissioner". When I turned back, I saw Swamiji in full suit in
which I could barely recognize him. When he said he was on his way to
Singapore, I realized his prophecy that Anjaneya would accompany Priya!
For
USMLE Step II, we had remitted about Rs.22000/- and booked tickets to Singapore.
The two nights before, Swamiji appeared in her dream asking
her not to proceed to Singapore; she was shocked. The next day when I took her
to Swamiji, he said that she would go to US, write Step II & III
in a centre starting with "I". When Priya
said that hard earned money would go waste, Swamiji said that she would be
compensated.
After
her M.B.B.S, we wanted to get her married. After hectic efforts, we approached Swamiji
with the divergent opinion of two astrologers. On seeing Aravind's
photo, he asked us to proceed and that Anjaneya would do the rest. The marriage
went through with Swamiji's blessings.
Priya had some apprehension earlier
regarding getting a visa for a medical graduate. She did not want her passport
to show her M.B.B.S degree. I told her that when Swamiji had told her that she
would go to the US, visa was not an issue. When she went for visa stamping, she
alone got the visa!
She
went to Chicago and wrote USMLE step II & III in
Illinois State. Swamiji had prophesied that she would take up the exams in a place
starting with "I"
.
Priya and Aravind
were in a rented apartment. Swamiji had told them that they would move over to
a house, which would be nearer to one of them. They shifted to Western Springs,
which was nearer to Aravind's office.
During
Hanumanth Jayanthi in 2005, by which time about seven
years of marriage life had gone by, they attended the Jayanthi in Chennai.
Swamiji told them that they had 'Puthra Bhagyam" that year and that Sri Anjaneya would come to
their house. Priya delivered a male child on
Saturday, the 5th November 2005 in Moola
constellation. Saturday, number 5, Moola constellation
are all associated with Sri Anjaneya!
Subsequently,
Swamiji told Aravind that he would do M.B.A, change
job for the better and move over to a bigger and spacious house. All these
happened in seriatim. He completed his M.B.A at Kellog's,
joined a Boyce paper as Senior Manager, moved over to a 4-bedroom house in Naperville
where Swamiji conducted a puja in 2009.
In
2007, Swamiji told Priya about a female child and
that event took place on 24th January 2008. Shriya
baby has been predicted to be a beautiful girl with musical talent and loved by
all. It is true. She makes everyone to look at her again.
Once,
Priya had a problem with her intestinal tube, a
medical problem difficult to cure. Mr. Rajaguru,
another Swamiji devotee, was in California then. Swamiji wanted to talk to Priya. He conveyed his desire to Mr. Rajaguru.
Ultimately, when Priya contacted Swamiji, with his blessings,
the problem was cured.
My
wife Visalam had a stroke due to hypertension in
2004, resulting in partial loss of vision. Swamiji told us several times that
both of us would go to the US and that he would give enough strength to her.
True to his words, we had a safe trip to the US in 2008 and with his blessings
she could withstand the long voyage!
On
19th February 2009, the health of my wife took a sudden down turn. She resisted
coming to the hospital; but Swamiji's words did the magic. She agreed to come
to hospital and but for the visit to hospital, anything could have happened.
Swamiji knew that the tests were essential; the creatinum
level was as high as 10.5 and hemoglobin was as low
as 7.5. Once, dialysis started, her condition improved to the extent that she
could come to the ashram and have Swamiji's blessings. Her vision has already
improved and Swamiji has blessed her that she would have still better vision in
future. This is the latest miracle in our family.
My
write up will not be complete without reference to my son. Swamiji had repeatedly
assured us there was no need to worry about him. He had prophesied that he
would be a computer professional even though he was a graduate in electrical
and electronics, and that he would go to the US in an unusual manner. Every
time he failed to get visa, Swamiji would repeat the message. He married in 2006
and his wife returned to US to rejoin work. As predicted by Swamiji, he went to
US on a dependant visa, got his green card in 2008, and is happily settled in
New Jersey.
Universal Benevolence
It
is remarkable that Swamiji's benevolence touches not only the devotees who
approach him directly; it keeps enveloping even those around them who have not
met him or heard about him.
Once,
Swamiji mentioned about Natarajan, my cousin-in law.
Swamiji said that I would get news from him. After a week, I had
information from Mumbai that his son Ashok had drowned in the sea off Goa. On
my return from Mumbai, Swamiji asked me whether I went
to Mumbai. I narrated the incident and asked him why he had not told me
the news earlier to which he quipped, Deiva Rahasiyam.
Once,
Swamiji mentioned about Seetha, my cousin living in
Delhi. He said she had problem on her leg; doctor would advice surgery, which
was not necessary. As I was to go to Delhi, Swamiji gave Vibhuthi for her. She walks
with her braces but no surgery was done. Swamiji further said that they would
come to Chennai and settle down near the ashram. When I told
Swamiji that her husband was taking up a post retirement assignment in a
college in Trichy, Swamiji replied that they would
settle down as told by him. True, they first purchased an apartment near Guindy Railway Station, and recently they shifted to Velacheri. The strange fact is that neither Natarajan nor Seetha have so
far met Swamiji.
Once,
Swamiji mentioned about Shantha, my wife's cousin.
Swamiji remarked that there was a problem in their house and that Sri Hanuman
would solve it. Her son and daughter-in-law were about to split but the
situation got amicable after Shantha had blessings of
Swamiji.
Once,
Swamiji mentioned about Ravi, my brother's son. Swamiji asked whether he and
his wife were aspiring for a child. They have visited the ashram a couple of times.
Once,
there was a puja at Mr. Sahu's house. My cousin Wg. Cdr Subramanian and his wife had come determined not to
ask about their son Ramasamy in Canada. Being
impatient they wanted to sneak out; but Swamiji stopped them and asked them
about Ramasamy and why they did not want to ask
anything about him. The couple was stunned. Swamiji kept them seated before him
well past midnight. The next week when they attended the puja in another devotee's
house nearby, Swamiji blessed him and sent him home with the remark that his presence
outside was essential. On reaching home, he found that one of his security
persons on duty had died warranting the movement of the body of the deceased to
Vellore
.
Once,
my brother-in-law was seriously ill and scheduled to meet the
surgeon. But Swamiji had told me that surgery was not necessary; as prophesied
by him the surgeon also ruled out surgery!
Swamiji!
You are unique and great. Our kodi pranams!
Capt.
K. Balasubramanian & Family
Chennai