MUKTHI DWARAM

Death is inevitable to all creatures. The desires and aspirations which the creatures had in their mind at the time of their last breath (the threshold of salvation), are fulfilled in their subsequent birth. So say Bhagavatgeetha and other sastras. Usually people will be spending all their lives with worldly thoughts. So they will get the same memories even at their last breath. But due to the merits of their previous lives, certain people resort to mahatmas and spend all their life time in their thoughts and service. Naturally, such people will get some such good memories at the last breath and so they get good positions in their next birth. When we go through the life history of Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Sai, we will find that many creatures have attained salvation or moksha in their holy company. Here, we will see some such instances from the life history of Sri Swamy.

One day a devotee came to Sai, to get proficiency in astrology with his grace. He gave a book of astrology to Sri Sai for his blessings. But Sai turned the pages of that book this way and that and gave the book to Bapusaheb Booty, who was a millionaire from Nagpur. But Booty has the least interest in that book. Yet with great reverence, as that was given with Baba's blessings, he used to turn the pages now and then. Mysteriously, he got great proficiency in that sastra. Booty was able to say in advance the number of votes with which his fnend was going to win in the elections. It came to be literally true.  Perhaps sadguru's grace was essential to obtain proficiency in these sastras. By the bye, did Sai recognise astrology as a valuable sastra or not ? Sri Sai had never, neither praised that sastra nor spoke against it. One day Sri Sai said to a man who was praising the greatness of the astrologers, "I am also like your astrologers. They took accounts of planets and are able to predict future to some extent only. But without any calculations I can tell you a little more further, except that, I do not have any special powers" he laughed.

In fact our Scriptures also divide education into Para and Apara education. The education that gives salvation or mukthi is called para education. The best sadakas are advised to resort to para education. Astrology, grammar etc., are called apara education. They are extrovert and worldly in nature. So they are not necessary for liberation. Sri Datta Swamy advised in Datta Mahima the importance of astrology in this way. Among the sastras, astrology is one which gained the reverence of people. So a sadaka can earn money and fame by helping the people in performing dharmik works through astrology. Such people by earning their livelihood, will gradually turn to the way of liberation. If we examine the sastras we come to know that the aim of astrology is only to know the relationship between "anda pinda brahmanda" and determine a favourable time to conduct yagna and yaga. So it has become one among the parts of vedas (Veda-anga) helping in expounding the meaning of Vedas. After some centuries, people began to predict fortune and future with the knowledge of astrology. But when it is used like that the Sastras will throw the man into mere delusion and deception. It will become a hindrance to ones total surrender before a sadguru. Man will fall a prey to the useless uncertainity, whether the doctrine of karma (work) is powerful or the power of Muhurtham (auspicious time) is powerful. People fall into such wasteful discussions and doubts. So it is said that an earnest seeker should keep all his attention on sadguru only, without touching these sastras. We will have a very good example in the life history of Sri Swamy.

Sompalli Ramanaidu (Nagulavellatur village) studied astrology and stayed in the service of Sri Swamy for a number of years. We do not know whether he served and worshipped Sri Swamy to get proficiency in that sastra. But in course of time he was able to predict the exact future very perfectly. He answered the questions of the people also. One day a house holder lost a necklace, with the help of his astrological calculations, Ramanaidu told that the lost necklace was in the thatched wall of their bath room. When they dismantled the thached wall of their bath room, they got the necklace in it. When a man lost his buffalo he said "Day after tomorrow, if you go at the sunrise to the village which is at a distance of three miles towards the north of your village you will get your buffalo". He did so and his buffalo was coming on the way. 

One day Sri Swamy was going on his tour to some other village. Ramanaidu asked for the permission of Swamy to stay back as his health was not good and stayed back. On the second day Sri Ramanaidu died in the ashramam at Golagamudi for no conspicuous reasons. When they told Swamy of this news Sri Swamy asked them to bury his body at a certain place in the ashramam. The devotees did so.

By the side of this Samadhi, there is the samadhi of polireddy garu, one of the servants of Sri Swamy. Polireddy always followed Sri Swamy and served him. Where ever Sri Swamy stopped, he went in search of that area and gathered leaf vegetable and cooked them and served them to Sri Swamy because Sri Swamy used to eat that leaf curry with great relish. Beyond this satisfaction, we find him desiring nothing from Sri Swamy. Forty days before his death Sri Swamy said to his servants "on the fortieth day the God will come for inquiry. On that day all of us should not touch even water". No body could understand the meaning of those words. On that day Sri Swamy was on the sea shore at Mypadu village. Abruptly Sri Swamy ordered "Ayyaa! till we reach Golgamudi Ashramam we should not touch even water. Let us start at once. We should not stay here for a minute". Due to cyclone the roads were damaged. There were no buses on that day in that route. They reached Nellore by walk and from there they came to Golagamudi in a taxi. Exactly at the time of Sri Swamy's order at Mypadu Polireddy died at Golagamudi. How and where to conduct his last rites, was the topic of discussion among the devotees at Golagamudi. They do not know the whereabouts of Sri Swamy for informing Swamy of Polireddy's death. Omniscient Swamy came to Golagamudi at the right time. With his own hands Sri Swamy performed the last rites to Polireddy's body.

Sri Swamy who showed so much of interest in the death of Polireddy did not attend to the last rites of Ramanaidu, Why? is the question of discussion, even today, for the devotees. Polireddy was an earnest seeker of liberation. He desired nothing but Sri Swamy's service. Sri Swamy with his own hands placed his body in the Samadhi. It is a proof that he got liberation. Ramanaidu was craving  after fame and name and he wanted proficiency in astrology. Even on that pretext he was lucky enough to breath his last in the sacred premises of Sri Swamy's ashramam. So Sri Swamy asked them to construct his Samadhi in the ashramam premises. Sri Sai said about Megha who served Sai with out expecting anything from Sai "He is my real Bhaktha". He, not only walked for some distance towards the burial ground but also with his own expenditure conducted Annasantharpana. "Selfless service is real Bhakthi".

While describing his Yogic sleep I have narrated how Sri Swamy has liberated Pabolu Subbamma my grand mother who chanted Sainam day and night in her last months. Merciful Swamy gave her his patha theertha and udhi at her last breath. Sri Swamy helped her to discard her mortal coil during the sacred Dhanurmasa (a pious month for Hindus).

An income tax officer (Nellore town) had brought up his pet dog with love and affection. When the dog was ill and the doctors failed they brought it to Swamy in a car. Sri Swamy saw the dog and the dog saw Sri Swamy and immediately the dog breathed its last. That creature which died in the presence of Sri Swamy should have certainly got Sadgathi. In Sri Sainaths life history too, a tiger left its mortal coil after seeing the merciful Sai. Korrakuti Narasimhulu Naidu (Golagamudi) and his wife were staunch devotees of Sri Swamy. They had great faith in the words of Sri Swamy. One day, Sri Swamy ordered Naidu to leave Golagamudi for a year and live somewhere west of Golagamudi. So they built a thatched house atTalupur snd lived there happily. If he did not follow the words of Sri  Swamy he would have entangled himself in a murder case, for no reason. 
 
     In 1983 his wife was suffering with cancer. They gave I up hope. They sought for Swamy's help. They were giving  the udhi and pathatheertha regularly. They also tied Sri Swamy's thread to her neck. K Bujjaiah had a dream. She was kept on abiei_and was decorated with garlands. Her face wast shining like the face of Goddess Kanaka Durga ofVijayawada. The next morning she actually died. Sri Bujjaiah and her relatives may think that Sri Swamy did not save her life. But as her life span was over, there was no scope to do anything! withJier. To inform this Sri Swamy gave a dream vision to| Bujjaiah. 
As she was made to appear in his dream with* heavenly brilliance we can be rest assured that her spirit got I liberation.

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