ALL OUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED

ALL OUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED

 

Baba promised, "I shall fulfill the desires of all" in Sri Sai Satcharitra, ch. XXXIX & L.

 

Prayers are answered every day. At this second, somewhere, a prayer is being fulfilled. But most answers come without fanfare. There is no clap of thunder. They arrive through the mail, over the phone, by a messenger, through the comments of a stranger. More often still, they reach you through the gifts already bestowed on you.

 

Doc Webb, owner of the world's most unusual drugstore, was a hardheaded businessman, skeptical about many things, but a firm believer in people and power of prayer. He began with an enormous amount of faith, but that faith became invincible the day an urgent message of his received a strange reply.

 

Webb built and operated Webb's City, a sprawling emporium located in St. Petersburg, Florida. At one time in his building expansion, he was having difficulty borrowing sufficient funds to keep abreast of rising costs. The newest building program was well under way, but the expenses had exceeded the estimates. He held a conference with James Horace Willis, his executive Vice President.

 

"I told Willis that we had to have $40,000/- if we were going to pull out of the hole," he later reported, "and we were both praying for divine help when we went home from the store that night."

 

The next morning, in the mail, there was a cheque from United States Treasury Department for almost exactly that amount. Since Webb had been trying to get a refund on taxes, he assumed this money had been sent by the Internal Revenue Department. The cheque saved Webb's business, but the curious fact is that the cheque had been mailed to Webb by mistake! Since it was the Government's error, officials gave him four years to pay it back, and by then he could afford to, with interest.

 

 

 

(Written by E. F. Wells in Mira May-June 2004)

 

SIMILAR EXPERIENCE BY KAKA SAHEB DIXIT:

 

As for Dixit's own financial position, there was, for a long time, a period of depression, but there was no positive distress. Contentment was ingrained in Dixit', and he was always saying to himself,

 

Tevile Anante, Tase Rahave,

which is the same as

Alla Rakhega Vyso Rahena

Maula Rakhega Vysa Rahena

 

This means, 'We must be content with the lot assigned to us by God.' So, he was generally contented and retained his mental peace in the midst of lack of funds and income. However, special occasions arose and his faith in Baba was tested and confirmed.

 

Some time after Baba passed away, Kaka had to meet a heavy obligation of Rs. 30,000 to be paid to a Marwadi. The day for payment was drawing near, and Kaka could not see how to get funds for meeting this large demand. One night, as he was sleeping, he had a dream, and in his dream, his creditor was pressing him for payment. In the dream, he assured the creditor, "Oh, don't you fear. I have my friend Sir Chunnilal, Sir Chimanlal etc., all of them knights, and they will provide the money". Suddenly, he woke up and remembering the dream, he bitterly repented his stupid folly in relying upon 'Sir' this and 'Sir' that who are just persons who will fail to help at the crucial moment. He felt that the only person on whom he could rely for getting help was Baba, and cursed his folly in relying upon such useless human help. He resolved not to think of these 'Sirs' at all, and to rely confidently and boldly upon Sai Baba alone to furnish him with funds and that too in time. His views are thus expressed in stanza 343 of Sai Natha Mananam,

 

Nathe nah purushottame trijagataam

Ekadhipe chetasaam

Sveye swasya padasya datari Vibhow

Sayeescvare tishtati

Yam Kamchit purushadhamam

Laghubalam Sarakhyam Alpartadam

Sahyartham mrigayamahe naram aho

Mudha Varakaa vayam

 

Which means – "While there is our supporter Purushothama, i.e., the supreme person, the Lord of the three worlds, worthy of soul's worship, the omnipotent Sayiswara, we (i.e., I) turn to some weak and low persons with the title 'Sir' who gives little, for help! Alas what folly is this!"

 

He sat up in his office room on a chair and was waiting and waiting till the actual date of payment came. Till the last moment, no money was forthcoming. But at the last moment, a young man, the son of a rich friend of his, came asking for his advice. He said that after his father's death, he was managing his property, and had to find an investment for his money. He said, just then he had brought with him Rs. 30,000/- and wanted to know from Dixit what would be best investment. Kaka, after explaining the pros and cons of other investments, finally told him that he was in urgent need of Rs. 30,000/- and he would be glad to have it on any reasonable terms, but that it was his duty to explain to the lender that his practice had gone down, that his income was very low, though his properties in the shape of bungalows were there, and that it was his duty to point out the danger and disadvantage of lending to such person. The young man, however, made up his mind to lend the money to him on account of his being his father's friend, and thus the creditor of Dixit was paid in time. But who could know where the sum of Rs. 30,000/- was with a person with a mind to be influenced to lend it to Dixit? Baba alone could know. Baba alone could influence the possessor of the funds. It is just like this that at the crucial moment Baba acts often! For instance Baba operated on the minds of Brahmins to come to do Pitru Sraddha for Jog just at the neck of time. (BCS 377-8). He influenced the appellate Magistrate's mind to deal summary justice to his convicted servant Raghu. He influenced the minds of Government members to refrain from granting sanction against Khaparde for prosecution (BCS 402-5) He influenced the minds of all sundry to turn Upasani Maharaj back to Shirdi in June 1911 (BCS 635) It is this Baba who knows all facts and grips all minds who brought Kaka's friend's son in time with Rs. 30,000/- to clear off Kaka's debt, and Kaka had many instances like this confirming him in his attitude of utter childlike relations on his Guru even in financial matters.

 

 

 

 

(Written by HH Pujyasri B V Narasimah Swamiji in Life of Sai Baba, Vol. 2)