AN EXPERIENCE BY DR VOLETI
KARAN DEWAN, MONDAY, APRIL 9,2018
WHEN WILL SWAMI VISIT AMERICA?
Once, a group of devotees from the US approached Dr. Choudhary Voleti (former director of SSSIHMS and ardent devotee of Bhagawan) and asked him, "Sir, when you go to Parthi, can you please ask Swami when He will come and visit America?"
So Dr. Voleti agreed and, in his next trip to Prasanthi Nilayam, asked Swami in the veranda, "Swami, when will You visit America?" he asked. Swami immediately smiled and replied, "Choudhary, ants always gather around sugar. Sugar never goes to the ants!" The message was loud and clear. He attracts all of us to Him and brings us all to His Lotus Feet.
So Dr. Voleti conveyed this message to that group of American devotees who had prompted him to ask that question. But they were not satisfied; they once again convinced him to try asking Swami the same question yet again. So in Dr. Voleti's next trip to Parthi, he asked Swami once again, "Swami, when are you going to visit the US?"
Swami this time smilingly answered, "Why should I go there? You have lots of $50 and $100 gurus with you there." Dr. Voleti was puzzled hearing this statement, and was wondering what Swami was referring to. So he just brushed that statement aside and returned to the US.
One day, his local Balaji temple was conducting a special yagna which Dr. Voleti had himself been instrumental in organizing. A so-called "guru" was presiding over that yagna. On the commencing day of the homam, one of the main organizers approaches Dr. Voleti and says, "Sir, before you sit down, kindly give us $52." So Dr. Voleti goes to the hundi to give the requested donation, and then proceeds to the site of the yagna.
As he approaches, this so-called "guru" announces, "Only yajumanis (donors) who have donated $50 can sit close to this yagna. Everyone else must sit back!" The moment this was said, Swami's words - "You have enough $50 and $100 dollar gurus in the US!"- rang in Dr. Voleti's ears. The message then came very clearly: Swami was not one to mix with frauds and cheap businessmen who go around asking for money in the name of religion and spirituality. He was here to give and not take and therefore was not to be associated with them!
But the story does not even end here. Again this group of American devotees pestered Dr. Voleti to try Swami once again and ask Him the same question that he had already asked Swami two times previously. So Dr. Voleti once again returned to Parthi, sat in the veranda, and for a third time asked, "Swami, when are You visiting America?"
Swami this time laughed and said, "But Choudhary, I am already there in the US!" Dr. Voleti was even more confused with this answer. What did Swami mean by Him being already there? So he just kept quiet and once again brushed it aside.
Two days later, there was some function and prasadam was being distributed. As part of that prasadam, each devotee in the veranda received a beautiful pocket-sized picture of Swami. As soon as Swami came out of the interview room, all of those seated in the veranda began stretching out their hands, holding the picture of Swami they had received in the hopes that Swami would sign each of them. So each devotee was trying to stretch their picture out more than the other, and Dr. Voleti was no exception.
Being rather tall, he had somewhat of a competitive advantage so to speak against the rest. But Swami had His own lesson to teach. Swami noticed Dr. Voleti stretching his picture out and remarked, “Choudhary, you have 2 pictures of Me in every room in your house at America. Why do you want this one to be signed?” At that moment, Dr. Voleti realized, truly Swami was with him in America. How else could He know such a personal detail? Indeed, Swami proved Himself to be with Dr. Voleti and with each of us, whether we live in Parthi or in the United States (or elsewhere).
How beautifully Swami taught each of us through Dr. Voleti such profound lessons! First: He attracts us all to Him, being the Supreme Magnet, the sugar of all sweetness. Second: He is in no way comparable to those who claim to be gurus and Swamis and yet travel across the globe begging for money. He is the eternal Sadguru and Jagadguru, come to grant us all the highest gift of liberation. And finally third: He need not come all the way to the US, for He is already here and everywhere, in the hearts of each one who calls out to Him with faith and surrender.
Let us not merely install Him as pictures in our rooms, but let us firmly install Him in our hearts. Swami used to say of the Gopikas, “Krishna was imprinted on their hearts, just like a picture is imprinted on a piece of paper.”
May we too imprint Him in our hearts just like that so that we can see Him, hear Him, feel Him, enjoy Him, and experience the bliss of complete oneness with Him.
So Dr. Voleti agreed and, in his next trip to Prasanthi Nilayam, asked Swami in the veranda, "Swami, when will You visit America?" he asked. Swami immediately smiled and replied, "Choudhary, ants always gather around sugar. Sugar never goes to the ants!" The message was loud and clear. He attracts all of us to Him and brings us all to His Lotus Feet.
So Dr. Voleti conveyed this message to that group of American devotees who had prompted him to ask that question. But they were not satisfied; they once again convinced him to try asking Swami the same question yet again. So in Dr. Voleti's next trip to Parthi, he asked Swami once again, "Swami, when are you going to visit the US?"
Swami this time smilingly answered, "Why should I go there? You have lots of $50 and $100 gurus with you there." Dr. Voleti was puzzled hearing this statement, and was wondering what Swami was referring to. So he just brushed that statement aside and returned to the US.
One day, his local Balaji temple was conducting a special yagna which Dr. Voleti had himself been instrumental in organizing. A so-called "guru" was presiding over that yagna. On the commencing day of the homam, one of the main organizers approaches Dr. Voleti and says, "Sir, before you sit down, kindly give us $52." So Dr. Voleti goes to the hundi to give the requested donation, and then proceeds to the site of the yagna.
As he approaches, this so-called "guru" announces, "Only yajumanis (donors) who have donated $50 can sit close to this yagna. Everyone else must sit back!" The moment this was said, Swami's words - "You have enough $50 and $100 dollar gurus in the US!"- rang in Dr. Voleti's ears. The message then came very clearly: Swami was not one to mix with frauds and cheap businessmen who go around asking for money in the name of religion and spirituality. He was here to give and not take and therefore was not to be associated with them!
But the story does not even end here. Again this group of American devotees pestered Dr. Voleti to try Swami once again and ask Him the same question that he had already asked Swami two times previously. So Dr. Voleti once again returned to Parthi, sat in the veranda, and for a third time asked, "Swami, when are You visiting America?"
Swami this time laughed and said, "But Choudhary, I am already there in the US!" Dr. Voleti was even more confused with this answer. What did Swami mean by Him being already there? So he just kept quiet and once again brushed it aside.
Two days later, there was some function and prasadam was being distributed. As part of that prasadam, each devotee in the veranda received a beautiful pocket-sized picture of Swami. As soon as Swami came out of the interview room, all of those seated in the veranda began stretching out their hands, holding the picture of Swami they had received in the hopes that Swami would sign each of them. So each devotee was trying to stretch their picture out more than the other, and Dr. Voleti was no exception.
Being rather tall, he had somewhat of a competitive advantage so to speak against the rest. But Swami had His own lesson to teach. Swami noticed Dr. Voleti stretching his picture out and remarked, “Choudhary, you have 2 pictures of Me in every room in your house at America. Why do you want this one to be signed?” At that moment, Dr. Voleti realized, truly Swami was with him in America. How else could He know such a personal detail? Indeed, Swami proved Himself to be with Dr. Voleti and with each of us, whether we live in Parthi or in the United States (or elsewhere).
How beautifully Swami taught each of us through Dr. Voleti such profound lessons! First: He attracts us all to Him, being the Supreme Magnet, the sugar of all sweetness. Second: He is in no way comparable to those who claim to be gurus and Swamis and yet travel across the globe begging for money. He is the eternal Sadguru and Jagadguru, come to grant us all the highest gift of liberation. And finally third: He need not come all the way to the US, for He is already here and everywhere, in the hearts of each one who calls out to Him with faith and surrender.
Let us not merely install Him as pictures in our rooms, but let us firmly install Him in our hearts. Swami used to say of the Gopikas, “Krishna was imprinted on their hearts, just like a picture is imprinted on a piece of paper.”
May we too imprint Him in our hearts just like that so that we can see Him, hear Him, feel Him, enjoy Him, and experience the bliss of complete oneness with Him.
May Swami bless each of us with the grace to practice these lessons in our daily lives.
Jai Sai Ram!
Jai Sai Ram!
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