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Mr. Ratanlal took this photograph of
Bhagavan in 1969, after Baba had materialized a statue of Lord Sri Krishna.
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My Experiences
with the Divine
by Mr. Ratanlal
Brindavan, India
Published: Trayee Saptamayee, 1995
Web Posted: July 28, 1999
Mr. Ratanlalji was a chairman of several business enterprises, as
well as an eminent social worker in Bombay. Mr. Ratanlalji was also a member of the Maharashtra
legislative council for 10 years.
Currently retired, Mr. Ratanlalji resides in Brindavan and is
respected as an excellent speaker on Advaita (non-dualism) philosophy.
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Any human effort
to describe the divine is bound to be imperfect. However, we must try to express our humble
understanding of Bhagavan, who is the embodiment of absolute purity, perfection, peace and power.
Each writer tries to project his glory according to his own understanding. I give below some of my
personal experiences with the avatar.
In 1969, the Rajmata of Jamnagar had prayed to Bhagavan to come to Jamnagar. Bhagavan acceded to
her request and visited the state. I had the privilege of accompanying Bhagavan along with other
devotees. After a couple of day’s stay at the Jamnagar palace, we visited the temples of
Somanath and Dwaraka. We all know how word of Bhagavan's visit to a place spreads far and wide. A
number of cars were following us as we approached the Krishna temple of Dwaraka. There was such a
big crowd that some of us could not reach anywhere near the idol of Lord Sri Krishna. After the
visit, Bhagavan came back to His car and we proceeded to the guesthouse. On the way, I casually
mentioned to Bhagavan that, because of the very large crowd at the temple, we could not get close
enough to see the idol of Lord Sri Krishna. Thereupon Bhagavan said, "Oh! Do you want to go
back to see the idol of Lord Sri Krishna? I will give you a car and you can go and see it." I
replied, "No Bhagavan. I am quite happy with our Sai Krishna." Thereafter, we took lunch
and rested at the guesthouse.
While returning, Bhagavan instructed the driver to stop the car by the side of a small hill. Beyond
the hill was the sea. None in the party knew about it. Bhagavan stepped out and waded into the sea.
After some time, He sat down on the sandy beach. All of us sat around Him. Mother Easwaramma was
also there. Bhagavan began making a mound of sand in front of Him and started drawing something on
top of the mound. After a few minutes, He announced, "Now it is ready." We kept silent
wondering what was ready. Bhagavan raised His sleeve and putting His hand into the mound, took out
a statue of Lord Krishna in pure gold weighing about two kilograms (see photo). He gave it
to a devotee.
In the early 70's there used to be a smaller crowd of devotees compared to what we witness now.
Bhagavan used to dwell at length on spiritual subjects with devotees, collectively and
individually. One day, I was sitting at the lotus feet of Bhagavan, and He was explaining the
significance of 'Tat-twam-asi' (Thou art that) to me. It implies that the essence of the
individual and the universal is One, i.e., 'the divine atma'. He was kind enough to explain
this in detail. After about half an hour, my gaze turned towards my lap. There, to my utter
amazement, I saw a lovely unseasonable red apple from Kashmir. It was my favorite variety of apple.
The apple was not there placed by anybody, nor had anybody entered the room. I asked Bhagavan with
surprise, "Where has this apple come from?". Bhagavan very sweetly smiled, and said,
"Oh, you did not have any tiffin and lunch. So I thought that you would be
hungry." His thought can take shape of concrete objects. I immediately pocketed the apple to
share it later with family members. Seeing this Bhagavan said, "No, no! It is meant for you.
You eat it right now". Bhagavan also gave me a small knife to cut it, and as per His divine
command I ate it then and there.
In Brindavan, we normally stood in the compound of Bhagavan's mandir along with students. One day,
Bhagavan came near me and gave me a wet leaf from a shrub. He said, "Take it and keep it in your
hand," remarking, "this too is God". I held it tightly in my fist. Bhagavan went out to give
darshan to the devotees, and returned after about twenty minutes. He came straight to me and
asked me for the leaf. I opened my palm and He picked it up and blew on it. It was instantly
transformed into a small Shivaling. Bhagavan handed it to me and asked me to wear it around
my neck. I noticed that there was no hole in it, but before I could tell Him, Bhagavan looked at me
and said, "There is no hole in it. Give it back to me." Bhagavan blew on it once again, and a hole
appeared in it.
On another occasions, we were standing outside Trayee Brindavan mandir. As Bhagavan came out of the
mandir, He gave me a small tulasi (basil) leaf. I held it in my hand. After giving
darshan, He came back and went straight into the mandir. I was quite perplexed. I wondered
what I should do with the perishable tulasi leaf. Bhagavan was leaving for Prasanthi Nilayam
within an hour. As we waited outside, Bhagavan came out and called the students inside. All others
assembled there followed them. When I went Bhagavan called me and inquired about the tulasi
leaf. I still had it in my hand. In front of everyone, Bhagavan blew on it and transformed it into
a golden tulasi leaf. Then He stood and broke that gold leaf, and inside, there was the
original green leaf. We all stared wide-eyed at this phenomenon. As if that was not enough,
Bhagavan again blew on it. The golden leaf disappeared, and the original tulasi leaf lay on
the palm of His hand.
Earlier, in 1967, Bhagavan made me a member of His service and spiritual organization in Bombay by
placing a badge on my shirt. Later, He told Sri Kasturi to take me to the canteen for a cup of
coffee. As we returned to the room, Bhagavan looked pointedly at me and in a stern voice asked me,
"Who are you?" I hesitated to give an answer. With hands folded, I looked humbly at Him. Then,
Bhagavan started talking to some other people for about ten minutes or so, and again in the same
manner asked me, "Who are you?" as if I had intruded into the gathering. Again, I remained silent
with folded hands. Again, Bhagavan talked to the other people for fifteen or twenty minutes and
then for the third time looked at me piercingly and asked, "Who are you?"
Upon hearing this, Sri Kasturi took pity on me and tried to intervene by telling something to
Bhagavan. Bhagavan immediately asked him not to intervene. The third time also my reaction was the
same. I stood in silence with folded hands. I took it as an informal method, not ritualistic, of
His initiating me on the path of self-inquiry. After about twenty years, once, when I was with
Bhagavan in His car, He said, "The core of your being is consciousness, but do not meditate or
contemplate on the consciousness aspect (sat), but on your eternal being (chit). If you concentrate
upon consciousness, the mind jumps and bumps."
Bhagavan often says that the sky is one but the stars are many, earth is one but the nations are
many. He emphasizes the oneness of everything. At times, He says everything is nothing, and nothing
is everything. He wants us to travel from animality to humanity and from humanity to divinity.
Bhagavan stresses on purity, unity and divinity. Bhagavan’s mission of international integration is
being witnessed by all of us who gather in Prasanthi Nilayam on festivals and other days. People
from all parts of the world gather at the lotus feet and live like brothers and sisters. Many
devotees from overseas are serious seekers of the spirit. If you walk along in the evenings. In
Prasanthi Nilayam, you see some people singing bhajans, some sitting in meditation, and yet others
studying books. The different religions are only different pathways leading to a single goal. What
is the goal? God realization or Self-realization is the goal. Both of these mean the same. Bhagavan
says, "God is as far from you as you are from yourself", implying that the self and God are
identical. He also says that He knows how, when and what to do with each one of us. He teaches us
to accept the Will of God without any reservations. Let us cultivate absolute faith in Bhagavan and
surrender to Him totally.
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