Once my faith increased on Sainath, I started chanting Sai naam continuously. I used to chant during cooking, walking or in my free time when I was not focused on Engineering studies (coding programs or solving Maths problems).
I remember one student of MSc. from Mumbai she came to Bangalore to do her final year project. She was also Baba’s devotee. We became good friends within a week. She used to tell me lots of experiences of Baba. She had brought with her Sai Satcharitra book which she used to read everyday and also insisted me to read that.
During those times, I never used to visit any temple. Not even SaiBaba’s temple which was only five minutes of walk from where I lived. But I continued the practice of chanting. She encouraged me several times to read Sai-Satcharitra but I never paid any heed to her requests. One day she got tired of telling me repeatedly and said, “It’s your wish to read or not. I don’t know why I am telling you repeatedly, but I do want you to read this even though I know that until Baba wishes no one can read his stories.” The moment she said until Baba wishes no one can read his holy book, nor anyone can see him, this made me think.
Visiting Sai Baba’s temple everyday was her routine. One day she said, “It is okay if you don’t read the book, but at least you can come to the temple.” I replied to her, “No, I am not interested to visit any temple. By the way which are the deities/devas in the temple?” She said, “There is Rama, Goddess Durga, and in one corner big Saibaba’s idol is also there”. I said, “Rama left Sita so I don’t like him. Besides I have never seen any God/Goddess in my life. So I am not keen to visit any temple”. To this she said, “Fine since you chant Sai’s name, you worship him you may want to pray in front of SaiBaba’s statute in the temple.” Despite her best efforts, I never ventured into any temple.
Time progressed, she continued to tell me lots of her experiences. I started searching for an internship project. Due to certain financial problems at home, my aunt was supporting my education. In India internship works very differently. Most companies do not pay or in fact charge students. The companies believe that they are providing valuable experience to students and they must charge students for the training which they provide. We started approaching various companies but none of them were without charges.
I was getting worried. My friend said, “Don’t worry, I will ask my parents to help you and you can pay me later.” But I politely declined that help. One day I visited three companies but everywhere I got the same answer. By traveling on public buses and & walking long distances I was so much tired that I was unable to walk. Finally, I sat on the steps of a certain building I was passing by as no one was there afternoon at 4.30 pm.
I just put down my sack & drank water from my bottle and was almost into tears thinking about the financial problems which were limiting me to enroll for a paid internship. Tears rolled about the desperateness with which was searching a part-time job/internship and was not successful.
I just turned back, to see where I was sitting as I hadn’t realized what it was due to tiredness and preoccupancy with my thoughts. No sooner I turned back that I realized that I was sitting on the same temple steps near my PG! Temple was closed. So I couldn’t realize what it was as I never visited the temple ever before.
I looked at the temple’s closed doors and pleaded from the bottom of my heart to SaiBaba. “SaiBaba, I have listened to so many experiences of you from my friend. You know my problems. I don’t want any financial help to pay my project fee from anyone. If you are really watching us all, then I must get an opportunity to do a project work without paying any fees. Only then I will enter your temple.” By that time, ~4:45pm, temple’s priest came around and opened the temple gates. He asked me to come inside, but ignoring him, I just got up & started walking towards my PG.
I was such a stubborn that I didn’t listen to the priest also, although he asked me twice to come inside. I just said to him, “No, it’s late I need to go home.” At that time, I was so depressed, and I was remembering the same friend who told me to read Sai Satcharitra. Then next day itself I purchased a copy of Sai Satcharitra & started reading it in the hope that all the financial problems will be resolved & I would get to do project work without any fee.
After four months, I got selected for an internship at a very renowned & bit Government organisations’ R & D lab in Bangalore. I went through 13 rounds of interviews & so may written tests because they preferred mostly M. Tech., and I was only bachelors in engineering. After final round of interviews, they asked me to come back the following week.
While chanting Sai Sai in bus I went to the lab where I had applied. The Director called me in afternoon & said, “You have been selected. You must come daily to our office like a regular employee for 6 months to do the assigned work for the ongoing project. Get permission from your college to come here daily for next six months. You have to work on our live project which is in progress. We won’t charge a single rupee.”
I was wonderstruck when I heard that. I was assigned the task of building software related to the project. It made my day and I was very happy. I just couldn’t believe what I had heard on that day. That day while returning my PG, the first thing which I did was that I went to Sai-Baba’s temple. I went only in front of SaiBaba. This was the first time I had entered any temple!
I was remembering my friend who used to call me so many times to temple but I always denied. She had left for Mumbai earlier since her assigned project in Bangalore was complete. Since that day onwards I started to visit Sai-Baba’s temple regularly. I also started reciting Aarti of Sainath daily. By Sai’s grace, I got an extension to the project and before completion of my Engineering, I got a job also with the same organization as they liked my work. Although I did hard work, truly it’s only Sainath’s grace & kindness, that I was able to complete my Engineering successfully.
Anonymous: From a reader of the website https://saisaburi.org . The name withheld based on the request.
