I was born in the year 1939 to my parents Sanjeev Reddy and Aiyamma of Iyyanneri village in Thiruthani taluk in composite Madras state. My medical undergraduate education was at Kurnool medical college. Later I completed super-speciality in Plastic Surgery from PGI Chandigarh and started working in the Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad. 

My first interaction with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was only after I got married. My wife’s family were devotees of Swami and because of her we would visit Prasanthi Nilayam once in a few months. But I came much closer to Bhagawan after retirement. Having had around 30 years experience as a plastic surgeon I wished to continue performing plastic surgery, but my heart’s wish was to serve in Bhagawan’s hospital in some capacity. I am talking about early nineties when there was no plastic surgery department at Swami’s hospitals. 

We first met the Medical Superintendent of the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital, Whitefield, Dr. Balasubramanium. He suggested that we should ask Swami directly and after His permission I should work where Swami tells me to. Swami at that time was in Prasanthi Nilayam. We came for Darshan, Swami looked at me and then called me and my wife for interview. 

Here I wish to say one thing. Swami only decides and Swami only implements. But He makes us believe that it is we who have the power to decide out fate, this is His Maya. 

In the interview, He asked, what I was planning. “ Whatever you say Swami,” I replied. “Right then work here,” Swami told. 

Swami then introduced me to Dr. H.S Bhatt, a legendary figure in the medical circles of India and who is considered the father of Indian Urology. Dr. Bhatt had established the Urology department at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram on the instructions of Bhagawan. Swami then looked at me and asked me when I would wish to join. I still had a month to go till my retirement, so I told Swami “after one month”. “ Which day Swami,” I asked. “ To start a good work all days are good,” was Swami’s reply. 

I joined the SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram, few days after Ganesh Chaturthi in the year 1997. Since then it has been a most enjoyable journey with Swami. I am a personal witness of His Divine  Leelas. A few I would share here. 

Few years had gone by when a patient came to our Plastic Surgery department. She had melanoma on the leg for which a wide excision was required and grafting had to be performed. It was quite a complex surgery. On the morning of the surgery, I got a urgent call from the ward nurse. From her excitement I knew something remarkable had taken place in the ward. When I witnessed it myself I was thoroughly surprised. There was vibhuti everywhere over the patient’s legs and only there nowhere else and as usual nobody knew where it came from. But we knew that it was Swami’s blessings to the patient and also to us. The surgery was performed and the recovery of the patient was a dream. She got perfectly well. 

On another occasion one of Dr. Bhatt’s relatives developed a fungating breast cancer. Dr.Bhatt a legend himself, knew well that the real medicine for any disease is Swami’ Grace. So one day when Swami came for Darshan Dr. Bhatt requested Swami to take care of the cancer. Swami created vibhuti with a wave of His hand and gave it to Dr. Bhatt. The vibhuti was applied on the diseased part and the cancer was cured. Yes, just like that.  

For Swami Seva or selfless service is of most importance. I will explain it now with a few experiences. 

One day while travelling by road in my car after leaving the hospital an auto rickshaw suddenly cut into my lane. It was scary enough that he suddenly cut into my lane but what was completely petrifying was the fact that I was approaching a culvert and to avoid a collision with the auto the only way I could go was headlong into a ditch. Finding no other way I swirled my car to the left overshot the bund and as expected went straight into the ditch and rammed into a stump of a tree.  It was a violent impact and I was seeing stars for quite some time. Anybody in my situation would have ended up with multiple fractures. But when I checked, all parts of my body seemed to be perfect. The car door creaked open with some difficulty and I came out. To my surprise I did not even have a scratch on my body. I checked the time, it was still sometime before Swami would come for Darshan. Leaving my car in the ditch, I took an auto rickshaw and reached Prasanthi Nilayam just in time for Swami’s arrival. Swami came and stood before me and smiled. I joined my hands and told Him, “Swami you saved me today,”. “Seva chesevarini save cheyyali kada”, Swami replied. Which means, “ I have to save the people who do my seva, isn’t it”.  

This incident should serve as an example for every Sai Devotee across the world. Please remember when we are performing any service of Swami big or small, it then becomes Swami’s responsibility to take complete care of not just us but also our near and dear ones. I will explain the latter part now.  

My daughter was married and was living in Detroit with her husband and was working as a Doctor. Suddenly she started suffering from acute depression. She would always feel as if all her collegues were against her and that she would be sent out of her job. This fear took deep rooted in her mind and she almost became a wreck. Our son-in-law called us from Detroit and requested that she spend some time with us, which may help her overcome her fears. Soon my daughter was with us in Puttaparthi. One day in Darshan I asked Swami about her. “Bring her here, I will talk to her,” Swami said. Swami granted her interview consecutively for five days and on the sixth day, all her symptoms of depression, her deep rooted fears just disappeared and happily she returned to Detroit to her husband. It was that simple with Swami. 

Interaction with Swami was not just about taking care and bringing people out of their difficulties, it was also about deep insights into every day matters. One I will quote here. 

One day Swami asked “ What is the cause of illness”. As a trained doctor I gave the standard reply. “ Swami stress, anxiety, tension”. Swami said, “ Hurry, worry, curry,”. 

“ But there is more,” Swami said. 

“Our thought, word and deed need to be in perfect harmony and our senses must be firmly under control. If they are under control, it becomes common sense, but if they control us then it becomes, non-sense,” He said with a twinkle in His eye.  I just sat there and marveled at how Swami had explained such difficult concept in such a simple way. 

This explanation from Swami also serves as a lesson to all of us. So next time we are taking a decision, let us step back and remember what Swami has said and then look back at the decision we are about to take. Is the decision driven by our desires which seek to gratify our senses or by our intellect. And once we are able to remove the hold our senses have on our choices then only our decision becomes “common sense” otherwise it would be “nonsense”.  

 Jai Sai Ram