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Swami came to me with so much love that I forgot all my pain and suffering, and I was very happy. Then he began chanting to me.”
This patient was in extreme pain and had lost some control of her legs. She was relatively young and faced a slowly debilitating illness. I was thrilled that Swami had come to give her peace and hope.
I asked if she could remember what he was chanting, and she said, “Wait a minute,” and then slowly and haltingly began chanting, “Om bhoor bhuvah suvaha.”
She struggled with the words, but I could clearly make out that she was chanting the great Gayatri mantra. Astounded, I said, “My goodness, how can you remember a Sanskrit mantra from your dream?”
“No, it’s not like that,” she said. “Sai Baba was chanting, but the sound wasn’t coming from his mouth, it was radiating from his heart. I didn’t hear it with my ears, but with my heart. The sound entered my heart, and I can hear it there now.”
What an extraordinary experience for my patient and also for me! This deep and divine heartfelt reality is truly God’s love. When we wonder how deep Swami’s love is for us, or the power and glory of his name or of his holy mantras, we can draw upon this incident to know that he is one with his name and with the Gayatri. He is not separate from us, but rather lives in our hearts as love that can soothe, comfort, and even heal us at any time.
Hanuman and the Power of God’s Name
Frequently in April, to be in a cooler climate and a more relaxed seing, Swami travels to Kodaikanal, a mountain town in South India. Students and teachers from the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning accompany him. Professor Sampath, past vice chancellor of the university, related events that occurred on one such trip.
When all were together one day, Swami told a story about Hanuman, the great devotee of Rama who was in the form of
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