Dr Vinny Chitluri, pays tribute to Radhakrishna Mai, one of Sai Baba's most intimate devotee whom He referred to as his Mother. Vinny Ma tells us all about Radhakrishna Mai, her life, her devotion and seva to Baba by reading out a letter written by Rege, and information from other sources.

'Narhari Meets Baba' is the 74th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'They Meet Baba In The Dense Forest' is the 73rd story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'We Have Ties From Many Previous Births' is the 72nd story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'Baba Came and Promised Justice' is the 71st story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'When I Am Here, Why Fear' is the 70th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'The Miracle of the Ever Increasing Rice' is the 69th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'My Doctor Is The Father of Dhanwantari' is the 68th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'The Fakir Protected Him Whenever He Fell ILL' is the 67th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'Baba's Leela of The Green Mangoes' is the 66th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'Mahali Loved Baba Passionately' is the 65th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'Chandrabai Borkar Was Devoted to Baba' is the 64th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'Baba Goes to Bhivpuri' is the 63rd story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba.

'Baba’s unique way of showering his love' is the 62nd story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba. Transcript Baba played with children and that was quite natural, but surprisingly he played pranks with Tatya Kote Patil, a grown man. Baba and Tatya had deep Rinanubandhik ties, and intense, immeasurable love for each other. The Parabrahma who created the whole cosmos would dance for Tatya. In the afternoons, when nobody was around, Baba performed for Tatya just to hear him laugh. Tatya, on the other hand, would carry Baba around. Tatya would put his hand under Baba’s buttocks and lift Him. “Arre Kothya, I’ll fall. Be careful or you will sprain a muscle,” cautioned Baba. But, no such thing ever happened. Could the Lord who created this universe ever fall? Unfortunately, very little information is available on Tatya, but a few interesting facts are given here. His mother, Baija Bai Ganpat Kote, was the first devotee to feed Baba. Baba said that she was his sister in a previous incarnation. So He lovingly ate the food that she brought. Tatya, from a young age, saw his mother take care of Baba’s meagre needs. Tatya was much younger than Baba. He considered Baba as his loving uncle and called him Mama. Tatya became very close to Baba around the age of 5 or 6 years. It seemed as if Baba could not, or rather would not, do many things without Tatya. It was Tatya who went to the Chavadi to bring Him back to the Dwarka Mai on alternate days. Baba would wait for him no matter how late he got. Tatya would place his hand in Baba’s armpit and raise Him to a standing position. Then he would say, “Mama, let’s go to the Dwarka Mai.” Only then would Baba go. Nor would Baba go for the Chavadi procession until Tatya came and took Him there. Tatya had the honour of lighting Baba’s Chillum and he had the first puff. Only then would Baba take a puff, and between the two of them, they would finish smoking the Chillum. He was the only devotee who could pacify Baba when he flew into a rage. Many times, Tatya would get upset with Baba and he would go away and sulk in the Chavadi. Baba could not bear the thought of his beloved Tatya staying away from Him. After a while, He would send some devotee to go and fetch him. Tatya would then sulk some more and tell the devotee to leave him alone. Repeatedly, Baba would send for him, then Tatya would come and both of them would be happy. Oftentimes, both of them would sulk like little children, then Dixit would pacify both of them. Baba was fond of wrestling, and Tatya often invited wrestlers to Shirdi. Then matches were set, and Baba gave the winners handsome amounts of money. Tatya also invited jugglers and organised shows and the whole of Shirdi would be entertained. Kirtans, Hari Katha and devotional songs, or Bhajans, would be organised by him. Another noteworthy deed that Tatya did was to repair the old heritage temples of Shirdi. Liberally, he spent his own money and repaired the Ganapati, Shani, and Mahadev temples. He was instrumental in constructing the temple of Maruti, who is the presiding deity of the village. Unfortunately, these heritage temples have been destroyed, and new temples stand in their place. This would have saddened his tender heart. At the end of 2009, the Maruti Mandir was torn down and a new temple now stands in its place. Tatya owned vast acres of land and was a farmer by profession. He was just and honest in his dealings. The villagers respected him and brought their problems and disputes to him, and abided by his decision. Thus, the title of Patil suited him amply. The decision to place Baba’s body in Butti Wada was carried out only after he was consulted. Although he was very sick at that time, Ramchandra Dada Patil waited for Tatya to approve of the decision. Although Tatya had three wives, he did not have any progeny. One day, Baba sent for Rambha, Tatya’s eldest wife. He sat her down near Dhuni Mai, and filled her Oti. This he did with the most unusual things. He placed two bricks and some Udi in it, and blessed her. Then, a son was born to her, who was named Bajirao. The family believed that Baija Mai had reincarnated as this child. Thus, Baba kept his promise to Baija Mai to give Tatya Santhithi. Baba, however, also gave him Sampathi, which he used very wisely. Once, in the month of Pitru Paksh, a feast was given in honour of their ancestors. Baija Mai was extremely busy looking after the Brahmins and the numerous guests that she had invited. Thus, she forgot to send a platter of food to Baba. When she realised her mistake, it was about 4 p.m. Nonetheless, she prepared a platter with unleavened bread and cooked vegetable dishes, and asked a little girl to deliver it to Baba. Upon seeing the platter, Baba told the girl to take it back as He wanted to eat Kadhi that day. He said, “Th...

'Shyam Karna - Baba’s Horse' is the 61st story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba. Transcript Qasim, a horse merchant, was distraught because his mare was barren. He promised Baba that if his mare had a foal, he would offer the firstborn to him. By Baba's grace, the mare did have a series of foals. So he came and presented the firstborn to Baba. Baba called him Shyam Karna as this horse was brown in colour with black ears, and hence its name. Many devotees call this horse Shyam Sunder. However, Baba called him Shyam Karna because of the colour of his ears. The Samadhi of Shyam Karna I have often wondered why a Fakir would want to keep a horse. The word ‘Ashwa’ has many meanings. ‘Ashwa’ means the great eater. So one can possibly say that the horse represents the destruction, or eating away, of our karmas. ‘Ashwa’ also means infinite knowledge. This knowledge could help in dispelling the love for the transient, materialistic things, thus ending the lure of temporary and worldly things and helping one on the journey from the Unreal to the Real. Lord Indra represents ego. He rides a horse. The Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad, chapter 1, ovi 5 describes the symbology of the horse as follows. As it is too long, I will give a few points. The head of the sacrificial horse is dawn; the eyes the sun; its open mouth the fire called Vaisvanara; and the body is the year. Its back is heaven; the belly is the sky; its hoof the earth; its sides the four quarters or time of day; its ribs the intermediate quarter; its genitalia the season; the joints the months and the fortnight; its yawning the lightning; its shaking of the body the thunder; its making water (urinating) the rain, and its name the voice. The word ‘Shyam’ literally means flawless, pleasing black, but the word in Hindu mythology could mean pure and holy. It has been prefixed by other words to convey different meanings. For example, Shyam Sunder is used to refer to Shri Lord Krishna and Shyam Kanta to Lord Shiva. Shyam was the name of the horse of the Ashwa of the Ashwamedha. The Rinanubandh between Shyam Karna and Baba was deep. At every Aarti, he danced with joy, and after the Aarti, he was the first to bow to Baba. Baba then applied Udi to his forehead, and then gave the rest of the Bhaktas Udi. The horse symbolises the whole cosmos, and it bowed before Baba and danced with joy when Baba was being worshipped. Little wonder that his Samadhi is in Lendi Bagh. The horse was housed in a room situated on the eastern side of the Dwarka Mai, which is now called Shyam Sunder Hall. The trainer, Khasgiwala, saw to it that the horse was well looked after, and decked with the trappings that are now exhibited in the museum. Shyam Karna was taught to stand in front of Baba, climb the steps of the Dwarka Mai, and do Namaskaar to Baba, and later to Baba’s Samadhi. At about one o'clock, the noon Aarti was performed with grandeur. At that time, Shyam Karna was bedecked with the Mala, anklets, and tiny bells and looked quite regal and royal. He stood in the centre of the Sabha Mandap, where the marble tortoises are, and waited patiently for the Aarti to start. The devotees stood on either side of him, and when the Aarti started, he danced merrily, keeping beat with the tiny bells tied to his feet. After Baba’s Lalkari, he climbed the central steps of the Dwarka Mai and bowed to Baba. Then Baba applied Udi to his forehead and blessed him. After this, the other devotees received Udi and Prasad. After Baba’s Mahasamadhi, he attended the Aartis in the Samadhi Mandir and bowed to Baba’s Samadhi. On Vijayadashami, he was bedecked with all the trappings and was taken out in procession. Before the processions, the devotee would take a rupee coin and wave it around his head. This was done to dispel the effects of the evil eye. On Chavadi procession days, he led the procession, dancing all the way to the Chavadi. After this, when Baba entered the Chavadi, he stood facing Baba. Shyam Karna died in 1945. His Samadhi is in Lendi Bagh. The above information was taken from the annals of the Khasgiwales. Krishna Kashinath Khasgiwale, alias Nana Saheb Krishnaji, that is Nana Saheb, was born in Karala in Ratnagiri district. He was a Brahmin of the Limaye caste. His ancestors migrated from the coast of Maharashtra. His forefathers were brave men and well-built. Jwaji Pant, alias Anna Khasgiwala, en route to the mainland, carried with him only two sets of clothes and food. On the way, he was blessed with a vision of Jyotiba (a deity). The blessing of Jyotiba enabled him to procure a job as Khasgiwale (Manager) in the Peshwa dynasty. Hence, the title of Khasgiwala was conferred on him. With the title came affluence and power and his family lived well. Nana Saheb was born in the Khasgiwale family at the time wh...

'Baba’s name - a mantle of protection' is the 60th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba. Transcript The next two experiences are of a judicial officer, whose name is not mentioned. He states, “I have a great deal of reverence for sages and saints. One summer, I was fortunate to meet Bala Swami at Virudhachalam. He looked like a boy, though he was much older. He was a linguist, but had taken the vow of silence. When we prostrated before him, he was writing something on paper with his left hand, as his right hand was held up above his head for many years as a form of penance. We sat in his presence for about 10 minutes and then wanted to take his leave. At first, he nodded his assent. Then as we were leaving, he signalled to us to stay. He then turned to me and gave me a scroll of paper, on which was written Sai Baba’s name 108 times. He instructed me to keep the paper with me at all times, and to write Baba’s name 108 times daily. “While parting, he distributed Udi to all of us, then we proceeded to worship at the Virudhachalam temple. I was not inclined to follow any of his instructions and I gave the scroll of paper to my son. After worshipping the deity in the temple, we were circumambulating Shiva in the big temple. By then, it was dusk and soon got quite dark when I got stung by some noxious creature on my big toe. I used my flashlight to see what it was but couldn’t see anything. Rapidly, the excruciating pain ascended to my hip joint. As the pain was unbearable, my relatives wanted to fetch a carriage for me as our room was about two miles away. It was then that I realised that I had made a mistake by not keeping the scroll of paper with me. I took the paper from my son and kept it in my waist cloth. Within a few moments of doing this, the pain rapidly decreased in my body, except on the toe where I had been stung. Thus I was able to walk back and slept well that night. The lesson was learnt, and I kept the paper with me as Baba’s mantle of protection. Needless to say, I became devoted to Baba.” The power of Baba’s name struck home a month later. The officer was on a train going to Tirupati. He states, “At a station, a peon of the Department of Railways got into my compartment howling with pain. He was stung by a scorpion on his right forefinger. It was swollen and the pain was travelling up to his shoulder. He pleaded to all and sundry to do something to relieve this intolerable pain. He begged us to pronounce some Mantra for relief. Not being a Mantravadi, I kept quiet for some time. But the heart-wrenching cries of the peon touched my heart as I remembered my own experience a month ago. I resolved to try the effect of my charm, i.e., the scroll with my Sai Mantra. “I called the peon to come sit near. I took out the folded scroll and touched him with it. I started with his neck and made passes down to his right forefinger, all the while, mentally repeating Baba’s name 108 times. As soon as this was done, the man’s pain started subsiding. It became localised to his wrist. I repeated the procedure a second time, and the pain became localised to the area that was stung. I told him that the localised pain would remain for 24 hours, and I put the scroll away safely. I now have sufficient proof and faith in Baba’s name, and I write His name 108 times daily in a book. I have also realised the power of Naam Jap.” This Leela was taken from the Sai Sudha magazine, vol. 3, parts 1-3, October 1942.

'My Charitra isn’t a pillow' is the 59th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba. Transcript A.M. Narsimha Prasad is now a healthy 70 year old man, but in September 2006, the chances of his survival were slim. He was an atheist, and drank alcohol from the moment he woke up in the morning until he went to sleep at night. His wife was devoted to Baba, and he often drove her to the Sai Baba temple, and waited outside the temple for her. In the month of September, he was rushed to the hospital as he was getting drowsy and losing consciousness. He was admitted and his blood tests were done. At that time, his abdomen was bloated as it was full of fluid, and his liver was totally damaged by alcoholic cirrhosis. The doctor told his family to take him home as he would not survive for more than two days. He further stated that the liver enzymes were so high that even a liver transplant would fail. As he was slipping into a coma, he was kept in the hospital and palliative treatment was started. His friend, Nagesh Reddy, came to visit him and brought a Sai Satcharitra along with him. Seeing Prasad’s serious condition, Nagesh kept the book on his chest and prayed for his survival. Prasad, however, took the book and kept it under his pillow as he did not plan to read it. Then he slipped into a coma. At midnight, he opened his eyes and asked for food, and relapsed into a coma. The doctor was informed and treatment was continued. 48 hours later, Prasad again opened his eyes and asked for a meal, and again became comatose. Thus, 60 hours had passed and it was then that Baba appeared and touched him on his shoulder and asked him to come with Him. Then He took him to the bathroom, helped him wash his feet, and took him back to the room. Baba seated him on a chair and stood behind him and passed His hands over his body. Baba said, “My Charitra is given to you not to be used as a pillow; it has to be read and understood. You have a lot of work to do, so I will cure you.” Then Baba disappeared. Prasad immediately started reading the Charitra and finished reading it by 6 a.m. The doctors were astounded to see him sitting up and reading. Needless to say, his blood tests came back normal, and he is healthy. He now does Annadaan, distributes clothes and blankets to the needy, and follows Baba’s teachings. He neither drinks nor smokes, and is an ardent devotee of Baba. This Leela was narrated by Shankrayya.

'Baba saves the Professor’s life again' is the 53rd story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba. Transcript Every night, prior to retiring for the day, Prof. R. Vishkanta was in the habit of placing 4-5 almonds in a little bowl of water, so that when he awakes in the morning they are plump and taste delicious. These almonds are then offered to Baba and later would be taken as Prasad. On the 26th of May 2014, he soaked the almonds and went to sleep. On that fateful day of 26th May, after cleaning the prayer room, he put the almonds in his mouth and started munching on them, and choked. The professor states, “I was eating the almonds when suddenly a piece of almond lodged in my trachea and immediately closed it. I was unable to breathe, no air was entering my lungs, and I could not cough it out. My eyes were bulging and life was slowly ebbing out of me. Somehow, I managed to reach the front door and open it wide. My thought was that in case I died, people in our apartment complex or even the guard may be able to see the dead body lying on the floor, as I was alone at home. Slowly, I went back to the prayer room and prostrated myself with my face down. I said, ‘Baba, if you want to take me to your feet, I am submitting myself. It is up to you to decide life or death,’ and I closed my eyes. Then suddenly from the front door a sweet aroma blew in. I knew that Baba had come. Whenever Baba comes, just prior to it, a whiff of pleasant aroma comes and then Baba materialises in one form or the other. Suddenly, someone gave me a very hard blow on my back, and with that the bit of almond flew out of my mouth. Slowly, I was able to breathe. I immediately looked around to see who had hit me, but there was no one there, except for the smiling photograph of Baba in my prayer room. Thus, Baba gave me another chance to serve him. Thank you, Baba.” Baba says, “If you chant my name ‘Sai, Sai’ constantly, I will draw you out of the jaws of death.” (Shri Sai Satcharitra, chapter 3). We should offer ourselves in total surrender and allow Baba to decide ‘life or death.’ He will decide the best course of action for us. Receive the same as Prasad from him, as He knows what is best for us. This Leela was narrated by Prof. R. Vishkanta in November 2014.

'Baba Grants Vishkanta the Gift of Life' is the 57th story in this series. 'Sai Baba's Divine Leelas' is a new audio series compiled and recited by Dr Vinny Chitluri. Repeated hearing of these Leelas will deepen one's faith and love in Baba. Transcript Life is never a bed of roses, and after Prof. Vishkanta’s father passed away, life was extremely difficult. His mother was unable to make both ends meet. Prof. Vishkanta recalls, “The following years were riddled with hardship. Poverty was killing us. My mother, who fed so many poor Brahmin boys, was unable to provide a square meal for her children. More often than not, we had to go to bed hungry. I had two elder brothers, and one elder and one younger sister. On one occasion, my elder sister made us sit and explained our plight. She said, ‘Now we are in deep trouble because of father’s death. Promise me that come what may, even if you have to go hungry for long periods of time, you will never ever be.’ At that time, I was only eight years old. I decided to take up a job, and I started working in a printing press that belonged to my father’s friend. The owner, knowing our plight, gave me this job against his will, as I would not accept alms. “My job was to sort out ten thousand lined sheets per week, and to discard the sheets that didn’t have straight lines. For this, I was paid one rupee per week. Whenever I came home and handed the rupee to my mother, she would cry. My mother, who used to live like a queen with numerous servants to serve her, was now cooking food in different homes as and when opportunities arose. However, I continued my education, and graduated from school and joined college. “When I was in the 2nd year of college, my health was in shambles. The food deprivation and the state of near starvation had taken their toll on my health. Due to hyperacidity, my intestines were riddled with multiple ulcers which were confirmed in the x-rays. I was admitted to the Government Victoria Hospital, where they treated me for a few days. In the hospital, I was fortunate to receive two square meals. However, the doctor in charge asked the superintendent to discharge me, saying, ‘Why kill the poor boy in this hell? Let him go home and die peacefully.’ When I overheard this, my spirit was completely shattered, and I was sent home. “The doctor had prescribed some antacids and sedatives upon my discharge. My family was not of much help to me, and I felt that I was more of a liability than an asset to them. In utter desperation, I decided to end this wretched life. Over the week, I collected a handful of sedatives from various pharmacies. Then I wrote a letter stating: ‘To Whom It May Concern, I am ending my life and no one is responsible for my action.’ Then I swallowed the entire lot of sedatives late one night. “My mother, who used to get up very early in the morning, came to my room to check on me and tried to awaken me. Then she saw the letter that I had written and it dawned on her what had happened. She started shaking me vigorously and started sobbing. As all this was taking place, I was ‘out of my body’ and looking down at my mother. In vain, I was trying to tell her that I was fine and happy now. But she couldn’t see or hear me. But what surprised me the most was that an old man, who resembled Sai Baba, was standing there. I could clearly see that he was not at all pleased; in fact, he was quite vexed and angry at what I had done. However, the ambulance was called and my body was put in it and taken to the hospital. Since the link between my body and soul was not severed, I could perceive the pain of being dragged along with the body. In the operating theatre of the hospital, my body was laid on a table, while I was sitting on top of a steel cupboard and gazing down at everyone. But most importantly, Baba had come along and was standing next to the cupboard, very close to me or my soul. The doctor and his assistants first cleaned out my stomach. Then they used a defibrillator and gave me electric shocks on my chest. At that moment, Baba, who was standing next to me, thumped me on my back and commanded, ‘Get in at once.’ I was sucked into my body and slowly woke up. I was kept in the hospital for observation and in the afternoon, the doctor discharged me. “After this terrible experience, everything started improving. I and all my siblings are well educated and well settled. But most importantly, we all are ardent devotees of Baba.” Baba absolutely disapproved of any devotee contemplating suicide. In chapter 26 of the Shri Sai Satcharitra, the story of Ambedkar is given, who was fed up with his wretched and destitute life, and decided to end his life in Shirdi. However, at that juncture, Sagun Meru Naik came to him and gave him Swami Samarth’s Charitra. Ambedkar read it and did not follow through on his plan. We are given this body and are responsible for all the happenings, good or bad. We have to undergo the ...