Braving the incessant rain, Sai devotees of Nagalapuram, Chittoor Dist., in Andhra Pradesh have made elaborate arrangements for Bhoomi pooja of a new Shirdi Sai Temple. Members of Shri Shirdi Sai Seva Sangham and other devotees had been waiting for Guruji Sri Chandra Bhanu Satpathy for more than a year. Their long anxious wait came to an end on 6th October,2001, when Guruji put His holy feet on the soil of Nagalapuram.

During the last two years there were no rains and this affected agriculture badly. Guruji's visit brought good showers that the streams, rivulets and rivers were overflowing and the tanks were full to the brim. If His visit were to take place two days before, all the people would have prayed to Sai and Guruji to bless them with good showers. But here Shri Sai answered the wishes of these people with a good rainfall before Guruji's visit itself.

As Sai's ways are inscrutable and difficult to understand, first He creates storm like situation and later pacifies the whole thing. All the devotees who assembled in thousands experienced the following divine leela of Sai on 6th October,2001. It was raining heavily on 6th morning. Bhoomi pooja muhurtham was around 11-15a.m. and the devotees were in a state of confusion but about twenty minutes before the arrival of Guruji, whole atmosphere changed at once. The rain stopped all of a sudden and the thick clouds vanished giving way to bright sun light.

There was an overwhelming response. Devotees have come from places like Bangalore, Chennai, Nellore, New Delhi, Tirupati and the surrounding areas. Devotee volunteers, police and others had tough time controlling the devotees who have assembled in thousands. Guruji offered His prayers in the small Sai mandir situated adjacent to the site. He carried the SANKHU and placed it in the pit dug up for Bhoomi Pooza. Later He performed Baba's abhishekam and gave arati. Due to rain Prasad Distribution was shifted to Tirumal Tirupati Devasthanam Choultry.

Later Guruji was taken inside the Veda Narayana Swamy Temple. He offered special prayers there. This temple is one of the oldest temples in South India and it attracts large number of tourists all through the year. The presiding deity is Lord Srimannarayan in the form of Matsavataar( the first avatar of Dasavatharams). The unique feature of the temple is during 25th, 26th and 27th , March every year, the sun rays fall on the holy feet of the Lord on first day, the second day on the abdomen of the Lord and on the third day on the forehead of the Lord. The most bewildering thing is that the sun rays pass through as many as seven prakarams to fall on the Lord. Even here, devotees thronged in great number and every one of them wanted to touch the holy feet of Guruji and take His blessings.

Guruji spent a few minutes exclusively with the trustees. Shirdi Sai Seva Sangam headed by Sri Munirathnam Chetty is a real Sai Sangham. It has all in all twenty two members belonging to different communities and are engaged in different professions. Yet it is such a cohesive team, as they have driven out their political, caste, etc., differences and are working in unision for this noble cause. This team stands as a role model and it needs to be emulated by one and all.

Later addressing the devotees, Guruji observed that, here, in this historic sacred temple town, a good Sai temple would come up soon. He appreciated the efforts of all those devotees especially, the doner of the land, the trustees and others associated with this holy venture and blessed them profusely. He explained in brief, Sai philosophy and His teachings and their relevance in the present day world. With a heavy heart, devotees bid farewell to Him. Sai devotees of Nagalapuram are yet to come out from that divine hangover. They were taken to a different world in the presence of Guruji which they have not experienced before. Now they all are looking forward to His next visit. Once again the anxious wait started and only Shri Sai knows when that happens and till such time it will be like a painful seperation for them, similar to the Gopikas with Lord Krishna.

Contributed By: P.Raghunadha Reddy, Tirupati.

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