When the rains ceased
Shri Kalyanakrishnan (also known as KK in the satsang) narrates the following incident:
It was way back in 1994. One day, I went to Premika Bhavanam around 2 p.m. to have darshan of our Guru Maharaj.
Sri Sri Swamiji was about to leave Premika Bhavanam. In those days, Sri Sri Swamiji used to commute in an auto rickshaw driven by a person called Hari. Sri Sri Swamiji asked me to accompany Him. At once, I got into the auto rickshaw alongside Sri Sri Swamiji, without the least idea of where we were heading.
Soon the auto rickshaw reached Chennai Marina beach and stopped near Vivekananda Memorial. It was raining cats and dogs. Sri Sri Swamiji was about to alight when I said, ‘Guru Maharaj, it is raining heavily and we are sure to be drenched if we alight now. Can we not wait for the rains to subside and then get down, or would it not be better to go around in the rickshaw and return sometime later when the sky would clear out?’
It seemed as if Sri Sri Swamiji paid no heed to my word, as He was already on his way out. As I was seated close to the exit, I proceeded to get down too.
In this context, let me tell you something very interesting, which, I am sure, a lot of devotees have experienced! Many a time, when we tell something to Sri Sri Swamiji, we may get an impression that He gives no ear to our words but only until Sri Sri Swamiji hits back with exactly the same words in some other completely unrelated context, when, even we might have forgotten all about it! One can rest assured that He is always attentive to whatever happens three hundred and sixty degrees around Him, merely by virtue of His sharp senses!
Our Guru Maharaj alighted the auto rickshaw and I followed suit; andeven while it was still pouring down heavily He stretched out His right palm towards the sky and cried out ‘Stop! Stop!’ [in Tamizh language]. To my utter surprise the rains stopped abruptly and since that moment not a drop fell! I cannot deem this as coincidence because it had been raining very heavily until then. Witnessing the whole incident I stood there flabbergasted!
Gurudev walked down the beach and sat on the sands in meditation. All the while, I kept looking at Him in amazement, still unable to recover from the sudden inexplicable experience.
After a while, I heard Sri Sri Swamiji calling out to me, ‘Kay Kay! We have to leave, as it is time for the auto rickshaw to make trips to get children back from school! Rise up!’
I acquiesced and followed Him. Back home, I shared my wonderful experience at the beach with all my near and dear ones.
I was reminded of Sri Sri Swamiji’s words from His discourses whence He used to say that all the five elements of nature are under the control of a Jnaani and a true Jnaani is no different from God. To me it seemed as if this event was an illustration of these words!
The next day, when I went to Premika Bhavanam for Satsang, Sri Sri Swamiji called me to His side and asked me in His typical childlike demeanor, ‘KK! Did you see how the rain abruptly stopped yesterday?’
