A Perfectly Orchestrated Plan

By Karnagie Govender

The Hindu greetings _ Vannakam, Namaste, Namaskaram _ translates to the God in me greets the God in you! And the bible says that man was created in the image of God! Nelson Mandela said. “No man was born hating another!” What if we all were born with our third eye open but the pollution in our environment caused it to seal shut!!!! By pollution, I mean the toxic nature of the people around us!
We all have a story to tell and the difference between mine and yours is the characters and the script!! The common thread in all our stories is the suffering and the pain, the love and the laughter, the hardships, tears and the overcoming! Many of us search for our purpose in this life while juggling the mundane of this life! What if the mundane was part of our purpose? What if we don’t need to search, but rather need to block out the noise, right where we stand? What if God is one of us?
This is what I did then I heard God speak! I scribed what He wanted me to scribe! Then I realised I was right where I need to be; I always have been! My life was not the rollercoaster, I’d thought it to be. Oh no! My life was A Perfectly Orchestrated Plan!
And yours could be too if you forget about trying to earn brownie points with God and just live and breath the eight flowers of devotion. Until then I give you permission to keep it real! And by real, I mean you can swear (occasionally – not like me. Ps I am trying to reform) and flirt (occasionally – not like a Goddess/ me!!!)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karnagie Govender
• Release date: Oct 22, 2021

Karnagie Govender

Karnagie Govender, founder of The Big 5 Guru cc, specialises in design and implementation of Quality and Food Safety Management Systems. She has a B-Tech Degree in Quality; Diplomas in Food Technology, Packaging, Personnel and training; and certificates in HACCP and other short courses. Karnagie is a training facilitator and a national and international lead auditor for ISO 9001:2015, BRC SD, FSSC 22000:2018.Her writing skills originated from writing management systems and her creative writing career begun when a few of thought provoking articles were published in mainstream print media.Her passions are gardening, interior decorating and home improvements, as well as, creating décor from waste.She also leads by example in slowing down global warming. But she prefers to be acknowledged as a woman, wife and mother!

Book preview

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A PERFECTLY

ORCHESTRATED

Plan

Karnagie Govender

© Karnagie Govender 2021

A Perfectly Orchestrated Plan

Published by Karnagie Govender

Phoenix, South Africa

[e-mail]

ISBN 978-0-620-93124-3

eISBN 978-0-620-93125-0

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Front cover art by Nanda Soobben

Back cover art and front cover carnation by Bitter Jitters

Layout by Boutique Books

Contents

DEDICATION

IN MEMORY OF

THANKS

FOREWORD

CHAPTER ONE: Intervention Plan5

CHAPTER TWO: The Chosen One

CHAPTER THREE: Mahashivarathri

CHAPTER FOUR: The Pandemic

CHAPTER FIVE: Series of Tests

CHAPTER SIX: The Explosion

CHAPTER SEVEN: Uphill Climb

CHAPTER EIGHT: Turbulence

CHAPTER NINE: Roller Coaster

CHAPTER TEN: Reflections

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Service to Mankind

CHAPTER TWELVE: Ripple Effect

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Eight Flowers of Devotion

Epilogue

Tribute to Sathya Sai Baba

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the world. I pray that God shows us mercy as we enter the dark days of the Corona Virus and lockdown. I pray that God gives us the courage to face each day and grants us strength to go on. I pray for those who have passed. May God have mercy upon their souls. I pray for those who have lost loved ones. May God console you, as you soldier on, knowing this is the natural cycle of birth and death, that none of us can escape.

I would like to remember a fellow writer, Ronnie Govender. I didn’t know Ronnie or even know of him. It was only when I heard the news of his passing that I clearly remembered seeing his name in the newspaper, as the director of many a play.

As I read about him, I felt sad that I didn’t know him. I had lost out. It seems that he was a walking, talking seva machine, touching the lives of everyone who crossed paths with him. He left such a good legacy. The tributes that poured out were about how he had uplifted people in his field, people whose talents he’d recognised and helped develop. I gathered that he had a great sense of humour and he enveloped people in his love and charisma. I wonder if Ronnie was perhaps a devoted servant of Sai. He certainly fitted the profile. Ronnie’s way of life is exemplary of seva.

Bliss has to be sought not through accumulation but through sacrifice and promotion of the welfare of others. Sacrifice (Tyaga) is recommended by the Vedas as the only path to immortality. Give in plenty, give gladly, give for the glory of God, and in gratitude to God…. Share with others the knowledge and skills you have earned, the ideas and ideals you have benefited from, and the joy you have won by discipline and dedication. Sharing will not diminish them or devalue them. On the other hand, they will shine better with added splendour. (Divine Discourse, Apr 21, 1983) –BABA

At this point, I would like you, the reader, to take a minute to pray for peace in Palestine and Israel. Hate tennis has been playing in the Gaza strip for as far back as I can remember. After reading about the blood bath, I finally understood what is meant by ego. It is man’s ego that has brought the world to this point.

I pray that God restores order and calm throughout. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti 🙏.

IN MEMORY OF

My father, Nadaraj Naidoo, who did not know how to manage his uniqueness; my uncles Jack and Bob and my great-grandmother who made me feel like I was their favourite; my brother-in-law Kumaren who fitted perfectly into our family; my in-laws Dada, Ma and Sinai, whom I have teased at every opportunity. I know you guide me. I will always love you all ❤️ .

THANKS

First and foremost, I would like to thank my mother, Saroj Naidoo, who took charge of the cooking and ensured my son ate on time. Without my mother taking care of this core function, I would not been able to complete this book so quickly.

Secondly, I would like to thank my husband Vishnu Govender, who suspected that I was not working, but gave me space to complete my mission.

I thank my daughters Vaishnavi (Goddess of Vishnu) Anantha (happiness) Govender and Jeevana (life) Divya (Divine) Govender, who were my sounding boards.

I thank my favourite son, Sajan (beloved) Shauna (God’s Gift) Vishnu Govender, for challenging me to this transformation.

I thank Rizwana, Nandapriya, Chandrika and Sajan’s Grade 2 teacher for assisting and guiding me with Sajan.

I thank all who feature in this book (all names and scenarios have been changed). I believe that you have been hand-picked by Swami Himself, to help me get His message across. I don’t want to mention any names for fear of offending anyone whom I may forget.

I thank all my family, friends, neighbours, teachers and business associates who supported me at different stages in my life and a special thank you to those who showed me some love during the explosion. Again, I don’t want to mention any names.

I thank Mel for the first edit and guidance; Faith for confirming scriptures, Boutique Books for book production and Nanda Soobben and Bitter Jitters for cover design.

And finally, I want to thank Swami, from the bottom of my heart, for coming into my life at the right time and transforming me. Words cannot describe the bliss that I have experienced and the peace that I have found. To know You is to believe in You. To believe in You, is to trust You. Why fear, when You are here. Thank you, my dearest Swami.

FOREWORD

Vanakkum, Namaste, Namaskarum (the God in me greets the God in you).

A few years ago, I discovered the meaning of these vernacular words, from a WhatsApp video, and it has been the greeting on my professional email ever since. I am a forty-five-year-old woman of Indian descent. I attended Tamil school during childhood. I attended Sunday Tamil service. I took part in Tamil eisteddfods. I chose Tamil as a subject in government school, in primary school. I am married to the son of a late cultural leader. Yet, I didn’t know how profound this greeting was. It took an African American to explain the meaning of my greeting to me, via a circulating WhatsApp video.

I claim to be proudly Hindu, yet I don’t understand my heritage. I recall secretly teasing a young man for greeting me in the vernacular, "vanakkum". My ignorance made me think of him as being old fashioned 🤭. I had adopted the western ways of saying "Hi" or Howzit. How is what?

It is human nature to shy away from the things we do not understand. Whoever said "knowledge is power" knew what they were taking about. Hinduism is said to be the oldest religion around, but I can honestly say that I don’t understand my religion – or my language, for that matter.

When I started writing this book, I experienced an avalanche of thoughts, which I scribbled on scraps of paper. In my recess from writing, I forgot about the notes. So much has happened, that it seems as if I am continuing after many years. While on the Sai WhatsApp group, I saw that someone had shared the video on Namaste, which reminded me to start with this profound greeting.

If everyone sees God in the next person, it will not be easy for anyone to commit a crime against another, or hurt another human being, because any attack on another would mean an attack on God. One would fear hurting the other for fear of hurting God. Picture this: a man raises a sword to kill another. As the sword is about to pierce the man’s heart, his face becomes God’s face. He stops dead in his tracks; he cannot kill God. This is how powerful it is to put your hands together 🙏 and greet by saying, "Vanakkum, Namaste, Namaskarum," or Om Sai Ram.

The corona virus pandemic has also highlighted that Namaste 🙏 is the preferred greeting to a handshake, these days. Although I’d made a note to include Namaste in my book, I had forgotten about it. Swami reminded me by re-sending the video on the group. Everything is too much of a coincidence.

While the rest of the world is in awe of our greeting, South African Hindus have shied away from it – and in some instances, of greeting altogether. I have noticed that we do not greet each other when we enter a temple or attend a prayer. I have noticed families ignoring guests who visit their homes. I am pleased to report that many people, from different nationalities, have been awed by my greeting and have reciprocated it. Small changes, big impact!

I have great admiration for Christians, who greet everyone with a "God Bless you!" My daughters attended Bharata Natyam classes in a school, where a Christian meeting was held. After the meeting, as members made their way out, they greeted me. Before long, I found myself greeting them first. One day, an old gentleman put a pocket bible in my hand and said, Jesus loves you! I replied with a laugh️, Ganesha loves you too! He was momentarily startled but the greetings didn’t stop; and I didn’t mind him giving me a bible.

This is why I was shocked at myself for my sudden dislike of Christians.

Sajan is difficult most of the time. I enrolled him at a church crèche, when school became a challenge. The principal, Josaiah, and teacher were so accommodating that Sajan grew to love school and even wanted to go to school during the holidays. Josaiah didn’t let religion be a barrier. He even supported us in business.

I was thinking of the school and how they had helped with Sajan, when I forced myself to take a few steps back and re-visit the Karma – you get what you deserve; Christianity – Jesus got what you deserved issue. It then occurred to me that this statement is meant to lure people into religion. I must agree, any religion is better than no religion. It is my opinion that Christianity offers people a clean slate to build a new life on, with the premise that thereafter one will continue on the righteous path.

In March 2020, I received confirmation of my theory from an old friend Amooi. Amooi is a he who kept this name for me. He sent me a broadcast that stated:

Galatians 6.: do not be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

I wonder if it is a coincidence that the name that I unintentionally chose for the principal has the sound Sai in it? On my second-last edit, I changed the spelling of Josaiah to Josiah. I am not sure which is correct. The very next day, Amooi send me the word about Isaiah. I saw Sai in Isaiah; I reverted to my original spelling of Josaiah. Since joining the Sai organisation, my feelings of dislike for Christians have disappeared. All is good 👌! It was the love that my whole family had for Josaiah that kept me from tripping. Swami was right: there is only one religion: the religion of love. There is only one language: the language of the heart ❤️.

I was relieved about conquering my dislike, as I have always believed in religious tolerance. I do not believe that any religion would teach their devotees to walk down the incorrect path. I cried when I witnessed sisters of Christian faith bid their only brother farewell during the 16th day ceremony by following the Hindu rituals. They were bound by their love for their brother and did not allow religion to stop them from showing their brother their love, two last times. My sister-in-law Kalpana, also a Christian, did the same when my father-in-law and mother-in-law passed on. Kalpana was a staunch Sai devotee before marriage, and we have been blessed to have her prepare most of the food for many of our family prayers, although she married a Christian.

I am not sure if I understand His purpose for me. I am wondering, when my thoughts are running faster than I can type or scribe, if these are my thoughts or if they are the sentiments of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. I was not privileged to meet Him. I was not privileged to be exposed to His teachings until January 2020. I have always been very logical and liberated in my opinions. I am writing this book from under my rock. I have read the book His story as told by Himself, a few newspaper articles; the thought of the day from Prasanthi Nilayam; a few poems by Seema M. Dewan and a few internet articles and literature on the Sai Centre websites. I wanted to write from a place of ignorance.

I have always put my writing on the back burner as, nine out of ten times, it was a wasted effort. But this time, I can’t seem to escape. I want to write a response to every piece of Sai literature that I read. When I doubt myself or my interpretation of the message received, I receive more messages or confirmation that I have, in fact, interpreted His message correctly. My intention is not to hurt, offend or criticise anyone or any religion. I am only penning my thoughts because they have taken over my mind and my time. I am unable to do my day job because it seems that I have a deadline of which I am not aware.

As I put my opinions down on paper, I know that I may be torn apart by those who don’t understand. I humbly apologise if my words are offensive. I believe I am only the messenger. I will continue writing this book and let Swami do the rest.

Karnagie Govender

South Africa

CHAPTER ONE:

Intervention Plan

It was Thursday, the 23 rd of January 2020. It was the day that I told Divya that I would attend satsang with her. Mother had gone to the clinic for her monthly check-up; Vaishnavi had left for Tech; Divya was upstairs, getting ready for school; I was packing the lunch; Vishnu was in the bathroom, forcing Sajan to brush his teeth.

Next thing I knew, Sajan was screaming, I want to die! He was running up the stairs. Oh, shit 😲! I left the lunch. I realised that he was running upstairs to jump over the balcony. I ran after him 😨. He ran into my office, looking for the keys to the balcony. Fortunately, we had hidden the keys away. This was not the first time that something like this had happened.

I was so exhausted by this constant lashing out and unruly behaviour that I didn’t exactly know what to do. I had done everything that I could think of. I just sat in my office, on the carpet with him. He rejected my hugs and all the attempts that I made to calm him down. We sat till what seemed like the end of time. I just sat in silence.

Sajan was ranting and raving about nothing; saying the same thing over and over and over again: Why do I have to listen to all of you? For my birthday, everyone told me what to do. It was my birthday. You were supposed to listen to me… And it replays.

I could not make him understand that every home needed rules; that he needed to listen to adults. As for this whole business about his birthday, I really didn’t know what that was about 😕.

I’d wanted to have a party for his birthday, but my house was still under construction at the time of his birthday. In fact, Sajan had been chirping about his plans for his birthday from the start of the new year, but a few weeks before his birthday he had stopped reminding us about his party. I was so glad that he had forgotten, because I was under so much pressure with the extension of my house that I didn’t know if I would cope. Sajan actually completely forgot about his birthday and I remember telling everyone that we shouldn’t remind him. In that way we could host the party at a later date. Vishnu obviously couldn’t keep quiet, but Sajan was so understanding. He didn’t ask about the party at all. I also barely managed to get the party packs to school on time. I did, however, have a small party for Vishnu’s birthday and invited everyone that Sajan had wanted to spend his birthday with. I really couldn’t understand what was going on in his mind about his birthday.

Finally, at a complete loss, I broke down 😢. Tears were gushing down my face as if the walls of Midmar Dam had broken. My sobs were uncontrollable and seemed to be emanating from the depths of my stomach. My whole body shook violently with every sob. I consider myself a strong woman. I thrive on finding solutions to my family’s problems. I welcome challenges. Every hurdle that I overcome is a welcome feather in my cap. Where did I go wrong with Sajan?

The first thing that everyone tells me when I explain how he challenges every fibre of my being, is that he is spoilt. Yes, I often give in, but not without first standing my ground for as long as I can. I also choose my battles. I was now at my wits end. I didn’t know if I could go on. I just cried 😭.

From somewhere above and beyond, a hand reached out to Sajan. He looked at me, his mother; the woman who is supposed to be his shoulder to lean on; the woman who now needed a shoulder to lean on. He just hugged me tightly until I stopped crying. He apologised for making me cry; for making me sad; for making me angry. We started to talk about why he wanted to die.

Everything was going well. Then suddenly, it was action replay. He became aggressive. I started howling again 😭. He comforted me again. After sitting cross-legged on the carpet for two hours, I finally convinced him to have some breakfast. I don’t know how I managed to survive so long without even a cup of coffee.

After breakfast, I brought out my white board stand and taught him some schoolwork. I didn’t want Sajan to be misled into thinking that he could play or watch TV on days that he didn’t go to school. That would be setting the wrong precedent. Vishnu tried to avoid us the whole day. In between, I managed to clean the house. By the time afternoon came, I didn’t really want to go to the satsang. I messaged Nandapriya just before the satsang. I wanted to tell her why I couldn’t come. Then I had second thoughts; I promised to attend the following week.

The following week, on the 30th of January 2020, Sajan was acting up again. On this day he went to school, but after school his behaviour drained me. I can’t remember what he actually did, but I do remember telling him that this was the second consecutive Thursday that his actions were preventing me from going to satsang. Divya suggested that we attend to get away from the tension. Vishnu and Vaishnavi agreed to maintain order while we were out.

We were welcomed at the satsang. I felt at peace. After the satsang, while chatting briefly to Nandapriya, I noticed a small while butterfly on the back of my hand. It must have been only a centimetre big. I left it to sit on my hand. I believed it to be someone who is dear to me. Whenever something out of the ordinary grabs my attention, I always remember my uncle Jack. I wondered if this butterfly was him. A few times before, when a beautiful black butterfly flew close to me, my heart would melt, knowing it was Jack. His famous line was, "I may be black, but I am expensive". If a butterfly was black and beautiful, in my mind, in my heart and in my soul I knew that it had to be Jack. This was a white, very plain but very elegant, butterfly. Was this Sri Sathya Sai Baba? A few minutes later, Divya noticed it too and touched it away.

Three days later, on the 3rd of February 2020, a guy who wanted to buy some printing toner that I no longer needed called; he was near my house. I grabbed the toners and my cell-phone and rushed outside. As I ran up the driveway to the gate, I noticed a black insect on my cell-phone. It was about the same size as the white butterfly that I had seen three days earlier. I only got a glimpse of it. It was not a butterfly. I didn’t like what I saw. I didn’t touch it. The guy for the toner was already at the gate. I handed over the toner and collected the money. I looked down at my phone again, wanting to get a better look at this evil-looking creature. It was gone.

After meeting Nandapriya, she checked in with me daily, always offering help. She shared her experience about Prasanthi Nilayam and told me about a Sai ashram in Durban that she frequents. The moment she mentioned the ashram to me, I wanted to visit it, hoping for a break-through with Sajan.

On Tuesday morning, the 4th of February 2020, in response to Nandapriya informing me about the singing classes and other activities at the centre that may be of interest to me, I informed her that I had already enrolled Sajan for singing classes. Then, I suddenly felt the need to explain why I had enrolled him for singing; why I didn’t have time; why I was spread so thin. I just blurted out, I am overwhelmed by my son because since December last year he has been saying he wants to die and has tried to jump over the balustrades three times in three days this week.

I had been so tempted to tell Nandapriya about Sajan, since meeting her, but I didn’t want to burden my new friend. I found my myself explaining that my son had become very difficult since December 2019. We were drained. He refused to eat, then became so hungry that he couldn’t eat fast enough to restore his energy levels and would get extremely aggressive😠. He would then throw his Lego building blocks or other toys across the floor; or he’d damage the furniture and house; or he’d tear up Divya’s or his own drawings.

At some point, he expressed the desire to die. To prove that he was serious, he’d grabbed a knife from the drawer and ordered us to kill him. On one occasion, to stop him from shouting that he wanted to die, Vaishnavi jokingly told him to jump off the balcony. This stuck with him and during one of his meltdowns, when he couldn’t find a knife, he rushed upstairs to jump over the balcony. Fortunately, Divya had anticipated that this was more serious than we had realised and she’d stored the knives and keys to the balcony out of his reach😌.

Divya and I were trying our best to keep his stomach full and his mood calm, but on most days our efforts were in vain. After not getting relief from the over-the-counter worm treatment, I approached our family doctor, hoping he could counsel Sajan and gain better insight into his emotions. The moment Sajan walked into the consulting rooms, after my initial discussion with the doctor, Sajan just blurted out that he wanted to die. The doctor tried to talk to him but couldn’t get anywhere, because the waiting had made him hungry and fidgety. The doctor took his restless behaviour as a symptom of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and referred him for assessment. The occupational therapist found no indication of ADHD and the case was closed.

Now, here was Nandapriya, someone I had only just met and who didn’t owe me any favours, beside herself 😨with worry. She encouraged me to visit her friend, Chandrika, on whom Baba had bestowed psychic powers. She was adamant that, although Chandrika was a difficult person to get hold of, if anyone could help me, Chandrika could. I explained that I had already planned to visit the ashram she’d spoken about, but she insisted that I focus on getting an appointment with Chandrika instead. She also to pledged to pray for him while performing Hanuman Chalisa.

I am not sure if Nandapriya had picked up on my tension or Swami saw my frustration; if He saw my family falling apart; if He saw his child needing Him; if He saw all His children needing Him to resolve this and bring harmony back into our home. He intervened, via Nandapriya.

I did think it odd that she kept saying, Please ask, if you need anything. This was all new to me. I was not seeing Swami’s touch as quickly as I should, but I am glad that I confided in Nandapriya as she gave me a certain sense of reassurance that all would be well and she maintained contact with me until I met the next servant of Swami.

Nandapriya came into my life quite by chance. She came into my life when I was searching for a friend. I wanted to be surrounded by people who understood me. Nandapriya became a very good friend in such a short time. Swami sent Nandapriya to help me when I needed her most. Such is His divine power 🙏!

Although Nandapriya had said that it was difficult to make contact with Chandrika, I contacted her without effort. The moment I explained my predicament with my son, she immediately understood the urgency of my plight. She was agitated. She urged us to bring Sajan to her immediately, even if it meant taking him out of school early. Chandrika was panicking, thinking out aloud, trying to juggle her time to squeeze me in. She was babysitting one grandchild while the other was at school; she had to ensure her grandchild’s lunch was ready, when she returned from school. She had also promised to spend the afternoon with her mother, whose birthday it was. Eventually, she committed to a time that was convenient for both of us, without causing undue stress to anyone.

Meanwhile, as the plans to finally identify the root cause of Sajan’s difficult behaviour were unfolding, Sajan was causing havoc in school. He refused to follow the teacher’s instructions in his Afrikaans class; he poked fun at the teacher when she reprimanded him, causing her to send him into time-out, outside the class. This teacher was not privy to Sajan’s challenges and did what any teacher would do to instil discipline in her class. By the grace of God, Sajan did not wander off, or try to kill himself because he thought he was too much trouble.

Fortunately, his form teacher walked by; she suggested that he spend his time-out at the back of the class in full view of his teacher. Once inside the class, he become very disruptive and aggressive, spinning on his bum, throwing his school worksheets around, tearing up his file. The teacher was shocked. She had never seen him behave in so unruly a manner. This had become the norm to us, in recent months. Fortunately, I had approached his teacher and enlisted her help; she did her best to calm him down. He was safe for the day 😌.

I was feeling nervous about my meeting with Chandrika. I was afraid that Sajan may be the difficult child that he was and waste Chandrika’s time. I was afraid that I would not find her house timeously and delay her visit to her mother. I was afraid of what I may discover 😨. I wished Vishnu could accompany me. To my surprise, he arrived home early. I relayed the day’s events and asked him to accompany me. At first, he refused; then, as I was about to leave, he offered to join me, much to my surprise. Did Swami have a hand in his change of mind, I wondered?

I was comforted by Vishnu’s presence. As I had predicted, Sajan refused to get out of the car until Vishnu asked him to. We arrived earlier than scheduled, but Chandrika obliged. I felt bad about imposing on her time, but the reading took longer than expected; yet Chandrika was still on schedule to visit her mother. Perhaps Swami had a hand in making sure time was not wasted and Chandrika’s plans were not disturbed, but I can’t be sure as this was new to me.

When Chandrika prayed for Sajan, she saw that a negative energy or spirit had entered him. She said the spirit had moved from a female into him. She also said that she could see the beach but could not figure out the message. This spirit wanted to be released and therefore it was causing havoc with him. It was the spirit’s way of drawing attention to itself so that it could be set free.

Vishnu and Vaishnavi thought that I was just spoiling Sajan by not disciplining him enough. Divya was tired of being the pacifier and I was feeling helpless because all my efforts to discipline him were in vain. Finally, we had discovered the obstacle in Sajan’s life. Now we could implement a solution. Chandrika suggested a five-day abstinence from meat, together with lighting of lobaan and chanting to remove the obstacle. She said that Swami would do the rest.

She prayed for me, although I had not asked her to. As she queried about my tiredness, I blurted out, Yes, I have a problem with my stomach. I did not disclose any symptoms, though, but she listed all my symptoms. They were on point. She gained my trust. She suggested that I drink vibuthi (sacred ash) water. She gave me some vibuthi that she had brought from Prasanthi Nilayam. She suggested that I engage in some physical exercises and leave the rest to Swami.

I thanked Chandrika for her assistance. As we were leaving, she confirmed what Nandapriya had told me: that Swami chooses his devotees. She relayed the goings on in Prasanthi Nilayam. She recalled how many people waited for Swami’s darshan, with letters for Him. He would walk directly to the people whose letters He wanted. These were the people whom He was ready to help.

I remembered that my grandmother had visited Sai Baba’s ashram (Prasanthi Nilayam, as I know it now) and, of all the people waiting to see Baba, He approached my grandmother, received her letters and blessed her. I can still hear the excitement in her voice as she relayed her experience.

As Chandrika walked me to the door, I enlightened her about my grandmother’s experience. She laughed 😊 and said, See, Baba made me tell you about the letters so you can tell me about your grandmother. Only those who experienced His touch, His presence, His teasing will understand the magic of Swami. I too am wondering if I sound as ridiculous as my friends, who are believers of Swami ❤️.

Although, in one day Swami had intervened so many times, I was not sure if I was reading the signs correctly. I did feel a certain calm, knowing that Sajan’s obstacle would soon be removed. I was so glad that I had told Nandapriya about my challenges with Sajan.

We commenced the prayer on that very Tuesday. Nandapriya suggested I use chanting beads – and sent me a video on how to use them when she realised that I didn’t have a clue.

More importantly, I was very interested to know Vishnu’s take on this. He was quick to point out that I had divulged my stomach ailments before Chandrika could. He was not ready to acknowledge that Chandrika was aware of my symptoms, even though I had not revealed these to her. This was a battle for another day. Life would be more smooth sailing if I had buy-in from Vishnu.

I am quite the expert at putting unrelated puzzle pieces 🧩️together. In fact, during a recent visit from Surya (sun), Vishnu’s good friend, I surprised him and my family by completing the picture of every story that he was telling. Eventually, he declared that I was dangerous, as nobody’s secret was safe when I was near 😁. And so, I figured that the white butterfly was, in fact, Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the black insect was Him opening my eyes to what was going on with Sajan 🙏. The very day after I had spotted the black insect, Chandrika confirmed that a negative energy had entered my son. The black insect was symbolic of the negative energy. Another virtual puzzle completed in record time.

But please don’t compete with me to finish an adult puzzle. Putting Sajan’s puzzle together puzzled me to the point of Sajan exclaiming that I had taken too long and needed to do it over again, for practice 🤷.

The next morning, Wednesday the 5th of February 2020, from the moment I woke up I couldn’t shake off this nagging feeling to visit the Sai ashram. I had already cancelled my plans to have lunch with my friend Rizwana and visit the ashram, which was in the same area. I pondered, to go or not to go for three hours. Eventually, at nine o’clock that morning I called Rizwana to reinstate our lunch plans, explaining my desire to visit the ashram in the area. She had already made other plans. It was not to be.

The nagging persisted. I was wondering 🤔 how I would manage going alone, when I am not very adventurous. Suddenly, Rizwana called me back, agreeing to accompany me, provided that I kept to time. I thanked her. I am the queen of being late, but I had sufficient time to dress, exchange the mala beads and be punctual. Although I had decided that the easiest attire would be tights and a kurthi top, I was overcome by an urge to wear a sari. I looked at the time. I would be late if I attempted to tie a sari, but the force pushing me to wear a sari was so great that I relented. I thought about a beige, light-weight sari that would keep me cool and was easy to tie. However, when I opened my sari cupboard my eye fell on an orange sari: it was thin; it would do.

Is it coincidence that the sari I had chosen was the same colour as Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s robe? In fact, orange has been my favourite colour for many years. My business colour is orange; I have many orange saris; I have an orange evening dress; I have orange towels; I love sunflowers, which have a hint of orange; my bedroom was painted orange, many years ago, and the bedroom had orange curtains. I rest my case 💼.

Dressed in my orange sari, I rushed to the prayer shop to exchange the mala beads. Vishnu was meant to buy 108 mala beads but had instead bought a much shorter one. When I opened the packet, I got a bit of a fright 😱 because the beads were made of skulls. I figured that Vishnu had probably chosen the cheapest set. Divya had the same reaction 😱 and also shared my sentiments about her father’s decision – when in doubt, go for the cheapest.

The lady in the prayer shop explained that Vishnu had purchased Kali beads, but agreed to exchange the beads for another set. I first chose a brown set but, when I held it in my hand, it didn’t quite call me. I looked up again and my eye caught an orange set of beads. It had 108 beads; I was sold.

Incidentally, the set of beads that I had chosen was half the price of the Kali beads. This was not in keeping with Vishnu’s DNA 😕. I have also been told that Mother Kali resides in me and thought that this must be a sign. I wasn’t sure whether to keep the Kali beads or not. I selected some items to make up the difference between the Kali beads and the orange ones, as the store had a no-cash-refund policy. The cashier took so long to calculate if it was sufficient to offset the difference, that I decided to keep the Kali beads as well. I only had thirty Rand in my wallet. Although this was sufficient to pay for my items, I opted to use my credit card, reserving the cash for any small emergency that may occur during the day 😀.

First it was an orange sari, then it was orange mala beads. Little did I know what was in store for me later. I picked Rizwana up and drove to the ashram. Rizwana, although Muslim, was very relaxed in her beliefs and didn’t mind entering the ashram with me. As we entered the ashram, I made it known to the lady who ushered us in that it was our first time; we did not understand the process. I told her that I wanted to pray for my mala beads. No sooner had I said that I had brought mala beads than she asked if I had brought a set for her as well.

I was shocked 😲! Had I only taken one set of beads, I would have felt obliged to leave it with her. I would have seen it as a test from God. I disclosed that I had two sets and she was welcome to have one. Suddenly, she was not sure if she should take one 😕, lest she got into trouble with the owner of the house. I insisted on her taking one, but she wanted me to choose first. I was not sure which one God wanted me to have. I knew I needed the 108 beads. I was confused about the Mother Kali trance. I was afraid of the Kali beads. I needed guidance. I urged her to choose first. In my heart, I wasn’t sure which one I should wish for.

Janaki, as I later came to know her, looked at both carefully, then chose the Kali beads. I’m not sure if I was relieved 😌. I had personally chosen the orange set; the orange set had 108 beads. When I’d chosen it, I’d immediately thought it was perfect, as it was the colour that Sai Baba had chosen for his first robe. I was convinced that Sai Baba had sent me a sign to not return the Kali beads 😊.

When Janaki realised that we had come to the ashram for the very first time, she wanted to tell us about everything and show us everything. She told us about the carpet where Baba’s footprints appeared and how, no matter how often she washed it, the footprints appeared again. She told us about how vibuthi and water manifests itself; she gave me a rose that was full of vibuthi and, when I didn’t realise that the vibuthi was inside, she opened the rose to show me. She promised to give me oil and honey. Eventually, when both Rizwana and I were wondering 🤔 if she would give us a chance to pray, she decided to leave us alone.

Before we prayed, I gave Rizwana a short explanation of the Sai Baba Trio. We had not started praying when suddenly Janaki was back. She had queried our mode of transport on arrival. She disturbed us to inquire if we would oblige her by purchasing some Brasso. She offered to give me money for it. I assured her that it would be my pleasure. She added kungoo (purple powder used to decorate brass lamp) and Grandpa Headache Powder to her list, all the time offering to give me money. I insisted on buying all the items; it was the least I could do. After all, she spends her time making sure everything was clean for us devotees. Cleaning paraphernalia needed to come from somewhere. It would not be fair to expect Janaki and the mother of the house to pay for these things themselves.

Janaki eventually left us to pray. After we’d prayed, Janaki took us to the main Ashram; the room where the vibuthi first manifested. She told us to leave our letters at Sai Baba’s feet and pray. We left our letters, mala beads and lobaan, and Rizwana also left her calming stones. We prayed. She showed us the puthu (a sand heap where a holy snake appears). After I’d prayed at the puthu, Janaki put vibuthi on my forehead. As she applied the vibuthi on my forehead, I felt a shiver run down my hands; then I felt myself fall backwards. What’s going on, I wondered? Then I started to sway. I am not sure how long I was swaying for. In my mind I was wondering if I was going into a trance. Just as suddenly as the swaying started, it stopped.

Janaki gave us some honey to eat. She explained that the honeycomb and the coconut shells containing honey had manifested themselves. This was the tastiest honey I had ever eaten. As I am writing this, I wish I could have more. She also showed us all the crosses, as well as the Q’uran that had manifested itself. She informed us about the oil and its healing properties.

She suggested that we fetch our letters on our return from the shop. Then she babbled on that she would manage without the Brasso; requested that we forget about all the things that she had asked us to buy and only buy some flowers, as she needed flowers for the satsang the next day. She suggested roses. Again, she offered to give me money. I confirmed that all was good: I am a working woman. I have money. Look at the car I’m driving. I teased 😀 that I was driving a Mercedes Benz, when she probed, although I was actually driving a simple car that was paid for