When the truck tyre went over the Divine Hands... - By S. Shashidhar

Sri Sathya Sai

Man views the various incidents that occur in life in a rational manner by applying his limited intelligence. Certain experiences in life cannot be explained in a convincing manner by taking the rational approach. It is the occurrences of such events which make man think about the invisible power that controls the entire creation and which cannot be comprehended by human intelligence. 

One such incident occurred in my family about forty years ago. The beginning of our physical relationship with Swami dates back to 1945. From the very first few years of acquaintance with Swami, my grandparents had total faith that Swami is our dearest Lord and Protector. Swami blessed my grandparents by giving a room, when Prashanti Nilayam Mandir was built in 1950. It became a regular feature for my grandmother to come to Puttaparthi along with her children during summer, when the children had vacation. The severe heat and tough living conditions did not deter them from coming to Puttaparthi as they had the fortune of close physical proximity of Swami, in those days. The children enjoyed the sense of adventure in store for them in the dusty streets of Puttaparthi and on the banks of the Chitravati River.

Swami supervising construction work at Prasanthi Nilayam

Whenever any activity took place around Prasanthi Nilayam, the boys would be there trying to get involved in it. The summer trip of 1955 had a lot of action in store for my father and his brothers. Construction work was in progress on a huge scale as several residential buildings were coming up around the Mandir. My father, an energetic boy of 11 along with his brothers, was helping to unload a lorry full of bricks. After the job had been completed, he was standing behind the lorry dusting off the dirt on his hands and clothes. He was so absorbed in dusting himself that he was totally oblivious of the sound of the lorry engine which had been started. The driver of the lorry in his own mechanical way slipped the lorry into the reverse gear, totally ignorant of the boy’s presence behind the lorry.

By the time my father could grasp the situation, he saw the huge vehicle bearing down on him like the ominous shadow of death, growing bigger and bigger as it neared him. He found his body totally unresponsive, with his legs rooted to the ground due to fear.

The inevitable happened and he was knocked down by the moving mass and to his horror found the mammoth tires go over his slender leg. All he could do was to cry loudly, “Swami...”

No sooner had he said this, than the world blackened out in front of his eyes and his consciousness slowly ebbed out of him. Some of the people who were around and who had heard this boy’s cry immediately took him out from the lorry and wrapped a towel around his blood-soaked leg. The next reaction of the people was to turn towards the Mandir for Swami’s help. As the concerned crowd turned towards the Mandir, they found, to their amazement and relief, Swami Himself standing in the Mandir balcony. Before they could explain anything, Swami indicated them to take the boy to the small dispensary that was close to the Mandir.

As His instruction was being followed, the boy’s elder brother ran up to Swami with tears in his eyes and cried, “Swami, the whole leg is totally damaged”. Swami consoled him by saying, “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to his leg”. So saying, He pulled up the sleeve of His robe and showed him the tread marks of the truck’s tire imprinted on His hand.

No other words of reassurance were required as it clearly showed that Swami had taken the weight of the truck on His hand to save my father. Little was spoken by his brother but the tears in his eyes spoke of the gratitude to the Lord.

The doctor found to his utter amazement that not a single bone was broken in the boy’s leg. With Swami’s constant attention and Vibhuti Prasadam, the outer wound of the leg healed in a record time of one month. The leg became perfectly functional with the only tell-tale sign of the accident being, little widening of gap between the toes of the leg. 

This incident cannot be explained scientifically. The glimpse of the Lord’s power, which is beyond science, has made my father, who is presently a scientist, to have a broader perspective of life.

- S. Shashidhar

Alumnus (1995-1997), Department of Management Studies

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Prasanthi Nilayam Campus

Currently, Senior Manager, STMicroelectronics, Bangalore

Source: Sai Nandana 1995 (70th Birthday Issue)