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'Dr. Sharmila Patil's Faith Strengthens' is the 28th Leela in the series. In this clip, Vinny Ma continues to narrate the story of Dr. Sharmila. Dr Sharmila safely delivered a baby boy with Baba's blessings. Post delivery, each time her son had any ailment, Sharmila gave him Udi mixed in water and he recovered every time. Although she was a doctor herself, she considered Udi to be the 'Sanjivani' or the life-giving elixir. Such was her faith in Baba. This Leela emphasises the power of faith and the healing power of Baba's Udi.
Transcript
Baba answered Sharmila’s prayers and all her pregnancy tests were positive. Surprisingly, she had no discomfort like morning sickness, pica or swelling of her feet.
Late one evening, there was a shutdown of electricity and Sharmila was all alone at home. Her husband had not returned from his clinic. Soon she started feeling restless, so she pulled a chair next to the window and sat down. As usual, Sharmila was mentally chanting Baba’s name, but before long she fell fast asleep. Then she had this reassuring dream.
“My Baba had come to my home. Though I couldn’t see His face clearly, I knew it was Him as He wore a long white Kafni. Without a moment’s hesitation I ran and fell at His feet. Tears were copiously flowing from my eyes onto His feet. However, Baba’s feet felt cold to me. Baba then said, “Everything will be alright.” There my dream ended. Now I was sure that my pregnancy would be alright and I would have an uncomplicated delivery. After all, my Baba had come to my home and had reassured me.”
And so it came to pass that although this was her first baby, Sharmila’s labour pains lasted only a few hours. Moreover, she had an uncomplicated delivery, and Baba blessed her with a baby boy. A week after Sharmila and her son came home, she again dreamt of Baba. In the dream, she was sitting on the floor with her son in her lap. Baba sat in front of her; His forearm was resting on a railing. He then raised His hand and said, “Nothing will happen to your child. He will be fine.” Thereafter, Sharmila stopped worrying about her son.
From then on, if her son had any ailment, her first line of treatment was to give him Udi mixed in water, and needless to say her child recovered every time. Although Sharmila was a physician, and physicians tend to frown on other modalities of treatment other than what they practise, Sharmila considered Udi as ‘Sanjivani’ or the only life-giving elixir on earth.
With tears of gratitude in her eyes, Sharmila recalls, “There are innumerable instances where my son was growing up and Baba came to my aid. I am not a ‘great’ devotee, nor do I qualify as a good devotee of Baba, as I am unable to assimilate His teachings like ‘Nava Vida Bhakti’ into my life and daily routine. Nonetheless, whenever I find time, I read His Charitra and the Sai Leela magazine. I do chant His name but it is not sustained. Time and again, I marvel at Baba’s unconditional compassion, for He comes running to the aid of devotees like me without fail. I am still incapable of understanding this magnificent God, consequently I sing the hymn ‘Ananta tula te kase re stavave’: (Thou art eternal, how shall I praise Thee? Thou art eternal, how shall I do obeisance to Thee?) Even the thousand-tongued Adisesh gets exhausted in singing your praises. Therefore, I only salute you with eight-fold prostrations, Shri Sainatha.”
This lovely Leela was written in Sai Prasad Magazine, Deepavali issue, 1998.
A special podcast series by Dr. Vinny Chitluri which is on Baba's leelas and life history.