“Prema,Premee!come back to me!”cried Amma.

My dear ILITES,this story is my humble ‘kanikkai’ to each and every one of you.
My ugadi gift to you.Hope you will like it.—mithila.​

It was midafternoon and the sun was right above the heads of every one in Srirangapattinam.Srirangapattinam is a small town which lies between Bangalore and Mysore.The famous Ranganatha temple there made it a special place to visit for pilgrims.

The sun was scorching. Amma was worried.”Where has this boy gone?It is so hot outside,if he remains out in the sun for so long he will fall sick.”Amma was worrying about her only son ,on whom she doted and got out of the house.She looked out ,no her son was not to be seen.She went to the other side of the road,climbed on a small mound of earth which the children named as small hill,shielded her eyes with both her hands and looked far beyond.Yes,there he was,the apple of her eyes Prema .Amma called him ‘Prema,Premee,Premu etc whereas his name was Prema Sai.​

“Prema,come home immediately.You have to have your bath and eat lunch.Come fast”Amma commanded him.If Prema heard it, he never responded to that call.He simply threw a glance in her direction,smiled ,that bewitching smile and continued playing with his friends.A group of boys were standing a few yards from the entrance to the Ranganatha temple and were jumping skipping singing and having a great time.Actually more than jumping and skipping,they were singing.They repeated the lines rendered by Prema and the effect of their singing was glorious.All the shopkeepers on that road had come out,people from neaby streets also had come and stood near this bunch of boys and they listened to their songs,bhajans with a smile on their lips and bhakthi in their hearts.​

Amma could not bear it anymore.
“These selfish people!They don’t care if my son eats or goes hungry the whole day.All they want is that he should keep singing and they will enjoy.This stupid fellow,I will teach him a lesson.”So muttering,she broke a stick from a nearby tree,took it in her hand and walked towards where Prema was holding his fort.Her neighbours who watched her carrying a stick smiled indulgently.They knew only too well that Amma would never ever think of even raising her voice against her son,leave alone using the stick on him.Prema saw his mother walking towards him with a stick in her hand.He smiled mischievously and came running towards her.He hugged her and said,”Amma,Iam very hungry”.Thats all.Amma’s heart melted like jaggey in water.With feigned anger she dragged him into the house.
“How many times I have told you not to go out in the sun.You never listen.Wait one day you are going to get it from me.”So saying,she took him to the backyard of her house,made him sit on a small atone that she kept only for Prema to sit and bathe,and she began to give him bath.No soap for Prema,She used a bathing powder that she made specially for him at home using various herbs.No shampoo for washing his hair,she used a herbal powder that she made at home.​

“Look at her,she is bathing him with herbal powder as if he is a girl.”The crowd that had gathered in her backyars to see her bathing her son,chuckled.Amma did not bother about that.​

After giving him bath,Amma brought him inside and dressed him up.She put on him the orange colour robe,the only dress that he loved to wear.She used mild sandalwood powder to dust his face and hands.Then she app;ied sandalwood paste on his forehead as ‘pottu’ and kept a small dash of kumkum in the centre of the sandalwood paste.She combed his curly thick hair with great difficulty,finally her task was over.​

Amma mixed rice and dhal in a small dish added a dash of ghee to it,mixed it well and proceeded to feed him.She took small amount of this rice,made it into small ball, cajoled him to eat it.But no,Prema refused to eat.”Amma,Iam not hungry.Let me go out and play”Prema pleaded.Amma also pleaded with him.​

“Prema,my premoo,please eat your meal.I have made it with lot of care and love,come on my son,eat this.”But Prema would turn his head every time,Amma took thr rice near his mouth.Finally amma said to him,”Prema,if you eat one small ball of this dhal and rice,the stomachs of all the birds and animals would get filled for they would have eaten that rice.If you eat one more ball of this rice ,all the fields would flourish,all the plants and trees would get their food in the form of water and will grow and grow.If you eat one more ball, my son, the entire humanity would feel their stomachs full.So eat my son”Prema listened to his mother,smiled that famous smile and ate the food that his mother fed him .​

The birds sang in glee,the animals rored to agree with them,the fields danced to the tune of the soft wind that blew across,and the entire humanity felt a kind hand on their heads.​

Prema finished eating and started running towards the temple,his favourite playing field.His friends were waiting for him outside the temple.Amma came out of her house and watched her son walking towards his friends.Whlie her heart swelled with pride looking at the beautiful picture that he made,a fear also tugged at her heart.​

Amma came to Srirangapattinam carrying Prema, a two year old baby .With the money she had she bought a small piece of land and also a couple of cows.she raised a cowshed and sold milk and curd to the locals.The paddy that she got from her land was enough for mother and son to survive.No one knew anything about Amma except that she was a kind lady ,very fond of children and was a quiet person.The locals helped her in cultivating her land and also in building a small house near her land.​

Prema was a lovely child.He grew up and was the cynosure of all eyes.He had a special charm.His skin was golden in colour.His eyes were black.His hair was curly and uncontrollable.His eyes twinkled all thet ime and he also smiled, yes, that bewitching smile which was his prized possession.​

When Prema passed a brass or bronze shop in the market all the bells in the shop jingled on thei rown and gave that divine sound.
When he passed a clothes shop,all the clothes and dresses in the shop took a new shine.​

When he passed a cowshed, the cows stood up and milk poured from their udders.​

When he looked at a maiden, her cheeks reddened and she got heavenly beauty.The nursing mothers’ breasts overflowed with the Amrut of life when Prema smiled at them.​

People wondered,”What heavenly magic has this boy got?Where from he gets this powers?Who is he in reality?”Prema continued smiling.​

Prema would come home in the evenings.His mother would as usual chide him for having dirtied himself and give him a wash and change his dress.She would feed him kanji or a fruit and both mother and son would spread a mat on the floor and would get ready to sleep.Prema would ask his mother to tell him a story every night.
“Tell me a story,amma”he would beg.​

“I have told you all the stories that I know,my son.Now where will I go fo a story?”his mother would reply.​

“Tell me Rama’s story”​

Prema never tired of listening to Ramayana.He also loved to listen to stories about Saibaba.He would correct Amma if she made even a small mistake in telling the story.​

“How did you know that?”Amma
would ask incredulously.
“You only told that story the other day,you know”Prema would chuckle.​

Prema would go to sleep hugging his mother.Once he went to sleep,Amma would continue gazing at her son.Silent sobs would come out of her mouth,which she would try and control.Her heart would wail,”Prema,how long are you going to stay with me my son?I know that one day you will go away from me.One day you are going to leave me,what will I do without you?”She would sob herself to sleep.​

Prema grew up into a fine young man.His charm mesmerized every one.He stopped playing and he started talking to people about God about the good deeds we do that would take us closer to God.People followed him everywhere.His fame grew.People were stunned that at such a young age knew so much.As his fame grew,Amma’s fear also grew.She knew that the time for Prema to leave her was nearing.​

Finally ,that day arrived..Both mother and son stood there looking at each other.Amma knew that Prema knew what she thought,the pain that she felt.Prema knew that Amma knew that one day he would leave her and go.​

As Prema took leave of Amma,Amma wept.
“Pema,don’t leave me and go.For the others their families are there,but you are my only support in life.I just can not live with out you,Prema.”She cried,Prema stroked her head in fondness.”Amma,I was blessed to have you as my mother.Amma I am every mother’s son and the entie humanity are my children.Iam here to ward off the pains of people.I have to go Amma.”​

“Sai ,PremaSai,to the world you are PremaSai but to me you are Prema,Premee and premoo.Prema please show me your real form once.”Amma cried.The next minute she saw Prema,Prema Sai in his real form.Her eyes brightened.Prema hugged her to his chest for a second and the next second,he was on the road.
Prema,Sai the Avathar purush is walking down the road,surrounded and followed by the young and the old.He is walking into the future ,the purpose of his Avatar being to drive away the misery of peole,to make people realize their own worth.He is walking into the future to make this world a better place.​

Sai Charanam
Satguru Charanam.​

P.S:Recently,when we went to Mysore we stopped at Srirangapattinam.We took the darshan of Sree Rnganathar.On that trip my younger daughter Sangheetha told me a news.She was told by a Sai devotee that Swami Saibaba would take his next Avatar in Srirangapattinam and he would be called PremaSai.That night I just could not sleep.PremaSai became my child in my deams.The story is the result.
Sai belongs to all of us.This story is a figment of my imagination,nothing more nothing less.​

 

My dear Usha,
You had written to me about your mother and what an inspiration she was to others.Now you are telling that your parents worked in Puttabarthi hospital.I got goose bumps my dear.Sai is taking care of your father.How wonderful!Your parents are blessed souls and so are you for being their daughter.
After listening to the news that Si will take Avathar as PremSai,I just could not sleep.Now PremSai has become my favourite child.Thank you for the fb.
love
mithila

 

My dear Janani,
Thank you dear for the lovely feed back.
Yes,blessed aare the women who carried the divine beings in their wombs,they must have done lot of punyam to be mothers to the great sages.

love
mithila

 

My dear Sridha,
Iam humbled by your words,words carying inspiration.Somehow while writing this I never felt tired.So many things happened at home,my daughter Vaidehi was cut up that I was not listening to her,the tv was blaring but nothing disturbed me.
When I close my eyes and play with PremSai,chide him and cajole him the joy I get is boundless.
Thank you Sridhar.You are a ladder,my son,you lift up people never expecting anything in return.God bless you.
love
mythili

 

My dear Srividya,
Thank you dear for the way you have expressed your appreciation of the post.
love
mithila