Love is My Form - 5 - Raju to Uravakonda | Sathya Sai = Light of Love

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LOVE IS MY FORM – A Biographical Series On Sri Sathya Sai Baba

– Volume One, The Advent (1926–1950) by R. Padmanaban

Raju Goes to Uravakonda – Chapter 5

Raju Goes to Uravakonda

Uravakonda derives its name from a huge boulder, one hundred feet high and shaped like a many-hooded snake. Urava means snake and konda a hill. The boulder sits on the top of the hill overlooking the town and casting a rather ominous influence on it.

Uravakonda opened yet another interesting chapter in Raju's boyhood. Admiration and speculation heralded his entry into the town suddenly agog with stories of the 'wonder boy.' He was only a boy then, but as the coming years were to reveal, Raju would behave in a manner much beyond his age. History here would perhaps stand still. Or was it that Raju was to put this small town, once and for all, on the spiritual map of India? Only time would tell. But, before the curtains could open for the drama to unfold, the dramatic personae had to line up. Among these were his elder brother, Seshama Raju and his sister, Venkamma.

According to Seshama Raju, his parents always wanted him to keep an eye on Raju's (Sathya's) education. The young Raju respected his elder brother so much that he would not even look up, while speaking to him. Seshama Raju moved to Kamalapuram after his marriage taking Raju with him for his schooling. From Kamalapuram, the boy was brought back to Bukkapatnam, because Seshama Raju was frequently transferred in his job. Besides, Raju's parents felt it necessary to keep him nearer home. When Seshama Raju moved to Uravakonda, he took Raju with him with the intention of admitting him to the Sri Karibasavaswami District Board High School. It was the desire of Seshama Raju and his parents that Raju pursue higher studies and grow up to be an officer with a responsible position. Raju was not actually academically eligible for such a transfer of institution and class: however, he brought a transfer certificate with him from the Bukkapatnam School to Uravakonda, for admission to Form Three. Here too, he did not ultimately complete his class, but left it midway, in order to embark on his spiritual mission.

Accordingly, Raju went with his elder brother to study in Uravakonda. "We," remembers Seshama Raju, "went there during February /March but I could not put him into school until after the summer holidays. So, he was at home [in Uravakonda]." The sojourn at Uravakonda was a very short period of study-but, perhaps, the most eventful and historic. The fame of Raju, as an unusual student with mysterious powers, had preceded him from Puttaparthi to Kamalapuram and to Bukkapatnam and even the school at Uravakonda. Sri Karibasavaswami, the main patron of the school, was a well-known head of Lingayat Virakta Matam. He was the spiritual head of the Lingayats in the surrounding districts. Mahatma Gandhi had visited the town in 1934 and opened the Social Welfare Hostel, named after him. Within a brief period of about a year, great and mysterious events were to take place there, events which would transform the life of the young Raju - and decide the destiny of mankind.

The house, where young Raju lived with his brother's family at that time was situated in the narrow Temple Street, close to the ancient Subramanya Temple. The idol of the deity in the main shrine was in the shape of a serpent while another shrine was that of Shiva lingam. This temple was practically the full-time retreat for young Raju and his group of little followers.

A narrow path alongside a tank led to a small shrine of the village deity Sunkulamma. Very often, people used to see young Raju at this shrine. He may well have liked the place, especially for its stillness and peace. This shrine and that of another deity, Muthialamma, not far off, were to play important roles in the mysterious drama that was about to unfold. Then there was the Budagavi on the outskirts of the town-a cave-temple where the Shivaratri rites were to make a great impact on Raju.

Not far off from the tank were the wells of 'old' Uravakonda, from which Raju drew water for the family needs. Drinking water was drawn from Bungalow Bhavi located near the Travellers' Bungalow, and Midathalolla Thotta, at the Anantapur-Bellary Road, three kilometres away from Seshama Raju's house. The latter had the best drinking water in that area. Often, both Raju and Venkamma would go together to fetch water from these two wells. There was a third well, located near his house, called Gilakala Bhavi (belonging to one Machipalli Hanumantha Rao). Water from this well was used for general washing purposes.

Seshama Raju's house

... consists of four sections [that look like] ... narrow passage of about six feet...[wide]. The ceiling is made of ... rough-hewn firewood and wooden rafters; the only light [comes] ... through [open parts] ... on the ceiling, where the wood has been removed. When it rains, the ceiling is blocked with rafters kept ready as a cover and [during those times] the inmates manage without ... light [or] ... air! A small square patch was marked out as the washing area. The entrance to this modest lodging has gates with iron rods.

Venkamma, Raju's elder sister, would recall in her Notes: 'We took Sathyam [Raju] to Uravakonda to admit him to school. After leaving us there, my parents returned to Puttaparthi. Sathyam, my son [Shankara Raju] and I began living in Uravakonda, where the houses resembled railway bogies, since the rooms stood one behind the other. In our house, the kitchen was the last room, followed by the bathroom. [The three of us] ... used to sleep in the front room.

The homes of their old headmaster, Tirapattur Lakshmipathy, and another teacher, Manchiraju Thammiraju, were across the road. So was the house of Pundit Narayana Sastri, the renowned Vedic scholar of the town. A few paces away, opposite to the Subramanya Temple, lived the much-feared Telugu Pundit (teacher/ scholar), Nootalapat Peraraju and the science teacher, H. S. Venkataramana.

The most onerous task facing Raju during this period was the incessant hauling of water for the family needs. On one of his visits back home at Puttaparthi, Easwaramma gave her Sathya an invigorating 'oil-bath.' She smeared til (sesame)

... oil on the head, trunk and limbs, massaging the muscles to make them tougher and more malleable and washing the oil off with a forceful douche of hot water and soap-nut solution. She observed one day on ... (Raju's] ... left shoulder a broadish length of blackened thickened skin. She found that ... [Raju] ... did not complain of pain when the patch was touched or even pressed. [Raju] ... laughed when she wanted to know how he had acquired that mark but when Easwaramma insisted, he told her that perhaps [it was due to]... his carrying water pots hung on both ends of a pole, borne on his shoulder ... [He] had to walk [back and forth] ... about six times, thrice each in the morning and in the evening [so that the] ... family of the brother with whom he stayed, as well as the families of two neighbours who appealed for help [would have enough water to drink] ... Easwaramma said, "You must come away from there. They are exploiting your goodness and your desire to serve. Why should they depend on you for water?" [Raju] ... intervened with the answer, "I felt it as my duty, Amma! How long can the children survive on the brackish poison? I carry the water of life from that distance, gladly, Mother. I have come to do this service." That made Easwaramma stop arguments and keep silent.

On one occasion, years later, Raju, then known as Sathya Sai Baba, was to recall, "Due to carrying water on my shoulders, in big pots tied with the ropes on either side of a bamboo stick, my shoulders became very hard. In spite of my doing such hard work, my aunt [sister-in-law] used to beat me without any reason." Furthermore, he had said, "They never gave me food on time." Once, Raju's sister-in-law slapped Raju so hard that his cheek became swollen. The next day, according to Sai Baba, her son fell seriously ill and died. The hardship of carrying water had a telling effect on Raju. He was to remember the experience, in later years when, as Sai Baba, he masterminded the Sri Sathya Sai Safe Drinking Water Projects for various districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Seshama Raju wrote a letter to Pedda Venkama Raju requesting him to send Sathya to Uravakonda, to continue his studies. On the day he was leaving for Uravakonda, Raju approached his friend, Thunga Gangappa, and expressed his concern: "When will I be back? When will we meet again and talk together?" Then Gangappa replied, ''You want education, and we want cultivation. Your brother has written. You go and study." While they were talking, Gangappa's mother, Akkamma brought him some roasted flat bread. Raju ate it and left, with a heavy heart.

Raju set forth for Uravakonda, where a new and important chapter in his life was about to be written.

Brothers and sisters

Easwaramma and Pedda Venkama Raju had two sons and two daughters other than Sathya. Seshama Raju was the eldest son. Venkamma and Parvathamma, the two sisters followed. Sathya was the fourth child and Janakiram the last son who was born after Sathya.

Seshama Raju (1911-1985) was of a literary bent of mind. He trained himself as a Telugu scholar and teacher. His parents always consulted him when making important family decisions because he was the most educated. It was his desire and that of his parents that Sathya should be trained to be a ‘big officer’. However, that was not to be. Seshama Raju and his wife Susheelamma looked at Sathya’s activities with skepticism. After the scorpion incident Seshama Raju listened to the physicians and astrologers as to what they all had to say about Sathya. He then knew in his heart that Sathya was no ordinary boy. The incident at Virupaksha Temple and the events in Uravakonda on the 20th of October confirmed his fears. From then he remained a silent witness to the unfolding of Sathya’s Divinity and ‘Sai Baba’s’ Divine Mission. It was much later after 1950, that he publicly spoke about Baba’s divinity. Sehama Raju passed away in 1985. Three sons and two daughters survive him.

Venkamma was the closest to Sathya. Perhaps she was the one who understood him the most of all. Having married early (to Meesaraganda Subba Raju, Easwaramma’s brother), she was like a second mother to Sathya. She dressed Sathya with her saris when he acted and danced in plays and had been with him throughout the scorpion incident and even visited the herbal doctor at Kadiri with him. Hence, she was the one to appreciate and understand the unveiling of the avatar most intimately.

It was at Venkamma’s insistence that Subbamma requested Baba to set up an ashram on her land. Later at the Puttaparthi Mandir, she was one of the principal bhajan singers. There were days when Baba and Venkamma would be the only persons to lead the bhajans. Baba had shared with her the agony and ecstasy of “an avatar”. Baba was by her bedside in the in the hospital at Whitefield., Bangalore just before she died on the 24the of September 1993. She is survived by her son.

Parvathamma looked after Baba’s food right from the days when Baba set up the Mandir at Puttapathi in 1945. At one time, Baba remarked that it was because of Parbathamma that his boy was being sustained. She had lost her husband early and Baba had seen her through a series of personal tragedies. Every time Baba brought her back to normalcy Parvathamma would plunge into the zealous service of Baba. Finally, with the vision and remembrance of Baba she breathed her last in 1996. A daughter and two sons survive her.

The youngest brother, Janakiram never did get to play much with his celebrated elder brother. Years later, along with Krishnama Raju and Venkamma, Janakiram too was a principal bhajan singer. A father of a son and two daughters, he later becomes a member of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust.