© MyDattatreya 2021 All rights reserved
Designed by Tamara Lj.
Menu
Swami Gopala Krishna was born in 1951 on Tuesday, November 6th as Saligrama Venkataramaiah Gopala Krishna. The youngest of eight children of the devout Brahmin couple Yamunamma and Venkataramianah Urala, Gopala Krishna was born under a favorable star that happens to be sacred to both Vishnu and Shiva.
Love and devotion were his foundation and his food, but sacrifice and compassion were his life and his message. Gopala’s life of spiritual service was marked by love, humility, and service. He is a great example of an unassuming, yet very powerful spiritual Master who taught through his loving presence. So many who came into contact with him became changed persons, ignited by the flame of love he carried. The ashrams he established in India and the Netherlands and the deep love carried forward by his devotees are an important part of his legacy.
Sri Gopala Krishna Baba, lovingly known simply as Gopal Baba (officially Sri Prabhudananda Saraswati Maharaj), was born as the eighth child to Sri Venkatramanaiah and Smt. Yamunamma, in the auspicious Hindu month of Kartik, on 6 November 1951.
Both Smt. Yamunamma and Sri Venkataramana Urala were devotees of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Sri Venkataramana Urala had started the very famous restaurant Vidhyarthi Bhavan in the Basavanagudi area in Bangalore, known for its highest quality of hygiene and taste. It was so clean that even Orthodox Brahmin priests, who rarely visit hotels, visited this restaurant to relish its top-quality Indian vegetarian food. So this quality of ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’ ran in his family.
Sri Venkataramana Urala was instructed in one of his visits to Puttaparthi by Bhagawan to reduce worldly desires, lead a simple life, and that Bhagawan would take care of everything. Following this guidance, Sri Venkataramana Urala handed over the restaurant and cash to his younger brother to take over the restaurant and its workforce. He ventured into a quiet spiritual life. Again this quality of detachment could be seen in the family of young Gopala.
Sri Gopal Baba was very different from other children and showed great interest in spirituality. Seldom was he interested in worldly games and worldly education. Instead, he made little statues of various gods and goddesses out of clay, decorated them, and conducted prayers while the other children played games. He simply copied his parents and priests with a great eye for detail and unwavering devotion. His mother always supported him in these beautiful playful rituals. Playful but at the same time so pure and filled with love. Many mothers from the neighborhood were very fond of little Gopi; they loved to have him on their laps, feed him sweets and snacks and listen to his sweet words. He always spoke softly and kindly. He could not see the misery of human beings and animals and took care of them lovingly. In school, he made beautiful drawings in his notebooks of the gods instead of doing math. Also, he was often found in the library to study the lives of the saints and the ancient Indian holy texts. One day, his mother narrated, he came running from school asking his mother for a saree. She asked why and he explained he saw this poor woman with just rags on her body and had promised her one of his mother’s sarees. He had concluded that his mother could easily spare one in his young mind.
The young Gopala was playing in the Pooja room while His parents were away. Suddenly, Vibhuti started pouring from all the Gods’ pictures. Unaware of its significance, Gopala started cleaning the Pooja room, afraid that His parents might scold Him. It is only much later that He understood its significance. Also, around this time, Gopala was called a miracle boy, and many came to seek his advice.
As Gopala grew older, his Upanayana (Sacred Thread Ceremony) was performed. He exhibited an immense interest in learning pooja, performing the sunrise and sunset rituals, and mastered them soon. Gopala felt drawn to the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple and the Sri Hanuman temple near his house. He was a regular visitor of these temples and was known as ‘Aynooru – a priest’ at a young age. Gopala used to sit in front of the deities in the temples for hours without moving. During one such visit to the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, he corrected the chief priest by politely informing him that the disc and the conch of the Lord were interchanged. The priest was pleased by the attention to detail Gopala exhibited at such a young age and involved the young Gopala in decorating the deities. Sri Gopala Baba’s decorations of the gods were always beautifully done.
At a very young age, the locals requested Sri Gopala Baba to do the Pooja at the Hanuman temple, as the priest had to go to his native place to address an emergency. Gopala happily agreed and did the Pooja to Hanuman with great devotion and awe of the locals. Even then, when Gopal shared the holy water after the ritual, healings took place. No wonder all were very fond of him.
He strongly preferred Krishna and the divine Mother, who was worshiped in the nearby temple as Annamma. He quickly became exceptionally good at producing garlands by looking attentively at the devotees who gathered colorful and fragrant flowers in the temples (Mala’s). In a spur of devotion and innate knowledge of rituals, Gopi often decorated the images and photographs of gods in the house.
The young Gopala was also drawn to the Sri Ramakrishna Mission. He was a regular visitor to the Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, where he met his first spiritual guide, Sri Prabhudananda, a monk in the Mission. Sri Gopala Baba’s love and respect for Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was immense. He used to follow all the instructions of Sri Prabuddhananda. He was extremely fond of hearing Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s Aarthi song.
Based on instructions from Sri Prabuddhananda, young Gopala started reading the Bhagawad Gita, the Ramayana and regular recitation of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama and Sri Lalitha Sahasranama. This association between the guide and the keen learner blossomed over the years, and Sri Gopala Baba was identified as a Sadhaka, eligible for Sanyasa Deeksha with Sri Prabhudhananda Saraswathi as the given name. He had also disclosed this at home, and there was silent acceptance amongst the family as they knew young Gopala was different and that this was his calling.
While he was going to Ramakrishna Ashram and doing his Sadhana, Sri Gopala Baba noticed a framed photo of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the pooja room at their home. Until then, he had only heard from his parents that Sri Sathya Sai Baba stayed in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh and was considered a divine being.
One day, Sri Gopala Baba was cleaning the pooja room and removed the photo of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba from the pooja room as he felt it was old. Smt. Yamunamma found the picture missing the next day and was frantically searching and asking everyone for the whereabouts of the photo. Young Gopala coolly replied that he had thrown it away as it was very old! What he saw next changed his approach to spiritual sadhana and brought him close to Bhagawan Baba.
With tears in her eyes, Smt. Yamunamma ran out to the dustbin to get the photo back and told her son, ‘This is Bhagawan Baba, not a photo!!’ This incident kindled the attraction to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and his parents took young Gopala to Puttaparthi. The love story started!!
Sri Gopala Baba regularly visited Prashanthi Nilayam at Puttaparthi from the age of 15. He eagerly waited for Bhagawan’s darshan with his father, Sri Venkataramana Urala. While the crowds were increasing by the day, it was still far less than seen in later years. Bhagawan walked slowly towards his devotees and stood in front of young Gopal after some time, gazing at him without interruption for a minute or so. In Sri Gopala Baba’s words – The Chitta-akarshana was done (attraction of feelings).
The young Gopala Baba developed an immense attraction for Bhagawan Baba. So on their next visit to Puttaparthi, Bhagawan walked straight to Gopala Baba and asked, ‘I am here; what will you do there?’ – Sri Gopala Baba had the answer to the question he had in mind. He was still doing the sadhana prescribed by his teacher from the Ramakrishna Mission, and the Sanyasa Deeksha had been fixed, but after this particular visit to Puttaparthi, the Deeksha was called off. Sri Prabhuddananda, his teacher from the Ramakrishna Mission, was very happy that young Gopala had found his Guru in Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba but said young Gopala would always remain his Prabhudananda Saraswathi!!
Sri Gopala Baba started devoting all his time to spiritual practices, pooja, and bhajans of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. At times, the spiritual practices were very intense, with Ganapathi and Sri Rajarajeshwari Pooja going on for 6 hours at a stretch, but Gopala Baba used to be in total bliss. There were many challenges and obstacles in the path, which were removed by the grace of Bhagawan; blessings were showered during numerous interviews and one-on-one conversations with Bhagawan.
Bhagawan encouraged the Sadhaka in Sri Gopala Baba and gave a Vibhuthi box which was always overflowing with Vibhuthi and never got empty in Gopala Baba’s lifetime. In Puttaparthi, during Darshan, Bhagawan would always come to where Gopala Baba was seated and ensured that he subtly brushed his leg against him on the pretext of talking to others. At the end of this divine interaction which was devoid of words, Sri Gopala Baba used to take Padanamaskara (touching of the feet) by just touching Bhagawan with a single finger and then touching his eye and mouth. Divine interactions happen in subtle ways unnoticed by ordinary eyes.
The depth of his devotion is also beautifully illustrated by this story. Once, when Baba was in Whitefield, Gopi had only a little money to buy a bus ticket, but instead of the ticket, he bought a beautiful white flower for Baba and walked the long distance till his young feet hurt. In his mind’s eye, he only saw Baba’s face and ignored the pain. When he arrived in Whitefield, many people gathered to have Baba’s darshan; some carried beautiful, costly flower garlands for Baba. Gopi, a little shy by nature, just waited silently in a corner for his beloved Lord to come. Finally, Baba appeared, ignored all the beautiful garlands, and took the one white flower of Gopi. Can we imagine how radiant the face of little Gopi must have been? And the loving gaze of Sathya Sai to his beloved son?
But Sri Gopal Baba also used to be very practical. Since his father’s restaurant was very popular, there was always plenty of work, so young Gopal helped where he could. Still, some of his elder family members thought it would be better to learn a skill other than cooking. Gopal felt the pressure and started a saree business. He went to Mysore and other places and selected the most beautiful sarees, which he later sold in Bangalore. He collected some money with the profits he made, just enough to stand on his own legs. Once he had achieved that goal, no one could complain, and he stopped immediately with this work. Later, when some people approached Swami complaining they didn’t want to work, he scolded them, saying that even Sannyasins have to work in the Kali-yuga.
Gopal Baba went through years of intense ‘sadhana’ (spiritual practice) from his puberty until 1991, at age 40. He experienced the severe trials or ordeals that people sometimes face. Some of these included the incomprehension of people and thus being harassed by them. He said that, in those 25 years, he had to tread the same path that we also take towards awareness. Swami says literally: ‘Nothing was important to me; I only wanted Baba. Eventually, Baba could do nothing but take over. That is what He did. I (Gopala Krishna) looked down at the body and saw that Baba had taken over. Eventually, Baba and I became one.’
Swami is an example of the perfect devotee (bhakta), where the student enters the Master and eventually becomes the Master. His life is a perfect example of Sathya Sai Baba’s teaching: ‘Give me your worldly duties so that you can do my work.’
In 1990, Sri Gopal Baba visited Prashanti Nilayam for the 65th birthday celebrations of Bhagawan Baba. Millions had gathered for a glimpse of Baba, and Gopal Baba could not have a darshan of the Lord that was satisfactory. There was such a large crowd that he nearly got crushed by all the pushing and yearning devotees. This incident diminished the craving of being physically in the presence of the Lord. Sri Gopal Baba made a Divine wish to experience merely the ever-present aspect of Sai Baba as Love and Light, which is lasting and satisfying. Sri Gopal Baba urged all to develop the Inner Sai rather than crave the physical presence of Sathya Sai Baba. This intense inner craving resulted in the physical appearance of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the Sai Mandiram.
During a very intense and devoted bhajan session, Bhagawan Baba manifested Himself physically before Sri Gopal Baba on 23 November 1991 and materialised His Atma Lingam (Chandra Moulishwara Lingam), which he gave to Gopal Baba. He also instructed him to perform every Monday Rudra Abhishekam to the sacred lingam and distribute the consecrated water (Tirtham) among the people.
Sri Chandramouleeswara Linga had a glow to it and had a crescent moon and a full moon in it. It had a bindhu, a dot, which would glow red when milk was poured during Abhishekam. After 1991, whenever Sri Gopala Baba visited Puttaparthi, Bhagawan asked him why he had come all the way when Bhagawan was always with him and laughed.
The Abhishek was performed continuously from 1991 onwards without a break until November 23th, 2015. Swami used to carry this lingam on his heart with him from that date and held only Abhishek on special occasions. There are countless examples of people who have been cured of mental and physical ailments by partaking in the consecrated water.
His attraction was not for the masses. Swami was the clearest mirror, showing the perfect reflection of oneself while looking in His eyes. That love is like an addiction where the soul becomes thirsty for more and more.
From 1996, Swami Gopala Baba regularly traveled to Mumbai and other places in India. Swami had visited the Netherlands in 2001, 2004, 2014, and 2019. During these visits, he always emphasised the unity between God and himself with the words:
‘I am a ray of that one sun; God is that sun.’
He referred to the Netherlands often as Holyland (a play on words with Holland) and said the change would start from there. Especially in his first visit, he gave many devotees a glimpse of his Christlike nature. He made it easy for them to relate even more to Lord Jesus since they could easily picture Jesus as they observed Swami’s love and gentleness.
In 2014, a long-cherished wish was fulfilled, and a new ashram was built in the countryside: the Sri Soma Sai Skanda Ashram in Nidaghatta village. It is situated along the road from Bengaluru to Mysuru. On November 23, 2015, the ashram was festively opened by the governor of the Karnataka district.
On Guruvar, the 11th Day of June 2020, Swami Sri Gopal Baba, dear Mother and Guru to his devotees, moved from the SEEN to the UNSEEN. Still, he continues to shower his love and blessings on all his devotees from the beyond. His devotees continue to rely on his omnipresence and confidently continue to do his work under his guidance.
Swami had given several warnings of his coming departure in the last decade of his life and had told his devotees often that he wouldn’t be in his body much longer. Once he moved to the ashram, which was built as his samadhi place, he left precise instructions for his last rites so that his energy would stay preserved for the devotees who would come later.
Nevertheless, his passing was sudden for his devotees, but, of course, exactly as he wished. He sent a close devotee to call for a doctor, but when this devotee returned after a few minutes, he had left his body.
On the ashram website, a link to the video can be found of his farewell. A week before Swami left his body, he suddenly spoke a longer message to his children on his Facebook group.
Swami was closely connected to the Masters listed below, and devotees would experience this when they came in contact with Swami. His first Master seems to have been Sri Ramakrishna. Especially in the early days of his mission, he appeared to be more a Mother than anything else. His gestures were very delicate and feminine. He told the early devotees of his former life as Sri Sharada Devi. Later, many experienced Sathya Sai’s pure energy in him, and he would always tell the devotees that he was one with Sai. One remarkable event was with a devotee working for Sathya Sai Baba on the Whitefield campus. He saw Swami one evening in conversation with Sathya Sai Baba. But at the same time, Gopal Baba was tending to his devotees in his own temple. He realised that Masters like Gopal Baba are not confined to one place or body.
– Sri Ramakrishna
– Sri Sharada Devi
– Sri Sathya Sai Baba
– Sri Shirdi Sai Baba
– Sri Ramana Maharshi
Sri Gopala Baba was a very humble teacher. He was always soft-spoken, with a fine sense of humor. His discourses emphasised simple teachings, such as honoring the parents, caring for the sick and the elderly, and practicing compassion. Gopal Baba was not a person to amaze people constantly with great new teachings. He mainly taught his lessons in silence; he gave his instructions by guiding the thoughts of the devotees. A good listener would receive precious lessons that way.
Neither did he give any initiations or diksha, because his blessings were conveyed through his eyes, just by looking at his devotees. This was also the way he removed obstacles for them.
Spiritual upliftment was imparted to the devotees, raising them to a higher consciousness simply by being in his presence.
For Gopal Baba, the most important path in spirituality was selfless service while seeing the other person as oneself. He himself set the example through a lifetime of selfless service.
His teachings were conveyed by guiding the thoughts of his devotees. His diksha was conveyed through his eyes, and raising of consciousness was obtained by simply being in his presence.
Living with and observing him was the best way to learn; his example was his primary teaching.
Some observations from his devotees:
‘Swami was an embodiment of Love and Patience. Every devotee he pulled towards him, he would work on patiently and lovingly, first cleansing us physically by making us give up our bad habits and then working on improving our spiritual character by filling us with love and devotion.’
‘As we were pressing his legs during our golden hours with him, Swamy used to tell us how he used to avoid taking Prasadam or theertham from the priests as he had observed the dirt in the priest’s fingernails. As Swami spoke, we would look at our hands and make sure to come with neat fingers the next day.’
‘Sometimes Swami used to tell us how he suffered due to a particular devotee who expressed excessive devotion as he came directly from work to press his legs during his afternoon nap as his sweaty dress and untidy body would make him uneasy. Hearing this, we would make sure that we always saw Swami in neat and proper manners.’
‘Swami used to tell us about a particular devotee and his manners. During a Bhajan Satsang after the Aarthi, this devotee asked for extra curds that the hosts did not have when food was served. They felt embarrassed. Pointing out this incident, Swami said, ‘I happily accept whatever Prasad devotees offer and never seek for anything as we are not aware of the condition of their kitchen and their contents. This would have a huge bearing on our minds and make us follow Swamy’s words to the core in our day-to-day life.’
Swami showed us by example how to take care of our Parents.
Swami used to cook soft and tasty food for his parents daily and would ensure that they never skipped the meals by serving them, joining them, and having it together with lots of love and affection. Moreover, he would watch over them from morning to evening despite devotees flocking to the temple.
Swami had to care for his pet cats too; there were times when their number reached 80 or more. But Swami himself used to boil milk and feed them with fresh milk, water, and cat food daily, with lots of love and patience. His back hurt a lot with all the bending as he fed them non-stop. The cups used to be washed with hot water and kept ultra-clean for the next feeding.
Celebration of festivals:
Swami himself would plan all the etiquette required to host the dignitaries and ask to jot it down in a notebook whenever a program was planned.
For decoration, beautiful and large flower garlands were easily made by Swami, and the deities were decked with them along with grand silk sarees. Earlier, Swami used to cook himself a variety of dishes for around 300 devotees with the help of his mother and would serve them as Prasad. He knew how to cook every South Indian dish with a delicious taste.
Coming to the temple construction, Swami was the Master Architect. He would beautifully sketch the Temple Gopuram, deities, roofing designs; he would hand over the entire Dashavatar sketch to the sculptors with intricate details.
Short reminders of Swami extracted from his discourses:
The following practices were emphasised by Gopala Baba:
– Karma Yoga
– Feeding animals and the poor
– Starting of free health clinics
– Japa – continuous repetition of God’s name
– Bhajan – devotional singing
– Bhakti Yogi – Path of devotion
Swami’s Gurumantra used to pray to and contact him:
Swami’s Hands
Swami’s cousin brother, Narasimhanna, lived without attachments and was a very good astrologer, not just by profession but as a divine order. One evening he was seeing the palms of Swami’s elder brother and some other devotees who were present. All were happy as well as astonished by his near-accurate predictions. A devotee then requested him to see Swami’s hands. Lovingly he held Swami’s hands and started staring at Swami’s palms. He was speechless. All requested him to reveal what he saw. He just nodded his head in astonishment and said, ‘These are not ordinary palms. These are the palms of Yuga Purushas, the Avatars. What can I say seeing these divine palms? It’s better for me to keep quiet.’
Swami’s ‘Monsoon’
Swami Gopal Baba performed many miracles, and from his samadhi, his blessings continue. Healing the sick, rescuing people from death. Materialising objects for devotees for protection or guidance. However, his biggest miracle is how he transforms and melts the heart of people and awakens the love for God in them. ‘Monsoon’ was his specialty. People would come to visit him, and he would fill them with só much love that they broke out in tears.
Swami’s Benediction:
‘I was never much into religion; I never believed in anything. I ate non-vegetarian and only stopped eating meat after Swami told me. I am a Punjabi by faith and used to do pooja, but it was just a habit. I was looking for answers to a lot of questions. When I came to Swami the first time, he gave me some books to read and to quench my thirst. I have been reading since then and have acquired a library of good, sought-after spiritual books. It is so wonderful that Swami gives every devotee just what he needs, and this is different for each. We all walk our special road towards God; he will offer just the guidance needed for our unique road.’
Swami’s Help to Fetch Sacred Water
The process of spirituality has its stages; the moment I met Swami, miracles were like his visiting card. They attract a person to his Guru or spiritual path, but as life unfolds and you become more mature spiritually, it is not anymore about miracles. You grow spiritually so that you become more independent from your Guru. The Guru is with us to teach us how to walk in the dark, but ultimately we will be able to walk in the dark with the pure inner light of the Guru in our hearts. Some of the experiences I had with Swami are as follows:
In 2005, my in-laws were called by Swami to visit him during the Guru Purnima festival. At that time, there were a lot of financial difficulties for them, and it seemed impossible that they would be able to come; however, Swami assured them that they would come. While pondering what to do, their son got a call from a friend who had started working for a company launching its airline. The airline offered an inaugural discount on tickets priced for 1 Rs from Delhi to Bangalore and back. Immediately their son booked six tickets at an insignificant amount, and all of us had the darshan of Gopal Baba on Gurupurnima by His grace. When Swami promises, he makes sure he fulfills the promises.
In the year 2017, Swami called me, for he needed sacred water from a place called Gangotri, which is at an altitude of 9,980 ft (a place in the higher Himalayas where the river Ganga originates), for the inauguration of the new temple. It was just a few days before the mountain pass to Gangotri would close for winter; it would be impossible to go there after that. So we went as soon as possible, we drove ourselves and stayed in a small town called Uttarkashi, some 70 km before Gangotri.
The next day we drove to Gangotri. We arrived after about 3 hours from the place we were staying. We went to the Riverside immediately and started collecting the water. We had brought two large jerry cans to take 30 liters each to carry the water. When the cans were filled they were very heavy, and it was tough to carry them, but out of the blue, a porter appeared. We were pleasantly surprised by this, as there were hardly any porters around this time of the year. The porter helped us carry the jerry cans to the car parking and placed the cans in the vehicle. The right help, at the right time, at the right place! This is how he is present around us. We reached Uttarkashi in the evening from Gangotri.
In the evening, our driver who had brought us from Delhi noticed that one of the jerry cans was leaking and that the precious water of mother Ganga was spilling away. It was a Monday evening, and all the shops were closed. I was feeling frustrated because it meant I had to go to Gangotri again, which is not an easy task as it is high in the mountains (9980 ft), and I get altitude sickness. I searched the market to find at least one small shop open to buy a Jerry can and save the precious water, but everything was dark and closed.
In the shadows, I saw a lone man standing and, out of desperation, approached him to ask if he knew a shop that could help me. He took me to a closed shop where they sold cans and called the shop owner’s number on his mobile. The shop owner lived only two doors away and came over immediately. He took us to his house, and there he had a strong Jerry can, which was exactly what I needed! We were saved from having to go back to Gangotri. Swami sees everything, and his protection is always there.
Miraculous Revelation
Gopal Baba’s Mother, whom we all lovingly called Amma, used to sleep in a small room in the old mandir. Swami slept on the first floor. Swami’s attendant Ravi slept in the house connected to the mandir. One night Amma, Gopal Baba’s mother, heard a lot of noise. First, she worried about Swami; maybe he had fallen down with low sugar? As she peeped from the window, she saw a lorry outside with wooden reapers in it. Outside, many people were also seen, some sitting on the stairs of the small connected house and as she turned around to look into the temple, it was also filled with people. Amma got scared as all the doors were locked. How could all these people enter? As she approached the temple platform where the Chandramoulishwara lingam was kept, on one side, she saw Swami Samarth (Akkalkot Maharaj) standing majestically with a cap and a mala of Rudraksha beads. On the other side stood the dark and tall Sri Nityananda Maharaj. Behind the lamp, Amma saw Devi Kamakshi wearing a parrot green saree. Amma heard from the crowd a voice saying, ‘These people have maintained the temple spic and span. We have to see to it that it remains like that.’
Enamored by the majestic and dark nature of Sri Nityananda and Swami Samarth with those huge Rudraksha mala, the large crowd in the temple, Amma got nervous and thought of running away and hiding in the toilet.
She wanted desperately to call Ravi, but the noise around was too high. So she went into the kitchen, closed the door, and prayed to a picture of Sathya Sai Baba. While she prayed with great intensity, a huge mist formed, and Sathya Sai appeared out of his picture in full form and told her not to worry. … She requested Sathya Sai to send the saints back, and that he only should remain.
Amma used to worry daily about Swami, her dear son, what would happen after she passed away, how Swami would take care of himself, and all the temple activities. Moreover, Swami had stopped eating proper food after The Samadhi of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and Amma was very anxious about Swami’s health.
Sathya Sai told Amma that her Son Gopala had been with him since the times of Sri Rama avatar and showed her a vision of Swami during Rama avatar. Baba told her not to worry as her son was accompanying Sathya Sai during every Avatar. Sathya Sai also showed her through a mirror the Rudrabhishekam performed by Swami, and a scene where Sathya Sai was removing the Tulasi leaves sticking to Swami’s fingers. Sathya Sai also showed Amma the sketches of Soma Sai Skandashrama in Nidhughatta village, and the Sai Kamakshi temple in Gopuram, and revealed to her how the Temple would be built there. After all these Sathya Sai disappeared. In the early morning, as Swami and Ravi opened the temple side doors, Amma was still in the kitchen and told them all that had happened that night. She said, ‘Gopala, I know who you are!’
Amma tried to touch Swami’s feet, but Swami avoided it, telling her that it was embarrassing for him to see her touch his feet as he was her son. But still, Ravi told us, as Swami moved around the temple pedestal, Amma used to touch Swami’s feet, saying softly that some flowers were stuck to his feet and she wanted to remove them.
When Amma was taken to Sri Soma Sai Skandashrama Nidhughatta temple, she confirmed with Ravi that Sathya Sai had shown her the exact temple sketches and its Gopuram, long back, even before the temple was built.
Sri Gopala Krishna Swami moved into a quiet layout called Girinagar in South Bangalore. In 1989, he built a small temple in a hall next to his house. From 1991 onwards, Sri Gopala Baba performed Rudrabhishekam to the Chandramouleeshwara Lingam every Monday between 7 to 9 a.m. The Thirtha of the Rudrabhishekam was used to cure many ailments, including serious ones like cancer. Devotees would amass to take this Thirtha, also carrying it away in bottles to give to friends and relatives. On Thursday evenings, Sri Gopala Baba gave darshan to the devotees. Guru Purnima and Sathya Sai Birthdays were celebrated with great enthusiasm.
As word spread about his divinity, devotees came from different parts of the country, more notably Mumbai. Many devotees from various countries like Holland, the U.S.A, and France, among others, also started visiting his place in Girinagar. The devotees who came from outside Bangalore requested Swami to visit their cities. From 1998 onwards, he started visiting Mumbai, and from 2001 on, he started visiting Holland. His following kept increasing, and so did the activities in his small temple.
As the number of devotees increased by large numbers, Gopala Baba felt the need to expand the temple space and start social service activities close to his heart. So he found it convenient to build this temple on a plot opposite his house in Girinagar. In 2003 the Temple was completed and became ‘Sri Sai Mandiram’. Today, the temple is a landmark in the area and attracts a long line of devotees on Thursdays. Special Poojas like Satyanarayana Pooja (on Pournami days) are performed regularly, besides festivals like Navarathri, etc.
In his old temple, for 25 years from 1991 to 2015, Sri Gopala Baba performed Rudrabhishekam on Monday mornings to the Chandramouleeswara Lingam given to him by Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in his paranormal form. The holy water or Thirtha of the rudrabhishekam was distributed to devotees and their friends and relatives suffering from health problems. They would find relief and cure by drinking this Thirtha. It was indeed a great divine blessing of Sri Gopala Baba to alleviate the suffering of many people.
The growth of the ashram has marked the past decades. Not only was an outpatient clinic (dispensary) realised in the late 1990s, but a new temple was built to accommodate the large numbers of visitors, just opposite the old, small temple of Gopala Baba.
To visit the Gopala Krishna ashrams, please contact:
– Sri Sai Mandiram
No. 1265 1st E mainroad
8th B Cross, 2nd Phase Girinagar
Bangalore
00918904392536 Sri Ganesh
– Sri Soma Sai Skanda ashram
Bengaluru/ Mysore Highway
NH 275 Nidaghatta Village
Maddur Taluk, Mandya District
Karnataka
571433
00919632999111 Sri Ravi
– Sai Tempel
van Velzenstraat 49a
1693 CV Wervershoof (Onderdijk)
Netherlands
0031228855128
The books are available at the ashrams.
© MyDattatreya 2021 All rights reserved
Designed by Tamara Lj.