Sairam
All of you know about my dad passing away on the 19th of november. Just the thursday before that I had specially started a parayana exclusively for my parents to give them peace of mind and happiness. I prayed that they should not worry about us, as parents usually do,and they should spend rest of their lives in peace. I started the parayana and though my parents are quite healthy for their age, i felt some kind of restlessness in my mind. Everything went well until monday the 19th. On monday i got a call from my sister that dad is having a mild stomach pain. Though it seemed so mild, i prayed and started that days parayana. Guess the chapter i was to read that day!
I read about all the souls like megha, and others including the tiger who passed away in babas presence. Then i knew that baba is going to take my dad away. The whole day i did parayana while he was passing away. He passed away without much pain, calling ernakulathappans name, the name of shiva. It seemed like baba informed me ahead of what was coming.
We went to india soon and i couldnt even see his body. Though i did finish the parayana despite the death, i considered that baba wanted to me to do a saptah before my father passing away. On the seventh day, the rites were about to start. Early morning we were all up and busy. There is a young man called muthu, a tamilian, who helps out in our house and he, unaware about our family customs brought some fresh jasmine flowers early in the morning at 5 a.m. He did not know that they dont bring in flowers in this situation,and told us to put it on my dads picture. We did not even have our dads picture framed and ready at that time. I t was allowed only after the 13th day rites are over. When muthu saw there was no picture, he walked straight up to babas statue and put the jasmine garland around baba. He doenst even know about baba. There are other prominant god pictures and statues all around and baba was in one side of the puja alter. Since kids were still sleeping, we hadnt switched on the main lights so it was quite dark and it would have been impossible for him to see babas statue. I felt like baba telling us that `relax, your dad is with me.` This gave me so much of solace and though i cry on and off now, i know that he is in the safest place.
May sai be with all.
sai sai sai
radsree