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Early Roots in Nachiyar Koil

Vijaya grew up in Nachiyar Koil near Kumbakonam, in a very traditional, religious household. As a child, she would ask her grandmother for milk, yogurt, honey, and turmeric so she could “bathe” her small Ganesha, Shivalingam, and Nandi before school, wipe them dry, and apply chandan and kumkum. Each year she watched intently the Kal Garudar carried out by four men, then eight, sixteen, thirty‑two, sixty‑four, and finally 108 as a testament to divine capability [Ed. Note: the Kal Garudar is a stone statue that appears to increase in weight as it makes its passage through the temple premises].

“Show Me a Miracle”

Despite that background, she did not hear of Swami until after marriage. In an effort to improve their financial condition, her husband, Vijayakumar had taken a job in Somalia while Vijaya and their son were to join shortly after. Shortly before her trip to Somalia, during a visit with her in‑laws, her mother‑in‑law had talked about hearing of a Sai Baba who performed many miracles and speculated He might be able to help the family get through the tough times. Vijaya cockily dismissed the suggestion and challenged her mother-in-law and Swami that she would only believe in Him if He showed her a miracle.

A few days later, she flew with her baby to join her husband in Somalia after six months apart. On the car ride from the airport he sat unusually quiet in the front seat, giving short, flat replies that seemed like he was not excited to see them. She complained in Tamil about how disappointed she felt, and at one point reached forward from the back seat to ruffle his hair in irritation, only to feel him flinch.

When they reached the home of an Indian doctor, he greeted her by saying it was a miracle her husband was alive. Two days earlier - at the same time she had made her “show me a miracle” remark - her husband had been in a serious accident, and he was bleeding from a deep cut behind his ear and on his finger that needed stitches. Only then did she understand why he had reacted when she touched his hair.

What stayed with her was the doctor’s word “miracle,” echoing the exact word she had thrown at Swami through her mother‑in‑law. Back at home in Somalia, as she unpacked her deities, she set Swami’s photo on the altar and told Him, “The doctor says it’s a miracle, so you can stay with the others. To really accept You as God will take some time.”

The Miracle Daughter

Many miracles occurred with her daughter, Vishaka that strengthened her faith. Once 2-year-old Vishaka fell into an open septic tank, only to be rescued by a mystery man never seen before or after.

Vishaka had an ailment where she threw up every meal she ever took. One day, at the age of three, she saw Swami at Abbotsbury in Chennai, where He told her to eat well and not throw up. And she instantly was healed of the issue!

Seva Across Oceans

From those early days, the way she related to Swami was mainly through work and service. Back in Chennai, she joined Seva Dal at Sundaram and tried not to miss chances to serve - cleaning, crowd control, simple errands - whatever was needed.

At home she and her family hosted regular bhajans, bringing neighbors together around Swami’s name, and she began to notice a pattern: whenever health or financial problems flared up, help came in quiet but very specific ways.

Her husband went through a series of major surgeries, often one every few months. Each time something or someone turned up at the right moment so that he pulled through and they somehow managed the next step.

Her seva widened when they moved to Africa. In Nairobi they were drawn into a small but active Sai community that quickly became like family. On Saturdays, while her children sat in Balvikas classes at the center, Vijaya went to a nearby slum to teach bhajans and human values. The children would sit in a shed with a blackboard at the front, using cleaned‑out oil cans as drums, and learn simple Sanskrit bhajans line by line; very often, by the time she walked back to the car, they could sing the whole bhajan from memory.

She would help cook and clean for Narayan Seva at the center, return on Sundays to serve and attend bhajans, and join study circles when she could. Looking back, she says most of her week was shaped by these small but steady forms of seva.

At His Feet in Prasanthi

She finally got to get face to face with the Master. The Nairobi study‑circle group took a trip to Parthi, and she bought a green sari in Puttaparthi and asked Swami silently to bless it if He ever brought her into the interview room.

As she had prayed, Swami called the group for an interview, and she ended up sitting directly at His feet. When Swami sat down and rested His feet on the small stool, she instinctively held them and began pressing, just as she had done in dreams for years. For a moment He drew His feet back and she even found herself thinking, half‑jokingly, that He was being a “Donga” (thief) for taking away in person what He had given in dreams. Immediately, He relented and let her hold His feet for almost an hour and a half while He talked to the group.

As the interview drew to a close, Swami distributed vibhuti packets. Standing near Him, she received one handful, and then a second. One of the vibuthi packets burst open and covered her green sari in vibhuti - the same sari she had asked Him to bless when she bought it. As the devotees left the interview room, Swami was walking ahead toward the door with His back to her when she bent down to offer namaskar. At that moment He turned fully around and looked at her. Overcome, she stepped forward and hugged Him, thinking only, “I don’t want to leave You,” and He placed His hand on her head and said, “I am in you, with you, around you.”

Advice for Parents

When asked about parenting, Vijaya feels strongly that being in Swami’s fold is itself a blessing for any individual. She emphasizes it is every parent’s duty to bring their children to the Sai Center, to involve them in service so they learn to appreciate what life has given them compared to the world around them, and to enroll them in SSE so they can learn human values and grow into good citizens. Vijaya is happy and proud that she took her own children regularly to the Center and is deeply grateful to Swami for who they have become.