Miracles Do Happen

A miracle is a totally unexpected surprise event happening around us bringing immense benefit and happiness to an individual, society or nation. Many turn round cases which were originally given up as unsolvable have shown remarkable recovery by what we call; sheer miracle.

Miracle is to be differentiated from magic which is a temporary short lived often illusory phenomenon. What distinguishes miracle from magic is something rooted in faith one has in the Almighty and in oneself. The role of man and his effort is minimal since several external factors over which the individual has no control, contribute to the result. So men assign a role for a supernatural agency. This we call God. This again according to Vedic thought is not a personal god. It is the ever present Supreme Consciousness which is the substratum for all universal phenomena to exist. It is changeless and has to be known and realized. It has no gender but for convenience of expression we use the word 'He'. It is His grace that makes the beneficial result possible. How they happen is a mystery but it happens for no reason traceable to human effort.

In contrast magic is the work of an individual where the minds of the spectators are conditioned by the acquired mesmeric powers of the performer. The results often are illusory and are purely temporary. Magic does not confer benefits. The important distinction between miracle and magic is that the former is a product of Divine Grace where as the latter is the product of some occult powers possessed but the magician.

In our daily life we come across several cases where the event and the consequences are described as miracles. In all these cases we can see the presence of an unseen hand of pure divinity which gives the results beneficial to many. A few examples may be of interest to us. All these cases emphasize the experience of realized souls and who have been blessed by the Divine Power and who have passed on the inherited glory to the successors.

Thirteen hundred years ago, during his visit all over the country The Great Acharya Sankara happened to visit a village where devotees flocked to pay homage to him .Among them was a boy who was considered a problem for his parents. He was dumb. The parents took the boy to the Acharya to seek his blessings. On seeing him the Great Acharya immediately recognized the divinity in the boy and asked him a few questions. The first question was "who are you" This was followed by other questions like from where he came. The boy who was dumb started talking torrentially to the surprise of all.

He answered the questions in the language of the Atman and the Acharya found in him a profound boy of wisdom. The boy became his disciple. This was a miracle. This boy was later known as Hastamalaka.How else we could explain the phenomenon of a dumb boy talking profusely words of eternal wisdom.
We have another example, Narayaneeyam, a sacred work of over thousand verses in hundred sections, in praise of the Lord Krishna of Guruvayur. The author Narayana Bhattathiripaad was a victim of acute arthritis which had no known cure. When all medicines and methods failed he surrendered to the Lord. When the great work was completed his disease was completely cured. Was it not a miracle? Was it not the Divine Hand that blessed and gave him total relief from the otherwise incurable ailment?

Another example relates to Naren who later came to be known as Swami Vivekananda. This great son of India was initially a non believer in God questioning every saint whom he met about the existence of God. For long he could not find any one who could satisfy his thirst for knowledge. He met the great Master Sri Ramakrishna, who recognized at first sight the Naren's potential, gave him the convincing answer about the existence of God and how he could realize Him. The divine touch of the Great Master changed the course of Naren's thoughts and life. He became a missionary propagating the principles and teachings of Ramakrishna all over the world. In the World Parliament of Religions he shined like a crest jewel among jewels. The Swami roared like a lion and shook the world with his convictions and there was no parallel to him in the world of religion. This again was a miracle. How else can we explain the phenomenon?

In our own times we have the great venerable Sri Satya Sai Baba believed to be an incarnation. Thousands who visit him experience the spark of divinity in him. His concern for the people particularly the poor, vision and mission to bring relief for the suffering is well known. The Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences is a shining example of his grace. This institution provides the state of the art tertiary medical care and is a super specialty hospital. He had the vision to build multi specialty hospitals. The multi million dollar building was commissioned on the date announced by him far ahead. Similarly he announced the date of the first heart operation to be performed in the hospital and it took place exactly on the date predicted by him. Is it not a miracle? A former Prime Minister of India during his visit to this institution remarked"

"This Hospital is an example of what devotion and dedication can do to bring about human transformation. This is a unique institution, working for the poor and the needy. Of course, the entire credit goes to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and His disciples for this miracle. "

Miracles do happen and they are real. We can experience it if we have the mind to be objective and learn from contemporary events happening around us. But we must differentiate this from magic. The presence of divinity in men who cause such miracles is a great blessing we have to recognize.

The great contribution by Veda Vyasa, five thousand years ago, who authored eighteen puranas, the travels of Adi Sankara along the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent 1300 years ago, where no one could think of any mode of transport apart form bullock carts, the establishment of centers of spiritual learning and temples in places like Badrinath in the inaccessible heights of the Himalayas point out that miracles are real.

Miracles are byproducts of the vision and thoughts of great men who never did anything for themselves. They did and act out a sense of fulfillment out of concern for humanity and its real progress on right lines so that there is universal harmony and happiness. Their works of inspiration and wisdom will continue to influence and glow for the ultimate benefit of humanity. It will be the greatest miracle if we realize the spiritual strength and heritage handed over to us and awaken with a universal mind to enrich humanity in every noble way ensuring peace prosperity harmony and happiness for all.