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Strange turn of Events at Uravakonda

On March 8, 1940, the whole town was shocked to hear that a big black scorpion had stung Sathya. There was a belief current in Uravakonda and the surrounding country that no one will survive a snakebite or scorpion sting in the place, because of the many-hooded serpent stone that has given the name to the place. The rock looks as if a serpent has raised its head to strike its fangs and hence, the dread superstition has gained currency. It was about seven o'clock, at dusk, and Sathya leaped with a shriek, holding the right toe!

No scorpion was discovered, however; and, Sathya slept that night without any sign of pain! Every one felt relieved, only to become anxious once again, when exactly at 7 p.m the next day, Sathya fell unconscious and became stiff; he would not speak and breathing appeared faint. Seshama Raju, the brother and others got alarmed; they inferred that it must be the scorpion-poison that has taken 24 hours to affect the heart. So, Seshama Raju brought in a doctor, who gave an injection and left behind a mixture. Sathya was apparently unconscious throughout the night. The doctor came again in the morning and declared that the boy was out of danger!

An incident happened in the night which showed that Sathya was not 'unconscious' but, that he was even supraconscious! Some one suggested that Muthyalamma; the Devatha near the Hill might be propitiated, because the condition of the boy might be due to some evil spirit that possessed him. So, volunteers hurried to the temple, got down a ladder into the sanctum sanctorum, and offered worship, placing flowers and incense, and breaking a coconut. Just when they did it near the hill, Sathya, who was to all intents 'unconscious', said, "The coconut has broken into three pieces," and when the volunteers came home with the offerings, they had with them three pieces, and not the regular two!

Sathya got up in a day or two and began to behave in an extraordinary way. Baba has said that He Himself initiated the process of manifestation, for, He could not wait any longer, playing about as a mere boy, with 'brother' and 'sister' and 'classmates' and other secular bonds. He wanted to demonstrate, as He said, that 'he was beyond both Visha and Vishaya', unaffected by poison or the objective world. There was no scorpion, which could sting Him.

Meanwhile, Seshama Raju had informed Puttaparthi about the state of things at Uravakonda. He had written that Sathya was not answering any one who spoke to him, that it was a Herculean task to make him accept food, that he was spending the time mostly in silence but, sometimes bursting into song and poetry, sometimes reciting long Sanskrit slokas, sometimes talking the highest Vedanta. The parents took about a week to reach the place, because of unforeseen and inexplicable difficulties that caused delay and increased anxiety.

Seshama Raju got nervous why the parents had not arrived; he got a man who agreed to travel to Anantapur on a bicycle and from thence proceed to Bukkapatnam and Puttaparthi; when he was describing to the man the route he has to take to reach his parents, Sathya interposed and said, "Why, you need not send for them now; they will be here in half an hour," and, true to his word, they came in, exactly thirty minutes later.

The parents caught the infection of fear at the condition of Sathya; he sang and spoke and behaved in such a queer manner, they thought. He also became stiff, off and on, and appeared to leave the body and go elsewhere. It was all so mysterious.

One day, while Sathya was lying as usual without any awareness of his surroundings, he asked some one to bring in the Sastri of the neighbouring house! "He is reading the Bhagavatham all wrong; he is explaining it the wrong way. Go and bring him here", he commanded; of course, the Sastri would not come. "What does that brat know about this Sanskrit Bhagavatham and the right and wrong of the meaning which I gave now to these people here? How did he hear it, by the way? Tell him to mind his own business," the Sastri had continued his exposition. However, Sathya persisted and so, the Sastri had to come, at least to satisfy the parents, who said, "Come and teach the boy a lesson in humility. That will be enough. He has become latterly too uncontrollable."

When the Sastri arrived, Sathya asked him to repeat the exposition and pointed out to him where he had erred; and poured out in quick succession, a series of questions, like 'who is the father of Vali?' 'When was Ravana born? 'Who is Garuda's sister? Etc. that floored the scholar. Finally, the Sastri fell at the feet of Sathya and asked him pardon for not obeying His summons immediately.
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