Not all talented actors become superstars, and not all superstars are talented actors. The same applies to people involved in spirituality, religion, and occult sciences. My personal encounters with so-called saints who own luxurious ashrams, prestigious educational institutions, and hospitals—who wield political, corporate, and criminal influence, and have close ties with famous cricketers and movie celebrities—have never been positive. Instead, my most profound spiritual experiences and teachings have come from humble spiritual individuals who seemed impoverished and went to great lengths to conceal their occult abilities. They shunned the spotlight, were disciplinarians, avoided human association, and refused to entertain foolish questions. They were strict and never engaged in empty flattery.
My wife mentioned that one of her relatives visited a particular place in Tamil Nadu, one of the southern states of India, where a humble saint offers insights to those who seek him. To see the saint, you need to get a token at 4 AM. The saint addresses no more than 50 people each day, starting at 6 AM. The only items you need to bring are a plate with a few bananas, betel leaves, flowers, and a coconut.
I was thrilled at the prospect of meeting the saint, as subjects like these have fascinated me since childhood. I neither had any questions nor was I visiting him to test his psychic abilities. I am a staunch believer and deeply respect those who have dedicated their lives to breaking the shackles of societal norms and advancing in the spiritual and astral realms.
We reached the destination the night before, stayed in an uncomfortable hotel, and arrived on time to collect the tokens. At 5:30 AM, we were seated in a hall with about 50 other people. It was a small Tamil temple that started playing Tamil spiritual songs through cylindrical speakers. The music was loud and deafening. The saint then entered—thin, dark, beardless, with grey hair, and probably in his 50s. At first glance, you could easily mistake him for a starved drunkard on a busy Indian street.
He adhered to the token system diligently, calling people one by one according to their numbers. I wasn’t interested in overhearing others’ stories, so I didn’t pay much attention to them, while the rest of the crowd was engrossed in listening to each person’s tale. Finally, it was our turn.
The saint instructed us to visit the main deity of the temple and break the coconut, then bring it to him. We followed his instructions with utmost sincerity and sat down opposite him. He gazed into the coconut for a moment before asking, “Do you have relatives named Mani and Bhaskar?” We replied, “No.” We hadn’t anticipated this question, and in that moment, it was too perplexing for us to quickly scan through the list of our relatives’ names in our minds.
“Is your house painted yellow?” he asked. “No,” we replied. “It’s painted cream,” we added. He continued staring into the broken coconut. Then he turned to my wife and asked, “Have you been tying coins in yellow cloth and praying to Lord Narayana for a specific wish to come true?” Without hesitation, my wife responded, “Yes.” It’s a common practice in Tamil Nadu, India, where believers tie coins in yellow cloth for weeks or months, praying for a wish to be fulfilled. They later donate these coins to the temples they prayed at. My wife had indeed prayed to Lord Narayana of Tirupati for something.
We didn’t have any questions for the saint, so we remained silent as he stared into the coconut once again. Then he spoke, “A son will be born to you whose Lagna (Ascendant) will be Simha (Leo), and Moon sign (Rashi) will be Mesha (Aries). You will name him Venkateshwar or one of the names of Lord Narayana.” With that, he called out the next token, ending our interaction.
The year was 2016, and we had no plans to expand our family. After leaving the hotel, we drove back, discussing the list of relatives we had. It dawned on us that indeed, we had relatives named Mani and Bhaskar. The mention of the coin-cloth ritual came as a shock to us that day, overshadowing everything else.
In 2019, our son was born with a Lagna (Ascendant) of Simha and a Moon sign (Rasi) of Mesha (Aries). We named him Ishvar Venkat.
Only a person with some idea about Vedic Astrology can fathom how impossible a task is for someone to predict in 2016 about a life that will be born in the year 2019 whose Lagna will be Simha and Moon sign – Mesha – that too just staring into a broken coconut!
PS: This blog is meant to share my personal experiences with the esoteric, not to promote any specific temple or saint. If that were the case, I would have included names, addresses, phone numbers, and maps. Please refrain from emailing me for further details. Trust that if destiny favors you, it will lead you to even more remarkable esoteric miracles and experiences. Just believe 🙂