Sri Sathya Sai International Organization

Eternal Companion - January 2026

My mother was the first in our family to fall head over heels in love with Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Avatar of the age. She braved many difficulties and gave up all worldly comforts to travel to Puttaparthi to see Him. She was blessed with interviews, and Swami materialized a ring for her. It was clear that she had surrendered completely to the Lord of the Universe. That is how our quiet little home in London became a showcase for every Baba picture that was available! No conversation with mom would be complete without a quote from Swami’s teachings or an apt anecdote about Him!

Soon, my father, who had been a lifelong Christian, joined her on the trips to Puttaparthi, and he too experienced Swami’s love, interviews, and witnessed the amazing miracles of materializations. During one of those interviews, Baba asked him what he wanted. “May I have something for Greg, Baba?” he asked.  Baba blessed him by signing a book for me, with the words, “With Love, Baba”.

Though both of my parents became devotees, I didn’t want anything to do with Swami. In fact, one evening, a big argument erupted between my mother and me about Baba, and my final position on the topic of ‘Sai Life’ was that it was fine for her, but I wanted to be left out of it! Unbeknownst to me, that moment marked the start of my personal expedition to God.

My Unforgettable First Dream

In the early morning hours of the next morning, a vivid dream unfolded, the likes of which I had never experienced before:

I found myself sitting ringside in an ancient Greek amphitheater, looking out across the sand and waiting for the show to begin. All around me sat dignified old men with flowing white robes and long white beards. They looked like judges from an ancient council. 

To my surprise, I saw an exact mirror image of myself walking out on the sand to the center of the circle. I proclaimed to all in a loud voice how wrong it was to be following an Indian Guru! This mirror image of me kept repeating negative statements like this while coming closer to where I was sitting. 

It was at this moment that I noticed from the corner of my eye that Sri Sathya Sai Baba was sitting right next to me, and our shoulders were touching! I was terribly embarrassed and wished I could just vanish. Suddenly, a golden beam of light shone on me, like a giant spotlight. In an instant, I felt particles of the golden light entering my body, mind, heart, and soul. I could feel the love and warmth of a thousand mothers, and all the mistrust and ignorance melted away. All I wanted was to remain in that light.

Then, both Baba and I floated up into the light. It was a marvelous sensation. Being in this light felt like being on the doorstep of my long-lost home – I wanted nothing else! My mirror image, still standing far below, kept repeating the same negative statements. 

As Baba and I began to descend back to earth, I turned to Baba and begged Him if we could float up high into the golden light again? He agreed, and we did! We floated up in pure bliss three times, and as we descended for the third time, I could feel the golden light slowly receding, and then, it vanished.

That phenomenal dream experience stayed with me for some time. One day, I had a quiet conversation with my father. I asked him if he thought Sai Baba was God. Without hesitation, my father replied, ‘Yes.’ His opinion meant a lot, but still, I was not spiritually fully awake.

A few weeks later, a good friend of mine who had been intrigued with all that I had shared about Sai Baba went to the local library, found some books on Baba, and was greatly moved by what he read. On his coaxing, we found a Sai Center nearby and started attending devotional meetings regularly. We learned to sing bhajans, chant the Gayatri mantra, and also started the process of building our heart-to-heart connections with Baba.

Disentangling oneself from the enchantments of the age of materialism takes effort and time. I realized that the happiness gained from material things, and the limited happiness they give, was ephemeral and short-lived, at best. My view of life on the earthly plane changed. The milestones I wanted to achieve were now more aligned with my spiritual development than with material achievements. And so, slowly but surely, I started spending more time at the Sai Center and learned to see Swami’s unseen hand in all that I did. I was 32 years old, and it was a new and beautiful experience for me at that point in my life.

Matters of Marriage

My mother once came to visit me, fresh from her trip to India. She proudly wore a gold necklace and pendant that Swami had materialized for her, and she suggested that it was about time I got married! I was taken aback, and thought that during her time in India, she had been clearly influenced by the mother’s role in ‘arranging’ a bride for her son. 

That night, Baba came in my dream again. 

My mother and I stood in front of a huge throne where Baba was seated. My mother looked up at Him and said that she knew a girl she wanted me to marry. Baba looked down and into my eyes and said, "No. No. I have the perfect person, and she is right here with Me.”

The matter of my marriage was thus settled with my mother. The Lord had a plan! 

 It was 1997, the year of the very first World Youth Conference in Prasanthi Nilayam. Two weeks before the conference, I got a phone call from a friend who was at Prasanthi Nilayam. Though she now lived in southern California and ran a Sai Center in her home, she had grown up in Puttaparthi, where her family lived, and she had been a student in Swami’s college.

In an excited voice, she explained that she had been fortunate enough to sit in the front row for darshan and had managed to hand over a letter to Swami. From the tone of her voice, I understood that Baba taking a letter from a devotee meant a blessing, a divine acknowledgement, and an outpouring of grace earned over lifetimes of performing good deeds and yearning. I was very happy for her, but was truly stunned when she revealed the contents of her letter. In it, there was a line that said it would be nice if “Greg would marry my sister”! Her sister was Ms. Rani, but would I be ready to follow Swami’s blessings? 

I had to confirm this for myself. The sequence of events prompted me to book my ticket to India for my first-ever darshan of Baba, who says, “When you said yes to me, you gave up the right to be like anyone else”. I felt this was a test of my faith, and I also believed that this must be the perfect person that Baba had told me about in the dream. I also imagined being called in for an interview and receiving instructions from Baba to do some special work.

Sai’s Personalized Welcome at Prasanthi Nilayam

Three other Young Adults (YAs) from my region were preparing for this special pilgrimage to God. I, too, prepared for the trip with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and purchased many high-tech camping items in preparation for the trip. 

Finally, the day of departure arrived, and the four of us arrived at Los Angeles International Airport. A day or so later, we arrived in Prasanthi Nilayam, where we were in for a shock! We found out that the age range to qualify as an attendee for the YA World Conference had somehow changed while we were in transit, and we were now considered too old to qualify! That meant there were no rooms for accommodation and thus, no place to stay!

Feeling crushed, we grimly trudged back toward Sai Kulwant Hall and the ashram’s main gate. Adding salt to our wounds was the realization that the afternoon darshan had begun, and we would be missing the darshan of Baba, too! From the heights of ecstasy, we had descended to an abysmal low in spirits. 

As we were trudging in dejected silence, dragging our baggage with us, darshan was underway in Sai Kulwant Hall, where thousands were receiving Baba’s grace. But all we saw were our own dark shadows in the blazing sun. But suddenly, there He was – a flash of orange robe! His beautiful form emerged from the hall, out through the gates where we stood, baggage and all! He raised both hands in double blessings! A thrill coursed through us as we realized that there was not a single soul out there other than the four of us! He knew that His boys had traveled across lifetimes for this moment, and He was not going to let us down. He did not let us miss that darshan. Instead, He made it into the most memorable one of our lives! 

Divine Matchmaking

We found a small place to stay in the village, and the next morning, Swami had yet another surprise for us — first row for darshan! I had not forgotten about getting married to the perfect person that Baba told me about in the dream, and I knew this might be my only chance to ask Him.

It was through great, good fortune that I was able to get a small scrap of paper from a devotee sitting on my right and a tiny pencil stub from someone on my left. I wrote, “Dear Baba, if you take this letter, you want me to marry Rani, who is the perfect person you described in the dream.” The paper was so small that it was all I could write, and at that moment, it was all I needed to ask.

As the darshan music began, my heart raced. Baba glided toward us, pausing for letters. When He came close–maybe twenty feet away–He looked straight into my eyes for the first time. My heart nearly stopped. I awkwardly knelt on my knees. Swami smiled and said softly, “Sit down, sit down,” and took my letter. That loving gesture was an answer to my burning question. Then the realization hit me: I had just promised God Himself that I would propose to and marry a complete stranger!

I sat quietly thinking about what had just happened. I would have to locate my bride-to-be among the thousands and thousands of devotees in Puttaparthi. After darshan, among the throngs of people outside, the very first person I met was my friend, who had given the letter to Baba, saying that it would be nice if I were to marry her sister! I told her the incredible news, and she said, “That’s great! Let’s talk.” We walked through the village when she suddenly mentioned, “My sister and mother are right behind us.”

Things were unfolding quicker than usual; we were on the Lord’s timetable rather than my own carefully planned life back home. I looked over my shoulder, and there she was–a vision of beauty in a soft pink saree and jasmine flowers in her long hair. She was radiant in the morning sun. Before my mind could put together a strategy to solve my unkempt hair situation, we found ourselves in a small group at a spot that only Swami could have chosen for our first conversation. It was the peaceful sandy banks of the Chitravati River. The location meant a lot, as I had read that in the early days, Swami would take a small group of very fortunate devotees with Him to sit here in the evenings and would materialize things from the sands. 

Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, 

We sat at this sacred place, forming a small circle. Brief introductions were made, followed by an awkward pause. My salesman instincts nudged me: Say something.

And so, I did–perhaps one of history’s least polished marriage proposals:
“I just gave a letter to Baba that said if He took it, you’re the perfect person to marry. So, if it’s okay with you, it’s fine by me.” Ms. Swarupa Rani, whose name meant “embodiment of a queen,” looked at me and, in a somewhat serene, calm, and majestic manner, said, “We shall see.”  

Rani’s answer caught me by surprise, but I felt that I had done my duty. The conversation with my prospective family had come to an end. It was decided that Rani’s father would meet me at the ashram’s main gate at 10:00 am the next day for further discussion. 

Interestingly and ‘coincidentally’, my parents had also arrived in Prasanthi Nilayam. I had not mentioned anything to them about the possibility of a marriage, as I had convinced myself that such an unusual and divinely planned marriage was definitely not something that Swami would bestow on a person like Greg! 

A Mother’s Ultimatum 

I finally reported the happenings to a not-so-amused mother and a father who tried their best to understand their son. My mother countered my statements and gave me an ultimatum. She would only accept the marriage if Baba took yet another letter that said this marriage should take place.

Swami says, 

I had to respect my mother’s wishes, though it felt like my attempt at full faith and surrender had been derailed. The ashram was now at full capacity, and l probably would not get another chance to offer Swami a letter. 

But the next day, by His grace, I managed to get a place to sit in the second row! As I sat waiting for the Lord to come, I was racked with worries as to whether He would take the second letter. I needn’t have worried, our all-knowing and omnipresent Lord knows all! He alone understands our frailties and never gives up on us. He took my letter a second time!  I returned to my parents triumphantly with the news.

A couple of days later, Baba took a third letter seeking His blessings for the auspicious date selected for the marriage ceremony itself!

Getting Married in the Rain

It was a challenge to complete all the preparations for a proper Hindu wedding in the short time before I left for the USA. Swami granted us success, and our marriage was performed in a beautiful Hindu traditional ceremony. It was pouring rain as the prayers started, which was a sign of His blessing for us on that special day. I went back to the USA, a happily married man - a married man who, through his trust in God, had married the person literally of his dreams!

Looking back almost 30 years later, we are still happily married, and yes, she was and is the perfect person and a wonderful companion in my spiritual journey. We have a beautiful daughter, a Sai center in our home, and our lives are dedicated to the mission of Sai.

Jai Sai Ram.

Mr. Greg Slee
USA

Mr. Greg Slee lives in the USA. He has made many trips to Prasanthi Nilayam to be in the divine presence of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Greg’s greatest joy is sharing the teachings and leelas of Swami. He has been a staunch devotee of Bhagawan for 33 years.  

Greg currently serves as the devotional coordinator at Sai Prema Nilayam, Riverside, California, USA. He was the previous devotional coordinator for SSSIO – USA, Region 8 (Southern California). Professionally, Greg works in IT Cloud Solutions.