Most affectionate Homage to Sri. Srinivasa Raghavan.
In this Photograph, you are finding our Bhagavan Baba as a teenage boy, allowing a devotee to perform Pooja at his Lotus Feet. From the days of swami’s boyhood in the Old Mandiram, and subsequently in the Prashanthi Mandiram, Swami used to allow devotees to perform Pooja at His Lotus Feet. Fortunate are those devotees, who recognized Baba as God in the early years, and obtained Divine sanction to perform Pooja at Sai Padham.
Sri Srinivasa Raghavan, an old devotee, is explaining the situation when He performed Padha Pooja, He says that Swami was still in His teens, and how Swami showered His blessings on him, and showered so much of Bliss out of the Pooja.
On the same day, when Sri Srinivasa Raghavan was to perform Pooja, another rich devotee was also scheduled to perform Pooja. The rich man had cornered all the Pooja materials including Flowers, and nothing was left for Srinivasa Raghavan, for Pooja Purposes.
Swami consoles Sri Raghavan and encourages him to perform a simple Pooja, which drew more grace to the family. The Pooja performed by that rich man was a short time affair, but Swami spent more time in the simple Pooja performed by Sri Raghavan, giving the family immense joy..
Even in that tender age, Bhagavan explained that Swami looks only at the devotion of the devotee, rather than the pomp and show from the people with much resources.
With Love & Regards,
"Mumbai" Srinivasan