Sai Baba the Master

[Guest guest]

Baba begged his food from five houses and he ate it in the musjid. Mrs.

G.S. Khaparde who stayed at Shirdi for a number of days used to offer him

food at the musjid. Once she invited Baba to her lodging for meal. This she

did day after day, for some time. One day Baba promised her that he would

go to her house. That day, when she was preparing various dishes, a dog

came there. Mrs. Khaparde was afraid that it might pollute the pure dishes.

Not finding anything handy with which to drive it out, she picked up a

burning brand from the hearth and threw it at the dog and the creature ran

away. That day too Baba did not turn up. So she took the food to the

mosque. On seeing her Baba said, “When I came to your house you threw a

burning brand at me!” Mrs. Khaparde caught his point and repented for her

inadvertence.

Hansaraj stayed at Shirdi with his wife for a considerable time and was

cured of his asthma by Baba’s grace. Baba told Hansaraj that he should

strictly avoid taking curd and sour and hot items of food. But Hansaraj was

too fond of curds and privately told his wife that he would rather give up

his soul than stop eating curds. So they prepared curds every day for two

months but Baba somehow prevented him from eating it. Everyday, when the

couple went to attend the noon-arti at the mosque, a cat used to steal into

their lodging; and eat up that curd. One day he was furious and decided to

punish the cat. So he stayed away from the noon-arti and watched for it. He

saw it coming and eating the curds and hit it with a stick. Crying in pain

the creature ran away. In the afternoon, when everyone went to the mosque,

Baba said, “There is an obstinate idiot amidst us who wants to die by

eating sour and pungent things. But I would not allow him to do that. Today

I went to him in the form of a cat. That fellow has given me a caning on my

back. See here!” So saying, Baba exposed his back and Hansaraj noticed

scars of severe caning! Hansaraj repented for his stupidity and thereafter

gave up eating the things which Baba forbade. Baba had to prescribe the

remedy to his patients and make them adhere to that and suffer at their

hands.

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)