Sai Baba the Master - By E.Bhardawaj

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One evening a large gathering of devotees was engaged in bhajan. A huge

cobra approached them and crept over the foot of a little boy. The boy cried

in panic but the devotees remained calm. The snake stood within a few feet

of the gathering and was swaying its hood in tune with their bhajan. People

wondered why it was not scared by the large gathering. It stayed in the same

place from 5 p.m. to 9.p.m. i.e., till the devotees dispersed for that

night.

 

Next morning the devotees were surprised to find it in the same place. This

convinced them that Sai Baba himself appeared in that form and they decided

to worship it with all ceremony. They fetched several baskets full of

chrysanthemum flowers. They all gathered around the snake and threw the

flowers on it while chanting the 108 divine names of Sai. Even though

flowers were thrown on it in thousands the cobra remained there calm and

peaceful.

 

One of the devotees then prayed to it saying, “If you are indeed Sai Baba,

you please stay here till we fetch a photographer to take your picture for

people may not believe when we tell them that we had the good fortune of

worshipping you in this manner.” It took nearly half an hour for the

photographer to arrive and the cobra stayed there and was photographed. The

picture taken on that occasion can be seen in the souvenir published by the

Naga Sai Mandir at Coimbatore a few years ago. The Naga Sai Mandir which was

built there at that spot is a memento of this leela of Baba.

 

Mankewala of Ahmedabad was laid up with dropsy and intestinal ulcer from

1948 to 1952. He felt it difficult even to drink water. His body weight had

increased to 300 pounds and he used to spit blood on account of the ulcer.

The doctors who examined him in 1952 had declared that he was sure to pass

away in one or two day’s time. In a mood of utter helplessness he started

worshipping the picture of Baba that his friends had given him. At first he

was not so happy to worship the ‘moslem saint’ which he thought Baba was.

Yet Baba’s form charmed his heart.

 

One day at 6 a.m., when he was lying awake in bed, Baba appeared before him

and said, “I am not a fakir; I am the avatar of Lord Dattatreya. The same

Lord is carrying on his divine mission assuming the different forms of

Tajuddin Baba of Nagpur, Dhunivala Dada of Khandwa, Sri Vishnudevananda

Saraswathi of Narmada, Sri Swami Samarth of Akkalkot and myself.” Next

morning his friend gave him two books on Sai Baba written in Gujarati.

 

A few days later doctors examined him and decided that he had only two more

hours to live. As

soon as they had left the room a mysterious light appeared in front of

Mankewala. Behind it appeared Sai Baba! It was about one p.m. Baba said

“Son, do not fear! I have taken away all your sufferings”. The wonder of it

is that even the mother of Mankewala could see Baba. He then told them to

send Mankewala’s son to Shirdi and then walked out of the room.

 

Source: http://www.saibharadwaja.org