SHRI SAI THE SUPERMAN - Removal of Calamities

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SHRI SAI THE SUPERMAN

By

Swami Sai Sharan Anand

 

 

Saints are the best of benefactors.

 

"Unlike man they live not for themselves, but for others, God's

creatures whom He loves."

 

Baba had His own ways of relieving people from such fell epidemics as

plague and Cholera. When the writer first went to Shirdi in December

1911 Baba had on His body seven plague bubos. Devotees asked Baba as

to what remedies they should adopt to relieve Him from these bubos'

pains. Baba said, "Nothing needs be done, Seven bubos on My body

bespeak deaths only seven people; that no more plague" fatalities

would occur in Shirdi thenceforth; the devotees however pressed Baba

to name the medicine the application of which would relieve Him from

bubo pain; so He prescribed for Himself the application of burnt

cotton soaked in oil and the devotees went on applying this during my

stay of ten days in Shirdi, So soon however as seven fatal plague

gases had occurred, the plague, it was reported, left Shirdi, and

bubos also disappeared from over Baba's body.

 

Another time, when Cholera broke out in Shirdi and several people

fell victims to it, one morning Baba took out large quantity of wheat

from the gunny bag He had at the Dwarkamayi and turning the hand-mill

Himself, ground them and had that wheat flour spread out on the banks

of the stream, two, three furlongs away from Shirdi. When some

devotees asked Baba what all that was for, He emphatically stated it

was to stop Cholera and as stated by Him, Shirdi people were freed

from the ravages of Cholera Since that day. Several educated devotees

of Baba attempted to find out from scientists without success the

connection, the spread of Wheat Flour had with Cholera epidemic.

 

Similarly, when a millionaire devotee suffered from constant motions

and vomiting for a fortnight Baba called him to His presence and by a

simple wave of His 4th finger, cured him of stools and vomiting. So

soon as Baba by His finger ordered Bapu Saheb not to go to privy nor

to vomit, the motions and vomiting stopped and Bapu Saheb felt all

right. On being asked by his doctor what diet should Bapu Saheb be

given, Baba said give him almond Rabadi which is usually considered

to be too heavy to digest for a man of Bapu Saheb's weakened health.

Bapu Saheb did not stop to weigh this common belief but with faith

implicit in Baba took the prescribed Rabadi. The result was

marvelous; Bapu Saheb at once regained his lost energy and health.

 

 

Another cure by Baba was even more wonderful than the preceding one.

One Patil Bhimaji of Narayan village, Taluka Junner, Dist. Pune had

tuberculosis of a most advanced stage. Every five minutes he vomited

blood. All medicines had failed and his life was despaired of. He was

very intimate with Nana Saheb, who advised him to go to Shirdi, and

have Baba's grace for his cure. So he came to Shirdi and supported by

two three men, he got down from the cart and was seated in front of

Baba. Bhimaji laid his head on Baba's feet and prayed, "Save this

helpless soul". Baba was moved by these words and patil's pain

subsided at once, and yet on finding that the Patil thereafter felt a

bit uneasy, Go you will have a complete cure within a day or two. Put

up at Bhimabai's place now vacant." Blood vomiting, he had every five

minutes, stopped in Baba's presence and he felt as if he was slowly

regaining his lost energy; so he slowly walked upto the place where

Baba had asked him to put up. The ground there appeared to be quite

wet as it had very recent rubble filling and cow dung plastering. To-

night he had two fearful dreams in the first of which his primary

school teacher went on caning him and making him repeat some poetry

lines and in the other, a fierce looking man went on rolling a heavy

stone roller on his chest with such force that he felt as if he was

passing through the last moments of his life. But thereafter he got

sound sleep and when he awoke in the morning he found himself

completely cured much refreshed; he had now no coughing, no vomiting.

He was agreeably surprised to see that the fell disease had, for ever

left him. He therefore all alone went to Baba, prostrated himself

before Him and expressed his gratefulness to Him with tears in his

eyes. Baba blessed him. All without exception admitted that Baba had

cured the Patil of T.B. in advanced stage within a day and that too

without medicine simply by the exercise of His divine supernatural

powers. Patil then left for home.

 

 

Another time when Madhavrao was stung by a poisonous serpent in the

evening. He stopped the spread of poison of the serpent's fang simply

by his command to the serpent and keeping Madhavrao awake the whole

night chewing nimbleaves. Next morning Madhavrao was all right; the

finger stung by the serpent had only a burning sensation for a few

days. Of what moment is a scorpion sting to one who can stop the

poison spread of a poisonous snake simply by the word of His mouth?

Bapu Saheb Jog had that experience; when he had one evening a

scorpionsting and he complained to Baba about it and Baba simply

said, "Go, go, the pain will soon vanish."

 

 

A mere prostration before Baba and the procuring of His blessings

cured Chhotubhai Paralkar of 8 years old Dispepsia, and Mrs. R.A.

Tarkhad of six years' old bad head-ache. An agent's prayer in the

event of the patients' disability to attend in person was also found

to serve the purpose. This was seen in the case of Madhavrao's

brother's wife, who had a plague fever with two bubos and so soon as

Madhvrao informed Baba of this, praying for her recovery she

recovered within twelve hours. A mere decision to come to Shirdi and

starting for it cured one Mrs. Rangari of her inability to eat, drink

etc. on account of her throat swelling. Bombay Law College Principal

Shri Dhurandhar was cured of seven year's old Asthama by one puff of

Baba's Chillam offered to him by Baba Himself.

 

 

Though Baba has cast off His mortal coil, even now His devotees are

having such experiences One doctor Kate's two years old son Vijay was

unable to take even milk and emitted particles of stone through

bladder. On their coming to Shirdi Vijay's mother asked Vijay to take

some of Shri's food and to their wonder Vijay took that food with his

own hand was able to digest it, and emission of bladder stones also

stopped for ever.

 

 

An educated wife of an educated husband had been ailing from a

disease which doctors, physicians and Hakims were unable to diagnose

and cure. The lady would swoon, close her teeth tight and remain

unconscious for hours together. At last the doctor's father asked him

to take his wife to Shirdi; "Just take a trial," he said. To satisfy

the father both of them went to Shirdi but the wife would not go to

Baba Samadhi temple; so with the help of a friend she was dragged to

the Samadhi and made to prostrate herself before Samadhi. Baba's

sacred ash and Samadhi water were thrust into her mouth. On the

second day's evening after bowing before Samadhi she fell on the

ground and the spirit within started speaking, "I had pounced upon

the lady and possessed her while she was returning from her parental

house and standing under a tree. I am a female Bhil ghost; the holy

water and the holy ash sprinkled over me have vanquished me, so I am

leaving this body for ever and going away." This ended the lady's

sickness; and she returned home safe and sound.

 

 

Nine years after Baba's Maha Samadhi i.e. in the year 1927 a

devotee's wife was miraculously saved by Baba from the jaws of death.

The husband and wife were returning home after celebrating Ramnavmi

at Shirdi. The wife got down at Thana Rly. Station to fetch water and

just when with a waterfull vessel she was boarding the train, the

train started, and the woman fell down under the train. The husband

and other passengers combined, shouted to the guard to stop the

train; but the train having already started stopped only after it had

gone some distance, the husband and the passengers had feared the

woman must have been crushed under the wheels but when they ran up to

the spot of the accident, to their utter amazement they saw the woman

standing there unscathed, uninjured. In reply to the inquiry of all,

the woman said, as soon as I fell, I remembered Baba; He at once

appeared stood in front of me pressed me hard against the platform;

what sort of body Baba had assumed to save this woman, one can hardly

know, for usually there is no room enough to stand for two person

between the train wheels and the platform; and yet what is impossible

to a Superman like Baba?

 

 

So also Baba saved His devotee Nagesh Atmaram Sawant, a Police Sub-

Inspector, from death in the year 1929 during the Bombay Hindu Muslim

riots. While on duty Sawant had fever and bad head-ache; an European

officer in his round seeing that Sawant was really ill, relieved him

saying he would inform the Superintendent of this. Unluckily an hour

after Sawant was relieved, the riot reached its highest pitch and the

officer was killed in it. Had not Baba not inspired the European

officer to relieve Sawant from duty probably death would have taken

his toll and not the officer's.

 

 

One Sakarlal Keshavram Bhatt, a shop keeper of Bombay, who had been

lame by one leg, tried all means to cure his lameness without

success; hearing of Baba's wonderful powers, he came to Shirdi in

1911, prostrated himself before Baba and obtained His blessings. As a

result thereof on his return journey as he walked a few steps in the

sand to go up ferry (ship) the clogged up leg nerve loosened itself

and to his surprise he was able to walk erect. His lameness had gone

for ever. He was so pleased with this that he broadcast this news of

Baba's superhuman powers amongst all his customers and persons

connected with him.

 

 

Another cure of lameness was of a school mistress widow's only son in

the year 1956. The boy appeared for the S.S.C. Examination but when

he returned from the Examination on the last day he was found to have

a bad attack of fever. Proper medicine cured him of the fever, but he

was not cured of the lameness of legs brought on by the fever; the

boy had always to be lifted up for being taken to any place. All

possible remedies were tried but when they proved ineffective,

hearing of Shirdi Sai Baba's powers, the school mistress took the son

to Shirdi. On account of his lameness the boy felt so shy that rather

than going to Baba's Samadhi on the shoulder of a coolie, he

preferred staying at the Shirdi Vada. The mother alone therefore had

to go to Shri's Samadhi to pray for her son's cure for two days. She

was to leave Shirdi on the third day; so she went to Samadhi Mandir

to attend Arti and offered her last obeisance before leaving. In the

meanwhile Baba appeared before the boy and said, "Have courage." He

then lent him his hand, led him to the temple pillar. On return from

the Arti when the mother did not find the son in the room. She again

approached the Samadhi and with tears in her eyes most piteously

prayed for the recovery of the boy. When she was just returning from

the temple her eyes fell on the boy standing against the pillar. She

inquired of the boy how he had managed to come there; the boy how he

had managed to come there; the boy narrated how Baba had helped him

to come, but the mother would not believe it, However when she saw

that with her support the boy was able to walk up to their room she

was mightily pleased. The boy fully recovered within a month

thereafter and was able to move and walk freely.

 

 

Non a few cases of the wonderful cure of blindness by Baba's

supernatural power may be cited. The grandfather of Shri Baba's

devotee Vithalrao Yashwant Deshpande pressed his son devotee to send

him to Baba for His blessings; so Vithalrao arranged to send him to

Shirdi with his son. Led by the grand-son the grandfather went to the

Dwarkamayi, prostrated himself before Baba and sorrowfully said to

Baba, "I am unable to see". Baba said, "You will be able to see". So

soon as Baba uttered these words the grandfather had his eye-sight

restored to him. He was able to see everything. Blindness left him

entirely. Never was anybody's prayer for relief granted so soon. All

wondered at it.

 

 

Another blind devotee went to Baba and prayed to Baba, `I have lost

my eyesight keeps me away from many undesirable things; all the same

I am eager to see the human form in which you, my lord, have eyesight

till I satiate my eyes by beholding your human form; and you may

withdraw this grant of eyesight so soon as that is done." Baba at

once granted this request; he saw Baba with his own eyes and then he

lost vision and became blind. A stark blind man was found singing in

the tune of his cymbals before Baba, the one sacred formula

"Ramkrishna Hari" (names of incarnations Ram Krishna, Vishnu), in the

1913-15. The writer found the same man in Shirdi in 1942-43 reciting

Chapters of Shri Bhagvad Gita of Lord Krishna and poems, verses from

the well-known Maharashtra Saint Dnyaneshwar's Amratanubhava. I asked

him "When did you get your eyes?" He said, "Through Baba's grace he

had blurred vision during Baba's time and thereafter a clear vision.

Through His grace he is now able to read. Write and move about

freely." To assure the writer of this he read out to the writer

several verses from the said Amratanubhava that he had with him.

 

 

Even after Baba left His body, he has been wielding His Powers for

the benefit of His devotees. Thus He gifted speech to the speechless

daughter of His devotee R.S. Maniar of Kumbakaonam, Madras The said

daughter Rajkumari was dumb down from her birth; all possible means

were tried to cure her of her dumbness, but when all of them proved

fruitless Mr. Maniar took to Baba's worship. Some days after, Baba

asked him to bring her speechless daughter to Shirdi for paying her

respect to His Samadhi. Maniar brought the daughter to Shirdi and

made the daughter place for flowers etc. on Baba's Samadhi and pay

her respects to Him. As soon as she did this she started speaking

"Sai BabaSai Baba" and then she started speaking freely. Parents

were naturally very much pleased to see the instantaneous cure of

their daughter.

 

 

A Bombay (Andheri) devotee had a similar experience. His little

daughter run over by a motor car, was saved; but was injured and took

a fortnight to recover in the hospital. Though the hospital treatment

restored her health, the speech she had lost was not re-gained; she

became dumb and though several remedies, medicines etc. were tried

all of them proved ineffective. At the last, the holy ash of Baba's

sacred hands was tried and she started speaking as soon as she took

its first dose. All were startled at the powers the holy ash of

Baba's hands.