SAI SERVICE NEWSLETTER - 25

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SAI SERVICE Newsletter – 25

Issue 26-09-2002

 

This Thursday's Message: (Baba said)

 

If you avoid rivalries and bickerings, God will protect you.

Return not evil for evil. Return good for evil.

Other's words cannot harm you.

 

 

a. Baba's Talk with Devotees

 

In Vaisak 1914, Bhima went from Bombay to Baba desirous of seeing

some chamatkars of Baba. When afternoon Arati was over;

 

Baba: All of you clear off. You must remain inside your lodgings and

not wander about in the open and you must come again when sent for.

 

When Baba said this, it was clear weather. But very soon a furious

gale blew ripping off the zinc sheets on the top of building and

threatening to blow down houses. It stopped in 15 minutes of cloudy

weather. Thereafter the sun shone with fierce heat. Then Baba sending

for all said:

 

"Are you terrified?" then Bhima fell at his feet and cried for joy.

 

Baba: Do not fear. This is the play of God. Many more of such plays

you may see.

 

 

 

b. Divine Dews from our Sadguru

 

 The sense of differentiation as I and thou, is the barrier, that

keeps away the disciple from his master and unless that is destroyed

the state of union or atonement is not possible. (SSS Ch.XVIII & XIX)

 

 Saburi is the mine of virtues, consort of good thought. (SSS

Ch.XVIII & XIX)

 

 I do not need any paraphernalia of worship-either eight-fold or

sixteen-fold. (SSS Ch.XIII

 

 It is a great favour that I saw your feet, I consider Myself

blessed thereby. (SSS Ch.X)

 

 I shall never speak untruth(SSS Ch.IX)

 

 The Lord is always brother (befriender) of the poor. (SSS Ch.V)

 

 

 

c. Weekly Article:

 

NAME FAME AND BABA

 

We must think why Baba didn't reveal His real name to the world and

declined even to write on any paper. Everyday so many mails and

dakshinas were forwarded to Baba in the name of Shama or other close

devotees of Baba. They used to write reply on behalf of Baba. It

doesn't mean Baba can not read or write. Unless a situation warrants

Baba will never speak anything about Himself or about His knowledge

on worldly or spiritual aspects. The highly educated Deputy Collector

Nana Saheb Chandorkar imagined about Baba's ignorance on Gita, but

finally Nana came to understand that he himself ignorant on Gita. In

another incident, a person was charged before the Dhulia's Court with

stealing jewels etc., the man pleaded that Sai Baba of Shirdi had

given him the jewels and cited him as a witness and summon came. Baba

refused to accept the summon, then Nana Saheb Chandorkar prepared a

Mahajar (signed by large number of people) that Baba is worshipped by

many as God and issuing summon and warrants are improper and

undesirable and that if his evidence was necessary a commissioner may

be sent to take it. Then Nana Joshi, the commissioner, first class

magistrate came and examined Baba. In the course of interrogation,

the commissioner asked Baba, "What is your name?" Baba replied, "They

call me Sai Baba". After completion of interrogation, the

commissioner recorded everything on a paper and requested Baba to put

His signature or His mark, but Baba neither signed those papers nor

any papers.

 

A name to a man remains to be an identity and there is no harm until

it is simply a name. If people attach any fame (i.e., caste, creed,

education, status, power, position etc.,) into their name, its very

purpose vanishes and transforms to be a symbol of their egotism.

Hence Baba set Himself an example by not giving His real name to us

and even never bothered to care the name given by His principle

devotee Bhagat Mahlsapathy and avoided to sign that name on any

papers. Baba told He is "Slave of slaves, I am your debtor, It is a

great favour that I saw your feet, I consider Myself blessed thereby"

(Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 10). Normally slaves have no name and

always serve for their masters. This Divine Slave is also having no

name and always serving for us.

 

Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all.

 

N. Sivanandam, Coimbatore, India.

 

e. Baba's Help:

 

One night Das Ganu was performing his kirtan at Pradhan's mother's

place. After that, Das Ganu went over to Santa Cruz, that is

Pradhan's own place, and there sang kirtans from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Listening to the kirtans, his wife got a burning desire to go to

Shirdi at once. Baba came to her in a dream and this increased her

desire. The question was if she went what was to be done with her

sister-in-law, who was in an advanced state of pregnancy. Anyhow, she

thought they would take risk, and so both the ladies started. Mr.

Chandorkar received the ladies and Mr. Pradhan at Kopergaon station.

Mr. Chandorkar was then getting an intermittent fever. At the time

when he would be at Kopergaon for his return journey, the alternate

day fever would come to him. so before leaving Shirdi he asked Baba's

permission. Baba gave it, and the result was that when he came to

Kopergaon he escaped the fever. He never again had that fever.

 

On the occasion of this visit, Baba pointing to Mrs. Pradhan said,

`This is going to be the mother of my Babu'. But Chandorkar thought

that her sister-in-law being pregnant, the reference must be to her,

and asked Baba, `Is this the lady you mean?' pointing for the sister-

in-law. Baba said, `No. It is this' (pointing again to Mrs. Pradhan).

It turned out that her sister-in-law had only a tumour and not a

pregnancy. in 12 months from the time of Baba statement, Mrs. Pradhan

delivered. Baba said it was Babu. When the child named Baba, because

Baba said it was Babu, was taken to Shirdi, Baba took up the child

and asked it, `Babu where had you been. Where you vexed with me or

weary of me?'

 

Baba gave Pradhan occasional proofs of his superhuman powers. On the

first visit, when he was start back from Shirdi, there was a severe

storm and rain for quarter of an hour, and if that continued, the

streams between Shirdi and Kopergaon would swell up, and having no

bridges, it would be impossible for him to get back to Kopergaon or

Bombay. so Pradhan feared that Baba would not give him leave to

start. But when he went to Baba for leave, Baba looked at the sky and

said, `Arre Allah, abhi Bursat Purakar, Mere Bal Bachhe Ghar jane

Wala hai. Unku Sukse Janedhe, that is O' God enough. Stop this rain.

My children have to go back home. Let them go back without

difficulty'. As Baba spoke these words, the rain becomes gentler and

feeble. Pradhan was able to go from Shirdi to Kopergoan without any

obstacle on the way. he caught the Punjab mail and took udhi and

tirtha to his mother as stated already.

 

This help to Pradhan and his mother by his use of power over elements

and nature can only be called divine. Baba when they started on this

occasion, said, `I will accompany you home'. That is to say that the

whole journey would be safe and actually the journey was quite safe.

on the night after his return, his sister-in-law dreamed that a fakir

robed in kafni and wearing a towel on his head like Baba was in the

house. that seemed to show the truth of Baba's statement that he

would come to Pradhan's home.

 

Baba was fond of the child Babu, and when taken for his first

birthday that is, the second visit after his birth, Baba bought two

rupees worth of burfi and distributed it to all. Then Baba asked,

`Has the child no brother and no sister?' Mrs. Pradhan bashfully

answered `You gave us only this Babu'. But Baba's words were very

significant. After Babu's birth, Mrs. Pradhan had one male child and

one more daughter. To commemorate Baba's birthday, Pradhan gave an

grand dinner at Shama's and all were invited. that was a Thursday.

Baba Saheb Bhate excused himself from attending it saying that on

Thursdays he avoided dining out. When he went to Baba that day, Baba

asked him, `have you eaten at Pradhan's? Baba Saheb Bhate said,

`Today is Thursday'.

 

Baba: What if?

Bhate: I do not dine out on Thursdays. That is my rule.

Baba: To please whom?

Bhate: To please you.

Baba: Then I tell you go and dine at Pradhan's. Though it was 4 p.m.

Bhate came and dined at Pradhan's.

 

Mrs. Pradhan had a dream in Santa Cruz that Baba came to Santa Cruz

and that she did Pada puja. Chandorkar interpreted it to mean that

Baba wanted her to go on with regular Pada puja at home, and so asked

her to go to Shirdi with silver padukas. Accordingly she went and

placed two silver padukas on Baba's outstretched legs and took them

away. Baba then said to Chandorkar, `Nana, see this mother has cut

off and carried away my feet'. this expresses his appreciation of her

paduka worship. Ever since then, Baba's paduka are being worshipped

at Pradhan's house.

 

Pradhan's last visit to Baba was in 1918. He had taken with him Rs.

3,800. But he overstayed his intended period at Shirdi, and Baba went

on taking dakshina from him, and the result was that he had given Rs.

5,000, taking a loan of Rs. 1,200 from the veterinary doctor of Poona.

 

Baba was considered as Datta Avatar by Das Ganu and by those who

heard his kirtans and by Pradhan also, of course. When Babu was ill

at Santa Cruz, the family priest, one Madhav Bhat, was asked to look

after the child, and he went on with his mantra japa and puja. But he

said that illness was due to the fact that the family was now

worshipping Baba, a Mohammedan saint, but Pradhan told him, `Baba is

not a Mohammedan saint. He is Datta Avatar'. Bhat was not convinced.

Later, one night, he had a dream. There was a figure which, from the

picture of the family, he recognised to be Baba, sitting on the top

of the staircase in the house, holding a Sota in his hand. The figure

said him, `What do you mean? I am the lord of this house'. The priest

did not mention it at once. But he made a vow that if really Sai Baba

is Datta and all power, then he should cure this child and the child

should improve sufficiently by 4 p.m. so as to be brought downstairs

where Bhate was. The priest added he would then agree that Baba was

and is Datta. This he uttered before Baba's photo. This was his

prayer. Within a very short time of this prayer, the child's

temperature was getting lower, and by 4 p.m. the child said, `Let us

go down and play'. His mother took him down, Madhav Bhat was then

convinced that Baba was Datta, and he vowed he would pay him a

dakshina of Rs. 120. so, the priest, Madhav Bhat, accompanied a group

that went to Shirdi, and there Bhat paid Rs. 120. Shama was then with

Baba. A little later, in the afternoon, Baba asked him `Give me

dakshina;. Shama said that Bhat had paid Rs. 120 in the morning. Baba

said that he paid it to Datta, and added, `Ask him'. Shama could not

understand this. Afterwards Madhav Bhat explained to Shama the

meaning of Baba's words that the sum of Rs. 120 was paid as a result

of his vow that if Baba as Datta cured Pradhan's child, he would pay

Rs. 120.

 

Madhav Bhat had no issue then. he vowed that he would pay Rs. 108 if

he got a child. He vowed also that he would pay Rs. 1,008 if

Pradhan's ambition should be achieved. With these vows in mind, he

went to Baba and paid Rs. 108. sham said, `He is giving this large

sum of Rs. 108. Baba said, `What is that? He is giving me much more'.

Baba showed his Antarjnana of Bhat's vow to pay Rs. 1,008.

 

Baba attended to the spiritual side of Pradhan's wife, and showed his

concern at her shortness of temper. He told her, `If anyone talks ten

words at us, let us reply only with one word. Do not quarrel or

battle with anyone'. Baba, after receiving Rs. 5,000 from Pradhan,

made some gestures which were not clear. They seemed to mean "Even if

the heavens tumble down over you, do not fear. I am with you'.

 

When Pradhan left Shirdi in 1916, Baba said, Tuja Garam Jha Bara Me

yein, meaning, `You go home, I will go with you'. He was not visible,

but the whole journey was pleasing, showing that Baba looked after

their safety and comfort. there was no danger or difficulty.

 

After Baba passed away, Pradhan got the following benefits. He became

a second class magistrate of South Salsette for six years, 1920-26.

In 1926, he became a Justice of the Peace. Then he was elected to the

Bombay Legislative Council, 1921-23. he received the sanad of Rao

Bahadur in 1927.

 

Mrs. Pradhan gives some more instances of Baba's kindness. When her

child Babu had measles, the doctor was feeling hopeless. She prayed

to Baba. Baba appeared and said, `Why weep? The child is all right.

give him a good feed at 6.30 a.m.' The child began to play in the

morning and the doctor was surprised.

 

One night, Baba appeared to Mrs. Pradhan in her dream and said, `Are

you sleeping? Get up. Your boy will have convulsions'. Then she got

up. The boy at that time had no convulsions, but she kept hot water,

fire, and Eau de Cologne ready. Three hours later, the boy woke up,

and had convulsions. All the children in Pradhan's family have

convulsions occasionally, and as everything was ready, in half an

hour, the fit passed off.

 

Once when she went to the Masjid, she was afraid that Baba would get

angry. That day Baba said, `See, I do not get angry with anyone.'

 

Once while she was doing puja at the Mosque, Baba stopped her and

said, `Go back to your quarters'. She went back and found her Babu

was crying and that there was no one to look after the child. Then

she went and pacified the child, and returned. Baba then said, `Now

do your puja'. So, Baba from the Mosque was keeping a watchful and

kindly eye over all his devotees and their families, and looking

after them. Mungiki Pav me Avaj Hove, Obhi Sayi sunta hai. This

means, `Sai hears even the ant's footfall'. Once she was taking a

convalescent boy to Shirdi against the doctor's advice. the child was

ill in the train. the child could not sit up and had to le down. She

feared that people would laugh at her conduct. when the child was

taken up to Baba the child stood up before Baba, and was all right in

health. Baba said, `People would not laugh now'.

 

On 15-10-1918, that is, on the day of Baba's Mahasamadhi she saw in

her dream Baba's body, and said, `Baba is dying'. Baba replied,

`Saints do not die. they take Mahasamadhi'. Subsequent news confirmed

the fact that Baba passed away on that day.

 

Publisher's Note:

 

In this newsletter, wherever the sources of the articles not

mentioned, please consider these items are taken from H H Pujyasri B

V Narasimha Swamiji's books. Mailing Address: Vasuki Mahal Shri

Shirdi Saibaba Trust, Vasuki Mahal Compound, Gandhi Nagar, Edayar

Palayam, Coimbatore 641025, India. e-mail to: essgee.

 

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