DIVINE GRACE TO HEMAND PANT'S SON-IN-LAW

[Guest guest]

DIVINE GRACE TO RAO SAHIB YESHWANT JANARDHAN GALWANKAR

 

Sri Rao Sahib Yeshwant Janardhan Galwankar was one of the prominent

members of the Sai Baba Sansthan Committee and Editor of the Sai Lila

Masik for some years. Y. J. Galwankar was the son-in-law of Anna

Saheb Dabolkar or Hemand Pant (author of Sri Sai Satcharitra). He was

working as a Superintendent in the Home department of the Bombay

Secretariat. Anna Saheb Dabolkar's contact with Sai Baba naturally

drew Galwankar to Sai Baba. He was taken by his father-in-law four or

five times to Sai Baba, and at the first visit did not derive any

strong impressions. But gradually his interest in Baba increased.

Baba himself appeared in his dream and asked for Rs. 2 dakshina.

Later he woke up and wished to send Rs. 2 by money order to Shirdi.

Baba in the dream gave him two directions, the first, namely Nekene

Vagave, that is, behave with probity and integrity, (the advice given

evidently referred to his official position) and secondly to be

chaste and sexually pure. Galwankar says that he has followed those

directions with great care and zeal.

 

However, the great impression that Galwankar got was in 1917, when he

went to Shirdi and Baba placed his palm over his head. That had a

strong effect on him. He completely forgot himself and all

surroundings and was in an ecstatic trance. He learnt later that Baba

then spoke and told the people present that Galwankar had integrity

and purity already in previous janmas. Baba added that he placed

Galwankar in his present mother's womb, and the integrity and purity

were still retained by him. During Christmas and other vacations,

Galwankar went to Baba with full faith. Baba, however, did not give

him self-realisation on advaidic lines nor any teaching on ethical or

religious matters except what is stated above. He heard Baba saying

that he was not the 3 ½ cubits height of body, but he was everywhere

and that the devotees should see him in every place. Galwankar

believes that his studies of the Gita, the Bhagavata and Eknath were

all directed by Baba, though Baba did not tell him to study these

just as he told to Jog, Kaka Dixit, and others.

 

Being deeply interested and concerned with his office work and other

affairs, Galwankar did not try to get into closer contact with Baba

before 1918. He was also comparatively young at the time and did not

view matters of life very seriously. After Baba's Mahasamadhi,

Galwankar became more serious. In 1921, he set off on a pilgrimage

with his family to Prayag and Kasi. At Baradwajasram in Prayag, he

prayed to Sai Baba that he might get sight of some saint. Within a

few minutes after he left Baradwajasram, there was a venerable saint

on the roadside and the guide showed him the saint saying that rarely

once in seven years or so, that saint would visit Prayag and that he

would not allow people to approach him nor would be accept money.

But, being emboldened by Sai's grace, Galwankar approached the saint,

and instead of his getting angry, the saint welcomed him with raised

arms saying, "Come child". His wife, mother and other ladies also

paid their respects to the saint. They were all blessed by the saint

and having only annas in his pocket, Galwankar gave that to the saint

who received it. Thus Sai Baba answered his prayer effectively in

1921. Having become ecstatic by Baba's blessing and teaching, he

gradually paid more and more attention to Adhyatma to the spiritual

side of existence. That was in 1932. Then he had a dream. Baba came

to him in the dream and asked him, "What do you want?" His reply was,

"I want prem and only prem" – that is, love. Baba blessed him saying,

"You will have prem", and disappeared. Even afterwards Galwankar had

spells of prem gushing through him, sometimes while meditating,

sometime while reading, and even at other times. Thus his slight

touch with Baba before Mahasamadhi ripened into full fruition after

Mahasamadhi and his life became nobler and higher.

 

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

(Vasuki Mahal Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Trust, Coimbatore-641025, India)