PLANETARY POWERS AND GURU POWERS

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PLANETARY POWERS AND GURU POWERS

Damodar Rasane was a Kasar and one of the earliest of Ahmednagar citizen to

learn about Sai Baba. He received the benefit of issue in a most remarkable and

unexpected manner and was thereby to be the means of broadcasting Sai’s

fame in all directions through Das Ganu’s chapters. He was a very humble

man and began as a poor bangle seller but all his transactions yielded good

profit and he soon grew rich. He had everything to make life happy, but had

issue. Seeing that his first wife could not bear a child, he married a second

time. But even the second wife could not bear him a child. Astrological

curiosity made him explore into his horoscope and he found that in the Putra

sthanam, a papi was situated, namely, Kethu, and there was no Guru influence to

overcome that evil. Therefore, the local astrologers, who were consulted,

declared that issue for him was impossible in this life.

This reminds one strongly of the preface Mahatmya to the Srimad Bhagavata where

in a similar manner a great yati or seer was consulted by a childless Brahmin

about the absence of issue and the seer declared that the Brahmin would have no

issue in this life and for seven more births. But the Brahmin said that he would

kill himself unless the seer by his powers granted him an issue. Then that seer

stated, "Well, I will give you this fruit. Let this fruit be eaten by your wife

and let her observe religious vows for a year. And if she eats it, she will have

a son." Then, the pious consultant took the mango to his wife and told her what

the seer said. That lady was a termagant of a very vicious disposition and

never hesitated to cross her husband’s will even in serious matters. She

said, "If I get pregnant, there will be much discomfort, and if the child falls

athwart the womb, am I suffer the pains and serious risks involved or is the

seer or my husband going to suffer?" So she determined not to eat the fruit.

She had a sister to whom she narrated the facts. The sister was poor and

cantankerous lady was rich. So, she told the poor sister, "You are pregnant.

Give your child to me and I will say that it is born of my womb, and he will

have all my wealth to enjoy and you and he will be here." That poor sister

agreed.

As for the fruit, she throw it before the cow, and the cow ate it up. As Mantra

cannot be without their effect, the cow calved and brought forth a human child

with ears like that of a cow but the rest of the body resembling a human being.

That child was in the house. But it was the sister’s child of the

termagant that was thought by the Brahmin to be the result of his wife’s

eating the fruit. Then the sister’s child proved to be a thorough villain

and he broke the heart of the Brahmin who had asked for issue and even of his

mother. Then they both died. The boy became a criminal and died. When he became

a Brahma Rakshas, that is, an evil Spirit, the Gokarna cow-eared boy brother of

his gave him relief by making him listen to Saptaha of the Bhagavata. This

story contained in the sacred Bhagavata Mahatmya shows how planetary influence

debarring a person from having issue is considered ultimate, but in Damodar

Rasane’s case, he was more fortunate.

He had heard of Sai Baba and went up to meet him. Sai Baba had kept apart 8

mangoes to be given to him from a basket of mangoes that were sent to Baba. The

children were the recipients of the rest of the mangoes and some children wanted

more. When Baba said, "There is nothing," the children pointed to the eight

mangoes. Baba said, "They are for Damia." But the children said, "Damia is not

here.I know that. He is on the way. He is coming," said Baba. Then, when

Baba went out, some of these petted children of Baba stole away four mangoes,

and when Rasane came, there were only four mangoes remaining. As soon as he

came, Baba gave him those four mangoes. "Eat and die. People are clamouring for

mangoes." Eat and die – Damodar was perturbed by hearing the inauspicious

word die, and Mahlsapathy noting his perplexity told him that it was a blessing

to die at the feet of Baba. Baba was enjoying the humour all the time, as the

word die, which he had used, did not refer to the physical death but only to

the spiritual death, which is the same as Bhramh or Pramada coming upon one who

gets deeper and deeper in samsaric life with the birth of a child after child

and the death of several of them.

Pramada a Marityuraham bravimi

That is, It is the intoxication of the world that makes us forget the Real Life;

that I call death said Sanatkumara – Sanat Sujatiya.

Baba came to the rescue and said, "Damia do not eat these fruits yourself. Give

them to your wife". Damia wanted to know to which wife were the fruits to be

given. Baba said, "The second wife." Baba also said, "She will have eight

children. The first and second would be boys. Name the first Daulat Shah and

the second Thana Shah." Taking up his note book immediately, Damia wrote down

the names. Then the fruits were taken and given to his second wife, and, unlike

the heroine of the Bhagavata Mahatmya, she did eat the four fruits. She begot,

as stated by Baba, exactly eight children, one after another, their sexes being

in the order given by Baba. It took fifteen years for all the children to be

born.

Therefore, it was clear that the planetary influence in Damia’s case was

not quite as deadly as that in the Bhagavata case. Perhaps there is an

astrological explanation also. There, in the written horoscope, at

Damia’s birth there was no Guru balam to overcome the papi’s

influence. But the All-knowing and All-powerful Guru of Damia was Baba, and his

balam was there in 1897, and his Baba’s veekshanyam could overcome all the

adverse influence of all the planets put together. As Sri Thyagaraja says,

Griha Balam Emi?

Sri Ramanugaraga Balame Balamu.

It may be noted that the eight mangoes representing eight children that Baba set

apart for Damia, four were stolen away. Corresponding to that loss, of the eight

children that were born to Damia, four were filched away by Yama. The remaining

four are living now (1956) healthy, strong and flourishing.

Written by: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

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