BABA ALL-KNOWING, ALL-SEEING, ALL-POWERFUL

[Guest guest]

BABA ALL-KNOWING ALL-SEEING ALL-POWERFUL

When G. G. Narke’s wife, mother and father-in-law asked him to go to

Shirdi to see Sai Baba, he first wanted to assure himself if Baba wanted him

and so wrote back that he would go if Baba wanted him. So, in April 1913, he

went up to see Sai Baba. His mother was greatly liked by Baba and as the son of

his mother, he was naturally welcome. So, Shama alias Madhava Rao Deshpande

introduced him to Baba. Baba then said to Shama, ‘You introduce him to

me! I have known him for thirty pidis. That was the initial surprise for Narke.

His first impression of Baba was derived by looking at Baba’s eyes.

Baba’s eyes were piercing. His glance pierced Narke through and through.

Long after Baba passed away, in 1930 when Narke gave his statement, he said,

‘I still have the indelible impression of Baba sitting in the chavadi

with piercing eyes’.

Narke joined the current of devotees and did his portion of service to Baba and

attended artis etceteras. But at one of the earliest artis, Baba was in a

towering passion. He was fuming, cursing and threatening’ whom and what

for, nobody could say. And the idea occurred to Narke, ‘Is Baba

mad?’ that was during the arti, and after the arti was over, he went home

and returned to Baba in the afternoon to massage Baba’s feet and legs.

Baba stroking his head said, ‘Arre Narke, I am not mad’. The

passing thought, which he had in the morning when he was one in the crowd, was

still known to Baba. So, he concluded that nothing was concealed from Baba.

‘He is my Antaryami, inner Soul of my soul’ he said. He then

attempted to study Baba, and accumulated experience after experience

demonstrating Baba’s Anataryamitva.

When Baba spoke, he spoke as one seated in Narke’s heart knowing all his

thoughts and his wishes. Narke said ‘This is God within’. So, Baba

must be God, he thought, but still as a scientific minded professor, he wanted

to test him further. Whenever he tested him the conviction was brought home

again to him that Baba was All-knowing and All-seeing, and All-powerful, that

is, able to mould all things to his will. The professor gave out of the

hundreds of instances that he knew, only a few in his statements, which proved

beyond doubt that the past, present and future were open before Baba though the

future appears unfixed and liable to be changed by human will. So, first let us

see proof about Narke himself.

Baba, speaking in 1913, said that Buty the professor’s father-in-law would

build a Dagdiwada, a stone edifice at Shirdi, and that the professor would be in

charge of it. It was only in 1915-16, that is, two or three years later that

Buty began to build it. It was after 1920 that there was a Sansthan with

trustees and Narke became one of the trustees in charge of the tomb in that

very Dagdiwada owned by his father-in-law.

Another instance, still more interesting to him, occurred this way. His mother,

was very anxious about his employment, and noted with concern that since he did

not have any employment, he was tossing from town to town for petty sums on

mining and prospecting jobs, which were advertised in the press in various

places – even in Burma and Balaghat. He once stayed at Shirdi for 13

months without any employment. He got disgusted and thought that he ought to

turn himself into a fakir. In 1914, when Baba was distributing kapnis to

fakirs, he was hoping that Baba would give him a kapni. But Baba did not give

him one. A little later, Baba beckoned him and placing his hand with kindness

on his head, stroked it and said, ‘Do not blame me for not giving you a

kapni. That fakir (God) has not permitted me to give you one.’

His mother and others were asking Baba what was to become of this Narke, seeing

how unsettled his course of life was and how far he had to travel to earn small

sums. His mother prayed to Baba to give him good employment nearer home or even

near Shirdi. Baba answered, ‘I will settle him at Poona’. Whenever

there was any job advertised in the press, Narke would go to Baba and ask him,

‘Shall I go to this place – Calcutta or Burma – for the

job?’ Baba would say, ‘Go to Calcutta and Poona, Go to Burma and

Poona’, adding Poona after each. But there was no scope for his

employment at Poona for some years. In 1917, an announcement was made that the

Engineering College at Poona wanted a Geology Professor. Narke went up to Baba

and asked him whether he should apply. Baba said, ‘Yes’. So, Narke

went to Poona to the people concerned. It was a very difficult and uphill task,

because there were so many applicants and they were supported by very

influential people. But for Narke there was no influential backing.

Baba enquired of some people at Shirdi at that time, ‘Where has Narke

gone?’ and they said that he had gone to Poona to try for the job. Allah

will bless, was the remark of Baba and that was the backing Narke got. Baba

also asked whether Narke had any children, and the person there said,

‘None. The children born died after a very short life’. Baba again

said, ‘Allah will bless’. Both these blessings came true. In 1918,

he secured the appointment of Professor of Geology and Mining in Poona and the

children born to him subsequently are all alive.

Written by: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

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