TOTAL FAITH - TOTAL PROTECTION

[Guest guest]

TOTAL FAITH – TOTAL PROTECTION.

Baba’s purpose and object were to develop that attachment – for the

Guru is the only sadhana and becomes a powerful sadhana when the attachment and

faith in him are at their height. That is Nishta. To develop Nishta it was that

Baba revealed to him what a deep interest he had in Dhumal, and how he was

watching him all the night at the sacrifice of his own health and comfort. S.

B. Dhumal says, "At this declaration, I was overpowered by a sudden gush of

love, gratitude and surprise, feeling which could find no other expression than

a free flow of tears. What intense love he had for me! What an amount of trouble

he took for my sake! Just as I was always thinking of him. He was kind enough to

think of me with this difference. My thought of him, though loving, was weak,

and I could render him no real service. But his love was accompanied by such

vast insight and such power that I was helped in every act and event." Dhumal

found that Baba could and did foresee things far ahead and took every step

required to avert the evil and promote the good that was coming to him. There

were numerous instances to show this. Only a few of them will be given:

Even from Nasik, Dhumal would write to Shama at Shirdi, in order to be in touch

with Baba, as Shama would read all letters to Baba and communicate his replies.

But very often, even during Baba’s life in the flesh and in every case

after Baba’s Mahasamadhi. Dhumal addressed his queries to Baba mentally

or by placing chits prayerfully that is, casting lots before Baba’s

portrait and invariably the answer he got showed Dhumal what was the correct

and safe course to follow. Invariably Dhumal followed that advice. Though

persons with commonsense, medical opinion, and prudence objected, still Dhumal

followed Baba’s advice and invariably discovered that he had followed the

right path, the safest and wisest.

Dhumal takes up his health first. At Nasik, his ancestral place, plague broke

out once. Dead rats were found in the house. Dhumal wrote to Shirdi for

permission before he would move out and left the house as soon as the reply was

received that he could vacate. Being always under Baba’s protection, he

felt perfectly safe in remaining till the reply came, as Baba has said, "At

every step I am guiding you". So, with fullest knowledge of Baba’s powers

and love and with implicit reliance on the truth of Baba’s words, he

remained boldly in the midst of plague until and unless Baba ordered him out.

Baba knew everything that was happening every moment and everywhere. Whether it

is at Nasik or at any other place, Baba would never allow any harm to befall

Dhumal, as he had placed this child-like trust and entire reliance on Baba.

In the 29 years of such reliance, that is, from 1907 to 1936, there was not a

single instance where Baba’s protection failed or the trust was found

misplaced. When he got Baba’s reply that he could move to a bungalow at

Nasik, he moved. In the very same night that he occupied the bungalow, a dead

rat was found. At once, Dhumal wrote to Baba whether he should move away. The

answer was in the negative and he did not move. The health authorities and

neighbours had contempt for him for violating the rules of prudence. But what

was the result? The result always justified his implicit faith in following the

guidance of Baba. He continued to stay in the bungalow. Later dead rats were

found in his servants quarters, in the house of the neighbourhood and in the

very bungalow from which alone all the water had to be drawn for cooking. Then,

at once Dhumal wrote to Baba for permission to move and, being sure that the

reply would arrive, he started packing up things and carrying them off to go to

his house in Bazaar street. When he was there trying to unlock the front door,

the postman handed over a letter from Shirdi which ran as follows: Why should

we give up our residence? At once, he turned back and went to the bungalow and

boldly lived there, taking care to avoid only the infected water of the well

where the dead rat had been found. He got all his water from Godavari. No harm

came to him by his occupation of the bungalow that Baba had made him stay in,

while all round there were 14 to 15 deaths due to plague per day at Nasik.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

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