G S KHAPARDE DIARY - FEB. 20, 1912

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1912 February 14 Wednesday

Shiradi

I got up early, attended the Kakad Arti & was very much struck by the fact that

Sayin Baba, on leaving the Chavadi made passes with his short stick towards the

East, north & South. Then he proceeded with hard words as usual. We held our

Panchadasi class as usual, saw Sayin Baba go out and later on went to the

Masjid as usual. Sayin Baba told two stories. One was that there was a

traveller who was accosted in the morning by a demon (Rakshasa). The traveller

looked upon it as a bad omen, but on proceeding further met two wells the sweet

water of which slaked his thirst. When he felt hungry, he met a husbandman who

on the suggestion of his wife, supplied food. He saw a field ripe with corn &

wished to have Hurda. The owner of the field gave it to him. So the traveller

felt happy & proceeded merrily smoking. In the forest through which he was

passing he met a tiger, lost courage & hid himself in a cave. The tiger was

very big & wandered about him. Sayin Baba happened to be passing that way

instilled courage into the traveller, got him out & put him on his way saying,

"the tiger would not hurt unless you hurt him some way. "The other story was

that Sayin Baba had four brothers, one of whom used to go out, beg & bring

cooked food, bread & corn. His wife used to give out just enough for their

father & mother but starved all the brothers. Sayin Baba then got a contract,

brought the money home & every one was supplied with food including the

well-to-do brother. Later on the brother got leprosy. Every one shunned him.

The father turned him out. Then Sayin Baba used to feed him & see to his

comfort. Ultimately the brother died. The midday Arti passed off as usual &

after it we had our food & I had some rest. Shivanand Shastri, & Thakur of

Vijayadurga went away today. The Vyaki of the local master invited all to a

meal today. I declined but all others went. Sayin Baba, at the evening stroll

asked why I did not go & I told him the truth, that I could not manage two

meals in the course of one afternoon. Sayin Baba looked immersed in care, gazed

steadily at the East & West, & Dismissed us all with the usual words "Go the

Wada." At night Bhishma had his Bhajan and Mr Dixit read Ramayan.

1912 February 15 Thursday

Shiradi

I got up as usual prayed, and held our Panchadasi class with Upasani Shastri,

Bapusaheb Jog & Mrs. Laxmi Bai Kaulgi. We saw Sayin Saheb go out and continued

our class. After it I went to the Masjid as usual & sat listening to what Sayin

Saheb was saying. He was in a pleased mood & said that he had laboured very

hard, had gone without food for months, fed on leaves of "Kula Takala " Nimb,

and other trees. He said God was very good to him, for, life never became

extinct though all flesh got wasted & bones appeared to be in danger of

crumbling away. The midday Arti passed off as usual & after it we returned for

our meals. My wife & others wished to go to Kopargaon tomorrow for Shivaratri.

Sayin Saheb thought it unnecessary, but they persisted and ultimately got a

permission in a way. Today after the afternoon Puran, we held a class for

Parmamrit for the benefit of Dada Kelkar. We did not progress much as it was

the first day. We saw Sayin Maharaj at his evening stroll, and then after the

Wada Arti, attended the Sheja Arti. Balasaheb Bhate attended it. He used to

hold the Peacock tail before it came to me. So I tendered it back to him. I got

a fan instead. Balasaheb Bhate has made considerable progress.

1912 February 20 Tuesday

Shirdi

We attended the Kakad Arti & the remarkable part of it was that Sayin Saheb left

the Chavadi and entered the Masjid without saying a single word except "God is

the greatest of all ". After prayer I, Upasani, Bapusaheb Jog, Bhishma and Mrs.

Laxmi Bai Kaulgi held our Panchadasi class. When I went to the Masjid after

Sayin Saheb returned from his morning walked, he said he wished to get the

Masjid rebuilt. He said there was enough money for it & went on talking about

it. Some Baroda ladies of the Shirke family have come here. They attended the

mid-day Arti. It passed off as usual. Radha Krishna Bai had the eggs of

ostrich. Ostrich hung up where Sayin Saheb sits and he had them pulled down &

thrown away. We continued our Panchadasi class in the afternoon & I went to the

Masjid about 6 P.M. Sayin Saheb told two stories of which, do what I like, I can

not recall the first. I asked my wife & all others present & they also forget

which is wonderful. The other story was that there was an old woman living with

her son. He used to assist in the disposal of the dead bury, bury of every body

in the village & got remuneration for it. There prevailed a sort of plague &

many died. So his emoluments were great. Allah met her one day & told her not

to profit by the trade of her son. She spoke about it to her son but the latter

paid no attention & eventually died. The old woman then maintained herself by

spinning cotton. Allah told her to go to the house of the relations of her

husband but she declined to do so. One day some Brahmans came to purchase

cotton from her, spied out all the details of her house and broke into it at

night. One of the burglars stood naked before her. She told him to run away, as

the townspeople would murder him for his crime. So the man ran away. Eventually

the old woman died & was born as a daughter of the burglar. I was not quite

sure that I understand the story quite right. We saw Sayin Saheb at his evening

stroll & at night, after the Wada Arti Bhishma read Bhagavat & Das Bodha.

G.S.Khaparde