DIVINE GRACE TO GADGE MAHARAJ

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DIVINE GRACE TO GADGE MAHARAJ

D.D. Nanasaheb Rasane who served Baba for nearly tow decades has told the author

of a remarkable incident in this period of Baba’s life as recounted to him

by Saint Gadge Maharaj himself.

Sri Gadge Maharaj (alias Sri Guzadi Maharaj) a famous saint of Maharashtra, was

serving in a provision store at Sivagaon Pathadi. One day Sai Baba came there

from Selu Manvat and begged for roti. When no one gave him any, he picked an

ear of Jawar from a ripe farm and went away, munching it. Gadge went home on

leave, picked up roti and proceeded in search of the fakir. At last, he found

the latter sitting under a tree in a jungle. The fakir demanded, "Why have you

come here?"

"I noticed that they hadn’t offered you roti, and so I got it for you."

"Will you give me whatever I demand?"

"You may ask anything except money which I don’t have."

"I need your life. Give it."

"How can I take it out and offer you? Take it by your hand, I am ready."

The fakir then kept his hand on Gadge’s head in blessing. The latter,

instantly galvanized with intense renunciation, at once went back, bade goodbye

to his family and rushed to his guru who, in the meanwhile, went ahead. When

Baba saw him he was wild and roared, "Rogue, why have you come to trouble me

further?"

"I cannot part from you!", Gadge submitted.

Baba then led him to the nearby tomb of a Moslem saint, commanded Gadge to dig a

small pit nearby and fill it with two pots-full of water. Getting down into

that, Baba sipped a little of the water and directed the other to do the same.

Gadge obeyed and at once grew oblivious of everything in a deep yogic trance.

By the time he regained his sense, Baba had left.

Subsequently, Gadge reached Shirdi. Baba was at the mosque and the curtains

within were lowered. Gadge lifted a curtain up and peeped in. Baba grew wild

and cried, "Bastard, have you come to eat my bones, having already eaten by

flesh? Why trouble me even after I gave you what I have?" When Gadge said that

he would not leave him. Baba flung a brick at him. It struck the former on his

brow, leaving a permanent crescent mark. Baba then calmed down and said, "You

are fully blessed and will henceforth be a Sadguru. God will bless you." Gadge

instantly attained perfect Enlightenment.

Long after, on the eve of his mahasamadhi, Sadguru Gadge Maharaj visited Shirdi

singing, "Ham Jato Amche Gaona" (I am going to my original abode) He swept the

village clean, sang Bhajans and told his devotees, "We shall never meet again.

I am going away!" Then he proceeded, singing, to the banks of river Narmada and

attained mahasamadhi.

(Written by: Sri Pujya Acharya E. Bharadwaja in ‘Sai Baba The Master")