BABA IS SIMPLY GOD

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BABA IS SIMPLY GOD

About Sai Baba’s nature, H S Dixit entertained no doubt. He was "simply

God’ especially after he shed his body. He was God – whether in the

flesh or out of it, i.e., in Samadhi" BCS. 49, 51, 52, 62-89, 58 & 149 (Baba

heard and hears the prayers and troubles of all times and places and answered

and answers their prayers. What is more, he deeply loved and loves his devotees

as his own children and babies (BCS 42).

Once pointing to a baby, Baba said, "When this child sleeps, we have to be awake

and guarding (BCS 34)" Baba was and is always doing this for his devotees. Kaka

Dixit ever felt that Baba was always behind him and supporting him (BCS 24030,

32-42). His mind was thus free from fear, anxiety or care, and could happily

allow itself to concentrate on and lose himself in the lilas of Sri Krishna and

Rama in Bhagavata and Ramayana or of Sai. He was fond of puja as also of

parayana. His parayana consists of Bhavartha Ramayana and Eknath Bhagavata. He

was fond of Bhajan, especially Sai Bhajan, and was singing to himself 8 or 9

songs of Baba, especially at evening time, when he would be pacing up and down

his terrace. He had a good knowledge of music, and could even compose songs.

When he composed a song, Kaka Mahajani asked him to compose more songs. But

Dixit’s reply was that there were many classic songs and it would be

absurd on his part, when these with their holy associations were available, to

add his own songs of inferior merit. But the more important objection was

according to Dixit that such composition would strengthen egotism in him, and

make him feel ‘I am a composer; I have done such and such a thing". Such

abhimana, he was killing out of himself, and his humility and simplicity were

marked features in his character.

When he found that Baba was perfectly reliable in providing him with everything

that was necessary for his temporal and spiritual welfare, he might ask what

made Baba attract him (Kaka) to his feet in 1909, and thus undertake all

responsibility for him. The obvious answer is ‘Rinanubandha’. We

find in G S Khaparde’s diary written at Shirdi that (BCS 502) Baba said

to Khaparde, "You, I Kaka (H S Dixit), Shama, Bapu Saheb Jog, and Dada Kelkar,

were together with our Guru in a blind alley in our former birth, and I have,

therefore, drawn all of you together in this birth". Baba avowed in very

general terms (BCS 56) that all the devotees who came to him were drawn by him

to himself; and they were not voluntary visitors. When a boy ties one end of a

string to a bird’s foot and pulls it, the bird must come to him. So,

these devotees must come to him, though they were not aware of either the fact

of his pulling or the reason for his pull. The reasons for approaching Sai Baba

as for approaching God, so far as they were known to the devotees, were always

worldly. Damia once objected (BCS 56) to devotees coming to Baba with worldly

objects, and said they should be driven away. But Baba answered him that he

should not say so. He said that he himself drew the devotees to him for one

object or another, and after the devotees were satisfied, they stayed on with

him. It is the Artha (Sufferer) who goes to God and not the man without

troubles.

B.Gita VII 15:

Chatur vidha bhajante mam

Janas sucrutino Arjuna

Artho jijnasurartharthi

Jnani Cha Bharatarshabha

Krishna says:- four classes of men come to me, O Arjuna – those in

distress, those who desire to know, those seeking wealth and the Jnanis or

fully realized men.

Persons who approach God or Gurudeva are mostly persons who have worldly

troubles seeking worldly relief. It was the lameness of H. S. Dixit that made

him think, at the suggestion of Chandorkar of approaching Baba. He did not come

with a view to get a Guru when first approaching Baba; but on account of

Baba’s wonderful powers and nature, and on account of Dixit's conduct

with a sadhu named Datta Maharaj in his earlier life, he noted at once that

Baba was pre-eminently fitted to be a Samarta Sadguru for himself. Baba’s

wonderful powers over men and things, and also wonderful love, operating to

benefit thousands if not myriads of persons in all sorts of places and

conditions greatly impressed Dixit. Baba was of viouly like Sivaji’s Guru

Ramdas pre-eminently a Samartha Sadguru, i.e., one to whom any one desirous of

achieving both temporal and spiritual welfare should resort and stick, life

after life.

Written by: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

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

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