SHIRDI DIARY 5

[Guest guest]

SHIRDI DIARY – BABA’S PARABLES AND MEANINGS (5)

Late Sri. M.V. Pradhan describes this part of Baba’s daily routine thus:

Ever since my first visit, I was having my dinner at the mosque with Baba. Baba

with his own hands stuffed the food into our plates and cups in large quantity.

Instead of throwing away such a valuable prasad I asked my niece to come up and

take away about three-fourths of what was served to me, and that sufficed to

feed my family. Yet what I ate warded off all hunger or appetite for a night

meal. Baba almost invariably gave dessert (i.e., fruits etc) at the end of the

meal. But when I went up with Babu, Baba noticed that Babu did not care for

cooked food and served mangoes and fruits first, so that Babu might have a full

meal. When other children were born, I would take three children with me

including Babu, to the mosque to dine with Baba.

By the time everyone in the mosque finished his meal, many more that waited

outside for the prasad, were given the same. Then Sagun Meru Naik cleaned the

mosque by removing the remnants of lunch and scrubbing the floor. Baba again

sat in his usual place when Sagun Meru Naik gave him betel to chew. At the end

of it he gave a tumbler of water, which Baba drank. Then the latter used to

receive daily dakshina of Rs.2/- from Sagun Meru Naik.

After an interval of two hours all the visitors assembled in the mosque after

their siesta. Parties of visiting artists too presented their skill before

Baba. These included Haridasas, Puraniks, circus people and bahurupis (a type

of fancy dress) and Baba gave away Rs. 2/- per individual at the end of their

performance. Among the devotees were some, like Lakshman Shimpe, who took

illegal commission from Baba’s gifts while distributing the same. Baba never

reprimanded them but kept quiet.

After sometime Baba walked all over the front yard of the mosque. At the end of

the walking he invariably stood at one spot near the wall of the mosque and

sometimes chatted with those that passing along the road. Very often his words

are cryptic. For instance, once he said, "Ten serpents have gone. Many more

will come", "People will flock like ants", "Wani (the merchant) and teli (the

oil vendor) have troubled me much; I won’t stay in Dwaraha Mai for long; I will

go away from here." Sometimes such was the emotional fervour that he would start

to leave immediately. On such occasions Tatya would rush to him, leaving all the

work, and pacify him saying that he (Tatya) would punish all those who troubled

him (Baba), and that he would not allow Baba to go away from Shirdi, "Let us

not go today, Baba", Tatya would often say "We’ll go sometime after. Please be

pacified for the present." It cannot be explained why Baba behaved like that

but it is strange that none except

Tatya dared to approach Baba when he seemed upset. Then Baba would quietly

resume his seat and chat with devotees as if nothing had happened, or sometimes

he would go out for his evening stroll. Either before his walk in the front yard

of the mosque or after that, the kind of talk that went on in the mosque can be

seen from "Shirdi Diary".

(Source: Sai Baba the Master)