I HAD THE DARSHAN OF SRI SAINATH MAHARAJ - KESAV CHITAMBER

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I HAD THE DARSHAN OF SRI SAINATH MAHARAJ!

Sri Anant Jayadev Chitamber of Ahmednagar had the immense good fortune of the

darshan of Sri Sai Baba when he was young. His father, Sri Jayadev Chitamber,

was the Principal of the primary school in Shirdi between 1912 and 1927. It was

in this school that Sri Madhavarao Deshpande (Shama) had worked earlier as a

teacher. Hence, Sri Anant Chitamber’s childhood was spent in the presence of

Sri Sai Baba. We can see how much the divine influence of Sri Sai Baba’s

presence has had on even small children from the reminiscences of Sri Anant

Chitamber. Here is the translation of his reminiscences written in a Marathi

article published in Sai Leela masik in 1975.

In 1912 my father was transferred to Shirdi as the Headmaster of the primary

school. I was only 15 months old. He worked there until 1927, approximately 14

years. The school was near the Maruti temple. So I spent my childhood in

Shirdi. I was eight years old when Sri Sai Baba entered mahasamadhi in 1918. So

I was not so young as to be entirely unaware of him. Even now I can remember

those sweet moments spent with Sri Sainath Maharaj. I used to go every day to

Dwarkamai and salute him with my head placed on his feet. I would take part in

the aratis and sing along with the others. I directly witnessed Baba going

around the village for alms, giving darshan to his devotees and going to and

coming from Lendi garden. I can still see him in my mind’s eye, sitting at the

mosque with his close devotees and puffing on his chillim I can remember to

this day the kirtan done by Sri Tukaram Bua Ajgaonkar in the presence of Sri

Sainath

Maharaj under the aegis of Sri Das Ganu Maharaj. Sri Bua must have been seven or

eight years old at that time. (Sri Dharmadhikari, the grandson of Sri Tukaram

Bua is presently working as a priest in Sai Baba Sansthan) I had seen all the

close devotees of Sri Sai Baba in my childhood. I had the great good fortune of

seeing the devotees such as Kakasaheb Dixit, Jog, Madhavarao Deshpande, Tatya

Kote Patil, Gopalrao Buty, Abdul Baba, Dhabholkar, Purandhare and Das Ganu

Maharaj.

I can still recollect those devotees sitting in Dwarkamai with Sri Sai Baba,

taking part in the Sej arati at Chavadi etc. How was this possible for me? It

is only the accumulated merit of many lifetimes that has enabled me to receive

this gift from Sri Sai Baba. I was just eight years old. But as a result of

having had the good fortune of Sri Sai Baba's darshan and his blessings these

memories are imprinted in my mind. I can never forget these incidents. I feel

that Sri Sai Baba had intended that I should remember them always and hence had

blessed me with his grace and lit the lamp of these memories in my heart.

Sri Sai Baba incarnated in Shirdi. He took up the task of leading the world to

salvation from there. He fulfills the desires of his devotees, removes their

sorrows and gives them peace and happiness. Even now he is with us in the form

of his samadhi at Shirdi. Sai Baba is in the heart of all living beings. He

showers his grace on all and gives divine experiences to all his devotees. Even

though it is fifty-seven years since he entered mahasamadhi he is still present

in Shirdi in the form of his samadhi. This is an indubitable fact. He is beyond

time. Where can he go leaving us all behind? Wherever in this world his devotees

may be, the moment they cry for his help, he comes running like a concerned

mother to offer them succour. They immediately become aware that Baba is with

them. We get immediate recompense for the love and devotion we bear towards

him.

My mother used to have the darshan of Sri Sai Baba every day. She would apply

turmeric and vermilion powder to his feet and salute him reverently. Once she

asked him, "Do you like it when I apply turmeric and vermilion powder to your

feet? Baba replied, "Whatever you do with love and devotion is to my liking."

Baba would ask my mother for dakshina sometimes. She would then take a quarter

of a rupee from my father and offer it to Baba as dakshina. As a result of the

service she had done to Baba she had a very good death. She was fully conscious

and her faculties were stilled in peace at the end of her time and she breathed

her last repeating the holy name of Lord Rama. My father also had great

devotion and love for Sri Baba. He used to regard Baba as the almighty.

One morning, after the arati, Baba went from Chavadi to the mosque. My father

was standing nearby and Baba while passing him hit him on his head with his

satka (hand stick). My father had a small injury to the head, which was soon

cured by applying udi to it. He looked upon the injury as a prasad of Baba.

Within fifteen days, my father’s salary increased by 15 rupees per month – a

princely sum in those days. The devotees used to feel Baba’s anger as a great

prasad or gift to them. His anger was always directed at the defects of his

devotees to rid them of those defects. This is the literal truth.

Sri Sai Baba is a divine incarnation; he is not born of human parentage. He

shines as an eternal flame in the form of his samadhi and gives his divine

experiences to all mankind. He is the very form of the perfect almighty. It is

the experience of many devotees that the descriptions given in Srimad

Bhagavadgeeta of the perfect superman and Para Brahman suit him to fullest

extent. I am enraptured by bliss whenever I recollect his form, which I had

seen in my childhood. I pray to him that I imbibe fully of his teachings and

tradition and travel farther along the beautiful path prescribed by him and

thereby gain his grace.

It is the constant experience of the devotees that the words of the Arati

"Jayamani Jaise Bhava, Taya Taisa Anubhava, (as is our feeling towards him, so

is our experience)" are literally true. I have heard of the experiences of

innumerable devotees; where even when they had prayed to other gods, Sri Sai

Baba had given his darshan to them in the form of those gods and proved to them

that his is the manifest form of all gods. I too have had the direct experience

of this truth. This experience gives us wisdom and acts as our guide in

spiritual endeavour. Once we surrender to Sri Sai Baba we need no other yoga,

as he is the perfect Brahman who is omnipresent.

I would need many pages to describe all the experiences my family and I and have

had by the divine grace of Sri Sai Baba. I have myself seen devotees of all

religions coming for the darshan of Sri Sai Baba, and they continue to come to

him to this day. This is an example of the divine play of Sri Sai Baba. There

is no place for differences based on caste, creed or religion at his holy feet.

When anyone had his darshan prompted by even idle curiosity, their old

proclivities would vanish and they would gain an immense devotion towards him.

His form and presence were majestic. I cannot find words to describe the

awesome majesty of his carriage and conduct. The devotees, be them Muslim

fakirs or Hindu sanyasis, would forget who they were the moment they had his

darshan. They were attracted so much to him that unknowingly they surrendered

to the holy lotus feet of that supreme master who was ever immersed in the

bliss of the constant communion

with Brahman. The fanaticism and bigotry that they had earlier ran far away from

the presence of Sri Sai Baba.

If one were to describe Sri Sai as a Muslim, he had the horizontal mark of the

Hindu displayed prominently on his forehead. The fire holy to Hindus was

burning brightly in front of him in the mosque. He would bless all devotees,

"Allah achha karega" (Allah will bless you). Aratis would be conducted in his

honour in the morning, during the day and at night. They continue to this day.

Nobody knows to this day whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim. The Muslims would

read the namaz in front of him while the Hindu pundits read the Vedas. I saw

this with my own eyes. This is not hearsay. It is my great good fortune to have

the darshan of that formless Brahman which has incarnated in the form of Sri Sai

Baba. Can anyone describe accurately Brahman, the state of liberation while yet

in the body and being liberated from the confines of the body? This question is

answered by having the darshan of Sri Sai Baba. One can realise

what his true nature is by having the darshan of that peerless master and by the

constant meditation of him. That is his divine play. What then is surprising in

Das Ganu Maharaj praising him "Shirdi majhe pandari pura Sai Baba ramavara

(Shirdi is my Pandaripur). Sri Sai Baba is mahavishnu (almighty)." Sri Sai Baba

is an avadhuta. The sentence in the Shirdi Arati "Datta avadhuta, Sai avadhta"

is literally true. Sri Datta has assumed the form of Sri Sai and lived in

Shirdi.

Sri Sai Baba had not only granted salvation to mankind but had granted salvation

to a tiger, which was brought to him. I saw that tiger passing away at Dwarkamai

with my own eyes. I could have the darshan of that incident where the individual

self merges into the cosmic self only by the gracious mercy and kindness of Sri

Sai Baba. That incident had happened in this way.

One day before the afternoon arati, Baba was sitting at Dwarkamai with his hand

on the railing. A tiger was brought on a bullock cart to his presence and the

owner of the tiger made it move around and show the tricks it had learnt to Sri

Sai Baba. After the show was over, the devotees advised the owner of the tiger

to take it up the steps and put its head at Baba’s feet for his benediction.

The owner agreed and took the tiger up the steps. The tiger put its head on the

first step just like all devotees do and surprisingly died a painless death

immediately. Baba had liberated it from its body. The owner of the tiger saw

that his means of livelihood had died and started weeping. The devotees

consoled him saying, "Do not cry, your tiger is fortunate that it has got

liberation." No one could ask Sri Sai about this incident at that time. That

majesty and that kindness cannot be found in these three worlds – no matter how

far and wide the search. The feeling

one gets on laying ones eyes on that awesome majesty is indescribable. As I was

very young – a mere child at that time, the full significance of the incident

escaped me.

Now, I feel how fortunate would I be if I too could, like that tiger, leave this

body while having the darshan of that glorious, majestic figure of Sri Sai Baba

filling my eyes. Sri Sainath Maharaj is the destination for all of us. He is

our final destiny. He is the perfect man. He is the almighty. He is the ark

that bears us across safely across this sea of worldliness. I salute that

perfect master and greatest of Sadguru and hailing his divine glory; end this

essay.

 

-Sri Anant Jayadev Chitamber,

March 1978 Sai Leela Masik.

Translated by Parna Kishore.

 

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