DEVOTEES EXPERIENCES BY HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji, Sri Sagun Meru Naik says..

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DEVOTEES EXPERIENCES by HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji,

Dt: 7th December 1936.

Sagun Meru Naik, Mahrath, age 47, Teashop, Shirdi, says:

I belong to the village Borri (Boori) Marmagoa, Poona Taluk. I was grazing

cattle there. I went thence on my travels for years visiting and residing at

Belgaum. I stayed at Narsowadi with Tembe Maharaj for 2 years next with Ajunkar

Maharaj. Next Gangapur I visited. I was ill and stayed with Siddharood Maharaj

of Hubli. Next after going to Rameswar, Pandharpur etc., I came here (1911-12).

Baba remarked, ‘You have come from a ‘Mota Darbar"’ in allusion to my stay with

Siddharood Maharaj. Baba gave me advice for 5 months after my arrival. When I

asked him for leave to go away, he said, "Stay here doing something, God will

give you (Barakath) blessing." I obeyed and have made Shirdi my home and last

abode. From that time, I am running this tea shop and refreshment stall and

sale of sundries (i.e.) Baba’s pictures, arati books and devotional goods. I am

prospering ever since I began that life here. I begged Baba that he should

protect me and he said he would. I was doing

petty services (i.e.) replenishing the Masjid lamps with oil.

I have had ample evidences of Baba’s powers when I came to Shirdi in 1911-12. I

came from Hyderabad accompanying a Vysys Sowkar of that state, who as a Sai

Bhakta, was paying his devout visit to Baba. That man brought with him his

paralyzed daughter. She could not stand on her legs or walk. She had to skip on

the ground using her hands in place of the powerless legs. She had to be carried

into Baba’s presence at first. But, on the third day of her arrival, she began

to use her legs a little. On the eighth day, she was able to walk. The cure was

most marvellous and due entirely to Baba’s grace. Another case of paralysis

cured by Baba’s grace was that of Mr. Ghaisas. Mr. Ghaisas was formerly in

G.I.P. Railway Service. His wife came here and was cured of her paralysis in a

few days.

In 1914, I had a dream wherein Baba appeared and said ‘Bring me soft boiled

rice’. Then for two years, I took boiled rice to Baba without any ghee in it.

Then he told me to put some ghee into the food before taking it to him. Since

then, and up-to-date, I have been carrying boiled rice with little of ghee and

first offering to the God of fire at Baba’s dhuni at the Mosque. I place part

of it in a pot (Kolumba) for the use of Baba and throw the reminder to the

dogs. For 5 or 6 years, when huge crowds were daily flocking to Baba, I ran a

busy hotel here, and engaged some Brahmin cooks to cook and serve food. In

October 1919 when the crowd had fallen off, I closed down the hotel.

I know Upasani Maharaj. He had arrived here at Shirdi shortly before me. After I

came he was living at Mr. H S Dixit’s Wada and being fed for 5 or 6 months at

Mr. Dixit’s expense. This was when Mr. G S Khaparde was here. Madhav Rao

Deshpande (H.S. Dixit’s agent) and Upasani Maharaj then had a quarrel and the

latter removed to Khandoba temple to live there.

In the middle of 1912, the marble stone paduka of Sri Sai Baba was installed at

the foot of Baba’s favourite margosa tree in the Sathe’s Wada. Bhai Alibagkar,

a Mahratti vendor of Udhibattis started the idea. Practically the whole of the

expenses were borne by Ram Rao Khothari of Bombay Bhai Ali was too poor to pay

for this. Baba himself gave Rs.25 as his contribution. Four Brahmins,

representing the four vedas, were brought from Kopergaon for performing the

ceremony. Amongst the local people Babasaheb Bhate, Bapu Sahib Jog, Dada Kelkar

and Upasani Maharaj took a leading part, and helped in the installation.

Some time later, one Martand, a mad Brahmin was living here, depending upon the

bounteous supplies of food that Baba was throwing to all comers. There were

hundreds of men living at Shirdi depending on Baba’s doles of food for their

sustenance. This man, one day, went to the Neem tree and with a huge stone

broke the paduka into two. He went into the temple of Mahadev and Parvati

(where the images had been installed at Tatya Patel’s instance) and broke those

two images also. Baba was asked if a new paduka was to be ordered and to be

installed in place of the broken one. Baba did not approve of that idea but

said that mere anna santi would suffice. We fed 200 or 300 people soon after

that. Two hundred or more were everyday waiting to be fed at Shirdi in those

days.

 

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