SAI ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE(May 1975)

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"SAI ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE"(May 1975)

The devotees could never approach Baba unless he meant to receive them If

their turn did not come, Baba did not remember them. ('SRI SAI SATCHARITA')

Saint Purandaradas is a household name in South India. He is the grand

father of Karnatak Music, while Saint Thyaga. raju is considered the father

of that form of music.

The original name of Purandaradas was Srinivas Nayakar. He was a

multi-millionaire carrying on business in gold and diamonds. He was a

confirmed miser. He spent his life in business and never for a second,

thought of God. By the accumulation of merit of many previous births, his

turn for acceptance by the Lord came. Panduranga (Vithal) of Pandharapur

came to him, one day, as a Brahmin and requested him for charity for

performing the marriage of his daughter. Srinivas asked him to come the next

day. When the Brahmin turned up the next day, Srinivas asked him to come on

the morrow. Thus the Brahmin was made to come daily to Srinivas for six

months- The Brahmin at last approached the wife • of Srinivas and told her

of his plight. The ^generous wife presented the Brahmin with her diamond

nose-ring worth some thousands of rupees. The Brahmin took the nosering to

Srinivas and offered it for sale. Srinivas immediately recognised it as his

wife's and striking the bargain asked the Brahmin to come the next day for

the money. He kept the nose ring in his iron safe and locked it up and went

home and asked his wife for the nose-ring. The wife, who knew the

temperament of her husband, went inside a room and wanted to end her life by

taking diamond poison. Accordingly she prepared the poison and was on the

point of swallowing it, when Lo! something fell into the cup making sound.

When she put her hand into the cup, she found her own nose-ring. Tears of

gratitude flowed from her eyes profusely and she heartily thanked the Lord

for the timely succour. She took the nose-ring and gave it to her husband.

The husband was frightened. He immediately ran to his shop, opened the iron

safe and found the nose-ring missing. He was all the more dumb founded. He

went home and asked his wife to tell the truth. The wife narrated everything

in detail. The mental eye of Srinivas was opened. He now realised that the

Lord himself came in the form of the Brahmin to redeem him. He recollected

how he spent this precious human life in fleeting pleasures of the flesh and

money. He was now a changed man by the grace of the Lord. He gave away his

enormous wealth in charity to the poor and became a begger. He, with his

wife, wandered from place to place singing the glory of Lord Vithal living

on a begger's food. He brought the Lord numerous homes and created spiritual

atmosphere wherever he went. He occupies a prominent place in the galaxy of

the devotees of Lord Panduranga (Vithal.)

Balasaheb Bhate spent his life even as a student in a wild manner. He was a

confirmed "Charvaka" (atheist) hating the motto "Eat, drink and make merry

for, tomorrow we may die" which happens to be the essence of Charvaka

Philosophy. He became, in course of time, the Mamlatdar of Kopergoan and

earned the reputation of an honest and efficient officer. He was loved by

the English Collectors and Commissioners of the day. Several friends of his,

became devotees of Sainath. On their way to Shirdi, they used to stay with

Bhate for the night or for a day. Bhate used to scoff at them for their

devotion to Sai. The friends used to remonstrate. "If you only go to Sai,

you will come to know what he is. Without seeing Him, without knowing Him,

why should you criticise Sai and laugh at us". Bhate never took their

remonstrance’s seriously and indulged in reveling Sai and His devotees

whenever an opportunity afforded. Things were going on like this for

some-time. Curing the course of his official tour of his Taluq, Bhate; once

happened to camp at Shirdi. Out of curiosity, with no serious purpose, he

went to Dwarakamai Maya and sat before Sai. Sai, all of a sudden, covered

his head with cloth. Bhate was at once transformed. All his savannas and

cascaras (Latencies) were completely eradicated. He became a devotee of Baba

and spent his life at the feet of Baba. As he was affected by religious

melancholia, he was prematurely retired and granted a pension by the then

ruling Britishers. It is this Bhate that argued with Hemadpant of

pre-destination as against free will. Bhate performed the obsequies of Baba

along with Upasani Baba, after his Mahasamadhi. Every friend and

acquaintance of Bhate was surprised at the transformation of this virtual

Char-vaka into a great and staunch devotee of Baba. This transformation took

place while Baba was in his mortal soil

Baba similarly effected transformation in the case of a confirmed atheist

some thirty six years after his Mahasamadhi.

 

 

To be contdd....

 

(Source Sri Sai Leela Magazine (May 1975)