Sai Baba the Master

[Guest guest]

Seven days before Vijayadasami, a band of fakirs arrived at the mosque.

They brought with them a tiger chained to a cart. It was ill and was very

furious with pain and suffering. They purchased it from a circus company

and were collecting money by exhibiting it in villages. They hoped that

Baba would rid the creature of its suffering so that they could sell it at

a higher price back to the circus men. ‘I shall at once rid it of its

suffering; bring it here’ said Baba. The fakirs untied it and led it into

the front yard of the mosque. The creature climbed up the steps, and stared

at Baba as though struck by his radiant face, struck the ground thrice with

its tail and fell dead. Indeed, it was released from bondage.

 

It was still four days for the holy Vijayadasami, the day which Sai Baba

described as the day of his ‘seemolanghan’. Mrs. Andu Marwadi, one of the

local devotees of Sai Baba, was sitting in front of him.Sai Baba said,

“Bai, I am tired of being in Dwarakamai and chavadi. I’ll go over to the

(Booty’s) wada where big people will look after me”. At that time Baba’s

health was far from satisfactory. He stopped his morning trips to Lendi and

his begging rounds and only sat in the mosque. His closer devotees like

Kakasaheb Dixit and Booty remained with Baba all the time and were dining

daily in the musjid itself.

 

At last the fatal day of Vijayadasami(15th of October, 1918) dawned.

Ramachandra Patil and Bala Shimpe knew what was in store for Tatya. News

came that his pulse was getting weaker. Baba too was also very ill and

weak. He sat up in the morning and called Mrs. Lakshmi Bai Shinde near him,

gave her Rs.5/- at first and then Rs.4/- and told her to preserve them.

Then, after the morning arti, Baba asked all the devotees to go for lunch.

Just a few of the devotees like Mrs. Lakshmi Bai Shinde, Bhagoji, Bayyaji,

Bala Shimpe and Nanasaheb Nimonkar stayed with Baba.

 

He told them that he did not feel well there in the mosque and asked them

to take him to the dagdi(stone )wada of Booty where he would be alright.

Saying these last words, he leaned on Bayyaji’s (Bayyaji Apaji Patel) body

and breathed his last. Bhagoji noticed it and told Nanasaheb Nimonkar.

Nanasaheb then brought a little water and poured it in Baba’s mouth but it

all came out. Then Nanasaheb burst out weeping.

 

 

Source: http://www.saibharadwaja.org