LIFE HISTORY OF SHIRDI SAI BABA - Ch. XXIX to XXXI

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Om Sri Sai Ram

LIFE HISTORY OF SHIRDI SAI BABA

By Ammula Sambasiva Rao

English Translation by Thota Bhaskara Rao

Chapter XXIX

Balaram Mankar

Balaram Mankar became dejected after the death of his wife, handing over the

household responsibility to his son, he came to Shirdi and remained there with

Baba. His devotion was appreciated by Baba.

Once Sai Baba gave him Rs.12 and asked him to go to Machindragarh and stay

there, meditating thrice a day. After experiencing the natural beauty, pure

drinking water and healthy air, Mankar felt happy and meditated regularly as

directed by Baba.

One day Baba gave him Darshan while he was in conscious state. He asked Baba why

he was sent to that place. Baba replied, "While at Shirdi so many thoughts were

in your mind and hence to make your mind stable, I sent you here. You imagined

me as a person made of five elements and three and half cubits in length. You

also thought that I am always at Shirdi. Now say whether the Baba you see here

and the Baba you saw at Shirdi are the same or not. I have sent you here only

to prove this."

After sometime, Mankar started for Bandra and wanted to travel from Poona to

Dadar by train. When he went to purchase the ticket he found the booking office

crowded with people buying tickets. He could not get a ticket. Then a villager

with a blanket over him approached Mankar and enquired where he wanted to go.

When Mankar told him it was Dadar, the villager gave him a ticket to Dadar

saying that he had cancelled his visit due to some other work. Mankar lowered

his head to look at the ticket and by the time he lifted his head the villager

was not to be seen. He waited for him till the departure time of the train but

could not find him. He went home and again came to Shirdi and remained with

Baba till his last days. He was very lucky to have died in Shirdi.

Completion of the Temple Construction by Booty

Booty, with the intention of completing the construction of the Krishna temple

early, was getting things done quickly. Shama was regularly supervising the

construction work., while Bapu Saheb Jog, Tatya, Ramachander Patil and other

devotees were helping him in his work. With Baba’s grace, the construction of

Booty Wada was completed in December 1916. Some minor items like carvings,

polishing, etc. remained.

Waman Narvekar

Waman Narvekar was the devotee who loved Baba wholeheartedly. Once he brought a

rupee with him. On the obverse were the images of Sita, Rama and Lakshman and

on the reverse side was the image of the Reverent Anjaneya (Hanuman). He gave

the coin to Baba. His desire was to have the coin consecrated by Baba and to

keep it in his house for worship. But Baba put it in his pocket. Shama, knowing

the desire of Narvekar, requested Baba to return the coin to Narvekar. Baba

asked why he should return the coin and wanted to keep it with him. But, if

Narvekar gave Rs.25, then the coin would be returned to him. As Narvekar did

not have the money with him, he borrowed from others and gave this to Baba.

Then Baba said, "This coin is valued more than Rs.25, Shama. Let us keep the

coin with us. Keep it in your Puja room and worship it." No one had the courage

to ask Baba about his action. Perhaps, Baba did it for

the good of Narvekar.

Ramachander Patil

Ramachander Patil was a friend and relative of Tatya Kote Patil. Having known

the greatness of Baba, he also worshipped Baba daily with devotion and

sincerity. He and Tatya used to do service together during the Chavadi

procession and also while Baba was in Lendi Bagh. At the end of December 1916

he fell seriously ill. In spite of using several medicines there was no relief.

Unable to take food and water properly, he became weak and bed ridden. He became

discouraged. He lost hope of survival and thought that death was imminent.

One night he prayed to Baba to give him early death so that he could avoid these

sufferings. That night Baba appeared at his bedside. Ramachander Patil wept and

told Baba that he could not suffer like this any longer and requested him to

help him in dying early. Sai Baba, the Love Incarnation, asked him not to fear

as he (Baba) had removed his death slip and that he would recover soon. But he

expressed his concern to Ramachander about the impending death of Tatya, who

would die on the Vijayadashami day in 1918. He asked Ramachander not to reveal

this to anyone ,including Tatya, for if Tatya came to know, he would fear.

Ramachander Patil knew that Baba’s words would never fail. He became healthy

soon. But he was always worried about Tatya, and unable to keep the secret he

told Bala Shimpe. Since Tatya was a friend of both they began to worry a lot

about Tatya.

Time was passing by. The year 1916 came to an end and the New Year began. Booty

was very anxious to get Sri Krishna’s idol installed in the Booty Wada, which

was built at a huge cost. Whenever he asked Baba for permission to order for

Sri Krishna’s idol, Baba asked him to have patience and wait. The number of

devotees who were visiting Baba increased enormously. Sai Baba’s greatness and

Leelas spread to the four sides of our country.

Baba’s Holi Meal in Hemadpant’s House

On Holi festival in 1917, Baba appeared in the dream of Hemadpant at his house

in Bandra and told him that he would be coming to his house to participate in

the Holi meal. Hemadpant told his wife about the dream and asked her to prepare

food for one more person. The festivities of Holi were over. Arrangements were

made for serving the meal. They reserved a seat for Baba. All the members of

the family sat down for the meal. After offerings were made to God, ghee was

served; they were about to start eating, when someone knocked the door.

Hemadpant opened the door and found two persons standing there. They handed

over to him a photo of Shirdi Sai Baba with a request to keep it safely. They

asked him to finish his meals first and then they could discuss the details

about the photo later on; they left the place.

Hemadpant was surprised at the arrival of Baba in the form of photo, exactly at

meal time. He shed tears of joy. He felt happy that what Baba had told him in

the dream had come true in this manner. He immediately put the photo in the

place set apart for Baba. All the food items were kept before the photo and

only after offering them to Baba, did the others eat.

The same day at the same time Baba told Shama at Shirdi that he had a sumptuous

meal at Bandra in Hemadpant’s house. Shama could understand Baba’s words only

after sometime when Hemadpant went to Shirdi. Now let us see how the photo was

delivered at Hemadpant’s house.

A long time back, a saint by name Abdul Rehman gave a life-size framed photo of

Baba to Ali Mohammed. After sometime, Ali’s brother-in-law fell sick. Someone

said that if the photos of saints were put in the sea, the illness would

subside. So he sent for this manager and asked him to collect all such photos

in his house and also in the houses of relatives and put them in the sea. After

some days Ali Mohammed came home and was surprised to find that Baba’s photo was

still there in the wall. He began to think to whom it should be given. As per

Baba’s order given to him through his thoughts, the photo was handed over to

Hemadpant.

Lala Laxmichand

Lala Laxmichand heard for the first time about Baba in the year 1910, through

the Hari Kathas rendered by Das Ganu. After that he saw him in his dream. He

was very eager to go to Shirdi and see him. While this was so, his friend

Shankar Rao came to him and told him that he was going to Shirdi and asked him

to accompany him. Laxmichand was very much pleased. He borrowed sixteen rupees

and made arrangements for his journey. Both of them did Bhajan (singing of

devotional song ) in the train. They thought of taking some guavas for Baba.

Coinciding with their thoughts, an old woman came with a basket of guavas. They

purchased some, and the old woman asked them to take the remaining fruits also

along with them to Shirdi and present them to Baba on her behalf.

Laxmichand prostrated before Baba and the moment he touched his feet, his heart

melted. Baba said, "Cunning person! He did Bhajan on his way. What is the use

of asking others about me? Has his desire been fulfilled? Where was the need to

borrow sixteen rupees and come for my Darshan? "Realising that what Baba said

was about him he was surprised at his omniscience."

Laxmichand liked sanja (a wheat preparation). One day no one had brought sanja.

But Baba ordered Bapu Saheb Jog to get prepare two pots full of sanja. He asked

Laxmichand to take whatever quantity of it he could eat. Laxmichand was

surprised that Baba knew about his favorite food and got it prepared, which

proves that there is nothing in this world that Baba did not know. He reposed

complete faith in Baba for the rest of his life.

Shrimati Mehta - The Burhanpore Lady

Smt. Mehta was resident of Burhanpore. Baba once appeared in her dream and

wanted Khichadi ( rice cooked with dal ) . She tried her best to prepare it and

offer it to Baba, but an opportune time had not come for a long time. At last in

the month of April 1917, she went along with her husband to Shirdi. There also

she could not prepare khichadi for fifteen days. But one day with

determination, she procured the necessary foodstuff and prepared it. She went

with it to the mosque at about noon. A curtain was drawn across the entrance

which was an indication that none should enter inside the mosque. Though she

knew of this practice, she could not wait further and in the eagerness to serve

Baba khichadi, she went inside and put the plate before him. Baba ate it eagerly

and quickly. All those who were there were surprised. She also let herself in

joy on seeing Baba’s enjoyment. How anxious she had been

for so many years to serve Baba with khichadi; now with the same anxiousness,

Baba had accepted it. Everyone was happy at the extraordinary love of Baba

towards his devotees.

God’s Treasury

One day Baba narrated a story, which might have taken place in one of his

previous incarnations. "In my younger days, I had been to Beedgaon in search of

livelihood. There I secured a job in a factory manufacturing knitted cloth. I

used to work very hard. The proprietor was satisfied with my work. There were

three workers before me. The first worker was paid Rs.50, the second worker was

paid Rs.100 and third worker Rs.150. But I was paid double the money of all the

three amounts put together - Rs.600. The proprietor appreciated my work and

loved me. I did the work given to me with devotion. Hence, I used to think that

the salary I was getting was given by God and carefully saved it. What a human

gives will not last long. But what God has given will remain permanently. My

God Allah asks the devotees to take as much as they want. But the devotees come

to me and ask me to give. If a thing is given

once, it is not sufficient. The number of devotees who want everything every

time has increased. There is none to understand what I am saying. My God’s

Treasury is full and overflowing. Any real devotee can take away cartloads from

this. But none is interested in it. My fakir’s tact and my divine acts are

extraordinary. My body will join the earth and my breath will join the air. As

long as there is life in me, this opportunity is there. I go somewhere and will

do some work. But this Maya is troubling me. In spite of all these difficulties,

I am anxious about my devotees. I am ever alert in the case of them. The reward

I give them depends on their effort. Those who believe in me and those who

never forget me will have endless joy;

Bala Buva Sutar

One evening, Baba on his way to Lendi Bagh stopped for a few seconds before

Booty Wada. Bala Buva Sutar, a yogi from Bombay who came to Shirdi for the

first time, saluted Baba. Blessing him with raised hand, Baba said that he knew

him since four years. Baba Buva Sutar was surprised. He thought over the matter

deeply and recollected having saluted Baba’s photo at Bombay, four years back.

He was surprised at Baba’s omniscience.

Hari Bavu Karnik

Karnik came to Shirdi on Guru Poornima day in 1917. He worshipped Baba and gave

him clothes and Dakshina. While he was going down the steps of the mosque, he

thought of giving one more rupee as Dakshina. As there was a convention that

one should not go back to see Baba after taking leave of him, he started his

journey back home. On the way he visited the temple of Kala Ram in Nasik. While

he was coming out a yogi named Narasingh Maharaj, who was talking with his

disciples, left them and came to Hari Bavu, and catching hold of his hand

firmly, said "Give me my one rupee." Hari Bavu was surprised that Sai Baba was

taking a rupee through this yogi and gave the coin to him. All yogis are one.

All Gods are one. In fact, there is no difference between yogis and Gods. Thus,

Baba collected the amounts, which devotees had vowed to offer other Gods, but

forgot to fulfill their vows.

Taking Leave of Baba

>From 1905 to 1917 many devotees from distant places came to Shirdi and remained

there for a long time, experiencing Baba’s love. Those who had lived with

jealousy, selfishness, hatred, ego and attachments and then experienced Sai’s

love, were not inclined to leave Shirdi. But Baba used to send back some of

them, as they had to discharge their duties towards their families. They would

start their journey back home, as per Baba’s orders, but after going some

distance, unable to bear the separation from Baba, they would weep and remain

in Shirdi village till dusk; they would go back to Baba in the night, as he

would not ask them to leave Shirdi at night time. Noticing this weakness in the

devotees, Baba strictly ordered that once the devotees took leave of him to go

back to their homes, they should not return . If anyone came back, he would

face a lot of difficulties in his journey. This rule was

intended only to make the devotees disciplined.

Let us resolve to always remember the things we learn from the stories in the

Life History of Sai Baba and see him in our hearts every moment. Let us pray to

Sai Baba to give us strength, not to go back on our resolve, in the same manner

as the devotees who had once taken leave of Baba, should not return back.

"Om Shanti! Shanti! Shantihi"

Chapter XXX

It was the year 1917. Devotees kept coming to Shirdi in very large numbers like

ants. A good number were drawn to Shirdi by Baba in the same manner as a thread

is tied to the leg of a sparrow and drawn. The following is the story of one

such devotee.

Appa Saheb Kulkarni

One day a fakir resembling Baba came to Kulkarni’s house at about noon. Kulkarni

was not in the house. His wife and children asked the fakir whether he was

Shirdi Sai Baba. The fakir replied that he was a servant of God and on His

orders only he came to enquire about the welfare of Kulkarni’s family. He asked

for Dakshina. Kulkarni’s wife gave him a rupee. The fakir gave her some udi and

asked her to keep it in her Puja for worship. That evening when Kulkarni

returned home and heard of the fakir’s visit, he felt sorry for not being

present at then. He told his family that he would have given ten rupees

Dakshina. Though he was hungry, he went out in search of the fakir. As he could

not find him anywhere, he returned home, had his meal and again started along

with a friend in search of the fakir. All of a sudden, the fakir came from

behind and extending his hand asked for the Dakshina. Kulkarni gave

him a rupee. Again the fakir asked Dakshina and he gave him one more rupee. When

the fakir asked again he took three rupees from his friend and gave it to the

fakir. As he found the fakir not fully satisfied, he took him home and gave him

another four rupees. When the fakir asked again, he gave him a ten-rupee note.

The fakir gave him back nine rupees and went away. Since Kulkarni wanted to

give ten rupees as Dakshina, the fakir was not satisfied till he got the ten

rupees. Kulkarni kept the nine rupees consecrated given back to him by the

fakir in his Puja room and worshipped them. When once Kulkarni visited Shirdi,

he got a strand of Baba’s hair. He put it in a small silver container and tied

to his hand. After those two incidents, he got a lot of money and also

progressed much spiritually.

It was the talk of those days that Sai Baba’s hand was without bones and he

would never send away anyone who approached him empty-handed. Because of this,

many people like singers, astrologers and street circus performers came to Baba

and exhibited their talents and received presents. When close devotees of Baba

visited him along with their family members, Baba gave them clothes. Other than

accepting Dakshina, Baba never associated himself with any other financial

matters. If someone came to Baba with any such proposals, he told them frankly

that he did not want to involve himself in such affairs.

Baba not only never yielded to the lure of the lucre but also followed the same

principle in respect of ladies. He was an Askalika Brahmachari throughout.

Sai Appearing as a Snake

Raghu Patil, a resident of Shirdi village, would start any work, only after

visiting Baba and saluting him. Once, he went to Nevasa village to see his

brother-in-law. He went by horse up to Srirampur and from there by Tonga to

Nevasa. He woke up the next morning and remembered Baba, praying to him with

closed eyes. He heard the following words in Baba’s voice, "If I give Darshan,

do not be frightened." In the meanwhile, a servant working in the cowshed

cried, "Snake! Snake!" . All ran there. Raghu Patil thought that Sai had come

in that form and put a bowl containing milk in front of the snake, and it drank

the milk. The frightened people ran away. While Raghu Patil was watching, the

snake crawled for some distance and disappeared. He felt very happy that Sai

had given him Darshan in the form of a snake.

Feeding Baba

Among the women devotees who served Baba with utmost devotion were Baija Bai,

Radhakrishna Mai and Lakshmi Bai Shinde. After the demise of Radhakrishna Mai,

Lakshmi Bai Shinde attended personally to the needs of Sai Baba, like a

daughter serving her father. In those days she was the richest woman in Shirdi

village having an exemplary character and serving Baba day and night. In the

nights, only Mahalasapati, Tatya and Lakshmi Bai were permitted into the

mosque.

One evening, in 1917, when Baba and Tatya were conversing in the mosque, Lakshmi

Bai came and saluted Baba. Baba told her that he was hungry. She told him that

she would go home and bring food for him. After a short while, she brought roti

( leavened bread ) and curry. Baba took the food and threw it to the dog, which

was there. The dog ate the food completely and it wagged its tail out of joy.

Then Lakshmi Bai asked Baba why he had given her the trouble to prepare the

food, when he did not eat it., but gave it to the dog. Baba replied, "Please do

not feel for it. To satisfy the hunger of the dog is the same as satisfying my

hunger. Animals also have Atma. Lives may be different but hunger is the same.

Humans can speak but animals cannot. Whoever satisfies the hungry will be

giving me complete satisfaction. Know this as a great truth." From what Sai

said we learn that he is present in all living

beings, Omnipresent and Immortal. Let us all recollect what Baba said in such

matters, "You need not go to distant places in search of me. If you cast aside

your name and body form, Atma remains. This is there in all living beings. I am

the Atma. If you can carefully realise this truth, you will know my true form

and merge in me."

Bapu Saheb Jog’s Sanyas

After retirement from service in 1909, Bapu Saheb Jog came to Shirdi along with

his wife and settled there permanently. They had no children and therefore no

family responsibilities. Both of them were completely immersed in the service

of Baba. After the death of Megha, Jog gave Aartis in the mosque and Chavadi.

He did this only till Baba’s Samadhi. He was also called Pujari Jog. In the

evenings, he would recite sacred books like Jnaneshwari and Ekanath Baghavata

and explain them to the devotees who assembled there. But he did not enjoy

peace of mind in spite of doing all these.

One day he asked Baba, "Baba, I am fully immersed in your service since so long.

But there is no peace of mind for me. Why? When are you going to take pity on

me?" Baba replied, "Wait for some more time. The sufferings for your past

actions will be over. Your merits and de-merits will be burnt down to ashes.

When you renounce all your attachments, conquer your lust and sense of tastes,

and overcome all other obstacles, then your life will be a blessed one." After

sometime his wife died. As there was no other attachment for him, he took

Sanyas. We must carefully observe Baba’s message in the above story. After

overcoming our weakness like jealousy, selfishness and hatred, the other small

enemies like, attachment, lust and tastes will remain and unless we win over

these also, there will not be complete peace. The Sadguru teaches such things

to his disciples according to their levels, and takes them

on the Jnana Marga. But some Gurus who take the status and wealth of the

disciples into consideration, cannot understand the level of the disciples.

Even suppose such a Guru understands the level of his disciples to a certain

extent, he will not teach them the main things for fear that they may leave

him. This is the difference between Shirdi Sai Baba and the numerous Gurus that

exist nowadays.

Arrival of Bal Gangadhar Tilak at Shirdi

Khaparde came along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak, to Shirdi on 19 May 1917. Khaparde

who had come earlier also to Shirdi, had seen the greatness of Baba personally.

Hence, he brought Tilak who was the extremist leader in the Indian National

Congress and a freedom fighter, to have Darshan of Baba and take his advice in

the matter of freedom movement. There were proofs that Baba gave Tilak certain

advices secretly. According to the then prevailing conditions under British

rule, these matters were kept secret. After Tilak left Shirdi, then District

Collector of Ahmednagar sent a CID Officer to Shirdi to keep an eye on the

activities of Sai Baba and send a confidential report.

There were several proofs to show that Baba predicted that India would certainly

become an independent nation, through a non-violent revolution only and not

through extremist violent acts. He gave advice to Tilak along the above lines

and there were indications that from that day the extremist actions were toned

down.

Hindu-Muslim Unity

In those days, to attain independence for our country was the main issue. This

was a political problem. The main social problem in the country was religious

differences between Hindus and Muslims. The British Government did not try

wholeheartedly to remove these differences. They thought that the minds of the

people could be diverted from the movement for independence, if the religious

differences were encouraged. Religious clashes occurred in the predominantly

Muslim populated areas of Aurangabad and nearby places causing much hardship to

the ordinary citizen. Unrest, disputes, loss of lives and properties were

plaguing the society. Baba found that communal harmony could bring peace and

happiness to the people rather than rituals. He also found that in both the

religions and religious leaders, the qualities of equality, cooperation and

love were completely absent. There was none then to bring

peace to the common man in the fields of religion and politics. That was why Sai

Baba dedicated himself to the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity and reminded all, that

God is one. Sab ka Malik ek hai. The truths in both the religions were same. The

gist of the two religions was the same. But the trouble lay with the heads of

these two religions and their blind beliefs. The movement started by Baba for

Hindu-Muslim unity was found to be necessary for the country’s political future

and hence Mahatma Gandhi gave the slogan "Hindu-Muslim Bhai Bhai". The main aim

in Sai’s philosophy was to unite all religions. That was why he resided in a

mosque where he started the Dhuni, which was sacred to the Hindus. In the front

side of the mosque, he planted a Tulsi plant. The slogans given at the end of

Aarti Sai Nath Maharaj Ki Jai etc., resemble those recited at the end of the

‘namaz’ by the Muslims, and were prescribed by Sai Baba. In this manner, Shirdi

Sai Baba made sincere efforts to unite both

the religions.

Before trying to understand Baba’s conception of communal harmony, let us try to

know what is religion and how it came into being. Religion was only a set of

norms prescribed for the people living in different parts of the world, for

their ways of living in relation to their societies. The humans established a

society for smooth living, different from non-humans like animals, etc. When

different kinds of people lived together in a society, there would naturally be

a clash of behaviors resulting in suffering to some. The living methods were

decided keeping in view the climatic conditions of that place and the

availability of natural resources. Taking into consideration all these aspects,

certain experienced people had indicated certain norms to be followed. Some

meant for the self and some for his behaviour in a society without causing

difficulties to others. In this manner, the social regulations

and taboos came into existence and developed into religions. So, religion means

the regulated behaviour and actions of the people in a society. The aim was to

see that all sections of people in a society were happy.

As time passed, such religions developed hatred among societies, leading to

bloodshed. The causes for this were not religions or the philosophies, but the

religious leaders. We had seen in the story of the ‘Two Goats’ in Chapter 18

that two brothers born to the same mother and belonging to the same religion

killed each other. Same blood and same religion could not prevent this.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong with religion and if at all there is

something, it is only in the people. We should put an end to the hatred towards

other religions. Our hearts should be filled with tolerance and love for other

religions and equal treatment meted out to people of different religions. This

is the philosophy of Sai Baba towards religious harmony. If we look at our

country today, with a name like Hindustan, it has a number of people belonging

to other religions - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Jains. Now and

then, in the name of religions, atrocities are being committed. The cause for

this is not religion but religious leaders. Because of so many religions, India

has been declared as a secular country.

If so many religions are there in a country, differences between the religions

are bound to be there. Hence, some intellectuals are of the opinion that it

would be good to have only one religion in a country. This appears to be a good

proposal but it is important to know the methods by which it can be achieved.

Violent methods should not be used. We must proceed only in the path shown by

Sai Baba - Prema Marga . Marriages between persons belonging to two different

religions should be encouraged. In this ways all religions can be intermixed to

establish a Sai Religion by which we can forget all religious differences. The

politicians and religious heads may take an initiative in this matter, so that

there will not be any opposition from others.

Let us pray to Sai Baba that in this Sai Yuga the Sai Religion spreads not only

in our country but throughout this world.

"Om Shanti! Shanti! Shantihi"

Chapter XXXI

Bala Shimpe was doing tailoring work in Shirdi. Tatya got Baba’s clothes

stitched by him. Now and then devotees from Bombay and Poona brought long coats

and presented them to Baba. For the satisfaction of the devotees Baba kept the

clothes with him for a few days and later on gave them away to devotees who

were dependent on him. Some sent big shoes, chillum pipes, satakas and sweets

from different places. Whenever the devotees in large quantities offered

sweets, Baba called the village children and making them sit on his lap,

offered them sweets. These children who sat on Baba’s lap were very lucky!

The following facts about Sai Baba spread through the length and breadth of

Maharashtra just like the smell of scent spreading through air.

i) If one steps into Shirdi, all the sufferings will disappear.

ii) If one steps into the mosque (Dwarakamayi) one will have happiness &; wealth.

iii) Whatever words come out of Baba’s mouth, will prove true and,

iv) By touching Baba’s feet one’s desires will be fulfilled.

Several devotees came and worshipped Sai Baba and sought only materialistic

benefits. Though they were taught in several ways by Baba that their desires

were temporary again their minds got entangled in worldly objects. Shirdi Sai

Baba who was the incarnation of God was pained at the desires of the devotees.

Noticing the day-to-day increase in the number of such devotees, he said, "I

have been seeing since a long time. All are thieves. I have to move with such

persons. I am struggling day and night to get right such persons. I am also

praying to Allah in this matter. But Allah is not accepting my prayer. Whether

I am alive or not my prayer will be accepted. I will not pray for others. The

people are generally not of good behaviour. They are not gentle. They are

fickle minded. Very few have shown interest in spiritual matters and spiritual

practices. People are becoming mean-minded and causing me

pain. Always they are pestering me for materialistic benefits." This way Baba

indicated in the beginning of the year 1918, that it had become imperative to

end his Avatar.

Sai Baba frequently used the Arabic word, "Allah Malik". If any of the devotees

referred to him as a great person, Baba said, "God is the greatest of all. He

is the Master of all. None equals God. Just imagine how powerful is God who has

created this Universe, sustaining it and finally merging it in Him. Such a

powerful God had given us certain stages in this birth, and we should be

content with that and be happy. How God wanted us to be, we will be and

whatever pleasures and sufferings He gives us, we shall be content with that.

Only God has full freedom. All the human beings should work with a feeling that

they are acting as per the orders of God and offer their all to Him without

caring for loss or gain. Only then will we get salvation or Moksha. On the

other hand, if we go against God’s orders due to nescience (Ajnana) and

delusion (Moha) we have to take several births to wipe off these

actions. Jnana is the way to attain Moksha, and Ajnana will lead us to the cycle

of death and re-birth. Therefore, we must obtain Jnana from Sadguru, and get

over the cycle of death and rebirth and desire no other thing from him." Thus

Sai Baba himself told us what to ask and what not to ask from Him.

In the same manner Sai Baba told several times how our behaviour should be in

the world. "Never hate anyone. Do not quarrel with anyone. Love all living

beings. Do not have revengeful attitude. Do not insult anyone. If anyone talks

about you in hard words, get away from there without getting offended. Then

their hard words will not affect you. Avoid laziness. Always be doing good

work. If there is no work to do, read holy books or repeat God’s name

(Naamasmarana). Do not develop hatred or jealousy for others. Children should

obey their parents. They should assist their parents in work. They should

always speak only the truth. If someone talks to us in ten words, we should

reply in one word, that is easily understandable. Do not have a tit-for-tat

attitude. Do good to those who did bad to you."

For those on the spiritual path, Baba advised as follows. "Eat little. Sleep

less. Do not go after several tastes of food. Be content with one or two

tastes. Do not indulge in finding faults in others and cruelty to living

things. For self-realisation, meditation is important. Meditation keeps the

mind in peace. The peaceful mind will attain the state of Samadhi ( spiritual

super consciousness ). Unless you discard your desires, it is not possible to

meditate by keeping the mind stable. Without attachment in the previous birth,

none will come to you. Therefore, do not drive away any living being that comes

to you."

In this manner, Baba advised his devotees. With Aarti three times a day and with

a large number of devotees attending, Dwarakamayi wore a festive look every day.

Booty was anxious to install Sree Krishna’s idol in the Wada built by him. As he

did not have the courage to ask Baba for his permission, he kept his desire in

his heart. Ramachander Patil and Bala Shimpe were fearing the impending death

of Tatya. Nana Chandorkar, whenever he got an opportunity, was explaining the

greatness of Baba to the people. Das Ganu through his Hari Kathas was spreading

Baba’s Leelas in the entire Maharashtra. Bapu Saheb Jog was serving Baba by

giving Aarti regularly everyday. Close devotees like Mahalasapati were enjoying

the love of Baba to their heart’s content by way of his Darshan, touch and

nectar-like words. Thousands of devotees came to Shirdi, worshipped Baba, and

had their desires fulfilled. Tatya who was

not aware of his impending death, was serving Baba with a pure heart like a

lotus flower floating on the surface of the water. In this manner, Baba had

already decided as to the duties of each devotee and all was going on well.

Anand Rao’s Dream Vision

According to Baba’s orders, Kaka Saheb Dixit was reading Bhavardha Ramayan daily

and explaining it to the others. One day he was explaining about the Navya

Nathas’ elucidation of the characteristics of devotees, contained in the

eleventh Skandha of the second chapter of the book. The substance of all the

exposition of the Nava Nathas was that in this age of Kali, the only means of

liberation was the remembrance of Hari’s (Lord’s) or Guru’s feet. After reading

this, Kaka Saheb entertained a doubt as to how to reach the devotional path

indicated by the Nava Nathas, saying that it would be difficult to put that

into practice. Shama did not agree with the thinking of Kaka Saheb and argued

that their devotion to Baba was no less than that expounded by the Nava Nathas.

The same night Anandrao Pakhde, who had partaken in the above discussions, had a

dream, in which Baba gave him the following vision, as

narrated by Anandrao Pakhde: "I was standing waist-deep in a very deep sea and I

saw Sai Baba all of a sudden. He was sitting on a gold throne studded with

diamonds. His feet were in the water. The vision was like a real one, very

unlike a dream. Shama was there by the side of me. He asked me to fall at

Baba’s feet. I asked him how it was possible since Baba’s feet were below the

water. Then Shama requested Baba to raise his feet above the water and Baba did

so. Then I put my head on his feet. Baba blessed me and told me that I would

benefit by this and should not have anxiety and fear. Baba asked me to present

a silk dhoti to Shama."

By saying that Baba’s feet were inside water, the actual meaning is that due to

an unstable mind, we are unable to see our Guru’s feet. By moving in the

company of devotees whose minds are stable, one can get a Guru and that was the

real meaning of Shama requesting Baba to raise his feet above the water. By

asking Anandrao to present a silk dhoti to Shama, he meant that one would

benefit by serving a devotee who had complete faith in the Guru. As per Baba’s

order in the vision, Anandrao bought a silk dhoti and requested Kaka Saheb to

give it to Shama. As Shama did not accept it, they put two slips near Baba’s

Padukas; one had the words "accept" and the other "do not accept" written on

them. When one of the slips was picked up, it contained the word "accept". Then

Shama accepted it.

Tilak’s Secrets of the Gita

Baba encouraged devotees who read holy books and Brahmavidya (Metaphysics). One

day Bapu Saheb Jog received a book by post. He came to Baba to have his Darshan

and when he bent before him in salutation, the book fell from his armpit. Baba

asked for it and turned a few pages. It was the book titled Gita Rahasya

(Secrets of Gita) written by Tilak. Baba took out a rupee from his pocket and

put it on the book and returned the book along with the coin to Jog with an

advice to read it carefully and completely which will benefit him. Because Baba

had consecrated the book by his touch, Jog benefited a lot from Parayana of the

book.

Killing of Poisonous Creatures - Baba’s opinion

One day Dixit and his friends were talking on the first floor of Dixit Wada. A

snake entered through the window. When an attempt was made to kill it with

sticks, it went away. While one devotee Muktaram opined that it was good that

the snake went away, Hemadpant differed and said it was good to kill poisonous

snakes. The whole day both of them argued over this and finally they asked Baba

about it. Baba replied, "God only is the preserver of this entire universe which

includes poisonous creatures like scorpions, snakes, etc. Without His permission

no harm can come to anyone from them. None of the living beings in this world

have any freedom of action. So we should take pity and love all creatures and

abstain ourselves from quarrels, killings, etc. God is the protector of all."

Haji Siddique Phalke

As prescribed by his religion, Phalke undertook a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina

and returned. Hearing about Baba, he came to Shirdi. But Baba did not allow him

to enter the mosque for nine months. He felt discouraged and approached Shama.

On behalf of the Haji, Shama intervened and asked, "Baba, You have blessed many

who have come to you. But why you are not blessing the old Haji?" Then Baba

replied, "What can I do when Allah is not agreeing? Without his permission none

can enter the mosque. You go to the Haji and find out whether he could come near

the Bharavi Well." Shama went and found out that he was prepared to come there.

Baba asked Shama to find out from the Haji whether he was prepared to pay

Rs.4000 in four instalments. Shama asked Haji and found out that he was even

prepared to pay the sum. Baba again asked Shama to tell the Haji that a goat

would be cut in the mosque and whether he

wanted its meat or its testicles. Shama got the reply from the Haji that he

would be satisfied with a small piece of meat from Baba’s mud pot. Hearing

these answers Baba got angry. He went to Chavadi where the Haji was staying and

said to him, "Why are you acting like a great man? You are feeling proud of your

pilgrimage to Mecca and failed to know who I am." Afterwards Baba took him into

his durbar. The condition that the Haji should come to Bharavi Well was a test

for the Haji’s egoism. If the Haji would have refused to go to the Bharavi

Well, it would indicate his egoism. By asking money, Baba tested his

sacrificial quality. By asking whether the Haji wanted meat or the testicles,

the sensory tastes were known. After testing the Haji in the three qualities,

Baba took him into his durbar.

Abdul Baba (Bade Baba)

Abdul was a resident of Nanded. From his sixteenth year he was serving Fakir

Amiruddin, a saint of Nanded. In the year 1889, Baba appeared in a dream of

Amiruddin, put two mangoes in his hands and asked him to send Abdul to him.

When Amiruddin woke up he really found two mangoes in his hands. He gave them

to Abdul, and asked him to go to Shirdi and be in the services of Sai Baba.

Abdul came immediately to Shirdi. On seeing him, Baba said that his crow had

come. Baba asked him to do his service without any other thoughts. From then

onwards Abdul kept the mosque and it’s adjoining places clean and also the

paths on which Baba walked. He cleaned the lanterns in the mosque, not

forgetting Lendi Bagh. In his leisure time he sat near Baba and read the Quran.

He put two big pots of water near the Nanda Deep in Lendi Bagh. Baba set in the

evenings daily at a fixed time near Nanda Deep. He took water in

his hands from the pots and reading something sprinkled the water on all sides.

After that he got up and looked seriously in all the directions in which water

was sprinkled.

The devotees used to think that by his actions, Baba was protecting his devotees

who were there on all sides. One whole night, Abdul knelt down and put his hands

on his head and Baba asked him whether he wanted to see the moon. After

remaining in that position for sometime, Abdul fell on Baba sleepy. Baba woke

him up and told him that he would show him the moon. Next day afternoon, when

Abdul took water in his hands, he found the image of the moon in the water.

Abdul washed the clothes of Baba daily in the nearby rivulet and kept them neat.

Imam Bai Chotekhan

Imam Bai Chotekhan was a sepoy in the government of Nizam. Once he severely beat

a Christian teacher for having not cooperated in an investigation. The teacher

vomited blood and became unconscious as a result of the beatings. The sepoy’s

superiors advised him to leave the job and get out of the state to escape

punishment. Therefore, he resigned his job and came over to Maharashtra State

with the intention of escaping the punishment, with the blessings of Shirdi Sai

Baba.

When he went to see Baba the next day, Baba assured him saying, "Allah Malik! Do

not fear. I will see that no punishment is given to you," He stayed at Shirdi

for two months. One day Baba told him, "You can go home. The pending litigation

about your lands will be settled in your favour." He had disputes about some

lands with his aunt. Though he had not told Baba about this, Baba knew about it

and blessed him. Afterwards Chotekhan visited Shirdi several times and took

blessings and advice of Baba and progressed in his life.

Booty’s Life in Danger

Once an astrologer named Nana Saheb Dengale came to Shirdi. He told Booty one

day that the particular day was inauspicious for him and there was danger to

his life. Booty came to Baba and sat at his feet. Baba asked Booty, "What is

this Nana telling you? He is telling that there is danger to your life. I will

see how death will kill you. You do not fear." That evening when Booty went to

answer nature’s call he found there a big snake. Booty called his servant, and

by the time the servant came with a stick, the snake had disappeared. He

recollected Baba’s assurance and felt happy. Actually that day the poisonous

snake might have bitten him as per the prediction of the astrologer, but it

could not do anything because of Baba’s words and went away.

Ameer Shakkar

Ameer Shakar was a butcher by caste and belonged to the village Korale near

Shirdi. He was doing commission business at Bandra. He suffered from rheumatic

pains. Hearing about the greatness of Baba, he left his business and came to

Baba. Baba asked him to sit in the Chavadi. In those days, the flooring of the

Chavadi was damp. Such flooring was not suitable for a person suffering from

asthma. But none can go against Baba’s words. So he sat in the Chavadi. Baba

used to go to the Chavadi in the mornings and evenings. On alternate days, he

used to sleep in the Chavadi. Because of this Ameer cultivated closeness to

Baba. His ailment was slowly getting cured.

One night he went to Kopergaon without informing anyone and stayed in a choultry

there. There a fakir was about to die and asked for water. Ameer gave him water

and the fakir drank a little and died. Fearing that the police may question him

regarding the fakir’s death, and regretting for having come without Baba’s

permission which had resulted in this situation, he immediately returned to

Shirdi , chanting Baba’s name. He stayed in the Chavadi as per Baba’s orders

and got cured completely.

One night when Baba was sleeping in the Chavadi, he woke up Abdul in the middle

of the night and said that some dangerous creature was coming towards his bed.

When Abdul brought the lantern and searched, he found a snake under the pillow

of Ameer Shakkar. Baba indicated his own name instead of Ameer’s. This way Baba

saved Ameer. Let us pray to Baba to similarly protect the readers of his Life

History.

"Om Shanti! Shanti! Shantihi"

To be continued…

Source: http://www.saibaba.org

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