SHIRDI SAIBABA`S TIMETABLE - PART 4 OF 8

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THE TIME TABLE OF BABA’S DAILY ROUTINE – 4 Ahmed Nagar district was reeling under a famine in 1876, two years after Baba came to Shirdi. Baba would then only beg at the houses of those who were relatively well off - Nanduram and Bayaja Bai. He would get half a roti at both of these houses during the famine. Later when the devotees recognized the divinity in Baba, they started coming to Shirdi in droves. Even when the richer devotees placed the choicest delicacies in front of him, he still begged his food and ate whatever he got as alms. He never even looked at the luxuries and rich articles surrounding him. He, who came to be known to this world as a fakir, lived on as a fakir till the end. He never cooked solely for himself, nor did he keep anything for tomorrow. Even in the last days when he was so unwell that he could not go for alms himself, he would send someone else in his stead and eat whatever was obtained.

Baba sometimes suffered from constipation and diseases of the intestines. Then he would make soup of the sonamukhi leaf and some other herbs and drink it and also give some to the devotees who were present. When he suffered from eye ailments such as conjunctivitis, he would make a paste of black pepper and put it in his eyes. Apart from these occasional illnesses, he suffered a lot from asthma. Close devotees would cry to see Baba’s suffering when he had a bout of asthma. Once when Raghuvir Purandare saw him suffering badly from asthma and started weeping, Baba had to console him, "Oh Brother, what do you think has happened to me? Do not worry. It will be better shortly."

Baba would not desist from going begging even when he was so ill. Sometimes when he was ill and in no state to even walk, the devotees would support him and take him around to the five houses. Once when Baba was severely ill a devotee presented him with a wheelchair. We can see this wheelchair today in Chavadi. Baba touched it once and set it aside. He never used it. When he was too ill to go for alms some close devotees would go in his stead. Some of these fortunate souls were Sri Madhavrao Deshpande (Shama), Sri Balakram, Sri Wamanrao Patel (Sri Sai Sarananand) and Professor G. G. Narke. Sri Sai Sarananand wrote thus in his memoirs, "Once, as Sri Balakrao was away from Shirdi, I had the opportunity to go for Baba’s afternoon round of alms for many days. I used to get alms from Sri Jog’s house and milk from another house." G. G. Narke, seeing the fortunate Sri Sai Saranananda, thought in his mind that he should also have the good fortune of begging food for Baba. Once, he did not have time to change his clothes, and came to the mosque dressed in his normal suit and a hat. Baba said, "This man will go today for alms for me." Narke went happily for alms in those clothes. He got the rare chance of begging alms for Baba for a period of four months. Baba would put a cloth alms-bag around his shoulder and carry a tin when he went begging. He would put all the solid stuff such as rotis and curries in the bag and the liquids, such as milk and curds in the tin. He never hankered after tastes and would instruct the devotees to disregard taste. Baba always followed the same alms route every day. He started from Dwarakamai and after crossing in front of Chavadi went to the houses of Sakharam Shelke and Wamanrao Gondkar. He then went to the houses of (Appaji) Bayayaji Patil and Tatyakote Patil (Bayajabai) which were a little distance away. Lastly he went to Nanduram Marwadi’s house.

In those days, there was a small heap of stones on the way coming from Bayyaji Patil’s house. Baba would stop there and would feed the dogs and crows from the alms he had received. Baba’s padukas have now been installed there as a commemoration. As soon as Baba reached Dwarakamai after completing his rounds, he would place a little food in the dhuni as an offering, and would put the rest in the earthenware plate (kolumba) placed inside the mosque. As there was no cover on top of the kolumba, the dogs, cats, ants and flies would eat their fill from it. Anyone could take food from it. No one would be stopped from taking his or its fill. The woman who cleaned the mosque would freely take seven or eight rotis every day.