LIFE HISTORY OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA Part 26 To 28

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Om Sri Sai Ram

 

LIFE HISTORY OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA

 

By Ammula Sambasiva Rao

 

English Translation by Thota Bhaskara Rao

Chapter XXVI

 

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 XXVII

 

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 XXVIII

 

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…