Messages from Sri Sai Satcharitra

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……“Most of the devotees of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba are reported to have

spiritual experiences, many of which are in the form of miracles, which not only

enhances their faith in Baba but also spiritually uplifts them. If one goes

through such experiences of devotees as depicted in Shri Sai Satcharitra and

other literature on Sai Baba and compares them with the experiences of the

present day devotees one would find a close similarity pertaining to many of

them. Shri Khaparde, a prominent advocate of Amravati near Nagpur, who used to

visit Shirdi frequently, and Kakasaheb Dixit who devoted the later part of his

life in the services of Baba at Shirdi have recorded details of such experiences

in their diaries.

 

When one hears about some of the common experiences reported by devotees,

one’s mind is transported to Baba’s time at Shirdi. Imaginations become

vivid, all worries cease to exist and time seems to stand still. Most devotees

have reported that they used to get spiritually charged at the very sight of

Baba; disturbing and uncontrollable thoughts of their mind used to vanish, a

feeling of purity and love would engulf them.

 

Baba had a unique way of communicating with his devotees through language, look

and touch besides the extremely strong and vibrant spiritual thought waves. He

used to relate his thought waves even from afar. These powerful thought waves

used to appear in the form of vivid dreams and ideas in the minds of his

devotees to convey certain impulses, directions, forewarnings, future happenings

and Baba’s love. Those who followed these directions with an open mind

benefited amply. While such directions were related by Baba in dreams, the

results were seen taking shape suddenly or in due course of time in the actual

realities of their worldly life. For example, one devotee saw Baba giving him

yellow rice in his dream. When he got up he found yellow rice sprinkled all over

his bed. Similarly another devotee found a coconut in his bed when awakened from

sleep. Another direct experience as depicted in the Shri Sai Satcharitra was in

1917, when Hemadpant had a

dream wherein he saw Baba in the form of a Sanyasi promising to come to

Hemadpant’s house for meals that day. At lunchtime, just as the family was

about to begin eating, two men, Ali Mahomed and Moulana Ismu Mujavar, appeared

at the door and handed over a picture of Sai Baba to Hemadpant. Hemadpant was

much moved at the thought that Baba had indeed blessed him by gracing his house

for lunch.

 

There are numerous experiences about Baba appearing physically in different and

distant places, while he was in his human embodiment at Shirdi. Devotees have

reported that Baba, while sitting in front of the Dhuni in the morning at the

mosque, would often refer to distant places and other worlds he had visited

overnight despite being physically present at Shirdi. A famous incident is

narrated in Shri Sai Satcharitra in 1910, when Baba, sitting near the Dhuni,

pushing firewood into it, suddenly pushed his arm into the Dhuni thereby burning

his hand. On enquiry by the devotees, he replied that at some distant place, the

wife of a blacksmith was working at the furnace with her child tied to her

waist. When her husband called her, she suddenly got up and the child slipped

into the furnace. Baba thrust his hand into the Dhuni to save the child from the

furnace. Another devotee, B.V Deo had sent a letter to Bapu Saheb Jog in Shirdi

requesting Baba’s presence

in a group lunch he had arranged. Baba promised to attend the lunch with two

other persons and did so by appearing in the form of a Sanyasi with two

followers.â€â€¦â€¦.