The Personification Of Love

[Guest guest]

The Personification Of Love

 

Bayajabai used to invite Baba to come in and rest a while whenever he came

begging, but Baba would always politely decline. The most he would do was to sit

in the shade in the forecourt of their house. Bayajabai would plead with Baba to

sit inside the house and eat there in front of her but Baba would do as he

pleased. Rarely would he sit in their forecourt and have his food there.

Bayajabai would be ecstatic with happiness on those occasions when Baba ate in

front of her. She would plead, " Eat a little more, try this curry? " and make him

eat a little extra. " Have something to drink, " she would beg Baba. Normally Baba

ate bhakri (unleavened bread of coarsely ground millet) with a little curry.

Sometimes he would ask for milk, curd, buttermilk, pickles, onion or pappadam

(very thin chapati-like preparation of black gram, fried in oil or roasted over

coals) and eat them with relish. Bayajabai would always keep these foods ready

in case he asked for them.

Bayajabai served Baba thus with great love and unswerving devotion for a long

time. We are unfortunate that no written record is available to us of what Baba

taught Bayajabai or what divine experiences he gave her. One incident is,

however, available to us about Bayajabai from the reminiscences of Tatya Patil.

 

Radhakrishna Ayi was first staying at Pandharpur and later came to Shirdi. Once

she decided to go on a pilgrimage to Pandharpur from Shirdi by foot. Bala Shimpi

and Madhav Fasle also started along with her. They wanted to take part in the

festival which would be held at Pandharpur on the 11th (ekadasi) day of the

month of Ashaad. My mother, a few others, and I too decided to go to Pandharpur

to take part in the festival. As Radhakrishna Ayi and her group had already

left, we decided to go by cart as far as Ahmednagar and catch up with them,

after which we could all proceed further by foot. My mother, my brother-in-law,

Lakshmibai Shinde and a few other ladies all got ready for the trip.

 

Before starting, we all went to the mosque to have the darshan of Baba and take

his blessings for the trip. Baba blessed us and gave udi to each of us. Three

carts packed with our stuff were standing ready under the tree at the village

well. I went and broke a coconut at the Maruti temple so that our trip would go

well without any problems, and later went to the temple of Saturn. About fifty

villagers were standing at the village well to bid us farewell. While I was on

my way to the temple of Saturn, I was surprised to see Baba standing where the

Samadhi Mandir is at present. I broke a coconut at the temple of Saturn and came

out. As I was coming out of the temple, Kondya, a Muslim devotee of Baba, came

and told me that Baba was calling me. I went to Baba. He took me to the mosque.

Some of the villagers who had come to bid us goodbye came with me to the mosque

while the others stayed on at the well. I sat besides the railing at the mosque

while Madhavrao

Deshpande (Shama) sat opposite me. Madhavrao lit the pipe and gave it to Baba.

Baba sat smoking. All were quiet. After a while Madhavrao said, " Deva (Oh, God)

your Bayajabai and the others are all waiting for him to come so that they can

go to Pandharpur. " Call Bayajabai, " replied Baba.

 

My mother hurried in and said, " Baba, have you sent for me? The sun has set and

the dusk is deepening. We are all ready to start. " Baba placidly said, " Mother,

go home. Do not start today. Do not even start tomorrow. Start the day after

tomorrow. Do not ask why. Do not consult anyone in this matter. Here, take this

udi and go. " My mother did not hesitate a second or even take time to think. She

said, " Alright Baba, we will go the day after as you say. " We unloaded the carts

and sent them off. The friends and relatives who had come to see us off left for

their homes. Later, Madhavrao saw the astrological calendar and charts and said

that the day was not an auspicious one for travel.

 

On the morning of the third day, we again got ready to travel. Baba cheerfully

gave udi to each of us and came as far as the highway to see us off. We reached

Punthamba as planned and after bathing and having a light repast got into the

train and reached Bewoor by 8:00 a.m. We met Radhakrishna Ayi's group by nine

a.m. That day we reached Narsingpur by lunchtime and had the darshan of Sri

Narsing Maharaj. Starting again from there, we reached Pandharpur by the evening

of the next day. Cholera struck Pandharpur by the eleventh day of the waxing

moon and by the next day was raging throughout the town. Some of us wanted to

leave immediately for Shirdi but I was adamant that we should stay till the day

of the full moon. My mother was also scared. She met the mamalatdar, Sri

Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who was an ardent devotee of Baba, and asked him to

convince me to return to Shirdi. Nana Saheb sent for Bala Shimpi and me and

advised us to return immediately to

Shirdi. Baba knew that cholera would ravage Pandharpur, but seeing our

enthusiasm for the trip could not forbid us to go to Pandharpur. "