……“As for worldly matters.....

[Guest guest]

……“As for worldly matters, naturally in the position of a judge, he had

not much trouble, though on account of his increasing family burdens, he had

demands and burdens. But Rege never troubled Baba with prayers for worldly gain

or support, for instance, in matters of promotion, etc. He had his income from

property and insurance. He was quite content with the provision for the present

and the future. If need arose, somehow money was coming in, and Rege had nothing

to complain of.

 

Baba's kindness and provision for Rege's welfare had no limit. Rege says that it

is not possible to give out all his experiences, but about Baba's method of

communication, he gives a classification. There are three forms. The first is in

the active waking state. When the sishya is in difficulties or Baba wants his

sishya to take a particular course, the sishya gets an inspiration as to what

course should be adopted and the feeling that that is Baba's inspiration. That

is quite enough, and is verified by the events in his own case. When he was at

the Ayi's house, he would feel that Baba called him, and would go up to the

Mosque and find that Baba was actually waiting for him there. So, the

inspiration really came from Baba.

 

Baba would give him some songs to sing or some tunes, because both Baba and Rege

knew music. The second relates to the sleeping or trance state. Baba would

appear in dreams or trances. This would be called Sakshatkara and is considered

most impressive and unmistakable. Of course Rege had Baba's Sakshatkaras. In the

third method, Baba directed his sishya to go to some other person, who did not

even know why the sishya was sent, but who nevertheless benefited the sishya in

accordance with Baba's internal and unperceived guidance. Sometimes the person

to whom Baba sends a devotee is totally unfit to give any reply, for instance,

the rustic girl to whom Das Ganu was sent for interpreting Isavasya Upanishad'.

 

Mr. Rege tells how he was sent to several persons in the year 1912. He had taken

Rs. 100 with him in his pocket to Shirdi. Baba asked for dakshina of Rs. 40

first, again Rs 40, and again the balance of Rs. 20. Then again, he asked for

dakshina, and when Rege said he had no more left, Baba said, 'Go and get it'.

'From whom?' asked Rege. The answer was " From Shama " , a woefully poor man. When

Rege went to Shama and told him that Baba wanted dakshina to be taken from him,

Shama replied, 'You do not understand Baba at all. Baba does not care even a rap

for your rupees. What he wants is your mind, your heart, your time, and your

soul, to be devoted to him. That is the meaning' Rege went back and reported

this to Baba.

 

Baba smiled and said, 'Go and ask Kaka (Dixit).' So he went to H. S. Dixit. This

was in 1912, when Dixit's practice was extinct. Dixit said that he had no cash

and that Baba's direction must be understood as a lesson that Rege should not

feel being poor or begging for money or asking for anything else to be a

humiliation. " Don't feel it to be infra dig to do anything for the Master " , he

said. Dixit said that Rege should never esteem himself to be above begging. So

Rege went back and reported to Baba. Again Baba smiled and said, 'Go to Nana

(Chandorkar)'.

 

Rege went to N. G. Chandorkar at Khandoba's temple where he was reading

religious books with the learned Upasani Sastri. Chandorkar then sketched out

plans and schemes and showed how he himself arranged to bring a lump sum, left

one half of it at Kopergaon, went on giving dakshina after dakshina, and at the

opportune moment sent for his reserve in Kopergaon. Chandorkar in his worldly

wisdom said, 'You must act like that'. Rege reported this to Baba. Baba sent for

Nana Chandorkar and asked first for Rs. 40, again for Rs. 40, and again for the

balance of Rs. 20.

 

Immediately he asked for another Rs. 20 before the Kopergaon reserve would come.

Thus Nana was taught a lesson that it was presumption on his part to suppose

that he was the great Providence supplying the needs of Baba, which was the

impression he had. So, Baba showed how differently demands for dakshina were

intepreted by different devotees. Rege concludes that the object of the whole

proceeding was to teach lessons to him and to Chandorkar. Baba really cared

nothing. at all for money or for presents and wanted only love-deep, intense,

passionate, and wholehearted love. â€â€¦â€¦