to repeat ‘Rajaram, Rajaram’, as that would ensure her Sadgati.�……

[Guest guest]

……“Baba gave advice to Chandorkar as to how to behave in society. Baba

himself behaved excellently in respect of every relation in society. What are

the ties of Baba and what were the ties also of Baba in previous janmas, and

what would be his ties in future? Baba recognised in his accounts of previous

births and of the present one that he had parents, and that he had to help and

support his mother or his father, and his brothers and sisters. He recognised

that sisters of his former janmas gave him support, and took birth in this janma

again to continue the support.

 

Tatya Patil’s mother, Bayaji Bai, was a sister of his previous birth and by

that strong tie she took immense pains to see him fed, especially in his young

nomadic days at Shirdi, when he used to wander into the jungles not caring for

food. She would run into those jungles and feed him wherever he might be. From

the beginning of his life, this sister made it certain that he would have his

food and not starve. For such a provision one must be indeed highly grateful,

and Baba was grateful.

 

Baba could never forget even the slightest offices done to him. On one occasion

when he climbed up a house and wanted to descend, and a ladder was brought to

him, he paid Rs.2/- to the man who brought the ladder, saying that services

should not be accepted gratis.

 

Similarly when a Muslim applicant for dynamite, who had been twice improperly

refused licence by the Collector, came to Baba for his intercession, Baba told

Chandorkar that he (Chandorkar) must help that applicant with a license for

dynamite for deepening his well. Baba said, ‘This time let him present the

application to the Collector, and the Collector will grant the license’. Baba

added, ‘This man has left a box with us, and it is not proper for us to say

‘no’, when he asks for its return’. Chandorkar explained that statement to

mean that applicant had done in a former birth some good service to Baba or to

him (Chandorkar) or to both, and out of gratitude; he must be helped on this

occasion.

 

When Baba was so full of gratitude even for such slight services, he would be

the last person to forget a lifelong support for feed, etc, such as Bayyaji Bai

gave him. He never forgot it. In addition to that, her son Tatya Patil was

attending upon him at the mosque and spent his nights for many long years with

Baba, serving Baba and sleeping with Baba. Baba, remembering all that, was very

affectionate towards Tatya.

 

Tatya would call Baba 'Mama', that is maternal uncle, and Baba would refer to

Tatya as 'Puthna' or nephew. Baba would not get up from his bed till Tatya came

up and lifted him and lit up his pipe for him to smoke. He was watching over all

devotees no doubt, but especially over Tatya, and he gave him frequent advice

based upon his own superior knowledge. When there was the danger of his valuable

horse getting damaged by a journey, Baba warned him. Tatya did not mind the

warning and went on the journey, and nearly lost his horse.

 

Similarly on other occasions Baba gave him the use of his Antarjnana or

supersensual knowledge. But what people mostly judge by is the extent to which

one gives them worldly goods. Baba gave plenty of the world's goods to Tatya.

During the last ten years when Baba was getting a Provincial Governor's income,

Tatya was daily paid a fixed sum on which income tax was levied. With his funds,

Tatya was able to build three storeyed houses for himself and purchase lands

also. He grew rich and respectable, and was looked up to as a person who was the

pet of Baba. It is even said that in 1918 when Baba said that Tatya would die,

Tatya was saved. Some people believe that Baba gave up his own life in order to

save Tatya's life. A dictum in Srimad Bhagavata is

 

Gururnasasyat svajano na sasyat,

Na mochayet yah samupeta mrityum

 

This means, ‘If one does not save the life of a person in peril of death, he

is unfit to be called a Guru, kinsman, etc'. Baba has said that he would

sacrifice his own life for his bhaktas who concentrate their affection on him.

This certainly applied to Tatya. Baba's concern for Tatya Patil's family did not

stop with mere provision of funds. Unfortunately, amongst the Patils' families,

all of whom were devoted to Baba, there were divisions and factions. Baba was

watching over them. On one occasion in the Mosque, he suddenly said, “Don't

beat, don't beatâ€.

 

When G.S. Khaparde's son asked Baba why he said so, Baba explained that in the

quarrels between the Patils there was imminent danger of clash, and to prevent

it he said, “Don't beat, don't beatâ€. That is how Baba has been safeguarding

and helping Tatya and his people. He helped Tatya (by a chamatkar) in his

criminal appeal against the conviction and sentence of Raghu and others. In so

many other ways also, Baba has helped Tatya. So it is clear that Baba recognised

the bonds of kinship with Tatya as binding on him, and exercised all his powers

for his benefit.

 

He has rendered similar help to a number of others. These ties of kinship are

called ‘Rinanubandha’. Baba has stated that Rinanubandha has to be

respected. That ‘rina’ may be due to kinship in past births or in the

present. Baba stated his kinship to Kondaji, G.S. Khaparde, and others. He

recognises Guru bandhutva, that is, being under the same master, as a powerful

bond or tie or rina. Once, he said that Dada Kelkar, G.S. Khaparde, Bapu Saheb

Jog, H.S. Dixit, Shama and he (Baba) were all under one common Guru in a

previous birth, as Guru bandhus, and, therefore, he had brought them together in

this life so that they might renew their contact. He helped each of the above in

a very remarkable degree, as set out fully in other chapters of this book.

 

To Upasani also he revealed the fact that the ancestors of Baba and Upasani were

for centuries closely connected, and in consequence Baba was under a very heavy

obligation to help Upasani, to lever him up, so to speak, Baba said to

Balakrishna Sastri (Upasani Baba's brother) 'There was a tree or a log of wood.

There were two on it, evidently one at each and, and by pressing oneself down,

the other would be levered up'. Baba said, 'One of these went down and the other

went up'. Sri Upasani Baba explained this to mean that it was something like

see-saw and that Baba had levered up Sri Upasani in this way. That is, by his

powers he had raised the spiritual level and the happiness of Upasani Baba

vesting him also with considerable psychic power or siddhi.

 

Baba recognised even playmates and said he found at a particular tomb that a

girl who had been a playmate of his was dead and buried in a tomb, and he found

her haunting that tomb. So, he went there and remained there a little while, and

afterwards took her with him and brought her to a Babul tree (at Shirdi) and

kept her there, evidently for further spiritual elevation of her soul.

 

Baba recognised his rinanubandha even to animals in the present or past. Mrs.

G.S. Khaparde was once a cow that gave him plenty of milk, and on account of

that rinanubandha, she, after becoming human and the daughter of a gardener, was

levered up into a Kshatriya family, a rich Vaisya family, and finally a Brahmin

family. In all her janmas she renewed her conatact with Baba and gave him food.

Baba in his turn helped her, and in this janma Baba gave her ‘Rama Mantra’.

He not only massaged her, but asked her to repeat ‘Rajaram, Rajaram’, as

that would ensure her Sadgati.â€â€¦â€¦