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

[Guest guest]

"OM SAI NAMO NAMA; SRI SAI NAMO NAMA; JAI JAI SAI NAMO NAMA; OM SADGURU SAI NAMO NAMA"

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.