Baba Appears as an Old Man

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Baba Appears as an Old Man

By R. Radhakrishnan

Lovely temple for Sai Baba has come up at Mekkudi, 18 km from Trichy on the

Madurai route. It is built at a cost 65 lakhs and it can accommodate over 500

devotees for congregation. Kumbabhishekam took place on 24th and 25th October

2001.

 

On 25th October 2001 around 11 a.m., a tall bearded old man came to the temple.

He was dressed poorly and was holding a bamboo stick of 7-ft height. His

personality resembled Baba. On seeing him, my intuition prompted me that it is

Sai Baba himself has come in that form. I received him with folded hands and

made him sit on a vacant chair. I called Sai Bandhu K. V. Ramani and told him my

feelings. He immediately took out an 'Anga Vastra' and bowed to him by placing

it around the old man's neck. Then the old man pretended that his legs were

paining and asked us whether Baba would alleviate his suffering. We affirmed

that Baba would take care of everything. He then looked at Baba's idol and bowed

to him. By then, my wife, a few devotees like Swaminathan came there and were

quick to recognize the old man as Baba and prostrated before him.

 

The old man told us that he has kept some 'kanikai', which he will bring it next

time. He also told us that he has been visiting this place since a long time and

declared that this is a sanctified place and the devotees who come to this

temple will be blessed and their problems would be automatically solved.

 

Then he received the prasad - sweet 'pongal'. He put it in his upper

cloth and took leave of us. He walked back to the entrance holding the bamboo

shaft for support. Sri Swaminathan escorted him and at the exit door offered him

a 'dakshina' of Rs. 10/- with reverence.

 

Sai Baba appears in any form, at any time, at any place in the form of a fakir,

Sadhu, dog, cat, pig etc., and blesses the devotees. We should be alert always

to recognize Baba. If we are always thinking of him, then we would have his

'darshan' easily.

 

Wonder To A holy man who lived at the outskirts of Bangalore was said to perform

miracles, so his Ashram was a centre of pilgrimage for large crowds of people.

 

Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji, who was known to be quite uninterested in the

miracles, would never reply to questions on this holy man. When asked point

blank why he was opposed to miracles, Swamiji replied: " How can one be opposed

to what is taking place before one's eyes each moment of the day? "

 

Deception Some devotees asked Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji: " How shall we

distinguish the true mystic from the false? " Swamiji asked a counter question:

" How do you distinguish the true sleeper from the one who is feigning sleep? "

Devotee: " There is no way. Only the sleeper knows when he is feigning. " Sri

Radhakrishna Swamiji just smiled. Later Swamiji said: " The feigning sleeper can

delude others- he cannot delude himself. The false mystic, unfortunately, can

delude both others and himself. "

 

(Source Shri Sai Padananda April 2002)

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