The Living Tomb by Maj. D.V. Tangri

[Guest guest]

The Living Tomb

Maj. D.V. Tangri

" A man dies, shall he live again? " is a question, that is found in every

sob in times of bereavement.

It is a question that knocks with gloved hand on the door of the weeping

heart. But how strange to say 'if - 'If a man dies?' There is no if, all

of us must die. Is life possible after death? That is the question.

Millions of people have experienced the living presence of Shirdi Sai

Baba. The facts concerning Sai Baba are that He lived; He died on 15th

Oct. 1918 and arose from the dead. He is as active as before. Can we

justify such a contention?

He lived as no intelligent student can deny. He died. That fact nobody

need deny. He died at 2.30 p.m. on the 15th Oct. 1918, leaning on

Bayaji's body. Bhagoji Shinde noticed that His breathing had stopped and

he told that to Nana Sahib Nimonkar, who was sitting below.

On that fateful afternoon, Shirdi was reflected in the hopelessness of

His devotion. As the afternoon sun threw, the lengthening shadows of

devotees gathered near Booty-wada a brooding sadness descended upon His

devotees, who looked at each other in a puzzled grief that knew no

speech.

Two years before, the Master had given an indication of His passing

away. His 'Seemollanghan' (crossing the border). Now that His flame had

died away, they had all become orphans. Such was their mood.

Nana, Kaka and Shyama remained the despairing survivors of a broken

cause, as they stumbled blindly in the Buty-wada, their eyes filled with

tears, they could not stop.

They were the very picture of man without any hope, utterly pushed....

beaten.....disappointed. In their faces there was the stark dreadful

look of hopeless despair.

Sai Baba was a dead man now, very much like any other dead man. On

Wednesday morning i.e. 16th of Oct. 1918, Baba appeared to Laxman Mama

Joshi in his dream and drawing him by His hand said " Get up son, Bapu

Saheb thinks that I am dead and so he won't come; you do the worship and

do the Kakad Arathi. " After the vision, he came with all the pooja

materials and did the pooja and Kakad Arathi with all formalities

neglecting the objections from the Muslim brethren. Bapu Saheb Jog came

with all others and went through the Noon-Arathi as usual.

At that time, Das Ganu was at Pandharpur. On the same Wednesday morning

Sai Baba appeared in his dream and said to him " The Masjid collapsed,

and I have left the place. I therefore come to inform you here. Please

go there quickly and cover Me with ample flowers. " So Das Ganu came to

Shirdi. He started bhajans and kirtans himself wearing a garland of

flowers studded with " Harinam " he placed it on the Samadhi and gave a

mass feeding in Baba's name.

It may be noted here that with making preparations for His last rites

that the Baba's body did not get stiff, though it was exposed for more

than 36 hours and all the limbs were elastic and His Kafni could be

taken out without being torn into pieces.

In that new tomb, which had belonged to Sai Baba, there was a stirring,

a fluttering of unseen forces - whirling of angel wings. The rustle as

of the breath of Sai Baba moving through Shirdi. Strong immeasurable

forces poured life back into the dead body they had laid upon in

Buty-wada, and the dead Sai Baba rose up, came out of the tomb and

entered the heart of each of His devotees.

We can almost hear in our hearts the faint sign as the life spirit

fluttered back into Sai's body, and smell in our own nostrils the medley

of strange aroma that floated, when Sai Baba served food in the Masjid.

At distant Bombay, when Kaka Saheb Dixit expressed helplessness; Sai

Baba solved his doubt by appearing in the dream of Ananda Rao Pakhade

and directed that surrender to Guru's feet is all that required of Him

to attain salvation.

If we believe in ever loving Sai Baba, it is one of the loveliest

stories in literature. It is a story over which, without shame we might

weep. It is a story that we cannot read without feeling a lump in our

throat. If we do not believe it is a clever and shameful lie.

Does it sound like a lie to you? Does it have a hollowing uncertainty of

falsehood? Do you not rather get the feel of truth in it? St. Augustine

had said " He loves each one of us as if there were only one of us. " Sai

has said: " Though I am at Shirdi, what you do beyond the seven seas

cannot escape Me. Is it all a trick? Are we deluded fools?

No, we are not deluded - no fact in Sai Satcharitha is better

established that this one. Sai Baba continues to be active ever since.

Now, if one man says he has seen a dead person alive, you may believe

him or not, according to your opinion of his trustworthiness. If ten men

tell you that they have, at the same time, seen the dead person alive,

talking, walking in newness of life, you begin to be impressed. If

thousand men tell you that they have seen someone who was dead - well,

you must admit that you are in a startling minority. If you deny the

reality of Sai Baba in your day to day life, you are precisely that

minority.

Do you think that this story is an invention? Could you invent that sort

of story? No. Why would anyone persist in a life?

When Das Ganu sang arathi after Sai Baba was cremated, what he saw

Baba's intimated devotees believed. The word 'See is not to behold as

one looks at a spectacle, not to see as the watch repairer, who peers

through his magnifying glass. It means to see with inner sight that

leads one to a conclusion. It is perception, reflection, understanding,

more than sight.

Do you see? -Then what happened - the undeniable fact is this: Devotees

of Sai Baba were shattered, downcast, and hopeless, with a sense of

tragic loss and then, with the knowledge of continued presence of Sai

Baba, they were completely changed. They were all thrilled beyond fear

in the stupendous knowledge that Sai Baba was alive.

Is it true? Is Sai Baba really raised from the dead? As that question

begins to knock gently on your heart's door, you realise that you have

gone back to 15th October 1918, when the world was 80 years younger,

back to the country of bullock-cart-back to the Imperial Flag fluttering

in the British India, back to the days of freedom struggle. And in that

quiet October morning you are standing in front of a grave in Booty-wada

and you see the tomb communicating - is moving. And before you are aware

of it, you will realise suddenly that Sai Baba is standing in front of

you, and your eyes are fixed on His 'Ashirwad' bestowing hand.

 

And as a great realisation dawns over you, you hear His voice " Lo, I am

with you always. " Because we cannot stand it any longer in the secret

place of our heart, we cry out for help and then it comes, the supreme

miracle for which we have been seeking.

 

It is stupendous a thing, that we cannot describe it. It is so delicate

a thing that we cannot bring it into views for anybody else to look at.

We can never explain it to anybody else. We know only that it is true.

 

The voice has said " I am with you always. " Our heart knew all along it

must be so. It was what we wanted to hear and now that we have heard it,

we feel that we have solved the mystery of life. Yes, because Sai Baba

is ever living and active. Aye and I too shall live, because I know it

is true.

 

(Source Shri Sai Padananda July 2001)