Shri Sai Sat Charitra-Chapter XXI-Part III

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Shri Sai Sat Charitra-Chapter XXI-Part III

 

By: Swarna Venkateswara Swamy

Anantrao Patankar

 

One gentleman from Poona, by name Anantrao Patankar wished to see

Baba. He came to Shirdi, and took Baba's darshan. His eyes were

appeased, he was much pleased. He fell at Baba's Feet; and after

performing proper worship said to Baba - " I have read a lot, studied

Vedas, Vedanta and Upanishads and heard all the Puranas, but still I

have not got any peace of mind; so I think that all my reading was

useless. Simple ignorant devout persons are better off than myself.

Unless the mind becomes calm, all book-learning is of no avail. I

have heard, from many people, that you easily give peace of mind to

so many people by your mere glance, and playful word; so I have come

here; please take pity on me and bless me " .

 

Sai Ram. His reading was not entirely useless, since the punya

(merit) thus accrued made his mind clear (if not calm) enough to

realise that he needs the grace of a Sadguru and brought him to

Shirdi. Mere intellectual understanding of the truths in Vedas and

Upanishads is not enough and experience of that truth is needed for

the mind to get sraddha and saburi. Baba showed him the path as you

will read below. Sai Ram.*

 

The merchant, intent on his quest, spread the end of his dhotar and

gathered all the nine balls

 

Then Baba told him a parable, which was as follows:-

 

Parable of Nine Balls of Stool (Nava-vidha Bhakti)

 

" Once a Soudagar (merchant) came here. Before him a mare passed her

stool (nine balls of stool). The merchant, intent on his quest,

spread the end of his dhotar and gathered all the nine balls in it,

and thus he got concentration (peace) of mind " .

 

Mr. Patankar could not make out the meaning of this story; so he

asked Ganesh Damodar, alias Dada Kelkar, " What does Baba mean by

this? "

 

Sai Ram. It it interesting that he did not think of asking Sai Baba

himself. Baba had total control over the minds of the devotees coming

to him and they could not think of asking any questions unless He

willed it. And while Baba did not allow some devotees to ask others

their doubts (we will be reading an interesting story about BV Deo in

a future chapter), He allowed others to ask other devotees and thus

cleared their doubts. Varied indeed were His methods of instruction.

Sai Ram.

 

Read more about Patankar's encounter with Baba on the Next Page

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan