Now let us see in this Chapter how devotees were
received and treated by Baba.
Saints' Mission
We have seen before, that the purpose or object of
Divine Incarnation is to protect the good and destory
the wicked. But the mission of the Saints is quite
different. To them the good and the wicked are the same.
First they feel for the evil-doers and set them on the
right path. They are like the Agasti to destroy the
Bhava-sagar (the ocean of wordly existence) or like the
Sun to the darkness of ignorance. The Lord (God) dwells
in the Saints. In fact they are not different from Him.
Our Sai is One of these, Who incarnated for the welfare
of the devotees, Supreme in knowledge and surrounded
with divine lustre, He loved all beings equally. He was
unattached. Foes and friends, kings and paupers, were
the same to Him. Hear His powers. For the sake of
devotees, He spent His stock of merits and was ever
alert to help them. But the devotees could never
approach HIm, unless He meant to receive them. If their
turn did not come, Baba did not remember them, and His
Leelas could not reach their ears. Then, how could they
think of seeing Him? some men desired to see Sai Baba's
but they did not get any opportunity of taking His
darshan, till His Mahasamadhi. There are many such
persons, whose desire for Baba's darshan was not thus
satisfied. If these persons, believing in Him, listen to
His Leelas, their quest for milk (darshan) will be, to a
great extent, satisfied by the butter-milk (Leelas). If
some persons went there by sheer luck and took Baba's
darshan, were they able to stay there longer? No. Nobody
could go there of his own accord, and nobody culd stay
there long even if he so wished. They could stay there,
so long as Baba permitted them to stay, and had to leave
the place when asked to do so by Baba; so everything
depended of Baba's will.
Kala Mahajani
Once, Kaka Mahajani went to Shirdi from Bombay. He
wanted to stay there for one week, and enjoy the
Gokul-Ashtami festival. As soon as he took Baba's
darshan, Baba asked him - "When are you returning home?"
He was rather surprised at this question, but he had to
given an answer. He said that he would go home when Baba
ordered him to do so. Then Baba said - "Go to-morrow".
Baba's word was law and had to be obeyed. Kaka Mahajani,
therefore, left Shirdi, immediately. When he went to his
office in Bombay, he found that his employer was
anxiously waiting for him. His munim, i.e., the manager,
suddenly fell ill, hence Kaka's presence was absolutely
necessary. He had sent a letter to Kaka at Shirdi, which
was redirected to him at Bombay.
Bhausaheb Dhumal
Now listen to an opposite story. Once Bhausaheb Dhumal,
a pleader, was going to Niphad for a case. On the way he
came to Shirdi, took Baba's darshan and wanted to
proceed to Niphad immediately. But, Baba did not premit
him to do so. He made him stay at shirdi, for a week or
more. In the meanwhile, the magistrate at Niphad
suffered intensely from pain in his abdomen, and the
case was adjourned. Mr. Dhumal was then allowed to go
and attend to his case. It went on for some months and
was tried by four magistrates. Ultimately Mr. Dhumal won
the case, and his client was acquitted.
Mrs. Nimonkar
Mr. Nanasaheb Nimonkar, Watandar of Nomon and Honorary
Magistrate, was staying at Shirdi with his wife. Mr. and
Mrs. Nimonkar were spending most of their time in the
Masjid with Baba and serving Him. It so happened, that
their son fell ill at Belapur and the mother decided,
with Baba's consent, to go to Belapur, and see her son
and other relatives; and stay there for a few days, but
Mr. Nanasaheb asked her to return the next day. The lady
was in a fix and did not know what to do; but her God
Sai came to her help. While leaving Shirdi she went to
Baba, who was standing in front of Sathe's wada with Mr.
Nanasaheb and others, and prostrated at His Feet and
asked His permission to go. Baba said to her, "Go, go
quickly, be calm and unperturbed. Stay comfortably at
Belapur for four days. See all your relatives and then
return to Shirdi." How opportune were Baba's words! Mr.
Nanasaheb's proposal was overruled by Baba's decree.
Moolay Shastri of Nasik
An orthodox Agnihotri Brahmin of Nasik, by name moolay
Shastri, who had studied the six Shastras and was
well-versed in astrology and palmistry, once came to
Shirdi to see Mr. Bapusaheb Booty, the famous
millionarire of Nagpur. After seeing him, he and others
went to see Baba in the Masjid. Baba bought various
fruits and other things from vendors with His own money,
and distributed them to the persons present in the
Masjid. Baba used to press the mango on all sides so
skilfully that when any person received it from Baba and
sucked it, he got all the pulp at once in his mouth and
could throw away the stone and the skin forthwith.
Plantains were peeled off by Baba and the kernel was
distributed to the devotees, while the skins were
retained by Baba for Himself. Moolay Shastri, as a
palmist, wanted to examine Baba's hand or plam and
requested Him to extend the same. Baba ignored his
request and gave four plantains to him. Then, they all
returned to the Wada and Moolay Shastri bathed, wore
sacred clothes, and started his routine duties, viz.
Agnihotra etc. Then Baba as usual started for Lendi and
said - "Take some Geru (i.e. a red miry substance, to
dye clothes in saffron-colour), we shall today don
saffron-coloured cloth. None understood what Baba meant.
Then after some time when Baba returned, and
preparations for the noon-Arati were being made.
Bapusaheb Jog asked Moolay Shastri, whether he would
accompany him for the Arti. He replied that he would see
Baba in the afternoon. Very soon Baba sat on his seat,
was worshipped by the devotees and Arti commenced. Then
Baba said - "Get some Dakshina from the new (Nasik)
Brahmin." Booty himself went to get the Dakshina; and
when he gave Baba's message to Moolay Shastri, he was
sorely perplexed. He thought in his mind thus: "I am a
pure Agnihotri Brahmin, why should I pay Dakshina? Baba
may be a great Saint. I am not His dependent." But as a
great Saint like Sai Baba was asking for Dakshina
through a millionaire like Booty, he could not refuse.
So leaving his routine unfinished, he forthwith started
with Booty to the Masjid. Thinking himself holy and
sacred, and the Masjid otherwise, he remained at a
distance, and joining his hands threw flowers at Baba.
Then lo! all of a sudden, he saw no Baba on the seat,
but saw his late Guru Gholap Swami there. He was
wonder-struck. Could this be a dream? No, it was not, as
he was wide awake; but though awake, how could his late
Guru Gholap be there? He was speechless for some time.
He pinched himself and thought again, but could not
reconcile the fact of his late Guru Gholap being in the
Masjid. Ultimately, leaving all doubt, he went up, fell
at his Guru's feet and then getting up stood there with
folded hands. Other people sang Baba's Arati, while
Moolay Shastri chanted his Guru's name. Then casting off
all pride of caste and ideas about sacredness, he fell
flat at his Guru's feet and closed his eyes. When he got
up and opened his eyes, he saw Baba asking for Dakshina.
Seeing Baba's blissful form, and His inconceivable
power, Moolay Shastri forgot himself. He was extremely
pleased, his eyes were full of tears of joy. He again
saluted Baba and gave the Dakshina. He said that his
doubt was removed and that he saw his own Guru. On
seeing his wonderful Leela of Baba all the people,
including Moolay Shastri, were much moved, and they
realized the meaning of Baba's words, "Bring Geru, we
shall don saffron-coloured garment." Such is the
wonderful Leela of Baba.
A Doctor
Once a Mamlatdar came to Shirdi with a doctor friend of
his. The Doctor said that his Deity was Rama and that he
would not bow before a Mahomedan, and so, he was
unwilling to go to Shirdi. The Mamlatdar replied, that
nobody would press him to make a bow, nor would ask him
to do so. So he should come and give the pleasure of his
company. Accordingly, they came to Shirdi, and went to
the Masjid for Baba's darshan. All were wonder-struck to
see the Doctor going ahead and saluting Baba. They asked
him how he forgot his resolve and bowed before a
Mussalman. Then the Doctor replied that he saw his
beloved Deity, Rama, on the seat and he, therefore
prostrated himself before Him. Then as he was saying
this, he saw Sai Baba there again. Being dismayed, he
said, "Is this a dream? How could He be a Mahomedan? He
is a great Yogasampanna (full of Yoga) Avatar."
Next day, he made a vow and began to fast. He absented
himself from the Masjid, resolving not to go there,
until Baba blessed him. Three days passed and on the
fourth day, a close friend of his from Khandesh, turned
up, and with him, he went to the Masjid for Baba's
darshan. After the salutation, Baba asked him, whether
anybody had gone to call him, so that he had come.
Hearing this vital question, the doctor was moved. The
same night he was blessed by Baba, and he experienced
the Bliss supreme, in his sleep. Then he left for his
town, where the experienced the same state of a
fortnight. Thus his devotion to Sai Baba increased
manifold.
The moral of all the stories mentioned above, specially,
that of Moolay Shastri, is this that we should have firm
faith in our Guru and nowhere else.
More Leelas of Sai Baba will be described in the next
Chapter.
|
