Preliminary
Sai is not finite or limited. He dwells in all beings,
from ants and insects to the God Brahma. He pervades
all. Sai was well-versed in the knowledge of the Vedas,
as well as in the science of Self-realisation. As He was
proficient in both these, He was well-fitted to be the
Sad-guru. Any one, though learned, but not able to
awaken the disciples and establish them in Self-realisation,
does not deserve to be called a Sadguru. Generally the
father gives birth to the body, and death invariably
follows life; but Sadguru does away with both life and
death, and so he is more kind and merciful, than any
body.
Sai Baba often said that-let His man (Devotee) be at any
distance, a thousand koss away from Him, he will be
drawn to Shirdi like a sparrow, with a thread tied to
its feet. This Chapter describes the stories of three
such sparrows.
Lala Lakhamichand
This gentleman was first serving in the Railways and
afterwards in Shri Venkateshwar Press in Bombay and
thereafter in the firm of Messrs. Ralli Brothers as a
munshi (clerk). He got the contact of Baba in 1910. One
or two months before Christmas he saw in his dream at
Santacruz (a suburb of Bombay) an old man with a beard,
standing and surrounded by his Bhaktas. Some days later
he went to the house of his friend. Mr Dattatreya
Manjunath Bijur to hear the kirtan by Das Ganu. It was
always the practice of Das Ganu to keep Baba's picture
in front of the audience while making the kirtan.
Lakhamichand was surprised to see that the features of
the old man he saw in his dream, tallied exactly with
those in the picture and thus he came to the conclusion,
that the old man, he saw in his dream was Sai Baba
himself. The sight of this picture, Das Ganu's kirtan
and the life of the Saint Tukaram on which Das Ganu
discoursed, all these things made a deep impression on
his mind and he pined to go to Shirdi. It is always the
experience of the Bhaktas that God always helps them in
their search for Sad-guru and other spiritual endeavours.
That very night at 8-00 p.m. a friend named Shankarrao
knocked at his door and asked him whether he would
accompany him to Shirdi. His joy knew no bounds and he
at once decided to go to Shirdi. He borrowed Rs.15/-
from his cousin and after making due preparations left
for Shirdi. In the train, he and his friend Shankar Rao
did some Bhajan (sang religious songs) and enquired
about Sai baba with some fellow passengers-four
Mahomedans, who were returning to their place near
Shirdi. They all told tham that Sai baba was a great
Saint living in Shirdi for many years. Then when they
reached Kopergaon he wanted to buy some good guavas for
offering to Baba, but he was so much enrapt with the
scenery and sights there, that he forgot to purchase
them. When they were nearing Shirdi, he was reminded of
the guavas; just then he saw an old woman with a
guava-basket on her head, running after the tanga. The
tanga was stopped and he gladly purchased some select
fruits, when the woman said - "Take all the rest and
offer them on my behalf to Baba". The facts viz. that he
had intended to purchase guavas, but that he had
forgotten to do so, the old woman's encounter and her
devotion to Baba, all these were a surprise to both the
friends; and Lakhamichand thought in his mind, that the
old woman might be some relation of the old man he saw
in his dream. Then they drove on and came near Shirdi
and seeing the flags on the Masjid they saluted them.
With Puja materials in hand, they then went to the
Masjid and worshipped Baba with due formality.
Lakhmichand was much moved and was extremely happy to
see Baba. He was enrapt with Baba's Feet as a bee with a
sweet smelling lotus. Then Baba spoke as follows :-
"Cunning fellow, he does bhajan on the way and enquires
from others. Why ask others? Everything we should see
with our own eyes; where is the necessity to question
others? Just think for yourself whether your dream is
true or not? Where was the necessity of the darshan by
taking a loan from a Marwari? Is the heart's desire now
satisfied?"
Hearing these words Lakhamichand was wonderstruck at
Baba's omniscience. He was at a loss to know how Baba
came to know about all the things that had happened
enroute from his house to Shirdi. The chief thing to
note in this respect is that Baba never liked people to
run into debt for taking His darshan, or celebrating any
holiday or making any pilgrimage.
Sanza
At noon when Lakhamichand was sitting for meals he got
some sanza (wheat-pudding) from a devotee as Prasad. He
was pleased to have it. Next day also he expected it,
but got nothing. So, he was anxious to get it again.
Then on the third day at the noon Arati time, Bapusaheb
Jog asked Baba, what naivedya he should bring. Baba told
him to bring sanza. Then the Bhaktas brought two big
potfuls of sanza. Lakshamichand was very hungry and
there was some pain in his back. Then Baba said to him -
"It is good that you are hungry, take sanza and some
medicine for the pain in the back." He was again
wonderstruck to see that Baba again read his mind and
spoke out what was passing therein. How omniscient was
He!
Evil eye
On this occasion, he once witnessed one night the
procession to the chavadi. Baba then suffered much from
cough. He thought that this suffering of Baba might be
due to somebody's evil eye. Next morning when he went to
the Masjid Baba spoke to Shama as follows - "I suffered
last night from cough; is it due to some evil eye? I
think that somebody's evil eye has worked on me and so I
am suffering". In this case Baba spoke out what was
passing in Lakshamichand's mind.
On seeing these proofs of Baba's omniscience and
kindness to His Bhaktas, he fell prostrate at Baba's
Feet and said - "I am much pleased with your darshan.
Ever be kind and merciful to me and protect me always.
There is no other God to me in this world except Your
Feet. Let my mind be ever rapt in Your Bhajan and Feet.
Let Your grace protect me from the miseries of the world
and let me ever chant Your name and be happy".
After getting Baba' Udi and blessing he returned home
with his friend, much pleased and contented and singing
Baba's glory on the way. He remained a staunch devotee
of baba afterwards and always sent garlands of flowers,
camphor and Dakshina with any person of his acquaintance
bound for Shirdi.
Burhanpore Lady
Now let us turn to another sparrow (Baba's word meaning
devotee). One lady in Burhanpore saw in her dream Sai
Baba coming to her door and begging khichadi (rice
cooked with dal and salt) for His meals. On awakening
she saw no body at her door. However, she was pleased
with the vision and told it to all including her
husband. He was employed in the Postal Department and
when he was transferred to Akola, both husband and wife,
who were devout, decided to go to Shirdi. Then on a
suitable day they left for Shirdi and after visiting
Gomati Tirth on the way, reached Shirdi and stayed there
for two months. Every day they went to the Masjid,
performed Baba's worship and passed their time happily.
The couple came to Shirdi to offer Khichadi as naivedya
but for the first 14 days, somehow or other, it could
not be offered. The lady did not like this delay. Then
on the 15th day she came at noon to the Masjid with her
khichadi. There she found that Baba and others were
already sitting for meals, and that the curtain was
down. Nobody dared enter in when the curtain was let
down, but the lady could not wait. She threw up the
curtain with her hand and entered. Strange to say that
Baba seemed that day, hungry for khichadi and wanted
that thing first and when the lady came in with the
dish, Baba was delighted, and began to eat morsel after
morsel of khichadi. On seeing the earnestness of Baba in
this respect, everybody was wonderstruck and those, who
heard the story of khichadi, were convinced about His
extraordinary love for His devotees.
Megha
Now let us go to the third and bigger 'sparrow'. Megha
of Viramgaon was a simple and illiterate Brahmin cook of
Rao Bahadur H. V. Sathe. He was a devotee of Shiva and
always chanted the five syllabled mantra 'Namah Shivaya'.
He did not know the Sandhya nor its chief mantra, the
Gayatri. Rao Bahadur Sathe was interested in him, got
him taught the Sandhya and the Gayatri. Sathe told him
that Sai Baba of Shirdi was the embodied form of the God
Shiva and made him start for Shirdi. At the Broach
Railway station he learnt that Sai Baba was a Moslem and
his simple and orthodox mind was much perturbed at the
prospect of bowing to a Moslem, and he prayed to his
master not to send him there. His master, however,
insisted on his going there and gave him a letter of
introduction to his (Sathe's) father-in-law, Ganesh
Domodar, alias Dada Kelkar at Shirdi, to introduce him
to Sai Baba. When he reached Shirdi and went to the
Masjid, Baba was very indignant and would not allow him
to enter. "Kick out the rascal" roared Baba, and then
said to Megha - "You are a high caste Brahmin and I am a
low Moslem; you will lose your caste by coming here. So
get away." Hearing these words Megha began to tremble.
He was wondering as to how Baba had come to know about
what was passing in his mind. He stayed there for some
days, serving Baba in his own way, but was not
convinced. Then he went home. After that he went to
Tryambak (Nasik District) and stayed there for a year
and a half. Then again he returned to Shirdi. This time,
at the intercession of Dada Kelkar, he was allowed to
enter the Masjid and stay in Shirdi. Sai Baba's help to
Megha was not through any oral instruction. He worked
upon Megha internally (mentally) with the result that he
was considerably changed and benefited. Then Megha began
to look upon Sai Baba as an incarnation of Shiva. In
order to worship Shiva, bela leaves are required and
Megha used to go miles and miles every day to bring them
and worship his Shiva (Baba). His practice was to
worship all the Gods in the village and then come to the
Masjid and after saluting Baba's gadi (asan) he
worshipped Baba and after doing some service (shampooing
His Legs) drank the washings (Tirth) of Baba's Feet.
Once it so happened that he came to the Masjid without
worshipping God Khandoba, as the door of the temple was
closed. Baba did not accept his worship and sent him
again, saying that the door was open then. Megha went,
found the door open, worshipped the Deity, and then
returned to Baba as usual.
Ganges-Bath
On one Makar-Sankranti day, Megha wanted to besmear the
body of Baba with sandal-paste and bathe Him with Ganges
water. Baba was first unwilling to undergo this
operation, but at his repeated requests, He consented.
Megha had to traverse a distance of eight koss (going
and returning) to bring the sacred water from the Gomati
river. He brought the water, made all preparations for
the bath at noon and asked Baba to get ready for the
same. Then Baba again asked him to be freed from his
bath saying that, as a Fakir He had nothing to do (or
gain) with Ganges water; but Megha did not listen. He
knew that Shiva is pleased with a bath of Ganges water
and that he must give his Shiva (Baba) that bath on that
auspicious day. Baba then consented, came down and sat
on a pat (wooden board) and protruding his head said -
"Oh Megha, do at least this favour; head is the most
important organ of the body, so pour the water over that
only-it is equivalent to the full or whole bath."
"Alright" said Megha and lifting the water pot up, began
to pour it on the head but in doing this he was so much
overwhelmed with love that he cried out 'Har Gange' and
emptied the pot on the whole body. He kept the pot aside
and began to look at Baba, but to his surprise and
amazement he found that Baba's head was only drenched
but the body quite dry.
Trident and Pindi
Megha worshipped Baba in two places; in the Masjid he
worshipped Baba in person and in the Wada, Baba's big
picture, given by Nanasaheb Chandorkar. This he did for
12 months. Then in order to appreciate his devotion and
confirm his faith, Baba gave him a vision. Early one
morning when Megha was still lying down on his bed with
eyes closed but internally awake, he saw clearly Baba's
Form. Baba knowing him to be awake threw Akshata
(rice-grains marked red with Kumkum) and said, "Megha,
draw a Trident" and disappeared. Hearing Baba's words,
he eagerly opened his eyes but did not see Baba, but saw
only rice grains spread here and there. He then went to
Baba, told Him about the vision and asked permission to
draw Trident. Baba said - "Did you not hear My words
asking you to draw Trident? It was no vision but direct
order and My words are always pregnant with meaning and
never hollow." Megha said - "I thought you woke me up,
but all the doors were closed, so I thought it was a
vision". Baba rejoined - "I require no door to enter. I
have no form nor any extension; I always live
everywhere. I carry on, as a wirepuller, all the actions
of the man who trusts Me and merges in Me."
Megha returned to the Wada, and drew a red Trident on
the wall near Baba's picture. Next day a Ramadasi Bhakta
came from Poona, saluted Baba and offered Him Pindi (an
image of Shiva). At this time Megha also turned up
there. Baba said to him - "See, Shankar has come,
protect (i.e., worship) Him now." Megha was surprised to
see Pindi following Trident immediately. Then also in
the Wada, Kakasaheb Dixit was standing with a towel on
his head after having taken his bath, and was
remembering Sai, when he saw a Pindi before his mental
vision. While he was wondering about this, Megha came
and showed him the Pindi presented to him by Baba. Dixit
was happy to know that the Pindi exactly tallied with
the One he saw a few minutes before in his vision. In a
few days after the drawing of the Trident was complete,
Baba installed the Pindi near the big picture which
Megha was worshipping. The worship of Shiva was dear to
Megha and by arranging the drawing of the Trident and
the installation of the Pindi, Baba confirmed his faith
therein.
After continuous service of Baba for many years, doing
regular worship and Arati every noon and evening, Megha
passed away in 1912. Then Baba passed His hands over his
corpse and said - "This was a true devotee of Mine."
Baba also ordered that at His own expense the usual
funeral dinner should be given to the Brahmins, and this
order was carried out by Kakasaheb Dixit.
|
