Dedicated to my Late Father Shri C.M.Mehta and Mother Smt.Sneh Mehta Ji
Two Prayers
(1)
Dear Lord Sri Sai Nath we, your children pray to you
for mercy. You are The Lord Almighty and we all are the sinners. We have gone
through various cycles of rebirth in search for you and the eternal truth but
we have been always distracted from the path shown to us by you. We pray to you
Dear Lord, for your supreme vision and guidance to refrain us from the material
distractions of the world.
Baba, we your
ignorant children, pray to you that your love and affection may always be
bestowed on us. May our belief in you be unshakeable. May we always remember
your sayings and follow your teachings.
(2)
Dear children,
you are fortunate to get a special place in Baba's heart only because of your
good deeds (karmas). You should have a firm determination to walk the
path shown to us all by Baba Himself. May you remember Baba each day of your
life. May Baba always rule your mind, body and soul. Your unshakeable faith in
Him will always help you to achieve success in all goals of life. We should
never forget that He is always there to look after his children, both in rough
and smooth times in life.
Dear children!
Sri Sai Nath always believed and preached simple living. It is very unfortunate
that His simple teachings were not understood and practiced by all. Some of
these teachings are stated below as examples:
(1) To
remember God and to offer Him food before you eat.
(2) Whether humans, birds or animals, you
must offer food to all present
before you eat. In case someone really needy requires the food more than you,
you should have no hesitation in giving all that you have.
(3) According to your capacity, you should
share your wealth with the poor
and needy. You should never cheat anyone in order to obtain material gains.
(4) To
try to see God in everything.
(5) To
respect one's parents.
(6) To
have firm belief and faith in your Lord.
(7) If it is not in your capacity to share
your belongings with another person
then you may not give him anything but at the same time you should refuse
politely rather than insult and humiliate the person.
(8) One
should chant "Sai, Sai" without self interest.
Children! The
credit of this creation only goes to Sri Shivneshan Swamiji because neither there
was full faith in this body nor there was devotion in action. It was only due
to the kindness of Sri Swamiji who got this work done very well.
Preface
The place of
Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi is extraordinary amongst several saints, noble souls and
incarnations, who were born in our country. Baba in His prime youth came to
Shirdi along with a marriage party of a Mohammedan and made a small village of
Maharashtra His lifelong residence. He lived in an old mosque, which was named
"Dwarkamai" and always kept a lit Dhuni (sacred fireplace) there.
Nobody ever knew about Him, His place of birth, who His parents were and also
whether He was a Hindu or a Mohammedan by birth?
Sri Sai Baba
incarnated at a time, when differences were growing between Hindus and
Mohammedans. Baba in His daily life assured His devotees at every step that the
'Ram' of Hindus and the 'Rahim' of Mohammedans was one and the same and there was
no difference between the two. Why is it then that the ignorant people quarrel
with each other and create a wall of discrimination? He used to tell the Hindus
that Allah would do well and He would tell the Mohammedans that Ram would do
good. He presented a living example of coordination and coexistence of all
religions before His devotees.
Sri Sai Baba is
not a story taken out from the history books. He was seen leading a saintly
life on earth just 80 years ago.
During the year
1918 He obtained Mahasamadhi. Before deserting His body Baba told His
disciples, "After my departure, my tomb (Samadhi) will inspire a ray of
hope in my devotees and answer their questions." Today millions of people
in the country and abroad feel the significance of these words. They feel the
living existence of Baba in their daily life and feel His kindness at every
step.
By presenting the life and deeds of Baba in the
present book "Children's Sri Sai Baba" Shri Vikas Mehta has done a
good work which is appreciable. I believe the children who study this book,
will enjoy reading about the joyful actions of Baba. Undoubtedly they will become
good people and will serve the nation without any discrimination.
Smt. & Shri
Arun Raj Malhotra of Siddharth Publications and the artist Shri Pratap Gill
also deserve appreciation.
It is prayed
that Sri Sai Prabhu should bestow His blessings on the devotees so that they
learn from His teachings and bring about the welfare of society
(Murali Manohar
Joshi)
Contents
Chapter Topics
1. 1)
Arrival in Shirdi
2. 1)
Chand Patil's Mare
3. 1)
Baba's Guru
4. 1)
Shri Appa Pa til and Bayaja Bai
2) Shri Tatya Patil's Experiences
5. 1)
Lighting of Lamps with Water
6. 1)
Samadhi in 1886
7. 1)
Dasganu's Bath in Prayag
8. 1)
Protection of Sadhus
9. 1)
Baba Tajuddin's Samadhi
10. 1)
Lizards - The Two Sisters
11. 1)
Presence of Baba in Every Living Being
12. 1)
A Robust Beggar
13. 1)
Two Billy Goats
14. 1)
Mad Dog
15. 1)
Poor Brahman and Pieces of Gold
16. 1)
Baba's Horse - "Shamkarna"
17. 1)
Baba's Portrait
18. 1) Help in
Education
2) Shri Shevade
3) Kaka Saheb's
Son's Examination
19. 1) Sleeping
Process of Baba
20. 1) Shri
Sant Ram Nachane
21. 1) Dhooliya's Shri Raoji Balkrishna Upasani
22. 1) Shri
Lakshman Vithal Nadkar
23. 1) Hari Ka Beta,
Zari Ka Fenta
24. 1) Shri
Cholkar's Tea
25. 1) Smt. Dev's Udyapan
Festival
26. 1) An Iranian Girl
27. 1) Baba's Food
28. 1) Story
of Veerbhadrappa and Chenbasappa
29. 1) Sri Sai Baba's Samadhi
30. 1) Baba and
Child Suhaas
31. 1) Motivator and Initiator
Most Respectable Shri Shivneshan Swamiji
Chapter 1
Topic:
Arrival in Shirdi
Dear Children!
Like Saint
Namdev and Kabir, Sri Sai Baba was also born with supernatural powers. Saint
Namdev was found by Gonai on the banks of Bhimrathi river and Saint Kabir was
found by Tamaal on the banks of Bhagirathi river. Similarly, Sri Sai Baba was
first seen in Shirdi in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra sitting under the Neem tree
when he was just 16 years old. In the middle of the 18th century, Shri Nana
Chopdar's mother saw Baba in Shirdi sitting under the Neem tree. He would
meditate under the Neem tree during the day and at night would be seen
wandering in the streets of Shirdi. Suddenly, one day he disappeared from the
village of Shirdi.
Bow to sri sai-peace be to all
Chapter - 2
Topic:
Chand Patil's Mare Second Darshan
(Appeal
Mr. Chand Patil
- one of the residents of the village Dhoop Gaon, on his way to Aurangabad lost
his mare. He searched for his mare for a long time but all his efforts were
futile. During the search, after walking for about 4 miles, he saw a Fakir sitting
under the mango tree, wearing a long robe, a cap and carrying a small stick
under his arm. That Fakir was going to kindle the Chillum.
When the Fakir
saw Chand Patil passing through, he called him and said, "Smoke Chillum
and rest for a while/' Chand Patil replied that he had lost his favourite
mare. Then the Fakir ordered him to search the mare near the drain and
miraculously he found the mare there. He understood that the Fakir is
not an ordinary man, but a saint. He took the mare to the saint. At that time
the Fakir was preparing to smoke the Chillum. Only two things
were left for the preparation of Chillum. One was the fire for the Chillum
and the second was the water for the cloth to be tied around the
Chillum while smoking.
The Fakir took his prong and thrust it into the ground and when he
pulled it outside, there was a burning coal that came outside along with it
which was put on the Chillum. The Fakir again struck the ground
with force by his Satka (prong), and the next moment water started oozing
from the ground with which he wet the cloth and wrapped it around the Chillum.
After preparing the Chillum, Baba smoked it and offered to Chand
Patil also. On witnessing all this, Chand Patil was surprised. He invited Baba
to his house. Next day, the Fakir went to his house and stayed there for
some time. Shri Chand Patil was an officer in the village Dhoop Gaon. His
wife's nephew's marriage was fixed with a girl of the village Shirdi and the
marriage party was to leave from Dhoop Gaon to Shirdi. Chand Patil gave the
invitation to the Fakir also, which he accepted. Bullock carts decorated
with paper buntings and flowers were set for Shirdi. The marriage party
consisted of the village children, relatives of Chand Patil, many other people
and the Fakir. The bells tied around the neck of the bullocks made
jingling sounds. The Fakir, who was sitting in the bullock cart, was
approaching the native place of his Guru. When the marriage party
reached Shirdi, it halted near the Khandoba (Shri Shiva) temple in Mhalsapati's
farm. In front of the Khandoba temple all the bullock carts were untied.
Members of the marriage party descended one by one. Pandit Mhalsapati also saw
the Fakir who wanted
to enter the
Khandoba temple, but he was not allowed to do that by the Pandit who told him
that a Muslim cannot enter a Hindu temple. He asked Him to go to Takiya or
The Chavadi. The saint looked at him and answered calmly "Being a Baniya,
how could you marry a lady of a herdsman community?" Hearing this
Mhalsapati was scared, because very few people knew about this secret. He
understood that this Fakir is certainly not an ordinary person. He then
requested Baba to enter the temple by addressing Him as "Sai". After
the marriage ceremony, Shri Chand Patil returned to Dhoop Gaon, but Baba stayed
back in Shirdi forever.
Bow to sri sai-peace be to all
Chapter 3
Topic:
Baba's Guru
Sri Sai Baba's staunch devotees Shri Ganpat Rao
Dattatray Sahasrabude (Dasganu) and Shri B.V. Narsimha Swami went to the
village of Selu and collected important information in this context. In 1901,
Dasganu Maharaj went to Selu and gave the following information:-
'The distance
between Selu and Pathardi is about 15 miles. Shri Gopal Rao Deshmukh alias
Venkunsha - a resident of Selu was a great saint. He was a staunch devotee of
God Venkatesh. He was the governor in the military of the Peshwas of Jantoor
and used to look after their work. On behalf of the Peshwas, he used to fight
against Islami Nizam as he was against his policies. In Marathwada, after Shri
Shivaji (from 1627 to 1680) Peshwas used to look after the administrative work.
On 14th January 1761, in the war of Panipat, Marathvada's army was defeated by
the Afgan army. Ahmad Shah Durrani was the leader of the Afgan army at that time.
Gopal Rao had
all the qualities of a good army leader that is why the Peshwa's had accorded
him the title of 'Deshmukh'. Gopal Rao Deshmukh used to guard Jantoor. Whereas,
on one hand, it was a common experience that the commanders of other armies ill-treated
people, Gopal Rao, on the other hand, always had the people around him who
showered their love on Gopal Rao. He was famous for his kindness everywhere.
Once, Gopal Rao went to North India for pilgrimage and on the way he stopped at
Ahmedabad to pay his respects at the Fakir Suvag Shah's Dargah. The
moment he entered the Dargah, he started crying with happiness and he started
chanting the name of God. At that very moment Heaven is believed to have
roared, "Gopal Rao! You were the same saint of Kashi - Saint Ramanand in
your previous birth. Now you are in Grahastha Ashram (family life). Your
disciple Kabir is about to come to you. He has already taken birth in a Fakir's
house' After returning home, Gopal Rao found that his son Lakshman had
died. Being a saint, he was not filled with remorse. After a few days, a lady
wearing green bangles came to Gopal Rao from the village of Pathardi Gaon. She
was carrying her five-year old son on her shoulder. His clothes were torn and
he had a piece of bread stuffed in his mouth. Her husband had died a few days
ago. Due to her husband's last wish, she had come to meet Gopal Rao. At first,
Gopal Rao refused to give her shelter, but then, he thought of the incident at
Suvag Shah's Dargah. He decided to give shelter to this
lady in his house. He was sure that the
child is none other than Kabir. In a short period, they became very close to
each other. Gopal Rao was very happy seeing the child's devotion towards God
and started motivating him day and night to follow the path of spirituality.
After a few days, the child's mother died. At that time the child was about 12
years of age.
Seeing the
intense relationship between the Guru and the disciple, the other
students started feeling jealous. They hatched a conspiracy to kill the Muslim
child but Gopal Rao got to know about this conspiracy well in advance. He took
the boy with him and went to the nearby forest. They stayed there for about 4
months. During these four months (August to November) other students found them
resting under a tree. They picked up a brick and threw it towards the boy, but
the brick could not even reach near him. They again threw the brick towards the
boy but it hurt Gopal Rao Deshmukh on his head and he started bleeding. The
child tied a piece of cloth around his Guru's head and started crying.
He said, "Please leave me, because all this has happened because of
me." But Gopal Rao did not listen to him and said, "My end is
approaching. Tomorrow evening at 4 p.m., I will depart my soul with my own
wish. I want to give all my powers to you." At that very moment, he took
out 3 bowls of milk from a black cow and told the boy to drink that milk. Like
this he gave all his powers to this boy. The boy who had thrown the brick died
on the spot. All other students, feeling sorry, gathered around the Guru and
asked him to spare their friend's life. But the Guru replied that,
"I have given all my powers to this boy, now you pray to this boy/' The
boy took a pinch of dust from his Guru's feet and applied it on the dead
boy's forehead. The dead boy arose again and asked his Guru to forgive
him. The next day the boy came to Selu with Gopal Rao, where Naamsmaran and
Pooja Archana took place. Gopal Rao gave the cloth tied on his head to
him and asked him to walk towards the southern banks of the Godavari river. On
reaching there, he gave up his body like King Parikshit had done.
After the guru
gave up his body, the boy went to the western banks of the Godavari river as
instructed by his Guru and thereafter he reached Shirdi on foot.
Bow to Sri Sai –Peace be to all
Chapter 4
Topic :
1) Shri Appa Patil and
Bayaja Bai
2) Shri Tatya Patil's
Experiences
Shri Appa
Patil and Bayaja Bai
Amongst the people of Shirdi, Shri Appa Patil and his wife Bayaja were one of the first to recognize Baba's divine powers. When Shri Appa Patil and Bayaja Bai met Baba (who was sitting under a Neem tree) for the first time, Baba got up from his place and said "Bayaja Bai was my sister in my previous birth." Bayaja Bai on hearing this became very happy and she decided not to take her meals unless and until she would have served Baba first. At times she had to walk for miles together to look for Baba. Baba also gave special blessings to her son Tatya Patil.
Shri Tatya
Palil's Experiences
Baba loved children
very much. The children in the village of Shirdi used to gather and go to the Masjid
to play with Baba, Amongst them were also Bayaja's son Tatya Patil and his
friend Raghu. When Baba came to Shirdi, Tatya Patil was about 7 or 8 years old.
At that time, Baba was not residing in the Masjid. He had started
residing in the Masjid later. At that time, he did not
have any particular place to live. He
stayed for about 10 months in the Masjid and then for some time under
the Neem tree. Baba told the villagers that under the Neem tree was His Guru's
Samadhi (shrine). After this, Baba started living in the Masjid.
A stable was
converted into a Marathi school, which later on was declared to be a Government
school. Tatya also used to study in a school. His school was inside the Hanuman
temple. Later, Tatya also started studying in the Government school. Madhav Rao
Deshpande alias Shama was his teacher. At that time Tatya was in the third or
fourth class.
First Darshan (Appearance)
When Tatya
was studying in the school situated inside the Hanuman temple, Baba used to go
everyday to his house for alms (Bhiksha). That time, there were only
three persons living in his house. One was his Dada (father), the other
was his Mahtnri (mother) and lastly he himself. This house was an old
construction, which was built around 22 to 23 years back. Raghu Patil was
Tatya's childhood friend. They used to go to the school together. After coming
back from the school,, Tatya, Raghu and three-four boys used to stand outside
the Masjid and tease Baba by making different faces. Baba was about 18
or 19 years old at that time. A thin line of moustache used to touch his upper
lip. They continued teasing Baba in the same manner for about 3 to 4 years. Baba used to
keep on sitting quietly inside the Masjid.
Everyday Raghu Patil used to throw small stones on Baba from the door of
the Masjid and run away. Baba used to run after them and abuse them. The
children used to laugh loudly and run away before Baba could pick up his Satka.
After all this Tatya used to go to his house to have his meals.
Bayaja Mami 'Abadi-Abad'
Whenever
Tatya used to sit down to eat, Baba would come and ask for Bhiksha (alms).
Most of the times Baba used to ask for Bhiksha on the doorstep only. He
used to say "Abadi Abad Bayaja Mami Roti Lav". Bayaja Ma
usually asked Baba to come inside. Baba used to come inside with a smile and
sit in the outer room (Osari). Bayaja Ma used to leave all her household
work and sit besides Baba. Being a small child Tatya would take the liberty to
climb on Baba's shoulder or sometimes sit on his knees. Baba smilingly used to
let him do all this. Bayaja Ma would get angry with this, but Baba would tell
her, "Why do you get so angry. Let him do whatever he wants to do."
Bayaja Ma often requested him to eat food in front of her. But Baba had his own
ways. He used to have the food in the house whenever he felt like it. Sometimes
Baba used to have only milk or curd or butter. Usually he ate rice/ millets,
breads and vegetables. Baba liked to have milk, curd, lassi, pickle,
onion and papar.
Bayaja Ma used to request Baba to have
all this. Bayaja Ma used to prepare all these things in advance and always
requested Baba to have the food.
Baba would
first go to Patil Suva Gondkar's house asking for alms (Bhiksha). Sometimes
Baba would go to these houses more than once a day Baba never asked a Muslim
for alms (Bhiksha).
After living
for 2-3 years in the Mas]id, Baba started living at some other place.
His new place was under the Neem tree. He lived there for about two and a half
years. The Neem tree was situated between Lendi Bagh and Sheera. Some people
went there and gave him food (Bhakari).
Baba's Clothes
When Baba came
to Shirdi for the first time, he was wearing a green coloured Kafni (a
long robe) and a Safa (scarf worn over the head). He wore these clothes
for about 4 months and after that he started wearing a white coloured Kafni and
the Safa.
When he was
living under the neem tree, Tatya, Raghu Patil and some other boys used to go
and meet him. After getting to know Baba they repented for committing their
earlier mistakes. In those days, lots of villagers and Nana Rao Dengle also
used to come to Baba.
As it has been
told earlier, Baba stayed under the Neem tree for about two and a half years
and thereafter he started living in the Mas]id (mosque).
Baba Gangageer's Naamsaptah
(Chanting of God's name for one week)
In 1896, a
famous saint named Gangageer Baba came to Shirdi. He wanted to perform the Naamsaptah,
but the people did not cooperate with him.
Seeing their
behaviour, Baba Gangageer became angry. He went to the Masjid and on
seeing Baba, he said "He is a priceless diamond. But mark my words, he
will change Shirdi. Gangageer Baba left Shirdi but Tatya became very sad. He
went after Gangageer Baba to the village of Rue. He apologised and asked him to
return to Shirdi to organize the Naamsaptah. Gangageer Baba clearly
refused but Tatya was also adamant.
He kept
visiting Gangageer Baba regularly and requested his disciples to make him
agree. At that time Tatya possessed 7 sacks of wheat. He requested Gangageer
Baba and his disciples to come to Shirdi and to perform Naamsaptah. He
would serve them for seven days. At last, Gangageer Baba agreed to visit Shirdi
to perform Naamsaptah. Tatya also took his father with him. He remained
there for one full week and the Naamsaptah
was performed very nicely. Other
villagers also realized their mistake and they collected fourteen hundred
rupees and gave it to Tatya. After the Naamsaptah, Tatya accompanied Gangageer
Baba wherever he went. Many Naamsaptahs were performed in the nearby
villages also. Tatya returned to Shirdi close to Dussehra days and went
straight to the Masjid to see Baba. Tatya informed Baba about the Naamsaptah.
Hearing this, Baba was very happy. After that day onwards Tatya used to go
to the mosque everyday to see Baba. Baba also reciprocated his love and
affection.
Baba's Mischiefs'
Whenever Tatya
would sit down to rest in the Masjid, Baba would tease him for fun. Baba
would pat him on the back and then hide in the Masjid. On Tatya's asking
that who pushed and patted him/ Baba would come out laughing from behind. Baba
would close Tatya's eyes with his hands and hide again. Tatya would also
playfully press Baba's fingers and then Baba would shout at him saying,
"Will you break my fingers? Baba also used to play Fagoodi with
Tatya. At times Baba would wrestle with him. Tatya would carry Baba on his
shoulders. Baba addressed him as Tatya, Kotya or "Ghormukhiya".
Sometimes Baba
used to massage his head and when he was in deep
sleep, he would
change the direction in which Tatya was sleeping.
In summers, it
became very hot inside the Masjid. Tatya's bed was near the Dhuni. Baba,
being a fun loving person, would wake up at midnight and put a blanket on
Tatya. When it would get too hot for Tatya, he would get up and sleep on the
stairs.
Once, on the
occasion of Holi, Tatya was standing near Nandu Marwari's shop. Baba was in a
very good mood. Tatya lifted him on his shoulders and started walking towards
the Masjid. Baba kept saying throughout the way, 'Oh Tatya, Oh Kotya'!
For God's sake, put me down or you shall start having a stomach ache' But he
paid no heed to Baba and stopped only at the Masjid. Tatya repeated this
incident a couple of times, but then quit doing so thinking that he might hurt
Baba.
Baba would
often hide Tatya's Aparna (a cloth hung on the shoulder) behind the
wheat bag lying in the Masjid and when he searched and inquired about
his Aparna, Baba pretending to be angry would tell him, "How do I
know? Do I steal everybody's Aparna?" But Tatya always knew that
only Baba could commit this mischief. After some time Baba would give back his Aparna.
Baba would then
imitate Tatya by wearing his Aparna on his shoulders. He would sit like
Tatya and mimic every move of his.
Baba teasingly
would press Tatya's hands, and in return when Tatya did the same with force
Baba would complain, "Will you break my bones?"
Once Tatya took
away Baba's white Safa and replaced it with his headgear and he also put
the Aparna on Baba's shoulders. Tatya would make Baba look into the
mirror to show him this attire and Baba would laugh at this. Seeing Himself in
the mirror, Baba would raise his shoulders and would laugh by making different
funny faces enjoying each moment in the process. Looking in the mirror Baba
would say, "Tell me Oh! Mirror if Tatya looks like this?"
Once Baba
suddenly got up to touch Tatya's feet. Tatya was taken aback and he questioned
Baba that why did He try to do that. But Baba touched Tatya's feet and folded
his hands. Tatya asked Baba, "Why are you doing this?" Baba replied,
"Keep quiet. What do you know?" At times Baba would stand in front of
Tatya and say, "Jai Deva! Jai Deva!!". Tatya was quite surprised at
all this.
Once, the
Muslims of the village gathered and brought Taziya in the Masjid and
began to perform religious rites. Baba sent for Tatya to see this. He returned
and told Baba, "They were performing the Haidas Choolah." When
all this was over, Baba came down to the Masjid courtyard and holding
Tatya's hand
started moving round the stone saying, "Haidas Choolah." They did this only once.
Starvation in Shirdi
Starvation
broke out in Maharashtra from 1896 to 1899. As a result Baba started receiving
lesser Bhiksha (food alms). Inspite of this he would get Bhiksha from
Tatya's house everyday. Nand Ram Marwari used to give Baba half a piece of
bread. The bread was made of wheat or millet. But Tatya's mother gave food to
Baba everyday. At times Baba would go to their house 12 to 16 times a day.
Every time Bayaja Ma would give Baba half a piece of bread. Baba kept all the
pieces of bread collected by him in a vessel kept in the Masjid and
covered it with a tin lid. Baba would take a bread, onion and a chilly and the
remaining food was eaten by dogs, cats and crows. Baba never tried to prevent
them from doing so.
Children! This
is one example to tell you about the intense relationship between Sai Baba and
Tatya. To tell you the truth, Baba was pleased with Tatya because he organised
the event of the Naamsaptah of Gods. It is an old and true saying that
God is pleased when one recites his name without selfish motive and shares all
that he can with the world and by offering it to the Gods. Thus whenever you
remember God and chant His name you will not ice a change in yourself.
Bow to Sri Sai – Peace be to all
Chapter 5
Topic :
1) Lighting of
Lamps with Water
Lighting of Lamps with Water
Every evening
Sri Sai Baba would go to the shopkeepers and ask for oil in alms to light the
lamps in the Masjid with it. Similarly, one day in the year 1892, Baba
went to the shopkeepers for oil, but they refused to give it to Him. They
collectively decided not to give oil to Baba in Bhiksha.(alms) and prove
their importance to Him. They even told him, "Let us see how you will
light the lamps today." Therefore, Baba had to return to the Masjid empty
handed.
After some time
all the shopkeepers and some of the villagers went to the Masjid and saw
that there was a little oil left from the previous day in Baba's vessel. Next,
they saw Baba put water into the vessel from the pitcher placed in the Masjid
and mix it with the oil in the vessel. He then took the oil mixed with
water in his mouth and again poured it back into the vessel. He put that water
in the lamps kept in the Masjid and lit them with the match-stick.
Miraculously, the
water lamps
started burning, and they lasted for the whole night. Seeing all this
the shopkeepers
begged him for forgiveness and started giving Him oil again.
Bow to Sri Sai
– Peace be to all.
Chapter 6
Topic :
Samadhi in 1886
In the year
1886, on the occasion of 'Margsheersh Poornima', Baba had an asthmatic
attack because of which it became difficult for Him to breathe. He called
Mhalsapati and said, "Oh! Disciple, I am going to meet Allah. Take care of
my body for three days. If I return, I will look after my body myself
otherwise you keep it near the Neem tree' Saying this, Baba breathed his last
at 10 p.m. His body became pale and cold. In no time the news of His demise
spread everywhere. Senior police officials and the elders of the village came
there and formed a committee. A report was made in which it was written that
Baba had left his body out of his own wish to meet Allah.
Mhalsapati told
the police officers that Baba would return in 3 days but the police officers
did not trust him and tried to change his mind. Mhalsapati stuck to his words
and said, "Baba is an extraordinary yogi and He has many yogic powers.
Therefore, it is possible for Him to be alive again. The police officers
decided to let Mhalsapati keep Baba's body for three days. Mhalsapati sat there
for three days with Baba's body in his lap. On the third day suddenly, Baba's
hands moved and he opened his eyes. At 3 a.m. Baba was alive again. His
followers who were present there were overjoyed but they were also very
surprised. All the devotees started praising Baba. Seeing the miraculous power
of Baba - Mhalsapati/ Bayaja Ma and the other people of Shirdi, started
believing in Baba with great devotion and faith. This news spread even to the
near by villages and as a result many people started coming from different
places to see and meet Baba and take his blessings.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 7
Topic : ( 1)
Dasganu's Bath in Prayag
Dasganu's Bath in Prayag
Dasganu left
his job with the police and became Baba's staunch devotee and disciple. After
receiving Baba's blessings, he decided that he would lead his life singing Bhajans,
hymns and praises of the Lord. Thousands of people used to gather just to
hear his speech. Baba changed him from a man who used to recite baseless poems
to someone who only sang the praise of the Lord. By taking him in his shelter
Baba had forgiven his sin. But with human beings, learning is an unending process
till the last day of one's life. One's mind and brain is indecisive and never
stable. We always suspect things. But on the other hand, God from time to time
takes a human form and spends this life to teach us the facts and realities of
life. But the vicious circle of suspicion, greed, caste and creed always
surrounds us and it prevents us from being one with God.
On one
occasion, Dasganu went to Shirdi to get Baba's blessing and he urged Baba to
have bath at the holy river of Prayag. Baba said, "There is no need to go
that far. Believe me that Prayag is here only. On Baba's uttering this,
miraculously, the water from the Ganga-Yamuna started flowing from His feet.
All the devotees present there observed this. Shri Dasganu bowed down in front
of Baba and took some drops of the flowing holy water to sprinkle over his
head. But while doing so he realized that Baba is a Muslim saint and doubted in
his mind whether taking water from the feet of such a Muslim saint would be
proper or not?
Children! God
gives blessings to all, but it is for us to get rid of any suspicion and have
immense faith in Him. Because of one's good deeds (karmas), such
opportunities are obtained and therefore one should not miss such a valuable
moment. Dasganu, too, always felt sorry for missing such an opportunity in life
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 8
Topic :
1) Protection of Sadhus
2) Protection of Grains
3) Master Khaparde
Sri Sai Baba
lived in Dwarkamai (Masjid) for about 60 years and during this period he
only visited Neern Gaon and Rahata outside of Shirdi. Sri Sai Baba
specially blessed one of the resident's of Neem Gaon - Nana Saheb Dengle. Baba
used to go to meet him very often. Nana Saheb Dengle knew the language of
birds. Once in Neem Gaon, when Baba and Nana Saheb Dengle were sitting together
some birds started chirping. Baba was omniscient, yet he asked Nana Saheb
Dengle, "What are these birds saying?" Nana Saheb replied that, "
These birds are saying that some Sadhus are going to die in Shirdi".
They have gone for a bath leaving their meal uncovered which has become
poisonous, as a lizard has fallen into the food. The Sadhus will die after
consuming the poisoned food. Baba, at once, ordered Punja wrestler to go to
Shirdi and throw the food. On reaching Shirdi, Punja wrestler did as he was
told by Baba. Seeing this, all the Sadhus rushed to hit him with tongs.
Meanwhile Baba and Dengle also reached Shirdi and on observing the situation
told the Sadhus the reality. Like this Baba saved so many lives. Whosoever
thinks and remembers Baba with true devotion is always under His protection.
One day a fire
broke out in the godown (store house) of one of the villagers of Shirdi - Seth
Bhagchand Marwari. Everyone ran to Baba and requested Him for help. Baba said
to them, "When there is a profit, there is happiness and when there is a
loss, there is disappointment. Why is it so? Why should we say that this is
mine. After all, it is this "I" and "mine" which are the
root cause of pride and egoism. In reality all that we have belongs to Allah
and we all are his servants."
Then Bhagchand
Marwari went to Baba to ask for help. Baba, accompanied by the villagers, went
to the godown where all the food grains were stored. On reaching the site Baba
sprinkled water around the food grains and said, "Now there will be no
fire here!". Indeed such was Baba's power that none of the grain was
spoiled by the fire.
One of Baba's staunch devotees' Shri G.S.
Khaparde's son -Shri Balwant Khaparde had a dream that Baba came to his house
and had food with him. Next day, to know
about the truth, went to Baba in the Masjid. Baba, knowing his intention
said, "Yesterday you served me food but did not offer any Dakshina (alms).
Please give it to me now/'
Hearing this
the young boy Khaparde, was surprised. Baba always surprised his devotees like
this by reading their minds and narrating factual incidents. His intention was
not to show off His power but to strengthen His devotees' faith in Him.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 9
Topic :
Baba Tajuddin's Samadhi
Once Baba was
sitting near the Dhuni, which was burning with full gusto. After some
time, Baba stood up from his place and instead of putting pieces of wood in the
fire started pouring water. On seeing this some devotees asked Baba the reason
behind doing so. Baba replied, "In Nagpur, Shri Tajuddin's Dargah is
engulfed with fire and I am putting it off by pouring water. This answer
confused His devotees. After two days one of the devotees came from Nagpur to
Shirdi and he informed the villagers about the fire in Sri Tajuddin's Dargah.
He then mentioned that it was controlled in time preventing a major mishap.
Children! Isn't this incident wonderful. This incident proves that all Saints
are alike and have the divine powers, which they use to help mankind in some
way or the other.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 10
Topic :
Lizards - The Two Sisters
Once, Baba was
sitting inside the Masjid and he noticed a lizard on the wall, making a
peculiar sound. Out of curiosity, a devotee asked Baba, if the sound made by
the lizard signified anything. He wanted to know if it was a good sign or a bad
omen? Baba said, 'This lizard is very happy today as her sister is coming here
from Aurangabad." The devotee could not understand what Baba implied,
hence he kept quite.
After a while a
person from Aurangabad came, on horseback, to see Baba. His horse was very
hungry so the man took out a bag containing grams for the horse's food and
dashed it on the ground to remove dirt. Just then a lizard came out from the
bag and immediately climbed up the wall of the Masjid. Baba now asked
the devotee to see all that happened carefully. The lizards (who were the two
sisters) met each another and happily started climbing the wall of Masjid.
This incident
shows about Baba's omnipresence and omniscience. Baba's looking and talking
about the lizards removed their sins and got them Baba’s Blessings.
Bow to Sri Sai – Peace be to all
Chapter 11
Topic
1) Presence of Baba in Every Living Being
Presence
of Baba in Every Living Being
Once, there was
a bull in Shirdi who used to destroy the crops. Thus, collectively the
villagers decided to leave this bull in Pinjra Pol (an animal shelter)
situated at Yevala.
The villagers
collected some money for this purpose and made Shri Bheeku Marwari, a resident
of Shirdi responsible for this work. But Bheeku Marwari, out of greed, sold
that bull to a butcher in Yevala for Rs. 14 and returned to Shirdi. That night,
one of Baba's disciples, Shri Bayaji dreamt of Baba who told him in the dream,
"You are sleeping soundly here and I have been handed over to the butcher
to be killed.' Shri Bayaji told everybody about that dream. Everyone went to
Shri Bheeku Marwari and he out of fear accepted his fault. For this, Shri
Bheeku had to go to the jail also for 2 months.
As per Baba's
instructions, Shri Bayaji went to Yevala himself and again bought that bull for
the same amount of Rs. 14.00 from that butcher and left that bull in Pinjara
Pol.
"Pashu-Pakshi
Par Teri Lagan,
Pyar Mein Tum
The Unke Magan.
Sab Par Teri
Raham-Nazar,
Lete Sab Kee
Swayam Hee Khabar."
The moral of this incident is that one should try and see God in each of His creations. This is also the message of the Upanishads and the Bhagwat Gita, that God is present in all creatures.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 12
Topic
A Robust Beggar
Shri Kaka Saheb
Dixit, one of the Baba's devotees was returning from his office one evening,
when one healthy looking beggar stood before him and asked for Bhiksha (alms).
After seeing him, Shri Kaka Saheb thought for a while and then gave him some
coins. After taking the coins, the beggar smiled and left immediately. Shri
Dixit kept on staring at him till he became invisible.
After some
days, Shri Dixit went to Shirdi and he went to meet Baba in the Masjid and
inquired about the incident. Baba replied in the affirmative saying that it was
indeed Him who had come to Kaka Saheb as a beggar asking for Bhiksha, This
made Kaka Saheb very happy.
Baba said,
"If you want to give something to someone, then give it to him happily,
but don't misbehave or insult anybody."
"I am
omnipresent." After listening to this, Dixit remembered the lecture
delivered by Lord Krishna in the Shrimadbhagwat and his belief was strengthened
in Baba
Bow to Sri Sai
– Peace be to all.
Chapter - 13
Topic :
Two Billy Goats
Once Baba was
returning from Lendi Bagh, he saw a herd of goats. Out of the herd, He liked
two goats a lot. Baba patted them lovingly and purchased them for Rs. 32. His
devotees were quite surprised at this behaviour as a goat in those days did not
cost more than three or four rupees. They thought Baba had been cheated, as the
two goats should not have costed more than eight rupees.
They started
taunting Baba but He remained calm and quiet. When Shama and Tatya questioned
Him regarding this Baba replied, "I am neither married nor do I possess a
house for which I have to save money/' After saying this he fetched for 4 sers
(a unit of measurement in old times) of Dal (pulses) from the market
and fed them. After feeding them, Baba returned them to their master and told
Tatya and Shama the story of the previous birth of the goats. "Oh! Shama
and Tatya you must be thinking that I have been robbed in this bargain. But it
is not so and you must first listen to their story. In the previous birth, both
of them were human beings and fortunately I knew them.
They used to
sit besides me. They were real brothers and used to love each other a lot but
later on they became sworn enemies. The elder brother was very lazy, but the
younger one was very hard working. He was doing well in his work and earned a
lot of money, which made the elder brother jealous of the younger one. He
decided to kill his younger brother and rob him of his wealth. They forgot
their blood relationship and began to quarrel with each other. The elder
brother made many attempts to murder his younger brother but failed in all of
them. On one such attempt, the elder brother hit his younger brother on the
head with a stick. In return the younger brother, too, hit the elder brother on
the head with an axe and both of them died on the spot. According to their karmas
they were reborn as goats. The moment I saw them, I was reminded of their
previous birth and I took pity on them. Thus, I decided to serve and feed them
and tried to give them some happiness. This is the reason that I have spent
some money on them, which, according to you, was a waste. You did not like this
transaction. Therefore, I returned these goats to the shepherd/' Truly, Baba's
love was great. By doing so He showed his love for all His creatures whether
man or animal.
Bow to Sri Sai-Peace be to all
Chapter 14
Subject
A Mad Dog
Baba's Kindness
One day Baba's
devotee Shri Mhalsapati went to a nearby village and very badly hit a sick dog
with a stick. When he returned to Shirdi, Baba was very angry and said to him, "Bhakt,
there is a sick dog like me in the nearby village and everyone is torturing
it‘ Hearing the words of Baba, Mhalsapati realized his mistake and asked for
forgiveness.
Once Shri Kaka
Saheb Dixit asked Baba that since a snake can bite anybody, should one kill it
if seen? Baba replied, "No. We should never kill it. Because, it will
never bite us unless God wants it to do so. If God has decided that it has to
bite, no one can save us “
In the month of
Baisakh of vear 1917, a mad dog started fighting with the stray dogs of
Shirdi. The villagers ran after the dog with the intention to kill it. The poor
dog kept running around in the streets of Shirdi and at last entered Dwarkamai
and stood behind Baba as if asking for help. The angry villagers
also entered the Masjid but nobody
could dare to touch the dog in the presence of Baba.
The villagers
said, 'This dog is mad. Turn it out so that we can kill it."
Baba replied, "Oh! You foolish
people! Get out of the Masjid at once. You cruel people want to punish
this poor dog."
The embarrassed
and ashamed villagers went away from Dwarkamai. This is how Baba saved the life
of the dog. The dog stayed the whole night surprisingly the next day it
recovered and began to live in Shirdi.
Trust in God!
The intense faith in God always eliminates fear.
Shrddhavan
Labhate Gyanam Tatpara Sanyatendriya,
Gyanam Labdhva Paraam
Shantimchirkanssadhigachchhti.
Lord Krishna
has quoted in the Shrimad Bhagwat Gita, "Hey Parth, these people who take
shelter in me and believe in me and chant my name will always get salvation
irrespective of their caste, creed and character. Those who are born in the Paap
Yoni and come to me for help will attain the righteous path while those who
born in the Uttam Yoni will get salvation in my shelter. Lord Krishna concludes
by saying this :
Anityamsukham
Lokmimam Prapya Bhajasva Maam
(The Gita,
9/33)
Bow to Sri Sai – Peace be to all
Chapter 15
Topic
1) Poor Brahman and Pieces of Gold
Poor Brahman and Pieces of Gold
Offering food
to the poor is considered to be the most divine form of donation. Baba also
gave a lot of importance to this. Sometimes, He himself used to cook meat
pulao and sweet rice and would serve these to his devotees happily. Baba
had two Handees (cooking vessel), one of which was big and the other was
small. (We will describe this topic in detail in the next chapter). Only the
non-vegetarian people were served food cooked in the bigger Handee and
other devotees were served food made in the smaller Handee. But
sometimes Baba used to test his devotees' for their faith in him. According to
Sri Sai Sat Charitra Chapter No. 38, once on the eve of Ekadashi, Baba
ordered one of his devotees named Dada Kelkar to fetch meat from the market to
which he agreed merrily.
One day Baba
was sitting in Dwarkamai along with his disciples. Baba decided to cook meat
pulao on that day. One of His disciples was busy cutting the flesh into
small pieces in the courtyard of Dwarkamai. Having heard Baba's popularity a
poor Brahmin came to see Baba from a village near Shirdi. It was obvious from
his appearance that he was very poor. On seeing the man who was cutting the
meat the Brahmin wandered and thought in his mind if Babe was actually a Saint.
In reality, he was not aware of Baba's kindheartedness. On seeing the poor and
aggrieved Brahmin, Baba said, "Give some pieces of meat to this poor
Brahmin. His children will enjoy it." During that time (in 1912) people,
especially the villagers strongly believed in racial and caste discrimination.
Thus, hearing these words of Baba, the Brahmin started trembling in fear. The
person who was cutting the flesh was also confused. He began to wonder that how
this Brahmin would go back to his village carrying the pieces of meat. On
seeing the Brahmin still standing there empty handed, Baba shouted angrily,
"Do as you have been told. Put some pieces of meat in his bag and let him
go.
Who could go
against the Baba's wishes? As Baba ordered, some pieces of meat were put into
the Brahmin's bag. The Brahmin took the bag unhappily and walked back to his village.
On his way he kept thinking of the consequences if he was seen carrying the
pieces of meat. He could easily be boycotted from his caste. About one and a
half miles away from Shirdi, he saw a streamlet of water. He thought of
throwing the meat in this streamlet. He thought that Baba had made fun of him
and he could not think of a better way than this to dispose of the meat. Upon
thinking about it, he emptied his bag into the water. But he was most
astonished to see the meat that he was throwing in the water had turned to
gold. Within a moment all the pieces of gold fell into the water and
disappeared. When he put his hand into the bag, he found that there was some
hard thing stuck there. It was a small piece of gold. Now the Brahmin was very
sad. He immediately ran to Dwarkamai and narrated the sad story to everyone.
When Baba saw him, he became very angry and ran after him with a stick. The
Brahmin ran away out of fear. On returning to Dwarkamai, Baba took a deep
breath and said, "What an unlucky fellow he is? His children were probably
not destined to possess that gold/'
Now a question
arises that why did Baba give him meat instead of gold. It is clear that had
Baba given him pieces of gold in front of other devotees, they would have
become greedy and look up to Baba for material gain. Baba did not want his
devotees to fall prey to this illusionary circle of wealth. The moral of this
story is that we should have full faith in Sri Sai Baba and trust all his
actions for he only thinks about the benefit of his devotees and their near and
dear ones.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 16
Topic :
Baba's Horse -
"Shamkarna"
To feel the touch of God is exquisite. The reason is not that important as the objective of feeling God. The touch of God instills power, which is certainly a spiritual and physical motivator.
With time, more
and more devotees started coming to Shirdi. One of the devotees gifted a horse
to Baba. The horse was named "Shamkarna". It was the same horse, which
was present in the procession of Chavadi. Today the Samadhi of
Shamkarna is situated in Lendi Bagh, which can be visited by all the devotees.
The story goes like this.
One devotee
brought a horse named Shamkarna to be presented to Baba. He asked Radhakrishna
Mai the due for his labour, but she sent him to Madhav Rao Deshpande alias
Shama. Shama instead sent him to Baba in Dwarkamai. It was afternoon and Baba
was resting. The man stood in the verandah of Dwarkamai and cried
bitterly, "Give me the due for my labour” After some time, Baba came there
and hit the man on the head with a stone. The man started bleeding and he sat
there holding his head. At that moment Kaka Saheb Dixit reached there and paid
him Rs. 200. He asked him to stop doing this menial work and buy a horse cart
and start running it between Kopargaon and Shirdi. Kaka Saheb told him that he
was very lucky to have got Sri Sai Baba's blessings. Thousands of people stand
outside everyday in order to have Baba's blessings and to feel his touch but
only a lucky few like you have the pleasure of Baba's blessings without saying
anything.
It is the
supreme truth that Baba's mere touch washes our sins and removes all the
obstructions in one's life.
The man obeyed
Kaka Saheb and as a result started earning a lot. Baba's blessings, even in the
form of hitting him, changed his destiny.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 17
Topic :
Baba's Portrait
Sri Sai Baba's
staunch devotee, Moreshwar Pradhan wanted to make a big portrait of Baba in the
form of an oil painting. So he sent for Shri Shama Rao V.R. Jaykar who was an
established painter to make his portrait. In the Masjid, Baba and Jaykar
observed each other closely. It was necessary to take Baba's permission before
making His portrait. Hence on Jaykar's request Shama asked Baba to give
permission for the making of his portrait. Baba said to Shama, "I am a
poor Fakir. What good would my picture do to you? Instead you ask this
man to sketch your own picture." But when Shama insisted Baba agreed to
pose for the picture. After obtaining Baba's permission, Jaykar made four
portraits instead of one. Out of these, Shri Pradhan took two, one was given to
Kaka Saheb Dixit by Baba, and the remaining one was established in front of the
Dhuni in the Masjid after Baba took Samadhi. This portrait
can be seen even today in Dwarkamai in Shirdi and all the devotees who go to
Shirdi can obtain Baba's blessings from this portrait.
Bow to Sri Sai
- Peace be to all
Chapter 18
Subject :
1) Help in Education
2) Shri Shevade
3) Kaka Saheb's
Son's examination
4) Master
Tarkhad
5) Master J.P
Savant
6) Babu
Tendulkar
Dear children!
Baba always said that we should do our duty fearlessly. It is for God to give
us the suitable reward. When we fail, we blame God without realizing to analyze
if we had put in the effort to succeed or not. If your intentions are good the
result will always be good. God has made us capable to distinguish between good
and bad. We, in our lives, also face the results of the Karmas of our
previous birth. There is only one way to rid us of our past sins and this is to
take shelter in God. For instance, a child might not achieve success even after
working very hard. It is predestined for us to be born in a very poor family or
in a king's house. But I strongly believe that a child who has left his fate in
Baba's hands would always prosper spiritually and physically.
Before Sai Baba
took Samadhi, parents and children used to go to Him to seek His
blessings for success in their examination. Baba always gave the children His
blessings to succeed in their endeavours. We are going to narrate a few such
examples and hope that it will make you believe that with full faith in Baba
you can expect success in every sphere of life.
On of Sri Sai
Baba's staunch devotees, Shri Shevade, was pursuing Law. A few days before the
examination, the students had a discussion on their subjects and it was
unanimously accepted that Shri Shevade's knowledge of the subjects was not upto
the mark and his success in the examination was doubtful. When all his friends
and especially Shri Saptanekar made fun of him, Shri Shevade felt bad and said,
"My success in the examination is definite as Sri Sai Baba has assured me.
My Baba is the only person to give success to anybody/' Shri Saptanekar asked
him anxiously, "Who is this Sri Sai Baba?" Shri Shevade told him that
he was a Fakir who lived in a Masjid at Shirdi. Shevade said,
"He is an extraordinary saint and only a lucky few can get his Darshan.
I have full faith in Him. His words are always the supreme truth. He has
promised me that I will achieve success in this examination/' When the results
came, it was observed that Shri Shevade had passed all the examinations and
seeing this everyone was surprised.
Children! It
may be true that Shri Shevade's preparation was not upto the mark but his firm
faith in Sri Sai Baba made him succeed. It was also not possible to succeed if
he had not prepared at all. Baba will only help you if you yourself make a genuine
effort. I have experienced this myself in my life that Baba never lets His
devotees down. On one occasion, Baba himself said, "When my devotee
believes in me and makes me the only focus in life, I will always be there by
his side in his every hour of need. I shall sacrifice everything I can, to
fulfill my promise. My words will never be untrue”
Dear children!
We will conclude by saying that Baba is present even now and is helping his
devotees like He used to when He was in the human form. You yourself can
experience it by displaying true faith in Him.
Kaka Saheb's
Son's Examination
In 1913, when
Kaka Saheb was in Shirdi his son was ill in Bandra. Dixit Saheb received a
letter from Bandra in this regard and he ran to Baba to show him the letter and
take permission to return to Bandra. Upon his reaching there Baba said,
"Call the boy here."
Shri Dixit
wrote back a letter asking for the boy to be brought to Shirdi. But a reply was
received from there that the examinations were approaching and there was scarcity
of medicines and study material in Shirdi and as such it was not a suitable
place for the child's mental and physical health.
Baba still
insisted, "It does not matter. Send for the boy”
As soon as the
boy reached Shirdi, his health started improving. After some days a letter was
received from Bandra that the date of examination was 2.11.1913 and they should
send the child back soon.
Baba said,
"Don't send the child”
Again, a letter
was received stating that the date of the examination had been postponed from
2.11.1913 to 611.1913 and they should send the child immediately.
Baba again
said, "Have patience. Let us wait for a while and see."
Once again a
letter was received that the examination would finally commence on 13.11.1913.
This time Baba
said, "Send him immediately."
The boy reached
back and appeared in the examination and he fared well enough to clear his
examination.
A resident of
Mumbai, Shri Tarkhad used to give Roti/Chapati to the crow. One day Baba
said to him, "I go to your house everyday and get Chapati.”
As we have
already stated, Saints are born for a cause and leave their bodies themselves
when the time comes, having done what they were born to do. Now the question
arises, when God, Parmatma (The Supreme Being) is there and is formless
and omnipresent then why is it necessary for Him to take human form in order to
achieve any objective? He can do his work without any physical existence. When
Saints adopt this materialistic world, they set an example for others by doing bhakti
before their devotees. They help their devotees to attain moksha by
following the righteous path. Sri Sai Baba, being a God Himself always used to
say, "I am a servant of Allah. Allah will do good." He was the one
who controlled the Universe but would always say that He was a servant of God.
Whatever one demanded from Baba he got it. One day Baba was sitting in the
mosque with someone called Bade Baba and the other devotees. Often Baba
used to give money to Bade Baba and accompanied him half way to his
home. At that time, a person entered the mosque and after greeting Baba said,
"Baba, you had appeared in person in front of my house. Please do tell my
friend that it happened so. Baba replied affirmatively. On hearing this, Bade
Baba got angry and said, "I have been in contact with you for a
long time, but you have never appeared before me and you appeared in front of
this man” Baba said, "I give whatever one demands from me. He had asked
for me to appear in front of him and I did so. You give more importance to
money thus I give you the same”
A family used
to live in Vikhroli area of Mumbai. All the members of this family were staunch
devotees of Baba. In 1985, J.R Savant was only 15 years old and was studying in
10th class. Just one day before the examination Savant fell ill with high
fever. He became extremely worried about his examinations and began to weep.
Because of non-availability of the doctor at night, his condition became more
serious. Smt. Savant was perturbed at her son's condition. She prayed to Sai
Baba and applied Baba's udi brought from Shirdi, on the child's forehead
and gave a part of it mixed with water to him. After taking the udi his
fever abated and the next day he took his examination properly. After clearing
this examination, he became a stronger devotee of Baba and always started
reciting Baba's name.
Inspite of the
unfavourable stars of Savant, Baba cured him and made him clear the
examination. Such are the miracles of Sai Nath and we will never be able to pay
back his debts to this world.
The Tendulkar
family of Bandra was great devotees of Sri Sai Baba. Shri Raghunath Rao
Tendulkar had also written a book named 'Shri Sai Nath Bhajan Mala'. His
elder son, Shri Babu Tendulkar, was working hard for the medical entrance
examination. He showed his horoscope to many astrologers, but everyone told him
that this year his stars were not favourable. So he was told that it would be
better for him to sit in the examination next year. Hearing this, Babu was disappointed
and became tensed. After some time Babu's mother went to Shirdi to see Baba and
there she told Baba about her son's disappointment. After hearing her
difficulty Baba said, "Tell your son to have full faith in me. Tell him to
throw away all the horoscopes and shun the predictions made by the astrologers
and to practise his course-work regularly. If he works hard he shall definitely
get through the examination”
Hearing Baba's
message from his mother, Babu worked hard and cleared the written as well as
the oral tests. In spite of his unlucky stars as per his horoscope, he achieved
success in his examination. Children ! If we have full faith in Baba and try to
achieve our goals with genuine efforts, we will always be successful.
Bow to Sri Sai – Peace be to all
Chapter 19
Topic :
Sleeping Process of Baba
After many
years of living in Shirdi, Baba started sleeping in a very special way. He hung
a flat wooden piece on the walls of the Masjid and started sleeping on
it. That piece measured about four hands long and one beeta broad and
there were four earthen lamps burning on its four corners. Seeing Baba sleeping
on that bed the devotees used to get surprised. To witness this, millions of
people used to come everyday to the Masjid. Although Baba had many
supernatural powers, he never misused them or showed them off. Thus after
sometime he himself broke his bed.
Baba used to
hardly sleep at night but would rather meditate the whole night and was always
worried and concerned about his devotees.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 20
Topic :
Shri Sant Ram Nachane
In 1913, when Shri Sant Ram Nachane came to Shirdi, Baba said to him, "We should not trust a mad man." Hearing these words Nachane thought, that Baba had warned him about some impending danger and it so happened. In 1914, when Nachane, who was the head cashier in Dahanu, was worshiping, a mad man named Ramkrishna Panse was standing next to his place of worship. He had to do that very often and had never hurt anybody in the past. Nachane noticed him, but he remained busy in his daily routine of worship. Suddenly, that man came inside and grabbing Nachane's neck and said, "I will kill you” Nachane's mother reached there timely and set him free from the mad man. Nachane became unconscious ior sometime, but then he recovered soon. After this incident, when Sant Ram Nachane went to Shirdi, Baba said to Anna Cliichnikar pointing towards Nachane, "If I had been slightly late this man would have died. A mad man choked his throat and then immediately I ran for his help. But what can be done? If I don't protect my own children, then who will save them ?
Bow to Sri Sai – Peace be to all
Chapter 21
Subject :
1) Dhooliya's Shri
Raoji Balkrishna Upasani
Dhooliya's Shri Raoji Balkrishna Upasani
In the year
1913, the younger son of Shri Raoji Balkrishna Upasani, a resident of the
village of Dhooliya was running very high fever. All the doctors gave up hope
for his survival. Shri Upasani then prayed to Baba. Baba appeared in front of
him at 2 O'clock at night and while applying Udi to the ailing boy said,
"Now there is nothing to worry. In next two hours, he will be better and
he will be absolutely alright by morning. After he gets alright bring him to me
in Shirdi”
In the morning
Raoji found that his son's condition was stable. On 8.3.1913, Shama wrote a
letter to Raoji from Shirdi, "Baba has said, I went to your friend's house
in Dhooliya. I (Shama) asked Who was that friend? Baba said Upasani Balkrishna
Raoji and I have been visiting his house everyday. It will be nice, if you
write a letter to him. Thus I am writing this letter to you."
Fifteen days
later, when Raoji and his son were going to
Shirdi on a horse cart their driver was
taking a lot of time on the way. In Shirdi, at the time of Aarti (prayer),
Baba said to Shama, "Shama! Wait for a while before starting the prayer.
Your friend from Dhooliya is coming. The horse cart driver is taking a lot of
time on the way” At the time of offering Prasad both father and son
reached Shirdi.
Baba looking at
the boy Baba said, "When you were ill, I came to Dhooliya. Do you
remember?"
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 22
Subject :
1) Shri Lakshman
Vithal Nadkar
Shri Lakshman Vithal Nadkar
In 1915, Shri
Lakshman Vithal Nadkar, along with his family came to Shirdi to seek Baba's
blessings. After they stayed in Shirdi for some days, Baba asked them to leave
Shirdi. But they continued staying in Shirdi and did not leave as per Baba's
desire.
One day Baba
was going to Lendi Bagh with his devotees, He saw Nadkar and said, "You
have still not left, leave at once” In those days, the Godavari river had to be
crossed on small boats. On reaching there, all the boatmen refused to take
Nadkar and his family across the river. Shri Nadkar stood there on the banks of
the river and began to think that now we won't be able to reach Manmad in time
and thus will miss the train. He regretted not listening to Baba and wondered
how he would spend a night in the jungle with his family. He begged for
forgiveness to Baba and prayed to Him for help. Suddenly Mamlatdar from
Kopargaon reached there and on Shri Nadkar's request agreed to take him across
the river on his boat. On reaching the railway station, he found that there was
a great crowd. On inquiring from somebody, he found that the train was late by
two hours. Later, they reached Mumbai by train. In this way Baba helped Shri
Nadkar and his family to reach back in time and saved them the discomfort.
Bow to Sri Sai
– Peace be to all.
Chapter 23
Subject :
1) Hari Ka Beta, Zari Ka
Fenta
Hart Ka Beta, Zari Ka Fenta
In Mumbai, Shri
Hari Kanoba's friends and relatives told him about Sri Sai Baba's miraculous
powers but Shri Kanoba was suspicious by nature. He decided to go to Shirdi and
test Baba. He reached Shirdi with some of his friends. At that time he was
wearing a turban of Zari and new sandals on his feet.
On reaching the
Masjid he respectfully bowed to Baba but his mind was on his new
sandals, which were kept outside. He was doubtful that someone might steal his
new sandals. When he returned after taking Udi and the Prasad, he
found that his sandals were not there.
He returned to
his place and had food. One Marathi boy came to him and said, "Hari Ka
Beta, Zari Ka Fenta." That boy told everybody present there that Baba
had instructed him to hold a stick with the sandals tied to it in his hands and
keep on saying 'Hari Ka Beta, Zari Ka Fenta' wherever he went. Baba had
told tjie boy that when anybody asked for the sandals, the boy should ask that
person whether his name was Hari and if he was the son of Kanoba. Baba also
told the boy to see whether the person was wearing a Zari turban and only then
was the boy allowed to hand over the sandals to him. Hearing the words of the
Marathi boy, Hari Kanoba was very pleased but was also very surprised.
He wondered how Baba came to know about him and his father's name as nobody had
mentioned their names. Moreover this was their first visit to Shirdi. He had
come to Shirdi to test Baba. He got to know that Baba is omniscient and became
his great devotee.
Children, we
know of some people who came to Shirdi to test Baba, but they became his great
devotees. We should worship Lord Sai Baba earnestly and should not be
suspicious about his miraculous marvels.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 24
Topic :
Shri Cholkar's Tea
One may or may
not agree, but time, which is so powerful, affects our lives in a major way. If
the time is good, we will be devoted towards God and have firm faith and
conviction in Him. We will also meet similar people in life.
Similarly,
there was a very poor man who was a temporary employee in the civil courts of
Thane. One day he went to Shri Kopineshwar temple to listen to the Bhajans by
Shri Dasganu. He was Baba's devotee so he prayed to Baba that, "Oh! Baba.
I am a very poor man and am unable to support my family. If, with your
blessings, I pass my interview I will touch your feet and distribute sugar
candy in your name”
Because of
Baba's grace Shri Cholkar not only passed the interview but got a permanent
posting as well. Now he had to fulfill his vow and so he began to save money.
One of his ways to save money was that he started taking tea without sugar.
Whatever he saved in this manner, he collected it and reached Shirdi. He went
straight to the Masjid and bowed his head at Baba’s feet and offered Him
the sugar candy (a piece of sugar). At that time Baba’s devotee Shri Bapu Saheb
Jog was also present there. Baba asked Bapu Saheb Jog to show Shri Cholkar the
village of Shirdi and to serve him tea with more than enough sugar.
On hearing this, Cholkar started
crying and he fell on Baba’s feet mesmerised by His powers.
Bow to Sri Sai – Peace be to all
Chapter 25
Topic :
1) Smt. Dev's Udyapan
Festival
Dev's Udyapan Festival
Baba never
propagated religious fasting, but if some devotee wished to do so for any other
deity, Baba always said that one should have firm faith, more than anything
else, in one's God and should never let go of His thoughts. The mother of Shri
B.V. Dev, who was Mamlatdar of Dahanu (District Thane), had kept about 25-30
fasts and wanted to do the concluding ceremony. In this ceremony, about 200
people were expected to participate in the Udyapan for dinner. Shri B.V.
Dev fixed a date and wrote a letter to Bapu Saheb Jog, a resident of Shirdi
that said, "Kindly invite Sri Sai Baba on my behalf and request Him to
visit Dahanu and participate in the Udyapan ceremony. Bapu Saheb Jog
read the letter aloud to Baba. Baba said, "I am always present for
everyone who remembers me and calls me with love and devotion. I do not require
any conveyance to go there. Whoever calls me affectionately, I present myself
before him in no time. Send him a letter saying that I will reach there along
with two other persons." Jog wrote a letter to Shri Dev, as instructed by
Baba and posted it. On receiving the letter Shri Dev became very happy. However
he was slightly confused as he knew very well that Baba never went anywhere
beyond Rahata/ Rui, and Neem Gaon. But nothing is impossible for God. He is
omnipresent/ therefore he can appear anywhere anytime and in any form.
A few days
before the Udyapan ceremony one saintly person arrived at the station
and was dressed in Bengali attire. Fie went straight away to the station master
and started asking for donation. The station master suggested him to go to the
Mamlatdar. Suddenly the Mamlatdar also reached there. He told the saintly
person that a senior citizen named Sri Rao Saheb Narottam Sethi of this village
had already prepared a list of names based on which donations were made for
religious purposes and it won't be fair to prepare another name list. He told
the saint to come after two or four months. Hearing this the recluse went away
from there and he returned to the Mamlatdar after a month. Seeing him the
Mamlatdar thought that the saint had come to collect donation. But the recluse
said to the Mamlatdar "I have not come here for any sort of contribution
but have come to have food” Dev said "You're welcome” The recluse said
"I have two children with me” Shri Dev said "It will take some time
to prepare the meals. So if you say then I will send someone to call the
children?” The recluse told Dev "You don't worry. We will reach here in
time." At sharp 12 noon all the three came there and returned after taking
their meals.
After the completion of the Udyapan
ceremony, Shri Dev wrote a letter to Bapu Saheb Jog saying, “Baba has not kept
his promise. He did not attend our ceremony." Jog went to the Masjid and
began to read the letter in front of Baba. Even before he could start reading
out the letter, Baba said to Jog, "I have kept my promise. As per my
statement, I went there to take meals along with two persons. Ask him if he met
a saint with two boys there? Tell him it is of no use if he does not recognize
me after giving me the invitation? Always remember that I shall sacrifice
anything to fulfill my promise and my words will never be untrue”
Hearing these
words Jog was pleased and he immediately wrote back a reply to Shri Dev. After
reading the letter, tears welled up in Dev's eyes and he became angry with
himself. He thought that how could he have been so foolish and not be able to
understand that the saint was none other than Baba Himself. He felt worse as
Baba had mentioned in His earlier letter that He would come with two more
people and that is how it happened.
Children! It is
evident from the above story that we should have full faith in Sai Baba's
words. Baba's appearing in your dream can change your life and rid you of your
sins. It is even a greater blessing to be able to offer meals to Baba. In
reality, Shri Dev was lucky as he had these special blessings of Baba.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 26
Topic :
An Iranian Girl
Sri Sai Baba
loved children very much and was always worried and concerned about them. He
helped his devotees all over the world, for example, he helped an Iranian girl
who was suffering very badly. The Iranian family's younger daughter used to
have convulsions every hour and as a result she would faint very often. When
she got the convulsions, she would become unconscious and it was difficult for
her to do anything. The girl's father tried every treatment, but it was of no
use. Sri Sai Baba's devotees informed the girl's parents about Baba's powers
and also about the divine healing effect of the Udi (ashes from Baba's
Dhuni). They told him that he could get this Udi from Shri Kaka Saheb
Dixit, a resident of Ville Parle. The Iranian man took the Udi from Kaka
Saheb and mixed it with water and gave it to his ailing daughter.
After taking
the Udi, the Iranian girl who initially got convulsions every hour would
now get convulsions in intervals of 7-8 hours. A little while later they
stopped altogether. Like this Sri Sai cured the girl by giving her blessings in
the form of the Udi (ashes).
Bow to Sri Sai – Peace be to all
Chapter 27
Subject :
1. Baba's Food
2. Protection of Children
As we have
already described, Sri Sai Baba used to have very little food, which he got
from the two or three regular houses he used to visit for Bhiksha. The
whole food was collected and kept in a Kundi (a vessel of clay) from
where anybody including the dogs, cats, crows, etc. could take the food. After
some years, Baba started cooking the food in the Masjid. He used to go
to the market in Shirdi with Madhav Fasle and buy grains, flour, salt, chilies,
cumin seed and coconut. He used to grind the spices Himself. In the courtyard
of the Masjid He made a Bliatti (a fireplace made of clay on
which the food is cooked). Baba had two Handees, one a big one and the
other a smaller one. In one Handee food was prepared for about 100
people and in the other for about 500 people. This Handee is still kept
in the Samadhi temple. Baba sometimes prepared sweet rice, pulao and Chhachh
(a cooling drink made from milk) and distributed it among the devotees. He
always mixed Gur and sugar in food and sometimes put his hand in the
boiling food in the Handee and stirred it. When food was ready, He first
offered it to Allah, and then distributed it to the devotees who were present
there. Those people were very lucky who got to have the food served by Baba
Himself. It is believed that this food gave spiritual bliss to the devotees.
Sri Sai Baba always
said that donation of food is the best form of donation. Whenever someone comes
to you asking for food, give him your food also. By this Sri Hari will be very
happy with you. Before you start eating, you should first serve the food to the
poor, helpless and disabled people followed by the others around you and
finally to your relatives. If you give anything to someone, God will repay you.
Upon seeing a
child one day Baba said, "We should take care of our children” After a few
days, the same child was walking on a path filled with water due to the heavy
rains. On one side of the path there was a five feet deep pit which was dug for
constructing a house. Due to the heavy rain the pit was full of water and hence
one could not know whether the pit existed or not. This child, who must have
been about 3 to 4 years old, fell into it. He did not know how to swim and
unfortunately nobody else was present there to help him. In such a situation it
would normally be expected that the child would drown, but it was not to happen
like that and he came up. By the time the boy was coming out of the pit, a
crowd had gathered. Everybody present was shocked to see how this child could
survive and they asked him that how did he manage to come up. He replied that
upon falling in the pit he remembered Baba, who told him about the staircase
that was made in one corner of the pit. He used that staircase to climb out.
There was a
girl of 3 years of age, named Shanti Kirvendkar in Shirdi who used to call Baba
her brother. One day her foot slipped and she fell into the well. All the
people nearby rushed to the spot. When they reached there they were amazed to
see that neither did she get any injury nor did she drown. She was holding a
piece of the wall, which was protruding out just above the water. Everyone
asked her that how did she come out of this without any injury. She replied
that when she fell into the well, she called out to Baba and it was He who held
her in His arms and lifted her up. There is absolutely no doubt that it had to
be nothing else but Baba's protective shield that saved the girl.
There was a
very famous advocate whose name was H.S. Dixit and he was a resident of Mumbai.
Having given up the worldly matters, he was in search of spiritual enlightenment
under Baba's guidance. To develop his inner consciousness one day Baba said,
"Kaka, why do you worry? The whole responsibility is on Me." Shri
H.S. Dixit nodded his head, but he could not make out what Baba meant. Why did
Baba speak these words, especially, on that day? After some days, when he went
to Ville Parle to see his wife and children, he came to know that on the day
Baba had spoken these words, his 7 year old daughter met with an accident. The
girl was playing near a cupboard filled with toys and it fell on her. Amazingly
the girl was not injured except that her bangles broke and because of that her
arm got slightly scratched. It seems that all that heavy weight which had
fallen on her, was made light by Baba. Then Shri Dixit realized the true
meaning of Baba's words spoken on that day.
One lady of
Mumbai and her son were staunch devotees of Baba. One morning when the two of
them were visiting Baba in the Masjid, He told them to come again at 2
O'clock in the afternoon. When they reached the Masjid, in the
afternoon, Baba asked the boy to sit on the mat besides Him and not to move
without His permission. At about 3 O'clock, one dangerous and ugly looking lady
with flowing, unkempt hair jumped from the wall of the Masjid and came
inside. She came near the boy and said, "I want to take him away” Baba
said, "No". But she did not listen and ran to snatch the boy. Baba
stood in front of the boy and hit her with His leg. She let out a loud cry and
disappeared from the Masjid. Later on Baba told them that the lady was
the Devi of cholera and had come to infect the boy with the germs. Thus
Baba saved the child.
The devotees
have had many experiences but it is difficult to narrate each and every
incident. As long as it is possible we will try our best to explain them one by
one. God makes us experience His divine interventions in our lives to
strengthen our faith and make us strong. We should not indulge in trivial
matters but should rather describe the mystical incidents among other devotees
and those who are not aware of Baba. This is known as Shravan-Manan of
God's divine activities. It is bound to be good for you. The function of the
brain is to think and that of the body is to run. If the brain always thinks of
God's divinity and the body runs to rest at the feet of Baba, it is as good as
attaining salvation.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 28
Subject :
1) Story of
Veerbhadrappa and Chenbasappa
Story of Veerbhadrappa and Chenbasappa
Did Sri Sai Baba have only a single human form? He has himself answered this question in various instances. Children! Baba was not only kind and affectionate towards human beings but he also loved animals, birds, flowers and other various creations of this universe. In fact, this universe was a part of Him and will always remain a part of Him.
Usually it used
to be crowded in the Masjid. Devotees and their children would
encircle Baba and sit around Him. Some devotees stared at His face and would
start crying out of devotion. The children would climb Baba's shoulders and
would play with His hands and feet.
Sri Sai was
omniscient and a perfect God and His divine acts speak of it. He surprised
everybody around by telling the people stories of their previous birth. One
such story which Baba narrated Himself is given below:
"One day
in the morning, after having breakfast I
went outside for a walk. While I was wandering I came upon a river. I
was really tired so I decided to take rest near the river. The water looked
refreshingly tempting so I took a bath in the river and all my tiredness was
gone. There were trees on the banks of the river. A slow breeze was blowing and
its touch cooled the body. I sat down to prepare the Chillum when
suddenly I heard the croaking of a frog. I continued lighting the Chillum using
two stones. Suddenly a stranger came to me and invited me to have food in his
house. He lit the Chillum and passed it to me. He was talking to me when
again the frog croaked bitterly. The man looked at me curiously. I answered his
querying glance by telling him that this particular frog was in pain and was
suffering the sins of his previous birth. Everyone has to suffer the sins of
their previous birth, so there is no vise crying. He enjoyed a puff and offered
the Chillum to me while deciding to go ahead to find out why the frog
was crying. Upon moving forward he found that a snake had caught the frog in
its mouth. He returned immediately and told me that a snake was about to
swallow the frog. I at once said that it couldn't happen because I am his
protector as well as his Father. I went forward and upon reaching near the
snake I said, 'Oh! Veerbhadrappa now give up your enmity and start living
peacefully. You haven't changed a bit even after all this suffering.' Hearing
my words the snake left the frog and slid into the river. The poor frog also
went away and hid in the bushes. The man, who was watching all this quite
keenly was amazed at how the snake left the frog after hearing My words and
wondered who Veerbhadrappa was? What was the reason of their fight? I returned
along with him and sat under the tree and started narrating him the story of
Veerbhadrappa.
About 4-5 miles
away from my house, there was a holy place where a temple of Lord Shiva was
made. The temple was not in a good condition and so the people of that place
decided to rebuild it.
They started
collecting donations for this noble work and the Seth of that place was
appointed as the treasurer. The Seth was a great miser and was also
extremely greedy. He cunningly grabbed all the donations without anyone's
knowledge. The temple remained in its former condition. Once again the
villagers went to the Seth and urged him to expedite the reconstruction
of the temple. The Seth convinced the people to give him more money to
start the work. But his intentions were still not right and he again acted
deceitfully. He took the money and again kept quiet about the whole issue.
After some
days, Lord Shiva Himself appeared in the dream of the Seih's wife and
said, 'Offer a Kalash in the temple. Whatever expenses you incur for
this, I shall give you back a hundred times of that/ The wife informed her
husband about the dream. After hearing her story the Seth said, 'Is it
actually possible? Well, if God really wants us to donate a Kalash, He
can come and tell me to do so in my dream too. This dream is not correct and
you just forget about it/ God is never interested in the gift, which is offered
without the devotee's wish. God is more appreciative of love and devotion. To
Him even a very small thing given as a token of love is more precious than any
riches. Lord Shiva again appeared in the dream of the Sethani and said,
'Don't listen to your husband. Start collecting the money yourself for making
the Kalash. I am fond of your love & devotion. Whatever you want to
spend, spend from your own side. After this dream she decided to sell her
ornaments in order to obtain money for the Kalash. When the Seth got
to know of his wife's plan he purchased all the ornaments from her for a
thousand rupees. The Seth then took those thousand rupees in lieu of the
land, which he sold to his wife for making temple. However in reality this was
not the Seth's own land. The land belonged to Dnbki, a poor lady who had
mortgaged it with the Seth. Dubki had not repaid the Seth's loan
and taking advantage of that, the Seth disposed of her land. The Seth
gave this stony infertile land to the Pujari (caretaker of the
temple) to build the temple.
After a few
days a strange incident occurred. An extremely powerful storm broke out and it
was accompanied by terrifying lightning. Unfortunately a bolt of lightning fell
on the Seth's house he and his wife died. As more time passed Dubki, who
was quite old, also died. In his next birth, the Seth was born in
Mathura in a Brahmin family and his name was Veerbhadrappa. His wife of the
previous birth was born in the house of a Pujari and her name was Gouri.
Dubki was born as a male in the Sevak community of the temple and his name was
Chenbasappa. The Pujari was my friend and he used to come to my house
and have Chillim with me. We would smoke and gossip for hours. His
daughter Gouri was also my devotee. Gouri was growing older therefore the Pujari
was worried about her marriage. He consulted me on this matter and I told
him not to worry, as a suitable match would come to his house when the time is
right. A few days later a boy of their caste, whose name was Veerbhadrappa,
came to their house asking for alms and in the process he also demanded Gouri's
hand for marriage. After taking my permission Gouri was married to
Veerbhadrappa. Initially Veerbhadrappa was my devotee but later on his
intentions were more inclined to the material comforts of life. His greed for
money had still not finished and he asked me to suggest him some business. Once again a mysterious incident
happened and suddenly prices of everything rose. In this financial upheaval
Gouri's luck shone and the price of her land (which was bought by Gouri. in her
previous birth as the Seth's wife for a thousand rupees) shot up to one
lakh rupees. The land was sold for one lakh rupees and it was decided that Rs.
50,000 would be paid in cash and Rs 2,000 per year as installment. Everyone
liked this proposal but as it often happens, money matters give rise to
conflicts. They came to me for taking the decision and my reply was that the
land belonged to Gouri so the money also belonged to Gouri. It would not be
correct to spend even a single against Gouri's wishes. Hearing this
Veerbhadrappa became very angry and started abusing me. Gouri didn't like her
husband's behaviour so she came to me and apologized on his behalf and
requested me to continue to bless her and her family in the future also. I
assured her that I would stand by her whenever and wherever required. On that
night only, Gouri had a dream. Lord Shiva came Himself and said, 'It is your
own property and do not give anything to anybody. Take Chenbasappa's advice and
spend a part of it for temple work. If you would like to spend it on anything
else, you can take my advice by speaking to Baba as you will find me in Him.
The next day Gouri narrated her dream to me and I suggested that she should
keep the principal amount herself and pay half of the interest earned to
Chenbasappa. Veerbhadrappa had no right on this amount. When I was telling this
to her, Veerbhadrappa and Chenbasappa entered and it was obvious that they had
been fighting with each other. I pacified both of them and narrated Gouri's
dream to them. On hearing about the dream, Veerbhadrappa lost his temper and
threatened to kill Chenbasappa. Chenbasappa was a coward and when he thought
about being killed he started crying for help by holding My feet. I made sure
that he was in my protective shield. After some time passed both of them died.
Veerbhadrappa became a snake and Chenbasappa became a frog. Today when I heard
Chenbasappa's voice, it reminded Me of my promise and I saved him. All this is
God's miracle.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 29
Subject :
Shri Sai Baba's Samadhi
Children! On
the afternoon of the Dussehra day, the 15th of October 1918, at 2:30 PM Baba
left His body. This event is explained at length in our book titled "Karunamai
Sri Sai Baba".
All living
beings, whether man or animal, take birth in one form or another to complete
the duties they are destined to perform. This cycle of rebirth continues till
the time one is not able to balance his sins with his good deeds. When God
takes the form of a living being, He does so to teach us the righteous path. It
is for our benefit that God appears in a living form. It is only for this
reason that it is said that saintly people should be immortalized so that they
can continue to shower this world with their blessings. The various experiences
of the devotees indicate that Baba lives amongst us and will continue to bless
us and protect us. Baba Himself has said to His great devotee Madhav Rao
Deshpande, "Shama, you have been with Me for the past 72 births. You are
my own child.”
People of
Shirdl said that Baba had given up His life in order to save Tatya Patil. At
one time Tatya Patil was seriously ill and it was quite certain that he was
going to die. Baba had told Ramchandra Dada Patil that in 1918, on the day of
Dussehra, Tatya would die. But on that day of VijayadasJimi (Dussehra)
Tatya seemed absolutely hale and hearty but Baba left His body at 2.30 PM by
taking Samadhi. It is obvious that Baba took it upon Himself to change
the destiny of Tatya. He can sacrifice anything for the well being of His
devotees.
Before giving
up His body on 28th September 1918, Baba had high fever and He had stopped
taking food. He was becoming weaker and weaker day by day. Fifteen days before
taking Samadhi, Baba called His devotee Shri Vajhe and asked him to read
'Ram Vijay'. Shri Vajhe continuously read for 6 days and then Baba gave
him permission to take rest. 10-12 days before Dussehra, Madhav Fasle
accidently broke Baba's 'Sangati' (a brick) while cleaning the Masjid.
On returning from Lendi Bagh, Baba saw the broken brick and at once said,
"My luck has left me. 'Saubat Tootlee'' This was the same brick
which Baba brought with Him when He came to Shirdi and He would always keep it
under His head in the Masjid or the Chavadi. Next day Kaka Saheb
Dixit asked Baba to give him permission to have the brick fixed by putting silver
screws. Baba replied that it would be of no use now. A few days before the
brick broke, Baba had called Mhalsapati and said, "Bhakt! I am
going to go somewhere within a few days time, but you must keep on coming to
Dwarkamai for the next two to four years. Exactly four years after Baba's Samadhi,
Shri Mhalsapati also passed away
Seven days
before Baba's Samadhi, some hunters brought a lion, tied up in chains,
in front of Baba. The lion was quite seriously injured and he looked pleadingly
at Sri Sai Baba who looked back at him. Baba said to the hunters, "He has
repaid your debts. You should let go of him immediately." As soon as Baba
said this, the lion slumped to the ground and died. Baba relieved the poor
creature from his pain and suffering and ended his misery.
On 15th October
1918, on the day of Dussehra, Sri Sai Baba gave nine coins as Nav Bhakti to
Lakshmi Bai and at 2.30 pm, He gave up His body in Bayaji's lap. Baba's body
was kept in a temple made by Shri Booti Saheb and the Samadhi was
constructed over it. Today millions of people come to see Baba's Samadhi and
Baba continues to help His devotees just as He always used to promise.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 30
Subject :
Baba and Master Suhaas
This is a true experience
of a boy named Suhaas who is four and a half-year old, and whom Baba has given
His Darshan in person and saved his life. Suhaas's father, Shri Jaywant
Pawar, was Vice Chairman in the Thane District Council. On 24th January 1981,
it was observed that Suhaas was running high fever and his condition was
serious. His father admitted him in Dr. Aggarwal's hospital in Thane, where he
stayed till 13th February 1981. He became even more serious during these days.
During the daytime he would be alright but at night, when he tried to sleep, he
would have great difficulty in breathing and would have to sit up all through
the night. He could not sleep properly and as a result he was becoming weak day
by day. His father could not see his condition and prayed earnestly to Baba for
his life. All types of medicines were given to him and all sorts of tests and
x-rays were carried out, but all was futile. His condition didn't improve at
all.
After finding
out from a lot of people, Suhaas's father got his son's medical checkup done in
the hospital of the famous child specialist, Dr. Merchant. The doctor did every
test possible but could not determine the factual reason responsible for the
child's severe condition. Due to this he did not even admit Suhaas in the hospital.
Suhaas's father took him to his relative in Bandra. There they met Dr. Jayant
Rao Jadav, who had been Suhaas's father's friend since many years. He went with
them and admitted Suhaas to the hospital. This time when Dr. Merchant saw the
child breathing loudly, he changed his mind and agreed to do the treatment. He
told Dr. Jadav that if all the major tests had already been done, then the last
test left to conduct was the bronchoscopy test. It was hoped that this might
help Suhaas in receiving proper treatment. It was decided to conduct this test
the very next day The next day the operation could not be done as firstly,
Suhaas ate breakfast whereas the test was to be done on an empty stomach and
secondly, Suhaas's father got stuck with some urgent work and could not be
present. But on the night of 14th February 1981, in Wadia Hospital, Parel,
Mumbai, Baba gave His Darshan to master Suhaas. It so happened that at
about 3.00 AM Suhaas's condition suddenly deteriorated and he had to be given
oxygen. His parents were watching him from outside because he was in the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU). But Dr. Jadav was with Suhaas. Suddenly Suhaas said
to the doctor, "Doctor Kaka, get up from your chair and see, Sri Sai Baba
has come. Let Him sit here. We must respect Him” Dr. Jadav thought that Suhaas
was saying these words in his medicine induced semi-conscious state. He then
asked him, "Son, what are you saying? Where is Sri Sai Baba? I cannot see
Him anywhere around here?"
Suhaas replied
very intelligently, "Doctor Kaka, Sai Baba is here only. He is standing
right besides you. I can see him clearly. Why don't you offer your seat to
Him." Dr. Jadav thought that since Suhaas was a very small child, it might
have been possible that he had heard Baba's name from his elders and it might
be in his subconscious mind. But Baba indeed blessed Suhaas and also saved his
life as the very next day onwards his condition started improving considerably.
Within a short time he was perfectly alright. The day after Suhaas received
Baba's blessings, Dr. Karnik and Dr. Jadav did his bronchoscopy test, which was
successful. In the test it was found that there was a piece of haldi, which was
stuck in his throat, that is why he was having difficulty in breathing. The
piece was removed and Suhaas could lead a perfectly normal life playing and
running with other children. All this was possible due to Baba's blessings
only.
Bow to Sri Sai - Peace be to all
Chapter 31
Subject :
1) Motivator
and Initiator, Most Respectable Sri Shivneshan Swamiji
Motivator and Initiator, Most
Respectable Sri Shivneshan Swamiji
Respected Sri
Shivneshan Swamiji, a resident of Shirdi is both, the writer and the motivator
of this book 'Children's Sri Sai Baba'. The arrival of Swamiji in Shirdi
has been explained fully in our book titled "Karunamai Sri Sai
Baba". He came to Shirdi at the age of 17 years as per the
instructions of Lord Nityananda of Ganeshpuri and lived there for about 40
years. Thinking of Sri Swamiji, one is automatically reminded of Baba's
miracles, which he used to narrate in Shirdi from time to time. His only aim in
life was to make the people aware of Baba's life and miracles. He used to
narrate stories for hours together and informed the devotees about Baba's
miraculous powers. 
Today also his
smiling face comes in front of me. He used to guide the new devotees in Shirdi.
He used to advise them to carry out Dhwri Pooja, see the Khandoba temple
and pray at Nanda Deep and Gurusthan. He himself used to take rounds of
Nanda Deep and Gurusthan throughout the day and night. He used to
fascinate everyone by singing Kabir's songs in Chavadi at 8.00 PM.
Whenever I would talk about the worldly attractions, Swamiji would reply to me,
"You devote yourself to the feet of Baba, He will accomplish all your
tasks. Trust in Him. Whenever he takes hold of one's hand He never leaves
it." Whenever I was in Shirdi, Swamiji would serve us lunch by offering
the food which he had got as alms from the Shirdi village. After lunch, he did
not even hesitate in picking up our soiled utensils. Children, Shivneshan
Swamiji was a pious saint. Infact it is difficult to find a greater devotee of
Baba than Swamiji. There is no doubt in the belief that Baba Himself sends such
divine persons to guide us from time to time. Those devotees who have been able
to meet Swamiji and receive his blessings can consider themselves to be
extremely lucky.
Bow to Sri Sai
- Peace be to all