You can also listen to the free audiobook version of this Chapter on Youtube: Chapter 12
The Experiences of:
- Kaka Mahajani
- Dhumal the Pleader
- Mrs. Nimonkar
- Moolay Shastri
- A Doctor
Now, let us see in this Chapter, how devotees were received and treated by Baba.
A Saint’s Mission
We have seen before that the purpose of Divine Incarnation is to protect the good and destroy the wicked. But the mission of the Saints is quite different. To them the good and the wicked are the same. First they feel for the evil-doers and set them on the right path. They are like the Agasti to destroy the Bhava-sagar (the ocean of worldly existence) or like the Sun to the darkness of ignorance. God dwells in the Saints; In fact, they are not different from Him. Our Sai is one of them and He incarnated for the welfare of His devotees. Supreme in knowledge and surrounded by divine luster, He loved all beings equally. He was unattached; Foes, friends, kings and paupers, were the same to Him. Hear about His powers; For the sake of His devotees, He spent His stock of merits and was always alert to help them. But the devotees could never approach Him unless He meant to receive them. If their turn did not come, Baba did not remember them and His Leelas could not reach their ears. Then how could they think of seeing Him? Some men desired to see Sai Baba, but they did not get an opportunity to receive His darshan before His Mahasamadhi (abandoning his mortal form). There are many such persons whose desire for Baba’s darshan was not thus satisfied. If these persons have true faith in Him and listen to His Leelas, their quest for milk (darshan) will be, to a great extent, satisfied by this butter-milk (Baba’s Leelas). If someone went there by sheer luck and received Baba’s darshan− were they able to stay there longer than He wished? Nobody could go there of his own accord and nobody could stay there longer than Baba wished. They could stay there only as long as Baba permitted them to stay and had to leave the place when asked to do so by Baba. So everything depended on Baba’s will.
Kaka Mahajani
Once, Kaka Mahajani went to Shirdi from Bombay. He wanted to stay there for a week and enjoy the Gokul-Ashtami festival. As soon as he received Baba’s darshan, Baba asked him, “When are you going back home?” He was rather surprised at this question, but he had to answer it. He said that he would go home when Baba ordered him to do so. Baba then said, “Go tomorrow”. Baba’s word was law and had to be obeyed. Kaka Mahajani therefore left Shirdi the next day. When he went to his office in Bombay, he found that his employer was anxiously waiting for him. The manager had suddenly fallen ill and hence Kaka’s presence was absolutely necessary. He had sent a letter to Kaka at Shirdi, which was redirected to him at Bombay.
Bhausaheb Dhumal
Once, Bhausaheb Dhumal, a pleader, was going to Niphad for a case. On the way, he came to Shirdi, received Baba’s darshan and wanted to proceed to Niphad immediately. But Baba did not permit him to do so; Baba made him stay at Shirdi for more than a week. In the meanwhile, the magistrate at Niphad suffered from intense pain in his abdomen and thus the case was adjourned. Mr. Dhumal was then allowed to go and attend to his case. It went on for a few months and was tried by four magistrates; Ultimately, Mr. Dhumal won the case and his client was acquitted.
Mrs. Nimonkar
Mr. Nanasaheb Nimonkar, Watandar of Nimon and an Honorary Magistrate, was staying at Shirdi with his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Nimonkar spent most of their time in the Masjid with Baba and served Him. It so happened that their son fell ill at Belapur and the mother decided, with Baba’s consent, to go to Belapur and see her son and other relatives, and stay there for a few days. But Nanasaheb asked her to return the very next day. The lady was in a fix and did not know what to do. But her God, Sai, came to her assistance. While leaving Shirdi, she went to see Baba who was standing in front of Sathe’s Wada with Mr. Nimonkar and a few others. She prostrated at His Feet and asked for His permission to leave. Baba said to her, “Go quickly; be calm and unperturbed. Stay comfortably at Belapur for four days. See all your relatives and then return to Shirdi.” How opportune were Baba’s words! Nanasaheb’s proposal was overruled by Baba’s decree.
Moolay Shastri of Nasik
An orthodox Agnihotri Brahmin from Nasik, named Moolay Shastri, who had studied the six Shastras and was well-versed in astrology and palmistry, once came to Shirdi to see Mr. Bapusaheb Booty (the famous millionaire from Nagpur). After meeting him, he went with a few others to see Baba in the Masjid. Baba bought various fruits and other things from vendors with His own money and distributed them to the persons present in the Masjid. Baba used to press a mango on all sides so skillfully that when any person received it from Baba and sucked it, he got all the pulp at once in his mouth and could throw away the stone and the skin forthwith. Plantains were peeled by Baba and the kernel was distributed to the devotees, while the skins were retained by Baba for Himself. Moolay Shastri, being a palmist, wanted to read Baba’s palm and requested Him to extend the same. Baba ignored his request and gave him four plantains. Then, they all returned to the Wada and Moolay Shastri bathed, wore sacred clothes and started his routine duties. Then Baba, as usual, started for the Lendi and said, “Take some Geru (a red substance used to dye clothes saffron), we shall don saffron today”. No one understood what Baba meant.
After some time, Baba returned and preparations for the noon-Arati were being made. Bapusaheb Jog asked Moolay Shastri whether he would accompany him for the Arati. Shastri replied that he would see Baba in the afternoon. Very soon, Baba sat on his seat and was being worshipped by His devotees and the Arati commenced. Then Baba said, “Get some Dakshina from the new Brahmin”. Booty himself went to get the Dakshina and when he relayed Baba’s message to Moolay Shastri, Shastri was sorely perplexed. He thought, “I am a pure Agnihotri Brahmin; why should I pay Dakshina? Baba may be a great Saint, but I am not His dependent.” But as a great Saint like Sai Baba was asking for Dakshina through a millionaire like Booty, he could not refuse. So leaving his routine unfinished, he left with Booty to the Masjid. Thinking himself holy and sacred and the Masjid otherwise, he remained at a distance and threw flowers at Baba. Then, all of a sudden, he saw his late Guru Gholap Swami there in place of Baba. He was wonder-struck; Could this be a dream? And how could his late Guru Gholap be there? He was speechless for some time. He pinched himself and looked again, but could not reconcile the fact that his late Guru Gholap was in the Masjid. Ultimately, abandoning all doubt, he went up, fell at his Guru’s feet and then getting up stood there with folded hands. Other people sang Baba’s Arati, while Moolay Shastri chanted his Guru’s name. Then casting off all pride of caste and ideas about sacredness, he fell flat at his Guru’s feet and closed his eyes. When he got up and opened his eyes, he saw Baba asking for Dakshina. Seeing Baba’s blissful form and inconceivable power, Moolay Shastri forgot himself. He was extremely pleased and his eyes were full of tears of joy. He again bowed before Baba and gave Him Dakshina. He said that his doubts were removed and that he saw his own Guru. On seeing this wonderful Leela, everyone was quite moved and they realized the meaning of Baba’s words, “Bring Geru; we shall don saffron today” Such are the wonderful Leelas of Baba.
A Doctor
Once, a Mamlatdar came to Shirdi with a friend who was a Doctor. The Doctor said that his Deity was Rama and that he would not bow before a Muslim, and so he was unwilling to go to Shirdi. The Mamlatdar replied that nobody would press him to bow before Baba; So he should merely come along and provide the pleasure of his company. So they came to Shirdi and went to the Masjid to receive Baba’s darshan. Everyone was wonderstruck to see the Doctor going ahead and bowing before Baba. They asked him how he forgot his resolve and bowed before a Muslim. Then the Doctor replied that he saw his beloved Deity, Rama, on the seat and he therefore prostrated himself before Rama. Then as he was doing this, he saw Sai Baba there again; Rather dismayed, he said, “Is this a dream? How could He be a Muslim? He is a great Yogasampanna (full of Yoga) Avatar.”
The next day, he took a vow and began to fast. He absented himself from the Masjid, resolving not to go there until Baba blessed him. Three days passed and on the fourth day, a close friend of his from Khandesh turned up and he accompanied the friend to the Masjid, to receive Baba’s darshan. After they both bowed before Baba, Baba asked the Doctor whether anybody had come to fetch him. Hearing this vital question, the Doctor was moved. The same night, he was blessed by Baba and he experienced supreme bliss in his sleep. Then he left for his town, where he experienced the same state for a fortnight. Thus, his devotion to Sai Baba increased significantly.
The moral of all the stories mentioned above, especially that of Moolay Shastri, is that we should have firm faith in our Guru and no one else.
More Leelas of Sai Baba will be described in the next Chapter.
Bow to Shri Sai — Peace be to all