You can also listen to the free audiobook version of this Chapter on Youtube: Chapter 5
- Baba’s Return with Chand Patil’s Marriage-party
- How the Fakir Got the Name Sai
- Contact with Other Saints
- His Dress and Daily Routine
- The Story of the Padukas
- Wrestling Bout with Mohdin and Change in His Way of Life
- Turning Water into Oil
- And The Fake Guru Javhar Ali
Return with Chand Patil’s Marriage-Party
As I alluded to in the last Chapter, I shall now describe how Sai Baba returned to Shirdi after His disappearance. In a village called Dhoop, there lived a wealthy Muslim gentleman named Chand Patil. While he was on a trip to Aurangabad, he lost his mare; For two long months he diligently searched, but could not find the lost mare. Very disappointed, he returned from Aurangabad with the saddle on his back. After travelling about 12 miles, he came to a mango tree, under the foot of which sat a rather strange-looking fellow. He had a cap on His head, wore a long robe and had a short stick under His armpit and was preparing to smoke a pipe. On seeing Chand Patil pass by, He called out to him and asked him to have a smoke and to rest a little. The Fakir then asked him about the saddle; Chand Patil replied that it belonged to his horse and that the horse was lost. The Fakir asked him look for the horse at a stream nearby. To Patil’s astonishment, he found the mare by the stream. He then realized that this Fakir was not an ordinary man, but a great saint and He returned to the Fakir with the mare. The Chilim (clay pipe) was ready to be smoked, but two things were missing— a fire to light the pipe and water to wet the piece of cloth through which smoke is drawn. The Fakir took His prong and thrust it forcibly into the ground and out came a live burning coal, which He put on the pipe. Then He dashed His stick on the ground and water began to ooze from that spot on the ground. The cloth was moistened with the water, the water was squeezed out and it was wrapped around the pipe. Once everything was complete, the Fakir smoked His pipe and then gave it to Chand Patil. On seeing all this, Chand Patil was wonder-struck; He requested the Fakir to come to his house and accept his hospitality. The next day, the Fakir went to Patil’s house and stayed there for some time. Patil was a village-officer in Dhoop; His wife’s brother’s son was to be married and the bride was from Shirdi. So Patil made preparations to leave for Shirdi to attend the wedding. The Fakir also accompanied the marriage-party. The wedding went off without any hitch and the party returned to Dhoop. However, the Fakir stayed back in Shirdi and remained there forever.
How the Fakir Got the Name Sai
When the marriage-party came to Shirdi, it alighted at the foot of a Banyan tree in Bhagat Mhalsapati’s field, near Khandoba’s temple. The carts were parked in the open courtyard of Khandoba’s temple, the members of the party descended and the Fakir also exited one of the carts. Bhagat Mhalsapati saw the young Fakir getting off a cart and said, “YA SAI!” (Welcome Sai). Others also addressed Him as “Sai” and thenceforth he became known as “Sai Baba”.
Contact with Other Saints
In Shirdi, Sai Baba began to live in a deserted, dilapidated mosque. A Saint named Devidas had been living in Shirdi for many years before Baba came there; Baba liked his company and He lived with him in the Maruti temple, in the Chavadi and sometimes lived alone. Then another Saint named Jankidas arrived; Baba spent most of His time speaking with him and Jankidas also visited Baba in the mosque. Another Saint from Puntambe named Gangagir regularly visited Shirdi; When he first saw Sai Baba carrying pitchers of water to water the garden, he was amazed and said, “Blessed is Shirdi that it got this precious Jewel. This man is carrying water today, but He is not an ordinary fellow. As Shirdi is lucky and meritorious, it has secured this Jewel.” A famous Saint named Anandnath of Yewala Math, a disciple of Akkalkot Maharaj, came to Shirdi with a few people. When he saw Sai Baba he said, “This is a precious Diamond in reality; though he looks like an ordinary man, he is not an ordinary stone but a Diamond in disguise. You will realize this in the near future.” Saying this, he returned to Yewala. All this happened while Baba was a youngster.
Baba’s Dress and Daily Routine
In his youth, Sai Baba grew hair on His head, never had His head shaved and also dressed like an athlete. When He went to Rahata (3 miles from Shirdi), He brought back with Him small plants of Merry Gold, Jai and Jui, and planted and watered them. A devotee named Vaman Tatya supplied Him daily with two earthen pitchers. With these, Baba Himself used to water the plants; He drew water from the well and carried the pitchers on His shoulders. In the evening, the pitchers were kept at the foot of the Neem tree. As soon as they were placed there, they cracked as they were not baked. The next day, Tatya supplied two fresh raw clay pitchers. This course went on for 3 years and with Sai Baba’s effort, there grew a flower-garden. On this site stands the big mansion− The Samadhi Mandir− which is now frequented and used by so many devotees.
The Story of the Padukas under the Neem Tree
A devotee of Akkalkot Maharaj, named Bhai Krishnaji Alibagkar, worshipped the photo of Akkalkot Maharaj. He once thought of going to Akkalkot (Sholapur District), receiving the darshana of the Padukas (embossed foot-prints) of the Maharaj and offering his sincere worship there. But before he could go there, he had a vision in his dreams; Akkalkot Maharaj appeared in the vision and said to him, “Now Shirdi is my resting place; go there and offer your Worship.” So Bhai changed his plans and came to Shirdi, worshiped Baba, stayed there for six months and was happy. As a symbol of this vision, he prepared the Padukas and installed them on an auspicious day of Shravan, Shaka 1834 (1912 A.D.) These Padukas were installed under the Neem tree with due ceremonies and formalities which were conducted by Dada Kelkar and Upasani Maharaj. Dixit Brahmin was appointed to perform the worship rituals and the management was entrusted to a devotee named Sagun.
The Complete Version of this Story
Mr. B.V. Deo, retired Mamalatdar (village official) of Thana and a great devotee of Sai Baba, made enquiries about this matter with Sagun Meru Naik and Govind Kamlakar Dixit and has published a full version of the story of the Padukas in the Sai Leela Vol. 11. It reads as follows:
“In 1912, Doctor Ramarao Kothare of Bombay came to Shirdi to receive Baba’s darshana. His assistant and his friend, Bhai Krishnaji Alibagkar, accompanied him. The assistant and Bhai became very close to Sagun Meru Naik and G.K. Dixit. While discussing things, they all agreed that there ought to be a memorial of Sai Baba’s first coming to Shirdi and sitting under the holy Neem tree. They thought of installing Baba’s Padukas there and were going to make them of some rough stone. Then the assistant suggested that if this matter was mentioned to his boss, Dr. Ramarao Kothare, he would prepare nicer Padukas for this purpose. Everyone liked the proposal and Dr. Kothare was informed of it. He came to Shirdi and drew a plan of the Padukas; He went to Upasani Maharaj in Khandoba’s temple and showed him his plan. The latter made some improvements− drew lotuses, flowers, a conch, a disc, a man and suggested that the following verse, regarding the Neem tree’s greatness and Baba’s Yogic powers, be inscribed. The verse is as follows:
“Sada Nimbarvrikshasya mooladhiwasat, Sudhasravinam tiktamapi-apriyam tam, Tarum Kalpavrikshadhikam sadhayantam Namameeshwaram Sadgurum Sai Natham”
Upasani’s suggestions were accepted and carried out. The Padukas were made in Bombay and sent to Shirdi with the assistant. Baba said that they should be installed on the Pournima (15th day) of Shravan. On that day at 11 a.m., G.K. Dixit brought them on his head from Khandoba’s temple to the Masjid in a procession. Baba touched the Padukas, saying that these are the feet of the Lord and asked the devotees to install them under the foot of the Neem tree. G.K. Dixit worshipped the Padukas daily and later this was done by Laxman Kacheshwar Jakhadi. For the first five years, Dr. Kothare sent 2 rupees per month to light lamps and he also sent the railing around the Padukas. Jakhadi performed the worship afterwards and Sagun Meru Naik offered the naivedya and lit the evening lamps. Bhai Krishnaji was originally a devotee of Akkalkot Maharaj. He came to Shirdi at the time of the installation of the Padukas, on his way to Akkalkot. He wanted to go to Akkalkot after receiving Baba’s darshana; He asked for Baba’s permission to leave for Akkalkot and Baba said, “What is there in Akkalkot? Why do you go there? The incumbent Maharaj of that place is here” Hearing this, Bhai did not go to Akkalkot; Instead, he came to Shirdi regularly after the installation of the Padukas. Mr. B.V. Deo concluded that Hemadpant did not know of these details. Had he known them, he would not have omitted them from his Satcharitra.
Wrestling Bout with Mohdin Tamboli and a Change in His Way of Life
There was a wrestler in Shirdi named Mohdin Tamboli. Baba did not agree with Mohdin about some issues and they had a fight. In this, Baba was defeated; Thenceforth, Baba changed His dress and mode of living; He began to wear a Kafni and a Langot (waist band) and covered His head with a piece of cloth. He used a sack as His seat, another sack as His bed and was content with wearing worn out rags. He always said that “Poverty is better than Kingship and far better than Lordship. The Lord is always a friend of the poor.” Sai Baba did not interact much with people; He only gave answers when he was questioned. During the day, he sat under the Neem tree or sometimes under the shade of the branch of a tree near a stream. In the afternoon, He used to walk at random and go at times to Nimgaon. There, He frequented the house of Balasaheb Dengale. Baba loved Balasaheb; His younger brother, Nanasaheb, had no children, though he had married a second time. Balasaheb sent Nanasaheb to receive Sai Baba’s darshan and after some time, with Baba’s grace, Nanasaheb had a son. From that time onwards, people began to come in large numbers to see Sai Baba, His fame began to spread and reached Ahmednagar. It was from Ahmednagar that Nanasaheb Chandorkar, Keshav Chidamber and many others began to come to Shirdi. Baba was surrounded by His devotees during the day and slept at night in an old and dilapidated mosque-the Masjid. Baba’s paraphernalia at this time consisted of a pipe, tobacco, a tin pot, a long flowing robe, a piece of cloth around His head and a short stick which He always kept with Him. The piece of white cloth on his head was twisted like matted hair and flowed down from His left ear onto His back. This was not washed for weeks. He did not wear any shoes or sandals. A sack was His seat for most of the day. He wore a cloth waist band and to ward off the cold, he always sat in front of a Dhuni (sacred fire), facing the south with His left hand resting on the wooden railing. In that Dhuni, He offered as an oblation, egoism, desires and all His thoughts and always said the words, “Allah Malik” (God is the sole owner). The Masjid in which He sat had two rooms. After 1912, there was a change; The old Masjid was repaired and a pavement was constructed. Before Baba came to live in this Masjid, He lived for a long time in a place called Takia, where with small bells tied to His legs, Baba danced beautifully and sang with tender love.
Turning Water into Oil
Sai Baba was very fond of lamps. He used to receive oil from shopkeepers and keep lamps burning the whole night in the Masjid. This went on for some time. Once, the shopkeepers who supplied oil for free, met and decided not to give Him any more oil. When Baba went to ask for oil, they all refused. Unperturbed, Baba returned to the Masjid and put dry wicks in the lamps. The shopkeepers were watching Him with curiosity. Baba took His tin pot, which contained a few drops of oil, poured some water into it, drank it and spat it back into the container. After consecrating the tin pot in this way, He again filled water in the tin pot and filled all the lamps with it and lighted them. To the surprise and dismay of the watching shopkeepers, the lamps began to burn and kept burning the whole night. The shopkeepers repented and apologized. Baba forgave them and asked them to be more truthful in the future.
The Fake Guru Javhar Ali
Five years after the wrestling bout mentioned above, a Fakir from Ahmednager named Javhar Ali came to Rahata with his disciples and stayed in a spacious room near the Virabhadra temple. The Fakir was learned, had memorized the entire Koran and had a sweet tongue. Many religious and devout people in the village came to him and began to respect him. With the help of these people, he started to build an Idgah (a wall before which Muslims pray on the Idgah day) near the Virabhadra temple. There was some quarrel about this affair, on account of which Javhar Ali had to leave Rahata. Then he came to Shirdi and lived in the Masjid with Baba. People were captured by his sweet talk and he began to call Baba his disciple. Baba did not object and consented to be his disciple. Then both “Guru” and his “disciple” decided to return to Rahata and live there. The Guru never knew his disciple’s worth, but the disciple knew about the Guru’s flaws. Yet Baba never disrespected Ali and carefully observed his duties as a disciple. He even served the “Master” in various ways. They used to come to Shirdi at times, but they mainly lived in Rahata. Baba’s loving devotees in Shirdi did not like that Baba was living far away from them in Rahata. So they went there to bring Baba back to Shirdi; When they met Baba near the Idgah and told Him the purpose for which they came, Baba said that the Fakir was an ill-tempered fellow and that he would not let Baba leave; thus, they better return to Shirdi without him, before the Fakir returned. While they were talking, Javhar Ali turned up and was very angry with them for trying to take his disciple away. There was some discussion and altercation and it was finally decided that both the Guru and the disciple should return to Shirdi. And so they returned and lived in Shirdi. But after a few days, the Guru was tested by Devidas and he was found wanting. Twelve years before Baba arrived in Shirdi with the marriage-party, Devidas (aged about 10 or 11 at the time), came to Shirdi and lived in the Maruti temple. Devidas had fine features, brilliant eyes, was dispassion incarnate and a Jnani. Many people−Tatya Kote, Kashinath and others− regarded him as their Guru. They brought Javhar Ali to him and in the argument that followed, Javhar was defeated and fled from Shirdi. He went and lived in Bijapur and returned after many years to Shirdi and bowed before Sai Baba. The delusion that he was the Guru and Sai Baba his disciple was cleared; and as he genuinely repented, Sai Baba treated him with respect. In this case, Sai Baba showed by actual conduct how one should get rid of egoism and perform the duties of a disciple to attain the highest end− self-realization. This story is told here according to Mhalsapati’s(a great devotee of Baba) version.
Bow to Shri Sai – Peace be to all