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Chapter
XII
Sai
Leelas - Experience of (1) Kaka Mahajani - (2) Dhumal
Pleader - (3) Mrs. Nimonkar - (4) Moolay Shastri - (5) A
Doctor
Now let
us see in this Chapter how devotees were received and
treated by Baba.
Saints'
Mission
We
have seen before, that the purpose or object of Divine
Incarnation is to protect the good and destory the wicked.
But the mission of the Saints is quite different. To them
the good and the wicked are the same. First they feel for
the evil-doers and set them on the right path. They are
like the Agasti to destroy the Bhava-sagar (the ocean of
wordly existence) or like the Sun to the darkness of
ignorance. The Lord (God) dwells in the Saints. In fact
they are not different from Him. Our Sai is One of these,
Who incarnated for the welfare of the devotees, Supreme in
knowledge and surrounded with divine lustre, He loved all
beings equally. He was unattached. Foes and friends, kings
and paupers, were the same to Him. Hear His powers. For
the sake of devotees, He spent His stock of merits and was
ever alert to help them. But the devotees could never
approach HIm, unless He meant to receive them. If their
turn did not come, Baba did not remember them, and His
Leelas could not reach their ears. Then, how could they
think of seeing Him? some men desired to see Sai Baba's
but they did not get any opportunity of taking His darshan,
till His Mahasamadhi. There are many such persons, whose
desire for Baba's darshan was not thus satisfied. If these
persons, believing in Him, listen to His Leelas, their
quest for milk (darshan) will be, to a great extent,
satisfied by the butter-milk (Leelas). If some persons
went there by sheer luck and took Baba's darshan, were
they able to stay there longer? No. Nobody could go there
of his own accord, and nobody culd stay there long even if
he so wished. They could stay there, so long as Baba
permitted them to stay, and had to leave the place when
asked to do so by Baba; so everything depended of Baba's
will.
Kala
Mahajani
Once,
Kaka Mahajani went to Shirdi from Bombay. He wanted to
stay there for one week, and enjoy the Gokul-Ashtami
festival. As soon as he took Baba's darshan, Baba asked
him - "When are you returning home?" He was
rather surprised at this question, but he had to given an
answer. He said that he would go home when Baba ordered
him to do so. Then Baba said - "Go to-morrow".
Baba's word was law and had to be obeyed. Kaka Mahajani,
therefore, left Shirdi, immediately. When he went to his
office in Bombay, he found that his employer was anxiously
waiting for him. His munim, i.e., the manager, suddenly
fell ill, hence Kaka's presence was absolutely necessary.
He had sent a letter to Kaka at Shirdi, which was
redirected to him at Bombay.
Bhausaheb
Dhumal
Now
listen to an opposite story. Once Bhausaheb Dhumal, a
pleader, was going to Niphad for a case. On the way he
came to Shirdi, took Baba's darshan and wanted to proceed
to Niphad immediately. But, Baba did not premit him to do
so. He made him stay at Shirdi, for a week or more. In the
meanwhile, the magistrate at Niphad suffered intensely
from pain in his abdomen, and the case was adjourned. Mr.
Dhumal was then allowed to go and attend to his case. It
went on for some months and was tried by four magistrates.
Ultimately Mr. Dhumal won the case, and his client was
acquitted.
Mrs.
Nimonkar
Mr.
Nanasaheb Nimonkar, Watandar of Nomon and Honorary
Magistrate, was staying at Shirdi with his wife. Mr. and
Mrs. Nimonkar were spending most of their time in the
Masjid with Baba and serving Him. It so happened, that
their son fell ill at Belapur and the mother decided, with
Baba's consent, to go to Belapur, and see her son and
other relatives; and stay there for a few days, but Mr.
Nanasaheb asked her to return the next day. The lady was
in a fix and did not know what to do; but her God Sai came
to her help. While leaving Shirdi she went to Baba, who
was standing in front of Sathe's wada with Mr. Nanasaheb
and others, and prostrated at His Feet and asked His
permission to go. Baba said to her, "Go, go quickly,
be calm and unperturbed. Stay comfortably at Belapur for
four days. See all your relatives and then return to
Shirdi." How opportune were Baba's words! Mr.
Nanasaheb's proposal was overruled by Baba's decree.
Moolay
Shastri of Nasik
An
orthodox Agnihotri Brahmin of Nasik, by name moolay
Shastri, who had studied the six Shastras and was
well-versed in astrology and palmistry, once came to
Shirdi to see Mr. Bapusaheb Booty, the famous millionarire
of Nagpur. After seeing him, he and others went to see
Baba in the Masjid. Baba bought various fruits and other
things from vendors with His own money, and distributed
them to the persons present in the Masjid. Baba used to
press the mango on all sides so skilfully that when any
person received it from Baba and sucked it, he got all the
pulp at once in his mouth and could throw away the stone
and the skin forthwith. Plantains were peeled off by Baba
and the kernel was distributed to the devotees, while the
skins were retained by Baba for Himself. Moolay Shastri,
as a palmist, wanted to examine Baba's hand or plam and
requested Him to extend the same. Baba ignored his request
and gave four plantains to him. Then, they all returned to
the Wada and Moolay Shastri bathed, wore sacred clothes,
and started his routine duties, viz. Agnihotra etc. Then
Baba as usual started for Lendi and said - "Take some
Geru (i.e. a red miry substance, to dye clothes in
saffron-colour), we shall today don saffron-coloured
cloth. None understood what Baba meant. Then after some
time when Baba returned, and preparations for the noon-Arati
were being made. Bapusaheb Jog asked Moolay Shastri,
whether he would accompany him for the Arti. He replied
that he would see Baba in the afternoon. Very soon Baba
sat on his seat, was worshipped by the devotees and Arti
commenced. Then Baba said - "Get some Dakshina from
the new (Nasik) Brahmin." Booty himself went to get
the Dakshina; and when he gave Baba's message to Moolay
Shastri, he was sorely perplexed. He thought in his mind
thus: "I am a pure Agnihotri Brahmin, why should I
pay Dakshina? Baba may be a great Saint. I am not His
dependent." But as a great Saint like Sai Baba was
asking for Dakshina through a millionaire like Booty, he
could not refuse. So leaving his routine unfinished, he
forthwith started with Booty to the Masjid. Thinking
himself holy and sacred, and the Masjid otherwise, he
remained at a distance, and joining his hands threw
flowers at Baba. Then lo! all of a sudden, he saw no Baba
on the seat, but saw his late Guru Gholap Swami there. He
was wonder-struck. Could this be a dream? No, it was not,
as he was wide awake; but though awake, how could his late
Guru Gholap be there? He was speechless for some time. He
pinched himself and thought again, but could not reconcile
the fact of his late Guru Gholap being in the Masjid.
Ultimately, leaving all doubt, he went up, fell at his
Guru's feet and then getting up stood there with folded
hands. Other people sang Baba's Arati, while Moolay
Shastri chanted his Guru's name. Then casting off all
pride of caste and ideas about sacredness, he fell flat at
his Guru's feet and closed his eyes. When he got up and
opened his eyes, he saw Baba asking for Dakshina. Seeing
Baba's blissful form, and His inconceivable power, Moolay
Shastri forgot himself. He was extremely pleased, his eyes
were full of tears of joy. He again saluted Baba and gave
the Dakshina. He said that his doubt was removed and that
he saw his own Guru. On seeing his wonderful Leela of Baba
all the people, including Moolay Shastri, were much moved,
and they realized the meaning of Baba's words, "Bring
Geru, we shall don saffron-coloured garment." Such is
the wonderful Leela of Baba.
A
Doctor
Once
a Mamlatdar came to Shirdi with a doctor friend of his.
The Doctor said that his Deity was Rama and that he would
not bow before a Mahomedan, and so, he was unwilling to go
to Shirdi. The Mamlatdar replied, that nobody would press
him to make a bow, nor would ask him to do so. So he
should come and give the pleasure of his company.
Accordingly, they came to Shirdi, and went to the Masjid
for Baba's darshan. All were wonder-struck to see the
Doctor going ahead and saluting Baba. They asked him how
he forgot his resolve and bowed before a Mussalman. Then
the Doctor replied that he saw his beloved Deity, Rama, on
the seat and he, therefore prostrated himself before Him.
Then as he was saying this, he saw Sai Baba there again.
Being dismayed, he said, "Is this a dream? How could
He be a Mahomedan? He is a great Yogasampanna (full of
Yoga) Avatar."
Next day,
he made a vow and began to fast. He absented himself from
the Masjid, resolving not to go there, until Baba blessed
him. Three days passed and on the fourth day, a close
friend of his from Khandesh, turned up, and with him, he
went to the Masjid for Baba's darshan. After the
salutation, Baba asked him, whether anybody had gone to
call him, so that he had come. Hearing this vital
question, the doctor was moved. The same night he was
blessed by Baba, and he experienced the Bliss supreme, in
his sleep. Then he left for his town, where the
experienced the same state of a fortnight. Thus his
devotion to Sai Baba increased manifold.
The moral
of all the stories mentioned above, specially, that of
Moolay Shastri, is this that we should have firm faith in
our Guru and nowhere else.
More
Leelas of Sai Baba will be described in the next Chapter.
Bow
to Shri Sai -- Peace be to all
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