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Chapter
XV
Naradiya
Kirtan - Paddhati - Mr. Cholkar's Sugarless Tea - Two
Lizards.
The
readers may remember that mention was made in the 6th
Chapter regarding the Rama-Navami Festival in Shirdi; how
the festival originated and how in the early years there
was a great difficulty in getting a good Hardidas for
performing Kirtan on that occasion, and how Baba
permanently entrusted this function (Kirtan) to Dasganu
permanently. Now in this Chapter we shall describe the
manner in which Dasganu was performing the Kirtan.
Naradiya
Kirtan-Paddhati
Generally
our Haridasas, while performing the Kirtan, wear a gala
and full dress. They put on a head-dress, either a pheta
or a turban, a long flowing coat with a shirt inside, an
uparane (short dhotar) on the shoulders and the usual long
dhotar from the waist below. Dressed in this fashion for
some Kirtan in the Shirdi village, Dasganu once went to
bow to Baba. Baba asked him - "Well, bridegroom!
where are you going dressed so beautifully like
this?" 'For performing a Kirtan' was the reply. Then
Baba said - "Why do you want all this paraphemalia-coat,
uparani and pheta etc, doff all that before Me, why wear
them on the body?" Dasganu immediately took them off
and placed them at the Baba's Feet. From that time Dasganu
never wore these things while performing the Kirtan. He
was always bare from waist upwards, a pair of `chiplis'
was in his hand and a garland round his neck. This is not
in consonance with the practice generally followed by all
the Hardidasa, but this is the best and the purest method.
The sage Narada, from whom the Kirtan-Paddhati originated,
wore nothing on his trunk and head. He carried a 'veena'
in his hand, and wandered from place to place everywhere
singing the glory of the Lord.
Mr.
Cholkar's Sugarless Tea
Initially,
Baba was known in Poona and Ahmednagar Districts, but
Nanasaheb Chandorkar, by his personal talks and by Dasganu,
by his splendid Kirtans, spread the fame of Baba in the
Konkan (Bombay Presidency). In fact, it was Dasganu - May
God bless him-who, by his beautiful and inimitable Kirtans,
made Baba available to so many people there. The audience,
who come to hear the Kirtans have different tastes. Some
like the erudition of the Haridas; some his gestures, some
his singing, some his wit and humour, some his preliminary
dissertation on Vedanta, and some others, his main stories
and so on; but among them, there are very few, who by
hearing the Kirtan get faith and devotion or love for God
or saints. The effect of hearing Dasganu's kirtan on the
minds of audience was however electric, as it were. We
give an instance here
Dasganu
was once performing his Kirtan and singing the glory of
Sai Baba, in the Koupineshwar temple in Thana. One Mr.
Cholkar, a poor man serving as a candidate in the Civil
Courts in Thana, was amongst the audience. He heard
Dasganu's Kirtan most attentively and was much moved. He
there and then mentally bowed and vowed to Baba saying -
"Baba, I am a poor man, unable to support my family.
If by your grace, I pass the departmental examination, and
get a permanent post, I shall go to Shirdi, fall at Your
Feet and distribute sugar-candy in Your name." As
good luck would have it, Mr.Cholkar did pass te
examination and did get the permanent post and now it
remained for him to fulfil his vow, the sooner the better.
Mr. Cholkar was a poor man with a large family to support;
and he could not afford to pay for the expenses of a
Shirdi trip. As is well said, one can easily cross over
Nahne ghat in Thana District or even the Sahyadri Range;
but it is very difficult for a poor man to cross
Umbareghat, i.e., the threshold of his house. As Mr.
Cholkar was anxious to fulfill his vow as early as
possible, he resolved to economize, cut down his expenses,
and save money. He determined not to use sugar in his
diet; and began to take his tea without it. After he was
able to save some money in this way, he came to Shirdi,
took Baba's darshan, fell at His Feet, offered a coconut,
distributed it with a clean conscience along with
sugar-candy as per his vow and said to Baba that he was
much pleased with His darshan and that his desires were
fulfilled that day. Mr. Cholkar was in the Masjid with his
host Bapusaheb Jog. When the host and the guest both got
up and were about to leave the Masjid, Baba spoke to Jog
as follows:- "Give him (your guest) cups of tea,
fully saturated with Sugar." Hearing these
significant words, Mr. Cholkar was much moved, he was
wonderstruck, his eyes were bedewed with tears, and he
fell at Baba's Feet again. Mr. Jog was also curious about
this direction, regarding the tea-cups to be given to his
guest. Baba wanted by His words to create faith and
devotion in Cholkar's mind. He hinted as it were, that He
got the sugar-candy as per his vow and that He knew full
well his secret determination not to use sugar in his
diet. Baba meant to say, "If you spread your palms
with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you, day
and night. Though, I am here bodily, still I know what you
do; beyond the saven seas. Go wherever you will, over the
wide world, I am with you. My abode is in your heart and I
am within you. Always worship Me, Who is seated in your
heart, as well as, in the hearts of all beings, Blessed
and fortunate, indeed, is he who knows Me thus."
What
a beautiful and important lesson was thus imparted by Baba
to Mr. Chokar !
Two
Lizards
Now
we close this Chapter, with a story of two little lizards.
Once Baba was sitting in the Masjid. A devotee sat in
front of Him, when a lizard tick-ticked. Out of curiosity,
the devotee asked Baba whether this tick-ticking of the
lizard signified anything; was it a good sign or a bad
omen? Baba said that the lizard was overjoyed as her
sister from Aurangabad was coming to see her. The devotee
sat silent, not making out the meaning of Baba's words.
Immediately, a gentleman from Aurangabad came on
horse-back to see Baba. He wanted to proceed further, but
his horse would not go, as it was hungry and wanted grams.
He took out a bag from his shoulders to bring grams and
dashed it on the ground to remove dirt. A lizard came out
therefrom and in the presence of all, climbed up the wall.
Baba asked the questioner devotee to mark her well. She at
once went strutting to her sister. Both sisters met each
other after a long time, kissed and embraced each other,
whirled round and danced with love! Where is Shirdi and
where is Aurangabad? How should the man on horse-back come
there from Aurangabad with the lizard? And how should Baba
make the prophesy of the meeting of the two sisters? All
this is really very wonderful and proves the omniscience
-- the all-knowing nature of Baba.
Post
Script
He who
respectfully reads this Chapter or studies it daily, will
get all his miseries removed by the grace of the Sadguru
Sai Baba, Hence:
Bow
to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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