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Chapter
XXVIII
Sparrows
Drawn To Shirdi
(1)
Lakhamichand - (2) Burhanpore Lady - (3) Megha
Preliminary
Sai
is not finite or limited. He dwells in all beings, from
ants and insects to the God Brahma. He pervades all. Sai
was well-versed in the knowledge of the Vedas, as well as
in the science of Self-realisation. As He was proficient
in both these, He was well-fitted to be the Sad-guru. Any
one, though learned, but not able to awaken the disciples
and establish them in Self-realisation, does not deserve
to be called a Sadguru. Generally the father gives birth
to the body, and death invariably follows life; but
Sadguru does away with both life and death, and so he is
more kind and merciful, than any body.
Sai Baba
often said that-let His man (Devotee) be at any distance,
a thousand koss away from Him, he will be drawn to Shirdi
like a sparrow, with a thread tied to its feet. This
Chapter describes the stories of three such sparrows.
Lala
Lakhamichand
This
gentleman was first serving in the Railways and afterwards
in Shri Venkateshwar Press in Bombay and thereafter in the
firm of Messrs. Ralli Brothers as a munshi (clerk). He got
the contact of Baba in 1910. One or two months before
Christmas he saw in his dream at Santacruz (a suburb of
Bombay) an old man with a beard, standing and surrounded
by his Bhaktas. Some days later he went to the house of
his friend. Mr Dattatreya Manjunath Bijur to hear the
kirtan by Das Ganu. It was always the practice of Das Ganu
to keep Baba's picture in front of the audience while
making the kirtan. Lakhamichand was surprised to see that
the features of the old man he saw in his dream, tallied
exactly with those in the picture and thus he came to the
conclusion, that the old man, he saw in his dream was Sai
Baba himself. The sight of this picture, Das Ganu's kirtan
and the life of the Saint Tukaram on which Das Ganu
discoursed, all these things made a deep impression on his
mind and he pined to go to Shirdi. It is always the
experience of the Bhaktas that God always helps them in
their search for Sad-guru and other spiritual endeavours.
That very night at 8-00 p.m. a friend named Shankarrao
knocked at his door and asked him whether he would
accompany him to Shirdi. His joy knew no bounds and he at
once decided to go to Shirdi. He borrowed Rs.15/- from his
cousin and after making due preparations left for Shirdi.
In the train, he and his friend Shankar Rao did some
Bhajan (sang religious songs) and enquired about Sai baba
with some fellow passengers-four Mahomedans, who were
returning to their place near Shirdi. They all told tham
that Sai baba was a great Saint living in Shirdi for many
years. Then when they reached Kopergaon he wanted to buy
some good guavas for offering to Baba, but he was so much
enrapt with the scenery and sights there, that he forgot
to purchase them. When they were nearing Shirdi, he was
reminded of the guavas; just then he saw an old woman with
a guava-basket on her head, running after the tanga. The
tanga was stopped and he gladly purchased some select
fruits, when the woman said - "Take all the rest and
offer them on my behalf to Baba". The facts viz. that
he had intended to purchase guavas, but that he had
forgotten to do so, the old woman's encounter and her
devotion to Baba, all these were a surprise to both the
friends; and Lakhamichand thought in his mind, that the
old woman might be some relation of the old man he saw in
his dream. Then they drove on and came near Shirdi and
seeing the flags on the Masjid they saluted them. With
Puja materials in hand, they then went to the Masjid and
worshipped Baba with due formality. Lakhmichand was much
moved and was extremely happy to see Baba. He was enrapt
with Baba's Feet as a bee with a sweet smelling lotus.
Then Baba spoke as follows :-
"Cunning
fellow, he does bhajan on the way and enquires from
others. Why ask others? Everything we should see with our
own eyes; where is the necessity to question others? Just
think for yourself whether your dream is true or not?
Where was the necessity of the darshan by taking a loan
from a Marwari? Is the heart's desire now satisfied?"
Hearing
these words Lakhamichand was wonderstruck at Baba's
omniscience. He was at a loss to know how Baba came to
know about all the things that had happened enroute from
his house to Shirdi. The chief thing to note in this
respect is that Baba never liked people to run into debt
for taking His darshan, or celebrating any holiday or
making any pilgrimage.
Sanza
At
noon when Lakhamichand was sitting for meals he got some
sanza (wheat-pudding) from a devotee as Prasad. He was
pleased to have it. Next day also he expected it, but got
nothing. So, he was anxious to get it again. Then on the
third day at the noon Arati time, Bapusaheb Jog asked
Baba, what naivedya he should bring. Baba told him to
bring sanza. Then the Bhaktas brought two big potfuls of
sanza. Lakshamichand was very hungry and there was some
pain in his back. Then Baba said to him - "It is good
that you are hungry, take sanza and some medicine for the
pain in the back." He was again wonderstruck to see
that Baba again read his mind and spoke out what was
passing therein. How omniscient was He!
Evil
eye
On
this occasion, he once witnessed one night the procession
to the chavadi. Baba then suffered much from cough. He
thought that this suffering of Baba might be due to
somebody's evil eye. Next morning when he went to the
Masjid Baba spoke to Shama as follows - "I suffered
last night from cough; is it due to some evil eye? I think
that somebody's evil eye has worked on me and so I am
suffering". In this case Baba spoke out what was
passing in Lakshamichand's mind.
On seeing
these proofs of Baba's omniscience and kindness to His
Bhaktas, he fell prostrate at Baba's Feet and said -
"I am much pleased with your darshan. Ever be kind
and merciful to me and protect me always. There is no
other God to me in this world except Your Feet. Let my
mind be ever rapt in Your Bhajan and Feet. Let Your grace
protect me from the miseries of the world and let me ever
chant Your name and be happy".
After
getting Baba' Udi and blessing he returned home with his
friend, much pleased and contented and singing Baba's
glory on the way. He remained a staunch devotee of baba
afterwards and always sent garlands of flowers, camphor
and Dakshina with any person of his acquaintance bound for
Shirdi.
Burhanpore
Lady
Now
let us turn to another sparrow (Baba's word meaning
devotee). One lady in Burhanpore saw in her dream Sai Baba
coming to her door and begging khichadi (rice cooked with
dal and salt) for His meals. On awakening she saw no body
at her door. However, she was pleased with the vision and
told it to all including her husband. He was employed in
the Postal Department and when he was transferred to Akola,
both husband and wife, who were devout, decided to go to
Shirdi. Then on a suitable day they left for Shirdi and
after visiting Gomati Tirth on the way, reached Shirdi and
stayed there for two months. Every day they went to the
Masjid, performed Baba's worship and passed their time
happily. The couple came to Shirdi to offer Khichadi as
naivedya but for the first 14 days, somehow or other, it
could not be offered. The lady did not like this delay.
Then on the 15th day she came at noon to the Masjid with
her khichadi. There she found that Baba and others were
already sitting for meals, and that the curtain was down.
Nobody dared enter in when the curtain was let down, but
the lady could not wait. She threw up the curtain with her
hand and entered. Strange to say that Baba seemed that
day, hungry for khichadi and wanted that thing first and
when the lady came in with the dish, Baba was delighted,
and began to eat morsel after morsel of khichadi. On
seeing the earnestness of Baba in this respect, everybody
was wonderstruck and those, who heard the story of
khichadi, were convinced about His extraordinary love for
His devotees.
Megha
Now
let us go to the third and bigger 'sparrow'. Megha of
Viramgaon was a simple and illiterate Brahmin cook of Rao
Bahadur H. V. Sathe. He was a devotee of Shiva and always
chanted the five syllabled mantra 'Namah Shivaya'. He did
not know the Sandhya nor its chief mantra, the Gayatri.
Rao Bahadur Sathe was interested in him, got him taught
the Sandhya and the Gayatri. Sathe told him that Sai Baba
of Shirdi was the embodied form of the God Shiva and made
him start for Shirdi. At the Broach Railway station he
learnt that Sai Baba was a Moslem and his simple and
orthodox mind was much perturbed at the prospect of bowing
to a Moslem, and he prayed to his master not to send him
there. His master, however, insisted on his going there
and gave him a letter of introduction to his (Sathe's)
father-in-law, Ganesh Domodar, alias Dada Kelkar at Shirdi,
to introduce him to Sai Baba. When he reached Shirdi and
went to the Masjid, Baba was very indignant and would not
allow him to enter. "Kick out the rascal" roared
Baba, and then said to Megha - "You are a high caste
Brahmin and I am a low Moslem; you will lose your caste by
coming here. So get away." Hearing these words Megha
began to tremble. He was wondering as to how Baba had come
to know about what was passing in his mind. He stayed
there for some days, serving Baba in his own way, but was
not convinced. Then he went home. After that he went to
Tryambak (Nasik District) and stayed there for a year and
a half. Then again he returned to Shirdi. This time, at
the intercession of Dada Kelkar, he was allowed to enter
the Masjid and stay in Shirdi. Sai Baba's help to Megha
was not through any oral instruction. He worked upon Megha
internally (mentally) with the result that he was
considerably changed and benefited. Then Megha began to
look upon Sai Baba as an incarnation of Shiva. In order to
worship Shiva, bela leaves are required and Megha used to
go miles and miles every day to bring them and worship his
Shiva (Baba). His practice was to worship all the Gods in
the village and then come to the Masjid and after saluting
Baba's gadi (asan) he worshipped Baba and after doing some
service (shampooing His Legs) drank the washings (Tirth)
of Baba's Feet. Once it so happened that he came to the
Masjid without worshipping God Khandoba, as the door of
the temple was closed. Baba did not accept his worship and
sent him again, saying that the door was open then. Megha
went, found the door open, worshipped the Deity, and then
returned to Baba as usual.
Ganges-Bath
On
one Makar-Sankranti day, Megha wanted to besmear the body
of Baba with sandal-paste and bathe Him with Ganges water.
Baba was first unwilling to undergo this operation, but at
his repeated requests, He consented. Megha had to traverse
a distance of eight koss (going and returning) to bring
the sacred water from the Gomati river. He brought the
water, made all preparations for the bath at noon and
asked Baba to get ready for the same. Then Baba again
asked him to be freed from his bath saying that, as a
Fakir He had nothing to do (or gain) with Ganges water;
but Megha did not listen. He knew that Shiva is pleased
with a bath of Ganges water and that he must give his
Shiva (Baba) that bath on that auspicious day. Baba then
consented, came down and sat on a pat (wooden board) and
protruding his head said - "Oh Megha, do at least
this favour; head is the most important organ of the body,
so pour the water over that only-it is equivalent to the
full or whole bath." "Alright" said Megha
and lifting the water pot up, began to pour it on the head
but in doing this he was so much overwhelmed with love
that he cried out 'Har Gange' and emptied the pot on the
whole body. He kept the pot aside and began to look at
Baba, but to his surprise and amazement he found that
Baba's head was only drenched but the body quite dry.
Trident
and Pindi
Megha
worshipped Baba in two places; in the Masjid he worshipped
Baba in person and in the Wada, Baba's big picture, given
by Nanasaheb Chandorkar. This he did for 12 months. Then
in order to appreciate his devotion and confirm his faith,
Baba gave him a vision. Early one morning when Megha was
still lying down on his bed with eyes closed but
internally awake, he saw clearly Baba's Form. Baba knowing
him to be awake threw Akshata (rice-grains marked red with
Kumkum) and said, "Megha, draw a Trident" and
disappeared. Hearing Baba's words, he eagerly opened his
eyes but did not see Baba, but saw only rice grains spread
here and there. He then went to Baba, told Him about the
vision and asked permission to draw Trident. Baba said -
"Did you not hear My words asking you to draw
Trident? It was no vision but direct order and My words
are always pregnant with meaning and never hollow."
Megha said - "I thought you woke me up, but all the
doors were closed, so I thought it was a vision".
Baba rejoined - "I require no door to enter. I have
no form nor any extension; I always live everywhere. I
carry on, as a wirepuller, all the actions of the man who
trusts Me and merges in Me."
Megha
returned to the Wada, and drew a red Trident on the wall
near Baba's picture. Next day a Ramadasi Bhakta came from
Poona, saluted Baba and offered Him Pindi (an image of
Shiva). At this time Megha also turned up there. Baba said
to him - "See, Shankar has come, protect (i.e.,
worship) Him now." Megha was surprised to see Pindi
following Trident immediately. Then also in the Wada,
Kakasaheb Dixit was standing with a towel on his head
after having taken his bath, and was remembering Sai, when
he saw a Pindi before his mental vision. While he was
wondering about this, Megha came and showed him the Pindi
presented to him by Baba. Dixit was happy to know that the
Pindi exactly tallied with the One he saw a few minutes
before in his vision. In a few days after the drawing of
the Trident was complete, Baba installed the Pindi near
the big picture which Megha was worshipping. The worship
of Shiva was dear to Megha and by arranging the drawing of
the Trident and the installation of the Pindi, Baba
confirmed his faith therein.
After
continuous service of Baba for many years, doing regular
worship and Arati every noon and evening, Megha passed
away in 1912. Then Baba passed His hands over his corpse
and said - "This
was a true devotee of Mine." Baba also ordered
that at His own expense the usual funeral dinner should be
given to the Brahmins, and this order was carried out by
Kakasaheb Dixit.
Bow
to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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