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Chapter
IV
SAI
BABA’S FIRST ADVENT IN SHIRDI
Mission
of the Saints - Shirdi a Holy Tirth - Personality of Sai
Baba - Dictum of Goulibuva - Appearance of Vithal -
Kshirsagar’s Story - Das Ganu’s Bath in Prayag -
Immaculate Conception of Sai Baba and His First Advent in
Shirdi - Three Wadas.
In the
last chapter, I described the circumstances, which led me
to write Sai-Sat-Charita. Let me now describe the first
advent of Sai Baba in Shirdi.
Mission
of the Saints
Lord
Krishna says in Bhagvadgita (Chapter IV, 7-8) that
"Whenever there is a decay of Dharma (righteousness)
and an ascendancy of unrighteousness, I manifest Myself;
and for the protection of the virtuous, the destruction of
the vicious and for the establishment of righteousness, I
manifest Myself in age after age".
This is
the mission of Lord, and the Sages and Saints, Who are His
representatives and who appear here at proper times, help
in their own way to fulfil that mission. For instance,
when the twice born, i.e. the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas and
the Vaishyas neglect their duties and when the Shudras try
to usurp the rights of the higher classes, when spiritual
preceptors are not respected but humiliated, when nobody
cares for religious instructions, when every body thinks
himself very learned, when people begin to partake of
forbidden foods and intoxicating drinks, when under the
cloak of religion, people indulge in malpractices, when
people belonging to different sects fight amongst
themselves, when Brahmins fail to do Sandhya adoration,
and the orthodox their religious practices, when Yogis
neglect their meditation, when people begin to think that
wealth, progeny, wife are their sole concern, and thus
turn away from the true path of salvation, then do Saints
appear and try to set matters right by their words and
action. They serve us as beacon-lights, and show us the
right path, and the right way for us to follow. In this
way, many saints, viz. Nivritti, Jnanadev, Muktabai,
Namdev, Gora, Gonayi, Ekanath, Tukaram, Narahari, Narsi
Bhai, Sajan Kasai, Sawata, Ramdas, and various others did
appear at various times to show the right path to the
people, and so presently came Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Shirdi
- A Holy Tirth
The
banks of the Godavari river, in the Ahmednagar District,
are very fortunate for they gave birth and refuge to many
a Saint, prominent amongst them being Jnaneshwar. Shirdi
also falls in the Kopargaon Taluka of the Ahmednagar
District. After crossing the Godavari River at Kopargaon,
one gets the way to Shirdi. When you go three Koss (9
miles), you come to Nimgaon, from whence; Shirdi is
visible. Shirdi is as famous and well known as other holy
places like Gangapur, Narsinhwadi, Audumbar on the banks
of Krishna River. As the devotee Damaji flourished in and
blessed Mangalvedha (near Pandharpur) as Samarth Ramdas at
Sajjangad, as Shri Narasimha Saraswati at Saraswatiwadi,
so Sainath flourished at Shirdi and blessed it.
Personality
of Sai Baba
It
is on account of Sai Baba that Shirdi grew into
importance. Let us see what sort of a personage Sai Baba
was. He conquered this Samsar (worldly existence), which
is very difficult and hard to cross. Peace or mental calm
was His ornament, and He was the repository of wisdom. He
was the home of Vaishnava devotees, most liberal (like
Karna) amongst liberals, the quint-essence of all
essences. He had no love for perishable things, and was
always engrossed in self-realization, which was His sole
concern. He felt no pleasure in the things of this world
or of the world beyond. His Antarang (heart) was as clear
as a mirror, and His speech always rained nectar. The rich
or poor people were the same to Him. He did not know or
care for honour or dishonour. He was the Lord of all
beings. He spoke freely and mixed with all people, saw the
actings and dances of Nautchgirls and heard Gajjal songs.
Still, He swerved not an inch from Samadhi (mental
equilibrium). The name of Allah was always on His lips.
While the world awoke, He slept; and while the world
slept, He was vigilant. His abdomen (Inside) was as calm
as the deep sea. His Ashram could not be determined, nor
His actions could be definitely determined, and though He
sat (lived) in one place, He knew all the transactions of
the world. His Darbar was imposing. He told daily hundreds
of stories; still He swerved not an inch from His vow of
silence. He always leaned against the wall in the Masjid
or walked morning, noon and evening towards Lendi (Nala)
and Chavadi; still He at all times abided in the Self.
Though a Siddha, He acted like a Sadhaka. He was meek,
humble and egoless, and pleased all. Such was Sai Baba,
and as Sai Baba’s Feet treaded the soil of Shirdi, it
attained extraordinary importance. As jnaneshwar elevated
Alandi, Ekanath did to Paithan, so Sai Baba raised Shirdi.
Blessed are the grass-leaves and stones of Shirdi, for
they could easily kiss the Holy Feet of Sai Baba, and take
their dust on their head. Shirdi became to us, devotees,
another Pandharpur, Jagannath, Dwarka, Banaras (Kashi) and
Rameshwar, Badrikedar, Nasik, Tryambakeshwar, Ujjain, and
Maha Kaleshwar or Mahabaleshwar Gokarn. Contact of Sai
Baba in Shirdi was like our Veda and Tantra; it quieted
our Samsara (world consciousness) and rendered
self-realization easy. The darshana of shri Sai was our
Yoga-Sadhana, and talk with Him removed our sins.
Shampooing His Legs was our bath in Triveni Prayag, and
drinking the holy water of His Feet destroyed our desires.
To us, His commands were Vedas, and accepting (eating) His
Udi (sacred ashes) and Prasad was all purifying. He was
our Shri Krishna and Shri Rama who gave us solace and He
was our Para Brahma (Absolute Reality). He was Himself
beyond the Pair of dwandwas (opposite), never dejected nor
elated. He was always engrossed in His Self as
‘Existence, Knowledge and Bliss.’ Shirdi was His
centre; but His field of action extended far wide, to
Punjab, Calcutta, North India, Gujarat, Dacca (Now in
Bangladesh) and Konkan. Thus the fame of Sai Baba spread,
far, and wide, and people from all parts came to take His
darshana and be blessed. By mere darshan, minds of people,
whether, pure or impure, would become at once quiet. They
got here the same sort of unparalleled joy that devotees
get at Pandharpur by seeing Vithal Rakhumai. This is not
an exaggeration. Consider what a devotee says in this
respect.
Dictum
of Goulibuva
An
old devotee by name Goulibuva, aged about 95 years, was a
Varkari of Pandhari. He stayed 8 months at Pandharpur and
four months - Ashadha to Kartik (July - November) on the
banks of the Ganges. He had an ass with him for carrying
his luggage, and a disciple, as his companion. Every year
he made his Vari or trip to Pandharpur and came to Shirdi
to see Sai Baba, Whom he loved most. He used to stare at
Baba and say, "This is Pandharinath Vithal incarnate,
the merciful Lord of the poor and helpless." This
Goulibuva was an old devotee of Vithoba, and had made many
a trip to Pandhari; and he testified that Sai Baba was
real Pandharinath.
Vithal
Himself Appeared
Sai
Baba was very fond of remembering and singing God’s
name. He always uttered Allah Malik (God is Lord) and in
His presence made others sing God’s name continuously,
day and night, for 7 days. This is called Namasaptaha.
Once He asked Das Ganu Maharaj to do the Namasaptaha. He
replied that he would do it, provided he was assured that
Vithal would appear at the end of the 7th day. Then Baba,
placing His hand on his breast assured him that certainly
Vithal would appear, but that the devotee must be ‘earnest
and devout’. The Dankapuri (Takore) of Takurnath,
the Pandhari of Vithal, the Dwarka of Ranchhod (Krishna)
is here (Shirdi). One need not go far out to see Dwarka.
Will Vithal come here from some outside place? He is here.
Only when the devotee is bursting with love and devotion,
Vithal will manifest Himself here (Shirdi).
After the
Saptaha was over, Vithal did manifest Himself in the
following manner. Kakasaheb Dixit was, as usual, sitting
in meditation after the bath, and he saw Vithal in a
vision. When he went at noon for Baba’s darshana, Baba
asked him point-blank - "Did Vithal Patil come? Did
you see Him? He is a very truant fellow, catch Him firmly,
otherwise, he will escape, if you be a little
inattentive." This happened in the morning and at
noon there was another Vithal darshana. One hawker from
outside came there for selling 25 or 30 pictures of
Vithoba. This picture exactly tallied with the figure that
appeared in Kakasaheb’s vision. On seeing this and
remembering Baba’s words, Kakasaheb Dixit was much
surprised and delighted. He bought one picture of Vithoba,
and placed it in his shrine for worship.
Bhagwantrao
Kshirsagar’s Story
How
fond was Baba for Vithal worship was illustrated in
Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar’s story. The father of
Bhagwantrao was a devotee of Vithoba, and used to make
Varis (annual trips) to Pandharpur. He also had an image
of Vithoba at home, which he worshipped. After his death,
the son stopped everything - the Vari, the worship and
shraddha ceremony etc. When Bhagwantrao came to Shirdi,
Baba on remembering his father, at once said - "His
father was my friend, so I dragged him (the son) here. He
never offered naivaidya (offering of food) and so he
starved Vithal and Me. So I brought him here. I shall
remonstrate him now and set him to worship."
Das
Ganu’s Bath in Prayag
The
Hindus think that a bath in the holy Tirth of Prayag,
where the Ganga and Yamuna meet, is very meritorious and
thousands of pilgrims go there, at periodical times, to
have the sacred bath there. Once, Das Ganu thought that he
should go to Prayag for a bath, and came to Baba to get
His permission for doing so. Baba replied to him -
"It is not necessary to go so long. Our Prayag is
here, believe me." Then wonder of wonders! When Das
Ganu placed his head on Baba’s Feet, out came or flowed
streams, of Ganga - Yamuna water, from both the toes of
Baba. Seeing this miracle, Das Ganu was overwhelmed with
feelings of love and adoration and was full of tears.
Inwardly, he felt inspired, and his speech burst forth
into a song in praise of Baba and His Leelas.
Immaculate
Conception of Sai Baba and His First Advent in Shirdi
Nobody
knew the parents, birth or birthplace of Sai Baba. Many
inquiries were made, many questions were put to Baba and
others regarding these items, but no satisfactory answer
or information has yet been obtained. Practically we know
nothing about these matters. Namdev and Kabir were not
born like ordinary mortals. They were found as infants in
mother-of-pearls, Namdev being found on the bank Bhimrathi
River by Gonayee, and Kabir on the bank Bhagirathi River
by Tamal. Similar was the case with Sai Baba. He first
manifested Himself as a young lad of sixteen under a Neem
tree in Shirdi, for the sake of Bhaktas. Even then He
seemed to be full with the knowledge of Brahman. He had no
desire for worldly objects even in dream. He kicked out
Maya; and Mukti (deliverance) was serving at His feet. One
old woman of Shirdi, the mother of Nana Chopdar, described
Him thus. This young lad, fair, smart and very handsome,
was first seen under the Neem tree, seated in an Asan. The
people of the village were wonder-struck to see such a
young lad practising hard penance, not minding heat and
cold. By day he associated with none, by night he was
afraid of nobody. People were wondering and asking, whence
this young chap had turned up. His form and features were
so beautiful that a mere look endeared Him to all. He went
to nobody’s door, always sat near the Neem tree.
Outwardly he looked very young; but by His action he was
really a Great Soul. He was the embodiment of dispassion
and was an enigma to all. One day it so happened, that God
Khandoba possessed the body of some devotee and people
began to ask Him, "Deva (God), you please enquire
what blessed father’s son is this lad and whence did He
come". God Khandoba asked them to bring a pickaxe and
dig in a particular place. When it was dug, bricks were
found underneath a flat stone. When the stone was removed,
a corridor led to a cellar where cow-mouth-shaped
structures, wooden boards, necklaces were seen. Khandoba
said - "This lad practiced penance here for 12
years." Then the people began to question the lad
about this. He put them off the scent by telling them that
it was His Guru’s place, His holy Watan and requested
them to guard it well. The people then closed the corridor
as before. As Ashwattha and Audumbar trees are held
sacred, Baba regarded this Neem tree equally sacred and
loved it most. Mhalasapati and other Shirdi devotees
regard this site as the resting place (Samadhi-Sthana) of
Baba’s Guru and prostrate before it.
Three
Wadas
(1) The
site with the Neem tree and surrounding space was bought
by Mr. Hari Vinayak Sathe, and on this site a big building
styled Sathe’s Wada was erected. This Wada was the sole
resting place for pilgrims, who flocked there. A Par
(platform) was built round the neem tree and lofts with
steps were constructed. Under the steps, there is a niche
facing south and devotees sit on the Par (platform) facing
north. It is believed, that he who burns incense there, on
Thursday and Friday evenings will, by God’s grace, be
happy. This Wada was old and dilapidated and wanted
repairs. The Sansthan has made the necessary repairs,
additions and alterations now. (2) Then after some years
another Wada, Dixit’s Wada was constructed. Kakasaheb
Dixit, Solicitor of Bombay, had gone to England. He had
injured his leg by an accident there. The injury could not
be got rid of by any means. Nanasaheb Chandorkar advised
him to try Sai Baba. So he saw Sai Baba in 1909 A.D., and
requested Him to cure rather the lameness of his mind than
that of his leg. He was so much pleased with the darshana
of Sai Baba that he decided to reside in Shirdi. So he
built a Wada for himself and other devotees. The
foundation of this building was laid on 10-12-1910. On
this day, two other important events took place. (1) Mr.
Dadasaheb Khaparde was given permission to return home,
and (2) the night Arti in Chavadi was commenced. The Wada
was complete and was inhabited on the Rama-Navami day in
1911 A.D., with due rites and formalities. (3) Then
another Wada or palatial mansion was put up by the famous
millionaire, Mr. Booty, of Nagpur. Lots of money was spent
on this building, but the entire amount was well utilized,
as Sai Baba’s body is resting in this Wada, which is now
called the Samadhi Mandir. The site of this Mandir had
formerly a garden, which was watered and looked after by
Baba. Three Wadas thus sprang up, where there was none
formerly. Of these, Sathe’s Wada was most useful to all,
in the early days.
The story
of the garden, attended to by Sai Baba with the help of
Vaman Tatya, the temporary absence of Sai Baba from Shirdi,
and His coming again to Shirdi with the marriage-party of
Chand Patil, the company of Devidas, Jankidas and Gangagir,
Baba’s wrestling match with Mohdin Tamboli, residence in
Masjid, love of Mr. Dengale and other devotees; and other
incidents will be described in the next Chapter.
Bow
to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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