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Experiences of Sai Maharaj
Excerpts
from a letter written on 18/2/1920 by Shri Nilkanth Ramchandra
Sahasrabuddhe citing his experiences... (Contd.
from March-April, 2007) One
of Sai’s hands was wounded. He used to tie a bandage so tightly around
it that anyone else would be in unbearable pain. But, He did not give
any other treatment to the wound, even though His devotees requested Him
to do so. Once, in reply, He said, ‘‘There should be a great fire
lit up with at least a thousand or two ‘Govrya’ (dung cakes
used as fuel) and then (touching His body) put all this in it and watch
the fun from a distance.’’ Once,
when I was in Shirdi, I met a rich old man from Bandra, who had adopted
a son. But, he was unhappy with the behaviour of his adopted son and
told me at length regarding this. When we left Mumbai, the boy sat in
another compartment, since he wanted to smoke. And, instead of getting
down at Kopargaon, he went two stations ahead. He returned two hours
later by a train coming from Ahmednagar. Even then he did not come near
us; but sat elsewhere. When I took the old man for the noon Aarati,
he followed us; but stood aloof. I did not know then, who the boy was.
But, when he bowed to Baba like the rest, Baba immediately spoke of
filial duty and so, I asked the old man, if it indeed was his adopted
son and he said, yes. After 3-4 days the boy got bored and had thought
of quietly leaving in the evening; but before the people dispersed after
the Aarati, Baba said, ‘‘No one should leave without my
permission.’’ The boy got scared and revealed, what he had planned
to his father. Sages thus practice various types of Karma Yoga. One
morning, between 8 and 9 o’clock, Bhausaheb Dixit was meditating after
his daily ablutions, when he saw a divine vision of Lord Vitthal. Since
he had never seen this Deity before, he had no clue to its identity; but
believing that since he had been blessed due to Sadguru’s
grace, Sai Himself would reveal its identity and whereabouts. At the
noon Aarati Baba asked Bhausaheb, ‘‘So Kaka, today Vithoba
Patil paid a visit to you ?’’ Bhausaheb was overwhelmed and
replied, ‘‘Yes.’’ ‘‘He keeps moving from place to place and
so, tie Him up to a stake !’’ Baba warned. But, still Bhausaheb
was unaware of the whereabouts. Since none of us understood this
dialogue, we asked Bhausaheb to elaborate; and he told us the whole
story. In the evening a gentleman arrived with some photos of Lord
Vitthal of Pandharpur. ‘‘That’s the Deity !’’ exclaimed
Bhausaheb with his eyes moist. This shows, how Baba cares for the belief
and faith of His devotees and His supreme benevolence. Madhavrao
Deshpande was entrusted to take care of all Sai’s devotees, who came
to Shirdi. But, when Bhausaheb left for Mumbai, not only Madhavrao, but
Bapusaheb Jog, Balasaheb Bhate and myself accompanied him to see him
off. After he left, some senior officers like the Commissioner of
Central Region, Mr. Curtis and his wife, the Collector of Ahmednagar,
Mr. McNeill and the Native Assistant of Mr. Curtis, Rao Bahadur
Ramchandra Narayan alias Bhausaheb Joglekar were approaching Shirdi.
Meanwhile, in the Masjid, Baba lifted His ‘Kafni’
(mendicant’s robe - Baba always wore a loin underneath) and said,
‘‘*** have come to see me. But, I am a naked Fakir.’’
Those serving in the Masjid did not understand Him at all, since
there was no new arrival. But, a few minutes later they saw the above
mentioned group walking towards the Chavadi and truth dawned on
them. When they settled in the Chavadi, Bhausaheb Joglekar
realized that he was acquainted with nobody other than Balasaheb Ghate
and so, he sent his peon to call him. Balasaheb did not wish to go and
told the peon so. But, when I offered to bring Bhausaheb Joglekar to him
and then accompany him to the Chavadi, he agreed. Accordingly,
when Bhausaheb arrived, we went to the Chavadi. ‘‘Tell
Baba to finish His morning ablutions soon,’’ suggested Bhausaheb;
but I told him, it was nobody’s business to do such a thing and
convinced Him against it with genuine reasoning. Thinking that perhaps
Mr. Curtis would find this behaviour odd, he informed him that Baba and
I were childhood friends. Later, they all sat patiently, waiting for
Baba to come out of the Masjid for ‘Bhiksha’ (alms).
After a long wait, they saw Baba leaving the Masjid and walking
towards the Chavadi. Immediately Mrs. Curtis went on the road in
front of the Chavadi and paid her respects to Him in her own and
said that she wished to speak a few words with Him. Baba told her to
wait for half an hour. When Baba returned after collecting His ‘Bhiksha’,
Mrs. Curtis once again paid her respects and requested the same. But,
Baba told her to wait for another hour and went into the Masjid.
Later, since Mr. Curtis was in a hurry, they quietly left. – Shri Sai Leela, Year 1, Volume III, Jyeshtha,
Shaka 1845 qqq
Sai
Maharaj used to sleep on a plank of wood, which was tied with torn rags
and hung from one of the rafters of the Masjid.
Many people had an intense desire to see Sai Maharaj climb up or down
from the plank; but even after hanging around for hours, nobody ever saw
Sai climb up or down. Baba could be seen either sitting on the ground or
sitting/sleeping on the plank. Oil lamps were lit on either sides of the
plank. This ritual went on for many years. Then, one day, Sai broke the
plank. There
are many devotees in Shirdi and elsewhere, who are witness to this
ritual of the plank. Once,
a religious story-teller, Nanasaheb Chandorkar and two other gentlemen
went for Darshan of Sai. After Darshan, the story-teller
was eager to leave early; as he had a story-telling program in
Ahmednagar the next day. When Nanasaheb asked Baba’s permission, Baba
said, “Have your lunch and go !” Nanasaheb requested the
story-teller to stay; but he would not agree and left with his friends
to reach the station. Sai
then commented to Nanasaheb, “See, how selfish people can be !
When the time comes they leave their friends and stick to their own
vested interests. That is why one should choose a friend, who will never
ever leave one’s side.” Who
else, but a Sadguru can be such a life-long friend ! So, one
should be devoted to a Sadguru only. You may love all living
things; but only the company of a Sadguru will bring real
happiness. As
per Sai’s wish, Nanasaheb and his friends took leave only after having
lunch. Sai said, “There is still some time for the train.’’ When
they reached the station, they found that the train was late and the
story-teller and his friends were waiting with sour faces for the train.
Nanasaheb asked, “Did you miss the train ?” The story-teller
replied, “No, the train is three hours late. You did well to listen to
Sai Maharaj. We did not and had to go hungry.” Later, the train
arrived and everyone left for Ahmednagar. In
Shirdi, there lived a man called Appa Kulkarni. He was a great devotee
of Sai Baba. Once, he was accused of accepting bribes at the behest of
some mischief-makers of the village. When ordered to answer the charge
by the Chief Officer of the region, Appa was extremely scared and before
going went to take leave of Sai. Baba said, “The Chief Officer is at
Nevasa. When you go there, first pay your obeisance to Lord Mohiniraj
and then go to answer the Chief.” Appa
did as told. The Chief heard him and let him go. “I feel sure, you
have not taken any money,” he said. Appa danced with joy, singing
praises of Sai. Then, he returned to Shirdi and narrated his tale to Sai.
Without taking any credit Sai said, “Everything is done by God. He can
bring about miracles for His devotees.” One
day, Baba told Appa Kulkarni, “Some robbers have entered our village.
They will first attack you; so take care ! They are very cunning.
They have their sights set on the main booty and they take only that
away.” Appa
took this advise literally, and locking the government taxes collected
by him, he kept vigilant men on guard. But, the robbers indicated by
Maharaj were of a different kind. They were the messengers of death or ‘Yamdoot’.
A little while after Sai gave the above warning, Appa suffered from
vomiting and diarrhoea and died. When he became serious, Appa’s wife
went to Sai and wept. Sai consoled her and gave her some sage advice. When
a couple of more people died with similar symptoms the next day, the
villagers prayed to Baba to take care of them. Sai said, “In all seven
people will die and then this epidemic will be no more.” As predicted
by Baba, seven people died and then the cholera vanished. There
was a carpenter called Kondya in Shirdi, who was a great Sai devotee.
One afternoon, Baba said to him, “There is a fire in Khalwadi
(threshing ground); so you go there !” It was a hot summer
afternoon; but Kondya went running to the threshing ground, only to find
that there was no fire anywhere. He returned saying -“There is no
fire at all. Why did You make me run in the scorching heat ?” Sai
said, “Turn around !”
When Kondya turned around, he saw that a stack of hay was on fire and he
could see the smoke. Suddenly, a strong wind started blowing and there
was an alarm in the village. The villagers thought that, now all the
stacks would catch fire causing great damage and so, they pleaded with
Baba. Sai reached Khalwadi and poured a ring of water around the burning
pile. He said, “Only this pile will burn. Others will remain
unharmed.” And so it happened. Nanasaheb
Beray worked as an Inspector in the agricultural department. He was a
devotee of Sai Maharaj. Once, when he went for Sai’s Darshan,
Sai said, “You go to the station (Kopargaon) immediately ! Do not
delay.” So, Nanasaheb left quickly. He drove the tonga at top
speed. There was another tonga following him. The gentleman
sitting in it said, “There is still time for the train. What’s the
hurry ? We can take it easy.” But, Mr. Beray did not agree and he
went quickly to the station. Later, he heard the news that the tonga,
which was following him was stopped and looted by robbers. They also
beat up the passengers. Mr. Beray then realized the importance of
Sai’s words and kept saying that it was Sai Who saved him. After
reading these experiences of Sai, we can understand His caring for the
people. With His Darshan and company, people realized that He is
the real Sadguru. He fulfills all the criteria of a Sadguru,
as described in the scriptures by the Saints, and complete surrender to
Him is the only way to salvation. It
is not possible to describe Sai’s attributes or Leelas
entirely; but a little knowledge of them could serve as guidance. A way
to do this is to narrate experiences of His innumerable devotees. Megha,
a Gujarati Brahmin, was a great Sai devotee. One day, he was
drawing a ‘Trishul’ (trident) with ‘Shendur’
(vermillion). When I asked, why, he replied, “Today, when I awoke at
dawn and was still in bed, I thought, I heard Baba’s voice say - ‘Megha,
draw a Trishul !’ When I looked around, Baba was nowhere
and both the doors of our house were bolted. But, the voice was Baba’s
and there were some ‘Akshata’ (holy rice grains) on the bed.
I got up immediately, went to the Masjid and asked Baba,
‘Should I draw a Trishul ?’ Baba said, ‘Yes !’
and so, I am drawing this.” The
next day, around 10 o’clock, when Megha went to visit Baba, he was
given a Shivlingam, which Baba had received from some devotee.
Baba said, “Take this Megha and worship it daily !” When Megha
returned, he showed me the Shivlingam and said, “Baba has told
me to worship it every day.” He was very happy. To
know the reason behind it, lets go back in history. Megha
was serving Rao Bahadur Hari Vinayak Sathe, when he was a Deputy
Collector in Kheda district, and it was he who taught him the Gayatri Mantra.
A few days later Sathe sent him to a Shiva temple to do the daily Pooja. When
Sathe became a devotee of Sai Maharaj he built a Wada (mansion)
in Shirdi for the benefit of the devotees. Sathe thought it apt to keep
Megha to serve Sai. Since Megha was a Shiva devotee and thought, Sai to
be a Muslim, he was reluctant and dejected, when he came to know of his
employer’s wishes. But, Sathe convinced him about the true character
of Sai. Megha felt better; but not completely convinced. When he first
stepped into the Masjid, Sai said, “Don’t you dare come up.
Why have you come to a Muslim ?” But, this was Sai’s way of
acknowledging Megha, and He was not really angry. Megha stayed in Shirdi
for some days and then went home to his village. But, there he missed
Sai so much that he soon returned to Shirdi and stayed there for ever. He
thought of Baba as Shiva and kept chanting ‘‘Shankar... Shankar’’;
even referring to Baba as Shankar. Later, a huge picture of Sai was put
up in Sathe’s Wada. Ever since Megha worshipped it daily. The
above incident happened a year later. Before the Shivlingam came
into Baba’s hands, He ordered Megha to draw the Trishul, that
too not in person, but as a voice heard by Megha. It is indeed amazing;
but what is more notable is that Baba kept Megha’s faith in Shiva
intact. As
Baba’s Aarati proclaims - “Whatever the faith in
one’s mind, Baba’s grace gives him that experience.” A
friend of mine is a lawyer in the High Court. When he first visited
Baba, it so happened that only the two of them were present. Baba said,
“What should one say ? Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram !”
When He repeated the words after a few minutes, my friend suddenly
remembered that his Guru had given him this Mantra. Again
after some time Baba reiterated His words and my friend realized that
Baba was telling him to chant the same Mantra, his Guru
had given him. Once,
when a man from Thane district went to take Baba’s Darshan,
Baba told him to worship Maruti. He did not understand; but when people
asked him, if he did worship Maruti, he replied, “Yes. There is a five
faced Maruti temple near my house. I do not eat food without doing Pooja
there.” Obviously Baba confirmed his faith in the God, he was
worshipping. There
is no separate community or cult established by Baba. He just
strengthened the belief of the devotee in his own faith. People from all
religions came to Baba; but there is no example of Baba asking to change
their original faith. But, if anybody strayed from the royal road,
putting him back on the right track was Baba’s priority. Yogabhyasis,
Karmabhyasis and Dnyanabhyasis, all thronged to Baba and
benefitted from His guidance to progress in their subjects. Once,
a good friend of mine went for Sai’s Darshan. Baba welcomed him
with “Come Ramdas !” When I inquired, why Baba called him so,
at first he could not cite a reason; but then he realized something and
said, “For the last two years I have been doing Ram Nam Japa;
but nobody, not even my family know about it.” Obviously Baba’s
words pointed towards this. In
Christmas 1909, a doctor went to Shirdi with a friend. The doctor was an
orthodox Brahmin, who worshipped Lord Ram and was thus reluctant
to visit Shirdi, as he did not want to bow down to a Muslim. But,
his friend assured him that not even Baba would ask him to bow. Thus
convinced, the doctor reached Baba’s Masjid in Shirdi. Lo and
behold ! There was no Muslim; but Lord Ram Himself in front of him !
The doctor immediately prostrated in front of Baba. He told his friend
about it when he came out. The
next day, the doctor decided that he would neither eat, nor go into the Masjid
unless Baba blessed him. Thus, for three days, he neither ate, nor went
to the Masjid. On the fourth day, the doctor’s friend suddenly
arrived from Khandesh for Sai’s Darshan. The doctor was so
happy to see his friend after 8-9 years, that he went with him to see
Baba. As soon as the doctor prostrated before Baba, He said, “Why have
you come doctor ? Who called you ?” The doctor remembered
his decision, not to visit Baba till blessed and was overwhelmed. Around
midnight, the doctor was truly blessed by Sai and he experienced supreme
bliss in his sleep. He remained in this condition for 15-20 days, even
after he went home. There
are many such experiences of Baba. Once, two of my friends were
gossiping in the Wada. I was asleep. They were talking late into
the night, when they realized that, what they were doing was not good
and so went to sleep. The next day, there were many people for Baba’s Darshan,
including these two. When they bowed to do Namaskar to Baba, He
uttered these words - “All types of people come in this Darbar.
Good, bad, rogues, evil, cruel – all types. Why should one criticize
and gossip about them ?” Of course, my friends learnt their
lesson from Baba’s comment. – Shri Sai Leela, Year 1, Volume II, Jyeshtha,
Shaka 1845 Translated
into English by Jyoti
Ranjan Raut 8/A
Kakad Estate, 106 Sea Face Road, Worli, Mumbai - 400 018. qqq |
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