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Experiences
of Sai Maharaj Continuing
the experiences of Shri Vinayak Sitaram Mulherkar...
Once,
I went to Shirdi via Pandharpur, after duly taking Darshan of
Lord Pandurang. There was a sweetmeat shop near the Mahadwar at
Pandharpur. I asked the shopkeeper to give me one and quarter seer of
the best Pedhas he had as I had to go for Sai’s Darshan
in Shirdi. He really gave me the best. The
next day, when I reached Shirdi for Baba’s Darshan and offered
the Pedhas, Baba said, “These Pedhas are from Pandharpur
aren’t they ? You have brought them for me ?” I replied,
“Yes Baba, I have brought them for You. Only if You accept them shall
I be gratified.” “Yes, you brought them for me,’’ Baba said and
right away took a couple of Pedhas. He gave back the rest saying,
“Shri Pandurang’s Prasad.” The very fact that He called
them Pedhas from Pandharpur underlines the fact that Baba was
omniscient and fulfilled His devotees’ wishes without doubt. Thoughts
of this benevolent figure increased my devotion day by day. Every
time I went to Shirdi for Baba’s Darshan, another such miracle
would take place. I went to Shirdi every 2-4 months; but there was never
any hitch in my reaching there. Once,
I left for Shirdi along with the Late Hon. Nanasaheb Chandorkar. We
alighted at Kopargaon and bathed in the Godavari. We took tea made by
Nanasaheb’s Brahmin there. Nanasaheb had taken five seers of
milk with him and there were many other pilgrims from Mumbai who had
come there. They too bathed in the Godavari and were arranging for tea
for their families. When
Nanasaheb started distributing the milk to the children, the women and
children clamoured for the same and created a commotion. I was sitting
in Nanasaheb’s Tonga nearby, waiting to move as soon as
Nanasaheb was seated. I told the people, “Do not trouble him. He is
not an ordinary pilgrim. He is the district’s Deputy Collector and a Pucca
devotee of Shri Sai Baba.” Later,
when we both reached Shirdi in the Tonga, it was time for the Aarati.
After the Aarati, when we prostrated in front of Baba, He
looked at me and said, “So Nana is a Pucca devotee and what are
you - a Kuchha devotee ?” I was surprised and remembered
my words to the pilgrims in Godavari. It clearly shows, how Baba gave
the experience of His omniscience at every step. Besides He gave the
benefit of His profound wisdom to His devotees, so that they shunned any
sort of conceit. Just as Sant Namdev prayed to Lord Vishnu that
His devotees should be devoid of pride, similarly Baba lovingly narrated
stories to guide His devotees on the right path. Till
today, I am living my life in this Sansar experiencing the
blessings of Shri Sai Baba. It is all happening as Sant Tukaram
said, “Simply touching the feet of the saint, the seed of greed burns
away. “We should place our heartfelt trust at the feet of the saint as
per the following Abhang of Sant Tukaram - “For
the Paras, the hands and feet are both made of sandalwood. No
part of the body is inferior to it. For
a lamp there is no darkness around or within. Sugar is sweet inside out. Thus
in a good person, Tuka says, you can find no flaws.” So
be it. Please excuse me for this long letter. I hope you will publish it
in your magazine and oblige. Vinayak Sitaram Mulherkar Shri
Sai Leela, Year I, Ashvin Shaké 1845 / vol. 8 Translated into
English by Jyoti Ranjan Raut 8/A Kakad Estate, 106 Sea Face Road, Worli, Mumbai - 400 018. qqq IS BABA LIVING AND HELPING NOW ? – Compiled by Jyoti Ranjan Raut Seema Verma (148/H-19, Sector 7,
Rohini, New Delhi - 110 085.) :- All
of us in our family are staunch devotees of Baba. Over the years there
have been umpteen incidents of Baba’s grace; but I would like to
particularly share one my mother experienced recently. I truly
appreciate and earnestly thank my mother for her sincere devotion to
Baba by following, what He preacehd. We all are benefitted by her
prayers. My
mother regularly visits the Sai Baba temple in Noida twice daily. It was
November 25th, 2004, the Sthapana
Divas of Baba’s statue. The festivities of the day began with a
morning Snan with milk. My mother too wanted to offer a packet of
milk for the occasion. Hence she requested our domestic help (who brings
the milk everyday) to bring the milk a little early, so that she could
reach the temple in time. Since the domestic help did not bring the milk
on time, my mother left for the temple around 6.30 a.m., thinking she
would be late if she waited any longer. While
walking, she was continuously praying to Baba, that her wish of offering
milk be fulfilled. As she neared the temple, a car stopped beside her
and a lady with a milk packet in her hand asked my mother to offer it to
Sai Baba. The
car then sped off. My mother was too stunned to react. Her eyes were
filled with tears. How Baba had fulfilled her wish ! How did that
lady know that my mother was going to the Sai Baba temple ? Baba
once again proved that he who loves Him whole-heartedly gets response
from Him at any time at any place. He is always by our side and will
take any form to appear before the devout Bhakta and gratify
him/her. qqq A Follower (Ahmedabad) :- No
one in this world can help you except God - Shri Sai Baba. Many a time,
even friends, relatives, siblings or parents are helpless even though
their intentions are good. At such a time, the only one who can give you
solace is Shri Sai Baba. He will help you and surprise you by showing
His miracles in different ways. What he has in mind could be different
from what you have ever dreamed of; but it is something which is best
for you. “Have PATIENCE & FAITH in me and stop thinking, analysing,
calculating or planning. Just REMEMBER ME and I am there for you. ” I
am an ordinary devotee of Shri Sai Baba, who remembers Him most in times
of need. I am selfish enough to remember Him in difficult times and
greedy enough to keep asking for favours. Sometimes He favours me and
sometimes He delays to meet my demands; but still He listens to me. I
am a well-educated doctor and Sai Baba has helped me in my studies. I
met with a major accident, in which I lost my sister, while I survived
with severe injuries. Baba helped me to recover, cope and lead a normal
life after that accident. I am unmarried and could have strayed from the
right path or someone could have cheated me; but Baba has always helped
and protected me. May
Baba give me physical, mental, emotional and financial strength to
remember HIM always and PATIENCE in times of difficulties. He is always
there to take care of me in this highly populated world. I say infinite Namaskars
and thanks to this Great Mathematician of the world through this
article. qqq Dr. Ushakar Jha (Sarisab Pahi,
Madhubani-847 424, Bihar.) :- Lord
Samarth Sadguru Sainath saves His devotees who have ‘Shraddha’
and ‘Saburi’ from all types of miseries and even death.
As a humble devotee of the Lord, I am narrating one such incident in my
life. In
August 1997, with the blessings of the Lord, I got an opportunity to
attend The International Eurasian Congress on Environment and Peace held
in Giresum, Turkey. At the International Airport, Istanbul, I was in the
lift, going to the toilet. It was midnight, and the place was very calm
and peaceful. The other delegates were at a distance. Suddendly the
light in the lift went off and it was stalled. For a second I lost all
hope of survival. But, then I called Lord Sai for help and miraculously
the light was restored and the lift also started moving. I feel, I was
saved from death by Lord Samarth Sainath. It was a thrilling
experience of the Great Sainath. My faith and devotion towards Lord
Sainath became stronger and I visited His abode - SHIRDI to offer my
thanks. This is Sai Baba – ready to save and help HIS devotees. Devotees
should visit SHIRDI often, if one wishes to get rid of this SANSAR. qqq Sunjay Raina (3/3, Vasant
Vihar Enclave, Dehradun - 248 006, Uttaranchal.) :- On
Thursday, 19th
August 2004, I was returning from the temple along with my mother. I
must mention that I visit the Sai Baba temple every Thursday, wherever I
may be. Suddenly three school boys sped from the side and banged my
scooter, resulting in my falling on the right side of the road and my
mother on the left. Although I had minor scratches on the hand, my
mother had a rupture of the artery in the thigh area. She fell with the
photograph of Baba and the Prasad in her hands – both intact.
She is much better now and recovering fast. In
another incident, my elder brother’s son was playing with his four and
a half year old younger brother, when by accident the plastic stick with
which he was playing went into his right eye. By the grace of Sai Baba,
the doctor said that the stick had hurt
his cornea, but the retina was unharmed and he was out of danger. I
would like to apprise the readers of Shri Sai Leela that Baba thus saves
His devotees in difficult times through His myriad Leelas. qqq G. Venu K. Gopal (6-119, Naidu
Quarters, Gopalapatnam, Vishakhapatnam - 530 027, Andhra
Pradesh.) :- Once,
while returning home, my wallet fell down in the bus. I was oblivious of
it. An hour after I reached home I looked for my wallet in the trouser
pocket; but it was not there. I searched everywhere; but could not find
it. There were about Rs. 50/- and some visiting cards in the wallet,
which were not significant. The only thing which was important to me was
my two-wheeler driving licence, which I kept in my wallet. I
was very depressed and did not tell anyone at home, thinking that my
parents would scold me for the next two-three days. So, I kept the
matter to myself and did not speak to anyone. That evening I went to the
temple as I thought only He could save me from all fears and calamities.
I told this matter to the ONLY one Whom I trusted the most, my Guru,
Sai Baba. I spoke to Him from my heart and asked Him to help and save me
in this matter. For
two days there was no reply from Him. I felt depressed and went to my
uncle’s house to continue with my job as a sales marketing executive.
On the third day, I got a call from my mother, inquiring, whether I had
lost my wallet. I said, ‘‘Yes’’. It seems a student from a
nearby college had returned the wallet. I was unaware that I had kept my
address and telephone number in the wallet. To my surprise, nothing was
missing from it. Not even a single rupee, neither the cards, nor the
licence. I
was very thankful to the student who honestly returned my wallet. He had
personally come to my house to return it. He asked my mother to check
the contents of the wallet to see if anything was missing. It was a
complete shock to my mother who knew nothing about the missing wallet. This
incident happened in 2001. Another
incident took place in February 2006. In the early hours of the 8th of February, around 3 a.m., I was working in a
call centre and had a class in the morning. It was a training session.
Just before the break, I had kept my mobile in the silent mode. Since
most of my friends worked in call centres, they usually gave me missed
calls. I wanted to check if I had received any. Suddenly, to my
surprise, I could not move my eyes from my mobile. What I saw was a
small faded picture of Sai (1/4 size of wall paper). It flashed on my
mobile for 2-3 minutes continuously. I felt very happy at that moment
and throughout the day as well. I wanted to share this experience with my friends; but thought, they wouldn’t believe it and so, kept it to myself. I did not utter a word to anyone in the class-room; but I want to share this with you, dear readers of Shri Sai Leela. |
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