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IS BABA LIVING AND HELPING NOW ?
DEVOTEES’
EXPERIENCES AFTER BABA’S MAHASAMADHI ON 15th OCTOBER,
1918 from book entitled ‘AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI’ written by Shri
Ramalingam Swami, inspired by SHri Sivanesan Swamiji of Shirdi
(Contd. from January-February, 2005 issue)
76. Baba cured the paralysis of the wife of Shri Pettugala
Narasimhulu Chettiar, No. 8, Chinnathamli Mudali Street, G.T., CHENNAI.....
My wife and
myself are Sai devotees as well as Harnath devotees. A month ago,
we were at Nellore where we sang songs and the namavali of
both these saints. When we returned to Chennai, we continued with
Harnath bhajans, omitting Sai songs and Sai namavali.
We merely did aarati to His picture along with Harnath’s.
My wife fell
ill on 21-1-1939 and had a serious attack of rheumatism or
something like a paralytic seizure. Her limbs could not move. My
wife said to herself that this was a punishment for slighting
Baba’s songs and namavali, i.e. omitting them. Later, she
had a dream, where she found herself running in a
garden of
Nellore
(where we did bhajans) and found that two Muslim boys were
chasing her. Just then she remembered Harnath and prayed to Him
for help. One of the pursuers disappeared. Now, only one boy
chased, and he too began to chuckle with laughter saying “Am I not
Sai ? How is it that you have forgotten Me ?” He added, “Your
illness will be cured. Give Me Rs. 40/-.” She woke up and told Me
of her dream. We resolved to follow Baba’s advice. Half an hour
after the dream, her legs, which had lost all power of movement or
support during her illness, recovered strength and became quite
normal.
In the morning
she became alright.
Since that day we are having regular Sai pooja
and bhajans in our house.
77. Baba gave a warning to Dr. Ramaswamy Iyengar, Narayan Mudaliar
Street, CHENNAI, for violation of his vow.....
Having heard of
the greatness of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, I went along with
Raosaheb Subbaiah Chettiar and reached Shirdi on 27-4-1938. On the
way I considered that Shirdi being as sacred a shrine as Kashi or
Rameshwar, I should mark the visit and render it fruitful by a vow
of solemn abstinence from using betel leaves and areca nut (pan-supari).
I finally resolved that from the time I leave Shirdi I would not
chew betel. This was a great sacrifice as chewing betel was a
childhood habit. Ever since I was a boy, I would chew betel
several times every day.
I left Shirdi
in a bullock-cart along with Shri Chettiar on the morning of
28-4-1938. As we were seated in the cart, Shri Chettiar chewed
betel and the temptation to do the same overpowered me. I thought
I must postpone my vow of abstinence and begin only after I reach
Chennai. So, I took my betel-nut basket and merrily chewed away.
As soon as I started chewing I found that my tongue pricked. The
lime smear (chuna) coating on the betel leaf sometimes
pricks the tongue of inexperienced novices in chewing. But, my
tongue, which was used to chewing pan for decades had
become quite deadened and thick. So, the pricking was a surprise.
However, I did not mind it and had a hearty chew. In half an hour,
I noticed the state of my tongue and mouth. The entire interior of
the mouth including the tongue got inflammed, an unprecedented
phenomenon in my 40 years history of pan-chewing.
Thereafter, chewing not only betelnut but anything solid (even
bland food) was out of the question.
For 18 days, I
was compelled to abstain from betel as well as all forms of solid
food due to the state of my mouth. I had to survive on milk.
Looking at Shri
Chettiar’s state made me wonder even more. He had chewed the same
betel, using the same chuna, but he did not suffer any
inflammation or any other trouble. But then, he had not made a vow
to give up betel chewing as I did !
About an hour
after my chewing experience, I had another. My chewing
paraphernalia consisted of a small basket for the betel leaves and
areca nuts and a silver crucible containing lime (chuna).
As I went to purchase some betel and other articles from Rahata
Bazaar, I left it near Shri Chettiar. After I returned within a
few minutes, I looked for my betel basket, but lo ! It was
missing, as was the crucible. No thief could have come there as
the articles were very close to Shri Chettiar. In spite of
repeated search, the articles could not be found.
Both the above
incidents showed me that Baba is a living force. He is a Kind
Father guarding His children – the devotees and even raw recruits
like me, with affection yet strict watchfulness. He promptly
punishes and checks any flagrant violation of vows solemnly made
to Him, and arranges the circumstances and environment of His
children as to make further disobedience on their part impossible,
in their own interest.
I have been
taught a severe lesson and from the above date, I have never again
violated my vow. Baba thus gave me increased faith in Him and
strength of mind to carry out the vows I make. Before the visit I
had hearsay information of Baba’s greatness and kindness which had
made a feeble impression on my mind. But, with actual experience
conferred on me, the impression I have of Baba is vivid and
powerful and will last a life time. I now concentrate my japa
and meditation on Baba alone.
– Jyoti
Ranjan
‘Shri Sai
Leela’
Periodical is Shri Sai Baba’s Literature Idol. To spread
this among as many Sai devotees as possible we earnestly appeal to
you to enrol 53 subscribers for Shri Sai Leela. Those who enrol 53
subscribers, will be honoured with ‘Saibhaktiprasarbhushan’
through Shri Sai Leela and will receive Shri Sai Satcharita
(English Translation by N. V. Gunaji - adapted from the Original
by G. R. Dabholkar alias Hemadpant) that touched at the Lotus Feet
of Shri Sai Baba’s Moorti and Samadhi with
Udi-prasad from Shri Sai Leela Editorial Section.
One day, a friend of Narayanrao was stung
by a scorpion, all of a sudden and suffered intense and unbearable
pain. Baba’s udi was very efficacious, if applied on the
seat of pain. But, though Narayanrao searched for it, he was
unable to find any. His friend was unable to bear the agony and
the udi could not be found anywhere. So, he took a
darshan of Baba’s picture and prayed fervently to Baba. Then,
just near that picture, the ash from the joss-sticks, which had
been burned earlier before it, was lying and he treated it as if
it were udi only. Taking a pinch from it, and chanting
Sai’s name, he smeared it where his friend was stung. The
experience matched the faith. It will be a great marvel to hear
that no sooner was the ash applied with the finger that the pain
disappeared, as quickly as it had come, and both were choked with
love. At least in this case it was the ash from the joss-sticks,
which was applied to one who was in pain. But, even if dust from
the road is applied, treating it as if it were udi, it
grants the same experience. The application of this dust, not only
to an ailing person or someone diseased, but to anyone else is
beneficial.
Once, the daughter of a devotee was
suffering from plague. When this news reached her father suddenly,
from another village, he was worried. The father lived in Bandra,
while the daughter lived in another village. He had no stock of
udi with him, so he sent a message to Nanasaheb Chandorkar.
‘‘Kindly pray to Baba to remove my anxiety,’’ he requested
Chandorkar and asked him to send udi as prasad. The
messenger met Nana on the way, as he was going to Kalyan with his
wife, at that time. Nana received this message at Thane, near the
railway station. Since he found no udi with him, he picked
up a little dust from the ground. Standing there on the road,
invoking Sai Samartha, and turning around applied a pinch
to his own wife’s forehead. On the other hand, the devotee left
for the village where his daughter lived. There he was very happy
when he received the joyful tidings. The girl had suffered from
very high fever for three days. She had been shattered by the
suffering; but since a day earlier, she was a little comfortable.
Inquiries revealed that the recovery began at the same time that
Nana had pleaded before Sai and applied the dust as udi to
his wife’s forehead.
– Shri Sai
Satcharita
March-April 2005
URL:http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org
E-mail :
saibaba_anr@sancharnet.in
E-mail : saidadar@bom3.vsnl.net.in
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