The way of showering Lord 'Sai's blessings on His devotees is miraculous beyond -any expectations. Some times He used to say that 'I am Aliah (Mai Alia Hu), some times He used to say i Alia Malik (Alia is Almighty). "Lo! I am beside you always". l The following account will prove how the blessinss are showered by Him on His devotees.
The Bangiya Sai Sangha was established in 1940 as an inevi¬table sequel to the miraculous recovery of late Himadri Bose, the thirteen year old son of Sri J. N. Bose from a critical illness with the help of holy 'Udhi' presented with a copy of Sri Baba's photo by Sri S. P. R. Naidu, organiser and first President of the Calcutta Sai Bhakta Samaj, to Sri Bose This incident instilled firm faith in Baba in the minds of members of the family of Sri Bose who started a small association in his house at 15A, Rajani Gupta Row, Calcutta, with the photo presented by Sri Naidu along with the members of the Calcutta Sai Samaj. In accordance with the instructions of Sri Naidu, daily puja commenced in our house in a very humble way.
In 1941, His Holiness B. V. Narasiruha Swami came to Calcutta and graced Sri L N. Bose's house and formally opened the Sangha at the above address by worshipping the coloured photo of Sri Baba (Dwarka Mayee type) presented by Sri Naidu on the "Mahasamadhi Day". This photo is being worshipped daily in the Puja Mandir of our Sangha for more than three decades.
In 1942, I got a dream one night that Sri Baba has been guiding me to Shirdi by holding my hand up the steps of Dwarkamayee - I had no idea where Dwarkamayee is and in my busy preoccupations in the office work during the war years, I forgot all about it. But the dream is still vividly remembered by me.
But wonder of wonders; Sri Baba did not forget it - while staying on my long official tour in Bombay for a month the same S. P. R. Naidu, who was transferred from Calcutta to Bombay exactly at the time, arranged for our trip to Shirdi along with some other devotees in April 1943. Before we started for Shirdi, I met Rao Bahadur M. W. Pradhan, one of the most favourite personal associates of Sri Baba at his Santa Cruz residence who embraced me and made all arrangements for our comfortable stay at Shirdi which was at that time, a village of mud houses with no facility for food and accommodation. We had wonder¬ful experience during our trip to Shirdi -
a) We met Sri Narayan Maharaj, an Avatar and Sri Baba's devotee who blessed us at a roadside station;
b) In the night with storms and rain at Kopergaon Station we were accommodated at the station by one 'Sri Naidu, the Station Master and receptionist of Sri Baba, of course with-out any food;
c) In the next morning we came to Kopergaon town and met one advocate, a friend of one (Mr. D. K. Deshpande) of the members of our party who gave us tea and enquired about our object of Shirdi trip. He called me "a fool - for coming all the way from Calcutta for visiting Shirdi and advised me to go back to Calcutta".
This is the usual first test of faith of devotees by Baba. Anyhow we did not pay any heed to the advocate's advice and went straight to Shirdi and offered our Puja in the Samadhi Mandir when I placed a big picture, drawn up in black chalk by an inspired devotee of Sri Baba working under Sri Baba's
instruction at B B. Dadar, and a silver idol (presented by Sri S P. R. Naidu) which are being daily worshipped in our Mandir since 1943.
Then I went up the steps of Dwarkamayee in the same way as I saw in my dream a year back and prostrated at Sri Baba's feet in the sitting position of photo the type of which was ins. tailed in my house in 1941 Naturally 1 felt a thrill in my mind and remembered Sri Baba's prophetic saying "He who steps up "Dwarkamayee" will have no wants in his lite". We visited the Holy Neem tree under which Sri Baba used to sit and were amazed to test the leaves of one branch as sweet and then of another branch of the same tree as bitter.
Then we saw His daily associate, Abdulla Bhai who embra¬ced us and blessed us in answer to his query that we were coming from Calcutta. But this visit besides being a profound source of inspiration of Sai faith, has struck me with remarkably won¬derful experience by noticing the synthesis of all religions in one place and on one floor of the same Dwarkamayee! Hindus are worshipping freely with bells and cymbals, Muslims are saying their Namaj at the opposite wall; the Parsis are offering their prayers before the ever burning Dhuni. This Dwarkamayee is a place of synthesis of all castes and creeds in the same way Dakhi-neswar of Sri Ramkrishna Paramahansa. We had good fortune to meet and dine with Sri Baba's one of the most favourite associates, Sri Tatya Patil, who blessed us profusely.
We were accommodaed as VIPs in the rooms above the Samadhi Mandir and took our meals with the Secretary, Mr. Kharkar. At the time of our departure from Shirdi, the Secretary, Mr. Kharker foretold me "Mr. Bose you will next visit Shirdi with your family" as if Sri Baba Spoke through him. I laughed mentally at this apparently unpracticable suggestion for the reason that it was physically impossible for me to come again to Shirdi with family. Then afterwards I forgot all about it.
J. N. Bose
Topic: A Concrete Example of Mysterious Grace (Read 11135 times)