The Blessed Ones

[SS91]

Sai Baba was seriously ill in 1915. He had Asthma. He would not eat anything then. He was breathing hard. I cried. Baba asked me "Why cry?" I said, "I cannot see this state of yours." Baba said, "Don't fear. In two or four days I will be alright, Allah has given me this sickness and he will make me alright within that period. You need not cry. I was remembering you the last two or three days and told Kaka to write to you to come." Kaka did not write. Sai Baba said, "Do not write, he is coming himself. In fact, somehow I went up during his illness, not knowing he was ill. He never took medicines for his illness as a rule. Even during his illness, he was supported and carried by the devotees to his begging place. There he would beg and come back and yet not eat the food. He carried on his usual routine of begging, walking, etc., even during all that illness. One day, during his illness, he climbed up the terrace of one house through a staircase, then went over to the next house terrace and over Radhakrishna's. Then a man lifted him up and brought him down to the ground and that man was paid by Baba, 3 or 4 rupees. Baba then said, "We must not get the labour of anyone for nothing." I saw all this. Ambulance-chair was then brought for him, but he never used it. Malegaonkar Fakir Baba (called Bade Baba, Bade Mia by Sai Baba) was getting most money.

[SS91]

In 1920 when my wife was seriously ill of influenza, she felt sorry, she could not attend the Urs Ramanavami. That night Sai Baba appeared in her dream and said, "Do not cry. I will take you for the Urs." She got slightly better next morning and narrated this to me. Illness still continued and she expired on Ramanavami crying "Baba, Baba" to the last. On the Ramanavami flag processions: 10 A.M., 12 Noon: Hindi Kirtan of Ram Janma begins after procession ends and flags are hoisted. The Moslems begin reading their Quran. They would take Sai Baba's sandals and go round with it in procession. We, Hindus, would accompany it. They would accompany our flag procession; so in the Arati it is recited that Sai Baba has taken birth to obliterate difference between Hindus and Mohammedans etc. I saw he had a hole in his ear and when he bathed naked, he had not been circumcised, so far as I could see.

Megha worshipped Sai Baba as "Shanker" standing on one leg. Sai Baba told him in a dream to draw a figure of a Trisul on the wall of Sathe's Wada in which Megha lived. Megha did so. A lingam was added soon after and is still there, with Sai Baba's permission and was worshipped by Megha.

Megha narrated an incident that he wanted to give Sai Baba a Gangasnan, i.e., a bath in the water of Ganges (Godavari). But Baba said, "Wet the head only. Head is the chief. Put a little water on it." But Megha went to Godavari at Kopergaon and brought a tubful of water and poured it all over Sai Baba's body. However only the head was wetted. Even the clothes were not wetted. I did not see this. I have heard Sai Baba sing a song once or twice. He would gladly hear people sing to him.

[SS91]

Occasionally, what Sai Baba talked to us, would be found when we went at once to hear Pothi, i.e., the reading of sacred works at Sathe's Wada where Bapu Jog read Eknathi Bhagvat. I had several experiences of the sort. I cannot remember details of even one instance.

Baba used to be near the Dhuni, early morning facing south, leaning on a post and doing something. I cannot say what. People were not allowed to go near, i.e., even 50 feet. The Sevakaries could carry on their usual service or work of clearing, replenishing fuel for Dhuni, etc. No others could go so near as they. He used to utter words like Yade Haq. They were seldom clear or audible to us at some distance. Allah Malik, Allah Vali Hai, i.e., God is the Master and Protector, he used to say often and at all times.

[SS91]

I once got leave from office at Bandra and from my mother to go. The next evening I had to start for Shirdi. But during the night, Sai Baba appeared to me in my dream and said, 'Don't come.' I wondered why. The morning after I was to have left, there was a strike in the workshop. If I had left overnight as I first proposed, my officers would have suspected me to be at the bottom of the strike and I would be in trouble. Sai Baba saved me from that.

Yeshwantrao, grandson of Raghunath Mukund, Engineer, went with me to Sai Baba in 1911 or 1912 at Ashad Guru Purnima when cholera was raging in Shirdi. He did not wish to return before I did. But Baba told him to go and gave him his Udhi. But he did not wish to start. He stayed on though I also told him to go since he had leave of Baba. That night he had an attack of cholera to which he succumbed at Shirdi the next morning. Sai Baba went to Megha, when the latter was dying, shed tears there and covered the corpse with flowers and went to the funeral ground where Megha's corpse was burnt. Megha lay ill for two or three days before death. Baba used to give him Udhi then.

Once Sai Baba prevented me from going away to Bombay even after 4.30 P.M. The last train at Kopergaon for Manmad would leave at 6.30 P.M. It was a Bazaar day (Monday). I got a bullock cart. Baba told Rege to go with me. We reached the river at 6.45 P.M. and reached the Kopergaon station at about 7.45 P.M. The train had gone away. There was a special train, however, running that night which stopped at 8.15 P.M. at Kopergaon and took us to Manmad and thence we reached our homes. There were no trains to Manmad from Kopergaon at night, i.e., after 6.30 P.M. in those days.

Source: Devotees Experiences of SRI SAI BABA by B.V.NARASIMHASWAMIJI

[SS91]

Abdullah Jan

Originally of Tarbella, Hazara District, near Peshawar, Muhammadan, Pathan, living for years at Korhale near Sakori, aged 40, Shirdi, 5th November, 1936.

I had left Tarbella when I was quite a boy. I had none to support me. I wished to go abroad and see Mecca, etc. So I travelled down south upto Manmad. From there some one who took interest in me said that I could easily go to Bombay and, then to Mecca, etc. But I was informed (in 1913 when I was at Haripur on the way to Manmad) that Sai Baba was a great person at Shirdi who was liberally showering moneys on fakirs and would send me to Mecca, if I wanted. So I went to Shirdi. As I entered the gate of the Masjid, Baba was in the main building. I looked at Him and He at me. Our eyes met. At once I felt that Sai was indeed my Guru. I stayed on at Shirdi. He fed me and other fakirs abundantly and I resolved to stay on and lead an easy life at Shirdi with him. This was in 1913. I was not taking a serious view of life then, because I was so young. My stay with Baba brought about some changes in my mentality. When I came to Shirdi, I regarded Hindus as enemies of mine. After remaining about three years with Baba, this feeling of animosity passed away and I was viewing Hindus as my brethren. Now, for instance, I see with regret that at Bombay, Hindus wish to destroy Moslems and their Mosques, and Moslems wish to destroy Hindus and their temples. If both succeed in wiping out each other they will only make room for persons of other faiths to establish themselves in the place of these two.

[SS91]

Baba passed away when I was aged 22 and so did not benefit me on the religious side in any appreciable way. I was feeling disappointed and I set out on my travels. In 1926, I was going back north. There in the Swat Valley, (Malekhand Agency), I found the tomb of a great Saint, Akun Baba who was a Sayyad or direct descendant of Mohammed. It is reported of him that when Lord Roberts was advancing west-wards with a view to quell the Moslem tribes there, he felt that he could not move one foot further. It is said that Akun Baba, by his magical power, locked up Lord Roberts in a hill for 3 months and 11 days and Lord Roberts communicated to Queen Victoria (the British Government) this predicament of his. Akun Baba's powers were widely talked of in those days and I lay down one night near his tomb praying that he might be pleased to take me under his wings and help me as Sai Baba had not given me help. During the night, I had a dream wherein I saw not Akun Baba but Sai Baba. Sai Baba was seated on a chair near my head, as I lay there. Baba did not speak. When I woke, I recollected this dream or vision and found that I was still under Sai Baba's care. I had not addressed him but only addressed Akun Baba, when I went to sleep there. Yet he, Sai Baba, was kind enough to come to me of his own accord, (to help me) into Swat Valley, 1,500 miles off Shirdi. My idea that Sai Baba had deceived me by giving me no help during the five years I was with him at Shirdi was evidently not right. I got more faith in Baba from the time of that dream or vision in the Swat Valley. I returned back to this side and I have full faith in him now. (I am married since 1924 and live with my family at Koshale, four miles from here). Baba appears before me once in two or four years. I moralise on the past sometimes and see the vanity of my poor existence. Baba was surrounded by crowds in his lifetime and it was hard to find room in the Mosque on account of these crowds. What a number of dogs, etc., were swarming round him! Now there are very few men and hardly any dogs to be seen at the Mosque which is as a rule deserted. If Baba's splendour was so short-lived and if it faded away so quickly, what of me, a poor gnat?

[SS91]

I have heard of or seen no "Rohillas" staying with Baba. But I have known and heard of some intolerant Pathans who came to him. The late Bala Saheb, i.e., R.A.Tarkhad, told me of an incident in his life. He was sleeping one night at the Chavadi by the side of Baba. One Mir Jaman of Kandahar was then with Baba as a recent visitor. Suddenly, one night, at about 3 A.M. Mir Jaman got up and told Baba that the Hindus were spoiling him, and Mohammedan faith, and asked Baba if he would permit him, i.e., Mir Jaman, to take the sword and strike away at the throats of all the Hindus there and effect Baba's release. R.A. Tarkhad listened with fear and wondered if the wretch meant really to murder him in cold blood. Sai Baba, however, placated Mir Jaman by saying that he (Baba) was pagal, i.e., mad and the Hindus worshipping him there were mad, that he was responsible for their worshipping him (contrary to the custom and tenets of the Islamic faith) and not they for his mad state, and that it was his throat that should be cut by Mir Jaman, if he wanted to cut any throat and not theirs. Thereafter, Mir Jaman kept quiet.

[SS91]

There was another intolerant Moslem, named Abdullah Khan of Nagpur, who stayed sometime (three or four months) with Baba. He was a journalist and familiar with Buty, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. He was a Hindustani pathan and not a Rohilla. He died at Ahmednagar. During his stay at Shirdi, he was occasionally complaining that Baba had deceived him. Once this man beat Nana Chopdar and was charged before the Kopergaon Magistrate. He was convicted and fined. He had no money to pay the fine of Rs. 15 and no security to offer and so was in jail for a while. Then Buty sent him Rs. 15. It seems that he declined it saying, that "he that deceived me should pay the Rs. 15 and no others." Then Baba sent Rs. 15 out of his own pocket and got him released. I learnt that this man once told Baba, "I see that you are violating the principles of Islam by what goes on here and that your throat should be cut". At that, it seems, Baba laughed and then the man begged pardon of Baba, at which again Baba laughed.

[SS91]

When Baba was alive, I heard him say to someone who feared that Baba would pass away and with him all his work and influence ‘Hunadande Hanin’ which is Mahratti for "From within the tomb I will beat with sticks." i.e., that death of his body will not terminate his influence or activity.

When Baba passed away in 1918, he was 22. Even then he was not sufficiently serious to have any development on the religious side. He felt however grieved at Baba’s disappearance and started off on his travels again. In 1926, he was going back North. Then in the Swat valley (Malekand Agency) he found the tomb of a great saint, Akun Baba, who was a Sayyad, a direct descendant of Mohamed. His miraculous powers were the subject of popular legends. That Akun Baba is said to have locked up Lord Roberts on a hill for three months and 11 days. During Abdulla Jan's stay there, one night he had a dream in which a saint appeared. ‘Who was it?’ It was not Akun Baba that he had prayed to, but Sai Baba who was seated on a chair near his head. When he woke, he remembered the dream. So, he found he was still under Baba’s care, though it was eight years since Baba passed away. As Sai was kind enough of his own accord to give him Sakshatkar, 1500 miles away from Shirdi, his reverence for Sai increased and his former idea that Sai Baba had deceived him by giving him no help during the five years of his stay was found to be wrong. At This discovery he returned to India with full faith in Sai Baba.

In 1924 he married and started living at Korhale, four miles from Shirdi. He is lucky enough to have Baba’s appearance before him once in two or four years and he moralises on the past and sees the vanity of human wishes. Baba was surrounded by crowds in his lifetime, and it was hard to find room in the Mosque on account of these crowds of men swarming around him, and a large number of dogs intermingled in the crowd. Abdulla Jan describes that the Mosque in 1936 looked deserted.

When Baba was in the flesh, Abdulla Jan once expressed his fear that Baba would expire and all his work and influence would pass away with him. Baba said that from within the tomb he would beat with sticks meaning that the death of his body would not terminate his influence or activity.

The five tenets of Islam are  1) uttering the Kalami or declaration of faith, namely, There is no god but God and Mohamed is the Prophet; 2) Panch Namaz, saying the Namaz five times a day, at dawn, at 10 a.m., at 12 noon, at 5 p.m. and at night, kneeling and bending the body at each utterance. 3) Fasting, especially all the forty days of Ramzan and on other occasions about 8 or 10 times in the year; 4) Alms-giving. 5) Haj Yatra that is, going to Mecca. These are the five tenets of Islam. Of these, Baba observed only alms-giving. His alms-giving was a princely scale and he supported over two hundred homeless beggars at Shirdi and distributed not merely vegetarian food, but also meat for non-vegetarians specially prepared as samaradhana from his Hundi, by himself. He also distributed clothes to the poor periodically. In addition to regular donations to certain persons, he also gave liberally to dancers, athletes, acrobats and Ramadasis and all sorts of people that came to him for alms. His reputation as a liberal Maharaj was known very far from Shirdi and attracted people like Madras Ramadasis and this man Tarbella Abdulla Jan.

Source: Devotees Experiences of SRI SAI BABA by B.V.NARASIMHASWAMIJI

[SS91]

W. Pradhan

Clerk, Collector's Office, Revenue Department, (Old Customs House) living at Venkateshwar Press, Chawl, near Sandhurst Road, Bombay

Nana Saheb Chandorkar was the cause of all my relations going to Baba and therefore the cause of my going also. It was the first week of May 1910. A group of my brothers and other relations were chatting with Mr. Chandorkar. Then my brother Rama Rao asked:- "Is there any one nowadays of the type of Akkalkote Maharaj?"
N.C. : Do you want to see one?
 R.R. : Yes
 N.C. : In that case, go to Shirdi. In Sai Baba of Shirdi you have one.
 R.R. : This is the first time we hear of Shirdi. Where is it and how do we get to it?
 N.C. : It is in Kopergaon Taluk, Ahmednagar District. You have to go to Kopergaon Station (on Dhond Manmad Line) and take a tonga. Shirdi is 11 miles off the station.


Mr. Chandorkar gave such a vivid and glowing account of Baba's power, personality, kindness and greatness that all his hearers were aglow with the desire to rush at once or as early as possible to Shirdi and have darsan (sight) of Baba. These relations and friends of mine, forming a group of about 10 or 14 people started the very next day to Shirdi. They wanted me to be with the party. But I had been out and they left word with my wife and went away. I was that day with my mother who told me of their trip to see Baba; but I, in my ignorance, said to her "Who can say, if he is really a genuine saint?"

When the party returned from Shirdi, I took a loan from my brother of two things that they had brought, a copy of Baba's picture and Chapter 31 of Bhakta Lilamrita of Das Ganu, describing Baba's life and the miracles he wrought, promising to return them the same day. I took them home, showed them to my wife, and began to read aloud that Chapter 31 to her. The effect was deep and electric. All the doubt that I had expressed to my mother vanished. I was converted. From that moment I got a firm belief that Baba was a true and great saint if ever there was one. My wife's faith was even greater. I told her that the book and the picture had to be returned that day. But she could not think of parting with Baba and that too on a Thursday. So at her insistence 1 kept them on, even the next day and the third. Then as they were called for by my brother, I had to return them on the fourth day.

[SS91]

Now we were burning with a desire to go to Baba. But circumstances seemed to be adverse to any such adventure. My sister-in-law, who had been recently widowed, appeared to be in advanced pregnancy and had no son. We all fervently hoped she would have a son and I, as the only male member in the house, could not leave the town as the delivery might take place any day.

But my wife and sister were very anxious that I should not lose the chance of seeing Baba early. So I started about a fortnight after the first party returned from Shirdi by the end of May 1910. By the kindness of Mr. Chandorkar, his two sons Babu and Bapu became my companions. At starting I had provided myself with three or four gold sovereigns (guineas, as they were called) and some notes. I got a note changed with the object that I might be able to give silver rupees when Baba should ask for dakshina. I had 20 Rupees in cash and the rest in notes. Thus provided, I went to Shirdi. After a good reception at Kopergaon from the Mam-latdar and a good bath at the Godavari, we reached Shirdi. There at that very moment of our arrival, Baba was standing at the Lendi, as though he was waiting for us. So we at once got down and bowed to him. We put up at the Sathewada and there had the company of Rao Bahadur Sathe, Mr.Noolkar, 1st Class Sub-Judge &c. Soon after, I took all the flowers, garlands, fruits &c, I had brought to the Masjid to garland Baba and gave him all the presents. When I looked quietly into his face and eyes, I felt confirmed in my impression that Baba is a really great saint and said within myself Thank God. I have come". This deep impression was quite opportune. Baba at once proceeded to put my faith to the test.

[SS91]

Baba asked me for a Dakshina. Instead of giving him silver as I had intended when I changed the notes at Kalyan, I gave him gold. I put a sovereign in his hand. Baba received it, turned it in his palms now with St. George's figure upwards, again with the written side upwards. He did so thrice and asked Noolkar each time, "What is this?" Noolkar replied "Baba, this is a guinea". Baba then asked him "What is it worth?" and he replied "It is worth fifteen rupees". Then Baba returned the coin to me saying, "I do not want this. Keep it and give me fifteen rupees". I put the coin into my purse. But Noolkar was anxious that I should not mix up the coin touched and returned by Baba, with other coins and asked me to keep it apart as a sacred possession. Of course I did so. I then gave Baba fifteen silver rupees. Then Baba took the fifteen, counted them over and over and professed to find only ten rupees in what I gave and said "here is only Rs.10. Give me 5 more". This was really testing my faith in him. A lawyer accustomed to combat and criticise would naturally defend himself against the aspersion that he gave only ten when asserting that he paid a larger sum. But rny faith had come up to the mark. I meekly accepted Baba's declaration and without any inclination to dispute Baba's words gladly gave him the other 5 rupees in my pocket. Baba was obviously aware that the 20 rupees in my pocket was intended for him and expressly got to be paid to him and under colour of wrong calculation was carrying out my intention to place that sum at his feet. After I gave him the 20 rupees on that occasion he did not ask for more, though I had a lot more in notes with me. Then I left him.

[SS91]

When I went to him next, he was giving udhi to a number of devotees crowding round him. He caught sight of me as I stood at a distance, beckoned to me to draw near, addressed me as Bhau (as he did ever afterwards) and said "It will be alright in 2 or 4 days". Then he gave me udhi and I left the mosque. Persons who were present and wondered at such deep interest of Baba in me and his regard for me, like Mr.Noolkar and Mrs.Jog, came to me. Noolkar embraced me. Mrs.Jog wanted to know from me what sacred reading I went on with (to find out how I should deserve the "Vilakshan" i.e. marked treatment accorded to me by Baba). Baba, every one knew, did not care for mere wealth, gold or family position. I humbly admitted to Mrs.Jog that I could boast of little sacred study, Pothi etc.

[SS91]

I thought I would return by the next day. But when leave was asked, Baba declined it in his characteristic fashion by saying, "Go tomorrow". He did so on succeeding days and kept me there for eight days. I was arranging for a special dinner or Biksha to Baba the next day and requested him to inform me who were to be invited and what the menu was to be. Of course, Puranpoli was to be the crown of the dinner and for guests, he said I was to invite Babu (the nephew of Dada Kelkar), who was Baba's favourite and Baba. He said 'I also will come before I invited him. The next day, the dinner was prepared as directed and plates were served. Babu was invited and sat ot one plate. Another was served and set apart for Baba. A crow came and lifted a puranpoli off the plate and carried it away. All hailed it with delight as evidence that Baba was going in that form to take away his own.

That afternoon, Baba touched his limbs on one side and said, "On this side of my body, there is excruciating pain". But he added, "It will be alright in 2 or 4 days". Baba really appeared healthy, in spite of those words and what he meant to convey by his words escaped our powers of understanding at that time.

[SS91]

On a Thursday, during that period Baba was preparing food in "Handi" (i.e., pot) to feed large numbers. He drove away every one from the Masjid and was alone with his handi. At that time, to the great surprise and alarm of the spectators, myself and the two sons of Chandorkar went in. Baba, far from being angry, received us very well, as though he had intended the expulsion of others for the very purpose of granting us a wholly private interview. Then after a little while Baba appeared to be singing out something. At least I thought it to be so. But I found that when he repeated the words for the third time, they were "Kayre apla kay manave Sri Ram Jayaram Jaya Jaya Ram"

At once, on hearing these words I was overcome with emotion and I placed my head on Baba's feet and tears flowed freely. These words were the guru mantra that I had received from my family guru Haribua (whose grandfather Atmaram Bua who has a temple built for his worship in Thakurdwar Bombay, was the guru of my great grandfather). And Baba was so kindly reviving my interest in and regard for that guru mantra in this fashion for my benefit. Baba was attending to my spiritual benefit without any question from me and his loving interest in me was too deep for me to return and too great to acknowledge except through tears of gratitude and joy.

At the "handi", I noticed with wonder that when the contents of the cauldron were boiling, Baba used his own bare palm and not a spoon nor a ladle to stir the contents thoroughly to secure even and uniform consistency in the food or Stra. His hand was not scalded or swollen by such use. Thence suddenly at noon, he took us three to the lendi, a very unusual hour for him to visit the. lendi; and there he dug into the earth small hollows, gave me some corn and made me sow that corn in those hollows. Then after turning up some earth to cover the seeds, he made me water the patches sown; and then we returned to the mosque. It is that lendi garden which 7 or 8 years later (ie., immediately after he passed away) I have purchased.