The Blessed Ones

[SS91]

After detaining us for a week, Baba gave us permission to go away. At that time Babu Chandorkar placed a plate under Baba's feet and pouring water on them collected the water to be used at home. That was a departure in the traditions of Shirdi. Till then only udhi was allowed to be taken away, and Pada-Tirtha was immediately used up at the Arathi or at any rate at Shirdi. I took my cue from Babu and took Baba's Padatirtha home for the use of my mother and others. On our way, at Manmad we had only 3rd class tickets; and under the Railway rules then obtaining, we could only board a later train but not the Punjab Mail. But by a happy thought we rushed in and contrary to the rules, got into that mail and reached home 4 or 5 hours earlier than if we had conformed to the rules. These 4 or 5 hours I discovered were specially valuable and it was obviously Baba's grace that enabled us to be so early.

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As soon as I reached home, I learnt that my mother had an attack of paralysis. She was having the attack of hemiplegia in our house at Bombay, when Baba was saying "My side is giving me excruciating pain". Doctors had been brought in. My sister and other relations were discussing if I should be informed at Shirdi about the event. Mr.Chandorkar who was then present, remarked, it seems, that it was needless and that everything would be safe for my mother so long as I stayed with Baba and that Baba would himself send me back, if and when there was need.

On the night when we were starting from Shirdi the attendant doctor noting the high temperature, the constricted state of the bowels and her restlessness declared that her condition was critical and that if however the bowels should move in the course of the night the situation would be more hopeful. It was that very night about 4.30 or 5 a.m. I reached my mother's place.

At once I gave her Baba's udhi and tirtha. She then got somnolent and sometime later, her bowels moved and consequently her temperature fell. The doctor came and found that there was improvement and that things had taken a favourable turn. Quite obviously our timely dismissal from Shirdi, with Baba's tirtha and udhi, our timely catching the Punjab Mail and arrival on the critical night were all seen or foreseen and willed by Baba and the favourable turn was what he intended and foretold when he said to me at Shirdi "In 2 or 4 days it will be alright". Truly,
 
Sai moves in mysterious way, His wonders to perform My mother recovered full health soon and lived four years thereafter. Two years before her death, she went to Shirdi and had Baba's darsan and blessing.

[SS91]

Without exception all members of my family go to Baba and get his blessing. I shall mention how my wife and sister got to Baba and how my wife got a special blessing from Baba.

One night Das Ganu Mahraj performed his splendid Kirtan (always in praise of Baba, whatever the main and express theme of his Kirtan may be) at my mother's place. Then I invited him and Mr.Chandorkar and all the friends then present to go over to Santa Cruz for rest. They all came with the entire musical accompaniments and set. It was suggested that they should proceed with a fresh Kirtan here at my house. That went on from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. the most impressionable hours of the night. My wife listening to the Kirtan got a burning desire to visit Shirdi. Baba came to her in a dream she told me; and this she considered as a sufficient indication that she should be taken to Shirdi. "But what of my sister-in-law, who still seemed to be in advanced pregnancy?" I thought over it.

My wife and sister-in-law were prepared to take the risk of labour pains enroute. I engaged a special second class railway car, paying the price of 12 tickets and arranged that the same car should be taken on via Manmad to Kopergaon and taken off to a lay-by there. We all started and throughout the journey there was not the least trouble. When we were nearing Kopergaon, my wife said that Mr.Chandorkar would perhaps be at the station to receive us. I replied that it was impossible, though I had intimated our starting to him. Yet strangely that very thing happened.

WILL BE CONTD...

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Mr.Chandorkar had gone to Shirdi on account of his ill health. He was getting fever every alternate day and the day of our arrival was the day on which he would get fever in the usual course. Yet he got my letter and asked Baba for permission to receive us at Kopergaon. Baba gave it readily. When H.S.Dixit objected and went to Baba mentioning the alternate day's fever as a reason why he should go to Kopergaon instead of Chandorkar, Baba gruffly sent him back and said that Chandorkar, and Chandorkar alone, should go. Mr.Chandorkar came and made grand and excellent arrangements for our reception and for the comfort of the ladies and all our holy baths at Godavari; and we all reached Shirdi safe. Mr.Chandorkar was not a whit the worse for his journey and was free from fever. His fever then left him for good.

On the day we reached Shirdi, Baba said to Madhava Rao Deshpande, pointing to my wife "This is the mother of my Babu".

Mr. Chandorkar thought it must refer obviously to my sister-in-law who was believed to be pregnant and asked Baba, pointing to my sister-in-law, This is the lady, is it not?" Baba replied, "No. It is this" and he again pointed to my wife.
 
Exactly twelve months from that date my wife was delivered of a male child and we have named that son "Babu" (the name used by Baba). At the "Christening", Das Ganu, Mr. Chandorkar and all were present and it was a grand and joyous occasion reminding us of Baba's kindness and greatness.
 

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At my first visit there was severe storm and rain for quarter of an hour when I was with Baba at the masjid. I then thought that if the rains beat like that streams would swell and getting back to my place at Bombay would be difficult and Baba would not grant me early leave to go away. Baba then looked at the sky and said.

"Oh God! Enough, stop the rain. My children have to go back home. Let them go back without difficulty". As he spoke, the rains became gentler and feebler. I felt that Baba knew my innermost thoughts. Then he gave me leave to go and I caught the Punjab Mail and took Udhi and tirtha to my mother as stated above. Ill (IV) 359. The night after my return my sister-in-law dreamt that a fakir robed in a Kupani and wearing a towel on his head was in our house. This I felt was proving what Baba said, "I will accompany you home". Baba is in our house.

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Baba's kindness to my family was, I repeat, very great. When my wife begot "Babu", she resolved to make Baba, her father-in-law's household God. It is our custom for a lady that begets a child, when she goes to her husband's house, to fill up one end of her cloth with some wheat, coconut and fruits, tie them into a knot and unburden herself of these before her father-in-law or his Gods, ie., domestic images. My wife tied up these articles and carried these, as also Babu when he was four months old, to Sai Baba at Shirdi. Baba readily received the articles on a plate and took up Babu in his arms. He then endearingly addressed "Babu, where had you been? Were you vexed with, or weary of me?" To mark the joyous arrival of Babu at Shirdi, Baba pulled out two rupees from his own pocket, got burfi (sweets) for that amount and distributed it exactly, as they do, on the occasion of a son's birth. This was in 1912.

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On this occasion, Baba pointed to the village wall stone arch and said, "Whoever rebuilds this, will get blessings. "My wife asked him for permission to rebuild it and gave it. Then I paid Rs.600 to N.Chandorkar to rebuild it. On this occasion, Baba said, "Babu's bungalow is beautiful and ready". I guessed that Baba meant that I should buy the Bungalow I now live in. So within two months, I got a lease of it and occupied it and in six months thereafter I bought it. Baba's words thus were fulfilled by my purchase and Babu had a beautiful bungalow in 1913.

[SS91]

Babu was again taken to Baba for his first birthday and again commemorated it by buying Rs.2 worth of sweets (Burfi) and distributing it to all. On this occasion, Baba asked very significantly about Babu, "Has he no brother and no sister?" My wife, with some degree of bashfulness answered, "You gave us this Babu only". In fact, we had a daughter at that time. Baba's words were construed as a blessing that we would get one more son and one more daughter. That is exactly what happened. To commemorate Babu's first birthday at Shirdi, a grand dinner was prepared at Madhav Rao Deshpande's residence and all were invited. That was a Thursday. Bala Saheb Bhate excused himself from attending it on the ground that on a Thursday his rule was to avoid dining out. But when he went to Baba that day, Sai Baba asked him:

S.B: Have you dined at Bhao's (ie. Pradhan's) place?
B.B: Baba, today is Thursday.
S.B: What if?
B.B: I do not dine out on Thursdays. That is my rule.
S.B: To please whom do you observe this rule?
B.B: To please you.
S.B: Then I tell you to go and dine at Bhao's.

Though it was 4 p.m. Balasaheb Bhate came up to me, told me what Baba had said and dined with us.
 

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Next my wife had a dream here at Santa Cruz of Baba's appearing before her and receiving Pada Pooja from her. Mr. N.G.Chandorkar interpreted it to mean that Baba wanted her to start regular Pada Pooja of Baba at home and so bade her to go to Shirdi with two silver Padukas. She did so. When she went up to Baba, the latter who was sitting with legs folded stretched out his legs of his own accord and said, "Place the Padukas on these and do Pooja". Then my wife placed each of Padukas on each foot of Baba and worshipped them. Baba then said to Nana Saheb "See, Mother has cut off and carried away my feet" and himself picked up the two Padukas and handed them over to my wife. Ever since that date, she is daily worshipping these Padukas.

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Ever since my first visit, I was having my dinner at the Mosque with Baba. Baba with his own hand stuffed all food into our plates and cups in such large quantity. Instead of throwing away such valuable prasad I asked my niece to come up and take away about three-fourth of what was served to me and that sufficed to feed my family. Yet what I ate warded off all hunger or appetite for a night meal. Baba almost invariably gave dessert (i.e., fruits &c) at the end of the meal. But when I went up with Babu, Baba noticed that Babu did not care for cooked food and served mangoes and fruits first, so that Babu might have a full meal. When other children were born, I would take the three children with me including Babu, to the Mosque to dine with Baba.

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My last visit to Baba was in May, 1918. I had taken with me Rs.3800 and overstayed my intended period, on account of Baba's insistence. Baba's unuttered but evident practice with those whom he loved was to deplete their resources. "I take away the wealth of those I love". So when I returned from Shirdi after the month's stay, my money was reduced to minus Rs.1200. In fact, I had borrowed that sum from an acquaintance, a Veterinary Doctor of Poona and returned it to him after coming home.

An incident relating to Babu's illness as an infant ought chronologically to be placed before this. When Babu was 3 or 4 years old, he had serious illness. We had Madhava Bhat, a learned and pious (and on the whole well-to-do) Telugu priest at home, who was greatly attached to the family and carried on Mantra Japa and Pooja in our house for our benefit. He noticed Babu's serious illness with concern. He had first no sympathy with our worship of Baba. He fancied that Babu's illness was due to our worshipping a Moslem Saint, viz Sai Baba, but he dared not give utterance to his thought.

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One night he had a dream. He saw a figure (which from the photo we had, he recognised to be Sai Baba) sitting on the top of the staircase, holding a baton (Sota) in one hand. That figure (Baba) told him "What do you mean? I am the Lord of this house". The priest kept this dream to himself for a time. (He had asked us to go and make a vow to Datta for the child's cure but he had been told that Baba was Datta himself).
 
Later Babu's condition was much worse than before. The priest noted it with concern. He ran up at once to Baba's photo and loudly prayed thus: "If the child should improve sufficiently by 4 p.m. so as to be brought downstairs, then I will agree that you are Datta". Within a short time of this prayer, the child's temperature was getting lower and by 4 p.m. he wanted to be carried down for amusement and his mother took him downstairs. Madhav Bhat was converted and felt that Sai Baba was really Datta. And he vowed he would pay him a dakshina of Rs. 120 and paid it. The Pandit wanted to get a son and vowed he would pay Rs. 108 if he got one. He got one and then paid Rs. 108 to Baba. But at that very time, the Pandit vowed he would pay Rs. 1,008 if my (ie., Pradhan's) ambition should be achieved. When Mr.Deshpande referred to the gift of Rs. 108 as large, Baba belittled it and said, "He is giving me much more", evidently referring to the vow of Rs. 1,008.
 

[SS91]

Baba gave some words'of advice to my wife e.g., (1) "If anyone talks ten words at us, let us reply with one word if we reply at all". (2) Do not quarrel or view with any one not to be outdone. Early during the 32 days of my last stay with Baba, 1918, all of us escorted him with umbrella and all paraphernalia to the lendi, we all left him there and retreated. But me alone he recalled to himself and put his palm over my head and said, "Bhav, will you do what I ask you to do?" I said 'yes'. Then he said, "Pay me Rs. 100. Bring it in a bag and deliver it to me at the Masjid quietly". In this way he made me give him all the sums I brought and the extra sums I borrowed. Then he made some signs which were not clear. They seemed to mean, "Even if the heavens tumble down on you, do not fear. I am with you". Baba at my first visit said that for the previous six years, he had been smoking the chilm that I had given him. I could not make out his meaning.

[SS91]

Sri Buty's second marriage took place at Shirdi in 1916 and I was present.

When we left Shirdi, Baba said, "he would accompany us". Physically and with a visible body he did not accompany us. But our journey was pleasant and free from danger. That indicated that he accompanied us with his invisible body and warded off all danger and trouble. After Baba blessed me and passed away, I had the following benefits. I was appointed 2nd Class Magistrate of South Salsette for 1920-1926 and am a J.P. since 1926. I was elected for Thana as a member of the Bombay Legislative Council and sat during 1921-1923. I was made a Rao Bahadur in 1927.

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MRS. M.W. PRADHAN'S account of experience is found in 321. (1) All my children took ill of measles. The doctor despaired of young Babu. All were hopeless. I prayed to Sri Sai Baba. He appeared and said, "Why weep? The child is alright. Give him at 6 or 6.30 a.m. a good feed." The child began to play in the morning. The doctor came and saw it with surprise and said, "Give him no food". But the child ate everything and digested it.
 
323. (2) One night at 11 p.m. Baba appeared to me as I slept and said, 'Are you sleeping? Get up. Your boy will have convulsions'. I got up. I looked at the boy. He had no fever or convulsions. But 'Forewarned is forearmed!' So, I got ready hot-water, fire, eau de cologne etc. About 2 a.m. the boy woke up and had convulsions - all our children have convulsions occasionally. I got everything ready. In half an hour, the fit passed off. Baba saved us from sorrow and danger by his forewarning. He did so often.

324. (3) Baba appeared in my dream and told me to place turmeric and saffron on his foot. I worshipped them in the dream. I told N.G.C. of the dream and he said, "take silver padukas to Shirdi, place them before Baba and get them for worship." So I did. Baba himself stretched out both legs and asked me to place each Paduka on each foot and worship. I did so. He handed them over to me, telling N.G.C:
 "See, Mother has cut off and carried away my feet"