The Blessed Ones

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Once the doctor said that a typhoid convalescent baby should not be taken to Shirdi. But we did take him. He was ill in the train. I feared that people would laugh at me for my madness. The child had to lie down and could not even sit up. As soon as we went to Baba, the child stood up before Baba; and Baba said, 'People will not laugh now'. He knew of course our thoughts in the train.

328. On 16-10-1918, ie. the night after Baba's departure, I saw his body in a dying condition in my dream and said 'Baba is dying'. Baba replied, 'People do not talk of saints as dying, but as taking Samadhi.' His body was still. People were mourning. Such was the dream, I felt sad. I woke at 12.30 midnight. In the morning we got from Anna Chinchinkar, a card that Baba passed away at 3 p.m., on Dusserah 15-10-1918.
 

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329. On the 19th night I dreamed that Baba came and gave me 3 rupees, and that I felt distressed, as dream receipts of rupees are not auspicious. Baba said, 'Receive, Receive it and give me all the money you have stored up in your box'. I woke up and sent up all that money for the ceremonies. The same night, Baba appeared in my sister-in-law's dream and asked her to send up a yellow 'Pitambar' to be placed on the Samadhi. That also was done.

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.

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S.L.M. Ill (4) 353:-I was in an advanced stage of pregnancy at Santacruz. A midwife and nurse attended on me. Four days of difficult labour made the nurse despair of my case and she went and told my sister that Mr. Pradhan must send for a doctor at once. But my sister began at once to pray before Baba's portrait with the nurse by her side. As she prayed, the child was delivered at once without anyone's help. I wondered and the nurse wondered how great were Baba's power and mercy.

Ill (5) 381 -384 Pradhan's account of experiences about the change in Telungi Sastri.
 
We had a Telungi Sastri, Madhav Bhatji of advanced age, a Karmata, worshipping Sankara night and day with 'Rudrabisheka' etc. In 1912 or so, our child Babu was one year old and got ill. Bhatji thought it might be due to worshipping a Mussalman at home and thus rousing the ire of Shiva. One night Babu was very ill and we wanted to rouse up the Bhatji. But just then he himself came up and sat before Baba's picture and he prayed, "If the dream or vision I got be true, let the child's temperature go down in 5 minutes and let him play from tomorrow and let the doctor declare that he is alright; then I will agree that you are a Siddha. I will bow down and in 15 days go to Shirdi and pay Rs. 108 Dakshina." His dream, he said, was this : "A Moslem clad as in Baba's picture, with Sota (ie., a small club) in hand, came near my cot and roused me and then went up the steps of the storey saying, "What do you know? This house is mine. This child I have given. You think you make the child improve. The boy is mine and so at once, I will show it to you." He went up, I woke up, and so at once came up and prayed. If he cures Babu at once, I will take Baba for a Siddha Purusha and worship him." In one hour Babu's fever stopped and he became active. His coughing etc. also ceased. So the Brahmin fell prostrate before Baba and later went to Shirdi. Then Baba looking at him said, "This man calls me dog, cat and Moslem." At once Bhatji recognised his Antarsakshitwa and bowed at his feet. Baba said to Shama, 'How often does this Bhat worship me everyday!' Then Bhat prayed (1) that he should be blessed with a son and that he would pay Rs. 108, (2) that if his master should attain his ambition he would pay ten times more. When he went in the afternoon Baba asked him dakshina. Shama said he had paid it in the morning. Baba said "He gave me very little in the morning. He is to give ample dakshina." Bhatji said that Baba knew his inmost thoughts. In one year Bhat got a son and he paid Rs. 108 to Baba. Then he put up Baba's picture for worship in Datta temple, which his brother constructed in his own village.

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

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Rao Bahadur Hari Vinayak Sathe

Retired Deputy Collector, Deccani, Brahmin, Aged 81 (born 1855), Residing at 108, Shukrawar Peth, Poona

I had a daughter by my first wife. I then became a widower before my fortyfourth year. Many friends and acquaintances were pressing me to get married, e.g. Mr. Barve, Mamlatdar of Kopargaon. I was declining to take the extraordinary step of marrying at about fifty, though I was no doubt anxious to have a son to continue my line. But what guarantee or probability was there of one getting a son so late in life? So I told my importunate friends that I would wed if, and only if, a great a Saint should so advise me.

On or about April 1904 I went with Mr. Barve to see Sai Baba at the Mosque. Then after a short time, I took leave of Baba and had got down the steps of the Mosque. Then Mr. Barve told Baba, "Saheb (that is how Baba called me or referred to me always) has no son". Then Baba replied:- "If he marries then God will give him a son". I heard these words myself and Barve and others began to press me again to marry. But the question of the choice of a bride would take time. I went back to Ahmednagar which was then my head-quarters. About the end of that year, I learnt that an able astrologer had arrived at Poona. I consulted that man and found that his reading of the facts about my past and my daughter's past were really correct. He said that my horoscope showed that I was to have male progeny after my fiftieth year. That further strengthened my idea of marrying.

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In a few months, I was transferred to Ahmedabad. When I was there, Dada Kelkar (i.e.,Ganesh Damodar Kelkar) wrote to me that he had a daughter of marriageble age and wanted to know if a bridegroom could be found there. As none could be found there, perhaps the writer of the letter might have sent it as a feeler to sound my views and see if I would offer myself as the bridegroom. I thought that the letter might be prompted by Sai Baba's unseen influence and I wrote to D.K. that no bridegroom could be found or expected at that distant place and that if he meant the offer to be for myself he should consider my age, my prospects etc. He wrote that he had considered the pros and cons and would be glad to have me for his son-in-law. Then I wrote to him that in that case, he should take the girl with him from his village and go to Shirdi and request Baba to say if he approved of the match as unless Baba approved of the choice, I would not marry her. D.K. was then hostile to Baba in his views and suggested other alternatives, viz: consulting a Brahmin Saint at Wye (who was his brother-in-law); he was afraid that Baba might not approve of the proposal of my marriage with his daughter and it would have to be dropped. But I insisted that he should go and find if Baba approved. So, after all D.K. had to go to Shirdi with his girl and await with Madhav Rao's aid Baba's orders. When D.K. went to Baba, Baba at once told him, "Send the girl to Ahmedabad" ie., to me. Baba's approval was communicated to me and then I married D.K's daughter in 1905 ie. in my fiftieth year. I have a son and some daughters by that marriage.

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Sathe Wada
Near Baba's favourite margosa tree there were the remnants of the old village wall. Baba told me, "Pull down the village wall and build". I took this to be an order that I should rebuild the village wall. Then I said to myself, 'I am not a prince or ruler to put up a huge village wall or restore it', and I kept quiet. Finally I found that Baba's suggestion was far more modest and was only for building residential quarters there and for including the village wall, in the construction. So I bought the land there and using the remnants of the village wall built up a Wada enclosing or surrounding the Margosa tree. Baba told me that the Tomb close to that tree over which now a part of the building has been erected (leaving only a small niche for worshipping it) was that of his Guru. He gave me his Guru's name. It ended with "Shah" or "Sa". I have forgotten the rest of the name. It might be "Venkusa".

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I went and resided at Shirdi for sometime. Baba's Arati and Pooja on ordinary days were started but for some time there was no celebration of Guru Purnima by special worship of Baba on that day. Baba himself sent for my father-in-law and said, "Do you not know that this is Guru Poornima? Bring your worship material and do your Guru Puja". Then we had Guru Pooja on that day and this practice of celebrating Guru Poornima by all the devotees worshipping Baba then begun, has continued uptodate.

Baba never called me "Hariba" etc. He always called me and referred to me as "Saheb". The account in the Santkathamrit that in the presence of myself and some others Baba went into a long disquisition on the nature of God and Sadhana Chatushtaya, defining Viveka-Vairagya, Samadishatka and mumukshutwa, Brahma Satchidanand etc., is not correct. Baba never talked of such subjects in my presence. I do not know if he addressed others on those matters.

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The account given in Bhaktililamrit, chapter 31, verses 219-236 regarding my marriage etc., are very inaccurate. These were not written after consulting me and they were not shown to me even after being written. The correct account is what I have given above.

Baba was indeed the cause of my marriage and of the great change in me since 1905 and he is the controller of my fortunes and destiny ever since. I place my entire trust in him and seek his guidance and protection in all matters temporal, religious, official and domestic. When I built a wada at Shirdi and lived or made my father-in-law live there with my family, ie. between 1906-1916, we incurred the jealousy, resentment and hostility of various people amongst whom we had to live. We could not have got on as we did despite all that, without Baba's perpetual and vigilant care for us. His active interference helped me miraculously in numerous instances. I will give a few examples.

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About 1909 or 1910 I was on a committee along with the Revenue Commissioner Mr. Curtis and the Collector; and we were to meet at Manmad on a particular date and move from there to other camps. On the previous day I was at Shirdi and I wanted to take formal permission of Sai Baba to leave Shirdi, expecting that it would be granted as a matter of course. My father-in-law went and asked Baba to leave. Baba refused leave and my father-in-law came and told me of the refusal; but I told him that I could not trifle with such important official engagements except at the risk of being turned out of Government Service. He again went to Baba to make further representations and intercede on my behalf. But Baba did got grant leave. He on the other hand told my father-in-law to prevent my starting by actually confining me in my room.

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Even on the days following the particular date, I was not allowed to go. After three days, I was made to start for Manmad. When I reached that station, I found the other members of the Committee had not gone to Manmad on the appointed date, that the original programme had been altered and that the committee's meeting had been postponed. I had ordered, on the faith of the old programme, my tent and articles to be sent from Manmad to the other fixed camps. By a strange inadvertence on the part of the Railway authorities my articles had not been sent away from Manmad. If they had been sent, great inconvenience would have been caused to me to hunt them up and retransport them. So by detention at Shirdi I lost absolutely nothing except my peace of mind, and I was saved a lot of unnecessary trouble and enabled to spend more time with my family and with Sai Baba. Of course Sai Baba knew all things and arranged all things. But in my ignorance, I felt my position at Shirdi to be very delicate and risks. Such instances strengthen one's faith in and reliance on Baba.

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In my official career, I was getting dissatisfied at not getting the promotion I deserved. My disgust I revealed to Baba and told him that I would even resign service on that account. But Baba forbade my resignation of service and said that I would get promotion. Sometime later, I was promoted over the head of some seniors in service and posted to Kolhapur as Ag. Superintendent of Land Records. I got an increase of Rs. 100 in pay and eventually a higher pension than those seniors.

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About pension also, there was some trouble. The pension department at first treated my last permanent place as the Deputy Collectorship and ignored my sub-protem higher post. So they cut off Rs. 50 from the pension which I expected as due to me. I appealed in due course and I went to Sai Baba and told him that I would forego the whole pension rather accept it with the curtailment of Rs. 50. He said that I would get the Rs. 50 also, that Allah would help me. So I put my case in appeal before the Revenue Commissioner Mr. Curtis and with his note, I got the proper pension without any curtailment.

Sai Baba controls minds and moulds events.

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Re. Megha
Megha was a very simple yet very devout brahmin whom I found living at Viramgaon, when I was Deputy Collector there. He would simply repeat "Namah Shivaya" always. But he did not know Gayatri much less the whole sandhya mantra. I got interested in his welfare, and got him taught Sandhya and Gayatri. I sent him to Broach to worship Siva there, and paid him Rs. 8 for his fare and expenses. He would worship Siva standing on one leg only all the time. Then I told him that Shirdi Sai Baba was really the embodied form of God Siva and made him start for Shirdi. At the Broach Railway Station he learnt that Sai Baba was a moslem and his extremely orthodox and simple mind was highly perturbed at the prospect of bowing to a Moslem and he prayed to me at the station not to send him to Shirdi. I however insisted and gave him a letter to my father-in-law at Shirdi to introduce him to Baba. When he went to Shirdi mosque Baba was indignant and would not allow him to go into the mosque. 'Kick out that rascal', he cried at the very sight of him and he was also angry that I should have sent him a man with such hopelessly crude ideas. Megha then went to Triyambak and worshipped at 'Gangadhwar' for a year or a year-and-a-half. Then again he came to Shirdi. This time at the intercession of my father-in-law he was allowed to go into the mosque and stay at Shirdi.

Sai Baba's help to Megha was not through any oral instruction. He worked upon Megha internally ie., mentally. Megha was considerably changed and benefited. When he died (in 1912) at Shirdi after continuous service of Baba doing regular daily Arati service (noon and evening), Baba passed his hands over his corpse and said, 'This was a true devotee of mine". Baba ordered that, at his own expense, the usual funeral dinner to Brahmins should be given and Bhao Saheb Dixit carried this order out.

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Leaving Shirdi
In the durbar of Sri Sai Baba and when he issued out in solemn pomp, I carried the mace before him. Many were jealous of me on account of the distinction I enjoyed. These and the villagers leagued together and used Nana Wali to molest me and drive me away from Shirdi. Once as I was carrying the mace before Baba, Nana Wali came up and scratched the back of my head with the sharp point of a broken glass. In self-defence, I had to seize him and press him down on a pile of logs lying on the roadside. Sai Baba cried out "Saheb, do not do so". I noticed how the wind was blowing at Shirdi and kept careful watch. One day, as I intended to go to the Mosque to offer Naivedya to Baba very early (as I had to proceed on a particular trip), my Father-in-law rushed in and adjured me to desist from going to the Mosque, as Nana Wali was standing at the entrance, hatchet in hand, with deadly intention, and as he would make short work of me. So without taking any leave, I went away and left Shirdi for good. Evidently Sai Baba did not want me to reside there at Shirdi any longer. As Sai Baba did not protect me from the attack of Nana Wali, some people called upon me to give up my faith in Baba. But I pointed out that the same argument could be used against Vittal of Pandharpur. Gangadhar Shastri, the lawyer of Gaekwad, was a Vittal Bhakta and sought help and refuge in the Temple of Vittal. But there right in the Temple itself, before the face of Vittal he was murdered by his enemy. I find that, leaving Shirdi and settling here at Poona ultimately have been for my good. Sai Baba is protecting me here as he did at Shirdi.

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RAO BAHADUR H.V.SATHE continued on 6-8-1936 and 28-8-1936.
Baba expressed my nature aptly by saying "Saheb is quite simple and unsophisticated." And as that was his view, he never beat or abused me, though he beat and abused others. Only once he threatened to beat me, and I knew that I was then at fault. It was a Dhanur Masa celebration at my Shirdi lodgings and living away from my father-in-law as we were not on the best terms. I then invited others for the ceremony but not my father-in-law. I went however to invite Baba. Then he cried "Fetch that stick." I stood quiet. His mood changed at once and he said, " Never mind. I will come." There was another fault committed by me that day which also would account for Baba's displeasure. That day I had gone to a Marwadi to intercede in one of his affairs or disputes. Baba did not like that.

When I had boasted that I was the only devotee of Baba who had not got a beating at his hands, Madhav Rao Deshpande communicated this to Baba in my presence and asked him the reason. Baba said "Why should I beat him? There is his father-in-law to beat him". Baba evidently conveyed thereby the idea that I was being constantly "Fined" by my father-in-law's excessive demands and collections of money from me. Baba's help to me on the spiritual side was often to keep me off from vanity, pomp or sin in thought or action. Here are some instances.will be cont...