Sai Literature > Sai Thoughts
Shri G. S. Khaparde Diary
saisewika:
OM SAI RAM
Now let us turn to the account in canto seven of Shri Sai-Sat-Charita as to how Sai Baba relieved Laxmibai Khaparde’s anxiety on account of her son’s illness.
“How many wonderful leelas of Bababa shall I narate to the reader! Once there was an outbreak of plague and now listen asto what miracle happened. Dadasaheb Khaparde’s lad was staying (in Shirdi) along with his mother and both were enjoying bliss in the company of Shri Sai. The lad developed high fever and his mother became restless with anxiety. She wanted to return to her hometown Amraoti and came to take Baba’s permission to leave. During His evening stroll when Baba came near the Wada, the lady held Baba’s feet and narrated her woe. Women are known to be soft hearted. The boy was struck down with plague and was shivering. Baba said to her softly. The sky is overcast. The clouds will burst and pour down rain and the sky will be clear. Why fear?’ So saying, he raised his kafni upto the waist, showed all the four buboes each of the size of an egg on his body and added, “Look, I have to take upon myself your suffering.’ Seeing this divine and strange spectacle the people were dump-founded to witness how saints have to suffer sorrows for the sake of their devotees. Their minds are softer than wax and outwardly like butter. They love their devotees without any expectation and regard them as their kith and kin.”
(to be continued)......
JAI SAI RAM
saisewika:
OM SAI RAM
Reference to this incident occurs in Shirdi Diary in entries dated 8-1-1912, 17-1-1912, 18-1-1912, 20-1-1912 ,6-2-1912 and 8-2-1912 which have been collected to-gether below:
8-1-1912 –
"During the mid-day service after the Arti, Sayin Maharaj exhibited sudden and great anger and abused violently. It appears as if plague is likely to reappear here and Sayin Maharaj is endeavouring to prevent its reappearance."
17-1-1912 –
"Balwant* also felt sad and said that he wished to leave Shirdi."
18-1-1912 –
P.S. "I forgot to mention that during the torrent of hard words that Sayin Baba poured out to-day he said that he had saved my son Balwant and then often repeated the phrase ‘Fakir wishes to kill Dadasaheb (meaning me) but I would not permit it."
20-1-1912 –
"Bhishma and my son are unwell….There was no Bhajan as Bhishma is indisposed and my son Balwant is slightly worse."
6-2-1912 –
"When my wife spoke about going, Sayin Maharaj said that I did not ask for the permission personally."
(to be continued).....
JAI SAI RAM
saisewika:
OM SAI RAM
8-2-1912 –
"Balvant for the first time in these three weeks ventured out as far as the Musjid and put his head on the feet of Sayin Maharaj. He has improved so far.”
It appears from the entry dated 9-12-1911 in the Shirdi Diary that Sayin Baba called Mrs. Khaparde by the name of “Ajibai”. There is also a curious entry dated 1-2-1912 the meaning of which G.S.Khaparde clarified in the form of a foot note in or about 1924 at the time of the publication of the Shirdi Diary in Shri Sai Leela. The said entry and its subsequent clarification are as under:-
1-2-1912 –
"To-day evening when we assembled at the Musjid before Sayin Baba started on his stroll, Sayin Baba told Mr. Dixit to give two hundred rupees to my wife who was then shampooing the legs of Sayin Saheb. This order was unaccountable. Has it come to this that I have to be maintained by charity!!! I prefer death to this. Sayin Sahib I think wished to curb and finally destroy my pride so he is getting me used to poverty and the charity of others”.
(to be continued)......
JAI SAI RAM
saisewika:
OM SAI RAM
Footnote in clarification of the above entry –
“I turned up the Diary for 1st February, 1912 and read the passage indicated by you. It correctly represents my feelings. Our Sadguru Sayin Maharaj gave the order. Being omniscient, he knew everything including all my innemost thoughts and never insisted on the order being carried out. Now that my attention has been drawn to the matter, it appears to me that my wife then did not like the life of labour and poverty. Kakasaheb Dikshit had accpeted the life and was happy. So Sain Maharaj asked him to give two hundread rupees i.e povery and patience to my wife."
We will have occation to refer to this hindsight of Dadasaheb Khaparde as we proceed to trace an outline of the story of Mrs. Laxmibai Khaparde. The source of this outline is the biography in Marathi of Shri G.S.Khaparde authored by his son B.G. alias Babasaheb Khaparde and published in 1962.
(to be continued).......
JAI SAI RAM
saisewika:
OM SAI RAM
No details about about the early life of Laxmibai Khaparde are given in the biography of Dadasaheb. We only get to know something about her only as a wife, mother and mistress of the household of Khapardes. There is no doubt that Laxmibai was semi-literate in the sense that she knew how to read but not how to write. This however does not mean she was uneducated. In fact she was highly cultured. She had read and also heard from Keertankars the stories from Ramayana, Mahabharat, Pandav-Pratap, Shiva Lilamrit etc.
The household of Dadasaheb Khaparde was a large one and at one time it consisted of fifty persons excluding children and comprised Dadasaheb and his wife, three sons and their wives, three families who were given shelter, about 12-15 students pursuing their studies, two cooks and their wives, two clerks, a watchman, eight grooms or syces (servants in charge of horses), two bullock cart drivers, one cowherd, two maids and three guests on an average. Now while presiding over such a household Laxmibai’s roving eye gave equal attention to all. She made no distiction between the big and the small. She cooked for all the children of the household including her own and fed them. If any child fell ill she nursed him herself.
(to be continued).........
JAI SAI RAM
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