Extracts From Shri H. S. Dixit's Diary

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Extracts From Shri H. S. Dixit's Diary

31-8-1918 PARLE

 

Shri H. S Dixit got a letter, when at Shirdi, from Bombay to this effect. "Balukaka (brother) and the wife of Nansf Saheb JCarambelkar are seriously unwell". I informed Baba of it. Then about Balukaka, Shri Sai Baba said, "he will get all right". Shri Sai asked about the wife, "Has she come?'' I said "No" and asked "Shall I send for her ?" "Yes" Baba said. Later I under­stood that the wife died and Balukaka got all right.

16-9-1918 PARLE

Once Madhavrao Deshpande (of Shirdi) had piles. He told Baba about it. Baba said, ''We shall give medicine in the afternoon" Baba prepared an infusion of Swarnamukhi (probably SENNA) and gave him part of it. With that the piles trouble stopped. Two years later, he again got piles. As Baba bad given him this infusion, he thought that he himself would prepare the infusion at his home; but that increased the piles instead of stopping it. Later on by Baba's grace the piles were cured. Purport of all this is that the cure was the result of Baba's Asirvada and not of the medicine.

Amritanubhava of Janeswar is a well known work; but it is very hard to understand. Very few read it. Dasa Ganu wanted to write explaining it in detail (tika) so that the common man could understand it. Das Ganu said so to Dada Maharaj, the well known man of Satara. The latter put an obstacle in his way and said, "Before you write a tika or commentary, you must understand the original text. If you remain for some months with me and learn the book, then you can write the commentary" Dada Maharaj is reputed to be well versed in Amritanubhava. Das Ganu told him, "If Baba wants me to write the tika, then He will give me the buddhi - - - to make me understand the book,  I will not go to anyone to learn it". Dada Maharaj did not appreciate Das Ganu's idea; but he prayed to Baba on Das Ganu's  behalf.  Then Das Ganu began his commentary.  After comments were written on 2  chapters, Das Ganu went to Dada Maharaj and the latter enquired about the commentary. Das Ganu read out his chapters.  Hearing that, Dada Maharaj gave his compli­ments and said, "Baba is truly a Samartha.  Because of his favour on you, such a tika has been written. There is no need for any one else to help you.

29-9-1916 PA RLE SAFE DELIVERY

The daughter of one of my friends became insane during her pregnancy.    She was blabbering throughout the day and night. She threw away things through a window.    When nine   months   were completed, all became anxious about her as the Doctor  said that the labour would be difficult. The Doctor had appointed a skilled nurse or midwife. Baba had blessed her and his blessings came to her rescue. One morning, the pains began. A man went out to fetch the doctor and another to fetch her elder sister. The latter came at once and sat near the pregnant girl. As soon as she sat the baby came and fell in the hands of the sister. There was no trouble.  Half an hour after the delivery, the doctor came; but news of the safe delivery was already dispatched to the doctor before he arrived.

            Krishnaji Narayan alias Chotu Bhayya Saheb Parulekar,  an honorary Magistrate of Harda wrote to H. S. Dixit on 11-2-1924 thus.

"By Baba's grace, I was cured of a disease in the following manner. I was suffering from amlapitta (bilious acidity). If I took my afternoon meal, immediately it was vomited out. The same occured at my night meal. To cure this, many doctors and Vaidyas gave me medicines, which I took without getting any relief. Some days later my father's friend Sadashiv Ramachandra Patwardhan sent an excellent Vaidya from Nagpur and recommended me to use his medicines.  The Vaidya was a very old man.  He came to Harda and prepared medicine.  He prepared three packets and asked me to take one in the morning and one in the after­noon.  So I took two packets.  From 3 P. M., my bowels began to move.  By 8 p. m. I had so many motions that I was not able to get up from my bed.  Thereupon the Vaidya and the people of my house got terrified. Then the Vaidya got into our Puja room, prayed to God and then gave medicine for stopping the motions.  At 11 p.m. the motions stopped. Later he told my father, "Hereafter do not give him any medicine for this Amla­pitta.  It will stop only by the grace of a Satpurusha".  I stopped all medicine. 

Five or six years later I went to Shirdi to see Shri Baba.  Neither I nor my companions told Baba about my disease. Next year, for Guru Poornima, I again went to Shirdi.  After the celebration was over, the   next day at 4 or 4-30 p. m. my brother Narayanrao and I with two or three companions went to the   Masjid  and sat at Baba's feet. Meanwhile a lady called 'Mausi Bai' came there and Baba asked, 'Mausi, why are you so late?"  She answered and told Baba that,   'okala'   (Nausea   or Retching, Tamil okkalam) was the reason for the delay.  There­upon Baba laughed and said, "You are eating too much and there­fore you have this okala".    Then Mausi requested him to protect her from that nausea.    Baba kept quiet for a few minutes.  Then he pointed his finger to me (Chotu Bhayya) and said, "This brother for a very long time had the same (okari) trouble".  Then Narayan, brother of Chotu Bhayya   prayed to Baba thus, "This man had okari and all treatment failed".  Baba then said, "Hereafter all medicines should be stopped. This nausea will not recur."  From that day, i.e., all these eight or nine years, the amlapitta has disappeared.  For ten or twelve years, in spite of many medicines that disease was not cured; but by Baba's utterance, it completely disappeared.  How wonderful are these Samarth's Lilas ?

One   day   Baba   asked   Vaze,   "What work are you doing? Then Vaze   said,  "If  there is any work   in the Masjid to do, I shall do it".  Baba replied. "If there is any work in the wada to be done, do it". Next day, Pandit, the man who was, doing much work in the wada, fell ill. Thereupon in accordance with Baba's order, Vaze undertook all the work that Pandit did and continued to serve at the wada till Pandit's recovery.

BABA'S PROMPTING OTHERS :  One Haribhau Karnik of Dahanu  went to Shirdi during Guru Poornima of 1918.  A friend of his had to ask Baba for leave to go away and had accom­panied him.     Some  gentleman  asked on behalf of that friend for leave to go and Baba gave it.  He also got permission from Baba for Haribhau and told Haribhau "Get down"   (from the floor of the Masjid where Baba sat). Haribhau went down, but it struck him  then that he had thought of giving one Rupee to Baba.  Meanwhile that gentleman from the Masjid told him "Go Now". So immediately Haribhau went away from there and proceeded to visit a temple. There was a Digambar Swamy(i.e., naked) with a big crowd a round him. As soon as Haribhau entered the temple that Digambar got up and came to Haribhau, held his wrist, and said,   "Where is my rupee? Bring it" and got one rupee from Haribhau.     In this way, the desire of Haribhau to pay one rupee to Baba was gratified by the latter.

BABA'S   OPERATING   ON   MINDS :   Doctor   Mehta, a Parsi gentleman, was visiting Shirdi from 1920;  but he had not seen Baba in flesh.  Yet he had various experiences of Baba at various times and so he had faith in Shri Baba.  Two years later he came to Shirdi and at that time there was a suit  against him in the Bombay High Court.  So he told me (H.S.D.) that a suit was filed by a gentleman in whose favour, for some reason or other, the Doctor (Mehta) had excuted  a promissory note for Rs. 3,000 without receiving any consideration and handed over the promissory note to that gentleman.  The latter filed a suit.  So Doctor Mehta asked me to appear for him in that  case.  As I had given up practice, I told him that my friend Maniklal would look to it and gave him a letter to Maniklal.  He went with the case record to Maniklal. The latter asked him about the facts, and then asked him what evidence he had to support his case.  Dr. Mehta said, "Evidence? I have nothing. When the promissory note was written, the plaintiff and I were the only two persons present". Then Maniklal thought that the defence was hopeless, and suggested to him (doctor) that he should settle the claim with the plaintiff.

The doctor requested, "You please try to put up a defence and fight and see.  Thereupon Baba's mercy is there and what He wills will happen". On account of the doctor's insistance Maniklal prepared a written statement and filed it in the court.  Before the case came up for hearing, he had twice or thrice written to the doctor to come and see him, but the doctor did not come.  Finally the case came up for hearing on a Monday.  The previous Satur­day, that is 2 days before the hearing, Maniklal sent his Karkun to the doctor and invited him to come over to his office. But the Karkun found that the doctor had left home on account of ill-health and was staying in a Parsi sanatorium. So the doctor could not come. Maniklal advised the doctor again to compromise the case. But no compromise was arrived at.

Maniklal told the doctor that if he did not compromise, the claim would be decreed fully with all the costs against the defendant. But the doctor replied, "I do not know how to compromise. I have not to pay a pie. Whatever happens, my honour will be saved. That I am sure of. A few days back, Sai Baba came to me in a dream and said, 'I shall save your honour and not allow it to be lost'. Baba's words never prove false. So please try to put up a fight in the Court". Thereupon Maniklal prepared a brief Till 8 p.m., he worked in the office that night. The next day (Sunday) he had asked the doctor to come. The next day, the doctor was to go to his house, but a friend went to the doctor and said. "I have settled his claim. You must agree to my settlement. Unless and until you agree, I will not go away from here. The settle­ment is as follows : You pay the plaintiff in all Rs. 800/- and if you cannot pay that in a lump sum, pay Rs. 50 a month.

Each party has to bear his own costs. To this effect a consent decree must be passed by a petition signed by both parties," On account of the compulsion of that friend, the doctor agreed to the com­promise and accardingly the next day the Court passed a consent decree. As the instalment amounts were small, the doctor was able to pay them. Thus the words of Baba "I will not all allow your honour to be lost" were found to be perfectly true.

Shri S. M.  Garje 80, Shivaji Nagar, PUNE -411005