Spiritual Gems from Sri Sai Satcharitra - Chapter 9

Shri Sai Satcharitra - Chapter 9

Effect of compliance and Non-compliance with Baba's Orders at the Time of Taking Leave - A few Instances - Mendicancy and Its Necessity - Devotees' (Tarkhad family's) Experiences - Baba fed sumptuously - How? At the end of the last chapter, it was barely stated that the Bhaktas, who obeyed Baba's orders at the time of taking leave, fared well and those, who disobeyed them, suffered many a mishap. This statement will be amplified and illustrated, with a few striking instances; and by other matters dealt with in this Chapter. Sai Ram. This statement needs a little clarification. It is not as if Sai wished misfortunes on those who disobeyed Him. It is just that He was able to look ahead and warn the devotees of the consequences of some actions and advised them to desist from that. He could have prevented them from taking up that action if He wished to do so. However, He chose not to exercise that power and allowed the individual to act freely and learn the Spiritual and Karmic lessons there from. Sai Ram. Characteristic of Shirdi - Pilgrimage One special peculiarity of Shirdi-pilgrimage was this, that none could leave Shirdi, without Baba's permission; and if he did, he invited untold sufferings, but if any one was asked to quit Shirdi, he could stay there no longer. Baba gave certain suggestions or hints, when Bhaktas went to bid good-bye and take leave. These suggestions had to be followed. If they were not followed or were departed from, accidents were sure to befall them, who acted contrary to Baba's directions. We give below a few instances. Sai Ram. This is in line with what is written above. Guru / God gives us the freedom of choice at the ego level since we are supposed to have the viveka, power of discrimination between good and bad, between right and wrong. One of the important dharmas of a disciple / chela is to surrender the ego at the feet of Guru and obey His directions implicitly. Pativrata Dharma is also like that and we have seen how Anasuya could change the Trinity into babies with the spiritual power gained through such dharma. Sri Guru Charitra has several stories extolling the greatness of a sishya (disciple) who treats Guru as God, nay even greater than Brahma, Vishnu or Siva. Guru Gita is also worth reading for spiritual sadhakas like us to become better disciples. Sai Ram. Tatya Kote Patil Tatya Kote was once going in a tanga to Kopargaon bazar. He came in haste to the Masjid, saluted Baba, and said that he would go to Kopargaon bazar. Baba said, "Don't make haste, stop a little, let go the bazar, don't go out of the village". Sai Ram. Pl. see the sequence of Baba's words. Since Tatya was in such a great hurry, He first told him "Don't make haste". HE then asked him to stop a little. Then He told him further to forget about the bazar. Finally He asked him not to go out of the village. This is similar to what Kabir's Guru Nipatiranjan told: "Do not be afraid; hold fast to the handle of knowledge of this mill, as I do, and do not wander far away from the same but turn inward to the Centre, and you are sure to be saved." Going away from the centre, Guru, knowledge of self, is not good. One can go anywhere if one has his Guru in his heart and remembers Him constantly. Sai Ram. On seeing his anxiety to go, Baba asked him to take Shama (Madhavrao Deshpande) at least with him. Not minding this direction, Tatya Kote immediately drove his tanga. Of the two horses one, which cost Rs.300/- was very active and restless. After passing Sawul well, it began to run rashly, got a sprain in its waist and fell down. Tatya was not much hurt, but was reminded of Mother Sai's direction. On another occasion while proceeding to Kolhar village, he disregarded Baba's direction, and drove in a tanga, which met with a similar accident. Sai Ram. Baba's above statement is very significant. When some devotee was insistent to do something, which Baba was advising against, Baba was offering Shama as protection. In Sri Sai Satcharitra, there is another incident where Baba asks another devotee to take Shama along with him. That man first declines but later takes Baba's advice and is saved. Similarly when Nanasaheb and Kakasaheb Dixit insist for Baba attending some ceremonies in their respective houses, Baba asks them to take Shama instead. It is thus clear that Baba gave Shama a special place in His Darbar. Tatya was young and rather impetuous it looks. And he had great love for Baba but also thought that he is against the rules and regulations that apply to other devotees. So, sometimes he took liberties. Baba did protect him but taught him an important lesson that a Chela, a devotee, a disciple has to follow Guru's directions totally. And in another story, we read Baba catching hold of Tatya's neck and forcibly removing his turban and throwing into fire. That story too gave me a similar message that the devotee sometimes takes some liberties (out of an unripe ego) but God protects the devotee.

On reading this story again today, Sai Sadguru gave another message. In a later chapter He gives His another great devotee Sri Nanasaheb Chandorkar a very cryptic message about holding the reins of one's senses and by Sadguru Sai's grace, Sri Nana got the message correctly and explains it to another devotee who overheard it and was curious to know what Baba meant (see Chapter 49, Story of Nanasaheb Chandorkar and Baba's message about purity of heart and control of sense organs). Most of the time, we are poor in controlling our senses and our chariots (bodies) meet many accidents! Sai Sadguru is teaching us the need to have proper control through such incidents and if we are indeed poor riders and have little or no control, we should hand over the reins to the expert Sarathi, the Guru, Who is Krishna, who became Parthasarathi (charioteer for His devotee, disciple Sri Arjuna) in the great war of Mahabharatha. Kurukshetra in fact represents a war between our base desires and our better sense and god fearing / obeying nature. God / Guru helps those who try to obey His directions and protects them. Arjuna represents the ego who is trying hard to win the war over the demonic / selfish desires inherent in each of us. Krishna is the Guru, who takes control of the reins and helps win the war. Similarly Sai is the Krishna, and helps us once we seek His help.

I could relate well to this insight, this real spiritual gem since my own health suffered and I found that I am indeed unfit to drive any vehicle (I was falling and while I was not hurt much, the message was clear). While I have stopped driving vehicles now and allow Him to transport me around through various forms of His, I am sorry to say that I am still not able to rein in my desires, which are like wild horses with a will of their own. Here too, I keep falling and keep getting hurt in my mind and ego but He keeps protecting me. I hope His grace will soon come down and will take over my mind and the senseless sensual horses too! He is called Hrishikesa because of this great quality only! Om Hrishikesaya Namah. Om Sri Sai Sadgurave Namah. Sai Ram.

European Gentleman One European gentleman of Bombay once came to Shirdi, with an introductory note from Nanasaheb Chandorkar, and with some object in view. He was comfortably accommodated in a tent. He wanted to kneel before Baba and kiss His hand. Therefore, he tried thrice to step into the Masjid, but Baba prevented him from doing so. He was asked to sit in the open courtyard below and take Baba's darshan from there. Not pleased with this reception he got, he wanted to leave Shirdi at once and came to bid good-bye. Baba asked him to go the next day and not to hurry. People also requested him to abide by Baba's direction. Not listening to all this, he left Shirdi in a tanga. The horses ran at first all right, but when Sawul well was passed, a bicycle came in front, seeing which the horses were frightened and ran fast. The tanga was turned topsy-turvy and the gentleman fell down and was dragged some distance. He was immediately released; but had to go and lie in Kopargaon hospital for the treatment of the injuries. Because of such experiences all people learnt the lesson, that those who disobeyed Baba's instruction met with accidents in one way or the other, and those who obeyed them were safe and happy. Sai Ram. Baba had His own reasons for doing so. And when He did not will it, no one could step into that Dwarakamai. A haji tried for several months to enter the Masjid but could not do so. Each fruit has to be ripe. I wanted to visit Shirdi for many years but Baba knew when the time is ripe. Similarly I wanted to visit Arunachala (Rituvannamalai) and have the darshan of Arunachala and Ramana Maharshi. I had to wait more than 10 years for that desire to be fulfilled and finally when my turn came, I could visit the sacred place in the company of two more noble souls and I got very good mystical experiences and blessings in that place. "He was asked to sit in the open court-yard below and take Baba's darshan from there. Not pleased with this reception he got, he wanted to leave Shirdi at once and came to bid good-bye." Thus showing that his ego was as yet not ripe to receive Baba's grace. We are reminded of another great devotee of Vithal, Sri Namadev, Who had to go through similar trials for ripening of his ego. God is always anxious that we should become one with Him by dissolving our egos in His love. Guru is God in flesh, blood and or Spirit. Baba mentioned many times that He could see a bit further into the future and thus was acting in the best interests of those souls that were given into His charge. But He didn't always interfere with their freedom of choice since the humans were endowed with the faculty of discrimination and thus could be expected to take due care. They also had to realize that their egoistic vision had definite limits unlike Baba's who was one with all. So, Baba did allow some freedom of action like a watchful mother allows the child to play but rushes to its rescue when it gets into trouble. Recollect the incident related in Chapter 8. After a few such incidents, the child does realize that its own limited knowledge is inadequate and accepts the directions of the Mother willingly. Sai Ram. Now to return to the question of mendicancy. A question may arise in the minds of some that if Baba was such a great personage - God in fact, why should He have recourse to the begging bowl, all His lifetime? This question may be considered and replied from two standpoints. (1) Who are the fit persons, who have a right to live by the begging-bowl? Our Shastras say that those persons, who, getting rid of, or becoming free from the three main Desires, viz. (1) for progeny, (2) for wealth, (3) for fame, accept Sannyas, are the fit persons to live by begging alms. They cannot make cooking arrangements and dine at home. The duty of feeding them rests on the shoulders of house-holders. Sai Baba was neither a house-holder nor Vanaprastha. He was a celibate sannyasi, i.e., sannyasi from boyhood. His firm conviction was that the universe was His home, He was the Lord Vasudeo - the Supporter of the universe and the Imperishable Brahman. So He had the full right to have recourse to the begging-bowl. (2) Now from the standpoint of (1) Pancha-soona - five sins and their atonement. We all know that in order to prepare food-stuffs and meals, the householders have to go through five actions or processes, viz. (1) Kandani-Pounding, (2) Peshani-Grinding, (3) Udakumbhi - Washing pots, (4) Marjani - Sweeping and cleaning, (5) Chulli-Lighting hearths. These processes involve destruction of a lot of small insects and creatures, and thus the householders incur a lot of sin. In order to atone for this sin, our Shastras prescribe five kinds of sacrifices, viz. (1) Brahma-Yajna - offerings to Brahman involving Vedadhyayan - the study of the Vedas. (2) Pitra-Yajna - offerings to the ancestors, 3) Deva-Yajna - offerings to the Gods, (4) Bhoota-Yajna-offerings to the beings, (5) Manushya-Atithi-Yajna-offerings to men or uninvited guests. If these sacrifices, enjoined by the Shastras are duly performed, the purification of their minds is effected and this helps them to get knowledge and self-realization. Baba, in going from house to house, reminded the inmates of their sacred duty, and fortunate were the people, who got the lesson at their homes from Baba. Sai Ram. Baba never differentiated between His and others. So, why should He feel diffident to beg? He was begging from Himself! We saw how Baba begged His food though He was having great powers at His command. The reasons for this were also given. Shri Hemadpant gives nice arguments in support of mendicancy. He tells us about the five sins that accrue to any person engaged in processing of food. He also mentions that these sins have to be atoned by performance of five yagnas or offerings daily. The last and most important of these five yagnas is the Atithi Yagna. In Sri Guru Charitra, Sumati got the darshan of Lord Dattatreya by performing the Atithi Yagna even before Pitru-Yagna was completed in the house. Baba, by His begging, taught us the importance of Atithi Yagna, offering to uninvited guests, especially those who come at mid-day which is the normal time for taking food. Atithi literally means without tithi, the lunar day. What it means is that feeding Atithi is to be done without inquiring into the day, time and the person's merits etc. God Himself is supposed to come in some form, not even necessarily human as we shall shortly see, and partake the food offered by us and bless us. Eating food that is not offered to God is considered a great sin in many households. So, in addition to offering of Naivedya to idols and portraits of Gods in our houses, we should offer food to Atithis and also to Fire God. We should in any case, leave a small portion of the food aside and then consume the rest. The portion, which is left, is discarded along with the leaf. It was a custom to invariably eat in banana and other biodegradable plant leaves, not stainless steel or silver plates. The vegetable leaf and the left over food was food to dogs and other animals outside. The need to share, to protect and preserve the environment was greatly stressed in our Shastras and culture, without learned scientific tomes being written and published in journals etc. Sai Ram. Now to return to the other more interesting subject. Lord Krishna has said in the Bhagawadgeeta (9-26) "Whosoever devoutly offers to me a leaf, a flower, or a fruit or water, of that pure-hearted man, I accept that pious offering." In the case of Sai Baba, if a devotee really longed to offer anything to Sai Baba, and if he afterwards forgot to offer the same, Baba reminded him, or his friend about the offering, and made him present it to Him, and then accepted it and blessed the devotee. A few instances are given below. Tarkhad Family (father and son) Mr. Ramachandra Atmaram alias Babasaheb Tarkhad, formerly a Prarthana-Samajist, was a staunch devotee of Sai Baba. His wife and son loved Baba equally or perhaps more. It was once proposed that Master Tarkhad should go with his mother to Shirdi and spend his May vacation there, but the son was unwilling to go, as he thought that in case he left his home at Bandra, the worship of Sai Baba in the house would not be properly attended to, as his father being a Prarthana Samajist, would not care to worship Sai Baba's enlarged portrait. However, on his father's giving an assurance on oath, that he would perform the worship exactly as the son was doing, the mother and the son left for Shirdi on one Friday night. Next day (Saturday) Mr. Tarkhad got up early, took his bath and before proceeding with the Puja, prostrated himself before the Shrine and said - "Baba, I am going to perform the Puja exactly as my son has been doing, but please let it not be a formal drill." After he performed the Puja, he offered a few pieces of lump-sugar as naivedya (offering), which were distributed at the time of the lunch. That evening and on Sunday, everything went on well. The following Monday was a working day and it also passed well. Mr. Tarkhad, who had never performed Puja like this in all his life, felt great confidence within himself that every thing was passing on quite satisfactorily according to the promise given to his son. On Tuesday, he performed the morning Puja as usual and left for his work. Coming home at noon, he found that there was no Prasad (sugar) to partake of, when the meal was served. He asked the servant - cook, who told him that there was no offering made that morning, and that he had completely forgotten then to perform that part of the Puja (offering naivedya). After hearing that he left his seat and prostrated himself before the Shrine, expressed his regret, at the same time chiding Baba for the want of guidance in making the whole affair a matter of mere drill. Then he wrote a letter to his son stating the facts and requested him to lay it before Baba's feet and ask His pardon for his neglect. This happened in Bandra at Tuesday noon. At about the same time, when the noon Arati was just about to commence in Shirdi, Baba said to Mrs. Tarkhad, "Mother, I had been to your house in Bandra, with a view to having something to eat. I found the door locked. I somehow got an entrance inside and found to My regret, that Bhau (Mr. Tarkhad) had left nothing for Me to eat. So I have returned from there without eating anything." The lady could not understand anything; but the son, who was close by, understood that there was something wrong with the Puja in Bandra and he, therefore, requested Baba to permit him to go home. Baba refused the permission, but allowed him to perform Puja there. Then, the son wrote a letter to his father, stating all that took place at Shirdi and implored his father not to neglect the Puja at home. Both these letters crossed each other and were delivered to the respective parties the next day. Is this not astonishing? Sai Ram. Baba always said that He Is within us. So, if any devotee sincerely wanted to offer something to Baba, as externally manifested in Shirdi, the same Baba seated in that devotee's heart ensured that the devotee's desire was fulfilled. When one thinks that one is doing, such incidents like Mr. Tarkhad forgetting to offer naivedya are bound to happen. Puja is done for the pleasure of the devotee. So Sraddha is needed. It should be done with heart and soul. Ego and Maya makes one forget that one is but an instrument in the hands of God. So, one's actions give either happiness or unhappiness. Mr. Tarkhad thought that he mastered Baba's puja and so allowed his attention to slip, and thus forgot to offer himself, which is represented by the Naivedya. The two letters crossed each other. Yes, it is astonishing if one forgets Baba's omniscience and omnipotence. If one remembers these aspects of Baba, there is no need to get astonished. Knowing our forgetfulness, Baba was showing such Leelas to make us remember. Sai Ram. Mrs. Tarkhad Let us now take up the case of Mrs. Tarkhad herself. She offered three things, viz. (1) Bharit (roasted brinjal egg plant mixed curds and spice). (2) Kacharya (circular pieces of brinjal fried in ghee), (3) Peda (sweetmeat ball). Let us see how Baba accepted them. Once Mr. Raghuvir Bhaskar Purandare of Bandra, a great devotee of Baba started for Shirdi with his family. Mrs Tarkhad went to Mrs. Purandare, and gave her two brinjals and requested her to prepare Bharit of one brinjal and Kacharya of the other, when she went to Shirdi and serve Baba with them. After reaching Shirdi, Mrs. Purandare went with her dish of Bharit to the Masjid when Baba was just about to start his meals. Baba found the Bharit very tasty. So He distributed it to all and said that He wanted Kacharya now. A word was sent to Radha Krishna-Mai, that Baba wanted Kacharya. She was in a fix, as that was no season of brinjals. How to get brinjals was the question? When an enquiry was made as to who brought the Bharit, it was found that Mrs. Purandare was also entrusted with the duty of serving Kacharya. Everybody then came to know the significance of Baba's enquiry regarding Kacharya, and was wonderstruck at Baba's all-pervasive knowledge. In December 1915 A.D., one Govind Balaram Mankar wanted to go to Shirdi to perfrom the obsequies of his father. Before he left, he came to see Mr. Tarkhad. Then Mrs. Tarkhad wanted to send something with him to Baba. She searched the whole house but found nothing, except a Peda, which had already been offered as naivedya. Mr. Mankar was in mourning. Still out of great devotion to Baba, she sent the Peda with him, hoping that Baba would accept and eat it. Govind went to Shirdi and saw Baba, but forgot to take the Peda with him. Baba simply waited. When again he went to Baba in the afternoon, he went empty-handed without the Peda. Baba could wait no longer and, therefore, asked him straight, "What did you bring for me?" "Nothing" was the reply. Baba asked him again. The same reply came forth again. Then Baba asked him the leading question, "Did not the mother (Mrs. Tarkhad) give some sweetmeat to you for me at the time of your starting?" The boy then remembered the whole thing. He felt abashed, asked Baba's pardon, ran to his lodging, brought the Peda and gave it to Baba. As soon as Baba got it in His hand. He put it into His mouth and gulped it down. Thus the devotion of Mrs. Tarkhad was recognized and accepted. "As men believe in me, so do I accept them" (Gita, 4-11) was proved in this case. Baba Fed Sumptuously, -- How? Once, Mrs. Tarkhad was staying in a certain house in Shirdi. At noon, meals were ready and dishes were being served, when a hungry dog turned up there and began to cry, Mrs. Tarkhad got up at once and threw a piece of bread, which the dog gulped with great relish. In the afternoon, when she went to the Masjid and sat at some distance, Sai Baba said to her, "Mother, you have fed me sumptuously up to my throat, My afflicted pranas (life-forces) have been satisfied. Always act like this, and this will stand you in good stead. Sitting in this Masjid I shall never, never speak untruth. Take pity on Me like this. First give bread to the hungry, and then eat yourself. Note this well." She could not at first understand the meaning of what Baba said. So she replied -- "Baba, how could I feed You? I am myself dependent on others and take my food from them on payment." Then Baba replied -- "Eating that lovely bread I am heartily contended and I am still belching. The dog which you saw before meals and to which you gave the piece of bread is, one with Me, so also other creatures (cats, pigs, flies, cows etc.) are one with Me. I am roaming in their forms. He, who sees Me in all these creatures is My beloved. So abandon the sense of duality and distinction, and serve Me, as you did today." Drinking these nectar-like words, she was moved, her eyes were filled with tears, her throat was choked and her joy knew no bounds. Sai Ram. This is another example of Baba's Sarvagnatva, omniscience. This indeed is a wonderful story. Baba showed practically that He is not limited to body, space and time. He showed practically that He is One with every one. There are some more examples spattered through out Satcharitra, like Sai appearing to Balaram Mankar at Mahendraghad in a physical form etc. Moral "See God in all beings" is the moral of this chapter. The Upanishads, the Geeta and the Bhagwat, all exhort us to perceive God or Divinity in all the creatures. By the instance given at the end of this Chapter and others too numerous to mention. Sai Baba has practically demonstrated to us how to put the Upanishadic teachings into practice. In this way Sai Baba stands as the best Exponent or Teacher of the Upanishadic doctrines. Sai Ram. Yes, this Moral is indeed the best gem from this chapter. The same concept is reinforced in Chapter 18; yes, again very significant since 18 adds up to 9, when Dasganu is taught the underlying concepts of Isa Upanishad. This indeed is a great chapter. Sai Ram.

Spiritual Gems from Sri Sai Satcharitra - Chapter 8

Shri Sai Satcharitra - Chapter 8

Sai Ram. Sai devotees may skip the Spiritual Gems portion presented in red color italics and follow the main Satcharitra given in the normal blue font, especially if they are doing a Parayana. Sai Ram.

Importance of Human Birth - Sai Baba Begging Food - Bayajabai's Service - Sai Baba's Dormitory - His Affection for Khushalchand.

As hinted in the last Chapter, Hemadpant now explains at length, in his preliminary remarks, on the importance of human birth; and then proceeds to relate how Sai Baba begged His food, how Bayajabai served Him, how He slept in the Masjid with Tatya Kote Patil and Mhalsapati and how He loved Khushalchand of Rahata.

Sai Ram. We have completed (at least for the time being) the first day's parayan of Sai Satcharitra, when we delved into Chapter 7 and enjoyed the spiritual gems. Now, with a prayer to Sai to guide us and help us at every step, we take up the second day's parayana starting with Chapter 8.

The number 8 has great significance in numerology, the interesting science of numbers and their influence on us. And this chapter has very special significance to all Sai devotees (all seekers on the spiritual path are Sai devotees, since He is One with all Gods and Gurus!), whose lives are strongly influenced by number 8, which is ruled by Saturn, the great planet God who teaches humility and who teaches us that destiny is supreme and can't be over-ruled (He also teaches us a simple trick to overcome destiny! surrender to God/Guru).

Hemadpant (let us bow to him) discusses at length the importance of the human birth, Sai's begging for food, Bayajabai's brilliant service etc. Let us take up first things first.

The importance of human birth is stressed by Scriptures and Shri Hemadpant, contrary to his protestations is well read and thus brings out nicely the secret of the human birth, viz., the great purpose. And that is to get Salvation, Moksha, Mukti, Liberation, Enlightenment, call it by whatever name appeals to you. How to get it? What is that liberation? Liberation from the bondage of birth and death. To put the matter in a nutshell, souls get their births or transmigrations according to their deeds and intelligence (development of their minds).

The intelligence that Shri Hemadpant is talking of is not intelligence in worldly matters or bookish philosophy. The intelligence which he is talking of is the intelligence that automatically regulates our behavior at the thought level. Trikarana Suddhi. Cleanliness at three levels, manasaa (mental), vaachaa (speech level) and karmana (action level). And that cleanliness is possible only when Kama (sensual desire, desire for the fruit of one's action, the action-reward-reaction trap) is burnt off, washed off, uprooted etc. For that the steel crowbar of our ego needs to be heated in the Dhuni of True Knowledge (Brahma Jnana), quenched in the water of pure Bhakti (devotion), and hammered by the great Master so that a fine point which is very hard and tough, capable of digging deep into the psyche and removing the roots of desire is produced. Yes. The ego needs to be trained to uproot the desires produced by the same ego! Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi used the metaphor of a thorn being used to remove another thorn that has pierced our heel and is troubling us. 

And the kind Master has already shown that after uprooting, the tree and the roots must suffer total destruction by burning to ashes. The resulting Vibhuti, Udhi is pure Bliss. That is what Shri Hemadpant tried to convey in a cryptic remark: Ultimately when their merits and demerits both drop down (are got rid of) completely, they get their deliverance and become free. Free to serve the Lord without the need to be chained to the wheel of birth-and-death.

In Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna almost towards the end: Let go of all Dharmas, and surrender to Me, I will take care of you. Dharma, right or wrong is the ego's reaction to a thought, which comes up due to desire. So, if being surrendered to the Lord destroys the ego, and if the only thought the ego entertains is the one: Lord, let thy will be done! Then where is punya (merit) and where is paapa (demerit)? How do the merits and demerits drop down completely? They are the shackles, which bind the man to the cycle of birth and death. Shackles need something concrete to tie down and when the ego is reduced to zero, the shackles automatically drop off.

Sai performs this miracle in one of the later chapters to redeem one of His devotees, as we shall see. When the balloon of the individual 'I' is pricked with the needle of Brahma Jnan, it collapses and the shackles then have nothing to hold on. When one stops struggling, the ropes or shackles stop biting into the flesh and when one is sufficiently emancipated, they drop off. Water or mud etc. stick to a surface, which is a little rough and not so clean. When the surface is super smooth and when it is absolutely clean, water and mud etc. can't stick. That is why Lotus is portrayed as the symbol for purity. While being in the middle of this pond of Samsara, the Lotus remains untainted and always looks towards her husband, the Sun God. Thus the ego, which is cleaned by understanding the real purpose of its existence, is untouched and untainted by the surroundings, and is always tuned to Pure Knowledge. Sai Ram.

Importance of Human Birth

In this wonderful universe, God has created billions (84 lacs according to Hindusastra calculation) of creatures or beings (including Gods, demigods, insects, beasts and men) inhabiting heaven, hell, earth, ocean, sky and other intermediate regions. Of these, those creatures or souls, whose merits preponderate, go to heaven and live there till they enjoy the fruits of their actions, and when this is done, they are cast down while those souls, whose sins or demerits preponderate, go down to hell, and suffer the consequences of their misdeeds for so long a time as they deserve. When their merits and demerits balance each other, they are born on earth as human beings, and are given a chance to work out their salvation. Ultimately when their merits and demerits both drop down (are got rid of) completely, they get their deliverance and become free. To put the matter in a nutshell, souls get their births or transmigrations according to their deeds and intelligence (development of their minds).

Special Value of the Human Body

As we all know, four things are common to all the creatures, viz. food, sleep, fear and sexual union. In the case of man, he is endowed with a special faculty, viz. knowledge, with the help of which he can attain God-vision, which is impossible in any other birth. It is for this reasons that Gods envy man's fortune and aspire to be born as men on earth, so as to get their final deliverance.

Sai Ram. The human body has been given with a great purpose. It doesn't last as long as that of the Gods. And it is not as short-lived as that of the insects etc. And the humans have been given the special faculty of standing and walking erect, so that they can see each other in their full beauty. And the sense of beauty, intelligence etc., all considered higher faculties are more or less exclusive to human beings. Thus the ability to appreciate beauty is a gift. By appreciating beauty and by learning the pleasure from appreciating and enjoying that beauty, man was freed from the cycles of nature, which protect the other animals. Thus human beings are the only species that are FREE to enjoy sex throughout the year without the restrictions of estrus (heat).

But freedom always comes with responsibility. Thus the very desire to enjoy that beauty and pleasure again and again is bondage. One may look at it as a curse, but one can by Sai's grace look at that too as a gift. Since, without bondage, there cannot be liberation. The realization that one has bound oneself through desire is itself a great step forward, since without that realization, there would be no effort to get oneself free. The desire for liberation is in fact, the ultimate desire.

Who is bound and who is liberated? Only the individual ego. The Higher Self, The real Atma who is one with Paramatma is always free. The individual ego only goes through the concepts of bondage and liberation. Can the individual ego free itself? It is like asking the prisoner to free himself. Of course not. The ego is set free by the Guru, who has the key to the prison cell, the key of knowledge, not worldly knowledge, but the knowledge of the Self, that knowledge which sets the ego free forever. Sai showed through His life, through His Leelas, through His devotion that it is possible for the ego to get fully merged in the Higher Self and be thus liberated.

Liberation or Mukti, Moksha is of many types. What that means is freedom from the birth-and-death cycle. Freedom to take birth or not to take. Freedom from the inexorable laws of Destiny, Karma. The law, which is inviolable for us, which says that we have to reap what we sow. The law which is only broken when we stop sowing further seeds of desires in our fertile soil of minds. By not reacting even in our minds. By realizing that the apparent sense of separation which causes the feeling of I, you, they etc., is an illusion, a trick of the ego. Sai Ram.

Some say, that there is nothing worse than the human body, which is full of filth, mucus, phlegm and dirt, and which is subject to decay, disease and death. This is no doubt true to a certain extent; but in spite of these drawbacks and defects, the special value of the human body is - that man has got the capacity to acquire knowledge: it is only due to the human knowledge that one can think of the perishable and transitory nature of the body itself, and of the world and get a disgust for the sense-enjoyments and can discriminate between the unreal and the real, and thus attain God-vision. So, if we reject or neglect the body because it is filthy, we lose the chance of God-vision, and if we fondle it, and run after sense - enjoyments, because it is precious, we go to hell. The proper course, therefore, for us to pursue is the following; that the body should neither be neglected nor fondled, but should be properly cared for, just as a traveler on horse-back takes care of his pony on the way till he reaches his destination and returns home. Thus the body should ever be used or engaged to attain God-vision or self-realization, which is the supreme end of life.

Sai Ram. Hemadpant rightly writes: If we condemn the human body and don't take care of it, it falls into decay and we don't reach the goal. And if we fondle it (because of the sense of beauty and the desire for enjoying that beauty) we go to hell, i.e. we go deeper in to the spiritual darkness of selfishness, self here meaning the individual ego, and the lower, baser nature, which is pleasure seeking, without the higher faculty of discrimination, without the sense of right or wrong.

Between these two errors, the first error is less severe. Sooner or later, we realize that we need the body to live and so will be forced to take adequate care of it. The second error is more dangerous and more difficult to overcome. Especially the desire for enjoyment of beauty in others. Kama. Desire for possessions. This is the ultimate bondage and can only be overcome by Guru Kripa. In a later Chapter, one of Sai's close intimate devotee, Shri Bapusaheb Jog asks Him, when he will get liberated. Sai's reply to Bapusaheb Jog is truly applicable to all of us. Sai Ram.

It is said that though God created various sorts of creatures he was not satisfied, for none of them was able to know and appreciate His work. So he had to create a special being - Man, and endow him with a special faculty, viz. Knowledge and when He saw that man was able to appreciate His Leela - marvelous work and intelligence. He was highly pleased and satisfied. (Vide, Bhagawat 11-9-28). So really it is good luck to get a human body, better luck to get birth in a Brahmin family, and best one, to get an opportunity of having recourse to Sai Baba's Feet and surrendering to Him.

Sai Ram. This is an echo of what was written in Viveka Chudamani, which is attributed to Sri Adi Shankara. By the way Viveka, means discrimination. And Viveka Chudamani means the Crest Jewel of Discrimination; discrimination of what is Real and what is Unreal. The Reality is that there is only One Supreme Self. The physical bodies, the variety of objects in this world, which appear to be real, are but images projected on a screen by the Self.

When the author (Shri Hemadpant) wrote that it is better luck to get birth in a Brahmin family, he had a deeper meaning to convey. He was not referring to the caste by birth, but to the way a person conducts himself. He who has interest in Brahma Jnan is a Brahmin. That is who is interested in spiritual knowledge, that helps one get rid of this birth-death cycle. The same result is assured in the Phala Shruti of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra.

Surrendering to Sai Baba's feet that is dissolving the ego into the supreme Self is the best means of realizing Brahma, which is one's true Self. Just as water drop realizes its identity with the ocean when it falls into it and just as a salt doll realizes its oneness with the salt of the ocean when it merges with the ocean. Sai Ram.

Man's Endeavour

Realizing how precious the human life is, and knowing that Death is certain and may snatch us at any time, we should be ever alert to achieve the object of our life, we should not make the least delay but make every possible haste to gain our object, just as a widower is most anxious to get himself married to a new bride, or just as a king leaves no stone unturned to seek his lost son. So with all earnestness and speed, we should strive to attain our end, i.e., self-realization. Casting aside sloth and laziness, warding off drowsiness, we should day and night meditate on the Self. If we fail to do this, we reduce ourselves to the level of beasts.

Sai Ram. Here, we find the two paths to Self-realization. One has already been described in the earlier paragraph, i.e. total surrender to Guru. Surrendering to Him is a very significant statement. He is not Sai in the physical body, but the Self, manifesting as that body for that period of time. Now the second path described is Self-enquiry, or 'meditate on the Self'. By the constant meditation on the Self, the same realization comes, as by surrender to self - namely that the individual ego that has no separate existence from the Self and the feeling of separation is an illusion developed by the ego over ages. Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi used to suggest the path of self inquiry to the seekers and for those not yet ready, He was suggesting surrender. Self inquiry may be swift or slow but true surrender is real swift and is irreversible! Sai Ram.

How to Proceed?

The most effective and speedy way to gain our object is to approach a worthy Saint or Sage - Sadguru, who has Himself, attained God-vision. What cannot be achieved by hearing religious lectures and study of religious works is easily obtained in the company of such worthy souls. Just as the sun alone gives light, which all the stars put together cannot do, so the Sad-Guru alone imparts spiritual wisdom which all the sacred books and sermons cannot infuse. His movements and simple talks give us 'silent' advice.

Sai Ram. The 'silent' advice is a reference to Dakshinamurthy, that form of Sri Siva, portrayed as eternal 16-year young Guru, Who clears all doubts of physically much elder Sages like Sanaka, Sanandana etc., not by speaking, but by making them transcend the mind. Since doubts are a part of mind, transcending the mind clears all doubts too. So, they withdraw from the senses and still the mind. In the stillness of the mind, real knowledge shines, just as the image of the Sun is clear when the water is unruffled by breeze. Almost all meditation techniques aim to still the mind only. And the Manasarovar yatra so arduously undertaken by all devout Hindus is a symbol of the need to still one's mind so that the Self can reflect itself in its full glory. Baba also had the unique ability of reading and controlling the minds of His devotees (many of them used to come with various doubts and questions but could never ask them unless He willed it!) Sai Ram. 

The virtues of forgiveness, calmness, disinterestedness, charity, benevolence, control of mind and body, egolessness etc. are observed by the disciples as they are being practiced in such pure and holy company. This enlightens their minds and lifts them up spiritually. Sai Baba was such a Sage or Sad-Guru. Though He acted as a Fakir (mendicant), He was always engrossed in the Self. He always loved all beings in which He saw God or Divinity. By pleasures He was not elated. He was not depressed by misfortunes. A king and a pauper were the same to Him.

Sai Ram. Shri Hemadpant describes the signs of a true Jnani, a Sthitha prajna (One with a steady understanding). Since the Jnani is free from the shackles of the ego, He is not affected by external events such as pleasures or misfortunes. He looks at every thing as God's Leela or Prasad and accepts all events as transient images on a screen. He remains in Sakshi bhava, witness mode. Sai Ram.

He, whose glance would turn a beggar into a king, used to beg His food from door to door in Shirdi, and let us now see how He did it.

Sai Ram. He had a very special purpose in begging His food in that small village. He used that simple act of begging to teach many devotees, valuable spiritual lessons. The above sentence establishes Sai's oneness with Lord Dattatreya and makes us recall the story in Sri Guru Charitra where Sri Guru (Sripada Vallabha) bestows a kingdom on a washerman! Sai Ram.

Baba Begging Food

Blessed are the people of Shirdi, in front of whose houses, Baba stood as a beggar and called out, "Oh Lassie (or Oh Maayee), give me a piece of bread" and spread out His hand to receive the same.

Sai Ram. Baba was showing the signs of a true Brahmachari, who is one who moves in and with Brahma. What is done now-a-days as a small ritual at the time of the Upanayana Samskara, that is the Ceremony which gives the Yagnopavita, sacred thread to the brahmachari, and which is considered as a necessary 'ritual' preceding marriage, has a very deep spiritual meaning. A true Brahma Jnani has no sense of thine or mine, so has no ego problem in begging food for preserving the body so that it can do its duty. Looking upon and addressing all women as Mothers, Sisters or daughters establishes Sai's true Brahmacharya, celibacy. Sai Ram.

In one hand He carried a Tumrel (tinpot) and in the other a zoli or choupadari, i.e., a rectangular piece of cloth. He daily visited certain houses and went from door to door. Liquid or semi-liquid things such as soup, vegetables, milk or butter-milk were received in the tin pot, while cooked rice, bread, and such solid things were taken in the zoli. Baba's tongue knew no taste, as He had acquired control over it. So how could He care for the taste of the different things collected together? Whatever things He got in His zoli and in the tin pot were mixed together and partaken by Baba to His heart's content. Whether particular things were tasty or otherwise was never noticed by Baba as if His tongue was devoid of the sense of taste altogether.

Sai Ram. Baba's tongue knew no taste, as He had acquired control over it. Taste, external beauty, and similar sensations, that is signals received by the five sensory organs have no doubt a place in the ordinary day-to-day affairs. But for a Brahma Jnani, who has transcended the mind, taste has no significance. So, all food was mixed up and eaten. Sai was also indicating that all individual dharmas, attributes merge into Brahman, Who is free of all attributes. When all Gunas merge, Saguna becomes Nirguna. Nirguna does not mean no attributes alone, it also means no specific attributes, just as white light has all the colors and is thus devoid of any specific color. Sai Ram. 

Baba begged till noon, but His begging was very irregular. Some days He went a few rounds, on other days up to twelve noon. The food thus collected was thrown in a kundi, i.e. earthen pot. Dog, cats and crows freely ate from it and Baba never drove them away. The woman who swept the floor of the Masjid took some 10 or 12 pieces of bread to her house, and nobody prevented her from doing so. How could, He, who even in dreams never warded off cats and dogs by harsh words and signs, refuse food to poor helpless people? Blessed indeed is the life of such a noble person!

Sai Ram. Again by His conduct, He showed that He is one with all animate and inanimate, sentient and insentient beings. Doing good acts consciously is different from doing it automatically as True Real Nature. That is why Shri Hemadpant says there, even in dreams never warded off, a very significant statement! In dreams, the hidden side of the mind comes to the forefront. So all negative emotions, which might have been suppressed in conscious state come up, since the control of the mind is relaxed in sleep and in dreams. So, Sai did not have a harsh word for anyone else even in dream, since Sai is one with everyone and there is no one else. Once that state is realized by the individual ego, it no longer exists separately and is no longer troubled by Maya, Illusion, and sense of separation. Sai Ram.

People in Shirdi took Him in the beginning for a mad Fakir. He was known in the village by this name.

Sai Ram. Sai was so liberal of mind and heart that He was One with all living and non-living beings. He was therefore, not minding cats and dogs from eating food from the same pot as He. Blessed indeed is the life of such a Noble Person. Indeed. But such behavior will be considered 'mad' by so called 'normal' society. People in Shirdi took Him in the beginning for a mad Fakir. He was known in the village by this name. And of course He did not bother.The great Yogi Sadasiva Brahmendra was also considered to be mad and when people went to His Guru and told him about Sadasiva's madness, the Guru exclaimed that he too wished to be so fortunate and be mad like his illustrious disciple! Yogi Vemana also was considered to be a mad man. Lord Dattatreya behaved like a man man many times to put off people who were not yet ready to get His blessings! Similarly Sai used to behave like a mad man because He did not care for what others thought of His behavior and also to put off some devotees whose time has not yet come! Sai Ram. 

How could one, who lived on alms by begging a few crumbs of bread, be revered and respected? But this Fakir was very liberal of heart and hand, disinterested and charitable. Though He looked fickle and restless from outside, He was firm and steady inside. His way was inscrutable. Still even in that small village, there were a few kind and blessed people who recognized and regarded Him as a Great Soul. One such instance is given below.

Sai Ram. To recognize the greatness of some one else, we need a minimum greatness ourselves. At another place, Shri Hemadpant writes that only a Saint can recognize another Saint. We may not be Saints, but we should have some merit (poorva janma punyam). Thus, a few kind and blessed people recognized Him. Here, kind also means type. Like a lion recognizes another lion. And yes, they were blessed to play their part in the drama set up by Sadguru Sai. For ordinary people, whose senses were covered by the veil of Maya, it is not possible to recognize the greatness of a Saint. The few souls who recognised Him were capable since they too were advanced and took birth to play their part in that wonderful drama, just like Vasudeva and Devaki, Nanda and Yasoda took birth to play their parts when Krishna decided to take birth in Brindavan. And King Dasaratha, Kausalya, Vasishtha and Viswamitra etc. took birth when Rama took birth in Ayodhya. Sai Ram.

Bayajabai's Brilliant Service

Tatya Kote's mother, Bayajabai, used to go to the woods every noon with a basket on her head containing bread and vegetables. She roamed in the jungles koss (about 3 miles) after koss, trampling over bushes and shrubs in search of the mad Fakir, and after hunting Him out, fell at His feet. The Fakir sat calm and motionless in meditation, while she placed a leaf before Him, spread the eatables, bread, vegetables etc. thereon and fed Him forcibly. Wonderful was her faith and service. Every day she roamed at noon in the jungles and forced Baba to partake lunch. Her service, Upasana or Penance, by whatever name we call it, was never forgotten by Baba till His Maha Samadhi. Remembering fully what service she rendered, Baba benefited her son magnificently. Both the son and the mother had great faith in the Fakir, Who was their God. Baba often said to them "Fakiri (Mendicacy) was the real Lordship as it was everlasting, and the so called Lordship (riches) was transient". After some years, Baba left off going into the woods, began to live in the village and take His food in the Masjid. From that time Bayajabai's troubles of roaming in the jungles ended.

Sai Ram. Bayajabai, a great soul, took care of Sai, when His fame was still not wide spread and when people were not coming to Him for miracles and worshipping Him. She could see through the external appearances and had a soul-to-soul communication with Him. Baba also responded to that soul-level communication of love. Bayajabai's son Tatya also was another great soul, who believed in Sai. It is apparent that these soul mates of Sai were with Him for many generations. Sai made references to some such long-lasting relationships elsewhere in Satcharitra. It is interesting to note that when Sri Bhagawan Ramana went to Arunachala and when He was still not famous, a few simple souls took care of His physical body. And another great soul, Seshadri Swamy also took care of Ramana. To see the greatness in another requires greatness, greatness arising out of humility, in us. Sai Ram.

Dormitory of Trio

Ever blessed are the Saints in whose heart Lord Vaasudeo (Vaasudev, Krishna, son of Vasudeva) dwells, and fortunate, indeed, are the devotees who get the benefit of the company of such Saints. Two such fortunate fellows, Tatya Kote Patil and Bhagat Mhalsapati, equally shared the company of Sai Baba. Baba also loved them both equally. These three persons slept in the Masjid with their heads towards the east, west and north and with their feet touching one another at the centre. Stretching their beds, they lay on them, chitchatting and gossiping about many things, till late at midnight. If any one of them showed any signs of sleep, others would wake him up. For instance, if Tatya began to snore, Baba at once got up and shook him from side to side and pressed his head. If it was Mhalsapati, He hugged him close, stroked his legs and kneaded his back. In this way for full 14 years, Tatya, leaving his parents at home, slept in the Masjid on account of his love for Baba. How happy and never to be forgotten were those days! How to measure that love and how to value the grace of Baba? After the passing away of his father, Tatya took charge of the household affairs and began to sleep at home.

Sai Ram. It is significant to note that Mhalsapati was the first to greet Sai with that name when the Fakir landed in Shirdi along with the marriage party of Chand Patil. And Tatya, along with his mother, Bayajabai, was among the few, who worshipped Sai as a holy man and fed His body. It is appropriate that Sai too took a special interest in the spiritual development of these two and so He chose a very special method, of sleeping with them in the Dwarakamai.

If any of them showed sings of sleep, others would wake him up - But we don't read an instance of Sai sleeping and Tatya or Bhagat waking Sai. He was always awake, especially spiritually. He alludes to this in another chapter when a discussion about the wooden plank comes up. But the same Bhagat Mhalsapati sat for three days with the body of Sri Sai, obviously without sleeping. So, Guru's grace can do any thing. The physical waking up by Sai of Tatya and Bhagat was just a symbolism of the spiritual awakening by Him of those whom He pulled close.

In this way, for a period of 14 years, Tatya, leaving his parents at home, slept in the Dwarakamai on account of his love for Baba - A real growing up period indeed. Which stood him in good stead for the rest of his life. Sai Ram.

Khushalchand of Rahata

Baba loved Ganpat Kote Patil of Shirdi. He equally loved Chandrabhan Seth Marwadi of Rahata. After the demise of the Seth, Baba loved his nephew Khushalchand equally or even perhaps more, and watched his welfare, day and night. Sometimes in a bullock cart, at other times in a tanga with intimate friends, Baba went to Rahata. People of that village came out, with band and music, and received Baba at the Ves or gate of the village and prostrated before Him. Then He was taken into the village with great pomp and ceremony. Khushalchand took Baba to his house, seated Him on a comfortable seat and gave Him a good lunch. Then they talked freely and merrily for some time, after which Baba returned to Shirdi, giving delight and blessing to all.

Shirdi is midway between and equidistant from Rahata on one side (south) and Nimgaon on the other (north). Baba never went beyond these places during His lifetime. He never saw any railway train nor traveled by it. Still, He knew exactly the timing of arrival and departure of all trains. Devotees who acted according to Baba's instructions (re : their departure)which were given by him at the time of taking His leave fared well, while those who disregarded them suffered many a mishap and accident. More about this and other matters will be told in the next Chapter.


Bow to Shri Sai-- Peace to be all

NOTE: An incident, given in the footnote at the end of this Chapter, showing Baba's love for Khusalchand how He asked one afternoon Kakasaheb Dixit to go to Rahata and fetch Khushalchand to Him, and at the same time appeared before Khushalchand in his noon-nap dream asking him to come to Shirdi, is not given here as it is described in the body of the book (Sai-Charita) later on (Chapter 30).

Sai Ram. Baba loved every one, but showed especially a little extra love to some people, who were His spiritual companions from many lives. Ganpat Kote Patil and Chandrabhan Seth Marwadi of Rahata, and his nephew Khushalchand were among such privileged few, who received Baba's love openly.

Shri Hemadpant introduces the all-pervading knowledge of Sai by giving a small incident as a footnote, which is dealt in more detail in a later chapter. And also paved the way for the stories of the next chapter, where Baba gave clear indications to His devotees about when to leave or when not to leave. Sai Ram.

Baba did not depend on the physical sight or the rational, logical, intellectual part of the mind. Since He was one with all, He knew what was going on everywhere. He gave many examples of such Oneness, which people took to be some special mystical powers. Sai Ram. 

Spiritual Gems from Sri Sai Satcharitra - Chapter 7

Shri Sai Satcharitra - Chapter 7

Wonderful Incarnation - Behaviour of Sai Baba - His Yoga Practices - His All-pervasiveness - Leper Devotee's service - Master Khaparde's Plague-case - Going to Pandharpur

Wonderful Incarnation 

Sai Baba knew all Yogic Practices. He was well versed in the six processes including Dhauti (Stomach-cleaning by a moistened piece of linen 3" in breadth and 22 1/2' in length), Khandayoga, i.e., separating His limbs and joining them again, and Samadhi, etc. If you think that He was a Hindu, He looked like a Yavan. If you think Him to be a Yavan, He looked like a pious Hindu. No one definitely knew whether He was a Hindu or a Mahomedan. He celebrated the Hindu festival of Rama-Navami with all due formalities, and at the same time permitted the 'Sandal' procession of the Mahomedans.

Sai Ram. Yes, Sai Baba was indeed a wonderful incarnation. Incarnation means the Avatar of Divinity in human form, in flesh and blood. God took pity on simple and ignorant folk like us and took that particular form, so mysterious and yet so accessible in the form of Sai Baba of Shirdi. He had a very clear purpose in coming to Shirdi and spending those 60 years there. His objective was to bring harmony between all classes of people.

It is those divisions of rich and poor, pious and dirty, Hindu and Mohamedan etc. (the basic duality of I and not I) that Sai addressed in His inimitable way and taught all the art of " live and let live". He always avoided the question of who He was and where from He came for the simple reason that He was not His Body. He was not His Mind. And since He did not have an ego, He was not His ego also. Then who was He? He asked us to look into our hearts. He is the In-dweller, seated in our Hearts, and watching us always and guiding us always. He is our Atma Ram.

He celebrated all the festivals with equanimity giving all the due importance. While Sai Baba allowed devotees to practice all rituals, He never believed in equating the ritual with Faith. Faith in a Higher power is different from ritualistic practices. He was not bound by any rules, regulations etc. but by the devotion of His devotees! Sai Ram. 

He encouraged wrestling bouts in this festival, and gave good prizes to winners. When the Gokul Ashtami came, He got the 'Gopal-Kala' ceremony duly performed and on Id festivals, He allowed Mahomedans to say their prayers (Namaj) in His Masjid. Once in the Moharum festival, some Mahomedans proposed to contruct a Tajiya or Tabut in the Masjid, keep it there for some days and afterwards take it in procession through the village. Sai Baba allowed the keeping of the Tabut for four days, and on the fifth day removed it out of the Masjid without the least compunction. If we say that He was a Mahomedan, His ears were pierced (i.e. had holes according to Hindu fashion). If you think that He was a Hindu, He advocated the practice of circumcision (though according to Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who observed Him closely, He was not Himself circumcised. (Vide article in Sai Leela on "Baba Hindu Ki Yavan" by B.V. Deo, page 562). If you call Him Hindu, He always lived in the Masjid; if Mahomedan, He had always the Dhuni - sacred fire there, and the following things which are contrary to Mahomedan religion, i.e., grinding on the handmill, blowing of the conch and bells, oblation in the fire, Bhajan, giving of food, and worship of Baba's Feet by means of ARGHYA (water) were always allowed there. If you think that He was a Mahomedan, the best of Brahmins and Agnihotris, leaving aside their orthodox ways, fell prostrate at His Feet.

Sai Ram. By their Tapas and by His grace, these people could overcome the Maya and could see Sai as the Jnana Bhaskara, the Glorious Sun of Knowledge, the Yoga Agni, which burns all their Sins and Avidya. One becomes sacred only when He undergoes various Samskaras (Purification Rites) - not for His body, but for his body-mind-intellect-ego and thus gets the true Brahma Jnana. An Agnihotri is one who worships Fire God daily and it is well known that Fire purifies and burns all the Ignorance and Sins. So, they could see Sai to be what He truly was, not confined to the five feet six inches of body nor confined to Shirdi location. He was seen as the Satchidananda Parabrahma. Sai Ram.

Those who went to make enquiries about his nationality were dumb-founded and were captured by his darshana. So none could definitely decide whether Sai Baba was a Hindu or a Mahomedan*. (See the footnote a little below this paragraph) This is no wonder; for he who completely surrenders himself to the Lord, by getting rid of his egoism and body consciousness; thus becomes one with Him, and has nothing to do with any questions of caste or nationality. Such a one as Sai Baba was, saw no difference between caste and caste and even beings and beings. He took meat and fish with Fakirs, but did not grumble when dogs touched the dishes with their mouths.

Sai Ram. Sai Baba had this wonderful power of blanking the mental thought waves of those who went to Him, so that they could not remember to ask Him the questions, which He didn't want them to ask! And since He looked upon all food as Brahma (Annam Brahma - Food is Brahma, Annamannada evacha - He is Food and He is also Food Giver - Vishnu Sahasranama; many such aphorisms can be found), He didn't differentiate between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, the dog and Himself etc. In later chapters, we will read the wonderful story of how Sai gave some deep spiritual lessons to some chosen devotees by accepting their food assuming the form of dogs! He never looked upon food as something to be enjoyed. For Him, the sole role of food was to nourish the body. And He downplayed the importance of hygiene since He was One with all living and non-living beings. But at the same time, He never encouraged people to go out of their Varnasrama Dharma, since such transgressions are motivated by desires for pleasures.

[* Note--(1) Mhalsapati, an intimate Shirdi devotee of Baba, who always slept with Him in the Masjid and Chavadi, said that Sai Baba told him that He was a Brahmin of Pathri and was handed over to a Fakir in his infancy, and when He told this, some men from Pathri had come, and Baba was enquiring about some men from that place. Vide Sai Leela 1924, Page 179. Sai Ram. Later, Mhalsapati confessed that he made up that story and we thus don't know Sai's real origins. Sai Ram. (2) Mrs. Kashibai Kanitkar, the famous learned woman of Poona says in the experience No.8, published on Page 79, Sai Leela Vol. 11,1934, - "On hearing of Baba's miracles, we were discussing according to our theosophic convention and fashion whether Sai Baba belonged to Black or White Lodge. When once I went to Shirdi, I was thinking seriously about this in my mind. As soon as I approached the steps of the Masjid, Baba came to the front and pointing to His chest and staring at me spoke rather vehemently -"This is a Brahmin, pure Brahmin. He has nothing to do with black things. No Musalman can dare to step in here. He dare not." Again pointing to his chest - "This Brahmin can bring lakhs of men on the white path and take them to their destination. This is a Brahmin's Masjid and I won't allow any black Mahomedan to cast his shadow here." Sai Ram. He meant by that the left hand path is not His, though He was beyond all paths. The left hand path of black magic and evil practices is much more dangerous than the right hand path and hence was not encouraged by Sai. Sai Ram.]

Such a unique and wonderful incarnation was Sai Baba. On account of the merits in my past birth, I had the good fortune to sit at His Feet and enjoy His blessed company. The joy and delight I derived therefrom was incomparable. In fact Sai Baba was pure Anand and Consciousness. I cannot sufficiently describle Him, His greatness and uniqueness. He who took delight at His Feet, was established in His own self. Many Sanyasis, Sadhakas and all sorts of men aspiring for salvation came to Sai Baba. He always walked, talked and laughed with them and always uttered 'Allah Malik' (God is the sole owner). He never liked discussion or arguments. He was always calm and controlled, though irritable at times, always preached full Vedanta and nobody knew till the last who Baba was. He treated princes and poor people alike. He knew the inmost secrets of all, and when He gave expression to them, all were surprised. He was the repository of all knowledge, but feigned ignorance. He also disliked honour. Such were the characteristics of Sai Baba. Though, He had a human body, His deeds testified to His Godhood. All people considered Him as the Lord God in Shirdi.

Sai Ram. Who was Baba? He was the indweller, Antaryami, He was the Paramatma, the Supreme Soul, The Self of all of us. He knew the inmost secrets of all, because He was the indweller of all of us. We, because of Maya, ignorance, were identifying ourselves with our bodies, minds and limited consciousness, and thus with our individual egos. He was above all these frailties and was one with the Universal Self. He took a human body and stayed in Shirdi to bless devotees like us.

The difference between a God and a devotee is only this. God is ego less and so is one with all. The devotee is still in dwaita bhava, dualistic mode of worship. The devotee is looking outside his heart to an external symbol in the form of a living Guru or an idol. The Guru or the God also takes that form so that with this ritualistic worship, the mind of the devotee gets purified and becomes fit to receive the true Knowledge. The devotee is enlightened about the fact that the external is but a representation of the internal. Further he becomes aware that the body of the Guru or the idol is but a symbol, to help the devotee to focus his attention, to still the restless mind. Sai Ram. 

Behaviour of Sai Baba 

Fool that I am, I cannot describe Baba's miracles. He got almost all the temples in Shirdi repaired. Through Tatya Patil, the temples of Shani, Ganapati, Shankar-Parvati, Village Deity, and Maruti were put in order.

Sai Ram. Baba got all the temples repaired. And His devotees got the old and dilapidated Masjid repaired. It is the mutual Seva. Baba never claimed that He was God, He was always most humble and was an exemplary devotee. Just like a leader should first be a follower. Sai Ram. 

His charity was also remarkable. The money He used to collect as Dakshina was freely distributed, Rs.20 to some, Rs.15 or 50, to others everyday. The recipients thought that this was 'pure' charity money, and Baba wished that it should be usefully employed.

Sai Ram. Baba showed absolutely no attachment to money. He collected large sums as Dakshina and gave liberally to some people. At the end of each day, He used to again revert to the stage of a pauper, a poor Fakir. Sai Ram. 

Having a darshana of Baba immensely benefited people. Some became hale and hearty; wicked people were turned into good ones. Kushtha (Leprosy) was cured in some cases, many got their desires fulfilled, without any drops or medicine being put in the eyes, some blind men got back their sight and some lame ones got their legs. Nobody could see the end of His extraordinary greatness. His fame spread far and wide, and pilgrims from all sides flocked to Shirdi. Baba sat always near the Dhuni and eased Himself there, and always sat in meditation, sometimes with and on other times without a bath.

Sai Ram. The darshan or sparshan (touch) or any other Sangatya (Company) - including remembering them, reading about them like here, of great Saints is never without benefit. So, all devotees who came into contact with Baba also got benefited. Depending on their merits of the past birth, they could come into contact with Him and their demerits, sins, got burnt down like dry grass in fire. So, poor became rich, ill people became well and minds were purified. Sai Ram. 

He used to tie a white turban on his head; and wear a clean Dhotar round his waist, and a shirt on his body. This was his dress in the beginning. He started practicing medicine in the village, examined patients and gave medicines. He was always successful, and He became famous as a Hakim (Doctor). A curious case may be narrated here. One devotee got his eye balls quite red and swollen. No Doctor was available in Shirdi. The other devotees took him to Baba. Other Doctors would use ointments, Anjans, cow's milk and camphorated drugs etc., in such cases. Baba's remedy was quite unique. He pounded some 'BEEBA' (Some Carpus Ana Cardium i.e. marking nuts) and made two balls of them, thrust them one in each eye of the patient and wrapped a cloth-bandage round them (eyes). Next day, the bandage was removed and water was poured over them in a stream. The inflammation subsided and the pupils became white and clear. Though the eyes are very delicate, the BEEBA caused no smarting; but removed the disease of the eyes. Many such cases were cured and this is only an instance in point.

Sai Ram. Initially Baba was giving herbs and other medicines to draw people to Him and to increase their faith in Him. Later, when the faith of the devotees became strong enough, He stopped giving any such medicines and His touch and His Udhi were sufficient, and the healing took place by His grace. So, even when He was not physically present, He could help people and save. One such incident where Baba saved a small child and allowed His hand to get burnt (He was probably against disappointing Fire God of His food!) is described in this chapter. Sai Ram. 

Baba's Yoga Practices

Baba knew all the processes and practices of Yoga. Two of them will be described here:

(1) DHAUTI or CLEANING PROCESS: Baba went to the well near a Banyan tree at a considerable distance from the Masjid every third day and washed his mouth and had a bath. On one occasion, He was seen to vomit out his intestines, clean them inside and outside and place them on a Jamb tree for drying. There are persons in Shirdi, who have actually seen this, and who have testified to this fact. Ordinary Dhauti is done by a moistened piece of linen, 3 inches broad 22 1/2ft. long. This piece is gulped down the throat and allowed to remain in the stomach for about half an hour for being reacted there and then taken out. But Baba's Dhauti was quite unique and extraordinary. 


Sai Ram. These extraordinary feats testify to Baba's training over several births and His discipleship under a great Master. But they should not be emulated or learnt for the sake of yogic powers, Siddhis etc., since that would be a diversion from the path of true Yoga, which is unification of our awareness with the Highest Self. Sai Ram. 

(2) KHANDA YOGA: In this practice, Baba extracted the various limbs from His body, and left them separately at different places in the Masjid. Once, a gentleman went to the Masjid, and saw the limbs of Baba lying separately at separate places. He was much terrified; and he first thought of running to the village officers, and informing them of Baba being hacked to pieces and murdered. He thought that he would be held responsible, as he was the first informant, and knew something of the affair. So he kept silent. But next day when he went to the masjid, he was very much surprised to see Baba, hale and hearty and sound, as before. He thought, that what he had seen the previous day, was only a dream.

Sai Ram. Baba was not only showing His great yogic powers in this instance but was conveying a great spiritual truth. Initially, He was only one, but became many and finally, the Many return to the One. The water drops leave the ocean, form into clouds, rain down upon earth, become rivers, streams etc. and finally rejoin the ocean. All creation is from energy and all creation returns to energy as per modern science too. Baba was showing this in His own inimitable way. Sai Ram. 

Baba practiced Yoga since, His infancy and nobody knew or guessed the proficiency He attained. He charged no fees for His cures. He became renowned and famous by virtue of His merits and gave health to many a poor and suffering person. This famous Doctor of doctors cared not for His interests, but always worked for the good and welfare of others, Himself suffering unbearable and terrible pain many a time in the process. One such instance, I give below, which will show the all-pervasive and most merciful character of Sai Baba.

Baba's All-pervasiveness and Mercy 

In the year 1910 A.D., Baba was sitting near the Dhuni on Divali day and warming Himself. He was pushing the firewood into the Dhuni, which was brightly burning. A little later, instead of pushing logs of woods, Baba pushed His arm into the Dhuni; the arm was scorched and burnt immediately. This was noticed by the servant Madhava, and also by Madhavrao Deshpande (Shama). They at once ran to Baba and Madhavarao clasped Baba by His waist from behind and dragged Him forcibly back ward and asked, "Deva, for what have you done this?" Then Baba came to His senses and replied, "The wife of a blacksmith at some distant place, was working the bellows of a furnace; her husband called her. Forgetting that her child was on her waist, she ran hastily and the child slipped into the furnace. I immediately thrust my hand into the furnace and saved the child. I do not mind my arm being burnt, but I am glad that the life of the child is saved."

Sai Ram. We learnt (and we will be seeing in the future chapters too) that Baba had full control over all the elements. So, why did He allow His hand to be burnt? He could have saved the child just by His will, isn't it? Yes. But then He had two intentions. One, He wanted to tell His devotees that they should not mind injury to their body when they are trying to save some one else. Body consciousness is a big obstacle in the path of spirituality. So, Baba was demonstrating that one should get rid of body consciousness. Secondly, He wanted to provide an opportunity to the leper devotee Bhagoji Shinde, to serve Him as given below. Let us remember Baba's words on that occasion: "Forgetting that her child was on her waist, she ran hastily and the child slipped into the furnace. I immediately thrust my hand into the furnace and saved the child. I do not mind my arm being burnt, but I am glad that the life of the child is saved." Baba was mentioning that, even if we forget about something, He doesn't and He always protects the devotees. Sai Ram.

Pujya Shri B.V.Narasimha Swamyji has documented similar incidents of Baba helping His devotees at far off places without ever leaving His place in Shirdi in "Devotees' experiences". All these incidents were Baba's efforts to show us that He was beyond the constraints of space and time. And that He was not confined to His body. These miracles were performed with the sole intention of strengthening our Faith in Him, so that our ego becomes humble and the Teli's (Oil Grocer, Business man, a Sadhaka in early stages who still looks for karma phala, the rewards for his efforts) wall between Sai and us is broken down (Sai's advice to a Sadhaka in a later chapter). Sai Ram. 

Leper Devotee's Service

On hearing the news of Baba's hand being burnt from (Shama) Madhavrao Deshpande, Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar, accompanied by the famous Doctor Parmanand of Bombay with his medical outfit consisting of ointments, lint and bandage etc. rushed to Shirdi, and requested Baba to allow Dr. Parmanand to examine the arm, and dress the wound caused by the burn. This was refused. Ever since the burn, the leper devotee, Bhagoji Shinde, dressed the arm. His treatment consisted in massaging the burnt part with ghee and then placing a leaf over it and bandaging it tightly with Pattis (bandages). Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar solicited Baba many a time to unfasten the Pattis and get the wound examined and dressed and treated by Dr. Parmanand, with the object that it may be speedily healed. Dr. Parmanand himself made similar requests, but Baba postponed saying that Allah was His Doctor; and did not allow His arm to be examined. Dr. Paramanand's medicines were not exposed to the air of Shirdi, as they remained intact, but he had the good fortune of getting a darshana of Baba. Bhagoji was allowed to treat the hand daily. After some days, the arm healed and all were happy. Still, we do not know whether any trace of pain was left or not. Every morning, Bhagoji went throught his programme of loosening the Pattis, massaging the arm with ghee and tightly bandaging it again. This went on till Sai Baba's Samadhi (death). Sai Baba, a perfect Siddha, as He was, did not really want this treatment, but out of love to His devotee, He allowed the 'Upasana' - service of Bhagoji to go on un-interrupted all along. When Baba started for Lendi, Bhagoji held an umbrella over Him and accompanied Him. Every morning, when Baba sat near the post close to the Dhuni, Bhagoji was present and started his service. Bhagoji was a sinner in his past brith. He was suffering from leprosy, his fingers had shrunk, his body was full of pus and smelling badly. Though outwardly he seemed so unfortunate, he was really very lucky and happy, for he was the premier servant of Baba, and got the benefit of His company.

Sai Ram. Bhagoji Shinde was chosen to dress the burns of Baba's hand. Dr. Paramanand, the famous doctor brought by Shri Nanasaheb Chandorkar from Bombay (present day Mumbai) had to remain a mute spectator to this Leela of Baba. Why did not Baba allow Dr. Paramanand to treat Him? It was not as if Baba was not kindly disposed towards Nanasaheb and Dr. Paramanand. It was because Baba wanted Nana and the good doctor to learn one important lesson - that it is God who heals in the form of a doctor (Vaidyo Narayano Hari goes the saying). And if God wills it, anything and everything can heal. And if God doesn't will it, nothing will help. Since Baba had full faith in Allah, He also had full control over who can treat His hand and who can't. Bhagoji was chosen because of his merits of his past birth. So, though he was a sinner, his merits were taken up so that he can work out his salvation through Sadhu Sparshan and Darshan. The lesson to all of us is clear. We may be the worst sinners in our previous births or even in this birth up to this moment, but we also had a small amount of merit, which brought us to Sai's feet. So, let us make best use of this opportunity and let us redeem ourselves to be His worthy devotees. Sai Ram. 

Master Khaparde's Plague-Case

I shall now relate another instance of Baba's wonderful Leela. Mrs. Khaparde, the wife of Mr. Dadasaheb Khaparde of Amraoti, was staying at Shirdi with her young son for some days. One day the son got high fever, which further developed into Bubonic plague. The mother was frightened and felt most uneasy. She thought of leaving the place for Amraoti, and went near Baba in the evening, when He was coming near the Wada (now Samadhi Mandir) in His evening rounds, for asking His permission. She informed Him in a trembling tone, that her dear young son was down with plague. Baba spoke kindly and softly to her, saying that the sky is beset with clouds; but they will melt and pass off and everything will be smooth and clear. So saying, He lifted up His Kafni up to the waist and showed to all present, four fully developed bubos, as big as eggs, and added, "See, how I have to suffer for My devotees; their difficulties are Mine." Seeing this unique and extraordinary deed (Leela), the people were convinced as to how the Saints suffer pains for their devotees. The mind of the saints is softer than wax, it is soft, in and out, as butter. They love their devotees without any idea of gain, and regard them as their true relatives.

Sai Ram. Baba showed His merciful attitude to His devotees in Master Khaparde's plague case. He showed that He is fully aware of what is going on with any or all of His devotees. When Mrs. Khaparde approached Baba for permission to leave Shirdi and to go to Amraoti, her husband's place, Baba kindly showed her the fully developed buboes in his groin, thus indicating that He has taken upon Himself the disease. Our Faith in God or Guru is not really steadfast, and hence the need for occasional reinforcement of the same by God and Guru. If only our faith is really steadfast, we won't try to run away from problems and we will not appeal to God and Guru to alleviate the problems. We forget that they are always aware of what is going on and what is for our best welfare. Sai Ram. 

Going to Pandharpur and Staying There

I shall now close this Chapter after relating a story illustrating how Sai Baba loved His devotees and anticipated their wishes and movements. Mr. Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who was a great devotee of Baba, was Mamlatdar at Nandurbar in Khandesh. He got an order of transfer to Pandharpur. His devotion to Sai Baba bore fruit, as he got an order to go and stay at Pandharpur, which is regarded as the 'BHUVAIKUNTHA' - Heaven on earth. Nanasaheb had to take immediate charge, so he left, immediately, for the place, without even writing or informing anybody at Shirdi. He wanted to give a surprise visit to Shirdi - his Pandharpur, see and salute his Vithoba (Baba), and then proceed. Nobody dreamt of Nanasaheb's departure for Shirdi, but Sai Baba knew all about this, as His eyes were everywhere (omniscient). As soon as Nanasaheb approached Neemgaon, a few miles from Shirdi, there was stir in the Masjid at Shirdi. Baba was sitting and talking with Mhalsapati, Appa Shinde and Kashiram, when He at once said, "Let us all four do some Bhajan, the doors of Pandhari are open, let us merrily sing." Then they began to sing in chorus, the burden of the song being "I have to go to Pandharpur and I have to stay on there, for it is the house of my Lord."

Baba sang and the devotees followed Him. In a short time Nanasaheb came there with his family, prostrated before Baba and requested Him to accompany them to Pandharpur and stay with them there. This solicitation was not necessary, as the devotees told Nanasaheb that Baba was already in the mood of going to Pandharpur and staying there. Hearing this Nanasaheb was moved and fell at Baba's Feet. Then getting Baba's permission, Udi (sacred ashes) and Blessings, Nanasaheb left for Pandharpur.

Sai Ram. This is another indication of Baba's knowledge of events far from Him in space or time. He knew of Nanasaheb's transfer from Khandesh to Pandharpur and He knew of Nana's impending arrival in Shirdi. Baba also showed His devotion to Vithoba of Pandharpur by singing bhajans in His praise. The devotee and the God become One when the ego is absent. And God favors His devotee's devotees more than His direct devotees. Thus devotees of Hanuman and Sai etc. get quicker results than those who worship say Rama and Krishna. This is purely my (this author's) view. Sai Ram. 

There is no end to Baba's stories, but let me now make a halt here, reserving for the next Chapter other topics, such as importance of human life, Baba's living on alms, Bayajabai's service and other stories.

Bow to Shri Sai -- Peace be to all