Sai Baba the Master by E.Bharadwaja

[Guest guest]

Pure devotion, we have seen in the case of Megha, craves for nothing but

grace and it gets it. But grace is no grace if can not correct some less

mature attitudes of the devotes. And we can cite a few such instances in

Baba’s case.

 

In 1916, a party of four - a man , his wife, his daughter and his

sister-in-law – visited Shirdy on there way from Madras to Benaras and

stayed there for a few days. They belonged to the Ramadasi sect. They

heard that Sai Baba was a great saint and that he gave liberal gifts of

money to those who sang devotional songs. They sang melodiously in Baba’s

presence; but all of them except the wife inwardly craved for gifts of

money but the wife wanted only Baba’s grace. One day Baba blessed her with

the vision of her chosen deity, Lord Sri Rama, in himself. When she

recounted her experience to her husband, he did not believe it. Later, one

night, he had a dream-vision: He was being tied hand and foot and put in a

prison by the police. While Baba looked on, the man asked his protection.

Baba said that he was only paying for a sin he might have committed

earlier in that life or in a previous one. The man requested Baba to burn

out his sins by his power. “Do you have such faith in my power?”. Asked

Baba and the man said that he had. Baba then asked him to close his eyes

for a moment. When the man opened them again, he found himself free and

the policemen dead. When he was rejoicing Baba taunted him by saying, “Now

the officers will arrest you for this crime of killing the police!” The

man was desperate and he fell at Baba’s feet crying, “There is no one to

save me except you!”. Baba asked him to close his eyes again for a moment

and he was free! When he bowed to Baba in gratitude, Baba asked, "Is there

any difference between this bowing of your head (in namaskara) and the

previous ones?" The man confessed that his earlier namaskaras were done

with a desire for gifts of money whereas the latest was expressive of his

real faith in Baba’s divinity. Besides, he said, his earlier namaskaras

were not hearty; for he then had a prejudice that Baba, being a moslem, is

unfit to be so bowed to. Baba then said, “Do you not worship moslem idols

like the Panja, the Tabut and the deity Kadbibi? Why pretend that you have

no faith in Moslem gods?” The man confessed the truth of Baba’s words and

prayed that he be graced with the darshan of his guru Samarth Ramadas.

Baba then asked him to turn back and see and there stood the great saint

Ramadas! When the saint disappeared, the man turned to Baba and said,

“Baba, you look old; how old are you?” Baba replied, “What, you say that I

am old? Run with me, I shall see,” and he started running. The man tried

to overtake him but Baba disappeared in the dust raised by his own feet.

The dream was over.

 

The dream had completely shattered the man’s skepticism and faith in Baba

sprouted in his hearth. Next morning when he went to Dwarakamai, Baba gave

him Rs. 2/- and some sweetmeats as prasad. And blessed him. His craving

for money was alchemised thereafter into craving for grace and then the

blessing was given by Baba.

 

 

(To be contd....)

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)