Sai Baba the Master by E.Bharadwaja

[Guest guest]

Shrewd Kusha Bhau regarded Baba’s vomit as his prasad, (consecrated food)

and at once ate it. Baba tried to stop him through curses and kicks. But

being a great sadhaka, Kusha Bhau knew that by taking guru’s uchhishta,

i.e., the left over of a guru’s meal as prasad, a devotee automatically

acquires the status of a disciple which is above that of a devotee. It

placed a moral binding on the guru to secure the highest good to his

disciple. And Baba scrupulously avaoided accepting anyone as his disciple.

But Kusha Bhau made himself one. This is not matter of mere shrewdness but

it is shrewdness born of unbounded love for and faith in the guru as God

himself. He says “Baba abused me, kicked me, and beat me. But I did not

mind all this in the least, as I was overjoyed at having got his uchhishta

as prasad. I also knew that as with Akkalkot Maharaj, so with Baba, his

beating and abuse were auspicious and beneficial. In an instant Baba’s

mood changed. His anger, real or pretended, gaze way to warm appreciation

of my unquestioning faith in him and he lovingly placed his hand on my

head and blessed me. He said that I would henceforth have the power, by

barely thinking of him and holding up my palms, to pour abundance of udi

from my palms. This miraculously produced udi could be distributed by me

to those who have faith and want prasad from me, and it would remove

troubles. This power was at once vested in me, and did not require any

japa on my part. The power of producing udi which I have got is

communicable by me. But the would be recipient of the power would have to

undergo a rigorous course of an austere discipline like, of instance, six

months of sexual abstinence. The production of this udi is not the result

of any mantra, but is the result merely of remembering Sai Baba. The pedas

I produced were merely fetched (i.e., transferred) from elsewhere. That

power did not include the production at will of udi. Now it is production

of udi by thinking of Sai. Formerly, it was merely transferring pedas from

one place to another.” The implication are evident. The production of

pedas was a power that he squeezed from his guru’s unwilling acquiescence

to his demands and was intended to win fame for himself and thus it

boosted his ego. Besides, its distribution meant distribution of stolen

things, which polluted the unsuspecting recipients. The production of udi

was won by humility and faith in Baba and every remembrance of Baba that

had to precede its production made Kusha Bhau remember that he was but a

humble medium of Baba’s blessing and thus it strengthened his humility and

faith in the saint. It also healed the sick and thus won the hearts of

recipients to faith in Baba. A world of difference indeed!

 

There is another case of a man asking Baba for something that he was

totally unfit to have and Baba’s sense of humour in answering him is

wonderful. A Man amassed a lot of wealth and owned many houses and much

landed property. Once he had a fancy to complete his achievements by

tasting Brahmagnana i.e., perfect enlightenment. He heard that a great

saint named Sai Baba was capable of bestowing on anyone that asked for it;

and he wanted to visit Baba in this connection. When he confided his plans

to a close friend of his, the latter frankly told him the truth, “What you

are going to ask of Baba is not such a simple thing which a man like you,

whose heart is wedded to wealth and woman, can ever dream of getting”. But

one day he saw Baba and said, “Baba, hearing that you show Brahman to all

those that resort to you for the same, I have come all the way for it.”

Baba replied, “Oh friend, all the people that come to me ask for money,

health and children. Rare is a person like you who wants nothing less than

the highest spiritual realization which I am most anxious to give to my

devotees! I shall soon grant you the experience of Brahman”.

 

 

(To be contd....)

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)