Sai Baba the Master by E.Bharadwaja

[Guest guest]

Then Baba managed to engage him with other conversation and make him loose

sight of the object of his arrival at Shirdi. Then he called a boy and

told him to get a hand loan of Rs. 5/- from one Nandu Marwadi. The boy

soon returned empty-handed and said that the man was away from his home.

Baba then sent him to a grocer named Bala and later to a few others but

with the same result. The seeker after ‘Brahmagnana’ grew restless and

Baba said, “Oh, friend, did you not understand that all the while I was

trying to show you Brahman? For seeing Brahman one has to surrender five

things to the Lord-(1) the five pranas, (2) the five senses, (3) mind, (4)

intellect and (5) ego. The path of Brahmagnana is as hard to tread as the

sharp edge of a razor.”

 

The point of this whole episode is brought out by a similar experience of

another devotee. He asked Baba to show him God. Then Baba sent a boy to

Bagchand Marwadi for a loan of Rs. 100/- but the boy returned and reported

that the Marwadi had no money and that he wanted his namaskaras to be

conveyed to Baba instead. Then Baba sent the boy to another money lender

but the response was the same. Then Baba sent for Nana Chandorkar and

asked him for Rs. 100/- Nana sent a chit to Bagchand Marwadi who at once

sent the amount. Nana said to the visitor who wanted to be shown God,

“Everything is just like this in this world.”

 

When Baba sent for the money it was not forth coming; for Baba was a fakir

and the moneylender was afraid that the amount may not be repaid. When

Nana, a big officer, wanted, it was promptly sent. One must deserve before

one can ask for anything. And that was Baba’s lesson.

 

In the case of the earlier rich man who wanted to see Brahman, though he

had lots of money in his pocket, he did not offer to give the meagre

amount of Rs. 5/- for which Baba had been repeatedly sending the boy but

kept looking on as though he had no money. And how can such a slave of

money hope to get Brahmagnana? Baba had just demonstrated the famous

saying of Jesus Christ that no man can serve two masters, god and Mammon.

 

Once a venerable old Moslem, Sidik Falke by name, came from Kalyan to seek

Baba’s blessings. He visited Mecca and Medina and was proud of it. He

probably expected Baba to recognize him of his own accord. So he lived in

the chavadi and at times sat in the open courtyard of the mosque. Baba

ignored him completely for nine long months. To the utter amazement of

all, Baba never allowed him even to climb the steps of the mosque. At last

Falke requested Shama to intercede with Baba for him. On a convenient

occasion, Shama said, “Baba, why do you drive out the good old Haji from

the mosque while you allow so many others to come to you freely? Why not

show mercy on him and bless him?

 

 

(To be contd....)

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)