Sai Baba the Master by E.Bharadwaja

[Guest guest]

In 1909 the elder brother of Balwant Nachne was undergoing a throat

operation in Bajikar’s Hospital in Bombay. Naturally the whole family was

anxious about it at Dahanu. At noon a sadhu approached their house for

food. They received him with due respect and fed him well but did not

serve him one dish of lady’s finger called ‘bendi baji’ as it was

considered too poor a stuff for such a revered guest. But he specially

asked for it and it was served. Then he blessed the family saying that the

operation was completed at the hospital quite successfully and went away.

Haribhau, a friend of Nachne, expressed the hope that by Sai Baba’s grace

it might be so. That was the first time that Nachne ever heard of Sai

Baba.

 

In the evening Nachne’s father returned from the hospital and told the

family that the operation was completed successfully and that soon after,

a sadhu approached the patient and passing his hands over the operated

portion, said that all would be well and went away. Later, the same year,

Nachne’s father heard of Sai Baba’s greatness from a kirtan (devotional

singing) of Das Ganu and the family soon started worshipping Baba’s

picture.

 

In 1912 Nachne visited Shirdi with two of his friends. On the way the

station Master at Koperagaon said that Baba was just a magician whom even

educated people were not ashamed to idolise. Though Nachne’s mind was much

unsettled by the talk, they just arrived at Shirdi. Sai Baba who just then

returned from the Lendi looked at Nachne and said, “What! Have you come

away without taking leave from the mamlatdar? Never do like this!” This

proof of Baba’s omniscience completely tore the station Master’s version

to pieces. Their three days' stay at Shirdi confirmed their faith in Baba.

 

One day Sai Baba said to the other devotees “I had been to this man’s

house for a meal. He did not give me “bendi baji”. Nachne’s mind ran back

to the incident of 1909 and realized that Sai Baba had graced his house

already in the form of that sadhu, even before the family ever heard of

him! What surprised Nachne more was that Sai Baba did not at all resemble

the sadhu whom he had observed quite closely three or four times at

Dahanu.

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)