Sai Baba the Master

[Guest guest]

In the very early years of Sai Baba’s advent at Shirdi, Nana Saheb Nimonkar

was once told by his uncle Balawantrao (father of Shama) of Shirdi about

Baba, “People believe he is a mad fakir. I doubt if he is really mad, but

you had better go with me, see him and give me your opinion.” Earlier,

whenever Balawantrao had gone to see him, Sai Baba kept him at a distance

by threatening to fling brickbat at him. But when Nana Saheb Nimonkar went

with Balawantrao he allowed them to go quite close to him. Nimonkar’s heart

was charmed by Baba at the very first sight and he assured his uncle that

Sai Baba was a great saint. But Balawantrao wondered why, Baba hurled

stones at him earlier, and not on this occasion. Nimonkar said to him,

“That was because you doubted if he was mad whereas I did not.”

 

Somanath Nimonkar (Nansaheb Nimonkar’s son) left plague-sticken Pune for

his native place Nimon during the Christmas vacation in 1917. He took his

first son Gopal, aged three years, with him and on the way halted at

Shirdi. When they later sought his leave to proceed to Nimon, Baba gave udi

to Somanath and said, “Go and save the child.” Somanath took it for a

casual blessing to his son and so gave some udi to Gopal and started for

Nimon. But when he reached home he realized the true significance of Baba’s

words. His brother’s twelve-day-baby was in a critical condition. And

Somanath discovered, to his despair, that he had lost the udi that Baba

gave him! So taking the child in his lap, he fervently prayed to Baba and

in fifteen minutes the child started recovering.

 

One day Baba was smoking his chilim and passing it round among those near.

One Mr. Kolambe, a smoker of beedies, was seated at some distance. He felt

a desire to have a puff or two out of the chilim. At once Baba called out

to him, “You boy, come here! Why keep yourself so far? Come near and have a

smoke!” Kolambe joined the group and enjoyed a few puffs.

On a later visit to Shirdi, Baba asked dakshina from everyone except

Kolambe. Kolambe was happy when he thought that Baba was thereby revealing

to him that he had taken note of his having given up his vicious habit of

drinking. And later, when everyone had retired to the wada Kolambe was

boasting of his immunity from Baba’s demands of dakshina. At once Baba sent

word to him and demanded Rs. 2/- as dakshina from him and received it.

 

 

Source: http://www.saibharadwaja.org