Sai Baba the Master

[Guest guest]

On another occasion Baba said of Noolkar, “He is my fellow. He has none

beside me as his own.” These words came true shortly after. Noolkar feel

ill and he decided not to leave Shirdi till he got well. After one year he

passed away in March. Sahasrabudhe had to serve Noolkar in his last days.

How prophetic were Baba’s words!

 

One day a thought arose in Sahasrabudhe’s mind. “While the scriptures

proclaim that a guru makes his disciple like himself, why does not Baba

make me like Him? ” This thought recurred to him again and again for three

days. Finally Baba said to Shama, pointing at Sahasrabudhe, “This fellow

wants to drive me out of my seat and occupy it himself. But it needs a lot

of patience”. No one except Sahasrabudhe knew that Baba was responding to

an unuttered thought.

In December 1910 a little before his death, Noolkar said to Sahasrabudhe,

“Sai did not want me to suffer in my last days. So he has brought you here

to serve me.”

Sometime before his demise Noolkar wanted to go home. Baba at first gave

him leave but soon called him back and said, “Cremate that fellow in

Lindibagh and go!” No one understood whom he meant. Even Mahalsapathy could

only say that a calamity was impending for Noolkar. Indeed as per Noolkar’s

last wish he was cremated in Lendibagh. When Baba spoke the above words, by

‘him’, he meant Noolkar’s physical body. For, in truth, man is a deathless

spirit and only the body is mortal and needs to be cremated. It was also an

assurance that he i.e. Noolkar, the spirit, would shuffle off his body in

complete awareness before leaving for his real spiritual home. In fact

Noolkar passed away in full awareness, with his mind concentrated on Baba

and after Sahasrabudhe had poured the holy washing of Baba’s feet in his

mouth.

 

Source: http://www.saibharadwaja.org