Sai Baba the Master

[Guest guest]

The latter visited Tapovanam at Rishikesh in 1898. There he met a sadhu

who said, “There was a tree. Two persons went up. One fell down. The other

went up!” When asked of the significance of his statement, the sadhu simply

said, ‘You will know’. In 1912 Upasani’s brother visited Sai Baba at the

mosque and Sai Baba literally repeated the same statement. Thereby Upasani’

s brother realized that Sai Baba must have appeared before him at Rishikesh

in the form of that sadhu, but he did nothing more to know the details of

the incident of the two birds or two persons.

 

Kasinath stayed in the village shrine of Khandoba and kept alone most of

the time. Sai Baba said, “He must sit quiet in the temple doing nothing.”

He told Kasinath, “Have nothing to do with anybody. Your future is

excellent. No other has such a future.”

 

In short, Sai Baba showed a marked favour to Kasinath and this made

several of the devotees jealous. But the annoyance caused by the jealous

devotees of Sai made Kasinath long to go away from Shirdi. He sought Sai’s

permission through Shama again and again. But Baba always said that he had

to ‘clear his account’ with Kasinath and did not permit him to go. He told

the devotees, “Everything I have got has been completely given to him.” He

also told Kasinath finally one day in 1911, “Hereafter you need not go to

me frequently. Come to me only occasionally. You should not however, talk to

me. Nor will I talk to you. After four years you will have the full grace

of Lord Khandoba.”

 

Why did Baba say that Kasinath would win the grace of god Khandoba and not

‘my grace’? Baba always identified himself, spiritually, with the chosen

deity of a devotee. During the early years of his wandering, Kasinath was

impressed with devotion to Lord Siva and the ideal of total celebacy. So

Baba had put it this way. Baba’s words imply that He is the supreme Self

which answers the devotee or a seeker in the form he chose as the object of

his devotion.

 

Kasinath still longed to return to his sweet wife and petitioned to Baba

occasionally for his permission, but Baba somehow managed that it did not

come off. In January, 1912 Kasinath’s third wife died and he was very much

upset. Baba consoled him saying that he himself took care of the peace of

her soul and added, “I am fully responsible for you.”

 

 

Source: http://www.saibharadwaja.org