SHRI SAI THE SUPERMAN - Embarrassments Removal

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SHRI SAI THE SUPERMAN

By

Swami Sai Sharan Anand

 

 

EMBARRASSMENTS REMOVED

 

 

Many and Mysterious are the means,

A Superman takes,

To save his men,

>From Situations,

Unwelcome, unpleasant,

His knowledge Infinite,

Powers unlimited,

Presence All Pervading;

Of glory He erects,

For the eternal happiness;

And Life-long Joy,

Of the men he loves.

 

 

Numerous experiences as illustrations of the above line have been

recorded in magazines and books on Shri Sai Baba. The narration of a

few of them however will, it is hoped, be deemed sufficient by the

readers for his purpose.

 

 

Rao Saheb H.V. Sathe's father-in-law Kelkar had purchased for Shri

Sathe a piece of land, admeasuring 20 Acres, in Shirdi, When Shri

Sathe happened to come to Shirdi thereafter, he proposed to Mr.

Kelkar that the latter should accompany him and show him the said

land. He also asked his wife to go with him to see that land and she

consented to do so without consulting her father, Kelkar however did

not approve of the idea of accompanying Shri Sathe for the reason

that he had in his house at the time a widow of Sathe's deceased

brother and he feared that if she came to know of that purchase, she

might demand a portion of the land as her share. Kelkar therefore

declined to accompany Shri Sathe' so Sathe asked his wife to go with

him but on the advice of her father she also now refused to do so.

This irritated Shri Sathe so much that taking a whip from his

coachman he was just on the point of starting whipping his wife, when

Shri Baba's devotee Megha rushed in, bawling out, "Saheb, Saheb, you

are wanted immediately by Shri Baba;' Shri Sathe throwing down the

whip at once rushed to Baba; when Baba asked Shri Sathe, "Well, Well,

what has happened?" Sathe knew at once Baba had known all that had

happened and that he was preparing to whip his wife; so he shamefully

hung down his head. Baba then said, "Why do you want to see the land?

It is there. Your going there would not change it a bit." On hearing

this Shri Sathe calmed down and returned home thanking Baba for

saving him from the cruelty he was to perpetrate; the wife also

sincerely thanked Baba for saving he from being whipped.

 

 

Mrs. Nana saheb Nimonkar also had a some what similar experience. Her

son was ill at Belapur and so she wanted to go there to see how he

was. Her husband permitted her to do so, but he insisted that she

should return the very next day. As that day was considered to be so

very auspicious that none would be allowed to leave on that day, she

feared that she would not be able to return on that day as per

husband's whishes (or order). She was in a fix; she would not disobey

her husband, nor could she displease her son. Now, Nana saheb was

always in attendance upon Baba and accompanied Him to Lendi. Just

when Baba was proceeding to Lendi with Nana saheb Mrs. Nana saheb

prostrated herself before Baba and asked for permission to go to his

son at Belapur. Baba at once said, "Yes Yes go there at once, stay

there for three four days and then return." Thus Mrs. Nana saheb's

fear of displeasing her husband by not being able to return the next

day was averted, as Nana saheb had listened to the instructions Baba

gave to his wife in that matter.

 

 

Bapusaheb Jog lost his mother; there was no such Brahmin at Shirdi as

he should have to get the obsequial ceremonies of his mother duly

performed; so he requested Baba went on adjourning the day of his

departure from day to day till at last only a day was left to the day

on which those ceremonies should be started. Bapusaheb informed Baba

accordingly and stated that he must that day start for Nasik. Baba

cooly replied to him, "We will start this noon",. Bapusaheb was in a

fix; he could neither disobey Baba nor evade the performance of

ceremony on the day fixed. However, just at 11 A.M. that very day a

learned Brahmin versed in lore of the family clan came up. This

satisfied Bapusaheb who was now fully convinced that the faith he had

reposed in Baba was not in vain.

 

 

Nanasaheb Chandorkar got into a fix in certain family matters. His

father Govindrao Chandorkar had also been like him, a District Deputy

Collector and stayed in a house built by him at Kalyan. Lately some

unpleasantness had grown up between him and the local Musalmans and

so he had ordered all the local Musalmans and so he had ordered all

the members of his family to desist from having any connection

whatsoever with Musalmans in general. When Nanasaheb happened to

return home he was informed of what had happened and his father's

standing order about having no Musalman connection. Nana was now

puzzled. He was prepared to give up all connection with Musalmans but

he was not prepared to dissociate himself from Baba. If his father

took Baba to be a Musalman, naturally he would expect Nana to give up

Sai Baba; this embarrassed Nana; so he spoke to his father about his

connection with Sai Baba. In the meanwhile Baba had already given

proper turn to his father's mind in the matter; so he at once said to

Nana, "My Guru ($Religious Teacher) is Sakharam Maharaj, but your

Guru is not Sakharam Maharaj so even if Sai Baba may really be a

Mahomedan, He is your guru, and you may most willingly continue going

to Him without the least objection from me. On hearing this Nanasaheb

was overjoyed and heartily thanked Baba for the happy solution of the

puzzle he had to face.

 

 

So also when once Nanasaheb with a party of friends, started for a

pilgrimage to Ganesh Temple, about ten to twelve miles away from

Pachora Rly. Station, in Khandesh District and feared that he would

be so late that he would not be fable to see the temple priest and

have fooding arrangements made for all, though they were all very

hungry having taken nothing after leaving home at 11 A. M., he prayed

to Baba that if He would be pleased to provide him and his party at

least a jugfull of tea, he would be satisfied. With the supernatural

powers that Baba had, He appeared before the temple priest while he

was meditation and informing him Nana was coming with his friends,

asked him to prepare a jugfull of tea for them. So when Nana and his

friends reached the temple he found the temple priest waiting to

receive them with a jugfull of tea in his hand. Nana and his friends

were therefore surprised when on reaching the temple. The temple

priest said, "Nana have you come safe? Here is jugfull of tea for you

and your party." They all wondered how the priest knew of their

coming and their requirements and questioned priest how he had known

of their coming. The priest narrated how Baba had formed him. So they

all heartily thanked Baba for His timely favour.

 

 

Baba has helped several of his devotees in the matter of their

daughters' and sons' marriages by informing them the names and

whereabouts of the would be husbands and wives through dreams and

through supernatural sounds or voices. In some cases, He has accepted

devotees' challenge and by fixing up the marriage within the time

limit prescribed the devotees, shown them His powers of match-making.

In other cases, the people who had taken a vow to see Baba on the

marriage taking place had also their desires fulfilled. In several

cases He has also made arrangements for the necessary ornaments and

funds required by the devotees for the marriage celebrations and

helped them in diverse other ways, say. By calming down the

differences and dissentions that spring up on such occasions. Out of

fear of prolixity we refrain from the detailed narrations of even a

few of them.

 

 

A devotee clerk' in customs office, once got into a fix when some

custom's bills once seen and checked by the customs office were

recalled and could not be found in the office inspite of all-round

search he made for these. The Clerk therefore feared not only his

superior's reprimands but also dismissal from office and prosecution

as well; a day passed away and though the bill bundle could not be

found, some how or other his superiors clean forgot this matter and

made no inquiry; naturally the clerk was much worried. So he prayed

to Baba to save him. The next morning when he went to the office. He

found the required bundle of bills on his table. The clerk was very

much surprised for the was always the first to attend office and the

last to leave it. Who could have kept it there after the office was

closed, but Baba, he rightly thought. He therefore thanked Baba from

the bottom of his heart for saving him.

 

 

A servant drawing a monthly salary of Rs. 36/ named Bhikaji Mahedji

had a sister Chhaboo. She had been ill for about 4 months. On 5-12-51

her illness took a critical turn, so he was very anxious to bet for

her the benefit of a good doctor's advice and medicine, but within

the meager salary he was drawing. It was not at all possible for him

to get these. Heaving sighs upon sighs, bemoaning his lot, he carried

on his office duties chanting Sai Baba's name, when suddenly there

came in a doctor for some inquiry Bhikha could not recognise him,

through Shri's grace the doctor himself reminded Bhikha of his

previous connection with him. So Bhikha narrated to him the

difficulty he was beset with in the matter of his sister's illness

and requested him to examine her and prescribe the necessary

medicine. The doctor readily complied with Bhilha's request; Bhikha

thus got over his worries and felt assured that Baba was ever ready

to shower his grace even on a poor manlike himself.

 

 

Another devotee Shyamdas alias Uddhvesh of Dehnu left for Dwarka,

with a party of pilgrims by steamer from Bombay. Uddhvesh had with

him all the tickets of his party. It was usual to issue one ticket

for both the steamer and boat journeys; Uddhvesh kept ready in his

pocket the boat part of tickets and put the other part of steamer

tickets in his money-purse. The steamer being overcrowded, Uddhvesh

had to be standing in the gallery. For reasons best known to him he

thought of taking out his purse. In doing so the purse slipped out of

his hand and fell in the midsea. The purse had all the steamer

tickets and all his money. As to the steamer tickets, on showing to

the Ticket checker the boat counter part of the ticket the T.C.

allowed him and his party to pass, but all his money were in the

purse, and as a greater part of the pilgrimage yet remained to be

covered, he was embarrassed. He never begged for alms. His only

shelter and resort was Baba. So he wrote to Baba at Shirdi about it,

but before even that letter had reached Shirdi, Baba appeared in the

dream of the late Girdhar Gopal of Dehnu, as a neatly dressed priest

and said, "Your father at Dwarka has no money. So send it to him."

Girdhar awoke and sat up for more than an hour trying to understand

the meaning of dream he had; but he could make out nothings; feeling

drowsy he then went to sleep. Again the same priest appeared in his

dream but he now seemed very very angry; again he ordered Girdhar to

send money to Dwarka at once without fail. Again he sat up; he awoke

his wife; opened his door, looked here and there, but found none.

After some time he remembered that Uddhvesh had gone to Dwarka and so

he must have been in dire necessity of money. He now felt convinced

that this surmise of his was correct, so next morning he went to the

post office and remitted a sum of money duly insured to Uddhvesh by

Telegraphic M. O. Uddhvesh was very much surprised to receive the

Telegraphic M. O. and only came to know from Girdhar, how he was

ordered by a temple priest to send him money etc. When thereafter

Uddhvesh went to Shirdi, Baba told him "I also had money sent to

you", he felt convinced that it was Baba alone who had relived him

from his worries and so he felt assured that he had at least One,

Whom he can ever look to for protection in the midst of all sorts of

difficulties.

 

 

How Baba by restraining His devotees from a hazardous step protects,

is best illustrated by an incidents of one R.B Purandhare's life. He

was a Railway servant. He applied for leave as he wanted to go to

Shirdi with his family. The leave was sanctioned and Railway passes

for free Rail Journey were also given to him. A day previous to his

departure the Railway workmen were reported to be planning a strike,

so his superior officer requested Purandhare to adjourn his going to

Shirdi for some time; but Purandhare was adamant; for Shirdi he had

fixed, even though the office promised him, he would see that he gets

his leave and also the Railway passes after the crisis had been tided

over. Purandhare returned home and made all preparations for

starting. That very night Baba appeared in his dream with a staff in

his hand. He was mighty angry, strongly admonished him, and finally

ordered him, "Don't come to Shirdi, why should you be coming to

Shirdi over and over again?" So Purandhare dropped the idea of going

to Shirdi and attended office the next day as usual. This pleased his

superior; the little doubt that he had about Purandhare's complicity

in the Railway men's strike at once vanished. So a month after he

granted him his leave and reprocured Railway passes for him. When he

went to Shirdi Baba said. "Don't go mad, we have as yet many

responsibilities to discharge; so stay at home chanting my name."

This clearly shows Baba's disapproval of His devotees' running down

to Holy Saints shoving aside one's duties and responsibilities.