WHO GAVE THE WATER

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WHO GAVE THE WATER

"Then He dashed the Satka on the ground, from whence water began to ooze." -Sri

Sai Satcharitra, Ch. V.

Sri R.S Chitnis of Delhi is a well known devotee of Sai Baba. In 1973, he left

Delhi by car and reached Shirdi at 12:30 p.m. As he wanted to wash himself

before going for darshan of Sai Baba, he made straight to one of the bathrooms.

On the way some people accosted him and said that there was not a drop of water

in any of the taps. Mr. Chitnis was nonplussed and thought that he should

either go to the Receiver Saheb’s residence or Sri Bhaghwe’s residence, both of

whom he knew well.At that time a well dressed young man came towards him. He had

a piece of cloth round his head. He was fair and had very expressive eyes. He

asked in full voice and in compassion, what the problem was. Sri Chitnis

appraised him that the taps had gone dry and that he could not have his wash

before darshan. The young man bade him to follow him and took him to a bathroom

nearby, where water was gushing from the tap. Sri Chitnis had a good wash and

came out to thank the good Samaritan,

but he had left!

Sri Chitnis purchased pooja materials and visited the Samadhi Mandir, only to

find himself at the far end of a long queue of Baba’s devotees, who were all

waiting for their turn for Baba’s pooja and darshan. The prospect of having to

stand in the long queue after the tiresome journey, unnerved Sri Chitnis. But

there was no other way.

Sri Chitnis felt that somebody was tugging at his arm. When he turned around, it

was the same stranger again. Holding him by the arm, the stranger led him

through the jostling crowd of devotees right up to Baba’s Samadhi and he left

him there. Sri Chitnis was all the while, assailed by the fear that the other

devotees in the queue would take objection for jumping the queue. Not one

devotee raised even as much as an eyebrow in protest! Sri Chitnis handed over

the pooja materials and Prasad, bowed and prayed to Baba. When Sri Chitnis

turned back to thank the benefactor, he had disappeared again! He came out of

the Samadhi Mandir and looked for the stranger but in vain.

He came back to the place where his car was parked, and found to his annoyance

that his family members were still sitting under a tree. He asked them why they

are idling away their time instead of going for Baba’s darshan and pooja. They

replied in chorus that there was not a drop of water in any of the bathrooms

and taps.Their reply surprised Sri Chitnis. Only 20 minutes back he had as much

water as he required. He confidently agreed to escort them to the room from

which he had washed. He knocked about from bathroom to bathroom, but that

"bathroom" eluded him. He was bewildered and confused. He began to enquire from

the passers-by where the particular bathroom was which had plenty of water. They

all looked at him strangely, and thought that something was wrong with him. They

concurred with his family member that since one and half hours there was no

water in any of the taps.

Sri Chitnis in no time realised that it was all Baba’s leela.

His people continued to ask him where the bathroom was, from which he washed his

hands and feet. There was no response. He had gone speechless!

(Taken from the book ‘The Eternal Sai’)

 

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