DIVINE EXPERIENCES - SRI M.W. PRADHAN (3)

[Guest guest]

DIVINE EXPERIENCES – Sri M.W. Pradhan (3)

Sri. M. W. Pradhan, High Court Pleader & J. P., aged 56, residing at Sai Baugh,

Santa Cruz, saying continues:

Baba’s kindness to my family was, I repeat, very great. When my wife begot

"Babu", she resolved to make Baba, her father-in-law’s household God. It is our

custom for a lady that begets a child, when she goes to her husband’s house, to

fill up one end of her cloth with some wheat, coconut and fruits, tie them into

a knot and unburden herself to these before her father-in-law or his Gods, i.e.,

domestic Images. My wife tied these articles and carried these, and also Babu

when he was four months old, to Sai Baba at Shirdi. Baba readily received the

articles on the articles on a plate and took up Babu in his arms. He then

endearingly addressed Babu thus, "Babu kote gela hotos malakayakas hotas kay"

i.e., ‘Babu, where had you been? Were you vexed with, or weary of me?" To mark

the joyous arrival of Babu at Shirdi, Baba pulled out two rupees from his own

pocket, got burfi (sweets) for that amount and distributed it exactly, as they

do, on the occasion of a son’s birth.

This was in 1912.

On this occasion, Baba pointed to the village wall stone arch and said "Whoever

rebuilds this, will get blessings." My wife asked him for permission to rebuild

it and he gave it. Then I paid Rs. 600 to Nana Chandorkar to build it. On this

occasion, Baba said, "Babu’s bungalow is beautiful and ready." I guessed that

Baba meant that I should buy the bungalow I now live in. So within two months,

I got a lease of it and occupied it and in six months thereafter I bought it.

Baba’s words thus were fulfilled by my purchase and Babu had a beautiful

bungalow in 1913.

Babu was again taken to Baba for his first birthday and again commemorated it,

by buying Rs.2 worth of sweets (Burfi) and distributed it to all. On this

occasion, Baba asked very significantly about Babu "Has he no brother and no

sister?" My wife, with some degree of bashfulness answered "You give us this

Babu only". In fact, we had a daughter at that time. Baba’s words were

construed as a blessing that we would get one more son and one more daughter.

This is exactly what happened.

To commemorate Babu’s first birthday at Shirdi, a grand dinner was prepared at

Madhav Rao Despande’s residence and all were invited. That was a Thursday. Bala

Saheb Bhate excused himself from attending it on the ground that on a Thursday

his rule was to avoid dining out. But when he went to Baba that day, Sai Baba

asked him:

Sai Baba: have you dined at Bhao’s (i.e., Pradhan’s place?)

Bala Bhate: Baba, today is Thursday.

Sai Baba: What if?

Bala Bhate: I do not dine outside on Thursdays. That is my rule.

Sai Baba: To please whom do you observe this rule?

Bala Bhate: To please you.

Sai Baba: Then I tell you go and dine at Bhao’s.

Though it was 4 p.m. Balasaheb Bhate came up to me, told me what Baba had said and dined with us.

Next my wife had a dream here at Santa Cruz of Baba’s appearing before her and

receiving Pada Pooja from her. Mr. N.G. Chandorkar interpreted it to mean that

Baba wanted her to start regular Pada Pooja of Baba at home and so bade her go

to Shirdi with two silver padukas. She did so. When she went up to Baba, the

latter who was sitting with legs folded stretched out his legs of his own

accord and said "Place the Padukas on feet and do pooja." Then my wife placed

each of Padukas on foot of Baba and worshipped them. Baba then said to Nana

Saheb, "nanahine maje pav paha kapun nele" i.e., "See, Mother has cut off and

carried away my feet; and himself picked up the two padukas and handed them

over to my wife. Ever since that date, she is daily worshipping these padukas.

( Written by HH Pujyasri B.V. Narasimha Swamiji on 19-10-1936 in Devotees Experiences Vol. 3)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If you were given a rupee for every sweet, loving word you spoke and were to pay

half the amount for every harsh, unkind word you uttered, what would be your net

earning for the day