DIVINE EXPERIENCES - Sri. H. V. SATHE (1)

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DIVINE EXPERIENCES – Sri. H.V. Sathe (1)

Rao Bahadur Hari Vinayak Sathe, Retired Deputy Collector, Deccani, Brahmin, aged

81 (born 1855), residing at 108, Shukrawar peth, Poona says:

Baba was indeed the cause of my marriage and of the great change in me since

1905 and he is the controller of my fortunes and destiny ever since. I place my

entire trust in him and seek his guidance and protection in all matters

temporal, religious, official and domestic. When I built a Wada at Shirdi and

lived or made my father-in-law live there with my family i.e., between

1906-1916 we incurred the jealousy, resentment and hostility of various people

amongst whom we had to live. We could not have got on as we did despite all

that, without Baba’s perpetual and vigilant care for us. His active

interference helped me miraculously in numerous instances. I will give a few

examples.

About 1909 or 1910 I was on a committee along with the Revenue Commissioner Mr.

Curtis and the Collector; and we were to meet at Manmad on a particular date

and move from there to other camps. On the previous day I was at Shirdi and I

wanted to take formal permission of Sai Baba to leave Shirdi, expecting that it

would be granted as a matter of course. My father-in-law went and asked Baba to

leave. Baba refused leave and my father-in-law came and told me of the refusal;

but I told him that I could not trifle with such important official engagements

except at the risk of being turned out of Government Service. He again went to

Baba and make further representation and intercede on my behalf. But Baba did

not grant leave. He on the other hand told my father-in-law to prevent my

starting by actually confining me in my room.

Even on the days following the particular date, I was not allowed to go. After

three days, I was made to start for Manmad. When I reached that station, I

found the other members of the Committee had not gone to Manmad on the

appointed date that the original programme had been altered and that the

committee’s meeting had been postponed. I had ordered, on the faith of the old

programme, my tent and articles to be sent from Manmad to the other fixed

camps. By a strange inadvertence on the part of the Railway authorities my

articles had not been sent away from Manmad. If they had been sent, great

inconvenience would have been caused to me to hunt them up and retransport

them. So by detention at Shirdi I lost absolutely nothing except my peace of

mind, and I was saved a lot of unnecessary trouble and enabled to spend more

time with my family and with Sai Baba. Of course Sai Baba knew all things and

arranged all things. But in my ignorance, I felt my position at Shirdi to

be very delicate and risk. Such instances strengthen one’s faith in and reliance on Baba.

In my official career, I was getting dissatisfied at not getting the promotion I

deserved. My disgust I revealed to Baba and told him that I would even resign

service on that account. But Baba forbade my resignation of service and said

that I would get promotion. Sometime later, I was promoted over the head of

some seniors in services and posted to Kolhapur as Ag. Superintendent of Land

records. I got an increase of Rs. 100 in pay and eventually a higher pension

than those seniors.

About pension also, there was some trouble. The pension department at first

treated my last permanent place as the Deputy Collectorship and ignored my

subprotem higher post. So they cut off Rs. 50 from the pension which I expected

as due to me. Appealed in due course and I went to Sai Baba and told him that I

would forego the whole pension rather accept it with the curtailment of Rs. 50.

He said that I would get the Rs. 50 also that Allah would help me. So I put my

case in appeal before the Revenue Commissioner Mr. Curtis and with his note, I

got the proper pension without any curtailment. Sai Baba controls minds and

moulds events.

(Written by HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji during October 1936 in Devotees Experiences Vol.3)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Time belongs to God. He has loaned it to us. Let us use every minute – every

moment – in the best way we can.

Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya.......

Question: Is democracy good and appropriate for India?

Answer: I am not a politician, and your question has a political ring. In my

opinion all rules and regulations are framed for the solution of certain

problems. If these are followed firmly and faithfully then these should result

in good of the community. The cornerstone of democracy is the principle that it

is’ of the people, for the people, by the people’. In practice, ‘of’ is

substituted by ‘off , ‘for’ by ‘far’ and ‘by’ by ‘buy’. The line therefore

reads, ‘off the people, far the people, buy the people.’ The principle is

right, but the practice is wrong.

We had been under foreign domination for long; that has brought about a change

in our religion, culture and way of life. Actually we were not really fit for

freedom; it is due to the patriotism and sacrifice of some great souls that we

got freedom. Power went to the head of some people and they went astray. We

will have to make more sacrifices to make democracy real and establish

Ramrajya. In my view democracy is better suited to this country than other

forms of government. But whatever the form, it can only succeed when precept

and practice are the same.

(-Swami Premanandaji Saraswati )

 

 

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