DIVINE EXPERIENCES - SRI. H, V, SATHE (3)

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DIVINE EXPERIENCES – Sri. H.V. Sathe (3)

Rao Bahadur Hari Vinayak Sathe, Retired Deputy Collector, Deccani, continues saying:

When the construction was to go on, the walls had to be raised and some of the

branches of the Neem tree (under which Baba had practised his early sadhana or

penance) had to be loped off. As the tree was held sacred by all, none dared to

cut the branches and Baba was approached. He then said, "cut off so much as

interferes with the construction. Even if our own foetus lies athwart the womb,

we must cut it." But even with his permission, the work men feared to cut it as

it seemed so sacrilegious. Then Baba himself came and cut off the obstruction.

Later the steps for going upstairs and a niche over Baba’s Guru’s tomb were put

up. Baba made me spend monies in this and in other matters also so as to help on

religion and charity e.g. when Das Ganu had his ‘Lives of the Saints" ready for

printing Baba made me pay Rs. 75 towards the expenses.

Baba was greatly attracted to Dada Kelkar’s (i.e., my father-in-law’s) nephew –

Babu. He was measurer under my assistant, Limaye (I was then Assistant

Superintendent of Revenue Survey of Kopergaon and Yeola). But instead of paying

due attention to his official work, he would go and stay at Shirdi, doing

services to Baba. My assistant complained to me that my brother-in-law (Babu)

was always going away to Shirdi and neglecting his work. I communicated this to

Kelkar and he said "What is to be done? He is guided and ordered by Baba." In

fact, Baba knowing evidently that was happening to Baba very shortly, made

light of his services and said, "Blast the services, let him serve me." Babu

was always attending on Baba and rendering as much service as he could; and

Baba would always see that Babu got the choicest delicacies whenever they were

available. So Limaye let him do as he liked. Babu’s end was drawing near in

1910. He ate mangoes (which were always pouring in upon

Baba since 1910) rather too freely. Baba warned Kelkar and told him to have some

care of his fever and as he was nearing death, Baba asked Kelkar "Are to aahe

kay?" i.e., "Is he alive?" In a few days Babu passed away (1910) aged only 22

leaving an issueless widow.

Baba in the early days of my moving with him at times favoured the extension of

his worship and at times did not. He made me and my father-in-law start the

group congregational worship of Baba as Guru by all the devotees on Guru

Poornima day. But when I tried to do Pooja to him as Mahadeva or Siva on

‘Shivaratri’ midnight he did not favour the proposal. When he was first asked

for permission that day he said, "No". then we (i.e., myself and Megha) thought

over it, took some Bilwa leaves and wished to do silent pooja at the steps of

the Mosque at midnight (which is the time observed in all Shiva Temples). When

we went there, Tatya from inside the Mosque waved his hand warning us off. But

as Baba seemed to be asleep we dared to put some sandal and Bel on the steps in

silence. Baba at once got up and hurled wild abuse without naming any one as the

objective of his abuse. The whole village was roused and they flocked to the

Mosque and blamed us for trying to steal a

march over the rest of the devotees and in defiance of Baba’s wishes to obtain

clandestine punya by midnight worship at the steps of Mosque.

Though Baba did not want me to take upadesa from others he yet desired that I

should show due respect and hospitality to Saints. In fact, he made one Saint

go to me.

Kaka Maharaj of Dopeshwar (near Rajapur) was a well known saint. Some 25 years

ago, he visited Poona and lodged with one Devle. He was besieged by a crowd of

devotees inviting him to their place for meal and comfort. I also made the same

request. He regretted his inability to comply with my request. This was in the

morning. Later at about noon of the same day, when I was at my office, I was

surprised to learn that the Maharaj had sent word to say that he would visit my

house and so I sent him my tonga and went home to receive him. When I met him, I

asked him how he happened to change his mind so suddenly since morning. Pointing

to Sai Baba’s portrait on my wall the Maharaj replied "He would not allow me to

rest till I came and saw you."

Shortly before this Maharaj passed away, he had given leave to my son-in-law’s

brother Hari Gangadhar Joshi (pleader, Thana) and another to go to Sai Baba and

pay their respects. They started to Shirdi after Kaka Maharaj passed away. When

they arrived at the mosque Baba was in a towering passion, in one of his fits

of rage that seemed so ungovernable. But as soon as Baba saw these two arrivals

standing outside the mosque he ordered them to be brought to him. When they went

up he had sufficiently cooled down and they took darshan without any trepidation

or uneasiness. Later Baba started out for Bhiksha. Then he said to them "You

have killed that old man (i.e., Kaka Maharaj) and come here eh?" Though he had

not been told of the Maharaj’s permission or his death he knew the facts and

thus revealed to them at once his knowledge of the facts and his fellow feeling

with that Maharaj.

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

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Birth and death are not two different states, but they are different aspects of

the same state. There is as little reason to deplore the one as there is to be

pleased over the other.

Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya.......

Question: It is said in Sri Ramcharitmanas that the only real thing is the

worship of God, the world is a dream. What is its implication?

Answer: The world is in a state of continuous flux. A discriminating analysis

shall reveal, it is a long dream. We do not see dreams when in deep sleep or

awake, these are seen in a state of half sleep. As far as worship (bhajan) is

concerned, it manifests itself with satsang, to keep the consciousness of God

alive, and awake in the midst of discharging your worldly duties in real

worship. This should be practised regularly, morning, evening, by strengthening

association with God and dissociation with the temporary self.

Instead, we are all the time involved in asserting the ego, having no occasion

to examine that there is anything beyond. We can only rise above the little

self if we give prominence to satsang. The same idea is expressed by

emphasising unattached action and surrendering the fruits thereof to God. Then

we do not ‘do’ things as they happen. The feelings of ‘I’ and ego are

eliminated, and the God’s presence is always felt. That is the reality, all the

rest is unreal, a dream.

(-Swami Premanandaji Saraswati )

 

 

 

 

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