Guest guest Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 DIVINE EXPERIENCES – DAS GANU MAHARAJ (4) Das Ganu Maharaj, Kirtankar, aged about 78, residing generally at Nanded (Nizam’s State) says: When I first went with Nana G. Chandorkar to see Sai Baba, that was out of a desire to ingratiate with N.G. Chandorkar, and with no particular desire to see Sai Baba or esteem for him. I had no spiritual or other temporal desire or object in seeing Baba. One year later, I chanced to see Vaman Sashi Islampurkar, an old Brahmin of Islampur near Osmanabad (N.S.) a graduate (of the Madras University) and a married man. I had to attend upon him at Saigonda in obedience of my superior’s orders. Finding him to be highly devout and spiritually advanced and believing that a Guru was necessary to obtain Moksha, I asked him to give me Upadesh as and he agreed. He gave me Siva Mantra Upadesh as desired by me, for then I was an out and out Shivabhakta. He told me to go on with my Mantra. I then asked him as I was visiting Sai, whether that was harmful. He said that no harm could arise if one was firm in his faith, whatever Saints he visited, I asked him what sort of person Sai Baba was and the reply that he had himself visited Shirdi and stayed with Baba for three days, that Baba was a great Saint and Ramabhakta, whom none had yet properly understood and that people would get to know and appreciate him later on. With this estimation in my view I had more regard for Baba and I went to him with more faith. Baba sometimes came into some conflict with the local Mussulmans, as very often his acts and ideas did not agree with their Orthodoxy. Bade Baba and other once asked Sai Baba to go outside the town for saying the Kutba prayers. Baba said, "Yes, let us go", at first; but when they finally came to take him, he declined to go. Another time they came up and offered prayers inside the Mosque. But Baba did not join them in the group prayer. At Moharram, some local Moslems came up to Baba and said they wanted to bring into the Mosque a Tajia. Then they constructed a Tajia and brought it and installed it on the fifth of Moharram at Mosque. Baba allowed it to remain there for a couple of days and then dragged it out and placed it on his fire saying, "I do not want a corpse in the Mosque". The Moslems who were working up their Tajia dared not do anything against this powerful Baba. An orthodox Moslem brought a ‘Sera’, i.e., an ornamental arrangement of flowers, to decorate the niche in the Mosque and wanted Baba’s permission. Baba said, "Take it and put it on Hanuman." The Moslem replied that he was a Mohammedan and could not decorate a Hindu idol. Baba fulminated some foul abuse (in which Hanuman was depicted as superior Allah) and the Sera was taken away. Baba’s respect for Hanuman or Maruthi:- There was a small image of this God in a corner of the upper platform of the Chavadi. Baba was in the lower platform and when showers began to drive into it, some one told Baba that he should go up into the upper platform. Baba refused to do so saying, "How can we be seated on the same level as God?" Fakir Baba alias Bade Baba brought up a recent convert form Hinduism to Islam to the Mosque. Baba slapped that convert and taunted him with the remark "You have changed your father." Even towards Hindu Gods as to Allah, he would use uncomplimentary expressions in some moods. People occasionally asked him for permission to go to Pandharpur and he would reply "Go" but would add some abuse. On the other hand, when arati was sung of Jnanadev or Tukaram, he would sit up and fold his palms in reverence. Baba’s treatment of Advaitism is not easy to make out. He never expressly dealt with it. He would say "I am God", "God is in all" etc. He was really Advaita personified. He was sitting up still whatever went on. Thirty two dancing girls would come and play before him daily; he would never care to look at them. He never cared for anything. He was detached and in his Ananda state once a devotee asked him "What is God (Brahma) like?" Baba did not reply to him but sent some one to Bagchand Marwadi for 100 rupees. That man did not give it, but sent his Namaskar to Baba. He sent the man to another person with the same negative result. Baba then sent for Nana Saheb Chandorkar and asked him for Rs. 100. Nana Saheb sent a chit to the Bagchand Marwadi and the latter sent 100 rupees at once. Baba merely remarked "All is like this in the world." The questioner asked me later on privately why Baba gave no answer. I explained that the demands for dakshina and response thereto were the reply to the questioner. When other asked for money, it was not forthcoming. But when Nana Saheb Chandorkar wanted it, it came at once. Similarly the man who merely wants to know Brahma does not get it. It is he who qualified to know it that gets it. The lesson is "Deserve before you desire (Brahman)" As for the miracles, I have hardly seen any of Baba. I saw him about 1898 sleeping on a plank suspended about 7 or 8 feet above the ground. The wonder was how he got into or out of it, without a ladder. How he could swing himself up or down, non saw. The supporting threads were weak and lamps were loosely placed on it. They would fall down if one swings into it. When I went to see him as he lay in it. He got angry and drove me off. Baba was occasionally doing something strange between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. at the Mosque with a cloth screen in front of him and he was alone. He would take out a pouch 10 or 15 old coins. They were of various values and descriptions i.e., 0-0-3, 0-0-6, 0-1-0, 1-2-0, 0-8-0, 1-0-0. He would rub his finger tips constantly yet gently against their surface (whether with or without Mantra, I cannot say). Their surfaces had all become worn out and smooth. He would say, as he rubbed his finger against the coins, "This is Nana’s, this is Bapu’s, this is Kaka’s, etc" If any one approached, he would gather the coins, put them back in the pouch and hide them. (Written by HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji during June 1936, Devotees Experiences Vol.3) THOUGHT FOR THE DAY The heavens are for enjoying pleasure and the hell for pain. Rising above pleasure and pain, we can achieve bliss, in this human world. -Amrta Bindu 2 Thamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya....... Question: Doing everything and doing nothing-how can both mean the same? Answer: When a helpless man knows his incapability, he calls to God. God answers to his entreaties. But when a man thinks himself capable, he becomes unaware of his helplessness. That is the illusion. He becomes proud of his capabilities that brings about his downfall and he drifts farther and farther away from the Almighty God. But if he is convinced of his helplessness he gets everything. When Gajendra and Draupadi realised their utter helplessness. God rushed to their rescue. (-Swami Premanandaji Saraswati ) Mail is new and improved - Check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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