DIVINE EXPERIENCES - Sri. H. V. SATHE (4)

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DIVINE EXPERIENCES – Sri. H.V. Sathe (4)

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

Dakshina Bhiksha Samstha:

In December 1915, I got a call from Baba, when I was at Poona and at his bidding

I helped in forming the above Society. I was made the president of it. We ran

the journal ‘Sainath Prabha" as its organ. This was not read to Baba previously

or submitted for his approval.

It had a short career and was a failure. Hardly any copies are traceable. Parts

1 and 2 which alone are now available give some account of the state of affairs

that prevailed at Shirdi Samsthan in 1915 to 1917 0r 1918. The attempt to

control monetary matters led to increase bitterness against me, resulting in

Nana Wali’s action that drove me away from Shirdi and even led to issue of

legal notices. Sometime after the formation of the Sabha (say some 11 months)

Radhakrishna Ayi died. She had been in charge of all stores used for purpose of

Sai Samsthan. When she died as she was an intestate Brahmin widow without heirs

the Police came and took possession of all the properties in her custody. Then

we had on behalf of the Sabha to apply for the return of all articles for the

Samsthan from the Kopergaon 1st class Magistrate. On the strength of local

mahajars also he passed order (M.E.R23 N2 1916) handing over Samsthan

properties to the Samsthan i.e., Sabha on

behalf of the Samsthan; yet internecine bickering continued. Some misguided

devotees made use of the loss of a few silver appendages to the Samsthan horse

trappings (worth very little after all) to issue lawyer’s notice to me in

January 1918. I consulted Baba and he told me to give a reply and I gave it in

the terms mentioned by Baba himself. Baba told me that he would protect me and

that no proceedings would be taken. That proved to be true and no proceedings

were taken against me or the Sabha. I do not know what has become of Mr. Sunder

Rao Narayan who was the editor and soul of "Sainath Prabha". It is he who signs

his ‘apothegms’ and his ‘vision’ in part I under the Nom de plume ‘Ramgir’.

When I was at Shirdi one day Baba was at Mosque. The time for his moving on to

Lendi had arrived and yet he was not inclined to move out. He lay stretched

beside the Mosque wall. When he had thus delayed his visit to Lendi by one

hour, we asked him "It is high time for your to go to the Lendi, why do you not

go?" Then Baba answered ‘Are maja Gajanan gela’ i.e., "Hallo! My Gajanan is

gone". Someone wrote that day from Shirdi to Shegaon to ascertain how Gajanan

Maharaj the famous Saint of that place was doing. The answer came that he

expired on the very day when Baba appraised us the sad event.

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

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

There are 3 types of people: (1) the unwise, (2) the partially wise and (3) the

wise. The unwise find fault with others, the partially wise find fault in

themselves, the wise ones find fault in no one, neither themselves nor others.

They accept life as it comes.

Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya.......

Question: Some people oppose idol-worship, what do you say?

Answer: Worship is a means to an end. The body comprises five elements and in

worshipping we have to take the help of one element or the other. Some people

block other senses and concentrate on hearing sabd which is an attribute of

akasa., that is these sadhakas take the help of air-element. Others perform

yajna with the help of another element-fire; and again some perform various

rituals connected with water element. Similarly, some sadhakas take the help of

idols of gods and goddesses where the earth-element dominates.

It is not the idol that is worshipped but the symbol to God that is worshipped

after-according to scriptural injunction. Life is infused (prana-pratishtha) in

all the eight limbs of that representation. Therefore, the devotee worships the

God Himself who removes his difficulties and lifts him up to a higher plane of

God-realisation.

If that does not happen then we only worship a piece of stone indeed. The symbol

is treated like God Himself and serves as such. In modern times in the life of

Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa there is a chapter, Ram Lala. Please read it with

devotion, it will set your doubts at rest. In the Age of Kali idol worship as

explained here yields quicker spiritual results; but then the devotee should

have the feel of it.

(-Swami Premanandaji Saraswati )

 

 

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