77. Baba given trail to Shri (Doctor) Ramaswamy lyengar Narayan Mudaliar Street Madras for His Voilation of Vow.

[Guest guest]

Having heard of the greatness of Shri Sai Baba Shirdi, I went along with

Raosaheb Subbaiah Chettiar to Shirdi and reached Shirdi on 27-4-1938. On the

way I considered that Shirdi being as sacred a shrine as Kashi or Rameswar,

I should signalised by visit and render it fruitful, by avow of solemn

abstinence from using betel and nut (Pansupari) and finally resolved from

that time, I leave Shirdi, I should not chew betel. This is a great

sacrifice as the habit of chewing betel has been with me eversince I was a

boy, and I would chew several times every day. In Shirdi, I left Shirdi in a

bullock cart along with Mr. Chettiar on the morning of 28-4-1938. As we were

seated in the cart, Mr. Chettiar chewed betel and the temtations so far over

powered as to make me to think that I must postpone my vow of abstinence and

begin it only from the time I reached Madras. So I took up my betel nut

basket and merrily chewed away. As soon as I started chewing I found that I

my tongue was pricked. The lime smear (Chunna) coating on the betel

sometimes pricks the tongue of inexperienced novices in chewing. But my

tongue used to it for decades and had become quite deadened and thick. So

the pricking was a surprise, I did not mind it, however and I had a hearty

chew. In half an hour, I noticed the state of my tongue and mouth. The whole

of the interior of the mouth including the tongue had got inflamed which is

a phenomenon unprecedented in 40 years history of chewing. Thereafter the

chewing was out of the question not merely chewing betel, but also chewing

of solid food eventhough free from acidity of pungency.

>From that time for 18 days I was compelled by the state of my mouth to

abstain from betel and also from all forms of solid foods and I had to

live on milk. Now look at Mr. Chettiars' state and the wonder grows

greater. He chewed the same betel and used the .same chu-nna and he had

no inflamation or other trouble. But he had not made a vow to give up

chewing betel as I did. Very soon chewing experience in about an

hour I had another experience. I had taken my chewing outfit

namely a small chewing basket for the betel and nut and a silver crucible

containing lime (chuna) in the carriage and left it there near Mr.

Chettiar. I just went out to purchase of some betel and other articles

in Rahata Bazar and returned in a few minutes. I wanted to find my betel

box and took for it. Lo! and behold the betel box was missing and

also the crucible. No thief could have come there, the arricles being

close to Mr. Chettiar. Yet in spite of repeated search, the articles

could not be found. Both the above incident clearly showed me that Baba is a

living forces; that He is a kind father guarding His children the devotees

even the rawer recruits like myself with affectionate yet strict

watchfulness that he promptly punishes and checks any flagrant

violation of vows solemnly made to Him and so arranges the circumstances

and environment of His children as to make further disobedience on their

part impossible in their own interest. I have been taught a very severe

lesson and from the above date, I never again voilated my vow. Baba

thus gave me increased faith in Him and strength of mind to carry out the

vows I make. Before this visit, hear say information, I had of Baba's

greatness and kindness left but a feable impression on my mind. But with

the actual experience conferred on me, the impression I have of Baba

are vivid and powerful and will last a life time. I now concentrate my

Japa and meditation on Baba alone.

Surrender Shri Sai Completely ! Stupendous Delectation and Deliverance be

there II

 

 

( Adopted from AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI by Ramalingaswamy, Life Member of Shri

Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi at Munja Baba Sthan, Shirdi for more literature on

Sai Baba and consolidated stories of "Ambrosia in Shiridi" before

Mahasamadhi and after Mahasamadhi please visit www.saileelas.org)