Blessed Sai devotee- Das Ganu Maharaj..

[Guest guest]

finding that Rs. 32/- had not been collected, concluded that it was Ganpat Rao's

mischief. Ganpat Rao was asked for an explanation. He said he know nothing. But

there was no escape the fact that money had been sent that day, and was paid at

the station as the thoti testified. Then Ganpat Rao, finding that there was not

only no chance of his getting the Sub Inspector's job but a good chance of

getting into the jail, solemnly swore to Baba that this time he would

positively quit service. He went further and mentioned his willingness to

resign to the enquiry officer who, thereupon, made him pay up Rs. 32/- and then

discharged him.Thus Baba succeeded in making Ganpat Rao quit his service, a

service, which would prevent Ganpat Rao from becoming the high spiritual

personage that he was subsequently to develop into. Baba used to call him

'Ganu'. When Ganpat Rao came and said, 'I have now left my service; I and my

wife have to stand in the streets, as we have no property or income.'

Baba said, ' Ganu, I shall provide for you and your family'. (Compare Sri

Krishna's promise "Yoga Kshemam Vahamai sham" BG (9) (22). Baba then asked him

to go on with his Brahminical duties, puranic studies, and kirtans at which he

was excellent. Ganpat Rao was never in want of food or clothing, and has even

become a landlord that yielded him sufficient support. In 1919 his wife died

issueless, leaving him without any encumbrances. Das Ganu had a fine metallic

voice and he was a very able performer of kirtans. He would hold an audience of

2000 people spell bound in rapt attention listening to him for six or eight

hours, and as he never asked for even one pie and made no collections, his

kirtans were popular, and in all his kirtans, he would place Baba's picture

next to him and even though his katha was about Tukaram or Namdev or Jnanadev,

yet he would always refer to Sai Baba as the living Saint or Sat purusha i.e.,

as the present Great Saint, whom it would be a great blessing

for people to have darsan of, as the very darsan would purify and benefit the

visitor. As soon as his kirtans ended, people started in numbers to go to

Shirdi and see Sai Baba. These numbers included high officials of good and

great positions, as also the poor. Thus he has been the means of sending some

tens of thousands of people to Baba. Baba developed his nature and purified it

by making him spend his time whenever he went to Shirdi in reading Vishnu

Sahasranama. Das Ganu Maharaj's purification and development are marked in

various ways and Baba's favor to him on the spiritual side is so vast and

varied that it is impossible to sketch them out in detail.Baba rarely allowed

him into the mosque but rather sent him to the Vittal Temple where he stayed

and wrote about the lives of saints and composed kirtans (devotional songs)

which he sang with great feeling. Initially he was an atheist and he himself

said that to regard Baba as a God is an exaggeration. However his approach

to Baba totally changed when (as witnessed and told by Das Ganu) – Baba

performed a miracle. Das Ganu expressed his desire to go to pilgrimage to

Pandharpur (holy place of Lord Vitthal) and to have a bath by the holy waters

of Chandrabhaga, the holy river along Pandharpur. However Baba explained to him

that when he is at His feet there is no necessity of going to places of

pilgrimage because He was a Satguru and waters of holy rivers are at His feet

and to his surprise Das Ganu saw two streams of water flowing from Baba’s feet.

Das Ganu then took the vow to perform musical recitals (Bhajans and kirtan) at

various places as His service to describe and sing Baba’s glory to the people

at various places. Consequently Baba as a God Incarnate came to be known to

many people.

 

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF EVENTS CONCERNING DAS GANU MAHARAJ

1894(approx) --Das Ganu (Ganesh Dattatreya Sahasrabuddhe) accompanied Nanasaheb

Chandorkar to Shirdi for the first time .

 

1903 -- Das Ganu left Govt. service And as per Baba's instructions settled at

Nanded and started performing keertans and writing life histories of recent

saints 1903 --- Das G,anu's book 'Sant Kathamrit' was published. (Ch. 57 about

Sai Baba's advice to Nanasaheb Chandorkar) .

 

1906 --Das Ganu's book 'Bhakti-Leciamrit' was published. (Chs.. 31, 32 and 33 about Sai Baba) .

 

1910 -- Baba's 'Hundi' business (cooking food Himself in a big. pot and

distributing to devotees and poor people.) continued till this year. After

wards due to Das Ganu's kirtans, Baba's fame spread far and wide and devotees

coming in large numbers offered large quantities of food as 'naivedya' and thus

there was no need of 'Hundi.

 

1914, Ram-Navami-- Das Ganu was ordained by Baba to perform. Ram-Navami Kirian at Shirdi every year.

 

1916-- Sai Baba made Das Ganu to do 'Nam-saptah and Kirtan' at Shirdi for a week.

1918, Sep.9-- Das Ganu wrote 'Shri Sai Stavan Manjari at Maheshwar (Madhya

Pradesh) on the banks of River Narmada.

 

1918, Oct. 16 Wednesday-- Early morning Baba appeared to Das Ganu at Pandharpur,

in dream and said, "The Dwaraka mai has collapsed and all the oilmen and grocers

have troubled Me a lot. So I am leaving the place. Go there quickly and cover My

body copiously With flowers".

 

1925-- 'Bhakti Saramrit' of Das Ganu published. (Ch. 26 about Baba's Guru

Venkusha alias Gopalrao Deshmukh of Selu and Chs. 52 and 53 about Baba's early

life.)

 

1962, Oct. 23, Ekadashi-- Das Ganu Maharaj passed away. (Kartik Vadya 11) (Aged

95 years)..."Gurur Brahma Gurur VishnuGurur Devoh Maheshwar;Gurur Shakshat

ParambramhaTashmai Shri Gurur Veh Namah"May the Merciful Sri Sai Baba always

shower His grace on us and our families and remove our problems and anxieties

by giving us all - strength , goodluck, success and happiness with peace of

mind.Sai bhakt,Deepa Hdebu7366