Baba's love for his devotees part 2:Nachne's story

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One Shri S. B Nachne's little son of about nine

months, named Harihar alias Sai Nath was playing with

his brothers and sisters. Other grown up children had

been firing crackers near by igniting coloured

matches. One of these threw a burning match on the

child's clothes. Sai Nath's clothes caught fire but

the little boy could not understand the risk this

involved. The mother was busy doing something outside

there but her mind was a way from her children. So

Baba appeared at once before her in the form of a

Fakir and pointing to the burning child said, "Look

there, see What is going on there." Thereupon the

mother at once ran upto the Child removed its burning

clothes in proper time. After Harihar was thus saved,

the mother looked for the Fakir but during the

confusion that followed on the running of the mother

to the child, He disappeared altogether, no one knew

where. The devout parents of Harihar rightly

attributed this to Shri Baba's grace and prayed for

such anxious care of them whenever so required.

 

 

The self-same Nachne lost his wife in 1929. She had

died leaving a three yeas old child. This almost broke

Nachne's heart; and so he became so very listless to

the necessities of his body that when he left Bombay

for Nasik to perform the obsequial ceremonies of his

wife, though it was dreary cold, he took neither a

blanket nor a shawl to guard himself against it,

Though he grew listless about himself, Baba could not

be so; like an anxious father that He is, He assumed

the form of an office peon and perched Him self just

opposite to the seat, which Nachne was to occupy in

the train. When Nachne got into that compartment and

sat down he started asking, "Well, Where are you

going? How is it you have no bedding?" Nachne replied

"I am going to Nasik to perform the obsequial ceremony

of my wife. I have now grown quite indifferent to my

body, and care very little for the bedding." Hearing

this the Patewalla (Peon) sent a friend of his to get

a blanket for Nachne. Seeing that he brought the

blanket in no time, Nachne remarked, "Oh it seems you

live very near." The Patewalla replied, "I am a

Patewalla (a peon) in Bombay Arts School and my

quarters are very near. My name is Ganpatishanker. My

Saheb has gone to Simla, so I have seized this

opportunity for going to Nasik. If you now want to go

to sleep, I will wake you up in proper time you may do

so. However if you have any cash, beware of

pick-pockets; if you have nothing to keep the cash

safe, and if you hand it over to me, give it to me. I

will keep it safe in my trunk." Nachne thereupon gave

over his cash to Ganpatishanker and slept. Ganapati

woke him up at Ghoty; they there washed their face and

had tea. Ganpati defrayed the expenses of tea. Then

they got down on Nasik Railway Station. On the way to

Nasik proper in a bus Ganpatishanker said to Nachne,

"Do not go to any of these Brahmin priests, they will

charge you exorbitantly I will make all arrangements

for the ceremonies; come with me."

 

 

Saying so, he brought to him a priest, explained to

the priest what and how these ceremonies had to be

performed. He also pointed to Nachne a cavity in the

river and asked him to stand there dipping his wife's

bones there in water. As Nachne did so the bones

melted away like sugar in water. As soon as the

ceremonies were all over, Ganpatishanker received a

telegram from his Master asking him to resume his

duties. So he took Nachne's permission to leave, gave

over to him to him the account of Nachne's money spent

by him to the very pie, handed over to him the balance

and left Nachne saying, 'I will meet you in Andheri.'

On return to Bombay Nachne made all efforts to find

him out but he could not succeed. He then made

inquiries at the Art School; asked the Patewallas, the

Professors and even the Principal; but when all of

them gave one uniform reply "that there is no such

peon and there was never in the service of this Art

School a peon of the name of Ganpatishanker", he

realised that the peon was none other than Baba

himself. He himself had for him assumed the form of a

Patewalla to relieve him of the stunning stroke of the

misery of his wife's death and to assist him in the

performance of the obsequial ceremonies. H felt

extremely sorry that he had got Baba to discharge a

menial's duty for him- but he was now helpless and

could only requite him by his steady and unfailing

devotion for him.

 

 

 

Souce:Shri Sai The Superman by Swami Sharan Anand.

 

*******For more on Nachne's experience: Pls read Life

of Sai Baba (volume 3:Babas lovers) by Shri BVN Swami

from www.saileelas.org/books.htm*************