THE PROGENITOR OF THE FORMAL WORSHIP OF SRI SAI BABA: SRI TATYA SAHEB NOOLKAR

[Guest guest]

Noolkar said that when Vaman Rao had gone to the masjid he could see the

complete masjid in his mind's eye as a vision. He later saw Baba sitting on

his seat and a small child saluting him with a big red flower on his head.

(He saw the red kerchief as a flower) Baba had caressed that boy with love

and pinched his cheek in affection. The boy placed the flower on Baba's head

and laughed in mirth. Baba kept it for a while and placed it on the head of

the boy again. The boy kept it on Baba's head again and Baba placed it on

the boy's head once again. He pinched the boy's cheek and caressed him. In

this way, Baba had given Noolkar the exact vision of the occurrences at the

masjid as was seen by Vaman Rao. Noolkar emotionally said that this was the

proof of Baba's infinite love for him. The devotees who heard of this leela

of Baba were all spellbound.

The cessation of future births

Noolkar's health began to deteriorate day by day, but all the devotees felt

that he would definitely recover by the grace of Baba. Baba's desire was

different. Baba wanted to set Noolkar free from the constant circle of

birth, death and rebirth and conjoin his soul to himself. One night at 2 am,

Noolkar called his sons to his side and asked them to do bhajan. All the

devotees felt that Tatya Saheb Noolkar's end was nigh. His wife, his

brother-in-law, Kaka Saheb Dixit, Sahasrabuddhe and others were at his

bedside. His sons took various musical instruments and did bhajan for two

hours. At last Noolkar requested them to sing the famous bhajan which

begins, "My Lord, please stand in front of me and let me, who awaits the

pleasure of your darshan with impatience, view your divine and auspicious

form".

As he listened to the bhajan, feelings of a divine ecstasy were clearly

visible in Noolkar's face as if God was standing in front of him and

showering him with grace. At about 5 am he signaled to his children to stop

the bhajan. Viswanadh went to Radhakrishna Ayi's home and brought Baba's udi

and teertham. Udi was applied to Noolkar's forehead and teertham was poured

spoon by spoon in to his mouth. Immediately after the third spoon, Noolkar

breathed his last. Just a couple of minutes before this, Baba said, "A big

tree in the forecourt of our masjid has fallen". He came out and keeping the

back of his palm against his mouth roared making an ululating sound. Baba

used to behave thus whenever any close devotee of his died. Baba spent the

whole day immersed in sorrow. His daily routine ran late that day. He spoke

disconsolately in sorrow, "Oh my Tatya ba has gone. What am I to do? What is

there left in this Shirdi masjid? I too will go away. Tatya ba was a good

man. He used to listen to me and do as I told. I have helped him reach his

ultimate destiny. He will not have any more lives."

 

 

(To be continued)....

 

Source (source www.saipatham.org) Saipatham August 2002 Magazine