Miracles of Sai Baba

[Guest guest]

TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Lighting lamps with water Long before Sai Baba's fame

spread, he was fond of burning lights in his Masjid and other Temples. But for

the oil needed in those little earthenware lights that he lit, he depended on

the generosity of the grocers of Shirdi. He had made it a rule to light

earthenware lamps in the masjid every evening and he would call on the grocers

for small donations. But there came a time when the grocers got tired of giving

oil free to Sai Baba and one day they bluntly refused to oblige him, saying they

had no fresh stocks. Without a word of protest Sai Baba returned to the masjid.

Into those earthenware lamps he poured water and lighted the wicks. The lamps

continued to burn deep into the midnight. The matter came to the notic e of the

grocers who now came to

Sai Baba with profuse apologies. Wouldn't Sai Baba kindly pardon them? Sai Baba

pardoned them, but he warned them never to lie again. "You could have refused

to give me the oil, but did you have to say that you didn't have fresh stocks?"

he admonished them. But he had made his point. Premonition of burning fields

Once, harvesting in Shirdi had been completed and the foodgrains of the entire

village had been stored in a yard. The summer was on. The heat was intense as

only those who have lived in Shirdi know. One afternoon Sai Baba summoned

Kondaji Sutar and said to him: "Go, your field is on flrel" Frightened, Kondaji

ran to his field and. frantically looked around for any sign of f ire. There

wasn't any. He

returned to the masjid and informed Sai Baba that he had looked everywhere but

had found no trace of fire and why did Baba have to frighten him? Unfazed, Baba

said : "You better turn back and look again." Baba was right after all. Kondaji

noticed that a sheaf of corn was indeed on fire and smoke was billowing from

it. A strong wind was fanning the fire and word had gone round to the villagers

who now came running to the scene. "Sai Baba," the people shouted "help us, help

us put the fire out!" Thereupon, Sai Baba walked casually towards the yard,

sprinkled some water on a stack of sheaves and said: " There now! The fire will

die down!" And so it happened. Stopping the rain There is the story of one Rao

Bahadur

Moreshwar Fradhan who had come to Shirdi to take Sai Baba's Darshan along with

his wife. As the couple were about to leave, it began to rain heavily. Thunder

and lightning rent the air. As the Pradhan couple looked round in dismay, Sai

Baba prayed. "Oh Allah!" he intoned, "let the rains cease. My children are

going home. Let them go peacefully!" The storm thereupon ceased, the downpour

reduced to slight drizzle and the Pradhans were able to reach their destination

safely. Raising the water level in well When Sai Baba first came to Shirdi it

had of no basic facilities. There was a well put only in name. It had no

natural spring water and if ever there had been one, it must long ago have

dried up. Water had to be

fetched from a distance. When, therefore, Sai Baba gave his permission to the

villagers to celebrate the Ram Navami Fair, (Baba's Birthday) the big problem

facing the organizers was one of water supply. So What should they do but go to

Sai Baba with their problem? "'Oh yes," said Sai Baba, 'so you want plenty of

water, do you? Here, take this and drop it in the well and wait and see."

"'This," turned up to be a platter of flowers on which some prasad (blessed

food) had been placed along with the remnants of alms Baba had received earlier

in the day. The villagers had no qualms about doing as they were did. Their

faith in Sai Baba was total. No sooner had that platter of leaves been dropped

in the well, it is said, water rose from the bottom as if by divine command and

completely filled it. And great was the rejoicing of the people. Saving a chi ld

from

drowning One report has it that word had spread that the 3-year old daughter of

a poor man called Babu Kirwandikar had fallen into the well and had been

drowned. When the villagers rushed to the well they saw the child suspended in

mid-air as if some invisible hand was holding her up! She was quickly pulled

out. Sai Baba was fond of that child who was often heard to say : I am Baba's

sister!" After this incident, the villagers took her at her word. "it is all

Baba's Leela", the people would say philosophically. They could offer no other

explanation. Flow of Godavari (river) from Baba's feet

normal">These were instances of things they had seen with their own eyes. It was

not secondhand information they had gathered. Sai Baba was to them as real as

their homes and their fields and their cattle and the distant hills. Das Ganu

once had an unforgettable experience. On a festive occasion, he sought Baba's

permission to go to a place called Singba on the banks of the Godavari to have

a bath in the holy waters. "No," Baba replied resolutely, "where is the need to

go all the way when the Godavari is here right at my feet?" Das Ganu was vexed.

He was willing to concede that Ganga the holy river (Baba frequently referred

to Godavari as Ganga) rose from the feet of Sri Narayana (one among the Hindu

trinity of Gods) himself, but his faith was not deep enough to believe that the

waters of the Godavari could spring form the feet of his master, Sri Sai. Baba

who was reading Das Ganu's mind decided that this was the time to strengthen

Das Ganu's faith . He

told his devotee: "come closer to me and hold the hollow of your palms at my

feet!". As soon as he did so water flowed freely out of the toes of the

master's feet and filled the hollow of Das Ganu's palms in no time. His joy

knew no limits. He sprinkled the water on his head and his body and distributed

some more among the assembled devotees as tirtha (holy water). Other miracles

There was that other occasion when many thought that the masjid which housed

Sai Baba itself would be consumed by fire from the flames which leapt up from

the dhuni. All that Baba did was to take some swipes at a wooden pillar in

front of him. With every blow the flames subsided and the fire died down.

"Miraculous," said his devotee s.

Often they would notice him stirring some hot concotion over the kitchen fire,

not with a ladle but with his bare hands. There never was a time when his hand

was scalded. What supernatural powers did he have? On yet another occasion, Sai

Baba was partaking of food with three of his devotees in the masjid when,

without any cause for provocation, he exclaimed- "Stop!" Then, as if nothing

had happened, the four continued with their meal. Lunch over and the dishes

cleared, they stepped out of the masjid, when large chunks of the ceiling fell

on the very spot where they had been seated only a few minutes earlier. Did Sai

Baba's powers extend even to inanimate matter, the devotees wondered. Instances

have been quoted by his devotees as to how Sai Baba commanded the rains to stop

and the winds to cease. Forwarded by

babamandir (AT) babamandir (DOT) org "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