DEVOTEES' EXPERIENCES OF SRI SAI BABA BY H.H. NARASIMHA SWAMIJI - PART II

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Sairam,

 

Devotees Experiences - RAO BAHADUR S.B.DHUMAL

 

Baba has at times reduced His devotees on their visit to an

absolutely penniless condition, by taking away all the cash with

them, on the possession of which they had been relying. He has

frequently reduced me also to this condition. I have, however,

entertained neither regret at parting with the last pie nor fear.

For, it is He who gives and He who takes back what He has given.It is

up to Him to provide us with ways and means when He denudes us of

every bit of cash. And He has never failed to provide. As instances,

besides the eighty rupees incident of 1918 that I mentioned above, I

can cite others. It will, however, suffice to give two more

instances. Some time prior to the above incident when I went to Him,

He by repeated requests for dakshina took away all I had. Then again

He asked me "Bhav, give me Rs.7". I explained that I had nothing left

with me. He then told me to get it from some one. This was valuable

lesson to me in humility. I must not consider myself too high to beg

or borrow. In fact, this lesson was so forcibly brought home to me

when I visited Shirdi, after He attained Mahasamadhi, that I went

round to beg for bread in the places where Baba used to beg for His

bread. By such means, His grace has kept down my pride and egoism

which otherwise would soar so high as to avoid contact with the so-

called "lower strata" of society.On another occasion after depleting

my resources, Baba asked me for Rs.50. And when I told Him I had no

cash left, He made me go round and ask some person, who gave me a

negative reply. Then He made me go to Rao Bahadur Sathe, who rejoiced

at the request being made to him. The significance of my going to the

latter for Rs.50 was not explained to me then. But much later I was

told that at that time, Rao Bahadur's claim for pension was being

considered; the matter in doubt was whether it should be a lower

amount as first calculated on the last permanent appointment or an

amount higher by Rs.50 being based on a calculation his sub protem

appointment. He succeeded in gaining his higher pension and Baba's

direction that I should go to him for Rs.50 was indicative of his

success and the date of the order was the date of Baba's demand for

Rs.50.On the occasion of the "Chamatkar" criminal appeal, the

appellants without any demand from me paid me a fee of Rs.300. Baba,

during my stay of three days on my return from Ahmadnagar, took away

exactly that sum from me, by repeated requests for dakshina. It was

most fitting and proper that there should be no receipt of

consideration by me for defending my own Guru's servitor and at his

behest especially, when I had really done no work and when the entire

success was due to His miraculous control over the District

Magistrate's mind. In closing this brief account of my personal

experience, I may quote a few of Baba's spiritual teachings or

declarations.

 

 

-- to be contd

Devotees can read this book from the Book Section of

www.Saileelas.org/books/exppart2.htm