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

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also Babu when he was four months old, to Sai Baba at Shirdi. Baba readily

received the articles on a plate and took up Babu in His arms. He then

endearingly addressed Babu thus, "Babu, where had you been? Were you vexed

with, or weary of me?". To mark the joyous arrival of Babu at Shirdi, Baba

pulled out two rupees from His own pocket, got burfi (sweets) for that amount

and distributed it exactly, as they do, on the occasion of a son’s birth. This

was in 1912. On this occasion, Baba pointed to the village wall stone arch and

said "Whoever rebuilds this, will get blessings. My wife asked him for

permission to rebuild it and gave it. Then I paid Rs.600 to

N.Chandorkar to rebuild it. On this occasion, Baba said "Babu’s bungalow is

beautiful and ready". I guessed that Baba meant that I should buy the Bungalow

I now live in. So within two months, I got a lease of it and occupied it and in

six months thereafter I bought it. Baba's words thus were fulfilled by my

purchase and Babu had a beautiful bungalow in 1913. Babu was again taken to

Baba for his first birthday and again commemorated it, by buying Rs.2 worth of

sweets (Burfi) and distributing it to all. On this occasion, Baba asked very

significantly about Babu "Has he no brother and no sister?" My wife, with some

degree of bashfulness an­swered "You gave us this

Babu only". In fact, we had a daughter at that time. Baba's words were construed

as a blessing that we would get one more son and one more daughter. That is

exactly what happened. To commemorate Babu's first birthday at Shirdi, a grand

dinner was prepared at Madhav Rao Deshpande's residence and all were invited.

That was a Thursday. Bala Saheb Bhate excused himself from attending it on the

ground that on a Thursday his rule was to avoid dining out. But when he went to

Baba that day, Sai Baba asked him; Have you dined at Bhao's (i.e., Pradhan's)

place?

MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify;

mso-layout-grid-align: none">Baba, today is Thursday. SB : What if? BB : I do

not dine out on Thursdays. That is my rule.

0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify; mso-layout-grid-align: none">SB :

To please whom do you observe this rule? BB : To please you. SB :Then I tell

you to go and dine at Bhao's.

0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify;

mso-layout-grid-align: none">Though it was 4 p.m. Balasaheb Bhate came up to

me, told me what Baba had said and dined with us. Next my wife had a dream here

at Santa Cruz of Baba's ap­pearing before her and receiving Pada Pooja from her,

Mr. N.G.Chandorkar interpreted it to mean, that Baba wanted her to start regular

Pada Pooja of Baba at home and so bade her go to Shirdi with two silver Padukas.

She did so. When she went up to Baba, the latter who was sitting with legs

folded stretched out His legs of His own accord and

said "Place the Padukas on these and do Pooja". Then my wife placed each of

Padukas on each foot of Baba and worshiped them. Baba then said to Nana Saheb

"See. Mother has cut off and carried away my feet" and Himself picked up the

two Padukas and handed them over to my wife. Ever since that date, she is daily

worshipping these Padukas. Ever since my first visit, I was having my dinner at

the Mosque with Baba. Baba with His own hand stuffed all food into our plates

and cups in such large quantity. Instead of throwing away such valuable prasad

I asked my niece to come up and take away about three fourth of what was served

to me and that sufficed to feed my family. Yet what I ate warded off all hunger

or appetite

for a night meal. Baba almost invariably gave desert (i.e.,fruits etc) at the

end of the meal. But when I went with Baba, Babu noticed that Baba did not care

for cooked food and served mangoes and fruits first, so that Babu might have a

full meal. When other children were born, I would take the three children with

me including Babu, to the Mosque to dine with Baba. My last visit to Baba was

in May, 1913. I had taken with me Rs.3800 and overstayed my intended period, on

account of Baba's insistence. Baba's unuttered but evident practice with those

whom he loved was to deplete their re­sources. "I take away the wealth of those

I love". So when I returned from

Shirdi after the month's stay, my money was reduced to minus Rs.1200. In fact, I

had borrowed that sum from an acquaintance, a Vet­erinary Doctor of Poona and

returned it to him after coming home. To Be contd ---DEVOTEES CAN READ

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