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

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invited to get Upadesh from others, e.g., Upasani Baba who offered to explain

Panchadasi to me (in 1915 or 1917) after his return to Shirdi form Kharagpur

and Miraj. People from Kharagpur and Nagpur were going to him to get Upade-sha.

The question was whether I also should go to him for that purpose. There was a

lady, Athabai of Sangola, who had given Upadesha to my first wife. There was

also the Ganapatl Upasaka and Yogi of Moregaon named Vinayak Phatak Maharaj.

These offered me Upadesha. In each of these cases, I referred the question to

Baba (personally to Baba in the first case and through my father-in-law in the

latter case) and Baba gave a negative reply. Though there was no formal

initiation by Baba He wished me to look to Him alone with undeviating attention

and He was quite powerful enough and willing to look after my interests temporal

and spiritual. Baba in the early days of my moving with Him at times favoured

the extension of His worship and at times did not. He made me and my

father-in-law start the group congrega­tional worship of Baba as Guru by all

the devotees on

Guru Poornima day as I have stated already. But when I tried to do Puja to him

as Mahadeva or Siva on "Shivaratri" midnight, He did not favour the proposal.

When He was first asked for permission that day He said, "No" Then we (i.e.,

myself and Megha) thought over it, took some Bilwa leaves and wished to do

silent Pooja at the steps of the Mosque at midnight (which is the time observed

in all Siva Temples). When we went there, Tatya from inside the Mosque waved his

hand warning us off. But as Baba seemed to be asleep we dared to put some sandal

and Bel on the steps in silence. Baba at once got up and hurled wild abuse

without naming any one as the object of His abuse. The whole village was roused

and they flocked to the Mosque and blamed us for trying to steal a march over

the rest of the devotees and in defiance of Baba's wishes to obtain clandestine

Punya by midnight worship at the steps of the mosque. Though Baba did not want

me to take Upadesha from others He yet

desired that I should show due respect and hospitality to Sants (saints). In

fact, He made one Sant go to me. Kaka Maharaj of Dhopeshwar (near Rajapur) was

a well-known Sant. Some 25 years ago, he visited Poona and lodged with one

Devle. He was besieged by a crowd of devo­tees inviting him to their place for

meal & c; and I also made the same request. He regretted his inability to

comply with my request. This

was in the morning. Later at about noon of the same day, when I was at my

office, I was surprised to learn that the maharaj had sent word to say that he

would visit my house and so I sent him my tonga and went home to receive him.

When I met him, I asked him how he happened to change his mind so suddenly

since morning. Pointing to Sai Baba's portrait on my wall the maharaj a replied

"He would not allow me to rest till I came and saw you". Shortly before this

maharaj passed away, He had given leave to my son-in-law's brother Hari

Gangadhar Josi (pleader, Thana) and another to go to Sai Baba and pay their

respects. They started to Shirdi after Kaka maharaj passed away. When they

arrived at the mosque Baba was in a tower­ing passion, in one of his Fits of

rage that seemed so ungov­ernable. But as soon as Baba saw these two arrivals

stand­ing outside the mosque He ordered them to be brought to Him. When they

went up He had sufficiently cooled down and they took darshan without any

trepidation or uneasiness. Later Baba started out for Bhiksha. Then He said to

them "You have killed that old man (i.e., Kaka maharaj and come here, eh?"

Though He had not been told of the

maharaj’s per­mission or his death he knew the facts and thus revealed to them

at once His knowledge of the facts and his fellow-feelig with that Maharaj. (As

you find from Vaman Rao Patel's Guru Smriti) Baba showed a bit of his chamatkar

to my son-in-law Mr. Joshi. at Shirdi. When the latter asked for Udhi, Baba

told him that he would get it later and in point of fact as Joshi travelled by

train, a fellow-passenger gave him Udhi given by Baba.

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