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

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ambition to become a Fouzdar was dominating me. I ap­peared for an examination

and passed it to qualify myself. Baba told me that I was not going to get the

fouzdari post. I was posted to some place and I had to cross Shirdi on my way

- but I did not wish to call on Baba as he would not approve of my continuance

in service. So I was simply marching straight and without turning into the

village in the interior of which was the Mosque) on the main road touching

Shirdi. There; as fate or Sai Baba would have it he came to the main road near

the Lendi just as I came there and so I got down from my horse and fell at his

feet. He then asked me to go over to the Masjid. At the Masjid, he asked me,

"Ganu! who took the vow taking a

palmful of Godavari water in hand?" I answered "What harm is there? I am really

going to resign". Baba said. "Wait. You will not listen to me while things

are thus (i.e., smooth running)". Then I got into another scrape without any

fault of mine. A convict's fine - Rs.32 was realised and sent up to my station

to be credited to Govt. That

was received by my Assistant in my absence and he quietly pocketed it. Later,

the man not being released, a complaint was made and in­quiry followed. I was

suspended. Punishment seemed immi­nent. I vowed that I would leave service if I

escaped and then left service in 1903. I had composed in 1898 a poem on Sivaji,

which be­came a matter of enquiry. My defence was that I was an impromptu poet

and this was my impromptu. I was not punished. Baba repeatedly told me when

telling me to retire, "Go and settle at Nanded".

mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> I : Which Nanded? Baba : Nanded in Nizam States.

justify; mso-layout-grid-align: none">I : How am I to get bread? Baba : I will

provide for you.

COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">So I went on

retirement to Nanded and there spent my time in performing Kirtans, I got food

thereby. I went on a pilgrimage to Puri and on the way; one Tembe Swami

(Vasudevanand Saraswathi) whom I had known already met me and asked me if I was

going to Shirdi. I said "Yes, not immediately but a few months later". Then he

gave me a cocoanut saying, "Present this as mine to Sai Baba". I took it and

kept it in my bag. During my further travels, my companions, took it out and

then ate it up. When , I went to Shirdi, as soon as I approached

Sai Baba he said "Here is the thief. Where is the cocoanut given by my brother?"

A friend gave me plots of cultivable land for a very nominal price. They yield

me enough to live upon. These are now maintaining me. Bere's tonga escaping

highway robbery which is described in B.S. is personally known to me. I went in

that tonga with Bere.

LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"> To Be contd ---DEVOTEES CAN

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