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

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Baba and about others. But it was printed in 1903. Baba blessed the effort. None

of my books was read to Baba. Nor was Baba asked before­hand to give the

information for writing the books. What he spoke of his own accord was picked

up. Baba had talked of His "Selu" antecedents and I made inquiries at Selu

about Baba's antecedents. Baba said about each book when placed in His hand.

That is alright". I do not know whether Baba knew how to write, read or even to

sign His name. Next came Bhakti Lilamrita. This was published in Baba's life

time - 1906. Lastly came the Bhakti Saramrita. The two chapters viz: 52-53

therein relating to Baba were placed in his hands and he said "alright". But

other chapters were composed later from time to time mostly after 1918; in 1925

this book was printed as a whole. The account given in it (in chapter 28) about

Baba's antecedents at Selu is based partly on Baba's statements and partly on

what the villagers of Selu told me. The only thing Baba said of Selu and the

Selu period was that he came from Selu. So I started while I was in service

and went to Selu to make enquiries.

yes"> I cannot specify any villager as having told me anything in particular.

My inquiry was 35 years back. Thr villagers said that there was an old Saint,

that a young Fakir boy was being trained by him, that some got vexed with the

Saint and threw stones at him and killed him and that the boy escaped and that

all this took place 100 years previ­ously. Sai Baba told me, in the presence

of Chandorkar, that the brick he used as a pillow at Shirdi and which is still

retained as a relic of Baba at Shirdi was given by his Guru to him, that his

Guru was "Venkusa". The version about Baba's telling Chandorkar is my own, as I

wished to avoid dragging my own name into my own work and figuring in it too

promi­nently. Chandorkar did not know if he maintained a diary or note of his

experiences. As for Ratanji incident, it was a small affair. He invited me

to tea and then the Nanded Moulvi came also. Nice dishes of almonds, pistachio

etc. were supplied. The cost of all would- not be very great, say anything more

than 3 or 4 rupees. Then Ratanji went to Shirdi. Baba told him that Baba had

already received this amount and asked him for the balance. When Ratanji came

back to Nanded, he narrated these facts and wondered what Baba meant by saying

that he had received the sum. I asked him to see the amount entered in his

accounts on the eve­ning of the tea given to the Moulvi. The exact

amount en­tered in that account (viz 3-12-0) was what Baba said had been given.

This is the truth. The rest is all elaborated out of this. The Tomb referred to

is that of Sai Baba's guru and was not visible when we saw it first. It was

merely land and underneath it was the tomb. Sathe Saheb built a flight of

steps over it leaving a niche for worsVJpping that guru. To Be contd

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