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

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SOMANATH SHANKAR DESHPANDE, son of Shankar, Nana Saheb Nimonkar, Brahmin,

Inspector of Police, aged 51, 37, Saniwar Peth, Poona says:

I am the son of Nana Saheb Nimonkar. Our place Nimon is 20 miles off

Shirdi. There (at Nimon) we have our Vatan of Deshpande. Shirdi is on our

way from or to Koper-gaon. And at Shirdi, we have relations. Balwantrao

(father of Madhava Rao Deshpande i.e., Shyama) was my father's uncle and

loved my father. Once he took my father to Sai Baba saying "People believe

He is a mad fakir. I doubt if He is really mad, but you had better go with

me, see Him and give me your opinion." Whenever Balvant had gone to see

Baba the latter kept him at a distance by taking up a brickbat and either

flinging it or threatening to fling it at him. Thus He kept away people

from going into the Mosque where He stayed. But when my father went to see

Him, He flung no stones and they approached quite close to Him. My

father's heart was attracted to Sai as soon as he saw Him and on his return

home he assured his uncle that Baba was a Saint and not a mad man. Vrie

uncle wondered why stones were hurled when he went to Baba formerly but not

on the present occasion. "That is because you doubted if He was mad, but I

did not” said my father. Since then, my father paid annual and later

biennial or more frequent visits to Baba — as his faith was steadily

increasing.

My father was an Honorary Magistrate of Sangamner and there he met Nana Sheb

Chandorkar (the Collector’s Chitnis ) who also was an admirer of Baba and

both would talk together about Baba. When Nana Saheb Chandorkar started the

idea of rebuilding Baba's Musjid and collected subscriptions, my father

contributed his mite and what is more he supervised the building operations.

Baba would not let the workmen to go on with the work— as He complained of

their work and undid their work. The building was long being prevented from

completing even its foundation. Baba however had great trust in my father

and my father hurried on the work all night when Baba slept at the chavadi.

Baba showed His faith in my father by making him his banker during the years

(1916-18) that he stayed with Baba. As funds came, Baba would hand them over

to my father. Even Madhav Rao mistook them for gifts. My father stood in no

need of gifts. We had about 500 rupees per annum from our Vatan and I was

sending him all moneys he required. Besides, my father also knew the truth

of Baba's often repeated statement. "Fakir's money is forced away". If one

grasped at and swallowed a Fakir's money, he will in due course have to

disgorge it all, to the last pie. My father desired and got from Baba gifts

superior to monetary gifts Le.our temporal and spiritual welfare. So my

father paid up all the deposits for Baba's expenses. Baba himself frequently

called upon him for these expenses e.g.(a) Burfi would have to be purchased

and distributed as present (b) firewood on a large scale also had to be

bought etc.. We called my father "Kaka,", so did the villagers; and so also

Baba called him "Kaka".

To illustrate the spiritual benefit received by my father, I will give an

instance. My father wished to read "Bhagawat" etc., in Sanskirit as

"Pothl"-but his ignorance of the language stood in his way. Baba once said

to him:

S.B. : Why don't you read Pothi?

N.N. : I do not know Sanskrit.

S.B. : Never mind. Musjid Ayi will teach you Sanskrit, and gradually

you will learn. Begin.

 

on behalf of Smt.Srivalli Garu

 

To Be contd ---

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