Shyamdas and Daxina

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Shyamdas and Daxina

 

While

on the pilgrimage to Dwarka, Shyamdas

was reading Atwala’s Dnyaneshwari.

His purse along with the tickets had fallen into the sea. That day he

couldn’t concentrate on the chapter and read it rather mechanically. It

was then that he took a negative decision. “I will not read any scripture

till Baba tells me to.” After his trip, he came to Shirdi.

At that time, Baba did not ask for daxina, nor did he

give any. The subject of reading any religious books did not arise and he

returned home. He wrote letters to Baba on Ekadashi,

and received a reply. Thus, 2-3 years passed. Once, Chidambar

Keshav Gadgil read out Shyamdas’ letter to Baba. Baba said, “Call him here. Ask him to come

quickly.”

 

Shyamdas went to Shirdi within

4-5 days of receiving the reply. Baba asked him daily for Rs.11/-, which he

readily gave for ten days. Everyday, he would go to Dwarkamai

at about 3:30 in the afternoon and

only at that time would Baba ask for dakshina. On the

eleventh day, as usual, Baba asked for dakshina. Shyamdas had no money left. “Baba, I’ve no

money left to give dakshina. You tell me, where am I

to get the money from. In lieu, I offer my ten Indryas

and mind”, to which Baba replied, “They are mine already. Who are you to give them? Go to Bapusaheb Butti and borrow

Rs.11/- and give them to Me.” Upon hearing this, Shyamdas got up to go and get the money. Hardly had he

reached the gate of the Sabha Mandap,

when Baba called out to him, “Arre

Shyam, come here; bring the eleven rupees later. But

bring them from Bapusaheb Jog. Now be seated.” After taking Udi and Prasad and left for

the Wada and clean forgot about the eleven rupees. At 3:30, he went for darshan, but

Baba did not ask for the eleven rupees. In the evening, He said, “Go to Bapusaheb

Jog and ask him for eleven rupees and bring him along with you.”

 

Shyamdas went to the Wada and found Jog reading the Eknath Bhagwad to a few devotees.

He told Jog what Baba had said. Both of them went to the Masjid.

Baba was getting ready to go out. Upon seeing them, He blessed them, but did

not ask for dakshina. Later, they returned to the

Wada, when the other devoteed asked Shyamdas about this episode of ‘eleven rupees dakshina’ and what was its meaning.

Shyamdas had not pondered over it. Everyday,

thereafter, both of them went to Baba, but Baba did not ask for dakshina.

 

On

the fourth day, it was in the evening, when Baba asked Jog, “So, how many rupees did you distribute

today”, to which Jog replied, “Sixty-one rupees. Butti,

received fifty rupees and Shyamdas eleven. Shyamdas was silent all this time when Baba said, “Did you get the eleven rupees?” Without

understanding its significance, Shyamdas said yes.

Then Baba said, “No, you didn’t. Let us see

tomorrow. In the meantime, have a look at the pothi,

okay?” They

returned to the Wada and started discussing what Baba could have meant by

asking for eleven rupees. Balasaheb Bhate was astute enough to connect the dakshina

with the reading of Eknath Bhagwad.

Suddenly, Shyamdas remembered how he had taken a

decision not to read any Pothi unless directed by

Baba to do so. Later, he went to the Masjid, and Baba

told them a long story which is given below.

 

“We were two brothers on a long journey.

While walking on a path, the brother went ahead. He was bitten by a serpent and

died. I was walking steadily and way behind him. Just then, 5-6 people came and

enquired of me, where the brother was. I told them that he died following a

snake-bite and I had already buried him. They did not believe me. ‘We

will go and search for him and bring him back’, they said. I cautioned

them, saying, ‘There is a huge serpent there. It will bite you too. Why

are you going there?’ But they did not head my words. They did go there

and were killed by the serpent. I buried them also and continued my journey.

Then, a strong lady came and asked me where the brother was. I told her that

the huge serpent bit him and was buried by me. Then she enquired about the six

men and I told her how they went looking for the brother and were killed by the

serpent. She was anxious to go there and find the brother. I said, ‘Why

are you going there needlessly. You will not find that brother’, to which

she replied, ‘I will go there and diligently search for him, find him and

bring him back.’ Thus, she went ahead, she too met the same fate. I

buried her too. Then I continued my journey and went a long distance and met

5-6 Muslims who said, ‘Wait a while.’ I waited. The Muslims got a

goat and killed it and cut it into pieces. These, they brought to me and said,

‘Eat’. I said, ‘No. I am a Brahmin and I cannot eat

it.’ When one of them took a piece and thrust it towards my lips, trying

to make me eat it, I said, ‘Just wait a while. I will pray to God, then eat it.’ I took a piece of cloth and held it to

my mouth and thought of God. Lo! The pieces of meat turned into roses. Huge beautiful roses that you couldn’t find anywhere, even in

Shirdi. Then those Muslims went away. I

continued my journey. When I looked back, there was water, crystal clear, and a

small pathway ahead. I walked a short distance, and there was water on either

side, behind and in front of me, without any pathway. This is the doing of

Allah Malik. Allah Malik is

the savior of the poor.”

The

next day, Baba was in a tearing rage right from early morning till noon. Some of his devotees received his wrath

in the form of beatings and abuses. But his daily routine went on as

usual. Shyamdas

went to the Dwarkamai at 3:30 p.m. and did Charan Seva. Baba said, “You received the

eleven rupees, didn’t you Shyam?”

to which he replied, “If the eleven rupees is regarding the reading of

the pothi, then yes. But which pothi

am I supposed to read. Then, Baba gave a clue of the rinanubandhu

of theirs, saying, “Read that pothi

in which there is a dialogue between you me.” This

sentence further confused him. Should he read Gita or

Dnyaneshwari? Baba said, “Arre Shyamdas, go to Bapusaheb Jog and bring the pothi

that he is reading.” He did so and Baba opened the book at

random and the eleventh chapter of Eknath Bhagwad opened and pointing to it, Baba said, “Read this, everyday of your life. Read it

just as it is written and understand it for yourself. Don’t explain or

expound it to other people. Only you need to know and understand it. Allah Malik will do good.”

 

(Source Shri Sai

Leela Magazine)