Sai Baba Presides Over Conference of Masters

[Guest guest]

sai baba presides over conference of masters

By Bhau Kalchuri

 

I

am lost in the rapture of the song that sings of my immortal Beloved His sweet

name stills my mind striking within unstuck chords that waken hidden cadences.

I hear celestial melodies And through my being runs A

nectar-a bliss unsurpassing. Am on the crest of a divine perfection Feeling:

“am one, I am all.”

 

Late

Shi Sadashiv Govind Shelke Patil was the chief of the fisherman community at

KasbaPeth. He was very close to Upasani Maharaj in his love

and devotion. He was one of those whom Upasani Maharaj advised to follow

Meher Baba. The following incident was narrated by Patil which happened in

1919, after Baba's Mahasamadhi.

 

Upasani

Maharaj asked Patil to go to Benares along

with Merwan (Meher Baba then known), with instructions to acquire a place for

their stay and to collect articles required for a great yagna (sacrifice) he

wished to perform. The Maharaj also told Patil that it was going to be a

conference of all Masters of the Spiritual Realm, which would be presided over

by Sai Baba. Patil felt funny when he heard this and expressed surprise,

because Sai Baba had already left his body on 16 October, 1918. Sensing this,

the Maharaj said, " Do as I say, and don't worry. You will not understand

this " . A perfect Master's words and actions are often clothed in mystery,

because God's ways of functioning in the affairs of all men and creatures are

hidden. When Patil enquired as to how the Maharaj would come to Benares, he

simply said that he would be found at a certain place near the Railway Bridge.

And there he was!

 

Patil

and Merwan traveled by train and reached Benares, hired a place as instructed

by the Maharaj and placed their luggage.

 

Preparations

began for the performance of the Mahayagna - great sacrificial offerings to the

Fire God. A large number of Brahmin Pundits chanting Vedic hymns under a

spacious mandap, throwing grains and various other articles into the fire. Sai

Baba's photo was placed prominently garlanded at the centre of the large

mandap. When Patil saw this spectacle, with Sai Baba's photo in the centre, he

realized what Upasani Maharaj meant when he told him that Sai Baba would

preside.

 

Merwan

and Patil would go to the market daily and purchase all that was required for

the meals for a large number of people gathered for the occasion. Meals were

specially prepared by Brahmins under the supervision of Merwan and Patil, who

were in charge of the food arrangement.

 

The

great sacrificial fire burned continually for eleven days and on the twelfth

day a feast in honor of the Brahmins was held. Over ten thousand Brahmins had

gathered and food for all of them was ready by noon. But when the Brahmins sat

down under the large mandap for their meal and saw the large photo of Sai Baba,

some raised an uproar exclaiming, " We cannot join in the feast of a

Muslim! Sai Baba was a Muslim! "

 

Upasani

Maharaj who was of Brahmin descent, advised them to forget their religious

prejudices and opinions and to partake of the food. He explained to them that

Sai Baba was a Perfect Master and thus above religious distinctions.

 

Upasani

Maharaj could not persuade the Brahmins to share in the feast and He refused to

take the painting of Sai Baba down. At last Upasani Maharaj instructed all of

his devotees, who were present in the gathering to go to the banks of the Ganges River and to

strike drums to call for the poor to gather there. Merwan and Sadashiv joined

by Upasani Maharaja’s several hundred devotees served the food to the

poor who gathered. Although nearly fifteen thousand poor people were fed, there

was a considerable amount of food left over, Upasani Maharaj then directed,

" Throw the remaining food into the river! This greatly shocked the Hindu

priests who saw bucket after bucket being flung into the river. They then

approached Upasani Maharaj and begged for his pardon saying, " Great one,

we are now ready to partake of the food. Do not waste the food - forgive

us. "

 

Sadguru

Upasani Maharaj angrily retorted, " You call yourselves the pundits of

Kashi! What can I say about you priests? There is nothing in Kashi for you and

there is no food left either! I forgive you, but you will not partake of the

feast. He, Sai Baba, whom you call a Muslim, is the real Pundit! " Upasani

Maharaj then angrily sent the priests away and bade his seven hundred follower’s farewell.

 

(Source

Shri Sai Padananda July 1998)