SAI BABA PRESIDES OVER CONFERENCE OF MASTERS

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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)