The rough tumble and turmoil of worldly life :Sri Ramchandra Atmaram Tarkhad

[Guest guest]

The

rough tumble and turmoil of worldly life was taking its toll on him. So, Ramchandra Atmaram Tarkhad decided to take a break and go to Shirdi. He planned to spend a few days there at

Baba’s feet, get rejuvenated and return home. Leaving his family behind,

he went with his friend to Shirdi on December 6th,

1910. After spending about 11 hours in the train, he reached Kopergaon. He bathed in the Godavari and reached Shirdi by Tonga. They alighted at Sathe

Wada at about 9:00 a.m. He has the habit of having a cup of tea in the

morning and its absence, nonetheless, he went to Sathe Wada and kept his belongings. When he was accosted by

a Sadhu in a pink Kafni,

who said, “Aho Babasaheb,

why have you come to Shirdi? What do you

get here? Because educated people like you come here, many people are flocking

here for no good reason.” Tarkad was taken

aback by what he said. But what upset him most was his tone of voice. It was

full of disgust and ridicule. Before he could say anything, another sadhu in a white dress, holding a small stick, with flowers

tied to one end stood in front of him. He literally shouted in his ear,

“What is the meaning of ‘Stithaprajna’

(a man of serene wisdom)? Please tell me in detail who is a Stithaprajna.”

By now, Tarkhad had lost his cool and was completely

agitated. He wondered why he came to Shirdi. He

decided that he would go for Baba’s darshan and

take permission to return to Bombay

that very day.

 

Just then, Balasaheb Bhate came with a glass of piping hot tea and handed it to

him and told him that his luggage would be taken care of while he went for darshan. By now, Tarkhad had had

enough and his mind was in a turmoil and he felt he

was better off in Bombay.

Trying to compose himself, he walked slowly to the Dwarkamai

and laid his head on Baba’s feet. Baba placed His beneficent hand on his

head and said, “Why does he do this? Shyama, take him to the Wada and tell him something.”

 

 

The two walked out of the Dwarkamai

and Shyama asked Tarkhad

why he was agitated and anxious. Tarkhad told him

everything that had happened since he left Bombay,

and his mind, instead of getting calm and peace was in turmoil. Shyama said, “This is Baba’s leela. There is a lesson in all of this and he is showing

you the answer, and that is, that even in the midst of trials and tribulations,

pressure of work, ups and downs of family life, one should not lose one’s

balance, but direct it towards God.” They retraced their steps, and as

soon as they entered the Dwarkamai, Baba said, “Bhau, pay heed to Shyama’s words.” Tarkhad took Baba’s advice and he used this leela as his motto and was quite unruffled by calamities

and financial difficulties. His faith in Baba and this advice worked like a

charm for him.

(Source Sai Leela Magazine)