Miracles of Sai Baba

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Miracles of Sai Baba

 

The villagers of Shirdi and a far soon found

out that this was no ordinary fakir but an avatar (incarnation) of a very high

order. He

demonstrated through his miracles and utterances, the purpose and intention for

which he had come. He would often say, " My Leela is

inscrutable " . To each one he met, he imparted knowledge according to the

capacity of the recipient to absorb it. Baba's Leela's

(miracles) were plenty and varied, and we recount just a few which occurred

during and after his lifetime.

 

Baba's Leelas ( Miracles )

 

Lighting lamps with water

Long before Sai Baba's fame spread, he was fond of burning lights in his Masjid

and other Temples.

But for the oil needed in those little

earthenware lights that he lit, he depended on the generosity of the grocers of

Shirdi. He had made it a rule to light earthenware lamps

in the masjid every evening and he would call on the grocers for small

donations. But there came a time when the grocers got tired of

giving oil free to Sai Baba and one day they bluntly refused to oblige him,

saying they had no fresh stocks. Without a word of protest

Sai Baba returned to the masjid. Into those earthenware lamps he poured water

and lighted the wicks. The lamps continued to burn

deep into the midnight. The matter came to the notice of the grocers who now

came to Sai Baba with profuse apologies. Wouldn't Sai

Baba kindly pardon them? Sai Baba pardoned them, but he warned them never to

lie again. " You could have refused to give me the oil,

but did you have to say that you didn't have fresh stocks? " he admonished

them. But he had made his point.

 

Premonition of burning fields

Once, harvesting in Shirdi had been completed and the foodgrains of the entire

village had been stored in a yard. The summer was on.

The heat was intense as only those who have lived in Shirdi know. One afternoon

Sai Baba summoned Kondaji Sutar and said to him:

" Go, your field is on flrel " Frightened, Kondaji ran to his field

and. frantically looked around for any sign of fire. There wasn't any. He

returned to the masjid and informed Sai Baba that he had looked everywhere but

had found no trace of fire and why did Baba have to

frighten him? Unfazed, Baba said : " You better turn back and look

again. " Baba was right after all. Kondaji noticed that a sheaf of corn

was indeed on fire and smoke was billowing from it. A strong wind was fanning

the fire and word had gone round to the villagers who

now came running to the scene. " Sai Baba, " the people shouted

" help us, help us put the fire out! " Thereupon, Sai Baba walked

casually towards the yard, sprinkled some water on a stack of sheaves and said:

" There now! The fire will die down! " And so it

happened.

 

Stopping the rain

There is the story of one Rao Bahadur Moreshwar Fradhan who had come to Shirdi

to take Sai Baba's darshan along with his wife. As

the couple were about to leave, it began to rain heavily. Thunder and lightning

rent the air. As the Pradhan couple looked round in

dismay, Sai Baba prayed. " Oh Allah! " he intoned, " let the rains

cease. My children are going home. Let them go peacefully! " The

storm thereupon ceased, the downpour reduced to slight drizzle and the Pradhans

were able to reach their destination safely.

 

Raising the water level in well

When Sai Baba first came to Shirdi it had of no basic facilities. There was a

well put only in name. It had no natural spring water and if

ever there had been one, it must long ago have dried up. Water had to be

fetched from a distance. When, therefore, Sai Baba gave his

permission to the villagers to celebrate the Ram Navami Fair, (Baba's Birthday)

the big problem facing the organizers was one of water

supply. So What should they do but go to Sai Baba with their problem? " 'Oh

yes, " said Sai Baba, 'so you want plenty of water, do you?

Here, take this and drop it in the well and wait and see. "

" 'This, " turned up to be a platter of flowers on which some prasad

(blessed

food) had been placed along with the remnants of alms Baba had received earlier

in the day. The villagers had no qualms about doing as

they were did. Their faith in Sai Baba was total. No sooner had that platter of

leaves been dropped in the well, it is said, water rose from

the bottom as if by divine command and completely filled it. And great was the

rejoicing of the people.

 

Saving a child from drowning

One report has it that word had spread that the 3-year old daughter of a poor

man called Babu Kirwandikar had fallen into the well and

had been drowned. When the villagers rushed to the well they saw the child

suspended in mid-air as if some invisible hand was holding

her up! She was quickly pulled out. Sai Baba was fond of that child who was

often heard to say : I am Baba's sister! " After this incident,

the villagers took her at her word. " it is all Baba's Leela " , the

people would say philosophically. They could offer no other explanation.

 

Flow of Godavari (river) from Baba's feet

These were instances of things they had seen with their own eyes. It was not

secondhand information they had gathered. Sai Baba was

to them as real as their homes and their fields and their cattle and the

distant hills.Das Ganu once had an unforgettable experience. On

a festive occasion, he sought Baba's permission to go to a place called Singba

on the banks of the Godavari to have a bath in

the holy

waters. " No, " Baba replied resolutely, " where is the need to go

all the way when the Godavari is here right at

my feet? " Das Ganu was

vexed. He was willing to concede that Ganga the holy river (Baba frequently

referred to Godavari as Ganga) rose from the feet of Sri

Narayana (one among the Hindu trinity of Gods) himself, but his faith was not

deep enough to believe that the waters of the Godavari

 

could spring form the feet of his master, Sri Sai. Baba who was reading Das

Ganu's mind decided that this was the time to strengthen

Das Ganu's faith. He told his devotee: " come closer to me and hold the

hollow of your palms at my feet! " . As soon as he did so water

flowed freely out of the toes of the master's feet and filled the hollow of Das

Ganu's palms in no time. His joy knew no limits. He

sprinkled the water on his head and his body and distributed some more among

the assembled devotees as tirtha (holy water).

 

Other miracles

There was that other occasion when many thought that the masjid which housed

Sai Baba itself would be consumed by fire from the

flames which leapt up from the dhuni. All that Baba did was to take some swipes

at a wooden pillar in front of him. With every blow the

flames subsided and the fire died down. " Miraculous, " said his

devotees. Often they would notice him stirring some hot concotion over

the kitchen fire, not with a ladle but with his bare hands. There never was a

time when his hand was scalded. What supernatural powers

did he have? On yet another occasion, Sai Baba was partaking of food with three

of his devotees in the masjid when, without any cause

for provocation, he exclaimed- " Stop! " Then, as if nothing had

happened, the four continued with their meal. Lunch over and the dishes

cleared, they stepped out of the masjid, when large chunks of the ceiling fell

on the very spot where they had been seated only a few

minutes earlier. Did Sai Baba's powers extend even to inanimate matter, the

devotees wondered. Instances have been quoted by his

devotees as to how Sai Baba commanded the rains to stop and the winds to cease.

 

Understanding Sai Baba

Baba always maintained the " Dhuni " or the perpetual fire. The

realisation that all the phenomenons of the nature are perishable and

unworthy of our craving, is signified by " Udi " which Sal Baba

distributed to all. Baba never left Shirdi. He talked to people who came to

see Him. Sal Baba would often speak in symbols and parables leaving his

devotees to work out the answer - such as, " A man had a

beautiful horse, but no matter what he did, it would not run in harness. An

expert suggested that it should be taken back to the place

from where it had come. This was done and it become tracable and useful " .

The explanation of this story is that the horse is the Ego. As

commander of the physical and mental powers of man, it is useful but

self-willed and therefore cause endless trouble. Taking it back to

its source is re-absorbing it in the spirit source which it arises. It is the

return to the source which purifies and enlightens. From there

the ego issues forth again, no longer an ego, but a conscious agent of the

spirit. Baba would ask for Dakshina (money offered with

respect to the Guru) from some of those who came to see Him. This was not

because he needed their money. This was one of Baba's

methods for testing out the devotee's attachment to worldly things and

willingness to surrender his ego. Once one has surrendered

himself totally to Him, Baba takes care of all His spiritual and temporal

needs. Baba regarded money like everything else, in a

symbolical manner. He once said, " I ask only from those who the fakir

(God) points out and in exchange I give them ten times as

much " . By the end of the day, all the money Baba had earned was

distributed to the destitute, poor, sick and the needy. Baba used to

feed the fakirs and devotees and even cook for them. For those who were

accustomed to meat, he cooked meat and for the others

vegetarian fare.

 

The Dwarakamayee of Sai Baba was open to all, irrespective of caste, creed or

religion. Among those who came to see him and got his

darshan (establishing spiritual contact with the Guru) and blessings were

ministers, government officials, business people and village

folk. He was the common man's God. He Stayed with them, hejoked with them, He

slept and ate with them, he smoked a chillum (pipe)

with them, he sang and danced with them, having no pretensions of a God. But

all of them Knew that He protected them. Even today,

though He has left his gross body, they feel his presence and realise his worth

all the more. Baba would also refer to the sounding of the

drum of the beginning of eternity within the soul. This " anahat "

sound emerged from Baba's heart from every limb, every bone and

pore of his body. It was permeated with divine essence and Baba claimed that

though one day his physical body will not exist, his

remains will communicate with from the grave. Therefore, the most important

place in Shirdi is Baba's temple - the Samadhi Mandir is

his grave, which literally millions have visited and still continues to draw

many more.

Shirdi Sai Baba was one

who had crossed the barriers of caste and creed, and spoke the

universal language of love. Baba spent most of his time in a Masjid ( mosque)

and called it

Dwarkamai! (Mother Dwarka, the home of Lord Krishna) Mostly everyone who knows

Baba, is

aware that Baba came to Shirdi, accompanying Chand Patil, whose sister was to

be married to

a boy in Shirdi. What a lot of people may not know is that, Baba predicted

accurately, where

Chand Patil's lost mare was. Chand Patil watched in amazement, as Baba hit the

ground, and

out came a spurt of water. Sai thrust a pair of tongs into the ground, and drew

out a burning

ember.

 

Various were the miracles that Baba performed, but they were not performed to

impress. What

others would describe as miracles, came naturally to him. Baba lit lamps with

the aid of water

instead of oil, much to the delight of the local children. Dropping some leaves

with some

blessed food, into a dry well, Baba made the water in it, overflow, and the

celebration of the

birth of Sri Rama during Ramnaomi, was not cancelled. Baba lit a fire, that

until today burns

constantly, in Dwarkamai. The udi (ash), that comes out, is known to have cured

many

ailments.

 

When Baba was asked, what power the 'udi' possessed, he answered: 'The power of

faith! "

 

There are many miraculous and touching stories of the faith, of his devotees,

in the 'udi' that

Baba gave them. Baba would often say that he was one with all living creatures.

Thus, Baba

would continue, if one fed a beggar, dog, pig or even an insect, he (Baba)

would receive the

nourishment.

 

Baba taught that God is everything. He is perfect infinite and eternal. He is

the one who

creates, He is the One who protects and He is the One who destroys. He is all

pervasive. He

just Is. One must seek Him within Oneself and in every form of Creation. One

must only

develop the ability to recognize Him.

 

Baba said that One was not required to be very knowledgeable or highly

intellectual to

recognize the Lord. In fact, He said: " The simpler the mind, the easier it

is to find God. Entrust

your mind to the Guru. Let him be your guide on this journey. And you shall

find God. All you

need is Patience (Saburi) and Faith (Shraddha). It's simple really. "