always remember and meditate on the Lord who will manifest himself to you

[Guest guest]

……“That Anna Saheb Dabolkar's thoughts were changed thoroughly, may be

more amply set out in what follows. First when he went to Baba, he had just a

bit of devotion to Baba, and his main nature was still egoistic, combative and

was largely concerned with worldly ambitions. From 1910-16, his progress was

hardly noticeable. But in 1917, a change came and he himself sets it out in

chapter XVIII and XIX of his book, and therefore, we shall now proceed to refer

to them.

 

When he was shampooing Baba's legs, one Mr. Sathe had a problem and that was

mentioned to Baba. Sathe was directed by Baba to read Guru Charitra and he did

so for seven days. At the close of it Baba appeared in a dream vision to him

with the Guru Charitra in his hand. Kaka Dixit came and asked Baba whether he

would explain to Sathe what the appearance meant. He asked ‘Is he to go on

with a second saptaha or study of the Guru Charitra?’ Baba said, ‘Yes’.

Baba also said, ‘If the work be studied carefully, the devotee will become

pure and will be benefitted. The Lord will be pleased and will rescue him from

samsara’.

 

Hearing these words, Anna Dabolkar, Hemad Pant thought, ‘For the last seven

years since 1910 to 1917 I have been serving Baba and have never got a vision,

and this man, Mr. Sathe after a week’s stay at Shirdi gets his vision. Like a

chataka bird, 1 am waiting for Baba to pour his nectar on to me and bless me

with his instructions, this was his thought. Baba read his thought at once and

told him, ‘Go to Shama. Get from him Rs.15 dakshina, stay and chat with him

for a while and then come back’.

 

Accordingly, he went to Shama and asked for Rs. 15 dakshina. Shama, was a very

poor man and said, ‘I send my 15 namaskars’. Then Hemad Pant said, ‘I' am

asked to chat with you and listen to you’. Shama then began to tell him the

stories of Baba’ s lilas, and the foremost amongst them that he mentioned was

about Mrs. Radhabai Deshmukin. Shama said, ‘There was a lady, an old woman who

came to Baba and who had resolved to get Mantropadesha from Baba. Baba did not

give it.

 

She wanted to try satyagraha. She actually began to fast saying that she would

fast unto death at Shirdi unless Baba gave her upadesha. After three days of the

fast, 1 interceded on her behalf and requested Baba to take pity upon her and

give her something. So, Baba sent for her, and told her this, ‘Mother, why are

you subjecting yourself to unnecessary tortures and meeting death. You are my

mother and I am your child. Pity me. I will tell you my story. If you listen to

it, it will do you good.

 

I had a Guru. He was a very great saint and most merciful. I served him very

long indeed. Still he did not whisper any mantra into my ear. 1 was anxious

never to leave him but to stay with him and serve him and receive some

instruction from him. But he had his own method. He just got my head shaved and

asked me for two pice as dakshina. I gave the same at once. If you ask ‘how a

perfect Guru should ask for dakshina, and yet be called desireless’, I will

explain to you that what he asked for was not coins.

 

The first pice that he asked for was Nishta or firm faith and the second pice he

wanted was Saburi or patience or perseverance. These two I gave him and he was

pleased. I served my Guru for 12 years. He brought me up: There was no lack of

food or clothing. He was full of love. He was Love Incarnate. His love was

in¬describable. He loved me keenly. Rare is such a Guru. When I looked at him,

I was filled with bliss and he was in bliss. Night and day I gazed at him

without thinking of hunger and thirst. Without him, I felt restless. I had no

other subject to meditate on.

 

I had nothing but the Guru to attend to. He was my sole refuge. My mind was

always fixed on him. That fixture is the first pice nishta. The second pice,

Saburi, is my waiting patiently and very long on my Guru and serving him. This

Saburi will take you across samsara. Saburi is manliness in man. It removes all

sins and afflictions, gets rid of calamities in various ways, removes all fear

and ultimately gives you success. Saburi is a mine of virtues and is the consort

of good thought. Nishta and Saburi go together. My Guru never expected anything

else from me. But he never neglected me and always protected me. I lived with

him and sometimes away from him. Still I never felt the want or absence of his

love. He always protected me by his glance as a tortoise feeds its young ones.

Oh, mother, my Guru never taught me any mantra. How can I give you any?

 

Do not try to get mantra or upadesha from anybody. Make me the sole object of

your thought and actions, and you will undoubtedly attain Paramartha, the

spiritual goal of life. Look at me wholeheartedly, and I shall also do the same,

that is, look at you wholeheartedly. Sitting in this Masjid, I speak the truth

and nothing but the truth. No sadhanas and no proficiency in sastras is

necessary. Have faith and confidence in your Guru. Believe fully that the Guru

is the sole Actor or Doer. Blessed is he who knows the greatness of his Guru and

thinks him to be Hari, Hara and Brahma Trimurti Incarnate. Shama said, 'The lady

then accepted the advice’.

 

After hearing Shama, Anna Saheb went to the Masjid, and there he sat next to

Baba, and when the Arti was going on, Baba asked him whether he went to Shama

and asked for dakshina and had a chat. Dabolkar said, ‘Shama sent his 15

namaskars. In the chat, he gave an account of Mrs. Radhabai Deshmukin's

incident’. Baba asked, ‘What is it?’ Dabolkar narrated the whole story.

Then Baba said, ‘Wonderful is the story. Did the story strike you, and did you

catch its significance?' Anna Saheb said, ‘Yes. The restlessness of my mind

has vanished. I have got true peace and come to know the truth path’.

 

Then Baba said, ‘My method is quite unique. Remember well this one story, and

it will be very useful. To get knowledge or reali¬sation of the self, Dhyana is

necessary. If you practise it continuously, the Vrittis, thoughts, will be

pacified. Being quite desireless, you should meditate on the Lord who is in all

the creatures, and when the mind is concentrated, the goal will be achieved.

Meditate always on my formless nature, which is knowledge Incarnate,

Consciousness and Bliss.

 

If you cannot do this, meditate on my form from top to toe as you see here night

and day. As you go on doing this, your vrittis will be one-pointed and the

distinction between the Dhyata the meditator, Dhyana the act of meditation,

Dhyeya the thing meditated upon will be lost, and the meditator will be one with

the consciousness and be merged in Brahman.

 

The mother tortoise is on one bank of the river and her young ones are on the

other side. She gives neither milk nor warmth to them. The mere glance gives

them nutrition. The young ones do nothing but remember and meditate upon their

mother. The tortoise glance is, to the young ones, a downpour of nectar, the

only source of sustenance and happiness. Similar is the relation between the

Guru and His disciples. Baba gave him sugar candy and said, ‘If you take this

story to heart, remember it well, your state will be equally sweet. Your desires

will be fulfilled and you will be happy. Meditate ¬on the story, assimilate its

spirit, then you will always remember and meditate on the Lord who will manifest

himself to you.â€â€¦â€¦