‘Rajaram, Rajaram’

[Guest guest]

……“Baba gave advice to Chandorkar as to how to behave

in society. Baba himself behaved excellently in

respect of every relation in society. What are the

ties of Baba and what were the ties also of Baba in

previous janmas, and what would be his ties in future?

Baba recognised in his accounts of previous births and

of the present one that he had parents, and that he

had to help and support his mother or his father, and

his brothers and sisters. He recognised that sisters

of his former janmas gave him support, and took birth

in this janma again to continue the support.

 

Tatya Patil’s mother, Bayaji Bai, was a sister of his

previous birth and by that strong tie she took immense

pains to see him fed, especially in his young nomadic

days at Shirdi, when he used to wander into the

jungles not caring for food. She would run into those

jungles and feed him wherever he might be. From the

beginning of his life, this sister made it certain

that he would have his food and not starve. For such a

provision one must be indeed highly grateful, and Baba

was grateful.

 

Baba could never forget even the slightest offices

done to him. On one occasion when he climbed up a

house and wanted to descend, and a ladder was brought

to him, he paid Rs.2/- to the man who brought the

ladder, saying that services should not be accepted

gratis.

 

Similarly when a Muslim applicant for dynamite, who

had been twice improperly refused licence by the

Collector, came to Baba for his intercession, Baba

told Chandorkar that he (Chandorkar) must help that

applicant with a license for dynamite for deepening

his well. Baba said, ‘This time let him present the

application to the Collector, and the Collector will

grant the license’. Baba added, ‘This man has left a

box with us, and it is not proper for us to say ‘no’,

when he asks for its return’. Chandorkar explained

that statement to mean that applicant had done in a

former birth some good service to Baba or to him

(Chandorkar) or to both, and out of gratitude; he must

be helped on this occasion.

 

When Baba was so full of gratitude even for such

slight services, he would be the last person to forget

a lifelong support for feed, etc, such as Bayyaji Bai

gave him. He never forgot it. In addition to that, her

son Tatya Patil was attending upon him at the mosque

and spent his nights for many long years with Baba,

serving Baba and sleeping with Baba. Baba, remembering

all that, was very affectionate towards Tatya.

 

Tatya would call Baba 'Mama', that is maternal uncle,

and Baba would refer to Tatya as 'Puthna' or nephew.

Baba would not get up from his bed till Tatya came up

and lifted him and lit up his pipe for him to smoke.

He was watching over all devotees no doubt, but

especially over Tatya, and he gave him frequent advice

based upon his own superior knowledge. When there was

the danger of his valuable horse getting damaged by a

journey, Baba warned him. Tatya did not mind the

warning and went on the journey, and nearly lost his

horse.

 

Similarly on other occasions Baba gave him the use of

his Antarjnana or supersensual knowledge. But what

people mostly judge by is the extent to which one

gives them worldly goods. Baba gave plenty of the

world's goods to Tatya. During the last ten years when

Baba was getting a Provincial Governor's income, Tatya

was daily paid a fixed sum on which income tax was

levied. With his funds, Tatya was able to build three

storeyed houses for himself and purchase lands also.

He grew rich and respectable, and was looked up to as

a person who was the pet of Baba. It is even said that

in 1918 when Baba said that Tatya would die, Tatya was

saved. Some people believe that Baba gave up his own

life in order to save Tatya's life. A dictum in Srimad

Bhagavata is

 

Gururnasasyat svajano na sasyat,

Na mochayet yah samupeta mrityum

 

This means, ‘If one does not save the life of a person

in peril of death, he is unfit to be called a Guru,

kinsman, etc'. Baba has said that he would sacrifice

his own life for his bhaktas who concentrate their

affection on him. This certainly applied to Tatya.

Baba's concern for Tatya Patil's family did not stop

with mere provision of funds. Unfortunately, amongst

the Patils' families, all of whom were devoted to

Baba, there were divisions and factions. Baba was

watching over them. On one occasion in the Mosque, he

suddenly said, “Don't beat, don't beat”.

 

When G.S. Khaparde's son asked Baba why he said so,

Baba explained that in the quarrels between the Patils

there was imminent danger of clash, and to prevent it

he said, “Don't beat, don't beat”. That is how Baba

has been safeguarding and helping Tatya and his

people. He helped Tatya (by a chamatkar) in his

criminal appeal against the conviction and sentence of

Raghu and others. In so many other ways also, Baba has

helped Tatya. So it is clear that Baba recognised the

bonds of kinship with Tatya as binding on him, and

exercised all his powers for his benefit.

 

He has rendered similar help to a number of others.

These ties of kinship are called ‘Rinanubandha’. Baba

has stated that Rinanubandha has to be respected. That

‘rina’ may be due to kinship in past births or in the

present. Baba stated his kinship to Kondaji, G.S.

Khaparde, and others. He recognises Guru bandhutva,

that is, being under the same master, as a powerful

bond or tie or rina. Once, he said that Dada Kelkar,

G.S. Khaparde, Bapu Saheb Jog, H.S. Dixit, Shama and

he (Baba) were all under one common Guru in a previous

birth, as Guru bandhus, and, therefore, he had brought

them together in this life so that they might renew

their contact. He helped each of the above in a very

remarkable degree, as set out fully in other chapters

of this book.

 

To Upasani also he revealed the fact that the

ancestors of Baba and Upasani were for centuries

closely connected, and in consequence Baba was under a

very heavy obligation to help Upasani, to lever him

up, so to speak, Baba said to Balakrishna Sastri

(Upasani Baba's brother) 'There was a tree or a log of

wood. There were two on it, evidently one at each and,

and by pressing oneself down, the other would be

levered up'. Baba said, 'One of these went down and

the other went up'. Sri Upasani Baba explained this to

mean that it was something like see-saw and that Baba

had levered up Sri Upasani in this way. That is, by

his powers he had raised the spiritual level and the

happiness of Upasani Baba vesting him also with

considerable psychic power or siddhi.

 

Baba recognised even playmates and said he found at a

particular tomb that a girl who had been a playmate of

his was dead and buried in a tomb, and he found her

haunting that tomb. So, he went there and remained

there a little while, and afterwards took her with him

and brought her to a Babul tree (at Shirdi) and kept

her there, evidently for further spiritual elevation

of her soul.

 

Baba recognised his rinanubandha even to animals in

the present or past. Mrs. G.S. Khaparde was once a cow

that gave him plenty of milk, and on account of that

rinanubandha, she, after becoming human and the

daughter of a gardener, was levered up into a

Kshatriya family, a rich Vaisya family, and finally a

Brahmin family. In all her janmas she renewed her

conatact with Baba and gave him food. Baba in his turn

helped her, and in this janma Baba gave her ‘Rama

Mantra’. He not only massaged her, but asked her to

repeat ‘Rajaram, Rajaram’, as that would ensure her

Sadgati.”……