DEVOTEE'S EXPERIENCE By Dr. G. H. Gidwani

[Guest guest]

DEVOTEE'S EXPERIENCE

 

Following is the reproduction of a letter sent to Heritage of Shirdi Sai by a

devotee. Sai becomes an indelible and physical part of His devotees lives and

manifests His presence in many ways. We attempt to share some such experiences

with other readers who are welcome to send us their contributions.

 

Dear Mrs. Swamy Mahadevan

 

I am relating to you an amazing incident that Dr. K.B. Gawankar, an allopathic

medical practitioner who practised on Kurla Ghatkopar Road in Kurla Mumbai,

during the Sixties, told me personally. At that time he was about 60 years old.

 

He said that in 1913 or so (I do not remember the exact year he mentioned) when

he was very young, a child of about 10 or 12, he fell sick due to lung abscess.

In those days there were no antibiotics and his condition was not good. It was

during this time that his uncle visited him and seeing that his condition was

serious, he vowed that he would offer 5 kgs. of ‘pedas'’ if Sai Baba saved

his nephew. Next day the abscess burst and he was on the road to recovery. By

six months or so, he was alright.

 

Of course his uncle remembered his vow and as promised he took his child along

with 5 kgs. of 'pedas' after about 5 years to Sai Baba in Shirdi. On seeing them

Sai Baba demanded his 'pedas' saying he was very hungry and had waited for 5

years for them. He at once started eating leaving only a few pedas in the hand

of the child, asking him to make a gesture of giving, by bringing all his

fingers together and putting them on the palm of Sai Baba who closed His hand

and put it in His pocket. With the same hand He touched head and blessed him and

said that He (Sai Baba) would always be with him wherever he goes.

 

It was this very child who grew up to be Dr. Gawankar, a happy contented

person, exalted to the position of being the Head of Shirdi Sai Baba Trust. Soon

he became unhappy with the working of the Trust and prayed to Sai Baba to help

him. It is true that he resigned from the post when at one stage of his life he

saw Sai Baba (who had given up His mortal remains by then) in his dream. He

seemed to tell him to give up the position of being the Head. This happened

before the government took over. All this was related to me by Dr. Gawankar

himself.

 

Dr. Gawankar had shown me Sai Baba's Kaftan, pipe and also a photograph. It

seemed a photographer who claimed to be perfect, wanted to take the photograph

of Sai Baba but the Holy Man did not want it, saying that He could photograph

His feet only. When the camera clicked, it turned out that only His feet, body

and umbrella were clear but His face was hazy. Behind the hazy face also saw a

hazy wall. Dr. Gawankar said he was present when the photograph was taken.

 

My first visit to Shirdi was in the company of Dr. Gawankar. In Bombay, during

Dussehera festival, this devotee used to arrange a function where classical

singers of repute gave wonderful performances. My wife and I attended these

functions regularly till the day we were transferred to Delhi in 1975.

 

I met Dr. Gawankar again in Delhi in 1980 and he related many incidents in

which Sai Baba, even after He left His mortal remains, helped him.

 

However, it is true that Sai Baba comes to the rescue of His many followers who

are in dire need of His help and have witnessed His miracles. Yet this divine

power of being able to help, as once mentioned by Him, comes by dint of hard

work, prayer, mediation, trials, tribulations and austere life. It is God

Almighty who bestows this divine power. It is said that Sai Baba once said that

no one has asked Him how He gained Sidhi (Divine power) and how can they get it?

There are people who ask for mundane things of life, for example lucky lottery

tickets or names of winning horses during the horse race season, while others

want redress for genuine sorrow and tragedies of life, but no one to this day

knows and neither has any one asked Him how He achieved this divine grace. All

are anxious to get what they are in dire need of, such is human nature.

 

God Almighty sends His chosen ones to the Earth rarely. These holy men lead

humanity to the righteous path and perhaps to salvation. So far there is no

successor to Shirdi Sai Baba, even though thousands visit the place every day,

as was predicted by Sai Baba that many would do so. Who knows Mr. Satpathy may

be chosen by the Almighty to help his fellowmen in life here on Earth.

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

Dr. G. H. Gidwani