FROM LIFE OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

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FROM " LIFE OF SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA " BY NARASIMHA SWAMI

 

He was once asked by a Prarthana Samajist, 'Shall I ask you a question? 'Yes',

said Baba. The Prarthana Samajist asked, 'Do you look upon all people equally?'

Then Baba said, 'Yes, I look upon all equally'. It requires some sense to ask a

question. The point is that Baba had several persons to whom he showed great

consideration, for example Nana Chandorkar, Tatya Patil, M.B. Rege and others

just as Sri Krishna showed special affection for Arjuna. Baba distinctly stated

that he was anxious to help Chandorkar, Patil and Rege, and did actually help

them. Yet, Baba has said that he is impartial and does not prefer one to

another. What is the explanation? The same as in Sri Krishnas case. If anyone

has previously been loving Baba and getting attached to him with repeated

efforts, the natural law of psychology and of ethics makes Baba respond to him

more vigorously and constantly than to others. Thus he seems to favour those

persons who have been constantly drawn to him in the past. Nana Chandorkar had

been his sishya for four janmas, and the affection of four janmas cannot go for

nothing. That is why he sends for Chandorkar when he has not sent for any one

else in the world. Similarly he takes the naivedya of Mrs. Khaparde first

without touching any of the previously offered ones, because for several janmas,

one after another, she has been anxiously and lovingly taking up naivedyas and

giving milk and food to him. Baba said, the food she gives me is sweet, with her

love. Similarly towards Tatya Patil, Baba showed considerable concern, and

helped him to get a large income on which income-tax was levied. He was well

known to be the pet of Baba. The reason was what Baba himself gave out and what

everybody knew. Tatya Patils parents were greatly attached to Baba from the very

beginning of Babas visit to Shirdi when he had made no name and exhibited no

powers. Tatya Patils mother would run into the jungles taking food in her hand

to feed Baba, a self-forgetful fakir, who did not care for his food. She was

looking after Baba with so much love even in this janma. Babas nature like

Bhismas nature had gratitude as its bedrock, and he could never forget such

ardent and loving service. He also explained that Tatyas mother was his sister

in several previous janmas, and she was always feeding him. Therefore, Tatya,

being a son of his sister of so many janmas, was expressly called by Baba his

nephew, and Tatya always called Baba his Mama, that is, maternal uncle. The

effects of so many janmas cannot be forgotten or brushed aside, and that is why

Baba paid so much attention to Tatya. Tatyas own conduct towards Baba was also

one of great surrender and attachment. Tatya used to sleep in the Mosque along

with Baba and Mahlsapathy for many years, that is as long as he was a bachelor,

and Baba used to attend to his body and soul. Baba would massage his legs, make

passes over his head and see that he did not come to grief. Tatya was a person

of no education, and would ordinarily get easily ruined in the countryside. But

Babas company kept him up to a pretty high mark of culture and morality, and

thus saved him from spiritual and moral shipwreck. There were also factions in

the village, and bickerings of various sorts were common. Baba occasionally

helped Tatya even in those bickerings where he had sufficient reason. He would

help him even with chamatkars, that is super normal powers. Some men of Tatyas

faction like Raghu were charged before the Kopergaon Magistrate for outraging

the modesty of a Marwadi woman. On the evidence of six eye witnesses, Raghu and

his set were all sentenced to imprisonment. This was the result of faction. The

case was not true. When Raghu was crying in the Ahmednagar Jail, Baba appeared

to him in a dream and told him that he would be released quickly. Tatya took up

the appeal papers first to some lawyers in Ahmednagar who thought that the case

was too strong to have any success in appeal. But when the papers were taken to

Baba, Baba ordered the papers to be taken to Bhav, S.B. Dhumal, Pleader of

Nasik, to be presented by him with an appeal memo before the Ahmednagar District

Magistrate. Baba by a wonderful chamatkar gripped the mind of the District

Magistrate and made him acquit Tatya’s whole set of men, Raghu and others

without sending for the papers or reading the judgment or the appeal memo, or

issuing notice to the respondent. This might be considered to be a very strong

piece of evidence showing Babas love of Tatya leading to the disregard of Law.

That is true. But still, if Baba secured justice without caring for and

observing the formalities in a special case, there seems to be nothing wrong in

it, for in the annals of civilian trials, there may be several extraordinary

instances showing disregard of laws of evidence and procedure. Coming back to

the question of Baba's love for his devotees, his love for Rege was the return

of a powerful love by the young Rege to him. In Reges vision, Sri Narayana

appeared and pointed out the figure of Baba to him as his Guru. In a vision Baba

had told Rege that he was bound to him and that he Rege, need now bow to Him. On

the first day of Reges visit at Shirdi, Baba appeared to give Rege a rebuff, but

told him in the afternoon that Rege was his child, and embraced him. He loved

Rege and encouraged Rege, because Rege's bhava was Putra, that is, the child of

Baba. Baba offered to give any promotion that Rege wanted or anything else that

he wanted. But Rege wanted only that janma after janma, Baba should be with him.

He cared for nothing else. That is the proof of his strong affection. Allam

bhakta Paradenah that is, I am subjugated by the love of my devotee is a

statement not merely of Narayana but also of Sai.

 

Baba also said, If one ever dwells on me in his mind and will not even taste

food before offering it to me, I am his slave. So also if he hungers and thirsts

after me, and treats all else as unimportant. I am bhaktaparadheena the bond

slave of my devotee. I love devotion.