“We shall now point out

[Guest guest]

……“We shall now point out, after careful study and obser¬vation the first

prominent flower or fruit that the Sai tree Kalpataru produced, ignoring for the

present the earlier petty pioneers like Gopal Rao Gundu, Revenue Inspector. That

first flower of fruit is Narayan Govind Chandorkar. He may be termed

appropriately the first apostle or Saint Peter of Baba. We shall see how Baba

sent for him. Sri N.G. Chandorkar was Personal Assistant to the Collector of

Ahmedanagar, and was camping at Kopergaon for jamabandi that is Land Revenue

Settlement work. All karnams of the taluk had to attend at the Jamabandi, and

the Shirdi karnam also had to attend. No one left Shirdi without permission of

Baba, as the experience of everyone was that by leaving with Baba's permission

he was safe, and leaving without permission he ran into many dangers. So the

Shirdi karnam, Appa Kulkarni, went to Baba and asked him leave to go to

Kopergaon for jamabandi work, as the

Personal Assistant to the Collector, Narayan Govind Chandorkar was there.

 

Baba gave him leave, and added, 'Tell your Nana to come here'. Nana is the

contracted form of Narayan which can be used only by equals moving on intimate

terms. Appa Kulkarni was astounded at the message. He considered that he was too

insignificant a person, and that Baba also though a Weird Being of the village

was too insignificant to invite the Deputy Collector, a high Gazetted Officer of

the Government. But Baba insisted and told him that he might inform the Deputy

Collector that it was Baba who invited him. With great diffi¬dence the karnam

at the close of the day approached the Deputy Collector and told him that Sai

Baba, a fakir of Shirdi, invited him to come to Shirdi. Chandorkar was

astounded. He thought that it could not possibly be, and told the karnam that he

was a stranger to the fakir and the fakir was a stranger to him, and that he,

the karnam, must have some purpose of his own to invite him to his village.

Inspite of the karnam's

protests, Chandorkar would not believe him and sent him away. When the karnam

reported his failure to Baba, Baba repeated the invitation, and again the karnam

with considerable diffidence approached the Deputy Collector the second day and

repeated the invitation. The second invitation had the same fate and for the

same reasons as the first. That again was reported to Baba, and like the

Prophetess Sibyl of Rome, Baba tried a third time and with success. Baba pressed

the hesitating karnam to repeat the invitation for the third time. This time the

invitation had effect. Nana Chandorkar thought that there must be something in

it, and so he told the karnam that he would visit Shirdi but not immediately.

Chandorkar did keep his promise. Sometime after going to Ahmednagar, he did go

and pay a visit to Shirdi. After making a present of sugar candy and almond with

some reverence to Baba, Chandorkar asked Baba whether it was true that he sent

for him, and when

that was admitted, why had he sent for him. Baba said, ‘'There are thousands

of persons in this world, and do I send for them all? Should there not be some

special reason why you alone should be sent for?’ Chandorkar said that he was

unable to see any special reason. Then Baba made the solemn statement, ‘You

and I have been connected with each other in four former births. I now invite

you to come and again have your contact. When leisure serves, you may come’.

Chandorkar was surprised by this statement, and in any case was not fully

impressed. He left the place with the impression that he need not return to

Shirdi. But he did come, details of which are found elsewhere and began his

grand work of carrying on propaganda for Baba. With that, Baba's mission and

life, and personality enter a new stage.â€â€¦â€¦