WONDEROUS SAINT SRI SAIBABA-PART 23

BY PUJYA SRI NARASIMHASWAMY JI


SRI SAI BABA'S GIFT WITH TEARS
A CHILD PRODIGY

When applicants for Santan became numerous, Sri Sai Baba adopted a peculiar procedure in conferring this blessing. Every lady longing for issue brought with her an entire coconut and presented it to Baba. If Baba re-presented the coconut to her-and she would usually receive it in one end of her flowing upper cloth-she would beget a child in about a year's time. If the coconut was other wise disposed of, that would signify that a blessing was refused.
Mr. Santaram Balwant Nachne went with his wife to Baba about 1918. The children born till them of this wife died at a very tender age. In taking the coconut from lady and representing it to her, Baba showed strange agitation. His eyes brimmed with tears as he dropped the coconut into the end of her robe.

Yogi at Five :
In a year's time, she gave birth to a son. This was a matter for great rejoicing, though the joy was very much damped by the child being born under the constellation Moola , which forebodes evil to the parents. The mother died eighteen months thereafter. That might be one reason why Baba was shedding tears as he gave her the blessing. Anyhow the child (born after Baba's samadhi) was named Kalu Ram, and he proved an infant phenomenon. Before he was five, he would sit up in a corner during the stillness of the dawn, cover his face, and with eyeballs upturned, practise Yoga Samadhi. He would constantly repeat 'Ram Hari Ram' and write the same sacred name on slips of paper, and he did it a lakh of times or more. Worship of Sri Sai Baba's portrait at home with hymns (arati), etc., listening to holy works, e.g., Hari Vijaya, etc., were the other tasks he set himself to; and he would narrate how Sri Krishna appeared before him and played with him.

INSTRUCTIONS TO FATHER
Eminent people like Sri Gadge Baba came to see him. One day, he called his father and admonished him about the need for concentration on Baba. Taking up the well-known picture "His Master's Voice", Kalu Ram said;
Kalu: What is this?
S. B. Nachne : It is the advertisement of a phonograph.
Kalu : It is a special message of Krishna.
S. B. Nachne : What is the special message?
Kalu : What is the dog tearing?
S B. Nachne : The music played by the plate.
Kalu: The dog hears his Master's voice. See the dog-so steady from held to tail, listening so attentively! We must be equally firm and steady. See how it sit.
You also should sit liks this and listen, and then you will hear Baba's voice!
S. B. Nachne : How do you know Baba's voice?
Kalu : I know I will not tell you. Experience it yourself.

The Last Days :
In 1926, this prodigy passed away. Even though he had dropsy and fever he kept cheerful to the last. Taking a locket with Baba's picture from his breast, he gave it to his father saying that he had no more use for it, as he was going away. Later, he called for Jnaneswari (a very erudite commentary on Gita, found in many parts to be above the level of the ordinary graduate) and asked his father to read it. The father was choking with grief at the approaching end. Kalu, however, told him that none need grieve at such parting and asked him to read out the 13th chapter. The father could not. The son kept the book in front of himself. After doing arati to Baba and singing hymns, the boy passed away in peace. The slips he had written holy names, on Upasani Baba took away as a memento. Such early death for such a holy life roust have been foreseen by Sri Sai Baba and formed an additional reason for his tears.