WONDEROUS SAINT SRI SAIBABA-PART 32

BY PUJYA SRI NARASIMHASWAMY JI

AS IF TO STRIKE BUT REALLY TO BLISS
SRI SAI BABA'S WAY

There was often at times a certain mystery and dignity about Sri Sai Baba's direction or order when he favoured his devotees. He would not condescend to explain or give reasons. What was a real and great favour came with the harsh appearance of heartless cruelty. Thus when Mr. Manager of Poona had lost his employment and went to Shirdi in the hope that Baba would help him to get employed, Baba ordered him, at once, to start back to Poona via Ahmednagar, with Tatya Patel and others who were going there for fun and no business of their own. Mr. Manager's plea that he had no business at Ahmednagar or Poona was unheeded. But the benefit of implicit obedience to Baba's order was immediately felt. When he reached Poona, there was a strike of mill hands and the Directors were waiting for him, to take charge of the Managership. Baba lifts his hand as though to strike, but the uplifted hand showers blessings.

The Dakshina :
Once D. H. Lele, Inspector of Land Records, Nasik was going to Shirdi to see Baba. En route, at Kopergaon, he visited the Library and saw from the Official Gazette that he had been promoted from Rs. 125 to Rs. 150. When he reached Shirdi and bowed at Baba's feet, the latter asked him for Rs. 15 Mr. Lele pleaded that he had not so much money with him. Baba retorted "It is only yesterday, I gave you Rs. 25. Go and fetch fifteen". The money was then borrowed from Mr. H. V. Sathe (to whom the facts were narrated) and paid to Baba.
Mr. Somnath Shankar Deshpande Nimonkar, Inspector of Police, Poona says that when he was a Sub-Inspector at Kopergaon, he visited Baba at Shirdi and the latter asked for a dakshina of Rs. 10. That was paid and it then seemed to have no particular significance. But about 6 months later, be got an order for increasing his salary by Rs. 10 from the date of his paying that dakshina.