AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI-PART 6

EXCERPTS INHERITED FROM THE BOOK ,"AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI",
COMPILED BY : SAI BHAKT VINNY,
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Leela 14

"In the Wada there are many thieves fasten the doors and be alert for they will rob you of all your belongings and attack you fiercely. Property is never permanent, as for the body, it is for ever transient knowing that death is near, conduct yourself according to Dharma," said Baba to Vijayanand Swamy (Sai Satcharitra Ch.31). Baba knew that he was going to die and alerted him to do the right thing by reading the Holy Scriptures.

Appa Kulkarni:
He said the same to Appa Kulkarni, who did not understand His words. "Thieves will come and fight with you. They are very clever in selecting persons, and will take away only what they want. Beware!" But Appa took trouble to safeguard his property. At that time, there was an epidemic of cholera in Shirdi. One night, Appa had incessant vomiting and diarrhoea and suf­fered from cholera. Soon, his body became cold, clammy and pulseless. Seeing his condition, Appa Kulkarni his wife ran to Baba and begged for Udi and blessings to save her husband. Baba calmly replied, "Do not grieve. Death awaits all those who are born. Birth and death are acts of the almighty. No one lives or dies here. If you look at the phenomenon of life with the eyes of wisdom, you will realize that you are no different. When the clothes become old and fade, you throw them away. In the same way, the soul, which is immortal, casts off the worn out body. Do not stop him from going. Let him leave as he has reached his life's goal. He will go to heaven. He is right now changing his clothes before Me."

Then, his wife returned home, weeping, but com­forted by Baba's words. Appa died soon after. The vil­lagers were frightened, lest cholera spread in epidemic proportions. They came to Baba and begged him to stop the epidemic. Baba said, "Only seven will die of chol­era." After seven people succumbed to it, the disease abated.

Leela 15

Nulkar:
Tatyasaheb Nulkar was a sub-judge at Pandharpur. He was well versed in the Shastras and Vedas. He was a skeptic and thought it was not necessary for him to have a Guru. Once he had severe pain in his eyes during his visit to Jalgaon. As his brother was a doctor, he thought that he could readily get treatment from him. There he real­ized that Gurupurnima was three days away. So, without any remedy, he set out to Shirdi. Upon arriv­ing at Shirdi, he lay down in Sathe Wada for a while, before going for Baba's darshan. Inspite of the tormenting pain, he went to Dwarkamai for Baba's darshan. Baba in his characteristic way said, "Shamya, my eyes are giving me great deal of trouble and I am suffering too much pain". The moment He uttered those words the pain in Nulkar's eyes ceased.

Nulkar stayed in Shirdi till his death. During the time of his death, Baba sent His Udi and Tirth to him thereby giving him Sadgati.

Leela 16

Moreshwar Pradhan:
Moreshwar Pradhan and his wife Chottubai loved Baba from the bottom of their hearts. Baba likewise reciprocated. He looked after their welfare in every way. Once all the children had chickenpox and subsequently they all recovered except the youngest, who was also the weakest. Then the illness took a serious turn. The doctors also gave up hope of child's recovery. The child turned pale and signs of collapse appeared on the child's face. The parents tended to the child lovingly, but with a heart full of sorrow. They chanted Baba's name con­tinuously. Chottubai suddenly fell asleep, only to see Baba before her. Baba said, "What is all this? The child is all right and safe. He will ask for something to eat at 6.30A.M. Do give him whatever he wants without fear." Chottubai woke up and looked at her child who seemed to have re­covered at that very moment, and was sound asleep. Exactly at 6.30 A.M. the child asked to be fed. The mother joyously gave him all that he wanted. The child Moreshwar Pradhan fully recovered in a few days.

Leela 17

Baba , Lakshmibai and Janabai were grinding wheat with the hand mill, when a lady from Bombay entered Dwarkamai. She sat beside them, and asked Baba if she too could grind the wheat. Baba said that she would get tired. Nonetheless, she was eager to grind as much as was possible. Baba asked Lakshmibai to let her grind the wheat. The lady was full of questions, and was ea­ger to get answers from Baba. She started asking Baba, why the wheat was ground? Why He threw it at the village boundary?

Baba said, "Akkabai Maaribai, Marriamma (i.e. dieties of cholera and smallpox) want to enter the village so I feed them on the other side of this village and prevent them from entering Shirdi. As they are propitiated, they do not enter Shirdi. Thus, I save My devotees."

Then she asked whether there was 'Jari', 'Mari' (durdevatha=evil forces). Baba said, "Yes, there ex­ists durdevatha; but they will not do any thing to us." She said that some people are dying because of durdevatha. To this, Baba said, "Durdevatha was scold­ing Me and insisting that she be allowed to enter this village so I requested the Almighty to give her the al­lotted person."

"Are there evil spirits, Baba? When I was in Naigaon, in Bombay, an evil spirit would come from the side of the well and go to the room upstairs and disappear." The Omnipresent, Omniscient, Baba re­plied, "Yes. But they will not do anything to harm us." Then Baba told her that the spirit she saw, was that of the owner of the house. "He comes and goes upstairs and disappears where you delivered".

The lady was astonished to hear all these facts and asked Baba how He knew them. "I know you from child­hood, you have forgotten Me, but I do not forget. I call all My children to Me even if they are thousands of miles away. I look after all equally, be they good or bad." After a while she felt tired and asked Lakshmibai to resume the grind­ing. The lady returned to Bombay unafraid and assured of Baba's love and protection for her and her family.

Sai Satcharitra Ch.1 describes the leela of Baba grinding wheat. "Go at once, to the village boundary and throw all the flour at the side of the brook there!" said Baba to the four women. Thus , Baba prevented Cholera from invading Shirdi.