BY PUJYA SRI NARASIMHASWAMY JI
Mrs. MANAGER'S REMINISCENCES
"We used to go and sit near Sri Sai Baba at his mosque. At the usual time, any one could go up and bow before him and sit there. On one occasion as I was seated at a short distance from Sri Sai Baba, there came a leper to the mosque, His disease was far advanced. He was stinking and he had little strength left In him, so that It was with much difficulty and very slowly he clambered up the three steps of the mosque, moved on to the Dhuni (fire) and then to Sri Sai Baba and placed his head on Baba's feet. It took much time for him to take his Dakshina, and I, feeling the stench from him intensely, hoped he would clear off. At last when he got down slowly carrying a small parcel wrapped up in a dirty cloth, I felt relief and said within myself , ''Thank God, he is off and at once Sai Baba darted a piercing glance at me, and I knew that he read my thought."
Fetched Back :
"Before the leper had gone far, Sri Sai Baba called out and sent some one to fetch him back. The man came. It was again the slow process of his clambering up, emitting foul stench all the time; and as the man bowed, Baba picked up that parcel saying, "What is this?" and opened it. It contained tome pedas and Baba took up a piece and gave it to me—to me alone of all present!—and asked me to eat it. What horror! To eat up a thing brought by the stinking leper; out it was Sri Sai Baba's order, and there was no option hut to obey. So I ate it up. Baba took another piece and himself swallowed it and then sent the man away with the remainder."
A Lesson in Fraternity :
"Why he was re-called and I alone was chosen to be the recipient of his peda, none then understood. But I knew fully well that Sri Sai Baba had read my heart and was teaching me valuable lessons e.g., in humility, fraternity, sympathy, endurance and trust in His Supreme wisdom rather than in my own notions of hygiene and sanitation for saving me from disease."
Mrs. Manager mentions the incident in her reminiscences of Sri Sai Baba. And though this was a somewhat unpleasant experience, he was all kindness, and she herself experienced it on numerous occasions.
Mysterious Orders :
Sometimes, Sri Sai Baba's mysterious orders seemed even cruel, and that was how she felt when the saint asked her husband to accompany two other devotees on a pleasure trip to Ahmednagar and Poona which, because he was poor and unemployed, he could ill afford. Moreover, he had just come from Poona and intended to stay for sometime at Shirdi. So he submitted to Baba that he had no business at Ahmednagar or Poona. But Baba's order was again peremptory and he gave no explanation.
A Strange Thing :
"My husband, feeling that there was no appeal, obeyed Baba's order and accompanied the party. At Ahmednagar, they went to the cinema, and my husband felt he had not gone for such thamashas to Baba. Then, they left for Poona with my husband. Here came up a strange thing. The day previous to their arrival, there was a strike of mill hands. The directors wanted a reliable and capable manager to meet the situation. They had thought of my husband and had sent a message for him to Bombay or other places where he was likely to be found. When they were in this plight my husband went there and at once they appointed him manager Here it was Baba's power ,for seeing what had happened or was to happen and how a chance of suitable appointment was available for my husband, and his kindness in sending my husband to be there at the nick of time to get the employment for which he had gone to Shirdi.
21 January 2009
20 January 2009
WONDEROUS SAINT SRI SAIBABA-PART 4
BY PUJYA SRI NARASIMHASWAMY JI
RAMA AND KRISHNA AS AVATARS
Very little is known of Sai Baba's early life; but he had told several of his devotees that his guru was a Brahmin, and even mentioned his name—states Prof. G.G.Narke,recalling his reminiscences of the great saint.
Once, as a result of a disputation between Prof. Narke and some fellow-devotees, a few pointed questions were put to Sai Baba:
Q:—Are the Puranas true?
A:—Yes; true.
Q:—What about Rama and Krishna?
A:—They were great souls; gods they were; Avatars.
Q:—This Narke will not admit all that; and he say you are not god.
A:—What he says is true. But I am your father and you should not speak like that. You have to get your benefit and everything from me.
In certain ecstatic moments, Sal Baba said "I am God'' , Main Allahhum , but his usual role was that of a devotee, entrusted with vast powers to carry out the wishes of God (the Fakir).
Determinism :
Sai Baba was bold in his dealings with persons and occasionally Infused faith in his devotees by even defiance of sanitary precautions. Prof. Narke has himself one such experience.
"Baba used to get sweetmeat for naivedya from one "H". One day in 1916, "H" lay a plague-stricken corpse. Plague was raging at Shirdi. Baba asked me to go and get the sweetmeat from ''H''s shop. I went and told the wife, who was weeping, of Baba's order. She pointed to the corpse and said I might take the sweetmeat from the almirah. I took it trembling with the fear that by this I might catch the infection and others too. That was given as naivedya. Baba told me, "Do you think you will live if you are away from Shirdi and that you would die if you stay at Shirdi? That is not so. Whosoever is to die will die; whosoever is to be caressed will be caressed."
Baba set the example of living amidst society and labouring. He ground grain into flour. He was not for ascetic desertion of society, nor for begging. Though he himself begged within limits, it was for a little food only; when he demanded dakshina that was for a number of reasons, chiefly for clearing rinanubanda. He wanted the general run of visitors to continue their grahasta lives and did not advocate Sanyas.
Sri Sai Baba's demand for dakshina was explained by him to a visitor. "Do I ask of every one? I demand only from those whom the Fakir (God) points out to me.He demanded only particular sums and would not accept anything more.
RAMA AND KRISHNA AS AVATARS
Very little is known of Sai Baba's early life; but he had told several of his devotees that his guru was a Brahmin, and even mentioned his name—states Prof. G.G.Narke,recalling his reminiscences of the great saint.
Once, as a result of a disputation between Prof. Narke and some fellow-devotees, a few pointed questions were put to Sai Baba:
Q:—Are the Puranas true?
A:—Yes; true.
Q:—What about Rama and Krishna?
A:—They were great souls; gods they were; Avatars.
Q:—This Narke will not admit all that; and he say you are not god.
A:—What he says is true. But I am your father and you should not speak like that. You have to get your benefit and everything from me.
In certain ecstatic moments, Sal Baba said "I am God'' , Main Allahhum , but his usual role was that of a devotee, entrusted with vast powers to carry out the wishes of God (the Fakir).
Determinism :
Sai Baba was bold in his dealings with persons and occasionally Infused faith in his devotees by even defiance of sanitary precautions. Prof. Narke has himself one such experience.
"Baba used to get sweetmeat for naivedya from one "H". One day in 1916, "H" lay a plague-stricken corpse. Plague was raging at Shirdi. Baba asked me to go and get the sweetmeat from ''H''s shop. I went and told the wife, who was weeping, of Baba's order. She pointed to the corpse and said I might take the sweetmeat from the almirah. I took it trembling with the fear that by this I might catch the infection and others too. That was given as naivedya. Baba told me, "Do you think you will live if you are away from Shirdi and that you would die if you stay at Shirdi? That is not so. Whosoever is to die will die; whosoever is to be caressed will be caressed."
Baba set the example of living amidst society and labouring. He ground grain into flour. He was not for ascetic desertion of society, nor for begging. Though he himself begged within limits, it was for a little food only; when he demanded dakshina that was for a number of reasons, chiefly for clearing rinanubanda. He wanted the general run of visitors to continue their grahasta lives and did not advocate Sanyas.
Sri Sai Baba's demand for dakshina was explained by him to a visitor. "Do I ask of every one? I demand only from those whom the Fakir (God) points out to me.He demanded only particular sums and would not accept anything more.
19 January 2009
WONDEROUS SAINT SRI SAIBABA-PART 3
BY PUJYA SRI NARASIMHASWAMY JI
SAINTS SEE MUCH FARTHER
WHEN FAVOURS ARE REFUSED :
The ways of saints are often mysterious. The favours they grant or sometimes perplexing as also their refusals; and it takes quite a long time for the votary to realise that they see much farther.
Prof. G. G. Narke mentions several incidents of that type in his statement on Sri Sai Baba.
Here is one :
"In 1914 or thereabouts a rich old gentleman of Harda came with a lady to Shirdi. He was suffering from T. B. consumption. During the space of one month there was noticeable improvement in his health. So he made Shirdi his residence. At the end of the second month, he grew worse and his end seemed to be approaching. One day the ladies of his house and their friends told me that his condition was critical and there was no senior male to go and ask Baba for help and some one to ask for the Udhi. I went up. Baba told me that the man would be better for quitting this earth. "What can the Udhi do? Anyhow take the Udhi and give it, as it is wanted . So I took and gave the Udhi but, of course , refrained from intimating Baba's words to any one ."
Saved from Pain :
"The condition grew worse. Then another of has relations arrived and went to Baba and told him of the imminent death. Baba appears to have said "How can he die? In the morning he will come to life," This was taken unto meaning that the old man would not quit his body. So they placed lamps all round the corpse and waited till noon. Life was not restored to the corpse. Funeral ceremonies followed. The Harda gentleman's relations thought that Baba had given them false hopes and went away from Shirdi. For three years they did not return to Shirdi".
"Then one day a relative of the deceased saw Baba in a dream, with, with the deceased's head over his own and Baba disclosed the lungs in rotten state, and said "From the torture of all this, I have saved him." Thereafter, he and his relations renewed their visits to Shirdi. Baba's words "How can he die? He will come to life'' , evidently referred to survival of human personality after death and taking up new forms of life in fresh bodies.
SAINTS SEE MUCH FARTHER
WHEN FAVOURS ARE REFUSED :
The ways of saints are often mysterious. The favours they grant or sometimes perplexing as also their refusals; and it takes quite a long time for the votary to realise that they see much farther.
Prof. G. G. Narke mentions several incidents of that type in his statement on Sri Sai Baba.
Here is one :
"In 1914 or thereabouts a rich old gentleman of Harda came with a lady to Shirdi. He was suffering from T. B. consumption. During the space of one month there was noticeable improvement in his health. So he made Shirdi his residence. At the end of the second month, he grew worse and his end seemed to be approaching. One day the ladies of his house and their friends told me that his condition was critical and there was no senior male to go and ask Baba for help and some one to ask for the Udhi. I went up. Baba told me that the man would be better for quitting this earth. "What can the Udhi do? Anyhow take the Udhi and give it, as it is wanted . So I took and gave the Udhi but, of course , refrained from intimating Baba's words to any one ."
Saved from Pain :
"The condition grew worse. Then another of has relations arrived and went to Baba and told him of the imminent death. Baba appears to have said "How can he die? In the morning he will come to life," This was taken unto meaning that the old man would not quit his body. So they placed lamps all round the corpse and waited till noon. Life was not restored to the corpse. Funeral ceremonies followed. The Harda gentleman's relations thought that Baba had given them false hopes and went away from Shirdi. For three years they did not return to Shirdi".
"Then one day a relative of the deceased saw Baba in a dream, with, with the deceased's head over his own and Baba disclosed the lungs in rotten state, and said "From the torture of all this, I have saved him." Thereafter, he and his relations renewed their visits to Shirdi. Baba's words "How can he die? He will come to life'' , evidently referred to survival of human personality after death and taking up new forms of life in fresh bodies.
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