AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI-PART 7

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

Leela 18

In 1917, during Vaishakh month a doctor, his wife and son came to Shirdi. He hoped that Baba would drive away the evil spirit that tormented his son. In the Dwarkamai, the doctor thought that Baba's grinding of wheat and throwing it at the outskirts was futile and just a superstition. Baba reading his thoughts asked him to come at 3.00 P.M. Exactly at 3.00 P.M. he and his family went to Dwarakamai. The doctor and his son sat and started massaging Baba's legs upon Baba's orders. Just then, an ugly, devilish looking lady came and grabbed his son, wanting to take him away. Baba, undaunted, gave her a blow with His satka. She fled, crying loudly. Baba then said, "She came to eat your son. She was deprived of her ration. I did not throw the flour at the outskirts today, as you thought it was unwanted. But I drove her away with My satka. Now she will not torment your son". The father and the son were filled with awe at Baba's Antarjnan and kindness. Then Baba gave them permission to go on the next day.

Leela 19

In the Sai Satcharitra, Ch.29, the Leela of the ava­ricious Bhajan Mandali from Madras is given. Some of the details like their names, address, and other par­ticulars are missing. The Leela given below elaborates upon it.

He was called Bhau Swamy because his Guru was Ram Bhau of south Kanara. This Govinda Swamy worked in Madras Electric Tramways. He and his fam­ily went on an all India pilgrimage in 1915. They vis­ited Shirdi on 23.8.1915. They sang beautifully and did bhajans daily. Baba gave them Rs.2/- and two ru­pees worth of burfi. The burfi he sold for one rupee and twelve annas. All these details he wrote in his di­ary daily.

One day, he had a dream vision of Baba (which is elaborated beautifully in the Sai Satcharitra). After this revealing vision, the greedy skeptic became an ardent devotee. Dr. Pillai asked him to write his dream, which he did, and handed it over to him. Knowing of Radhakrishna Mai's love for bhajans, he performed bhajans in her home too. She gave him a Marathi book containing the life of Baba, which he treasured.

His wife Adilakshmiamal was given sakshatkar (vi­sion) of Sri Ram at noon Arati while the rest of the Mandali saw Baba sitting in his usual place. Filled with joy, she decided to make prasad of Bhaaji and Payasam for Baba. On 30/08/1915, while preparing it, she fer­vently prayed to Baba to accept it, as she had prepared it with all her love and devotion. Eagerly she took it to Dwarakamai and handed it over. To her utter conster­nation, the lady (Durga Bai) placed it last in the rows of Prasad offerings. Baba however, slowly moved to the back, and opening her dish, devoured the whole of it with great relish. This touched the lady to the bot­tom of her heart further strengthening her devotion in Baba.

AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI-PART 6

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

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.

AMBROSIA IN SHIRDI-PART 5

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


Leela 9

"Give up all anxiety. The moment you put your foot in Shirdi, your sufferings have ended. You may sink neck deep in the sea of obstacles, you may have sunk deep into the pit of sorrow and suffering, but know that he who climbs the steps of this Mosque will enjoy the greatest happiness. The Fakir of this place is very kind, He will eradicate your disease and pain. He who has compassion for all, will look after you very lovingly," said Baba to Bhimaji Patil of Narayangaon when he was suffering from pulmonary T.B. (Sai Satcharitra Ch.13).

In Thajanpur Chebedi near Sinnar, Nasik district lived Lakshman Baji Avare. In 1910 he suffered from terrible pain in both his eyes. The eyes watered con­stantly, and finally he lost his sight and became blind. All sorts of remedies and medicines were tried but of no avail. A friend of the family advised them to go to Shirdi. Have Baba's darshan, and assured them of a permanent cure. One Thursday they came to Shirdi and had Baba's darshan. Baba looked at Lakshman kindly and said "Allah Achchha Karega" (Allah will do good) and gave them Udi. They returned home, when they noticed that the watering and pain had subsided. So they made weekly trips to Shirdi every Thursday, and took Baba's darshan for six months.

The villagers advised the mother to take her son to JJ. Hospital, Bombay for treatment. On the day of their departure to Bombay, Lakshman had a burning sensa­tion all over his body. Regardless, he left for Bombay.

There a British ophthalmologist (eye doctor) examined him and told him that he would not regain sight as the eyes were badly damaged.

With a heavy heart they returned to their village. Lakshman however, determined that whether he recov­ered his sight or not he would stay in Shirdi at Baba's side. The family came and stayed in Shirdi for some time, then the mother returned to her village leaving her son behind. Lakshman had intense faith in Baba. Every morning, he washed his eyes with the water that Baba used to wash His face with. This he did for one month when suddenly, his sight got restored, but not fully. One evening he took Baba's darshan in the Chavadi. Baba gently clapped His hands on Lakshman's chest and Lo! He could see clearly again. So over­whelmed with gratitude was he, that he stayed on in Shirdi till Baba's Mahasamadhi.

Radhakrishna Mai asked Lakshman to pump water from the well (now in Saran Jame Baug) and do all the work that she ordered. This seva he willingly did as a token of gratitude for his recovery.

Leela 10

From 1913 to 1915, Swami Sharan Anand saw a blind man in Shirdi. He was doing Hari Kirtan, and kept beat with his cymbals. In 1942 or 1943 he saw the same man reciting chapters of Shrimad Bhagwat Gita and singing verses from Dnyaneshwari's Amrit Anubhava. Curious about this, Swamiji said, "When did you get your sight back?" He replied "Through Baba's grace I received this precious gift. I had a blessed vision of Him years ago, and since then, I can see, read, write and move freely". To assure Swamiji he read out several verses from the Amrit Anubhava. How wisely he used the sense of sight!

Leela 11

He longed for Baba's darshan. But no matter what he did his plans failed. This upset and frustrated Joshi and he got angry at Baba. "All my friends and relatives keep going to Shirdi, why am I denied this opportu­nity? Baba! If you are really a saint, you will give me darshan, even without my going to Shirdi" said Joshi. Simultaneously at Shirdi a family from Konkan were about to return home after taking Baba's darshan. Baba asked the man 'if he could do a piece of work for Him', the devotee readily agreed. Then Baba said, "You go home by rail, and give this packet of Udi to the per­son who requests you to give him a span of space for sitting". The devotee agreed to Baba's strange request. He and his family were comfortably seated in the train. At every station, the man looked for the gentleman. But no such person approached him. At last, the train pulled out of Kalyan. The devotee thought that he should write to Baba about his non-compliance. Then the train halted at Thana. Just as the train was moving out, a man rushed into his compartment, drenched in perspiration. He gasped and said, "Please pick up your child and give me a span of space to sit as I am feeling giddy." The Konkani devotee readily picked up his child, and gladly handed over the packet of Udi. He told him of Baba's strange request, and as Joshi had said the very words, he handed over the Udi. Joshi respectfully received the Udi packet. He thought of Baba's kindness towards an angry child and was forever grateful.

Leela 12

"Do coconuts produce children ? How can you be so superstitious?" said Baba to Shama (Sai Satcharitra Ch. 36). Shama was pleading with Baba on behalf of Mrs. Aurangabadkar. He beseeched Baba to give her the coconut and His blessings. Thus the barren lady might get a child. "She will get a child in 12 months," said Baba.

This is another coconut Leela.

A lady from Poona was desperate to go to Shirdi, and seek Baba's blessings. But, however hard she tried, her attempts failed, for some reason or the other. She was sure, if she received a coconut from Baba, she would get a child. She was very sad and dejected and wondered about the future.

One night she had a dream vision. Baba came and gave her a coconut as prasad. When she woke up, and thought over the dream, it seemed so real, that she looked around. Lo! There was a coconut on her bed. She vowed that if she got a child by this prasad, she would take the child to Shirdi. A year later she delivered a male child; so she went with her child and grate­fully laid him at Baba's feet.

Leela 13

Mention is made of Hari Bhau Karnik in Sai Satcharitra chapter 33. In 1917 on Gurupurnima he visited Shirdi and after proper rituals offered dakshina to Baba. While he was getting down the steps, he wished he had offered one more rupee. As he was given permission to leave, he proceeded to Nasik. There Narasimha Maharaj demanded, "Give me my one ru­pee" which . Haribhau gladly gave, realizing how Baba, had reclaimed the rupee.

Before this visit to Shirdi he was once in trouble. His relatives dragged him to court unlawfully. Having heard of Baba he came to Shirdi. He bowed to Baba and offered a coconut, betel nut and dakshina. Baba asked him to go to the Wada and take rest. Two days later, he met Baba; he was dejected and sad at the behaviour of his relatives, and was thinking of the law suit. Baba, in His characteristic way, told him 'all about the case'. The other devotees asked him if he was ac­quainted with Baba. "No, I have not met Him before, but He surely knows me". On the fourth day of his stay, he met Baba who said, "Wait for six months and see the fate of the mischief makers!" True to His words, six months later he was acquitted and the troublemakers suffered much for their misdeeds.