Shiridi Sai Baba Bhaktas - Balkrishna Viswanath Dev

 

 Balkrishna Viswanath Dev

(He wrote several articles under the pseudonym, “Babache Bal”, meaning “child of Baba” & also composed an Arati Song on Baba & the index as 53 chapter in Hemadpant's "Sri Sai Satcharita". He gave lot of details to B.V.Narasimha Swamiji about Jamner Miracle of Minatai & also about interpretation of Verse 34 in Bhagwatgita to Nanasaheb Chandorkar. He also did lot of research about Baba's philosophy & published many articles, including the one on the significance of Baba's Dakshina. After retirement, he did service to Baba for as many years as 35 years.) 

Balkrishna Viswanath Dev alias Balasaheb Dev or B.V.Dev was Mamlatdar, Dahanu and first visited Shirdi in1910. He consulted Nanasaheb Chandorkar, Deputy Collector about Baba and then visited Shirdi and had darshan of Baba. He also knew that Dixit, an ankita devotee, was blindly obeying Baba and had full faith in him and was made to read Eknath and other religious books by staying alone in Shirdi for his spiritual development.

Dev was in the habit of reading religious and spiritual books, mainly in Marathi and had his own way of viewing the spiritual matters. He had good command in Marathi and Sanskrit languages. He was reading Eknath and Jnaneswari (religious books) and was making progress in spiritual pursuit. But Jnaneswari is considered as a “pothi”, a famous religious book, used for daily parayana (reading daily chapter after chapter) for spiritual attainment. But in his case, he had difficulties in doing parayana and understanding Jnaneswari and was puzzled and disgusted and he also felt that there must be some reason for his facing the difficulties. He could read daily one chapter of the Bhagawad-Gita, but when he took up Jnaneswari in hand, some difficulties cropped up and he was precluded from reading it. He took three months leave and went to Shirdi for this purpose. While he could read the other books with ease,  he was unable to read Jnaneswari and whenever he took up reading it, some evil or stray thoughts came crowding up in his mind which resulted in stopping his effort.  Despite many attempts, he was unable to read even a few lines in the book. So, he resolved in his mind that when Baba would create love for the book, then only he could be in a position to read it. In the month of February 1914, he went with his family to Shirdi and met one Balakram and enquired how Balakram got Baba’s Grace. Balakram said that he would tell Baba every thing after noon arati and wait for his blessings. Hence Dev went to Baba and Baba asked dakshina which he gave. After every body left the masjid, then Baba sent word for Dev who came near Baba and then Baba said, “You stole away my rags without my knowledge”. But Dev denied. Then Baba became furious and hurled all abuses at him and told him to go to the wada. Dev went to wada and met Balakram and Jog and told them what all had happened in the masjid.. Baba then called all the three and when they came to Baba, Baba said that his words might have hurt the feelings of Dev and then asked Dev to go to wada and start reading Jnaneswari and that while reading, explain the portion to others with devotion. Baba also said that he was ready to give him the golden embroidered shella and questioned him as to why Dev was going to others to steal rags. This implied that Dev asking Balakram constituted stealing rags, when Baba himself was ready to help him straightaway and hence Baba scolded him. Dev then understood the entire matter and was very happy. At that time Jog asked him, whether he was reading Jnaneswari daily.  Dev replied that though he was desirous of reading it, but he was not successful and that only when Baba would order him to read it, he would commence.    Jog then advised him to take a copy of the book and present it to Baba, and start reading after it was consecrated and returned by Baba.  Dev replied that he did not want to resort to this approach, as Baba knew his mind very well. Then Dev went to Baba and offered dakshina.  Baba asked him to go on reading the Pothi daily by sitting in the wada with devotion.  He again prostrated himself before Baba and said that he surrendered himself to Baba and that he should be treated as a child and be helped in his reading. On 2nd April, 1914, on Thursday morning Baba appeared to him in a dream.  Baba sat on the upper floor and asked him, whether he understood the Pothi.  "No", was the answer from Dev.  Baba said, "Then, when are you going to understand?".  Dev burst into tears and said, "unlessYou, shower Your Grace, the reading is a mere burden, and the understanding is still more difficult".  Baba then asked him to read slowly and asked him to start reading from Adhyatma Ramayana. Then the dream was over and Dev woke up and felt extremely happy.

Baba asked for dakshina from him and he gave Baba four sovereigns. But Baba said, 'I have received one'. He told Baba “Baba, I have given you four”. Baba did not deny having received four; but however Baba kept on saying that still he got one only from Dev. When Dev said that he could not understand the meaning of Baba’s words, then Baba said, “You will come to understand it”. The obvious interpretation for this cryptic statement was, that though (he felt) he gave four, Baba received only one, indicating that he had to surrender all the four Antahkaranas (not four sovereigns representing money) to Baba to achieve spiritual progress fully and attain supreme bliss.

Later, when he was traveling by train, a young fakir came to his compartment and asked him for something and he gave him one pice. But he wanted four. Then he gave him a four-anna coin. He then said that he had got one only. Again he met an old sadhu and he wanted something and he gave him one coin. But he again wanted four—all these relating to four Antahkaranas. Then Dev must have understood.

Dev made enquiries with several devotees about Baba’s miracles and the relevant instances and published extensively in the Sai Leela magazines and did a wonderful service in propagating the leelas of Baba. Some of these leelas were not mentioned in Shri Sai Satcharita as these instances were not made known to Hemadpant, who wrote Shri Sai Satcharita. In one instance about the installation of Padukas under the neem tree, he contacted Sagun Meru Naik another devotee of Baba. Meru Naik was managing the worship of the Padukas and was offering naivedya there and was also running a small hotel in Shirdi for the benefit of the visitors who were coming for Baba’s darshan. In 1912 a devotee of Akkalkot Maharaj by name Krishnaji wanted to go to Akkalkot to have darshan of the Padukas of Akkalkot Maharaj. But he got a dream in which Akkalkot Maharaj appeared and said that he need not visit Akkalkot and that he could visit Shirdi which was his resting place during those days. Then he changed his mind and visited Shirdi and had darshan of Baba and stayed there for six months. He also got Padukas of Baba prepared at Bombay with the assistance of Dr. Ramarao Kothare. And when the Padukas arrived in Shirdi, they were taken in a procession to Baba who consecrated them by his touch and then they got the Padukas installed under the neem tree in Gurusthan with the relevant ceremonies under the aegis of Dada Kelkar and Upasani Baba and arrangements were also made for regular worship of the Padukas.

He surrendered to Baba more and more and derived much improvement in his spiritual pursuit. He did lot of research about Baba and Baba's thinking and teachings. He wrote several articles about Baba. Once he wrote, saying that if Baba was considered as an incarnation of Lord Krishna, then Madhavrao Deshpande alias Shama must be regarded as Arjun and that was the relationship that was existing between Baba and Shama.

He also started spreading Baba’s mission and miracles by writing several articles in the Sai Lila Masik which was the official publication of the Shirdi Sai Sansthan, of which he was a member. He used to release all the articles under the pseudonym, “Babache Bal”, meaning “child of Baba”. He also composed brilliant verses and released them in Sai Lila Masik. After Baba's Mahasamadhi, he did lot of service through the Sansthan. He also did research in all the matters connected with Baba and published several articles about Baba in Sai Lila Masik under the above pen name, "Babache Bal". As a Trustee, he did exemplary service in the name of Baba till his last moment. He was a sturdy man and took active interest in promoting the development of the Sansthan. He had assisted several people in knowing about Baba and Baba’s life and mission and helped them in becoming Sai bhaktas with utmost faith. After Nanasaheb Chandorkar, he will come next in spreading the massages and mission of Baba and propagating about Baba across all the people, near and far.

A karanam (village official) working under Dev knew that Dev was having very good faith in Baba who was a divine saint and then he wanted to get Baba’s guidance in an important personal issue for him and his family. The karanam had his own Guru who asked him to get a new image and install it in the place of the old image and celebrate the installation on a grand scale. The karanam had some doubts whether he could do like that and when Baba was consulted, Baba was against the installation of a new image. The karanam enquired further from Baba as to what would happen if the new image was installed. Then instead of giving a direct response, Baba narrated a story. Once one person and his friend had gone out to buy an animal, but the person told his friend not to buy the animal. Inspite of this, his friend bought the animal and brought it to the village and immediately plague broke out in the village due to the arrival of the animal. But the karanam, however, followed the advice of his Guru and brought in the new image and at once an epidemic broke out in the village and karanam’s wife was attacked first. Then the karanam approached his Guru for his help in controlling the epidemic and to save his wife. But his Guru wanted half of karanam’s property to be given to his Guru. Then karanam understood fully the views of his Guru and then approached Dev who advised him to remove the new idol and install the old idol. The karanam did accordingly and the karanam and his family became alright with the Grace of Baba through the advice of Dev.

He also wrote in Sai Leela magazines about different ways and the significance of Baba collecting dakshina. As mentioned in the magazine, Baba did not ask dakshina from all the visiting devotees. If someone gave dakshina without being asked, he sometimes accepted it and at other times he refused it. He asked it from certain devotees only. He never demanded it from those devotees who thought in their minds that Baba should ask them. If anybody offered it against his wish, he never touched it. He asked for different amounts from the devotees depending on their wish and devotion. He never asked all the rich or all the poor. Baba never got angry with those who did not pay dakshina. If any dakshina was sent through some visiting friend who forgot about it, Baba used to remind him about it and made him pay. On some occasions, Baba used to return some portion from the collected dakshina to the same donor to preserve it and keep it in his shrine for worship. This procedure benefited the donor-devotee immensely. Sometimes, Baba used to ask higher amount of dakshina from some devotees than what they originally intended to give and if they had no money, Baba asked them to get or borrow from others perhaps to reduce their pride. From some others, Baba demanded repeatedly dakshina three or four times a day. Out of the amount collected as dakshina, Baba used to spend very little for buying Chillum (for clay pipe) and fuel for the dhuni and the remaining amount was distributed by Baba to various persons daily.

He wrote several articles on Baba and released them in the magazine, Sai Lila Masik and all those articles throw lot of light about Baba. And these articles are more comprehensive and authentic.
There were Ramnavami and Urs celebrations annually in Shirdi. All the paraphernalia for the celebrations of the festivals were brought by various rich devotees at the instance of Radhakrishnamai, another resident devotee in Shirdi. Baba, now and then, used to get wild and rebuked those who brought such costly articles. However in order not to displease the devotees, Baba used to allow the use of costly items in the celebrations. Once Baba said to Nanasaheb that all the property of Baba consisted of one koupin, one piece of cloth, one kafni, another cloth covering the body and a tinpot for begging.

Dev tried to learn asanas from a Hatayogi. Then Baba appeared in his dream and told him to discontinue those asanas. He stopped those asanas. Baba also taught him in the same dream as to how to sit in a Sukhasana which he followed.

An index giving the contents of all the Chapters, though promised by Hemadpant, could not be traced out. This index was later composed by Dev and added as Chapter 53 in the Marathi version of Shri Sai Satcharita. He had also composed an arti song on Baba which was included in the booklet of arti songs, “Shri Sainath Sagunopasana”.

He also collected from Bapurao Chandorkar, second son of Nanasaheb Chandorkar about the details of Baba explaining and interpreting the verse No.34 in Chapter 4 in the Bhagwat Gita to Nanasaheb Chandorkar and about Baba’s timely help, unasked for, to Mainatai, the eldest daughter of Nanasaheb and wrote extensively and minutely about these miracles in Sai Leela magazines. It was through his efforts that these miracles came to be known to all of us. He also gave these details to B.V.Narasimhaswamiji when he was interviewed by Narasimhaswamiji in 1936.

He completed his full period of service even with an extension of three months; but still he wanted further extension of one year. Baba appeared in a dream in one night and told him that he was looking into his accounts. Surprisingly, the Collector also recommended his extension and he got one year extension with Baba’s Grace. He retired in 1911 and went to Baba and tried to do Pada Pooja at the instance of Dixit. However Baba stopped him and said. “You need not worship. You have given me Dakshina. That is enough”. He passed away peacefully, blessed by Baba, in 1946. After retirement, he served Baba for as many years as 35 years.  Just like Dev, his son by name S.B.Dev was also a Trustee of the Sansthan for some time and did similar services in propagating about Baba.

The readers can use the material for their information / welfare at their discretion and we are not responsible in any correctness / whatsoever in this regard. The article is not meant for any commercial use. There is no copy right for this article and this article is placed in the public domain for wider publicity. Any review / comments / suggestions to improve the contents in the article are welcome for initiating any suitable rectification / modification / addition.

Om Sai Ram...