Sparrows Drawn To Shirdi
(1) Lakhamichand - (2) Burhanpore Lady - (3) Megha
Preliminary
Sai is not finite or limited. He dwells in all beings, from ants
and insects to the God Brahma. He pervades all. Sai was well-versed
in the knowledge of the Vedas, as well as in the science of Self-realisation.
As He was proficient in both these, He was well-fitted to be the
Sad-guru. Any one, though learned, but not able to awaken the
disciples and establish them in Self-realisation, does not deserve
to be called a Sadguru. Generally the father gives birth to the
body, and death invariably follows life; but Sadguru does away
with both life and death, and so he is more kind and merciful,
than any body.
Sai Baba often said that-let His man (Devotee) be at any distance,
a thousand koss away from Him, he will be drawn to Shirdi like
a sparrow, with a thread tied to its feet. This Chapter describes
the stories of three such sparrows.
Lala Lakhamichand
This gentleman was first serving in the Railways and afterwards
in Shri Venkateshwar Press in Bombay and thereafter in the firm
of Messrs. Ralli Brothers as a munshi (clerk). He got the contact
of Baba in 1910. One or two months before Christmas he saw in
his dream at Santacruz (a suburb of Bombay) an old man with a
beard, standing and surrounded by his Bhaktas. Some days later
he went to the house of his friend. Mr Dattatreya Manjunath Bijur
to hear the kirtan by Das Ganu. It was always the practice of
Das Ganu to keep Baba's picture in front of the audience while
making the kirtan. Lakhamichand was surprised to see that the
features of the old man he saw in his dream, tallied exactly with
those in the picture and thus he came to the conclusion, that
the old man, he saw in his dream was Sai Baba himself. The sight
of this picture, Das Ganu's kirtan and the life of the Saint Tukaram
on which Das Ganu discoursed, all these things made a deep impression
on his mind and he pined to go to Shirdi. It is always the experience
of the Bhaktas that God always helps them in their search for
Sad-guru and other spiritual endeavours. That very night at 8-00
p.m. a friend named Shankarrao knocked at his door and asked him
whether he would accompany him to Shirdi. His joy knew no bounds
and he at once decided to go to Shirdi. He borrowed Rs.15/- from
his cousin and after making due preparations left for Shirdi.
In the train, he and his friend Shankar Rao did some Bhajan (sang
religious songs) and enquired about Sai baba with some fellow
passengers-four Mahomedans, who were returning to their place
near Shirdi. They all told tham that Sai baba was a great Saint
living in Shirdi for many years. Then when they reached Kopergaon
he wanted to buy some good guavas for offering to Baba, but he
was so much enrapt with the scenery and sights there, that he
forgot to purchase them. When they were nearing Shirdi, he was
reminded of the guavas; just then he saw an old woman with a guava-basket
on her head, running after the tanga. The tanga was stopped and
he gladly purchased some select fruits, when the woman said -
"Take all the rest and offer them on my behalf to Baba".
The facts viz. that he had intended to purchase guavas, but that
he had forgotten to do so, the old woman's encounter and her devotion
to Baba, all these were a surprise to both the friends; and Lakhamichand
thought in his mind, that the old woman might be some relation
of the old man he saw in his dream. Then they drove on and came
near Shirdi and seeing the flags on the Masjid they saluted them.
With Puja materials in hand, they then went to the Masjid and
worshipped Baba with due formality. Lakhmichand was much moved
and was extremely happy to see Baba. He was enrapt with Baba's
Feet as a bee with a sweet smelling lotus. Then Baba spoke as
follows :-
"Cunning fellow, he does bhajan on the way
and enquires from others. Why ask others? Everything we should
see with our own eyes; where is the necessity to question others?
Just think for yourself whether your dream is true or not? Where
was the necessity of the darshan by taking a loan from a Marwari?
Is the heart's desire now satisfied?"
Hearing these words Lakhamichand was wonderstruck
at Baba's omniscience. He was at a loss to know how Baba came
to know about all the things that had happened enroute from his
house to Shirdi. The chief thing to note in this respect is that
Baba never liked people to run into debt for taking His darshan,
or celebrating any holiday or making any pilgrimage.
Sanza
At noon when Lakhamichand was sitting for meals he got some sanza
(wheat-pudding) from a devotee as Prasad. He was pleased to have
it. Next day also he expected it, but got nothing. So, he was
anxious to get it again. Then on the third day at the noon Arati
time, Bapusaheb Jog asked Baba, what naivedya he should bring.
Baba told him to bring sanza. Then the Bhaktas brought two big
potfuls of sanza. Lakshamichand was very hungry and there was
some pain in his back. Then Baba said to him - "It is good
that you are hungry, take sanza and some medicine for the pain
in the back." He was again wonderstruck to see that Baba
again read his mind and spoke out what was passing therein. How
omniscient was He!
Evil eye
On this occasion, he once witnessed one night the procession to
the chavadi. Baba then suffered much from cough. He thought that
this suffering of Baba might be due to somebody's evil eye. Next
morning when he went to the Masjid Baba spoke to Shama as follows
- "I suffered last night from cough; is it due to some evil
eye? I think that somebody's evil eye has worked on me and so
I am suffering". In this case Baba spoke out what was passing
in Lakshamichand's mind.
On seeing these proofs of Baba's omniscience
and kindness to His Bhaktas, he fell prostrate at Baba's Feet
and said - "I am much pleased with your darshan. Ever be
kind and merciful to me and protect me always. There is no other
God to me in this world except Your Feet. Let my mind be ever
rapt in Your Bhajan and Feet. Let Your grace protect me from the
miseries of the world and let me ever chant Your name and be happy".
After getting Baba' Udi and blessing he returned home with his
friend, much pleased and contented and singing Baba's glory on
the way. He remained a staunch devotee of baba afterwards and
always sent garlands of flowers, camphor and Dakshina with any
person of his acquaintance bound for Shirdi.
Burhanpore Lady
Now let us turn to another sparrow (Baba's word meaning devotee).
One lady in Burhanpore saw in her dream Sai Baba coming to her
door and begging khichadi (rice cooked with dal and salt) for
His meals. On awakening she saw no body at her door. However,
she was pleased with the vision and told it to all including her
husband. He was employed in the Postal Department and when he
was transferred to Akola, both husband and wife, who were devout,
decided to go to Shirdi. Then on a suitable day they left for
Shirdi and after visiting Gomati Tirth on the way, reached Shirdi
and stayed there for two months. Every day they went to the Masjid,
performed Baba's worship and passed their time happily. The couple
came to Shirdi to offer Khichadi as naivedya but for the first
14 days, somehow or other, it could not be offered. The lady did
not like this delay. Then on the 15th day she came at noon to
the Masjid with her khichadi. There she found that Baba and others
were already sitting for meals, and that the curtain was down.
Nobody dared enter in when the curtain was let down, but the lady
could not wait. She threw up the curtain with her hand and entered.
Strange to say that Baba seemed that day, hungry for khichadi
and wanted that thing first and when the lady came in with the
dish, Baba was delighted, and began to eat morsel after morsel
of khichadi. On seeing the earnestness of Baba in this respect,
everybody was wonderstruck and those, who heard the story of khichadi,
were convinced about His extraordinary love for His devotees.
Megha
Now let us go to the third and bigger 'sparrow'. Megha of Viramgaon
was a simple and illiterate Brahmin cook of Rao Bahadur H. V.
Sathe. He was a devotee of Shiva and always chanted the five syllabled
mantra 'Namah Shivaya'. He did not know the Sandhya nor its chief
mantra, the Gayatri. Rao Bahadur Sathe was interested in him,
got him taught the Sandhya and the Gayatri. Sathe told him that
Sai Baba of Shirdi was the embodied form of the God Shiva and
made him start for Shirdi. At the Broach Railway station he learnt
that Sai Baba was a Moslem and his simple and orthodox mind was
much perturbed at the prospect of bowing to a Moslem, and he prayed
to his master not to send him there. His master, however, insisted
on his going there and gave him a letter of introduction to his
(Sathe's) father-in-law, Ganesh Domodar, alias Dada Kelkar at
Shirdi, to introduce him to Sai Baba. When he reached Shirdi and
went to the Masjid, Baba was very indignant and would not allow
him to enter. "Kick out the rascal" roared Baba, and
then said to Megha - "You are a high caste Brahmin and I
am a low Moslem; you will lose your caste by coming here. So get
away." Hearing these words Megha began to tremble. He was
wondering as to how Baba had come to know about what was passing
in his mind. He stayed there for some days, serving Baba in his
own way, but was not convinced. Then he went home. After that
he went to Tryambak (Nasik District) and stayed there for a year
and a half. Then again he returned to Shirdi. This time, at the
intercession of Dada Kelkar, he was allowed to enter the Masjid
and stay in Shirdi. Sai Baba's help to Megha was not through any
oral instruction. He worked upon Megha internally (mentally) with
the result that he was considerably changed and benefited. Then
Megha began to look upon Sai Baba as an incarnation of Shiva.
In order to worship Shiva, bela leaves are required and Megha
used to go miles and miles every day to bring them and worship
his Shiva (Baba). His practice was to worship all the Gods in
the village and then come to the Masjid and after saluting Baba's
gadi (asan) he worshipped Baba and after doing some service (shampooing
His Legs) drank the washings (Tirth) of Baba's Feet. Once it so
happened that he came to the Masjid without worshipping God Khandoba,
as the door of the temple was closed. Baba did not accept his
worship and sent him again, saying that the door was open then.
Megha went, found the door open, worshipped the Deity, and then
returned to Baba as usual.
Ganges-Bath
On one Makar-Sankranti day, Megha wanted to besmear the body of
Baba with sandal-paste and bathe Him with Ganges water. Baba was
first unwilling to undergo this operation, but at his repeated
requests, He consented. Megha had to traverse a distance of eight
koss (going and returning) to bring the sacred water from the
Gomati river. He brought the water, made all preparations for
the bath at noon and asked Baba to get ready for the same. Then
Baba again asked him to be freed from his bath saying that, as
a Fakir He had nothing to do (or gain) with Ganges water; but
Megha did not listen. He knew that Shiva is pleased with a bath
of Ganges water and that he must give his Shiva (Baba) that bath
on that auspicious day. Baba then consented, came down and sat
on a pat (wooden board) and protruding his head said - "Oh
Megha, do at least this favour; head is the most important organ
of the body, so pour the water over that only-it is equivalent
to the full or whole bath." "Alright" said Megha
and lifting the water pot up, began to pour it on the head but
in doing this he was so much overwhelmed with love that he cried
out 'Har Gange' and emptied the pot on the whole body. He kept
the pot aside and began to look at Baba, but to his surprise and
amazement he found that Baba's head was only drenched but the
body quite dry.
Trident and Pindi
Megha worshipped Baba in two places; in the Masjid he worshipped
Baba in person and in the Wada, Baba's big picture, given by Nanasaheb
Chandorkar. This he did for 12 months. Then in order to appreciate
his devotion and confirm his faith, Baba gave him a vision. Early
one morning when Megha was still lying down on his bed with eyes
closed but internally awake, he saw clearly Baba's Form. Baba
knowing him to be awake threw Akshata (rice-grains marked red
with Kumkum) and said, "Megha, draw a Trident" and disappeared.
Hearing Baba's words, he eagerly opened his eyes but did not see
Baba, but saw only rice grains spread here and there. He then
went to Baba, told Him about the vision and asked permission to
draw Trident. Baba said - "Did you not hear My words asking
you to draw Trident? It was no vision but direct order and My
words are always pregnant with meaning and never hollow."
Megha said - "I thought you woke me up, but all the doors
were closed, so I thought it was a vision". Baba rejoined
- "I require no door to enter. I have no form nor any extension;
I always live everywhere. I carry on, as a wirepuller, all the
actions of the man who trusts Me and merges in Me."
Megha returned to the Wada, and drew a red Trident
on the wall near Baba's picture. Next day a Ramadasi Bhakta came
from Poona, saluted Baba and offered Him Pindi (an image of Shiva).
At this time Megha also turned up there. Baba said to him - "See,
Shankar has come, protect (i.e., worship) Him now." Megha
was surprised to see Pindi following Trident immediately. Then
also in the Wada, Kakasaheb Dixit was standing with a towel on
his head after having taken his bath, and was remembering Sai,
when he saw a Pindi before his mental vision. While he was wondering
about this, Megha came and showed him the Pindi presented to him
by Baba. Dixit was happy to know that the Pindi exactly tallied
with the One he saw a few minutes before in his vision. In a few
days after the drawing of the Trident was complete, Baba installed
the Pindi near the big picture which Megha was worshipping. The
worship of Shiva was dear to Megha and by arranging the drawing
of the Trident and the installation of the Pindi, Baba confirmed
his faith therein.
After continuous service of Baba for many years,
doing regular worship and Arati every noon and evening, Megha
passed away in 1912. Then Baba passed His hands over his corpse
and said - "This was a true devotee of Mine." Baba also
ordered that at His own expense the usual funeral dinner should
be given to the Brahmins, and this order was carried out by Kakasaheb
Dixit.
Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all
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