Chapter XIX

Baba's Leelas and Experiences

Das Ganu resigned his job in the year 1903, and completely devoted himself to Sai and fully immersed in spreading Baba;s philosophy. All worldly desires left him. Through HariKatha and kirtans he began explaining the spiritual matters to others. Because of this he could also easily learn with Baba’s Grace, many matters relating to Bhakti, Jnana and Vairagya. If we keep our mind stable and peaceful, jnana comes by itself with Guru’s blessings. With Jnana obtained in such a manner, Das Ganu wrote and published Shanta Kathamrutham in the year 1905 and Bhakta Leelamrutam in the year 1906. Hemand Pant started writing Baba’s Life history in the year 1917 and finished it in the year 1929. Till this became available to devotees, they used to read the above-mentioned two books of Das Ganu. There are a number of Sai leelas in these two books.

Nanavali

A number of devotees used to approach Baba with materialistic desires. Nanavali used to observe all this from a distance. He used to put only an upper cloth on him and looked like a mentally deranged person. His talk was harsh and eyes fearful to look at, usually no one talked to him. He never tolerated any injustice and if he came across such a thing he went there and condemned it with his harsh words. The public moved away if they noticed him coming. If he came across any persons having bad ideas or thoughts he scolded them with harsh words and sometimes threw stones at them.

He never tolerated it if anyone talked against Baba. Such was his devotion towards Baba. One day he noticed some merchants asking Baba about money matters and troubling him much. He came forward quickly and sat in front of Baba, demanding, "Fakir! I want a big tree which bears money immediately. I do not want a small tree which cannot give me money just now. It should give money the moment it sprouts." Baba cooled the temper of Nanavali and assured him that he would grant his request and Nanavali went away laughing.

The devotees present there conveyed their feeling to Baba that it was not good for Baba to entertain Nanavali, who was a crazy person. Baba replied as follows, "While I am sitting in his mosque to show you Jnana Marga leading to salvation, you are coming to me for wealth, fame,status and other materialistic desires. What is it that one has to achieve in his lifetime? Is wealth the only thing? No, but wealth is also necessary - only up to the level of leading a normal life and that too with money earned the right way. Even if you earn and accumulate a lot of wealth out of greed, throughout your life, it is a fact that nothing will come with you after you die."

"My spiritual treasury is overflowing. I can give whatever devotees desire. They can also come and take away whatever amount they like. But they should qualify themselves for receiving it. But they are not willing to take what I give them, they want only what they desire. I am prepared to give them priceless gold. But they choose only earthen lumps."

"From where did we come into this human body? What we are doing now? From here, where are we going? Who is behind our births and deaths? Who created the sun, the moon, the stars and other planets? People don’t think about all this. They are only after wealth and physical happiness thinking that this life is permanent. But they are getting destroyed like the insects which drawn to the flame perish. This is complete Agnana (ignorance) which is quite opposite to Jnana Marga.I came in this body only to put humanity in the Jnana Marga."

Many a time Baba elaborated the word "I and Me" through his teachings. To know about me or to search for me you need not go elsewhere. If you remove your name and form, then what is left in you is myself. Not only in you but I am equally present in all living beings. If you realise this,then you can see me in all living things. If you cause any pain to any living thing, you are hurting me. Those who tolerate the hardships caused to them by others, are dear to me."

Chandra Bai Borkar
Chandra Bai Borkar visited Shirdi for the first time in the year 1898 at the age of 28. The mud walls of the mosque (Dwarakamai) were in a bad condition. In those days Baba used to spend most of his time sitting under the neem tree. Chandra had personally seen Baba lighting the lamps with water. She had also seen Baba sleeping on the narrow wooden board tied to the rafters of the mosque with lengths of cloth pieces and with lamps on the four corners of the board.

Her husband was Ramachandra Borkar, an engineer. In 1909, he was supervising the construction of a bridge near Pandarpur. During that period, she came to Shirdi and spent many days in the presence of Baba. But Ramachandra Borkar never visited Shirdi. One day, Baba called her and told, "Mother, go to Phandarpur. I will also come along with you." She went with two other ladies to Pandarpur and found that her husband had left the place a short while before her arrival. So again she set out to Shirdi. But the money amongst all the three was just sufficient to purchase tickets only up to Khurudwadi station. At Khurudwadi, a fakir came to them and told her that her husband was at Dhond railway station and asked them to go there. But she had no money to go there. When she told him this, he immediately put three tickets for Dhond Station in her hand and left the place. The ladies left for Dhond.

Ramachander Borkar was sitting on the platform of Dhond railway station, half asleep. A fakir appeared before him and asked him how he forgot his wife, saying that his wife would be coming shortly by train to Dhond. He gave him a slip with the number of the rail coach in which she is coming. Ramachander Borkar came out of his sleepy state and found a slip in his hand and concluded it was not a dream. Just then a train arrived on the platform and he saw his wife coming out of the coach. He immediately told her of the miracle that had happened. Having experienced Baba’s nectar like love for them, they felt immensely happy. Chandra Bai Borkar’s story is one of such several instances when several couples who got separated for one reason or other got united again by praying to Baba.

In the year 1910-1911, our country was under the rule of the British. Those were the days when the Indian National Congress under the presidentship of Dadabhai Naoroji resolved to have self-rule for our country. Among the then Congress leaders, there were extremists, who believed in achieving their object by violent methods and those who believed in non-violent methods. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the leader of the extremists and coined the slogan "Freedom is my Birthright", demanding complete freedom to our country immediately, touring in all directions of the country, giving lectures and awakening the masses. The British government arrested them under ‘Sedition’ and sent them to jails outside India. B.G. Tilak was sent to jain in Mandalay in Burma. A close associate of Tilak was Diwan Bahadur Ganesh Sri Krishna Khaparde. Being the right hand person to Tilak he feared his arrest. Deciding that except Shirdi Sai Baba none can save him, he came to Shirdi on 5 December 1910 and served Baba.

G.S.Khaparde
G.S.Khaparde was a leading advocate of Amroti, earned a lot. Having associated in the freedom movement he came in contact with several people. He was very much interested in name and fame, wealth and family happiness. On the day of his arrival at Shirdi, Baba told him, "This is your house. You can stay here fearlessly. When I am here as your protector, you can stay here fearlessly. When I am here as your protector, you need not fear anything." These words of Baba coincided with his thoughts. After staying at Shirdi for a week, Khaparde, went back to Amroti. He came for the second time to Shirdi along with his family on 6 December 1911 and approached Sai Baba without any reservations, with a pure heart, mind and body. Baba detained him at Shirdi for a period of 3 ½ months till his problems were solved.

Kashinath Govind Upasani Shastri (Upasani Baba)
As there was no other way out to remove his bodily ailment, Kashinath came to Shirdi on 27 June 1911. As soon as he entered Dwarakamai, Baba told him, "Son I know you for the past seven births. If you stay at Shirdi, you will achieve your goal in life. Because of your good deeds in your previous birth, you achieved spiritual progress. If you stay here for some time with a stable mind you will reach a higher state." So saying Baba blessed him. When Kashinath approached Baba on the third day for permission to leave Shirdi, Baba declined to permit him and asked him to stay at Shirdi. "In case you want to go, come back in a week’s time." Kashinath left Shirdi and several strange things happened even before he reached home. He returned to Shirdi on the seventh day, as advised by Baba. Before he reached Shirdi, Baba appeared to him in several forms and gave him some indications. Baba made him recollect these things and ordered him to stay for 4 years at Khandoba temple meditating. During the period Baba taught Upasini several matters and showed several leelas and experiences. These methods or teaching were very strange and beyond our imagination. We cannot find similar things anywhere in the sacred books. The divine powers in Kashinath went on increasing with the increased period of his meditation. The testing by Baba increased along with the increase in Uapasini’s divine powers. Seeing the powers of Upasini, some Sai devotees approached him and invited him to their places. But he should not go out during the period of diksha. On the other hand he could not withstand to the tests put by Baba. At last without completing the four years period prescribed by Baba, he left Shirdi secretly in the night without informing Baba on 25 July 1914, a few months earlier.

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