Shri Sai Satcharita
Chapter 40
Stories of Baba
Sai attending Mrs.Deo's
Udyapan Ceremony as a Sanyasi with two Others (Trio); and
Sai visiting Hemadpant's
House in the Form of His Picture.
In this chapter we shall
read two stories:
1.
How Baba attended the Udyapan
ceremony of Mr.B.V.Deo's mother at his house at Dahanu and
2.
How Baba attended the
Shimga (dinner-party) in Hemadpant's house at Bandra.
Preliminary
Blessed is Shri Sai
Samartha who gives instructions in both temporal and spiritual matters to His
devotees and makes us happy by enabling us to achieve the goal of our life. When
Sai places His hand on our head, He transfers His powers to us and thus
destroys the sense of differentiation, makes us attain the unattainable thing. He
embraces the Bhaktas who prostrate themselves before Him with no sense of
duality or difference. He becomes one with the Bhaktas as the sea with the
rivers when they meet it in the rainy season and gives them His power and
position. It follows from this that he who sings the Leelas of God's Bhaktas is
equally or more dear to Him than one who sings the Leelas of God only. Now let
us revert to the stories of this chapter.
Mrs.Deo's Udyapan Ceremony
Mr.B.V.Deo was a Mamlatdar
at Dahanu (Thana District). His mother had observed 25 or 30 different vows and
a Udyapan (concluding) ceremony was to be performed. This ceremony included the
feeding of 100 or 200 Brahmins. Mr.Deo fixed a date for the ceremony and wrote
a letter to Bapusaheb Jog asking him to request Sai Baba on his behalf to
attend the dinner of the ceremony, as without His attendance the ceremony would
not be duly completed. Bapusaheb Jog read out the letter to Baba. Baba noted
carefully the pure-hearted invitation and said, “I always think of him who
remembers Me. I require no conveyance, carriage, tonga, train or airplane. I
run and manifest myself to him who lovingly calls me. Write to him a pleasing
reply that three of us (the trio), Myself, yourself and a third will go and attend
it”.
Mr.Jog informed Mr.Deo of
what Baba said. The latter was much pleased, but he knew that Baba never went
to any place except Rahata, Rui and Nimgaon in person. He also thought that
nothing was impossible to Baba as He was all-pervading and that He might
suddenly come, in any form He likes and fulfill His words. A few days before
this, a Sanyasi with Bengali dress and professing to work for the cause of the
protection of the cows, came to the station-master at Dahanu to collect
subscriptions. The latter told him to go into the town and see the Mamlatdar
(Mr.Deo) and with his help collect funds. Just then the Mamlatdar happened to
come there. The station-master then introduced the Sanyasi to him. Both sat
talking on the platform. Mr.Deo told him that a subscription-list for some
other charitable cause had already been opened by the leading citizen Rao Saheb
Narottam Shetti and so it was not good to start another subscription-list and
that it would be better if he would visit the place after 2 or 4 months.
Hearing this, the Sanyasi left the place.
About a month afterwards,
the Sanyasi came in a tonga and stopped in front of Mr.Deo's house at about 10
a.m. Deo thought that he came for subscriptions. Seeing him busy with the
preparations of the ceremony, the Sanyasi said that he had come not for money
but for meals. Deo said – “very glad, you are welcome, the house is yours”. The Sanyasi said, “two lads are with me”. Deo answered,
“Come with them”.
As there was time (2 hours)
for lunch, Deo enquired where he should send for them. The Sanyasi said that it
was not necessary as he would come himself at the appointed time. Deo asked him
to come at noon. Exactly at twelve noon, the Trio came and joined the lunch and
after feeding themselves went away.
After the ceremony was
finished, Deo wrote a letter to Bapusaheb Jog complaining of Baba's breach of
promise. Jog went to Baba with the letter, but before it was opened Baba spoke,
“he says that I promised him to come but deceived him. Inform him that I did
attend his lunch with two others, but he failed to recognize Me. Then why did he
call me at all? Tell him that he thought that the Sanyasi came to ask for
subscription money; did I not remove his doubt in that respect and did I not
say that I would come with two others, and did not the Trio come in time and
take their meals? See, to keep My words
I would sacrifice my life, I would never be untrue to My words”. This reply
gladdened Jog's heart and he communicated the whole reply to Deo. As soon as he
read it, he burst into tears of joy, but he took himself to task mentally for
vainly blaming Baba. He wondered how he was deceived by the Sanyasi’s prior
visit and his coming to him for subscriptions, how he also failed to catch the
significance of the Sanyasi's words that he would come with two others for
meals.
This story clearly shows
that when the devotees surrender themselves completely to their Sadhguru, He
sees that the religious functions in their houses are duly executed and
complied with all the necessary formalities.
Hemadpant's Shimga Lunch
Now let us take another
story which shows how Baba appeared in the form of His picture and fulfilled
the desire of His devotee - Hemadpant.
In 1917 on the full-moon
morning, Hemadpant had a vision. Baba appeared to him in his dream in the form
of a well-dressed Sanyasi, woke him up, and said that He would come to him for
meals that day. This awakening constituted a part of the dream. When he fully
awoke, he saw neither Sai nor any Sanyasi. But when he began to recollect the dream,
he remembered each and every word the Sanyasi uttered in his dream. Though he
was in contact with Baba for seven years and though he always meditated on
Baba, he never expected that Baba would come to his house for meals. However,
being much pleased with Baba's words, he went to his wife and informed her that
being the Holy day, a Sanyasi guest was coming for meals and that some more
rice should be prepared. She enquired about the guest, who he was and whence he
was coming. Then not to lead her astray and not to cause any misunderstanding he
gave her the truth, i.e., told her about the dream. She doubtingly asked
whether it was possible that Baba would come there (Bandra) from Shirdi,
leaving the dainty dishes there for accepting their coarse food. Hemadpant then
assured her that Baba might not come in person but He might attend in the form
of a guest and that they would lose nothing if they cooked some more rice.
After this, preparations
for the lunch went on and it was ready at noon. The Holika-worship was done and
the leaves (dishes) were spread and arranged with 'Rangoli' marks around them. Two
rows were put up with a central seat between them for the guest. All the
members of the family - sons, grandsons, daughters and sons-in-law etc., came
and occupied their proper seats and the serving of the various articles
commenced. While this was being done, everybody was watching for the guest, but
none turned up though it was past noon. Then the door was closed and chained; the
anna-shuddhi (ghee) was served. This was a signal to start eating. Formal
offering to the Vaishwadeva (Fire), and Naivedya to Shri Krishna were also over
and the members were about to begin, when foot-steps in the staircase were
distinctly heard. Hemadpant went immediately and opened the door and saw two
men there: (1) Ali Mahomed and (2) Moulana Ismu Mujavar. These two persons
seeing that meals were ready and all the members were about to begin eating;
apologized to Hemadpant and requested him to excuse their interference. They
said, “You left your seat and came running to us, others are waiting for you,
so please take this your Thing and I shall relate the entire wonderful
tale about it later on at your convenience”. So saying he took out from his
arm-pit a packet wrapped in an old newspaper cover and placed it on the table.
Hemadpant uncovered the packet and saw, to his great wonder and surprise, a big
nice picture of Sai Baba. Seeing it, he was much moved, tears ran from his eyes
and hair stood on end all over his body, and he bent and placed his head on the
feet of Baba in the picture. He thought that Baba had blessed him by this
miracle or Leela. Out of curiosity he asked Ali
Mohammed from where he got
this picture. He said that he bought it from a shop and that he would give all
the details about it sometime afterwards and wished that as all the members
were waiting for him, he should go and join them.
Hemadpant thanked him, bade
them good-bye and returned to the dinning-hall. The picture was placed on the
central seat reserved for the guest and after the due offering of the Naivedya;
the whole party commenced eating and finished it in proper time. Seeing the
beautiful form in the picture everybody was extremely pleased and wondered how
all this happened.
This is how Sai Baba kept
up and fulfilled His words uttered by Him in the dream of Hemadpant. The story
of the picture with all its details, viz., how Ali Mohammed got it, why he
bought it and gave it to Hemadpant, is reserved for the next chapter.
Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be
to all
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