My children, do not identify Me with this body of soil. The entire universe
is My body. Sai is present in all flora and fauna, in the sky and on earth.
He dwells everywhere. He speaks, eats, drinks and walks through all living
bodies on the earth. He works through all hands. This is the mystery of My
Sai-hood. The Sarkar in Dwarkamai is full of sport. My Fakir is playing
through all souls. --SAIBABA
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SHRI SAI SATHCHARITHA
"Sada Nimbarvrikshasya mooladhiwasat,
Sudhasravinam tiktamapi-apriyam tam,
Tarum Kalpavrikshadhikam sadhayantam
Namameeshwaram Sadgurum Sai Natham"
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Chapter 43 & 44
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Baba's Passing Away (Continued)
Preparation - Samadhi-Mandir - Breaking of the Brick -
72 Hours' Samadhi - Jog's Sannyas - Baba's Nectar-like Words.
Chapters 43 and 44 continue the story of Baba's Passing away, and therefore
they are taken together.
Previous Preparation
It is the general practice amongst the Hindus that when
a man is about to die, some good religious scripture is read out to him with the
object that his mind should be withdrawn from worldly things and fixed in
matters spiritual, so that his future progress should be natural and easy.
Everybody knows that when king Parikshiti was cursed by the son of a Brahmin
Rishi and was about to die after a week, the great sage Shuka expounded to him
the famous Bahagwat Puran in that week. This practice is followed even now and
Gita, Bhagawat and other sacred books are read out to dying persons. Baba being
an incarnation of God needed no such help, but just to set an example to the
people, He followed this practice. When He knew that He was to pass away soon,
He ordered one Mr.Vaze to read Ramavijaya to Him. Mr.Vaze read the book once in
the week. Then Baba asked him to read the same again day and night and he
finished the second reading in three days. Thus eleven days passed. Then again
he read for three days and was exhausted. So Baba let him go and kept Himself
quiet. He abided on His Self and was waiting for the last moment.
Two or three days previous, Baba had stopped His morning peregrinations and
begging rounds and sat in the Masjid. He was conscious to the last and was
advising the devotees not to lose heart. He let nobody know the exact time of
His departure. Kakasaheb Dixit and Shriman Booty were dining daily with Him in
the Masjid. That day (15th October) after arati, He asked them to go to their
residence for dining. Still a few, viz., Laxmibai Shinde, Bhagoji Shinde,
Bayaji, Laxman Bala Shimpi and Nanasaheb Nimonkar remained there. Shama was
sitting down on the steps. After giving Rs. 9/- to Laxmibai Shinde, Baba said
that He did not feel well there (in the Masjid) and that He should be taken to
the Dagadi (stone) Wada of Booty, where He would be alright. Saying these last
words, He leaned on Bayaji's body and breathed His last. Bhagoji noticed that
His breathing had stopped and he immediately told this to Nanasaheb Nimonkar who
was sitting below. Nanasaheb brought some water and poured it in Baba's mouth.
It came out. Then he cried out loudly 'Oh Deva.' Baba seemed just to open His
eyes and say 'Ah' in a low tone. But it soon become evident that Baba had left
His body for good.
The news of Baba's passing away spread like a wild fire in the village of
Shirdi and all people, men, women and children ran to the Masjid and began to
mourn this loss in various ways. Some cried out loudly, some wallowed on in the
streets and some fell down senseless. Tears ran down from the eyes of all and
every one was smitten with sorrow.
Then the question arose - How to dispose off Baba's body? Some (Mahomedans)
said that the body should be interred in an open space and a tomb built over it.
Even Khushalchand and Amir Shakkar shared this opinion. But Ramachandra Patil,
the village officer said to the villagers with a firm and determined voice,
"Your thought is not acceptable to us. Baba's body should be nowhere placed
except in the Wada." Thus people were divided on this point and discussion
regarding this point went on for 36 hours.
On Wednesday morning Baba appeared to Laxman Mama Joshi in his dream and
drawing him by His hand said - "Get up soon; Bapusaheb thinks that I am dead and
so he won't come; you do the worship and the Kakad (morning) arati." Laxman Mama
was the village astrologer and was the maternal uncle of Shama. He was an
orthodox Brahmin and daily first worshipped Baba in the morning and then all the
village deities. He had full faith in Baba. After the vision he came with all
the pooja materials and not minding the protests of the moulvis, did the Pooja
and the Kakad arati with all due formalities and went away. Then at noon
Bapusaheb Jog came with all others and went through the noon-arati ceremony as
usual.
Paying due respect to Baba's words the people decided to place His body in
the Wada and started digging the central portion there. In the evening of
Tuesday the Sub-Inspector came from Rahata and others from other places turned
up and they all agreed to the proposal. Next morning Amirbhai came from Bombay
and the Mamlatdar from Kopergaon. The people seemed divided in their opinion.
Some insisted on interring His body in the open field. The Mamlatdar therefore
took a general plebiscite and found that the proposal to use the Wada secured
double the number of votes. He, however, wanted to refer the matter to the
Collector and Kakasaheb Dixit got himself ready to go to Ahmednagar. In the
meanwhile, by Baba's inspiration there was a change in the opinion of the other
people and all the people unanimously voted for the proposal. On Wednesday
evening Baba's body was taken in procession and brought to the Wada and was
interred there with due formalities in the garbha, i.e., the central portion
reserved for Murlidhar. In fact Baba became the Murlidhar and the Wada became a
temple and a holy shrine, where so many devotees went and are going now to find
rest and peace. All the obsequies of Baba were duly performed by Balasaheb Bhate
and Upasani, a great devotee of Baba.
Breaking of the Brick
Some days before Baba's departure, there occurred an
ominous sign foreboding the event. There was, in the Masjid an old brick on
which Baba rested His hand and sat. At night time He leaned against it and had
His asan. This went on for many years. One day, during Baba's absence, a boy who
was sweeping the floor, took it up in his hand, and unfortunately it slipped
from thence fell down broken into two pieces. When Baba came to know about this,
He bemoaned its loss, crying - "It is not the brick but My fate that has been
broken into pieces. It was My life-long companion, with it I always meditated on
the Self, it was as dear to Me as My life, it has left Me to-day." Some may
raise here a question - "Why should Baba express this sorrow for such an
inanimate thing as a brick?" To this Hemadpant replies that saints incarnate in
this world with the express mission of saving the poor helpless people, and when
they embody themselves and mix and act with the people, they act like them,
i.e., outwardly laugh, play and cry like all other people, but inwardly they are
wide awake to their duties and mission.
Bow to Shri Sai -- Peace be to all