Let My man (devotee) be at any distance, a thousand koss (miles) away from
Me, he will be drawn to Shirdi like a sparrow with a thread tied to its
feet --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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72 Hours' Samadhi
Thirty two years before this, i.e., in 1886 A.D., Baba
made an attempt to cross the border line. On a Margashirsha Pournima (Full moon)
day, Baba suffered from a severe attack of asthma. To get rid of it Baba decided
to take His prana high up and go into samadhi. He said to Bhagat Mhalasapti -
"Protect My body for three days. If I return, it will be alright; if I do not,
bury My body in that open land (pointing to it) and fix two flags there as a
mark." Saying this, Baba fell down at about 10 P.M. His breathing stopped, as
well as His pulse. It seemed as if His prana left the body. All the people
including the villagers came there and wanted to hold an inquest and bury the
body in the place pointed by Baba. But Mhalasapati prevented this. With Baba's
body on his lap he sat full three days guarding it. After three days passed,
Baba showed signs of life at 3 A.M. His breathing commenced, the abdomen began
to move. His eyes opened and stretching His limbs, Baba returned to
consciousness (life) again.
From this and other accounts, let the readers consider whether Sai Baba was
the three and a half cubits' body that He occupied for some years and that He
left thereafter or He was the Self inside. The body, composed of the five
elements is perishable and transient, but the Self within is the thing -
Absolute Reality which is immortal and intransient. The pure Being,
Consciousness or Brahma, the Ruler and Controller of the senses and mind is the
thing Sai. This pervades all things in the universe and there is no space
without it. For fulfilling His mission He assumed the body and after it was
fulfilled, He threw away the body (the finite aspect), and assumed His infinite
aspect. Sai ever lives, as also the previous Incarnation of God Datta, Shri
Narsimha Saraswati of Ganagapur. His Passing away is only an outward aspect, but
really He pervades all animate and inanimate things and is their Inner
Controller and Ruler. This can be, and is even now experienced by many who
surrender themselves completely to Him and worship Him with whole-hearted
devotion.
Though it is not possible for us to see Baba's form now, still if we go to
Shirdi, we shall find His beautiful life-like portrait adorning the masjid. This
has been drawn by Shamrao Jaykar, a famous artist and well-known devotee of
Baba. To an imaginative and devout spectator this portrait can give even to-day
the satisfaction of taking Baba's darshana. Though Baba has no body now, He
lives there and everywhere, and will effect the welfare of the devotees even now
as He was doing before when He was embodied. Saints like Baba never die, though
they look like men, they are in reality God Himself.
Bapusaheb Jog's Sannyas
Hemadpant closes this chapter with the account of Jog's
sannyas. Sakharam Hari alias Bapusaheb Jog was the uncle of the famous Varkari
Vishnubuva Jog of Poona. After his retirement from Govt. Service (He was a
Supervisor in the P.W. Department) in 1909 A.D., he came and lived in Shirdi
with his wife. He had no issue. Both husband and wife loved Baba and spent all
their time in worshipping and serving Baba. After Megha's death, Bapusaheb daily
did the arati ceremony in the Masjid and Chavadi till Baba's maha-samadhi. He
was also entrusted with the work of reading and explaining Jnaneshwari and
Ekanathi Bhagawat in Sathe's Wada to the audience. After serving for many years,
Jog asked Baba - "I have served you so long, my mind is not yet calm and
composed, how is it that my contact with Saints has not improved me? When will
You bless me?" - Hearing the Bhakta's prayer Baba replied - "In due time your
bad actions (their fruit or result) will be destroyed, your merits and demerits
will be reduced to ashes, and I shall consider you blessed, when you will
renounce all attachments, conquer lust and palate, and getting rid of all
impediments, serve God whole-heartedly and resort to the begging bowl (accept
sannyas)." After some time, Baba's words came true. His wife predeceased him and
as he had no other attachment, he became free and accepted sannyas before his
death and realized the goal of his life.
Baba's Nectar-like words
The kind and merciful Sai Baba, said many a time the
following sweet words in the Masjid - "He who loves Me most, always sees Me. The
whole world is desolate to him without Me, he tells no stories but Mine. He
ceaselessly meditates upon Me and always chants My name. I feel indebted to him
who surrenders himself completely to Me and ever remembers Me. I shall repay his
debt by giving him salvation (self-realization). I am dependent on him who
thinks and hungers after Me and who does not eat anything without first offering
it to Me. He who thus comes to Me, becomes one with Me, just as a river gets to
the sea and becomes merged (one) with it. So leaving out pride and egoism and
with no trace of them, you should surrender yourself to Me Who am seated in your
heart."
Who is this ME?
Sai Baba expounded many a time Who this ME (or I)
is. He said "You need not go far or anywhere in search of Me. Barring your name
and form, there exists in you, as well as in all beings, a sense of Being or
Consciousness of Existence. That is Myself. Knowing this, you see Me inside
yourself, as well as in all beings. If you practise this, you will realize
all-pervasiveness, and thus attain oneness with Me."
Hemadpant, therefore, makes a bow to the readers and requests them humbly and
lovingly that they should love and respect all Gods, saints and devotees. Has
not Baba often said "He who carps and cavils at others, pierces Me in the heart
and injures Me, but he that suffers and endures, pleases Me most." Baba thus
pervades all beings and creatures and besets them on all sides. He likes nothing
but love to all beings. Such nectar, pure auspicious ambrosia always flowed from
Baba's lips. He therefore, concludes - Those who lovingly sing Baba's fame and
those who hear the same with devotion, both become one with Sai.
Bow to Shri Sai -- Peace be to all