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Sai-Satcharitra
Chapter XLIII & XLIV
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be withdrawn from worldly things and fixed in matters spiritual,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.
While 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.
Some people started remembering
the words of Sai Baba.Somebody said that Maharaj (Sai Baba) told
His devotees that in time to come. He would appear as a lad of eight
years. These are the words of a saint and hence nobody should take
doubt about them; because in the Krishna Avatar, Chakrapani (Lord
Vishnu) performed this very deed. Krishna appeared before Dewaki
in the prison as a lad of eight years, Who had bright complexioun
and Who wielded weapons in His four arms. In that incarnation He
(Lord Krishna) lightened the burden of the earth. This incarnation
(Sai Baba) was for the uplift of His deotees. Then where is the
reason for doubt? The ways of the saints are really inscrutable.
This contact of Sai Baba with His devotees is not only for one generation;
but it is there for the last seventy two generations. Generating
such ties of love, it appears that Maharaj (Sai Baba) has gone for
tour and the devotees had a firm belief that He will return soon.
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, 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 - 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.
After 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.
It may be noted here that,
as observed by Professor Narke, Baba's body did not get stiff though
it was exposed for 36 hours, and that all the limbs were elastic
and that His Kafni could be taken out without being torn to pieces.
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 - 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 today. Some may raise here a question
- 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.
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
- 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 - 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
- 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 -
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 (selfrealization). 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 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 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
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