First meeting with Baba:
On 27th June 1911 he went to Shirdi just to pay a brief formal visit to Sai Baba. The first interview between Sri Sai Baba and Kasinath is a very interesting study of the personalities of both, and the method of operation of Sai Baba peculiar to each case. After staying a day, Kasinath went to take leave of Baba to go home.
Baba said, 'What! so soon? When are you returning?'
Kasinath protested that it was not easy for him to return,
Then Baba said, 'you had better stay. Do not go away'. Kasinath did not like both choices.
Then kasinath said “What, either to stay on forever or to go and return in eight days!"
Baba said, 'Well, go. I shall see what I can do'.
This might appear a threat to those who knew Sai Baba's powers. But as Kasinath understood none of his powers, he simply thought permission had been given to him to go and then went away. He was anxious to get back home now that his health had been restored and have a pleasant family life with his young wife (third wife).
Upasini trying to leave Shirdi:
He went out for few miles and stayed at a neighboring village for a bath in the Godavari . Next day he went a short distance, and again was stopped by something attractive. Like this for seven days, he was within a radius of eleven miles, and on the eighth day he was at Kopergaon with a Brahmachari at the Datta Temple on the bank of the river Godavari, i.e., only six miles from Shirdi.
Brahmachari told him to go to Shirdi and be with Sai Baba. Kasinath, however, declined to accept that proposal. As they were talking, some visitors came. They were asked by the Brahmachari, 'Where are you going?' They said, 'To Shirdi’. Then the Brahmachari said, 'Take this Kasinath with you'. Kasinath said, 'No, I have been there already'. Then the visitors said, 'That is the best reason. We have not been there. We want someone to be with us to guide us'. Kasinath said that he had not taken his meal and he had no carriage fare, and thus pleaded vain excuses. They said, 'We have the carriage fare, and we will give you food'- So, in spite of himself, out of a mere desire to oblige these visitors and to oblige the Brahmachari, he got into the cart which straightway sped on to Shirdi. There they all alighted. They all bowed before Baba.
Baba said to Kasinath, "You have come back! How many days is it since you left?' '
Kasinath said “This is the eighth day”.
'What!' Baba remarked, 'You said you would not come back in eight days'.
Then the spell over Kasinath seemed to disappear, and he woke up and said, 'What, Baba, I cannot understand this. I was eager to go home, and I wonder how I did not go back home. This must be all you’re doing’. Baba said, 'Yes. I have been with you all these eight days dogging your heels'. Then it flashed upon Kasinath that Sai Baba was (always) wielding vast powers over people's mind, that when he could not think of going home, and when the Brahmachari and others were asking him to go to Shirdi, it was all the work of Sai.
Upasini's stay at Shirdi:
So, he was under Sai's spell and that was how he could not think of his home under that spell! He was -aghast at this vast control over minds and bodies of not one but of many. Then he resigned himself to fate as he called it. He thought 'Some vast Power is seizing me. So, I must bend to it’. Then he was staying on, hoping time and again to get leave of Baba to get back.
Through Shama he asked for permission. Baba said, 'let him stay on’. Then Shama asked what he was to do. Baba's answer was, "To do nothing". Kasinath could not understand what he should do remaining there doing nothing. But doing nothing was only the external appearance. "Doing nothing" in Baba's parlance meant being receptive and receiving everything from him.
In Baba's Guru parampara, Sishya's work is simply nothing. The entire operation of moulding, remoulding, raising and reaching the top of the highest spiritual experience is the work of the Guru and the Guru alone. Baba asked him to go and live in solitude (as he already loved solitude) at Khandoba Temple
Kasinath’s learning, his mastery of Sanskrit and general information were far superior to those of the ordinary pandit. He was anxious to go on either with mantra or with study which alone he understood to be the constituents of real religion. Baba allowed him to indulge in these for a time, but these were not part of Baba's course for his pupil. Studies are hindrances, as they raise the thought in the minds of the pupil that he is learned, that he is something, and that he must understand everything put to him with his intellect and then rise with the help of that intellect and his book learning.
In Baba's course, the spiritual experience is a sort of chemical extract inherent in and constituting the spiritual body of Baba, the Guru, and is poured into the soul of the sishya which must receptively receive and absorb the same. The entire work is that of the Guru. Kasinath could not understand this, and went on with his studies especially when he met congenial spirits like G S. Khaparde, Chidambaram Pillai and others and later went on telling stories and lecturing. Anyhow Baba had given him directions, and set to work upon him in a number of ways.
The first essential preparatory step in Baba's course is not book learning, but the development of humility and receptivity. These would result from absolute faith in the Guru. The Guru must be everything to the sishya, the giver of bread, the giver of life and light and the giver of all that life is worth living for, and at one stroke. He must not regard anything else. This alone is the tyaga of Tan, Man, Dhan - body, mind and possessions. However anxious Kasinath might be to benefit from Baba's goodwill, absolute surrender of self was not there. Absolute ridding himself of all the contacts with external world was not there and no idea of giving up his family life. He was still thinking of his own home at Satana, his wife, his mother, and others. He hoped to join them after achieving progress under Baba and enjoying the result of that progress with his family. That was his idea. But that was not Baba's idea. Baba wanted him to be free from all shackles and absolutely independent of all family or other connections. Sai Baba wanted to make him feel that he was entirely dependent upon Sai and Sai alone at least during the period of probation.
Hence, Baba watched him to get into a number of difficulties for the very essentials of livelihood. Food was easy for a time to get, but very soon the food problem became the main problem of his life. At first he had some funds, and lived with the help of what he could get with this. But Baba deprived him even with these funds. Upasani Maharaj had given some dakshinas but retained Rs.10 with him thinking that he could bank upon it and live upon it till he could get further sums. But Sai Baba asked him for dakshina of Rs.10 and deprived him of his bank and reduced him to zero. Then suddenly Kasinath felt he was unsupported. That is just what Sai Baba wanted him to feel. That is, the sishya must feel that he has no earthly support barring the Guru. But no possessions or help is a very painful experience.
Later Dixit requested him to eat at Dixit wada and this also lasted only few days. Again life was difficult. He was on fast almost every day and his health deteriorates. He develops piles problem. This was bothering him but Baba kept quiet. Thus Baba was teaching him, faith and patience. Baba wanted to make him the best of his devotees. Baba's course was to give first nishta or full faith and secondly saburi or patience, to wait for the benefits of the course to be given at the time considered by the Guru to be proper. These are the two coins which Baba's own Guru wanted him to place at his (Sai Baba's Guru's) feet, and Sai Baba said he did give them to his Guru. Similarly Baba expected Kasinath to develop nishta and saburi and offer these as dakshina to him. Kasinath was slowly developing both nishta and saburi, and when these two were perfect, the seeds of instruction sown in the heart of the pupil would bear fruit.
Visions given to Upasini by Baba:
Sin bounded Upasini (Papa Purush):
As Kasinath sat up one day, he had the following visions. The first of these may be called Papa Purusha Nirasana. Baba came up to him at some mysterious place and sat up. Baba asked him to come near saying, 'I am going to give you Upadesh'.
When Kasinath was trying to approach the Guru, a dark and dirty person behind Kasinath exactly like him, that is, his replica pulled him up and said, "Don't listen to the Guru. But listen to me". Twice this interruption took place. Then Sai got up, seized that dark person behind Kasinath, took him and placed him on a pile of faggots and burnt him. All that time Kasinath was saying 'Baba, it is me whom you are burning, it is me whom you are burning'. After completely burning him out, Baba turned to Kasinath and said, 'Yes. That was you no doubt. But you were in that sin form, namely, Papa rupa. I have destroyed him. You are now free from sin. By our united efforts there are many things to be achieved in the future. How can that be done if sin remains?'
Another vision which Kasinath Maharaj had was this. As he was passing along, there was a deep dark pit. A hand came out of that pit as he stood on the brink of it, and tried to pull him down into that dark abyss. Kasinath cried, 'Hands off. Who are you? Why do you drag me? If you do not let me go, I will report to Sai Baba'. At the mention of Sai's name, his feet were released. In that very vision, he learnt that the black abyss and black hand were Hell, that Hell would seize anyone who came near, and it was a mistake to come near and tempt Hell.
Baba offering lamp to Kasinath:
Later in another vision he was offered a lamp, and Baba told him, 'You must accept the lamp. It would light you and protect you everywhere. You will never be obstructed. You will escape obstacles, and will give light to hundreds in the future.' Kasinath accepted the light.
Kasinath’s alter ego with good deeds (Punya purush):
Baba told him at one time, 'I will take away half of your head and give you half of my own'. Accordingly, Kasinath had a vision. Some ruffians came and cut his head off, scooped up the brain, ate the contents and ran away. Then in a later vision, Sai Baba took Maharaj to some mysterious place and showed him a heap of silver rupees, 225 feet long. 120 feet, broad, 4 feet high. Over that there was a princely bed with bolsters of lace cloth, and over all this was a richly dressed and gaily ornamented person. Sai Baba asked Kasinath to see that man. Kasinath asked, 'Who is that?' Baba said, 'Have you not recognized yourself? It is you. Your body of sin has gone. That papa purusha has gone. This is your punya purusha'. Then, pointing to all the rupees, vast hoards of rupees, Sai Baba showed him a big room full of rupees and said 'There are hundreds and thousands of such houses filled completely with rupees. All these are ours. You will come to know all this by yourself. Thus, the subconscious mind of Kasinath Maharaj was being impressed by Sai Baba with the feeling that it was cloyed and glutted with ample possession of wealth.
Baba thus took Kasinath beyond the world of duality so that he can advance in spiritual world. He gave him these experiences so that he can streamline whatever Kasinath learned in the form of scriptures. This learning could have been hindrance to his growth.
OM SAI RAM!
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