Sri Saisatcharita Chapter - 30

Hemadpanth sees Baba as guru of all saints and saint’s mission is to give liberation to the devotees by taking away ignorance. That mission is inevitable for you Sai. Sai knows the desires of his devotees and he alone is capable of fulfilling them. This is the reason why his devotees have faith in him. Sai provides solace if a devotee is going through difficulties and cannot be peaceful in his or her mind. One such story is discussed in this chapter.

There was a devotee of Goddess Sapta Shringi by name Kakaji Vaidya in a village called Vani in Nasik District. He was the pujari of this Goddess. He was in a disturbed state of mind due to insurmountable difficulties and was harassed by the worldly life. In Sai Satcharita it was not mentioned about his difficulties but other sources describe that he was going through some family issues. He has a daughter from first marriage and when his first wife died he had to marry second time as this daughter was very young. Later the step mother used to give hard time to the daughter and he could not bear this. He felt helpless and wife won’t listen to him. He also struggled when her husband died and she had to go through various difficulties.

One day he prayed to Mother Sapta Shringi wholeheartedly and she blessed him by appearing in his dream. She said “you go to Baba. Your mind will be at peace”. He hoped that mother will clarify where exactly he needs to go but he opened his eyes and was eager to learn where he needs to go. He then decided to go to Tryambakeswar for ten days and but he could not get his peace. Then he returns home and asks mother again. Then mother appears in his dream

again. She tells him it is Shirdi Sai Samartha she was talking about. He did not know where Shirdi is and how to go there. But his desire was so intense to meet Sai therefore Sai will not leave him like that. The more anxious a devotee is for the darshan, the more devout and faithful he is, the greater is the experience of heavenly bliss attained by the best of devotees. While Kakaji worried about how he would go for Sai darshan, a guest arrived from Shirdi searching for his whereabouts. That guest is none other than Syama who is a staunch devotee of Baba.

When syama was young, he fell ill, his mother prayed to the Devi and said: “I leave this child to your mercy to save or kill. But should he recover, I will bring him for your darshan”. The child recovered after the Devi had been invoked. Several years passed and the vow was completely forgotten. The mother recalled it in her last moments and requested Syama to fulfill this. Syama promised her that he will go to Vani and also fulfill his mother’s another wish that he will offer silver breasts to Mother Sapta Shringi. But Syama procrastinated and forgot about these vows. One day an astrologer came and told Syama’s brother that his brother forgot the vows. Then Syama realized his mistake and takes these items and goes to Dwarakamai. He offers his prayers and offers these silver breasts to Baba saying “you are our Sapta Shringi, please accept our prayers”. Then Baba tells him to go to Vani and fulfill the vows there. So syama goes to Vani and starts looking for pujari of that temple. At the same time Kakaji Vaidya is wondering about going to Shirdi. This was the intention of Baba in sending Syama there so that both can meet. This is how Sai takes care of his devotees no matter where we are.

Then both come to Shirdi after fulfilling vows taken by Syama’s mother. This was the purpose of the vision of the Goddess. When he saw Baba Samartha with his own eyes, Kakaji was truly happy and his wish was fulfilled. So be it. Kakaji was filled with joy. After the darshan, his mind was at peace. He really became free of all worries, as the Cloud of Mercy had rained. The fickleness of his mind disappeared. He was himself surprised. He wondered how strange this was! Bab had not said a word. Nor had he asked any questions leading to this satisfaction. Nor had he given his blessings. The mere darshan had brought about contentment. He could not utter a word and his eys were focused on Sai’s feet only. Kakaji stayed there for 12 days and then returned to Vani.

 There were two other stories in this chapter which prove Baba’s will to make his devotees come to Shirdi when they were thinking about him. Once Kushaul Bhau had a dream and in this dream Baba tells him to come to Shirdi. But there were no horses and he did not know what to do. At the same time Baba tells Dixit to take a tanga and go to Rahata to bring Kushal Bhau. Both were surprised to hear both sides of the story. In a similar way, there was a Punjabi by name Ramlal who was living in Bombay. He had a dream where Baba asks him to come to Shirdi. But he did not know who this person was and where he lives. Then he was casually walking along the street one day and saw a picture which startled him. This was the person who appeared in his dream and he asks the shopkeeper about him. He tells him about Baba and Shirdi. Then Ramlal visits Shirdi and stayed near Baba till his Mahasamadhi. This was Baba’s wish to fulfill the desires of his devotees, by bringing them for darshan and letting then achieve their worldly or spiritual objectives. He himself was desire less, unselfish, without ego, and without any attachment. Baba’s selfless love is his mission and he did not even waste a word on matters other than righteousness.

Om Sri Sainatharpanamasthu!