Stories of (1) Hari Kanoba (2) Somadev Swami (3)
Nanasaheb Chandorkar
Preliminary
When even the Vedas and the Puranas cannot
sufficiently praise (describe) Brahma or Sadguru, then,
how can we, ignorant describe our Sadguru, Shri Sai Baba? We think
that, it is better for us to keep quiet in this matter. In reality, the observance
of the vow of silence is the best way of praising the Sadguru; but the
divine qualities of Sai Baba make us forget our vow of silence and
inspire us to open our mouth. Tasteful dishes lose their taste, if there
is no company of friends and relatives to partake the dishes with us;
but when they join us, the dishes acquire additional flavour. The same
is the case with the Sai Leelamrit – the nectar in the form of Sai’s Leelas.
This nectar we cannot partake alone. Friends and brothers have to join
us – the more the better.
It is Sai Baba Himself Who inspires these stories and gets them
written, as He desires. Our duty is to surrender completely to Him and
meditate on Him. Practising penance is better than pilgrimage, vow,
sacrifice, and charity. Worshipping Hari (Lord) is better than penance;
and meditation on the Sadguru is the best of all. We have, therefore, to
chant Sai’s name think over His sayings in our mind, meditate on His
Form, feel true love for Him in our heart, and do all our actions for His
sake. There is no better means than this for snapping the bondage of
this Sansar. If we can do our duty on our part, as stated above, Sai is
bound to help and liberate us. Now, we revert to the stories of this
chapter.
Hari Kanoba
A gentleman of Mumbai, named Hari Kanoba heard from his
friends and relatives many Leelas of Baba. He did not believe in them,
as he had a doubting mind. He wanted to see Baba himself. So, he came
to Shirdi with some Mumbai friends. He wore a lace bordered turban
on his head and a new pair of sandals on his feet. On seeing Baba from
a distance, he thought of going to Him and prostrating himself before
Him. He did not know, what to do about his new sandals. After going
to one corner in the open courtyard, he placed them there and went in
the Masjid and had Baba’s darshan. He made a reverential bow to
Baba, took Udi and Prasad from Baba and returned. When he reached
the corner, he found to his utter dismay that his sandals had
disappeared. He searched for them in vain; and returned to his lodging,
very much dejected.
He bathed, offered worship and Naivaidya and sat down for
meals, but all this while he was thinking about nothing but his sandals.
After finishing his meals, he came out to wash his hands, when he saw
a Maratha boy coming towards him. He held in his hand a stick, at the
end of which was hanging a pair of new sandals. He said to the men,
who had come out to wash their hands that, Baba sent him with this
stick in hand and asked him to go on the streets crying “Hari Ka Beta.
Jari Ka Pheta” and that, “If anybody claims these sandals, first assure
yourself that, his name is Hari and that, he is the son of ‘Ka’, i.e.,
Kanoba; and that, he wears a lace-bordered turban; and then, give them
over to him.” On hearing this, Hari Kanoba was pleasantly surprised.
He went ahead to the boy and claimed the sandals as his own. He said
to the boy that his name was Hari, and that, he was the son of ‘Ka’
(Kanoba); and showed him his lace bordered turban. The boy was
satisfied and returned the sandals to him. Hari Kanoba wondered in
his mind that his lace-bordered turban was visible to all, and Baba
might have seen it; but how could he know that his name was Hari, and
that he was the son of Kanoba, as this was his first trip to Shirdi. He
came there with the sole object of testing Baba, and with no other
motive. He came to know by this incident that, Baba was a great
Satpurush. He got what he wanted, and returned home well-pleased.
Somadev Swami
Now, hear the story of another man, who came to try Baba. Bhaiji,
brother of Kakasaheb Dixit was staying at Nagpur. When he had gone
to the Himalayas in 1906 he made an acquaintance with one Somadev
Swami of Hardwar at Uttar Kashi, down the Gangotri valley. Both took
down each other’s names in their diaries. Five years later Somadev
Swami came to Nagpur and was Bhaiji’s guest. There, he was pleased
to hear the Leelas of Baba, and a strong desire arose in his mind to go
to Shirdi and see Him. He got a letter of introduction from Bhaiji and
left for Shirdi. After passing Manmad and Kopergaon, he took a Tonga
and drove to Shirdi. As he came near Shirdi, he saw two flags floating
high over the Masjid in Shirdi. Generally, we find different behaviour,
different mode of living and different outward paraphernalia with
different saints. But, these outward signs should never be our standards
to judge the worth of a saint. But, with Somadev Swami, it was different.
As soon as, he saw the flags flying, he thought, “Why should a saint
take a liking for the flags? Does this denote saint-hood? It implies the
saint’s hankering after fame.” Thinking thus, he wished to cancel his
Shirdi trip and said to his fellow travellers that he would go back. They
said to him, “Then, why did you come so far? If your mind became
restless by the mere sight of the flags, how much more agitated would
you be on seeing the Rath, the palanquin, the horse and all other
paraphernalia in Shirdi?” The Swami got more confounded and said,
“Not Sadhu with horses, palanquins and tom-toms have I seen, and it
is better for me to return than visit such a Sadhu.” After saying this he
started to return. The fellow-travellers pressed him not to do so but to
proceed. They asked him to stop his inconsistent way of thinking and
told him that the Sadhu, i.e., Baba did not care a bit for the flags and
other paraphernalia, nor for the name. It was the people, His devotees
who, kept up all this paraphernalia out of love and devotion to Him.
Finally, he was persuaded to continue his journey, go to Shirdi and see
Baba. When he went and saw Baba from the courtyard, he melted
inside, his eyes were full of tears, his throat was choked, and all his evil
and crooked thoughts vanished. He remembered his Guru’s saying
that, “That is our abode and place of rest, where the mind is most
pleased and settled.” He wished to roll himself in the dust at Baba’s
Feet and when he approached Baba, the latter got wild and cried aloud,
“Let all our humbug (paraphernalia) be with us, you go back to your
home, beware! If you come back to this Masjid again. Why take the
darshan of One, Who flies a flag over His Masjid? Is this a sign of
sainthood? Remain here not a moment.” The Swami was taken aback
by surprise. He realized that, Baba read his heart and spoke it out. How
Omniscient He was! He knew that, he was least intelligent, and that,
Baba was noble and pure. He saw Baba embracing somebody, touching
someone with his hand, comforting others, staring kindly at some,
laughing at others, giving Udi-Prasad to some, and thus pleasing and
satisfying all. Why should he alone be dealt so harshly? After thinking
seriously, he came to realize that, Baba’s conduct responded exactly to
his inner thought; and that, he should take a lesson from this and
improve; and that Baba’s wrath was a blessing in disguise. It is needless
to say that later on, his faith in Baba was confirmed, and he became a
staunch devotee of Baba.
Nanasaheb Chandorkar
Hemadpant concludes this chapter, with a story of Nanasaheb
Chandorkar. Nanasaheb was once sitting in the Masjid with Mhalsapati
and others, a Mohammeden gentleman from Bijapur came, with his
family, to see Baba. On seeing veiled ladies with him, Nanasaheb
wanted to go away, but Baba prevented him from doing so. The ladies
came and took the darshan of Baba. When one of the ladies removed
her veil for saluting Baba’s Feet, Nanasaheb, who had a glimpse of her
face, was so much smitten with her beauty that he wished to see her
face again. Knowing Nana’s restlessness of mind, Baba spoke to him
after the lady had left the place, “Nana, why are you getting agitated
in vain? Let the senses do their allotted work or duty, we should not
meddle with their work. God had created this beautiful world, and it
is our duty to appreciate its beauty. The mind will get steady and calm
slowly and gradually. When the front door was open, why go by the
back one? When the heart is pure, there is no difficulty, whatsoever.
Why should one be afriad of anyone, if there be no evil thought in us?
The eyes may do their work, why should you feel shy and tottering?”
Shama was there, and he could not follow the meaning of what
Baba said. So, he asked Nana about this on their way home. Nana told
him about his restlessness at the sight of the beautiful lady, how Baba
knew it and advised him about it. Nana explained Baba’s meaning as
follows, “That our mind is fickle by nature, it should not be allowed to
get wild. The senses may get restless, the body, however, should be held
in check, and not allowed to be impatient. Senses run after objects of
desire but we should not follow them and crave for them. By slow and
gradual practice, restlessness can be conquered. We should not be
swayed by the senses, though they cannot be completely controlled. We
should curb them, rightly and properly, according to the need of the
occasion. Beauty is the subject of sight, we may fearlessly look at the
beauty of objects. There is no room for shyness or fear. Only, we should
never entertain evil thoughts. Making the mind desireless, observe God’s
works of beauty. In this way, the senses will be easily and naturally
controlled, and even in enjoying objects you will be reminded of God.
If the outer senses are not held in check, and if the mind be allowed to
run after objects and be attached to them, our cycle of births and deaths
will not come to an end. With Vivek (discrimination) as our charioteer,
we will control the mind, and shall not allow the senses to go astray.
With such a charioteer, we reach the Vishnu-pada – the final abode, our
real Home, from where there is no return.”
Bow to Shri Sai – Peace be to all
Nanasaheb Chandorkar
Preliminary
When even the Vedas and the Puranas cannot
sufficiently praise (describe) Brahma or Sadguru, then,
how can we, ignorant describe our Sadguru, Shri Sai Baba? We think
that, it is better for us to keep quiet in this matter. In reality, the observance
of the vow of silence is the best way of praising the Sadguru; but the
divine qualities of Sai Baba make us forget our vow of silence and
inspire us to open our mouth. Tasteful dishes lose their taste, if there
is no company of friends and relatives to partake the dishes with us;
but when they join us, the dishes acquire additional flavour. The same
is the case with the Sai Leelamrit – the nectar in the form of Sai’s Leelas.
This nectar we cannot partake alone. Friends and brothers have to join
us – the more the better.
It is Sai Baba Himself Who inspires these stories and gets them
written, as He desires. Our duty is to surrender completely to Him and
meditate on Him. Practising penance is better than pilgrimage, vow,
sacrifice, and charity. Worshipping Hari (Lord) is better than penance;
and meditation on the Sadguru is the best of all. We have, therefore, to
chant Sai’s name think over His sayings in our mind, meditate on His
Form, feel true love for Him in our heart, and do all our actions for His
sake. There is no better means than this for snapping the bondage of
this Sansar. If we can do our duty on our part, as stated above, Sai is
bound to help and liberate us. Now, we revert to the stories of this
chapter.
Hari Kanoba
A gentleman of Mumbai, named Hari Kanoba heard from his
friends and relatives many Leelas of Baba. He did not believe in them,
as he had a doubting mind. He wanted to see Baba himself. So, he came
to Shirdi with some Mumbai friends. He wore a lace bordered turban
on his head and a new pair of sandals on his feet. On seeing Baba from
a distance, he thought of going to Him and prostrating himself before
Him. He did not know, what to do about his new sandals. After going
to one corner in the open courtyard, he placed them there and went in
the Masjid and had Baba’s darshan. He made a reverential bow to
Baba, took Udi and Prasad from Baba and returned. When he reached
the corner, he found to his utter dismay that his sandals had
disappeared. He searched for them in vain; and returned to his lodging,
very much dejected.
He bathed, offered worship and Naivaidya and sat down for
meals, but all this while he was thinking about nothing but his sandals.
After finishing his meals, he came out to wash his hands, when he saw
a Maratha boy coming towards him. He held in his hand a stick, at the
end of which was hanging a pair of new sandals. He said to the men,
who had come out to wash their hands that, Baba sent him with this
stick in hand and asked him to go on the streets crying “Hari Ka Beta.
Jari Ka Pheta” and that, “If anybody claims these sandals, first assure
yourself that, his name is Hari and that, he is the son of ‘Ka’, i.e.,
Kanoba; and that, he wears a lace-bordered turban; and then, give them
over to him.” On hearing this, Hari Kanoba was pleasantly surprised.
He went ahead to the boy and claimed the sandals as his own. He said
to the boy that his name was Hari, and that, he was the son of ‘Ka’
(Kanoba); and showed him his lace bordered turban. The boy was
satisfied and returned the sandals to him. Hari Kanoba wondered in
his mind that his lace-bordered turban was visible to all, and Baba
might have seen it; but how could he know that his name was Hari, and
that he was the son of Kanoba, as this was his first trip to Shirdi. He
came there with the sole object of testing Baba, and with no other
motive. He came to know by this incident that, Baba was a great
Satpurush. He got what he wanted, and returned home well-pleased.
Somadev Swami
Now, hear the story of another man, who came to try Baba. Bhaiji,
brother of Kakasaheb Dixit was staying at Nagpur. When he had gone
to the Himalayas in 1906 he made an acquaintance with one Somadev
Swami of Hardwar at Uttar Kashi, down the Gangotri valley. Both took
down each other’s names in their diaries. Five years later Somadev
Swami came to Nagpur and was Bhaiji’s guest. There, he was pleased
to hear the Leelas of Baba, and a strong desire arose in his mind to go
to Shirdi and see Him. He got a letter of introduction from Bhaiji and
left for Shirdi. After passing Manmad and Kopergaon, he took a Tonga
and drove to Shirdi. As he came near Shirdi, he saw two flags floating
high over the Masjid in Shirdi. Generally, we find different behaviour,
different mode of living and different outward paraphernalia with
different saints. But, these outward signs should never be our standards
to judge the worth of a saint. But, with Somadev Swami, it was different.
As soon as, he saw the flags flying, he thought, “Why should a saint
take a liking for the flags? Does this denote saint-hood? It implies the
saint’s hankering after fame.” Thinking thus, he wished to cancel his
Shirdi trip and said to his fellow travellers that he would go back. They
said to him, “Then, why did you come so far? If your mind became
restless by the mere sight of the flags, how much more agitated would
you be on seeing the Rath, the palanquin, the horse and all other
paraphernalia in Shirdi?” The Swami got more confounded and said,
“Not Sadhu with horses, palanquins and tom-toms have I seen, and it
is better for me to return than visit such a Sadhu.” After saying this he
started to return. The fellow-travellers pressed him not to do so but to
proceed. They asked him to stop his inconsistent way of thinking and
told him that the Sadhu, i.e., Baba did not care a bit for the flags and
other paraphernalia, nor for the name. It was the people, His devotees
who, kept up all this paraphernalia out of love and devotion to Him.
Finally, he was persuaded to continue his journey, go to Shirdi and see
Baba. When he went and saw Baba from the courtyard, he melted
inside, his eyes were full of tears, his throat was choked, and all his evil
and crooked thoughts vanished. He remembered his Guru’s saying
that, “That is our abode and place of rest, where the mind is most
pleased and settled.” He wished to roll himself in the dust at Baba’s
Feet and when he approached Baba, the latter got wild and cried aloud,
“Let all our humbug (paraphernalia) be with us, you go back to your
home, beware! If you come back to this Masjid again. Why take the
darshan of One, Who flies a flag over His Masjid? Is this a sign of
sainthood? Remain here not a moment.” The Swami was taken aback
by surprise. He realized that, Baba read his heart and spoke it out. How
Omniscient He was! He knew that, he was least intelligent, and that,
Baba was noble and pure. He saw Baba embracing somebody, touching
someone with his hand, comforting others, staring kindly at some,
laughing at others, giving Udi-Prasad to some, and thus pleasing and
satisfying all. Why should he alone be dealt so harshly? After thinking
seriously, he came to realize that, Baba’s conduct responded exactly to
his inner thought; and that, he should take a lesson from this and
improve; and that Baba’s wrath was a blessing in disguise. It is needless
to say that later on, his faith in Baba was confirmed, and he became a
staunch devotee of Baba.
Nanasaheb Chandorkar
Hemadpant concludes this chapter, with a story of Nanasaheb
Chandorkar. Nanasaheb was once sitting in the Masjid with Mhalsapati
and others, a Mohammeden gentleman from Bijapur came, with his
family, to see Baba. On seeing veiled ladies with him, Nanasaheb
wanted to go away, but Baba prevented him from doing so. The ladies
came and took the darshan of Baba. When one of the ladies removed
her veil for saluting Baba’s Feet, Nanasaheb, who had a glimpse of her
face, was so much smitten with her beauty that he wished to see her
face again. Knowing Nana’s restlessness of mind, Baba spoke to him
after the lady had left the place, “Nana, why are you getting agitated
in vain? Let the senses do their allotted work or duty, we should not
meddle with their work. God had created this beautiful world, and it
is our duty to appreciate its beauty. The mind will get steady and calm
slowly and gradually. When the front door was open, why go by the
back one? When the heart is pure, there is no difficulty, whatsoever.
Why should one be afriad of anyone, if there be no evil thought in us?
The eyes may do their work, why should you feel shy and tottering?”
Shama was there, and he could not follow the meaning of what
Baba said. So, he asked Nana about this on their way home. Nana told
him about his restlessness at the sight of the beautiful lady, how Baba
knew it and advised him about it. Nana explained Baba’s meaning as
follows, “That our mind is fickle by nature, it should not be allowed to
get wild. The senses may get restless, the body, however, should be held
in check, and not allowed to be impatient. Senses run after objects of
desire but we should not follow them and crave for them. By slow and
gradual practice, restlessness can be conquered. We should not be
swayed by the senses, though they cannot be completely controlled. We
should curb them, rightly and properly, according to the need of the
occasion. Beauty is the subject of sight, we may fearlessly look at the
beauty of objects. There is no room for shyness or fear. Only, we should
never entertain evil thoughts. Making the mind desireless, observe God’s
works of beauty. In this way, the senses will be easily and naturally
controlled, and even in enjoying objects you will be reminded of God.
If the outer senses are not held in check, and if the mind be allowed to
run after objects and be attached to them, our cycle of births and deaths
will not come to an end. With Vivek (discrimination) as our charioteer,
we will control the mind, and shall not allow the senses to go astray.
With such a charioteer, we reach the Vishnu-pada – the final abode, our
real Home, from where there is no return.”
Bow to Shri Sai – Peace be to all
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