Shri Sai Satcharitra Chapter 8

Chapter – 8

Importance of Human Birth - Sai Baba Begging Food - Bayajabai’s Service - Sai Baba’s Dormitory - His Affection for Khushalchand

Hemadpant begins this chapter with his remarks on the importance of human birth and then proceeds to relate how Sai Baba begged His food, how Bayajabai served Him, how Baba slept in the masjid with Tatya Kote Patil and Mhalasapati, and how Baba loved Khushalchand of Rahata.

Importance of Human Birth

In this wonderful universe, God has created billions (84 lacs according to Hindu shastra calculation) of creatures or beings (including gods, demigods, insects, beasts and men) that inhabit the heavens, hell, earth, ocean, sky and other intermediate regions. Of these, those creatures or souls whose merits preponderate, go to heaven and live there and enjoy the fruit of their actions, and when this is done, they are cast down, while those souls whose sins or demerits preponderate, go down to hell and suffer the consequences of their misdeeds for so long a time as they deserve. When their merits and demerits balance each other, they are born on earth as human beings and are given a chance to work out their salvation. Ultimately, when they are completely rid of their merits and demerits, they get their deliverance and become free. To be brief, souls get their births, or transmigrations, according to their deeds and intelligence (development of their minds).

Special Value of the Human Body

As we all know, four desires are common to all creatures, viz. food, sleep, fear and sexual union. In the case of man, he is endowed with a special faculty, viz. knowledge, with the help of which he can attain God vision, which is impossible in any other type of birth. It is for this reason human beings are fortunate, for they have the opportunity to be born as men on earth, so as to get their final deliverance.

Some say there is nothing worse than the human body which is full of filth, mucus, phlegm and dirt, and which is subject to decay, disease and death. This is no doubt true to a certain extent, but in spite of these drawbacks and defects, the special value of the human body is - that man has the capacity to acquire knowledge. It is only due to the human mind’s use of attained knowledge that one can think of the perishable and transitory nature of the body and of the world itself and thus, develop disgust for sense enjoyments.

By discriminating between the unreal and the real, God vision is attained. So, if we reject or neglect the body because it is filthy, we lose the chance of God vision, and if we fondle it and run after sense enjoyments, we live in darkness. The proper course, therefore, is to pursue the following: the body should neither be neglected nor fondled, but should be properly cared for, just as a traveler on horseback takes care of his pony on the way until he reaches his destination and returns home. Thus, the body should ever be used or engaged to attain God vision or Self-realization, the supreme goal of life. It is said that though God created various sorts of creatures, He was not satisfied, for none of them was able to know and appreciate His work, so He had to create a special being - man - and endow him with a special faculty, viz. intelligence. When God was able to see that man was capable of appreciating His leela (marvelous work and intelligence), He was highly pleased and satisfied. (vide Bhagawat 11-9-28). Therefore, it is good fortune to get a human body, and better still, to get an opportunity of having recourse at Sai Baba’s feet and surrendering to Him.

Man’s Endeavor

Realizing how precious human life is, and knowing that death is certain and may snatch us at any time, we should be ever alert to achieve the object of our life – God realization. We should not make the least delay, but make haste to gain our object. So with all earnestness and determination, we should strive to attain our end, i.e. Self-realization. Casting aside sloth and laziness, and warding off drowsiness, we should meditate on the Self day and night. If we fail to do this, we reduce ourselves to the level of beasts.

How to Proceed?

The most effective and direct way to gain Self-realization is to approach a worthy saint or sage - satguru - who has himself attained God vision. What cannot be achieved by hearing religious lectures and the study of religious works, is easily obtained in the company of such worthy souls. Just as the sun alone gives light which all the stars put together cannot give, so the satguru alone imparts spiritual wisdom which all the sacred books and sermons cannot infuse. His actions and words provide hidden teachings. The virtues of forgiveness, serenity, disinterestedness, charity, benevolence, control of mind and body, egolessness etc. are observed by the disciples as they are being practiced by such pure and holy company. This enlightens the disciples’ minds and lifts them up spiritually. Sai Baba was such a sage or satguru. Though He acted as a fakir (mendicant), He was always engrossed in the Self. He saw God or divinity in all beings and loved all equally. He was not elated by pleasures, nor depressed by misfortunes. A king and a pauper were the same to Him. He, whose glance would turn a beggar into a king, used to beg His food from door to door in Shirdi. Let us now see how He did it.

Baba Begging Food

Blessed are the people of Shirdi in front of whose houses Baba stood as a beggar and called out, “Oh Lassie, give Me a piece of bread” with His hand stretched out to receive the same. In one hand, He carried a timrel (tin pot), and in the other, a zoli or choupadari, i.e. a rectangular piece of cloth. He daily visited certain houses and went from door to door. Liquid, or semi liquid things, such as soup, vegetables, milk or buttermilk were received in the tin pot, while cooked rice, bread and solid things were taken in the zoli. Baba’s tongue knew no taste, as He had acquired control over it. So how could He care for the taste of the different things collected together? Whatever things He got in His zoli and tin pot were mixed together and partaken by Baba to His heart’s content. Whether particular things were tasty or otherwise was never noticed by Baba, as if His tongue were devoid of the sense of taste altogether. Baba begged till noon, but His begging was very irregular. Some days He went a few rounds, on other days, up to twelve noon. The food thus collected was thrown in a kundi, i.e. earthen pot. Dogs, cats and crows freely ate from it and Baba never drove them away. The woman who swept the floor of the masjid took some 10 or 12 pieces of bread to her house and nobody prevented her from doing so. How could He, who even in dreams never warded off cats and dogs by harsh words and signs, refuse food to poor helpless people? Blessed indeed is the life of such a noble person! In the beginning, the people of Shirdi took Him for a mad fakir. He was known in the village by that name. How could one who lived on alms by begging a few crumbs of bread, be revered and respected? But this fakir was very liberal of heart and hand, disinterested and charitable. Though He appeared fickle and restless outwardly, He was firm and steady inside. His way was inscrutable. Still, even in that small village, there were a few kind and blessed people who recognized and regarded Him as a great soul. One such incident is given below:

Bayajabai’s Brilliant Service

Tatya Kote’s mother, Bayajabai, used to go to the woods every noon with a basket on her head containing bread and vegetables. She would roam in the jungles koss (about 3 miles) after koss, trampling over bushes and shrubs in search of the mad fakir, and after hunting Him out, she would fall at His feet. The fakir would sit calm and motionless in meditation while she placed a leaf before Him, spread the bread and vegetables thereupon, and fed him forcibly. How wonderful was her faith and service! Every day at noon, she would roam in the jungles and force Baba to partake lunch. Her service, upasana, penance, or by whatever name given it, was never forgotten by Baba right up until His mahasamadhi. Remembering fully what service she had rendered, Baba benefitted her son magnificently. Both the son and the mother had great faith in the fakir, who was their God. Baba often said to them that “fakiri” (mendicancy) was the real Lordship, as it was everlasting. Wealth was evanescent.

After some years, Baba no longer went into the woods. He lived only in the village and took His food in the masjid. From that time on, Bayajabai’s troubles of roaming in the jungles ended.

Dormitory of the Trio

Blessed are the saints in whose hearts Vasudeo dwells, and fortunate indeed are the devotees who get the benefit of the company of such saints. Two such fortunate fellows, Tatya Kote Patil and Bhagat Mhalasapati, shared the company of Sai Baba. Baba loved them equally. These three individuals slept in the masjid with their heads facing east, west and north and with their feet touching one another’s at the center. Stretching their beds, they lay on them chitchatting and gossiping about many things until late past midnight. If any one of them showed any signs of sleep, the others would wake him up. For instance, if Tatya began to snore, Baba would get up and shake him from side to side and press his head. If Mhalasapati became drowsy and ready to fall asleep, Baba would hug him close, stroke his legs and knead his back. In this way, for a full fourteen years, Tatya, having left his parents’ home, slept in the masjid on account of his love for Baba. How happy and never to be forgotten were those days! How to measure that love and how to value the grace of Baba? After the passing away of his father, Tatya took charge of the household affairs and began to sleep at home.

Khushalchand of Rahata

Baba loved Ganpat Kote Patil of Shirdi. He equally loved Chandrabhanshet Marwadi of Rahata. After the demise of that shet, Baba loved his nephew Khushalchand equally or even perhaps more, and watched over his welfare day and night. Sometimes in a bullock cart, at other times in a tanga along with intimate friends, Baba went to Rahata. People of that village came out with band and music and received Baba at the ves or gate of the village and prostrated before Him. He then was taken into the village with great pomp and ceremony. Khushalchand took Baba to his house, seated Him on a comfortable seat and gave Him a good lunch. They would talk freely and merrily for some time, after which Baba returned to Shirdi, giving delight and blessings to all. Shirdi is midway between, and equidistant from, Rahata (on the south side) and Nimgaon (on the north side). Baba never went beyond these places in His lifetime. He never saw any railway trains, nor traveled by one. Still, He knew exactly the schedule of arrival and departure of all the trains. Devotees who acted according to Baba’s instructions (re: their departure), which were given by Him at the time of their taking His leave, fared well, while those who disregarded them, suffered many a mishap and accident. More about this and other matters will be told in the next chapter.

Note: An incident given in the footnote at the end of this chapter showing Baba’s love for Khushalchand, how He asked Kakasaheb Dixit one afternoon to go to Rahata and bring Khushalchand to Him, and how at the very same time, He appeared in Khushalchand’s dream during his noon nap, asking him to come to Shirdi, is not given here as it is described in Shri Sai Satcharita (chapter 30).

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all