Shri Sai Satcharitra Chapter 15

Chapter – 15

Naradiya Kirtan - Paddhati - Mr. Cholkar’s Sugarless Tea – Two lizards

The readers may remember mention was made in the 6th chapter regarding the Rama-Navami Festival in Shirdi, how the festival originated, and how in the early years, there were great difficulties in getting a good haridas for performing kirtan on that occasion. It mentions how Baba entrusted that function (kirtan) to Das Ganu permanently. This chapter will describe the manner in which Das Ganu was performing the kirtan.

Naradiya Kirtan-Paddhati

Generally, the haridas, while performing the kirtan, wears a gala and full dress, including a headdress, either a pheta or a turban, a long flowing coat with a shirt inside, an uparane (short dhotar) on the shoulders and the usual long dhotar from the waist below. Dressed in this fashion for kirtan in Shirdi, Das Ganu once went to bow before Baba. Baba asked him, “Well, bridegroom, where are you going dressed so beautifully like this?” “For performing a kirtan,” was the reply. Then Baba said, “Why do you want all this paraphernalia - coat, uparane and pheta etc.? Doff all that before Me. Why wear them on the body?” Das Ganu immediately took them off and placed them at Baba’s feet. From that time, Das Ganu never wore these things while performing kirtan. He was always bare from his waist up, had a pair of ‘chiplis’ in his hand, and a garland around his neck. This is not in consonance with the practice generally followed by all the haridases, but this is the best and most pure method. The sage, Narada, from whom the Kirtan-Paddhati originated, wore nothing on his trunk and head. He carried a ‘veena’ in his hand and wandered from place to place singing the glory of the Lord everywhere.

Mr. Cholkar’s Sugarless Tea

Baba was known in Poona and in the Ahmednagar district, but His fame spread by Nanasaheb Chandorkar’s personal talks and Das Ganu’s splendid kirtans in the Konkan (Bombay Presidency). In fact, it was Das Ganu - may God bless him - who, by his beautiful and inimitable kirtans, made Baba available to so many people there. The audiences who come to hear the kirtans have different tastes. Some like the erudition of the haridas, some his gestures, some his singing, and some his wit and humor. Still others like his preliminary dissertation on vedanta, while some prefer his main stories. But among them there are very few, who, by hearing the kirtan, get faith and devotion or love for God or saints. The effect of hearing Das Ganu’s kirtan on the minds of the audience was, however, electric. We give an example here.

Das Ganu was once performing his kirtan by singing the glory of Sai Baba in the Koupineshwar temple in Thana. There was a poor man in the audience, Mr. Cholkar, who worked as a candidate in the civil courts in Thana. He listened to Das Ganu’s kirtan most attentively and was quite moved. He then mentally bowed and vowed to Baba saying, “Baba, I am a poor man unable to support my family. If, by Your grace, I pass the departmental examination and get a permanent post, I shall go to Shirdi, fall at Your feet, and distribute sugar candy in Your name.” As good luck would have it, Mr. Cholkar did pass the examination and did get the permanent post and now it remained for him to fulfill his vow, the sooner the better.

Mr. Cholkar was a poor man with a large family to support and could not afford to pay for the expenses of a Shirdi trip. As is well said, one can easily cross over the Nahne ghat in the Thana District or even the Sahyadri Range, but it is very difficult for a poor man to cross umbareghat, i.e. the threshold of his home. As Mr. Cholkar was anxious to fulfill his vow as early as possible, he resolved to economize by cutting down his expenses to save money. He determined not to use sugar in his diet and began to take his tea without it. After he was able to save some money in this manner, he came to Shirdi, took Baba’s darshan, fell at His feet, offered a cocoanut, and distributed sugar candy as per his vow with a clean conscience. He told Baba he was very pleased with His darshan and his desires were fulfilled that day.

Mr. Cholkar was in the masjid with his host, Bapusaheb Jog. When the host and his guest both got up and were about to leave, Baba spoke to Jog as follows: “Give him (your guest) cups of tea fully saturated with sugar.” Hearing these significant words, Mr. Cholkar was quite moved. He was wonderstruck, his eyes were bedewed with tears, and he fell at Baba’s feet again. By these words, Baba had wanted to create faith and devotion in Mr. Cholkar’s mind. Mr. Jog was curious about the instruction regarding the tea with extra sugar to be given to his guest. Baba hinted as it were, that He had received the sugar candy as per Mr. Cholkar’s vow and that He knew full well his determination not to use sugar in his diet. Baba said, “If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am immediately with you day and night. Though I am here bodily, still, I know what you do beyond the seven seas. Go wherever you will over the wide world, I am with you. My abode is in your heart and I am within you. Worship Me always, who is seated in your heart, as well as in the hearts of all beings. Blessed and fortunate indeed is he who knows Me thus.”

What a beautiful and important lesson was thus imparted by Baba to Mr. Cholkar.

Two Lizards

Once, Baba was sitting in the masjid and a devotee was sitting in front of Him. Suddenly, a lizard ticked-ticked. Out of curiosity, the devotee asked Baba whether this tick-ticking of the lizard signified anything; was it a good sign or a bad omen? Baba said the lizard was overjoyed, as her sister from Aurangabad was coming to see her. The devotee sat silent, not understanding the meaning of Baba’s words. Just then, a gentleman from Aurangabad arrived on horseback to see Baba. He wanted to proceed further, but his horse would not go on as it was hungry and wanted grams. He took off a bag of grams from his shoulder and dashed it on the ground to remove dirt. As a lizard came out there from and in the presence of all, climbed up the wall, Baba told His devotee to mark her well. The little lizard immediately went strutting over to her sister. Both sisters kissed and embraced each other, whirled round and danced with love, overjoyed at seeing each other after such a long time. Where is Shirdi and where is Aurangabad? How it is the man on horseback had come to Shirdi from Aurangabad with the lizard? And how is it Baba prophesied the meeting of the two sisters? This wonderful story illustrates the omniscience of the all knowing nature of Sai Baba.

Post Script

He, who respectfully reads this chapter or studies it daily, will have all his miseries removed by the grace of the satguru, Sai Baba. Hence:

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all