Shri Sai Satcharitra Chapter 22

Chapter – 22

Rescues from Serpent bites (1) Balasaheb Mirikar (2) Bapusaheb Booty (3) Amir Shakkar (4) Hemadpant - Baba’s Opinion Regarding Killing of Serpents

Preliminary

How to meditate on Baba? No one is able to fathom the nature or form of the Almighty. Even the Vedas and the thousand tongued Shesha are not able to describe it fully. Devotees cannot understand, nor can they look at the form of the Lord, but they know that His holy feet are a source of grace to attain the supreme goal of life. They know of no other method than to meditate on the holy feet of the Lord. Hemadpant suggests an easy way of devotion and meditation as follows:

As the full moon of every month gradually diminishes, the moonlight also wanes in the same degree and on the night of the new moon, the moon is not visible at all, nor do we get her light. Therefore, when the moon begins to reappear, people are anxious to see the new crescent as it starts to form. On the night of the first day of the new moon, the moon is not seen and on the night of the second day she is also not clearly visible. People are then asked to look at the moon through an opening between two branches of a tree and when they begin to gaze with concentration through this aperture, the distant small crescent of the moon comes, to their great delight, within their ken. Following this method, let us try to see Baba’s light. Look at Baba’s posture. How fine it is! He is sitting with His legs folded, His right leg held across His left knee. The fingers of His left hand are spread on His right foot. On His right toe, His two fingers - the index and middle ones – are spread. By this posture, Baba means to say, as it were, if you want to see My Light, be egoless and most humble, and meditate on My toe through the opening between the two branches - (index and middle fingers) - and then you will be able to see My Light. This is the easiest means of attaining devotion. Now let us turn for a moment to Baba’s life. Shirdi became a place of pilgrimage on account of Baba’s stay. People from all over began to flock there, and both rich and poor

Began to be blessed and benefitted in many various ways. Who can describe Baba’s boundless love, His wonderful natural knowledge and His all pervasiveness? Blessed is he who experienced one or all of these.

Sometimes Baba observed long periods of silence which was, in a way, His dissertation on Brahma. At other times, He was consciousness-bliss incarnate whilst surrounded by His devotees. Sometimes He spoke in parables, while at other times, He indulged in wit and humor. At times, He was quite clear and direct, yet on other occasions, He seemed enraged. Furthermore, although He often gave His teachings in a ‘nut shell’, under certain circumstances, He argued at length. In this way, He gave varied instructions to His many different bhaktas, according to their requirements. His life, therefore, was inscrutable, beyond the ken of our mind, beyond our intellect and speech. Our longing to see His face, to talk with Him and hear His leelas can no longer be satisfied, still, we are overflowing with joy. We can measure the amount of rainfall, calculate the velocity of wind, but who can measure the greatness of Sai Baba’s leelas? Now we shall address one aspect of them, viz. how He anticipated or forestalled the calamities of His devotees and warded them off in time.

Balasaheb Mirikar

Balasaheb Mirikar, son of Sirdar Kakasaheb Mirikar, was mamlatdar of Kopergaon. He was going on tour to Chitali, and stopped on the way in Shirdi to see Sai Baba. When he went to the masjid and prostrated himself before Baba, the usual conversation regarding health and other matters commenced when Baba sounded a note of warning as follows: “Do you know our Dwarakamai?” As Balasaheb did not understand, he kept quiet. Baba continued, “This is our Dwarakamai, where you are sitting. She wards off all dangers and anxieties of the children who sit on her lap. This Masjidmai (its presiding deity) is very merciful. She is the mother of the simple devotees whom she will save in calamities. Once a person sits on her lap, all his troubles are over. He who rests in her shade gets bliss.” Then Baba gave him udi and placed His protecting hand on his head. When Balasaheb was about to depart, Baba again said, “Do you know the ‘Lamba Baba’ (long gentleman), viz. serpent?” And then closing His left fist, He brought it near the right elbow and moving His left arm like the hood of a serpent, He said, “He is so terrible, but what can he do to the children of Dwarakamai? When Dwarakamai (its presiding deity) protects, what can the serpent do?”

Everyone present was curious to know the meaning of this and its reference to Mirikar, but none had the courage to ask Baba. Then Balasaheb saluted Baba and left the masjid with Shama. Baba called Shama back and asked him to accompany Balasaheb and to enjoy the Chitali trip. Shama then went over to Balasaheb and told him he would come with him, according to Baba’s wish. Balasaheb replied that he need not come, as it would be inconvenient, so Shama returned to Baba and told Him what Balasaheb had said to him. Baba said, “Alright, do not go. We should mean well and do well. Whatever is destined to happen, will happen.” Meanwhile, Balasaheb thought things over again and asked Shama to accompany him, so Shama took leave of Baba and started off in a tanga with Balasaheb. They reached Chitali at 9 pm and encamped in the Maruti temple. The office people had not come, so they sat in the temple quietly talking. Balasaheb was sitting on a mat reading a newspaper. His uparane (upper dhotar) was spread across his waist and on part of it, a snake was sitting unobserved. It began to move with a rustling sound which was heard by the peon. He brought a lantern, saw the snake, and raised an alarm, ‘serpent, serpent’. Balasaheb was frightened and began to quiver. Shama was also shocked. Then he and others moved noiselessly and took sticks and clubs in their hands. The snake got down slowly from Balasaheb’s waist and moved away from him. It was immediately done to death. Thus, this calamity which was prophesied by Baba was averted and Balasaheb’s love for Baba was deeply confirmed.

Bapusaheb Booty

One day a great astrologer named Nanasaheb Dengale told Bapusaheb Booty, who was then in Shirdi, “Today is an inauspicious day for you. There is danger to your life.” This made Bapusaheb restless. When they, as usual, came to the masjid, Baba said to Bapusaheb, “What does this Nana say? He foretells death for you. Well, you need not be afraid. Tell him boldly, “Let us see how death kills.” Later that evening, when Bapusaheb went to his privy for easing himself, he saw a snake. His servant saw it and lifted a stone to strike it. Bapusaheb asked him to get a big stick, but before the servant returned with the stick, the snake was seen moving away and soon disappeared. Bapusaheb remembered with joy Baba’s words of fearlessness.

Amir Shakkar

Amir Shakkar was a native of the village Korale in Kopergaon Taluka. He belonged to the butcher caste. He worked as a commission agent in Bandra and was well known there. He once suffered from rheumatism which caused him great pain, but upon remembering God, he decided to leave his business, come to Shirdi, and seek Baba’s grace to relieve his malady. Baba then stationed him in the Chavadi which was at the time, a damp, unhealthy place, unfit for such a patient. Any other place in the village, or Korale itself, would have been better for Amir, but Baba’s word was the deciding factor and the chief medicine.

Baba did not allow Amir to come to the masjid, but had him stay in the Chavadi where he received a very great advantage, since Baba passed via the Chavadi every morning and evening. Also, every alternate day, Baba went with a procession to the Chavadi where He would sleep. Thus, Amir was easily in contact with Baba quite often. Amir stayed in the Chavadi for a full nine months, but then developed disgust for the place. One night, he stealthily left the place and went to Kopergaon and stayed in a dharmashala. There, he saw an old, dying fakir who asked him for water. Amir brought the fakir some water, but upon drinking it, the old man passed away. This put Amir in a fix. He thought that if he went and informed the authorities, he would be held responsible for the death, as he was the first and sole informant and knew something about the matter. He then repented for his actions, (viz. leaving Shirdi without Baba’s permission) and prayed to Baba.

Amir decided to return to Shirdi that same night and ran all the way back, all the while remembering and muttering Baba’s name. He reached Shirdi before day break and his anxiety finally abated. He then lived in the Chavadi in perfect accordance with Baba’s wishes and orders and was cured. One night it so happened that Baba cried out at midnight, “Oh Abdul, some devilish creature is dashing against the side of my bed.” Abdul came with a lantern, examined Baba’s bed, but found nothing. Baba asked him to examine the place carefully and He began to strike the ground with His satka. Seeing this leela of Baba, Amir thought Baba might have suspected some serpent had come in. Amir knew, by close and long contact with Baba, the meaning of His words and actions. Baba then saw something moving near Amir’s cushion. He asked Abdul to bring in a light which revealed a coiled serpent moving its head up and down. The serpent was immediately beaten to death. Thus, Baba gave a timely warning and saved Amir.

Hemadpant (scorpion and serpent)

At Baba’s recommendation, Kakasaheb Dixit read daily two works of Shri Ekanath Maharaj, viz. Bhagwat and Bhawartha Ramayana. Hemadpant had the good fortune to be in the audience when the reading of the works was going on. Once, when a portion from the Ramayana was being read which related to Hanuman’s testing Rama’s greatness according to his mother’s instructions, all the listeners were spell bound. Hemadpant was one of them. Suddenly, a big scorpion (none knew where it came from) jumped and landed on Hemadpant’s right shoulder on his uparane (upper dhotar). At first, it was not noticed, but as the Lord protects those who are intent on hearing His stories, Hemadpant cast a glance over his right shoulder and noticed it. There was dead silence and not a bit of movement. It seemed as if it, too, enjoyed the reading. Then, by the Lord’s grace, Hemadpant, without disturbing the audience, took the two ends of his dhotar, folded them, and brought them together enclosing the scorpion within. He then went out and threw it in the garden. On another occasion, some people were sitting in the upper floor of Kakasaheb’s Wada just before nightfall, when a serpent crept through a hole in the window frame and sat coiled up. A light was brought in. Though the snake was dazzled at first, it sat very still and only moved its head up and down. Many people rushed there with sticks and cudgels, but as it sat in an awkward place, no blow could be dealt. Upon hearing the noises of the men, the serpent went out hastily through the same hole. Everyone present then felt relieved.

Baba’s Opinion

One devotee, named Muktaram, said it was good the poor creature escaped. Hemadpant challenged him, saying it is better that serpents should be killed. There was a hot discussion between them - the former contending serpents and such creatures should not be killed, and the latter, that they should. As night came on, the discussion came to an end, without arriving at any decision. Neither Hemadpant nor Muktaram would change their opinions on the matter, so it was decided to refer the issue to Baba the next day.

Baba settled the matter by saying: “God lives in all beings and creatures, whether they be serpents or scorpions. He is the great wirepuller of the world, and all beings, serpents, scorpions etc. obey His command. Unless He wills it, nobody can do any harm to others. The world is all dependent on Him, and no one is independent. We should, therefore, pity and love all creatures, leave off adventurous fights and killings, and be patient. The Lord (God) is the Protector of all.”

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all