Shri Sai Satcharitra Chapter 24

Chapter – 24

Baba’s Wit and Humor - Chanak Leela (1) Hemadpant (2) Sudama (3) Anna Chinchanikar vs. Mavsibai

Preliminary

To say we shall state such and such in the next or this chapter, is a sort of egoism. Unless we surrender our ego to the feet of our satguru, we will not succeed in our undertaking. If we become egoless, then our success is assured. By worshiping Sai Baba, we attain both worldly and spiritual objects, we become fixed in our true nature, and we receive peace and happiness. Those who want to improve their physical and spiritual welfare, should respectfully hear Sai Baba’s leelas and meditate on them. If they do this, they will easily attain the object of their life and experience bliss.

Generally, people like wit and humor, but do not like jokes cut at their own expense. Baba’s method, however, was peculiar. It was accompanied with gestures and was very interesting and instructive, so people did not mind if they were held up to ridicule. Hemadpant gives his own example as follows:

Chanak Leela

In Shirdi, a bazar was held every Sunday and people from neighboring villages came and erected booths and stalls on the street so they could sell their wares and commodities. Every noon, the masjid was more or less crowded, but on Sunday, it was crowded to suffocation. On one such Sunday, Hemadpant sat in front of Baba shampooing His legs and muttering God’s name. Shama was on Baba’s left. Vamanrao was to the right of Baba, and Shriman Booty, Kakasaheb Dixit and others were also present. Suddenly Shama laughed and said to Annasaheb, “Look, some grains seem to have stuck to the sleeve of your coat.” So saying, he touched the sleeve and found some loose grains. Hemadpant straightened his left forearm to see what was the matter, when to the surprise of all, some grains of grams came rolling down and were picked up by people who were sitting there. This incident furnished subject matter for a joke. Everyone present began to wonder and discuss how the grains found their way into the sleeve of the coat and lodged there for such a long time. Hemadpant also could not guess how the grains managed to attach themselves to his coat and stayed there. When nobody could give a satisfactory explanation and all were wondering about this mystery, Baba said, “This fellow (Annasaheb aka Hemadpant) has the bad habit of eating alone. Today is a bazar day and he came here chewing grams. I know his habit and these grams are proof of it. So what reason do you have to be surprised in this matter?”

Upon hearing Baba’s words, Hemadpant became quite unsettled and earnestly replied, “Baba, I do not know of any time when I ate things alone, so why do You thrust this bad habit on me? I did not even go to the Shirdi bazar today, so how could I have bought grams, and since I did not buy any grams, how could I have eaten them? I never eat anything unless I share it with others who are present.” Baba listened attentively to Hemadpant’s words and replied with a slight smile, “It is true that you share your food with people present around you, but if no one is present nearby, what can you do? Do you remember Me before eating? Am I not always with you? Do you offer Me anything before you eat?”

Moral

Let us mark and note carefully what Baba taught us by this incident. He has advised us that before the senses, mind and intellect enjoy their objects, He should first be remembered, and if this be done, it is in a way, an offering to Him. The senses etc. can never remain without their objects, but if those objects are first offered to the guru, the attachment for them will naturally vanish. In this way, all the vrittis (thoughts) regarding desire, anger, avarice etc. should first be offered and directed to the guru, and if this practice be followed, the Lord will help to eradicate these vrittis. When, before enjoyment of the objects, one thinks Baba is close by, the question whether the object is fit to be enjoyed or not will at once arise. Then, the object that is NOT fit to be enjoyed will be shunned, and in this way, vicious habits or vices will disappear and one’s character will improve. Thus, in this manner, love for the guru will grow and pure knowledge will sprout up. As this knowledge grows, the bondage of body consciousness (I am the body) will snap and the intellect will be merged in spirit consciousness (I am spirit). It is then, bliss and contentment shall be attained.

There is no difference between guru and God. He who sees any difference has yet to realize God vision. So, leaving aside all ideas of difference, the guru and God should be regarded as one. If the guru is served as stated above, the Lord (God) will certainly be pleased and will purify the mind. He will give Self-realization. Thus, we should not enjoy any object with the senses without first remembering the guru. When the mind is trained in this way, we will always be reminded of Baba, and meditation on Baba will grow apace. The sagun form of Baba will be ever before our eyes and then devotion, nonattachment and salvation will be ours. When Baba’s form is thus fixed before our mental vision, we will forget hunger, thirst and this samsar; consciousness of worldly pleasures will disappear and the mind shall attain peace and happiness.

Sudama’s Story

When the above story was being narrated, Hemadpant was reminded of a similar story of Sudama which illustrates the same principle and, therefore, it is given here. Shri Krishna and his elder brother Balaram were living with a co-student named Sudama in the ashram of their guru, Sandipani. Once, Krishna and Balaram were sent to the forest to bring back fuel. The wife of Sandipani then sent Sudama off for the same purpose with some grams to be shared among the three. When Krishna met Sudama in the forest, he said to him, “Dada, I want water, as I am thirsty.” Sudama replied, “No water should be drunk on an empty stomach, so it is better to rest awhile.” He did not say he had grams with him and that Krishna should take some. As Krishna was tired, He lay down to rest on Sudama’s lap and began to snore. Seeing this, Sudama took out the grams and began to eat. Then Krishna suddenly asked him, “Dada, what are you eating? From whence is that sound?” Sudama replied, “What is there to eat? I am shivering with cold and my teeth are chattering. I can’t even repeat distinctly Vishnu Sahasra Nama.” Hearing this, the omniscient Krishna replied, “I just had a dream in which I saw man eating things of another, and when asked about this, he said, ‘What earth (dust) should he eat?’ (Meaning thereby that he had nothing to eat). The other man said, ‘Let it be so.’ Dada, this is only a dream. I know you won’t eat anything without me. Under the influence of the dream, I asked you what you were eating.”

If Sudama had known a bit of the omniscient Shri Krishna and His leelas, he would not have acted as he did. He, therefore, had to suffer for what he did. Though he was a chum of Shri Krishna, he had to pass his later life in utter poverty. But later when he offered Krishna a handful of parched rice earned by his wife with her own labor, Krishna was pleased and gave him a golden city to enjoy. This story should be remembered by those who have the habit of eating things alone, without partaking of them with others.

The Shruti also emphasizes this lesson and asks us to offer things first to God and then enjoy them after they are renounced by Him. Baba has also taught us the same lesson in His inimitable and humorous way.

Anna Chinchanikar vs. Mavsibai

Hemadpant now describes another witty incident in which Baba played a peace maker’s part. There was a devotee named Damodar Ghanashyam Babare, alias Anna Chinchanikar. He was simple, rough and straight forward. He cared for no one, always spoke plainly, and carried out all dealings in cash. Though he looked outwardly harsh and uncompromising, he was good natured and guileless, so Sai Baba loved him. *(Anna Chinchanikar willed away all his property to the Shirdi Sansthan of Shri Sai Baba.)

One day this Anna, like others who serve Baba in their own way, was standing prone and was shampooing Baba’s left arm which rested on the kathada (railing). On Baba’s right side was an old widow named Venubai Koujalgi whom Baba called mother and whom all others called Mavsibai. This Mavsibai was an elderly woman of pure heart who was serving Baba in her own way. She clasped the fingers of both her hands round the trunk of Baba and was kneading Baba’s abdomen. She did this so forcibly, that Baba’s back and abdomen became flat (one) and Baba moved from side to side. Anna, on the other side, was steady, but Mavsibai’s face moved up and down with her strokes. Once it so happened that her face came very close to Anna’s. Being of a witty disposition she remarked, “Oh, this Anna is a lewd (bad) fellow. He wants to kiss me. Being so old with gray hair, he feels no shame in kissing me.” These words enraged Anna.

He pulled up his sleeves and said sharply, “You say that I am an old bad fellow. Am I a fool? It is you who has picked a quarrel with me!” Everyone present was enjoying the encounter between Anna and Mavsibai. Baba, who loved both of them equally and wanted to pacify them, managed the affair very skillfully. Lovingly He said, “Oh Anna, why are you unnecessarily raising this hue and cry? I do not understand the impropriety of kissing the mother?” Hearing these words of Baba, both of them were satisfied and everyone laughed merrily, enjoying Baba’s wit.

Baba’s Characteristics - His Dependency on Bhaktas

Baba allowed His devotees to serve Him in their own way and did not like any one interfering in this. For example, this same Mavsibai was, on another occasion, kneading Baba’s abdomen. Seeing the fury and force she used, the other devotees felt nervous and anxious. They said, “Oh mother, be more considerate and moderate, otherwise you will break Baba’s arteries and nerves.” Hearing these words, Baba got up from His seat at once and dashed His satka on the ground. He became enraged and His eyes became red like live charcoal. No one dared to stand before or face Him. Baba then took hold of one end of His satka with both hands and pressed it into the hollow of His abdomen. He fixed the other end to a post and began to press His abdomen against it The whole satka, which was about two or three feet in length, seemed to go into the abdomen and the people feared Baba’s abdomen would be ruptured in a short time. The post was fixed and immovable and Baba drew closer and closer to it, clasping it firmly. Every moment, the rupture was expected. All the onlookers were worried, not knowing what to do. Some stood dumb with wonder, others with fear. Baba suffered through this ordeal for the sake of His bhaktas. Although the devotees had wanted only to give a hint to Mavsibai to be more moderate in her service and not cause any trouble or pain to Baba, Baba did not brook even this, despite their good intentions. Thus, the devotees were surprised to learn their well meaning effort resulted in this seeming catastrophe and they could do nothing, but wait and see. Fortunately, Baba’s rage soon cooled down. He removed the satka, and resumed His seat. From this time onward, the devotees learned the lesson not to meddle with anyone, and to allow each bhakta to serve Baba as he chooses, for Baba alone is able to gauge the merits and worth of the service rendered unto Him.

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all