Shri Sai Satcharitra Chapters 43-44

Chapter – 43-44

Baba’s Passing Away (continued) Preparation - Samadhi Mandir - Breaking of the Brick - 72 Hours’ Samadhi - Jog’s Sannyas - Baba’s Nectar like Words

Chapters 43 and 44 continue the story of Baba’s passing away and are therefore presented together.

Previous Preparation

It is the general practice amongst the Hindus that when a man is about to die, fine religious scripture is read to him with the object that his mind should be withdrawn from worldly things and be fixed in spiritual matters so that his future progress will be natural and easy. For example, when King Parikshiti was cursed by the son of a Brahmin Rishi and was about to die in a week, the great sage Shuka expounded the famous Bhagavad Puran to him during that week. This practice has continued to be followed, as Bhagavad Gita and other sacred books are read to dying persons.

Baba, being an incarnation of God, needed no such help, but just to set an example to the people, He followed this practice. When He knew that He was to pass away soon, He ordered Mr. Vaze to read Ramavijay to Him. Mr. Vaze read the book once in the week. Then Baba asked him to read the same again, day and night, and he finished the second reading in three days. Thus, eleven days passed. Then, again, he read for three days and was exhausted, so Baba let him go and kept Himself quiet. He abided in His Self and was waiting for the last moment. Two or three days before, Baba had stopped His morning peregrinations and begging rounds and just sat in the masjid. He was conscious to the last and was advising the devotees not to lose heart. He let no one know the exact time of His departure.

Kakasaheb Dixit and Shriman Booty were dining with Him every day in the masjid. Then, on October 15th, after arati, He asked them to go to their residence for dining. Shama remained seated on the steps and a few, viz. Laxmibai Shinde, Bhagoji Shinde, Bayaji, Laxman Bala Shimpi and Nanasaheb Nimonkar remained there. After giving Rs. 9/ to Laxmibai Shinde, Baba said that He did not feel well there in the masjid and that He should be taken to the dagadi (stone) wada of Booty where He would be alright. Saying these last words, He leaned on Bayaji’s body and breathed His last. Bhagoji noticed Baba’s breathing had stopped and immediately told Nanasaheb Nimonkar, who was sitting below. Nanasaheb brought some water and poured it into Baba’s mouth, but it dribbled back out. Then he cried out loudly, “Oh Deva!” At that moment, Baba appeared to open His eyes and say “Ah” in a low tone, but it soon became evident that Baba had left His body for good.

The news of Baba’s passing away spread like wild fire in the village of Shirdi and everyone, men, women and children, ran to the masjid and began to mourn their loss in various ways. Some cried out loudly, others wallowed in the streets, and some fell down senseless. Tears ran down everyone’s eyes and everyone was smitten with sorrow. People started remembering the words of Sai Baba. Someone said that Maharaj (Sai Baba) told His devotees that in a time to come, He would appear as a lad of eight years. These are the the words of a saint and hence, no one should doubt them. In the Krishna Avatar, Chakrapani (Lord Vishnu) performed this very deed. Krishna, as a lad of eight years with a bright complexion and wielding weapons in His four arms, appeared before Dewaki who was in prison. In that incarnation Lord Krishna lightened the burden of the earth. In this incarnation, the Lord, in the form of Sai Baba, came to uplift His devotees. There is no reason for doubt. The ways of the saints are inscrutable.

This contact of Sai Baba with His devotees has not only been in this generation, but it has existed for the last seventy-two generations, thus, generating ties of great love. Maharaj (Sai Baba) has only temporarily gone. His devotees hold the firm belief He will incarnate again.

The question then arose, how to dispose of Baba’s body? Some Mohammedans said the body should be interred in an open space and a tomb built over it. Even Khushalchand and Amir Shakkar shared this opinion. But Ramachandra Patil, the village officer, declared with a firm and determined voice, “Your proposal is not acceptable to us. Baba’s body should be placed in the wada.” The people were divided on this issue and discussion regarding this point went on for thirty- six hours. Paying due respect to Baba’s words, the people decided to place His body in the wada and started digging the central portion there. The Sub-inspector came from Rahata on Tuesday evening and others came from other places. All agreed to the proposal.

The next morning, Amirbhai came from Bombay and the mamlatdar from Kopergaon arrived as well. The people seemed divided in their opinion. Some insisted on interring His body in the open field. The mamlatdar then took a general plebiscite and found that the proposal to use the wada secured double the number of votes. He, however, wanted to refer the matter to the collector in Ahmednagar, so Kakasaheb Dixit prepared to go. That same Wednesday morning Baba appeared to Laxman Mama Joshi in his dream, and drawing him by His hand said, “Get up! Bapusaheb thinks I am dead and so he won’t come. You do the worship and the kakad (morning) arati.” Laxman Mama was the village astrologer and was the maternal uncle of Shama. He was an orthodox Brahmin and worshiped Baba daily every morning, after which he worshiped all the village deities. He had full faith in Baba. After the vision, he came with all the needed puja materials and, not minding the protests of the moulvis, did the puja and the kakad arati with all due formalities. After Laxman finished, he left. Then at noon, Bapusaheb Jog came with all the others and went through the noon arati as usual. In the meanwhile, through Baba’s inspiration, there was a change in the opinion of the other people and everyone unanimously voted for the proposal that Baba’s body should be brought to the wada.

By Wednesday evening, Baba’s body was taken in procession and brought to the wada where it was interred with due formalities in the garbha, i.e. the central portion reserved for Murlidhar. In fact, Baba became Murlidhar and the wada became a temple and a holy shrine. All the obsequies of Baba were duly performed by Balasheb Bhate and Upasani, a great devotee of Baba. Thus, Shriman Booty’s wada became the tirtha blessed with Baba’s body. Many devotees found peace and rest at this holy place and it continues so to the present.

It may be noted here that as observed by Professor Narke, Baba’s body did not get stiff, though it was exposed for thirty-six hours. All the limbs remained elastic, so His kafni could be removed without being torn to pieces.

Breaking of the Brick

A few days before Baba’s departure, an ominous event occurred which foreboded Baba’s passing. There was an old brick in the masjid on which Baba rested His hand. At night, He leaned against it and had His asan. This went on for many years. One day during Baba’s absence, a boy who was sweeping the floor, picked it up in his hand. Unfortunately, it slipped from his grip, fell down, and broke in two pieces. When Baba found out about it, He bemoaned its loss crying, “It is not the brick, but My fate that has been broken into pieces. It was My lifelong companion; with it, I always meditated on the Self. It was as dear to Me as My life. It has left Me today.” Some people upon hearing this, might raise a question, “Why should Baba express sorrow for a brick, an inanimate object.” In answer to this query, Hemadpant replies that saints incarnate in this world with the express mission of saving poor helpless people. Thus, they embody themselves, mixing and acting like common folk, i.e. outwardly laughing, playing, crying and so forth, while inwardly remaining ever awake to their duties and mission.

72 Hours’ Samadhi

Thirty two years before this, i.e. in 1886, Baba made an attempt to cross the border line. On a Margashirsha Pournima (full moon) day, Baba suffered from a severe attack of asthma. To get rid of it, Baba decided to take His prana high up and go into samadhi. He told Bhagat Mhalasapati, “Protect My body for three days. If I return, it will be alright. If I do not, bury My body in that open land (pointing to it) and fix two flags there as a mark.” So Saying, Baba fell down at about 10 p.m. His breathing stopped, as well as His pulse. It seemed as if His prana left His body. Everyone, including the villagers, came and unanimously wanted to hold an inquest and bury the body in the place pointed out by Baba. But Mhalasapati prevented that. With Baba’s body on his lap, he sat for three full days guarding it. After three days had passed, Baba showed signs of life at 3:00 a.m. His breathing commenced and His abdomen began to move. He opened His eyes and, stretching His limbs, Baba returned to consciousness (life) again. From this and other accounts, let all who read this account consider whether Sai Baba was the three and a half cubits’ body that He occupied for some eighty years and which He left thereafter, or was He the immortal Self, one with the Absolute?

The body, composed of five elements, is perishable and transient, but the Self within is the Absolute Reality which is immortal. This pure being, consciousness, Brahma, ruler and controller of the senses and mind, is the essence of Sai. It is sat-chit-ananda, pervading all things in the universe and filling all space. To fulfill His mission on Earth, Baba assumed a body. Having fulfilled His mission, He cast off the body (the finite aspect) and assumed His infinite aspect. Sai ever lives, as too, does the previous incarnation of God Datta, Shri Narsimha Saraswati of Ganagpur. Baba’s passing away is only an outward aspect, but in reality, He pervades all animate and inanimate things and is their inner controller and ruler. This is so, and it is experienced by those who surrender themselves completely to Him and worship Him with wholehearted devotion. Though it is not possible for us to see Baba’s form now, His beautiful life-like portrait adorning the masjid is in Shirdi for all to see. This image has been drawn by Shamrao Jayakar, a famous artist and well known devotee of Baba. To an imaginative and devout spectator, this portrait bestows Sai Baba’s blessings and darshan.

Although Baba left His body, His consciousness, as pure being, continues ever to exist as His true Self, protecting the welfare of devotees, just as He did when He was embodied. Saints like Baba never die. Even though they look like men, they are, in reality, God Himself.

Bapusaheb Jog’s Sannyas

Hemadpant closes this chapter with an account of Bapusaheb Jog’s sannyas. Sakharam Hari, alias Bapusaheb Jog, was the uncle of the famous Varkari Vishnubuva Jog of Poona. After his retirement from government service as a supervisor in the P.W. Department, he came to live in Shirdi with his wife in 1909. He had no issue. Both husband and wife loved Baba and spent all their time in worshiping and serving Baba. After Megha’s death, Bapusaheb did the arati daily in the masjid and the Chavadi until Baba’s mahasamadhi. He was also entrusted with the work of reading and explaining Jnaneshwari and Ekanathi Bhagwat to the audience in Sathe’s wada. After serving for many years, Jog asked Baba, “I have served You for so long and yet my mind is still not calm and composed. How is it that my contact with saints has not improved me? When will You bless me?” Hearing the bhakta’s prayer, Baba replied, In due time your bad actions (their fruit or result) will be destroyed. Your merits and demerits will be reduced to ashes, and I shall consider you blessed when you will renounce all attachments, conquer lust and palate, and, getting rid of all impediments, serve God wholeheartedly and resort to the begging bowl (accept sannyas). After some time, Baba’s words came true. Bapusaheb Jog’s wife predeceased him, and as he had no other attachment, he became free, accepted sannyas before his death, and realized the goal of his life.

Baba’s Nectar-like words

The kind and merciful Sai Baba said many a time the following sweet words in the masjid, He who loves Me most, always sees Me. The whole world is desolate to him without Me. He tells no stories, but Mine. He ceaselessly meditates upon Me and always chants My name. I feel indebted to him, who surrenders himself completely to Me and ever remembers Me. I shall repay his debt by giving him salvation (Self-realization). I am dependent on he who thinks and hungers after Me, and who does not eat anything without first offering it to Me. He who thus comes to Me, becomes one with Me, just as a river reaches the sea and becomes merged (one) with it. So, leaving out pride and egoism and with no trace of them, you should surrender yourself to Me, who am seated in Your heart.

Who is this Me?

Sai Baba expounded many a time who this ME (or I) is. He said, “You need not go far or anywhere in search of Me. Barring your name and form, there exists in you, as well as in all beings, a sense of being or consciousness of existence. That is Myself. Knowing this, you see Me inside yourself, as well as in all beings. If you practice this, you will realize all pervasiveness, and thus attain oneness with Me.” Hemadpant, therefore, makes a bow to the readers and requests them humbly and lovingly to love and respect God, the Father Almighty, and to love and respect God in the form of His saints and devotees. Baba often said, “He who carps and cavils at others, pierces Me in the heart, but he who suffers and endures, pleases Me most.” Baba thus pervades all beings and creatures and besets them on all sides. He wants only to love all beings. Such nectar, such pure auspicious ambrosia, always flowed from Baba’s lips. Hemadpant continues and concludes stating that those who lovingly sing Baba’s fame and those who hear the same with devotion, shall become one with Sai, who is one with the Absolute.

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all