Wednesday the 13th September 1983 was a lucky day in my life.
Some months back I had learnt that somebody from the Sapatnekar
Family from Akkalkot mentioned in Chapter 48 of Shri Sai Satcharita
was staying at Shivaji Nagar in Pune and I had thought of looking them
up. I did not have the exact address. So I looked up the telephone
directory and hit upon Shri D.M. Sapatnekar 25/1, Shivaji Nagar,
Pune-5 (55485). The initial 'D' I thought might stand for 'Dinkar' - the
name of one of the sons mentioned in Ch. 48.
I rang up and Shri D.M. Sapatnekar himself came on the line. I told
him that I was a devotee of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi and was keen to
meet the family - having read about them in Shri Sai Satcharita. Shri
Sapatnekar was highly pleased and invited me to visit them with pleasure.
To my surprise, he added that he himself was 'Dinkar' mentioned in the
book and that his elder brother 'Murlidhar', who was born on account
of Shri Sai Baba's blessing, was also staying in Pune. Before I could
disconnect he gave me another pleasant shock. He told me that his
mother Shrimati Parvatibai (aged 88 yrs.) who had personally met
Shri Sai Baba and got His blessings, was also staying with him - not
very well and confined to bed only.
I was overjoyed and went to them on the same day at 5.30 P.M.
Shri Dinker Sapatnekar is a retired judge from Maharashtra State
Service. He is about 68 years old and hardly moves out having had
an attack of paralysis on his left leg. Immediately he took me to his
mother's room. The old lady was sitting on the bed. It suddenly flashed
to my mind that this was the most lucky and blessed lady to whom
Baba appeared in a dream, whose pain in abdomen and waist Baba
cured on His own and whose barren womb Baba blessed with a son as
per her wishes. I felt very happy to be in front of such a pure and noble
person and my head bent down in reverence and my hands stretched to
touch her feet. After preliminary querries about my family, she narrated
to me in detail her experiences with Baba. Even at that ripe age and frail
condition of her body, when she started the description in her clear and
sonorous voice with extreme enthousiasm and gesticulations of hand, I
was stunned to see a pleasant shine of devotion and joy on her fair face.
I started listening in rapt attention.
She said, "When I was married, I was hardly 13 years old and my
husband (Shri Mahadev Waman Sapatnekar) a windower of 33 years age.
He had lost his first wife and also a son due to a throat-disease. My
in-laws were staying at Madhegaon but my husband lived and practised
as a lawyer at Akkalkot (the then District Headquarters). He was already
disappointed in life having lost his first wife and a son. After words when I
too did not have an issue 4 - 5 years after marriage, he became very
miserable and started losing interest in life. Then (in 1913) my father-in-law
(we used to address him as Baba) asked him to go to Shri Sai Baba at
Shirdi. We had heard about Shri Sai Baba from my husband's friend and
one time co-student Shri Shevde. But my husband had no faith in Shri
Sai Baba and he did not wish to go. But those days how could a son dare
disobey his father? So at last, accompanied by his younger brother Panditrao,
he went to Shirdi. On seeing Shri Sai Baba my husband approached him to
bow down but Baba suddenly shouted, "Chal hat (Get away)" and pushed
him with such a force that his pugree was thrown away. My husband
became very sad and as after 2-3 days' stay also when the same thing
continued, returned to Madhegaon in a great disappoint; and anger
towards his father for sending him to Shirdi and getting insulted.
When my husband went to Shirdi, he had left me at Madhe-gaon
with my in-laws. I was very keen to go but in those days how could a
wife say anything to her husband? During nights we ladies (myself and
the wife of my husband's brother) used to sleep together. Once while
fast asleep I had a dream. Suddenly there was a very bright flash. In
those days there was a shortage of water in our village. Suddenly I
realised that there was not a drop of water in the house. So I took a
pitcher and started going towards a well nearby - known as
Lakkadsha's well. I was in a great hurry. In our times a daughter-in-law
was not supposed to go out of the house alone and hence" I wanted to
come back home before Baba (my father-in-law) returned from the
court. As I went near the well, I saw standing there a fakir with a
cloth tied on his head. He came near me and said, "My dear girl!
why get exhausted for nothing? I shall get your pitcher filled with pure
water."
I was really scared. I suspected a bad intention on his part and when I
also saw him raising up his kafni and sitting down to pass urine in front
of me, I was doubly sure of his indecent intention and ran towards our
house. He also followed me and continued to say, "Do not run away,
you will regret later. I have come to give you something." On reaching
home I closed the door firm and fast but the fakir came to the door and
continued to throw small pebbles through the slits all the time saying, "I
have come to give you something'.' I did not know what to do and was
about to shout when I woke up suddenly. Looking around I saw my
sister-in-law sleeping next to me peacefully as usual. I asked her what
was the time. She laughed and jokingly said, "Aren't you getting sleep?
Ah! quite naturally. Brother-in-law (my husband) has gone to Shirdi.
So you must be dreaming of him!"
(to be contd....)
Lt Col. M. B. Nimbalkar (Retd)
Pune
___________________
No comments:
Post a Comment