Satsang BABA'S BLESSINGS

BABA'S BLESSINGS
TRUELY speaking I did not know much about
Baba until 1956 except hearing casually regarding
greatness of Baba through a very close friend of
mine, whose grandfather, being a staunch devotee,
had been fortunate to be blessed with the Baba*s
darshan in his life time.
In 1956 I was convalescing after I suffered badly
from T. B. for about 11 years. I had in my flat a
small portrait of Baba. I do hot remember as to
who brought it and placed it there. I used to have
a glance of the portrait but not with much
devotion. At the beginning of 1957, I had a vision
of an old person with features quite similar to
those of Baba, who was moving up and down
on a small plank in a dilapidated house.
Therefrom a sort of feeling leading to devotion
started develop ng in course of time. In 1958
(during Holi vacation), as a result of inner urge,
I visited Shirdi. It was rather unprecedented to
find that nobody connected with the
establishment of the temple demanded or
accepted, even if offered, money from devotees
and that there were no thefts of the sort generally
expected at such places, I found the employees
of the temple advising the devotees to put money,
which they offered to them as a token of courtesy,
into the boxes meant for the purpose. I feel that
this was unusual and uncommon manifestation
of integrity imbibed in them by the grace of Baba.

I did not start icgular worship of Bada till late 1959.
An interesting instance occured then. My wife lost
her gold ear-ring in my apartment. She rummaged
the entire house thrice but in vain. She suspected
the maid servant in the usual way. But she
restrained herself from making any wild allegation
against her openly, except mentioning to her about
the missing ear-ring in a casual manner. I and my
wife could come to firm conclusion that the ear-ring
was lost once for al!. At that stage, we both, in
ourselves, thought of testing the grace of Baba. Next
day morning, the maid-servant, while cleaning the
house, restored the ear-ring to our utmost
astonishment, I have no comments as to how and
wherefrom she could get it after about a week since
it was lost. Thenceforth Baba instilled unwavering
faith in me. So, as a weak human being, I started
regular worship of Baba which I continue to do
till to-date with all devotion and faith.

In 1961, Baba created an urge to visit Shirdi. I
started for Shirdi with "an idea that I should come
back to Hyderabad before rush of people for Ram
Navami festival starts at Shirdi. I completed my
pooja on Thursday. On Friday I participated in
Noon-Arati and went to the Chief Executive to
take leave of him formally. By that time, some
people from Bombay and other places, started
arriving for the festival. The Chief Executive
instead of formally permitting me to leave Shirdi,
insisted on me to stay over for the festival. I took
it as the order of Baba through the Chief Executive
and stayed over for the great festival. Although
there was a great rush of people, I was
accommodated comfortably in the guest house by
the grace of Baba. There was a gathering of more
than 50,000 people belonging to different faiths
viz., Sikhs, Jains, Zorastrians, Muslims, Christians
apart from Hindus who were found eager and
enthusiastic to participate in all phases of the
festival and offer prayers in the Samadhi Mandir
according to their wish and vow. Of all the aspects
of the Festival, the most spectacular and significant
was giving bath to Baba with sacred Godavari
water carried by thousands of devotees individually
on their head. Among these devotees were even
children of 10 to 12 years, women and men, old in
age, besides a multitude of others. After Baba was
thus given bath of devotion, the devotees, started
getting ready to offer garlands. At that curious
juncture, I just looked around at other devotees,
who were holding very costly and grand garlands
and wished in myself that I would be fortunate if
Baba accepted my garland first before that of any
one else, although mine was not so grand as those
of some others nearby the rostrum. The very
moment, the pujari made a gesture towards me
and took my garland and offered it to Baba as the
first one on that great festival. Believe me, I
became so overwhelmed with joy that I have no
words to express it. Thus Baba blessed me.
M. Ganga Reddy B. Com.
HYDERABAD
(source Shri Sai Leela Magazine may 1977,
this magazine can be read at www.saileelas.org)