Satsang Did Sri Saibaba sacrifice his life to save Tatya's life?

(Part 2)

As Ramachandra Patil and Bala Shimpi feared, Tatya fell seriously
ill as the Vijayadasami of 1918 approached. Baba too fell ill around
the same time. Tatya’s condition worsened day-by-day and turned
critical one or two days before Vijayadasami. He could not even
come to the mosque for the darshan of Sri Saibaba. One day Baba
sent word to him to come to the mosque and have his meal there,
but as Tatya could not summon enough strength to even rise from
his bed, some devotees helped him to go to the mosque where Baba
fed him with semolina pudding with his own hands despite his ill
health. Tatya could only swallow a couple of mouthfuls with great
difficulty. Baba told him, “Tatya, I have arranged for two swings
(carriages) for us initially.

But I have changed my mind. I alone will go on now presently. Now
you may go home.” Tatya understood the import of Baba’s words
and started sobbing. He said, “Baba, why do you not send me first?”
Baba replied, “I am a fakir, there is no one to cry for me when I go
away. But all your people will grieve if you go.” Tatya heard the
tone of finality in Baba’s words and his sorrow intensified and he
started weeping piteously. He said, “Baba, if I go, it is only my
relatives who will grieve. But if you go, you will make many people
of this world orphans. If you live on many people will attain salvation
by your mere darshan. What of me? My life is a burden to me and
to my relatives too.” Baba would not brook any further talk in this
vein from Tatya. He scolded him lovingly, “Alright, no more talk
from you. Go home.” He put udi on Tatya’s forehead and sent him
home, watching him with a heavy heart until he was out of sight.

The day of Vijayadasami dawned and Baba entered mahasamadhi.
Tatya’s health astonishingly started improving a few hours after
Baba’s mahasamadhi and fully recovered in a couple of days.

The people believed that Baba had sacrificed his own life to save
Tatya’s. Hemadpant brings this out in the 42nd chapter of Sri Sai
Satcharitra. “It seemed that they both (Baba and Tatya) exchanged
a life for a life and a death for a death. The people believed that Baba
had sacrificed his life for the sake of Tatya. Baba alone knows whether
this is true or not. In this manner Baba had stated Tatya’s name but
indicated his own mahasamadhi.” It was not surprising that the people
believed thus seeing that Baba had loved Tatya more than his own life
itself. But this is just a blind belief on their part and in fact has no
foundation. This is because Baba has clearly stated that he had first
arranged for two swings (carriages), one for himself and the other for
Tatya. But he had changed his mind and sent one swing back and that
only he will be going away. He did not say that he had got only one
swing ready for Tatya and that he would be going in that instead of
Tatya. Tatya also only requested Baba to send him first but not to
send him instead of Baba.

to be contd......
(source Saipatham Magazine)