Baba's Help - BABA'S HELP IN RESPECT OF PROPERTY
Baba always pointed out that wealth is not a thing to be dreaded and kept aloof from. Wealth is necessary for getting on in this world and in society, though in many circumstances wealth, especially, unrestricted attachment to wealth is a serious danger. Baba helped people to get wealth, to guard it, especially against improper claims or attacks, and also helped people otherwise in monetary matters. The number of such helps is legion, and Baba's help took various shapes.
So, first let us take Baba's providing wealth. Now providing wealth, especially for the sake of sustaining the organism, is providing maintenance. Baba has off and on definitely undertaken theresponsibility to provide food for his bhaktas, and even for those families and children. For instance, when he told Das Ganu Maharaj to give up Government service and he actually did so with great reluctance and under great compulsion from Baba in the year 1903, he went and asked Baba, `I am without property and I have no income. Unless there is some provision, myself and my wife will have to starve'. Then Baba said, `Do not fear. I will provide for you, Ganu'. Baba did provide. Baba told him, `Go to Nanded in Nizam's state. Attend to your Brahminical duties of reading puran, explaining and conducting kirtans, etc.,' Das Ganu did so. Das Ganu has an excellent voice and had a good mastery of the art of Kirtans, and went on reading and writing puran stories and delivering them as kirtans and from 1903 up to date (luckily Das Ganu Maharaj is still living – Readers please note: at the time of writing this article by HH Pujyasri BVN Swamyji). Das Ganu had never had to starve for want of food, always some way or other money coming and later he began to own land and house, which he to his adopted son. Baba's undertakings are never left unperformed.
Then again in the case of Manker who attached himself to Baba with intense love solely for spiritual purposes, his relations complained to Baba that he was the only earning member, and by his sticking on to Baba at Shirdi, there was utter damage done to the family welfare. They said that Manker had a number a number of sons who would be left destitute by his neglecting business. Baba then said, `I will provide for Manker's sons'. Manker was sent away to Machengad for spiritual meditation, and especially for learning fact that Baba was as muchwith him at Machengad as he was at Shirdi. Baba one day appeared to him there and told him that the object of his being sent to Machengad was to demonstrate to him that Baba who was at Shirdi was at the same time at Machengad also and could talk to him and guide him. Mankerhad very great spiritual advance, and it was at one time hoped that he would be the successor of Baba to Baba's gadi. So high was his spiritual position. But unfortunately he died in 1913 long before Baba passed away. As for provision for his family, all the four sons of Manker are now well placed and are in high positions drawing income in four figures. Baba's statement that he would provide for Manker's sons has proved to be absolutely true.
Then again Baba provided for so many other families that trusted to him absolutely. In point of fact, he asked devotees not to overburden themselves with thoughts of worldly income, and very much in the language of Jesus he said that people should not trouble themselves about what they should eat and what they should drink, that is, about the needs of the body, that all these would be provided for, that they should concern themselves solely with their religious duties and that everything would be safe with them.
There are hundreds of people who put their trust in Baba and acted on his declarations and advice. There is not one who comes and says that Baba has disappointed him totally. Of course, there are many people who are without bread, but if we examine the cases, we would find that they are cases in which they had no trust or no full trust in Baba and did not implicity act on his sayings. One must be sincere and earnest and try really to follow Baba's advice, and then only can rely on Baba's charter that he would provide for all such cases.
In individual cases when Baba said that he would provide something, he did provide. When Babugir was sent up to Jamnere to carry udhi to Mina Thai, daughter of Nana Saheb Chandorkar, Deputy Collector, in the throes of labour trouble, Babugir wanted to know how without practically any money in hand he could cover 30 miles of road journey from Jalgaon to Jamnere, Baba told him, Babugir, go, everything will be provided. When Ramgir Gosavi (Babugir) arrived at the Jalgaon station at midnight, he thought it was a hopeless affair. But there was a liveried peon with tonga, food and everything waiting for him. Ramgir Gosavi was safely taken to Jamnere. When he delivered the udhi, and told about the liveried peon and tonga sent by Nana SahebChandorkar, the latter was amazed, because he had sent none. In fact he did not know whether anybody was coming from Shirdi at all. Both Ramgir Gosavi and Chandorkar discovered that Baba had provided all these to enable the Gosavi to reach Jamnere and deliver the udhi inproper time, and the udhi when delivered and applied to Mina Thai helped in her easy and quick delivery. Numerous instances are available where Baba has provided such helps, and it is not necessary to prolong this chapter by quoting those instances.
(to be continued)
Baba always pointed out that wealth is not a thing to be dreaded and kept aloof from. Wealth is necessary for getting on in this world and in society, though in many circumstances wealth, especially, unrestricted attachment to wealth is a serious danger. Baba helped people to get wealth, to guard it, especially against improper claims or attacks, and also helped people otherwise in monetary matters. The number of such helps is legion, and Baba's help took various shapes.
So, first let us take Baba's providing wealth. Now providing wealth, especially for the sake of sustaining the organism, is providing maintenance. Baba has off and on definitely undertaken theresponsibility to provide food for his bhaktas, and even for those families and children. For instance, when he told Das Ganu Maharaj to give up Government service and he actually did so with great reluctance and under great compulsion from Baba in the year 1903, he went and asked Baba, `I am without property and I have no income. Unless there is some provision, myself and my wife will have to starve'. Then Baba said, `Do not fear. I will provide for you, Ganu'. Baba did provide. Baba told him, `Go to Nanded in Nizam's state. Attend to your Brahminical duties of reading puran, explaining and conducting kirtans, etc.,' Das Ganu did so. Das Ganu has an excellent voice and had a good mastery of the art of Kirtans, and went on reading and writing puran stories and delivering them as kirtans and from 1903 up to date (luckily Das Ganu Maharaj is still living – Readers please note: at the time of writing this article by HH Pujyasri BVN Swamyji). Das Ganu had never had to starve for want of food, always some way or other money coming and later he began to own land and house, which he to his adopted son. Baba's undertakings are never left unperformed.
Then again in the case of Manker who attached himself to Baba with intense love solely for spiritual purposes, his relations complained to Baba that he was the only earning member, and by his sticking on to Baba at Shirdi, there was utter damage done to the family welfare. They said that Manker had a number a number of sons who would be left destitute by his neglecting business. Baba then said, `I will provide for Manker's sons'. Manker was sent away to Machengad for spiritual meditation, and especially for learning fact that Baba was as muchwith him at Machengad as he was at Shirdi. Baba one day appeared to him there and told him that the object of his being sent to Machengad was to demonstrate to him that Baba who was at Shirdi was at the same time at Machengad also and could talk to him and guide him. Mankerhad very great spiritual advance, and it was at one time hoped that he would be the successor of Baba to Baba's gadi. So high was his spiritual position. But unfortunately he died in 1913 long before Baba passed away. As for provision for his family, all the four sons of Manker are now well placed and are in high positions drawing income in four figures. Baba's statement that he would provide for Manker's sons has proved to be absolutely true.
Then again Baba provided for so many other families that trusted to him absolutely. In point of fact, he asked devotees not to overburden themselves with thoughts of worldly income, and very much in the language of Jesus he said that people should not trouble themselves about what they should eat and what they should drink, that is, about the needs of the body, that all these would be provided for, that they should concern themselves solely with their religious duties and that everything would be safe with them.
There are hundreds of people who put their trust in Baba and acted on his declarations and advice. There is not one who comes and says that Baba has disappointed him totally. Of course, there are many people who are without bread, but if we examine the cases, we would find that they are cases in which they had no trust or no full trust in Baba and did not implicity act on his sayings. One must be sincere and earnest and try really to follow Baba's advice, and then only can rely on Baba's charter that he would provide for all such cases.
In individual cases when Baba said that he would provide something, he did provide. When Babugir was sent up to Jamnere to carry udhi to Mina Thai, daughter of Nana Saheb Chandorkar, Deputy Collector, in the throes of labour trouble, Babugir wanted to know how without practically any money in hand he could cover 30 miles of road journey from Jalgaon to Jamnere, Baba told him, Babugir, go, everything will be provided. When Ramgir Gosavi (Babugir) arrived at the Jalgaon station at midnight, he thought it was a hopeless affair. But there was a liveried peon with tonga, food and everything waiting for him. Ramgir Gosavi was safely taken to Jamnere. When he delivered the udhi, and told about the liveried peon and tonga sent by Nana SahebChandorkar, the latter was amazed, because he had sent none. In fact he did not know whether anybody was coming from Shirdi at all. Both Ramgir Gosavi and Chandorkar discovered that Baba had provided all these to enable the Gosavi to reach Jamnere and deliver the udhi inproper time, and the udhi when delivered and applied to Mina Thai helped in her easy and quick delivery. Numerous instances are available where Baba has provided such helps, and it is not necessary to prolong this chapter by quoting those instances.
(to be continued)
(Courtesy: Sai's Help, by HH Pujyasri B V Narashimha Swamyji, Booklets donated by Saibandhu Sri K. Ramaswamy, Past President All India Sai Samaj, Chennai-4)
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