BABA'S HELP IN RELIGIOUS EFFORTS
Baba's help to Mahlsapathy in his religious efforts and in securing a good end may be noted, because dying on an Ekadasi day is conducive to or indicative of Sadgati. Mahlsapathy passed away, in circumstances to be described more fully later, on an Ekadasi day in 1922 after a life of religious striving. In the case of Mahlsapathy, his firm faith was in Khandoba, and Baba treated Khandoba, Vittoba, and Allah as the same. c.f. BG IV 11 & VIII 21 – All worship is God's worship. God reaches us in the form we choose.
Khandoba's grace to Mahlsapathy was manifested several times, and whenever there was a difficulty for Mahlsapathy, Khandoba gave him visions. In one of those visions, Khandoba asked him to go and seeVittal at Pandharpur, and in case of such a poor man like Mahlsapathy, who had to beg his bread for himself and family, a pilgrimage to Pandharpur was no joke. But by Khandoba's grace, he got some pecuniary help for the journey, and a well-to-do family as his companions. With them he reached Pandhari.
At Pandharpur, the crowds were always unmanageably large, and it was not easy for one to cut his way through the mass to Vittal. Then there were the professional priests demanding coins to take a man toVittal image. But Mahlsapathy had no coins, and so special interference on his behalf by Khandoba was necessary. As he was moving with the crowd nearer and nearer to Vittoba, suddenly people began to note that Mahlsapathy's face was exactly like Khandoba's and said that Khandoba had actually come to take darsan of Vittoba and cleared a way for him. The Pandas also must have been similarly impressed. That made Vittal darsan easy for Mahlsapathy.
Similar instances of help for himself and party were manifested at his pilgrimage to Jejuri. Once when they were going on their horses, the police intercepted them on the way and examined their passes.Finding one having no pass, they stopped him and put him into the police station; and the procession could not start from the village. That man had to go and get a pass from a Kulkarni. that Kulkarni showed his talent for taking work gratis from all persons. A Niti sloka says rightly:- Makshiko Maruto veseya yachako mushakas tatha gramanirganakas chaiva saptaiate para badhakah, i.e., gnats, winds, courtesans, beggars, rats, village headmen and karnams (i.e., kulkarnis) these seven are pestering parasites. He delayed the issue of a pass and said, `You go on splitting fuel for me. i.e., to do work gratis. Then the man took up the axe and after a few strokes, the handle was broken. Then the Kulkarni gave him a second handle. The second handle also broke. Then a third handle was given, and that also shared the same fate. Then the Kulkarni said, `God does not allow you to work', and gave them the pass.
Baba's help to Mahlsapathy in his religious efforts and in securing a good end may be noted, because dying on an Ekadasi day is conducive to or indicative of Sadgati. Mahlsapathy passed away, in circumstances to be described more fully later, on an Ekadasi day in 1922 after a life of religious striving. In the case of Mahlsapathy, his firm faith was in Khandoba, and Baba treated Khandoba, Vittoba, and Allah as the same. c.f. BG IV 11 & VIII 21 – All worship is God's worship. God reaches us in the form we choose.
Khandoba's grace to Mahlsapathy was manifested several times, and whenever there was a difficulty for Mahlsapathy, Khandoba gave him visions. In one of those visions, Khandoba asked him to go and seeVittal at Pandharpur, and in case of such a poor man like Mahlsapathy, who had to beg his bread for himself and family, a pilgrimage to Pandharpur was no joke. But by Khandoba's grace, he got some pecuniary help for the journey, and a well-to-do family as his companions. With them he reached Pandhari.
At Pandharpur, the crowds were always unmanageably large, and it was not easy for one to cut his way through the mass to Vittal. Then there were the professional priests demanding coins to take a man toVittal image. But Mahlsapathy had no coins, and so special interference on his behalf by Khandoba was necessary. As he was moving with the crowd nearer and nearer to Vittoba, suddenly people began to note that Mahlsapathy's face was exactly like Khandoba's and said that Khandoba had actually come to take darsan of Vittoba and cleared a way for him. The Pandas also must have been similarly impressed. That made Vittal darsan easy for Mahlsapathy.
Similar instances of help for himself and party were manifested at his pilgrimage to Jejuri. Once when they were going on their horses, the police intercepted them on the way and examined their passes.Finding one having no pass, they stopped him and put him into the police station; and the procession could not start from the village. That man had to go and get a pass from a Kulkarni. that Kulkarni showed his talent for taking work gratis from all persons. A Niti sloka says rightly:- Makshiko Maruto veseya yachako mushakas tatha gramanirganakas chaiva saptaiate para badhakah, i.e., gnats, winds, courtesans, beggars, rats, village headmen and karnams (i.e., kulkarnis) these seven are pestering parasites. He delayed the issue of a pass and said, `You go on splitting fuel for me. i.e., to do work gratis. Then the man took up the axe and after a few strokes, the handle was broken. Then the Kulkarni gave him a second handle. The second handle also broke. Then a third handle was given, and that also shared the same fate. Then the Kulkarni said, `God does not allow you to work', and gave them the pass.
Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji
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