DIVINE GRACE – I GAVE YOU WATER, DID YOU DRINK?
The most common and triffling things one would suppose in the list of an ordinary man's needs are water to drink and food to eat. Yet at times these assume extraordinary importance, and provisions of drink or food under extremely difficult circumstances becomes clearly a kind of Divine Providence. This was done for Nana Saheb Chandorkar by Baba under very peculiar circumstances.
Chandorkar was an orthodox Hindu, and, in spite of his corpulence, anxious to visit hill tops where there were temples. Harischandra Hill, forty miles away from Shirdi, was a noted hill with a Devi's shrine at the top. But the long stretch of barren rock between the temple and the bottom of the hill was one vast treeless, wild, rocky waste, where there was neither water to drink nor any shelter to hide in. Over that hill, Nana was climbing on a hot, summer day, and, after he had gone some distance, the heat of the sun and the toil of the journey told upon him. He felt very thirsty and asked the Sheristadar friend by his side for water. The latter replied that there was none and that it was a barren rock. Nana felt the fatigue of climbing also greatly and said he could not climb. The Sheristadar asked him to climb down. But Nana was unable to do that either and quietly sat on a huge slab and exclaimed `If Baba were here, he wouldsurely give me water to slake my thirst'. The Sherishtadar, who was by his side, remarked that such observations about `ifs' were useless. He added `Baba is not here. What is the good of thinking what would happen if he were here? The Sherishtadar had only fleshly eyes and matter bound brains. He could not see with the eye of faith. If he had such an eye, he could have noted the presence of Baba notonly on Harischandra hill but in every other place also. Chandorkar was slightly better position than the Sherishtadar. It is because of his faith in Baba that the thought occurred to him that Baba could save him even on that barren rock. But he did not feel certain that Baba was there and that the water would be provided. Anyhow his thought of Baba was the tiny hairspring or switch working the magic, the turn that saved the situation
Let us see how the thought of Chandorkar on the Harischandra hill intensified by his dire thirst operated. His thought was very intense and even if it had been less intense, when it was directed to Sai, it must have had immediate effect. That could not be seen by the Sherishtadar or by Chandorkar himself on the hill. Let us see what took place at Shirdi where the body of Sai Baba was physically situated. Sai Baba spoke out immediately in the presence of some devotees, `Hallo, Nana is very thirsty. Should we not give him a handful of water?' To Baba, all places and all times were open before his vision, and he could see and hear everything. But the persons around him, who had not the benefit of such a vision, were wondered why Baba should talk of Nana's thirst. Nana the Deputy Collector was not there, and it the Deputy Collector was in thirst, why a palmful, gallons of water would be quickly brought to him by number of persons. Why did Baba talk like that? People round about Baba could not make it out. Nor did Baba care to explain. But what followed on the hill gives the explanation. A little time after Nana made hisexclamation about Baba, a Bhil, that is, a hill tribesman, was seen coming down the hill towards the party, that is, Chandorkar and his friends. Chandorkar accosted him and said, `Hallo! I am thirsty; can I get some water to drink?' People wondered that this Brahmin Deputy Collector should accost a Bhil, who his considered an untouchable or low-caste man, and ask him for water. But necessity knows no law, andthe Bhil's reply was most surprising. He said, `What! You ask for water! Under the very slab or rock on which you are seated, there is water'. So saying, he moved away and disappeared from view.
Nana's subordinates and friends who were with him immediately set about lifting up the slab after Nana moved aside, and lo and behold! There was just palmful of water on that rock, attractive and cool,just the quantity that is necessary to save a man from fiery thirst. Nana took that water, his thirst was gone; he was able to march higher up and complete his pilgrimage. After the hill ascent, the goddess darsan at the temple and descent were over, some days later, Nana had occasion to go to Shirdi, and as he stepped into Baba's Dwarakamayee the very first words that uttered to him before anybody could inform about Nana's experience on the hill, were these, `Nana, you were thirsty; I gave you water; did you drink?' Nana's eyes opened with joyous wonder. He felt that his very thought of Baba had worked as a prayer and the appearance of Bhil and his pointing out where the water and the appearance of the water there on a waterless rock must all have been due to Baba. How Baba managed it, Baba only knew. And to conform Nana in his view, devotees at Shirdi mentioned to him that on the memorable day and hour when he was on the Harischandra hill, with burning thirst. Baba spoke the above words. Nana was convinced more than ever that Baba was God omnipresent, merciful and omnipotent, for he had the power to bring water under a rock.
The most common and triffling things one would suppose in the list of an ordinary man's needs are water to drink and food to eat. Yet at times these assume extraordinary importance, and provisions of drink or food under extremely difficult circumstances becomes clearly a kind of Divine Providence. This was done for Nana Saheb Chandorkar by Baba under very peculiar circumstances.
Chandorkar was an orthodox Hindu, and, in spite of his corpulence, anxious to visit hill tops where there were temples. Harischandra Hill, forty miles away from Shirdi, was a noted hill with a Devi's shrine at the top. But the long stretch of barren rock between the temple and the bottom of the hill was one vast treeless, wild, rocky waste, where there was neither water to drink nor any shelter to hide in. Over that hill, Nana was climbing on a hot, summer day, and, after he had gone some distance, the heat of the sun and the toil of the journey told upon him. He felt very thirsty and asked the Sheristadar friend by his side for water. The latter replied that there was none and that it was a barren rock. Nana felt the fatigue of climbing also greatly and said he could not climb. The Sheristadar asked him to climb down. But Nana was unable to do that either and quietly sat on a huge slab and exclaimed `If Baba were here, he wouldsurely give me water to slake my thirst'. The Sherishtadar, who was by his side, remarked that such observations about `ifs' were useless. He added `Baba is not here. What is the good of thinking what would happen if he were here? The Sherishtadar had only fleshly eyes and matter bound brains. He could not see with the eye of faith. If he had such an eye, he could have noted the presence of Baba notonly on Harischandra hill but in every other place also. Chandorkar was slightly better position than the Sherishtadar. It is because of his faith in Baba that the thought occurred to him that Baba could save him even on that barren rock. But he did not feel certain that Baba was there and that the water would be provided. Anyhow his thought of Baba was the tiny hairspring or switch working the magic, the turn that saved the situation
Let us see how the thought of Chandorkar on the Harischandra hill intensified by his dire thirst operated. His thought was very intense and even if it had been less intense, when it was directed to Sai, it must have had immediate effect. That could not be seen by the Sherishtadar or by Chandorkar himself on the hill. Let us see what took place at Shirdi where the body of Sai Baba was physically situated. Sai Baba spoke out immediately in the presence of some devotees, `Hallo, Nana is very thirsty. Should we not give him a handful of water?' To Baba, all places and all times were open before his vision, and he could see and hear everything. But the persons around him, who had not the benefit of such a vision, were wondered why Baba should talk of Nana's thirst. Nana the Deputy Collector was not there, and it the Deputy Collector was in thirst, why a palmful, gallons of water would be quickly brought to him by number of persons. Why did Baba talk like that? People round about Baba could not make it out. Nor did Baba care to explain. But what followed on the hill gives the explanation. A little time after Nana made hisexclamation about Baba, a Bhil, that is, a hill tribesman, was seen coming down the hill towards the party, that is, Chandorkar and his friends. Chandorkar accosted him and said, `Hallo! I am thirsty; can I get some water to drink?' People wondered that this Brahmin Deputy Collector should accost a Bhil, who his considered an untouchable or low-caste man, and ask him for water. But necessity knows no law, andthe Bhil's reply was most surprising. He said, `What! You ask for water! Under the very slab or rock on which you are seated, there is water'. So saying, he moved away and disappeared from view.
Nana's subordinates and friends who were with him immediately set about lifting up the slab after Nana moved aside, and lo and behold! There was just palmful of water on that rock, attractive and cool,just the quantity that is necessary to save a man from fiery thirst. Nana took that water, his thirst was gone; he was able to march higher up and complete his pilgrimage. After the hill ascent, the goddess darsan at the temple and descent were over, some days later, Nana had occasion to go to Shirdi, and as he stepped into Baba's Dwarakamayee the very first words that uttered to him before anybody could inform about Nana's experience on the hill, were these, `Nana, you were thirsty; I gave you water; did you drink?' Nana's eyes opened with joyous wonder. He felt that his very thought of Baba had worked as a prayer and the appearance of Bhil and his pointing out where the water and the appearance of the water there on a waterless rock must all have been due to Baba. How Baba managed it, Baba only knew. And to conform Nana in his view, devotees at Shirdi mentioned to him that on the memorable day and hour when he was on the Harischandra hill, with burning thirst. Baba spoke the above words. Nana was convinced more than ever that Baba was God omnipresent, merciful and omnipotent, for he had the power to bring water under a rock.
Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji
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