DIVINE GRACE – JAMNER MIRACLE

DIVINE GRACE – JAMNER MIRACLE

Baba's interest is in every one in whom a devotee is interested. Nana was deeply interested in the fate, health, and life of his daughter Minatai. About 1904 or so, Nana Chandorkar was Deputy Collector atJamner (then unconnected by train with Jalgaon). He was at Jamner along with his pregnant daughter, whose pregnancy was in a very advanced state. Unexpectedly the delivery, being the first delivery, proved trouble some and risky. The pains were prolonged for many long hours, and the poor young lady suffered torture.

What could poor Nana do? He knew that Baba was aware of everything, and that there was no necessity to send a telegram or letter to him. So, he must do what he could in his own place. Being a very orthodoxand pious Brahmin, he started a Kastanivarana Homa with the help of his Sastri. Still no relief was obtained. All the while, Baba was fully aware of what was going on at Jamner.

At evening time, he called Ramgir Bua, a Gosavi, whom he used to call `Babugir'. That Babugir was about to start away from there but Baba commissioned him to go to Jamner first in order to deliver to Nana Chandorkar a packet of udhi and a set of papers containing Bhisama's Aratis for the puja of Baba, modelled on the Pandharpur Aratis. Someone present handed over Rs.2/- to the Gosavi to enable him to perform this journey. That Gosavi complained that the rail portion of his journey, namely, Kopergaon to Jalgaon, itself would take up Rs. 1-14-0 leaving only a balance of 2 annas to cover the ordinary roadjourney of 30 miles. Baba simply told him, "Babugir, Go, everything will be provided." Accordingly the Gosavi started.

He got down at Jalgaon and was in a quandary. Railway officials were troubling visitors coming by train from infected areas, with a view to enforce quarantine rules, and there was no method by which hecould escape them and go to Jamner. Suddenly he found a liveried peon bawling out, `Who is Babugir from Shirdi?' Then this Bua said. "I am Ramgir Bua whom Baba used to call `Babugir, and I am from Shirdi." Then that peon said that he had been sent by his `master' with a tonga and a horse to fetch him to Jamner. He gave him a meal also. Babugir fancied that Baba had sent word or wired to Chandorkar, andthus provided conveyance and meal for him. The distance of 30 miles was soon covered up by the tonga, and when very near Nana's quarters, the carriage stopped. The peon told Bua, "There is the master'shouse; you had better go".

Babugir got down for a natural purpose and when he turned back and looked, there was no peon, no horse, no carriage, nothing at all. How they could disappear on a clearly visible road, he could notunderstand. But anyhow right in front of him was the Deputy Collector's house. So he went there and found the Deputy Collector and his wife waiting. They had heard the rumble of a horse and carriage and were anxiously waiting. Babugir handed over to Nana the udhi saying, "This is Baba's udhi sent to you for your daughter's sake."

At once the udhi was applied to Minatai, and thereafter it was no longer Minatai that was crying but her new born child, for she had easy delivery. The arati paper also was handed over to Nana for his approval, so that it might be used at Baba's puja at Shirdi. When Bua thanked the Deputy Collector for his timely sending of the cart and food, Nana was taken aback. He said he was not aware of anybody coming from Shirdi and so had not sent anything. Then it was both Bua and the Deputy Collector understood what Baba meant when he said, "Go, Babugir, everything will be provided".

It was Baba's extraordinary powers that provided the carriage, the horse, the liveried peon and the meal, without Chandorkar knowing anything about them. This shows how deeply Baba was interested in thewelfare of Nana's family, and how he took upon himself and used his mysterious powers to help him in such extremities as a difficult parturition in a far off place like Jamner at a time when no proper medical aid was available. Thus Baba saved not merely Chandorkar's life but also the life of those connected with or dependent on him, by the use of all his supernatural powers.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji