A VISION COMES TRUE

A VISION COMES TRUE

One night in 1910, M B Rege, ex-Judge of the Indore High Court had three successive trance visions or dreams. In the first, he found himself in the lying down posture that is, in bed and noticed a change. The body lay separate from him and he stood out and looking on the body. So, he was not the body and in front of him the gracious Vishnu Narayana figure was standing. This suggested that by the grace of Vishnu to whom he prayed, the first essential step in one’s spiritual progress, namely, getting over the delusion that we are the body, Dehatma Buddhi had started.

An hour later, he had the next experience. Again, his body lay on the bed, and he was still standing outside it. Vishnu Narayana also was standing in front of him. But this time, there was another figure standing next to Vishnu Narayana and Sri Vishnu pointing to that figure told him, ‘This Sai Baba of Shirdi is your man; you must resort to him.’ This was the introduction of the first great step in all progress, namely, the securing of a Guru. Strangely enough, by God’s grace he was getting over the Dehatma Buddhi, but at the same time to make it ripen and lead him to the fullest success, the Guru was pointed out to him, the Guru who was to seize him for life. And here the second vision ended.

The third started an hour or so later. Here the first feeling he had was that he was travelling somewhere, evidently in the air. He came to a village and asked some one what that village was. He learnt that it was Shirdi. Then, he asked, ‘If it is Shirdi, is there a Sai Baba here?’ He was told, ‘Yes; go and see’. He was taken to the Mosque, and there he saw Sai Baba sitting with legs outstretched. In the vision, at once he approached and reverently placed his head on Baba’s feet. But Baba got up and said, ‘Do you take my darshan? I am your debtor; I must take your darshan’. And Baba placed his head on Rege’s feet. These visions ended.

They produced a powerful impression. Sai Baba began to grow up in his soul. He felt a strong impulse to go to Shirdi. But he was still a student. After some time, he did succeed in going to Shirdi; Rege went and prostrated, placing his head on Baba’s feet. Baba said, ‘What! Do you worship a man?’ At once, the rebuff struck Rege, and struck him keenly. He retreated and went to the mandap and sat there. How long he sat, he did not know. He was simply stunned. No doubt he had, as a student, caught the modern and stoic idea that a man should not be worshipped. He was puzzled. His dream told him Baba was to accept him and be his Guru. But there he was getting a rebuff. It is true that his idea on the subject of man worship had not become quite clear and crystallized. But what was he to do? He was determined, as he had come to Shirdi to see whether Baba would accept him or not. So, he sat on dazed till the entire crowd dispersed.

Suddenly he opened his eyes and saw that Baba was alone at the Mosque and there was no one with him. That was in the afternoon. The rule is, in the afternoons Baba is alone, and nobody should disturb him. Though the rule was that nobody should approach Baba during that time, he still thought that this was his only chance. If Baba should strike him, he would not care. So, he approached Baba gradually. Baba saw him approaching and beckoned him to come to him. So, he went up, and again placed his head upon Baba’s feet. Baba embraced him at once, made him sit close to him and then said, ‘You are my child. When strangers are in the company, we keep the children off.’ Then he understood why he had not been accepted till then. The words, ‘You are my child’ showed that he was really this Guru’s Ankita sishya. So, the vision was true. Vishnu had granted him his destined Guru, Sai Baba, and Rege should stick to that Guru for ever.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji