Baba told Hemad Pant, "Kaka is a good man, Go on listening to him." Baba made him stick to Dixit who was in many ways better fitted to benefit by contact with Baba than he did. His faith and fervour grew by Dixit's contact. Even at the last moment of Dixit, Dabolkar was by his side and had to attend to the disposal of Dixit's body after noting how he was "taken in a Vimana" by Baba. Till then both were working at the Sai Lila Masik for the spread of Sai faith and both were in the Sansthan Committee managing its affairs.
When Dixit passed away, Dabolkar was fully prepared to carry on Dixit's work as Honorary Secretary of the Sansthan and a vigorous propagandist and the Sai Lila editor. In every way Dixit's mantle fell on him and he was a worthy successor. His single monumental work `Sri Sai Satcharitra' alone entitles him to rank as the next among Sai's apostles.
After Das Ganu, the author of many essays or chapters on Sai Baba in his three big books called Arachina Mala, Santakatamrita, and Bhakta Lilamritha naturally one must come to the person whose work bulks very largely in the minds of Maharashtra bhaktas of Sai Baba, and that is Hamad Pant (i.e., Annasaheb Dabolkar). His work `Sai Satcharitra' in Mahratti Ovi verse extends to a thousand pages and is treated as Sai Ramayana or modern Guru Charitra with the respect due to ancient puranas by the Maharashtra Sai bhaktas, and even by others who get access to it through N.V. Gunaji's English adaptation of it or translations in Telugu etc.
This work is highly meritorious and has been the occasion for many people becoming Sai Bhaktas. The verses are highly sonorous and the stories about Sai Baba collected from various individuals consisting of actual experiences of numerous bhaktas, have great charm and are always fresh. This work has a very interesting history. But let us first us deal with the author.
The author was a Government servant till the year 1916, his grade being that of a resident magistrate. Before retiring in 1916, he was lucky enough to have contact with Baba. Both H. S. Dixit and Nana Saheb Chandorkar were friends of his. Both were pressing him to go up to see Sai Baba. He did not (as stated already) at first feel sufficient enthusiasm about seeing Sai Baba and his mind was wavering. To go or not to go, that was his question. He was rather attracted to general theories, and it was the Grace of Sai Baba that turned him into such an able author to design a practical work so full of inspiration. When after all he started in 1910 to go and see Sai Baba, he had made up his mind to go by the wrong train suddenly a Mohammedan acquaintance of his asked him where he was going. He said he was going to Dadar to catch Manmad Mail to go to Kopergaon for Shirdi. That gentleman at once corrected him saying that Manmad Mail did not stop at Dadar. He also said, "You had better go
straight to Victoria Terminus and there catch it, for there will be sufficient time for you to get a ticket". He adopted that advice. If that gentleman had not met him, he would have got disappointed and probably returned home, and his mind would have been tossing again in doubt whether to see Sai Baba or not. So, he himself says, "Baba's hand has been visible in moulding my fate even from the beginning."
(Written by: HH Pujyasri B V Narasimha Swamiji in Life of Sai Baba)
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