You Will Have My Prasad

You Will Have My Prasad

 

On an Ekadasi day Kusa Bhav (i.e., Krishnaji Kasinath Joshi of Mirzgaon) sat by Baba's side.

 

Baba: What do you eat to-day?

 

Kusa: Nothing. Today is Ekadasi.

 

Baba: What does "Ekadasi" mean?

 

Kusa: A day for "Upavasa"

 

Baba: What does Upavasa mean?

 

Kusa: It is just like "Rojas"

 

Baba: What is Rojas?

 

Kusa: We fast, i.e., do not eat anything except Kanda Moola. (Meaning sweet potatoes etc.,)

 

Baba: Ob, Kaanda (i.e., onion) you eat. Well, here you have onion. Eat it.

 

Kusa: (finding baba forcing on him unorthodox food) Baba if you eat it, I will eat.

 

Baba ate some; and Kusa Bhav ate some, and then visitors arrived. Baba wished to have some fun.

 

Baba: Look at this Bamniya (corrupt and contemptuous form of the word Brahmin). He eats onion on Ekadasi.

 

Kusa: Baba ate it and I ate it.

 

Baba: No. I ate Kanda, i.e., sweet potatoes. See.

 

Baba then vomited out sweet potatoes.

 

Kusa Bhav seeing the miracle, voraciously swallowed the potato as prasad. Baba beat him and said:

"Rogue. why do you eat the vomit?

 

But Kusa Bhav did not mind the blows. Baba's heart melted.

 

Baba: (placing a palm on Kusa's head) I bless you. Think of me and hold forth your Palms. You will have my prasad.

 

KUSA BHAV now holds up his empty palms and WARM UDHI (BABA'S PRASAD) falls from it, and this is given as BABA'S PRASADA UDHI by Kusa Bhav.

 

(- from Baba's Charters and Sayings, No. 283)