Chapter 13 - Historical Commentary - a podcast by Sai Babas Devotee Speaks

This chapter is all about Baba curing His devotees with rather unusual modalities, and they are beautifully described, like Bala Shimpi was asked to feed a black dog curd rice, and he was relieved of the relentless malarial fever, or curing Booty of severe gastroenteritis with a milkshake full of almonds, pistachios and walnuts. He also cured Kaka Mahajani of a severe bout of diarrhoea by giving him roasted peanuts to eat. Bhimaji Patil was cured of his pulmonary tuberculosis through a series of dreams, where he received a good thrashing for not reciting a poem that his teacher asked him to recite. This was followed by another terrifying painful dream, where someone sits on his chest and then crushes it with a road roller. And the next morning, he feels refreshed and his tuberculosis disappears. He cured the Alandi Swami of an earache just by his beatific glance, and blessed him saying, "Allah bhala karega."


Leela number 1: Padmanabhendra Swami from Alandi

This Leela is given in the Shri Sai Satcharita, chapter 13. In the Sai Leela magazine of 1923, the Swami himself has written a detailed account, where he states, "Following the advice of beloved Shriman Hari Sitaram Dixit, residing in Mumbai, I visited Shirdi." He further states, "By the grace of Shri Sai Baba, I am enveloped by an abundance of joy. After my pilgrimage to Shirdi, I returned on Thursday, the 29th of January, and proceeded to Alandi. There, I attended the Punya Thithi of Shri Guru Maharaj Tukaram on the 2nd of February. On the following day, which was Tuesday, I went to Mumbai. There, I consulted Dr. Underwood regarding the swelling behind my ear extending to the neck. His advice was that no surgery was required. Then he gave me an injection of some serum, saying that it will take care of the swelling. He then narrates his experience in Shirdi, "It is impossible to describe the lustrous divinity of Shri Sai Maharaj. The effect is mind-boggling, and I got immense peace. Many of the devotees gathered there had advised me to tell Sai Maharaj about the swelling. But from my heart and soul, I was disinclined to do so. The reason for not doing so was that I had gone solely to have his Darshan without any ulterior motive. I strongly believe that Prarabdha Karma has to be borne by me. However, ultimately I asked Madhavrao Deshpande to tell Maharaj about the problem. Accordingly, he brought up the topic while I was having Darshan. Maharaj lovingly said, 'Allah sab accha karega.' At that very moment, my troubled mind became calm. The doctor at Nagpur had advised surgery, so had the doctor from Alandi. They were consulted prior to my visit to Shirdi, but the doctor from Mumbai said the surgery was not required and administered the serum injection, following which, the swelling shrunk a lot, and the pain subsided completely. All this happened after Shri Sai Maharaj spoke these words. Thinking about it, it leaves me wonderstruck and happy. On the first day of my visit, Maharaj asked for Dakshina. I replied, 'Maharaj, I am a Sanyasi. Where will I have money?' After I had Darshan, Baba said to Madhavrao Deshpande, 'I wanted to know if he will give me something, but he won't give me anything. Since he has come to me, I will give him something.' From the very moment these words were uttered, I became trouble-free. What can I say about this Siddh Purush, except that He is Shri Narayan in human form. This Leela was taken from Sai Leela magazine, ank 5, year 1, 1923.



In Leela number 2, He cures Chandrabai Borkar's husband


Chandrabai's husband was posted in a small town called Asavali near Nasik. One day, her husband, Ramchandra Borkar, returned from work with a high temperature. Chandrabai was extremely worried as there were no doctors nearby, nor was medical aid easily available. Chandrabai had some of Baba's Udi with her. She had immense faith in Baba, and knew that Udi was a panacea for all maladies. She made her husband as comfortable as she possibly could, and sat beside him. The temperature was 103 and was steadily rising. At about 2 a.m., her husband fell asleep. So, she curled up at the foot of the bed and took a nap. At three o'clock in the morning, she had a vivid dream. In the dream, she saw an old Kafni-clad Fakir, who said, "Bai, don't be worried. In a little while, he will perspire profusely. Apply Udi all over his body, and the fever will abate. However, do not let him go out of the house after 11 o'clock." Then, the Fakir disappeared. She followed the instructions and her husband started sweating profusely at that time. She wiped up the perspiration and applied Udi. Then, she told her husband about the dream, but her husband lacked faith in Baba. Not heeding her advice, he went to the railway station, which was very close to their home. At that time, the passenger train going to Mumbai had just arrived. From her home, she could see her husband standing on the tracks and talking to his friend. The Mail arriving from Manmad was approaching on that track to the station. Her husband was oblivious of the oncoming train. Chandrabai, from her home, watched the train hit her husband. She shouted, "Baba!" and lost consciousness.

A short while later, a porter came to her home and told her to bring her husband home, as he had broken a bone or two. She immediately thanked Baba for saving her husband's life. She, along with the servant, went to the platform. A lot of people who had witnessed the accident were marvelling at how the train, instead of running over him, had knocked him off to the middle track that was empty at that time. Chandrabai brought her husband home and laid him on the bed. The pain was very severe, for he kept losing consciousness off and on. In his groggy state, he asked, "Where am I? A Fakir has stealthily crept into our house." Chandrabai reassured him, saying, "That Fakir is our Baba. He is our only refuge, but you do not have faith in Him, or you would have not gone out after I told you about the dream. It was a warning, but you did not pay any heed to it. Nonetheless, He saved your life, or I would have been crying as you would have lost your life. Time and again, you promised to go to Shirdi, but every time you reneged on your promise. At least this time, I hope you keep your promise and go after you recover.” Her husband finally promised to do so. Then, he said, "Is your Baba in Shirdi now?" Chandrabai replied, "Yes, He is in Shirdi, and is also with me. Otherwise, you would have been run over by that train.”

Chandrabai tended to his leg. Obviously, it was broken. She took some Udi, mixed it with the powder of Beeba (marking nut), and put it over the injured part, and then bandaged it. The next day, the doctor from the railway hospital came and checked her husband, and confirmed that it was a fracture. That night, at 11 p.m., she dreamt of the same Fakir, who asked her, "So what happened? The leg is broken. Get some Copra (desiccated coconut) and place it over the injury and bandage it tightly. Then, make a mixture of Vani (an indigenous fruit), salt, turmeric, Jondhale, or Jowar grain, and foment the bandaged area.” Chandrabai did just that. Soon, the pain decreased and by the end of the month, the fracture had healed perfectly. The doctor and many of her friends and relatives were astonished to see the result of a homemade remedy. She told them that the Fakir had advised her to do so. And their faith in Baba increased manifold.


Baba's earlier years in Shirdi

In his earliest days, even up to 1890, Baba had a youthful love for art and music. And at night, He often went to the Takia, the resting place for visiting Muslims. There, He would, with His very sweet and appealing voice, sing songs mostly of Kabir, or songs in Persian or Arabic, which the local people could not understand. He tied trinkets on his ankles and danced about in joy, while he was singing his songs with rapt devotion. At times, when he was not absorbed in contemplation, he went about meeting the people and noting their ailments. He picked up herbs or cheap drugs from shops, and with it, he used to cure the villagers of their bodily illnesses. His knowledge of medicine and surgery appears to have been extraordinary, for He cured not merely snake bite but also leprosy with snake venom, and rotting eyes with Beeba (washerman's marking nut) as an antiseptic alkali. It is said that He pulled out rotting eyeballs of some patients, washed them, applied Beeba as a caustic and replaced the eyeballs, and the disease was cured. He never accepted any payment for his medical or other services. Other kinds of services also He rendered in plenty.

He ploughed up the village common land, the very land on which the Samadhi Mandir now stands, and raised a flower garden there. He watered the plants, carrying pots of water on his shoulders. He distributed the flowers and leaves freely to various Hindu temples and to Muslim holy places, and never made any distinction between Hindu and Muslim places of worship. Then, He also planted trees in Lendi Bagh and used them to cure ailments. One notable plant is called Tarvad, known as Sulphur Cassia. This is a shrub with yellow flowers, which Baba managed to tend and care for until it grew into a tree, which was in Lendi Bagh. These flowers He used to treat diabetes with. He also used it for people who had low immunity, as it boosted immunity. This shrub grows wild in Maharashtra, and it survives in the harshest conditions. It blooms in mid-summer, and grows in crevices of rocks and boulders. Thus, its flowers produce a lot of immunity as the shrub has to survive in these conditions. I, for one, have so much faith in this plant that whenever I go to Korala, I stop the car and eat the flowers directly off the plant, without even bothering to wash it. Another shrub that Baba used a lot was Khorpad. It is from the aloe vera family, is broad and fleshy, and is a cure for various skin diseases like eczema, rashes, itchy skin and urticaria. And last, but not the least, the Neem leaves. It is a panacea for all ailments, both physical and mental. A Neem leaf a day keeps the doctor away. It brings down the high blood sugar levels in diabetics, and cures stomach ailments and skin disorders. And finally, we have the wonderful Udi that Baba has given us. Udi will be discussed in detail later when the chapter of the glorious Udi comes.

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