Chapter 2 - Historical Commentary - a podcast by Sai Babas Devotee Speaks

In Chapter 2, Dabholkar witnesses Baba grinding wheat, and the villagers tell him that Baba thus prevented the cholera epidemic from entering the village. He is intrigued, and decides to write the Shri Sai Satcharita so that it will be instructive for the devotees, and spiritually uplift them. However, he is plagued with doubts about his ability to write the life of a magnanimous saint like Sai Baba, whose life is as deep as the ocean, and all-pervasive as the sky itself. To write the life of a saint, one should become a saint. Nonetheless, he feels that if this sacred work is accomplished, the readers, especially those who have not seen Baba, would be greatly benefited, and they would progress on their spiritual journey to attain their goal of self-realisation. Dabholkar had utmost faith in Baba, and he is sure that, with Baba's blessings, Baba himself will get this work done through him. So, he seeks Shama's help to get permission from Baba, and Baba gives him His consent and blessings.

On the very first day of his arrival in Shirdi, he and Bala Bhate had a heated discussion about the necessity of having a guru. Bhate said that it was absolutely necessary to have a guru, while Dabholkar believed that everyone should advance spiritually by doing Sadhana. The next day, Baba asks them about it, "And what did this Hemadpant have to say?" Thus, Baba gives Dabholkar the name of Hemadripant, or Hemadpant. Hemadripant was a man of many virtues. He was the minister of the king of the Yadava Dynasty, and was a prolific writer. So, the name suited Dabholkar, but it was also a dart at his arrogance, as he thought that he had won the discussion with Bala Bhate, so this was the first lesson in humility for him. Dabholkar then surrenders his ego at Baba's feet, and starts collecting material for Baba's Gatha.

I will now seize this opportunity to talk about the life and transformation of two skeptics, Balasaheb Bhate and Annasaheb Dabholkar.

The transformation of Balasaheb Bhate

The story of Balasaheb Bhate is mind-boggling. He was a Mamledar in Kopergaon, and a friend of Chandorkar. The two had known each other since their college days. While Chandorkar was well versed in religious scriptures, Bhate was just the opposite. His motto in life seemed to be smoke, drink, eat, and be merry. Chandorkar was an ardent devotee of Baba, and Bala was a skeptic. Whenever they met, Bala ridiculed the very idea of a well-educated person like Chandorkar paying obeisance to a human. Often, he tried to convince the devotees from not making the pilgrimage to Shirdi. It seemed as if his mission in life was to sabotage the pilgrimage of any devotee going to see Baba. Later in 1894, he was transferred to Sakori, where he heard a Kirtan about Kabir and Kamal by Sant Bhau Maharaj. Somehow, he was drawn to the Kirtan and listened to it attentively.

He then came to Shirdi and took Baba's Darshan. The very sight of Baba filled him with peace and bliss. He just sat and stared at Baba, oblivious of his surroundings. After a while, his companions asked him to accompany them back to Sakori. He said, "Wait, wait a bit." They waited, but he continued sitting and the hours rolled by, so they left. So changed was he that he decided to stay on in Shirdi, and make it his home. The once responsible person seemed to have forgotten all about his job, his family, and his home. He stayed on and served Baba until Baba's Mahasamadhi. This dramatic change caused concern amongst the other devotees. Dikshit, Chandorkar and Shama asked Baba to intervene. Baba asked him to apply for six months of leave. This application he did write and send, but his mind was made up. Even his superiors, co-workers and friends came to advise him and take him back. He just said, "Once a person finds his goal, he should not leave it." His employer, knowing that he was a good employee, gave him a pension of 25 rupees per month on a compassionate basis, as his mind was gripped by the Fakir of Shirdi and Bala had religious melancholia. Balasaheb progressed spiritually under the compassionate Fakir, and stayed on in Shirdi until his death. Mention is made of him in the Sai Satcharita, chapters 1 and 44. After Baba's Mahasamadhi, the 13th day's ceremony was conducted by Bala, when he performed Til Anjali, Til Tarpanam and Pind Pran. Dikshit was very fond of Bhate because after his transformation, Bala Bhate spent all his time doing Seva, reading and studying spiritual books. He had a wonderful lustre on his face. Dikshit arranged for his family to come and stay with him. He also took care of Bhate's son, Babu, who was the same age as his own son, Ramkrishna. So he got them admitted into a Marathi school and treated them like twins. He paid for their education, and both the kids got new clothes, uniforms and stationery at the same time. After completing their education in Shirdi, they went to Mumbai for further education. Ramkrishna chose to do B.Sc., while Babu Bhate chose B.A. Both of them studied hard and did well. However, Balasaheb passed away, so Babu had to discontinue his education and take up a job to support his mother and younger brother. Babu was eternally grateful to Kaka Dikshit and his wife for taking good care of him and his family. Oftentimes, he would say, "If it was not for Kaka, I and my family would have died of starvation."

The transformation of Dabholkar

Dabholkar was a skeptic and did not think that it was necessary to have a guru. After experiencing poverty in his life, he got promoted in his government job through sheer hard work. So his view was that one had to work hard to also achieve spiritual progress. What could a Sadguru do if you sleep and do not do Sadhana? Why should one give up one's independence and voluntarily embrace subservience to another, where there is competence in performance of one's duty? What is the necessity of a guru? Even on the day he went to Shirdi, he bought a ticket for the wrong train. A Muslim stranger then asked him where he was going. Dabholkar replied that he was going to Dadar to catch the Manmad Mail to Kopergaon, and then on to Shirdi. The stranger corrected him saying that the Manmad Mail did not stop at Dadar. He said, "You had better go straight to Victoria Terminus and board the train there for there will be sufficient time for you to get a ticket." If this incident had not happened, Dabholkar may have returned home. When Baba calls, He makes everything easy for you.

That very night, there was a heated discussion between Bhate and Dabholkar. Bhate maintained that the Sadguru was of utmost importance in one's spiritual progress; otherwise, all that was gained was just bookish knowledge. Dabholkar maintained that one had to work hard to gain spiritual progress. What could a Sadguru do if you sleep and do no Sadhana? The next day, Baba asked what the discussion was that took place in the Wada. Then, pointing to Dabholkar, He asked, "What did this Hemadpant have to say?" Thus, Dabholkar got his new name. When Dabholkar got the name, it foretold his future and the Seva that he would do for Baba. Thus, he wrote the Pothi, the Shri Sai Satcharita, and later did a lot of work for the Sanstan along with Dikshit. He made Baba's Sanstan very successful and famous.

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