Shri Sai Sat Charitra-Chapter XXVIII-Part V

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Now let us go to the third and bigger 'sparrow'. Megha of Viramgaon was a simple and illiterate Brahmin cook of Rao Bahadur H. V. Sathe. He was a devotee of Shiva and always chanted the five syllabled mantra 'Namah Shivaya'. He did not know the Sandhya nor its chief mantra, the Gayatri. Rao Bahadur Sathe was interested in him, got him taught the Sandhya and the Gayatri. Sathe told him that Sai Baba of Shirdi was the embodied form of Lord Shiva and made him start for Shirdi. At the Broach Railway station he learnt that Sai Baba was from a different faith and his simple, orthodox mind was much perturbed at the prospect of bowing down in front of Him, as he prayed to his master not to send him there.

His master, however, insisted on his going there and gave him a letter of introduction to his (Sathe's) father-in-law, Ganesh Damodar, alias Dada Kelkar at Shirdi, to introduce him to Sai Baba. When he reached Shirdi and went to the Dwarakamayi, Baba was very indignant and would not allow him to enter. "Kick out the rascal" roared Baba, and then said to Megha - "You are a high caste Brahmin and I am a low Moslem; you will lose your caste by coming here. So get away." Hearing these words Megha began to tremble. He was wondering as to how Baba had come to know about what was passing in his mind. He stayed there for some days, serving Baba in his own way, but was not convinced.

Megha then he went home. After that he went to Tryambak (NasikDistrict) and stayed there for a year and a half. Then again he returned to Shirdi. This time, at the intervention of Dada Kelkar, he was allowed to enter Dwarakamayi and stay in Shirdi. Sai Baba's help to Megha was not through any oral instruction. He worked upon Megha internally (mentally) with the result that he was considerably changed and benefited. Then Megha began to look upon Sai Baba as an incarnation of Shiva.

In order to worship Shiva, bela (Bilva) leaves are required and Megha used to go miles and miles every day to bring them and worship his Shiva (Baba). His practice was to worship all the Gods in the village and then come to Dwarakamayi and after saluting Baba's gaddi (asan) he worshipped Baba and after doing some service (shampooing His Legs) drank the washings (Tirth) of Baba's Feet. Once it so happened that he came to the Dwarakamayi without worshipping God Khandoba, as the door of the temple was closed. Baba did not accept his worship and sent him again, saying that the door was open then. Megha went, found the door open, worshiped the Deity, and then returned to Baba as usual.

SSG: Sai Ram. In a way, such ignorant but innocent people are easy to be helped spiritually since they are not burdened by the ego's intellectual pursuits. In their cases, they surrender fully. Once Megha realized that Baba was indeed Siva, his surrender was complete. Sai Ram.

To Be Continued

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