Leela-127

Leela's of Baba

Once, Nanasaheb Chandorkar brought Naivedya (Prasad) for Sai Baba.  He had included ‘Puran Polis’in it as he thought Baba relished them.  When Nanasaheb arrived, Baba had just finished his lunch and so when he was requested to eat, Baba said, “I just ate. You keep the platter here and go home to have your meal.”

Nanasaheb left as per Baba’s orders, but he told Madhvrao Deshpande to keep an eye and see if Baba took any morsel from the platter. “Tell me as soon as he takes anything, so that I can commence my meal.”

After some time Sai Maharaj asked Madhavrao, whether Nana eaten his meal.  Madhavrao said, “When you eat something from this platter, Nana will eat.”  Sai Maharaj laughed and said, “Oh! I have already eaten while he was filling this plate; in the guise of a fly. Tell him to eat!

When Nanasaheb heard this he happily sat for his meal.

Another time Sai Baba said to Nanasaheb, “If any one comes to your doorstep asking for something, give as much as suits your pocket. Even if you have nothing to give, the least you can do is speak kindly.”

Some days later, Nanasaheb went to his village. 3-4 days later an old woman came begging at his doorstep. The servant refused to give alms. But the woman was persistent.  Nanasaheb admonished her for this impudence and sent her away.

When Nanasaheb paid a visit to Sai Baba again, he said, “I had come to your door asking for some thing, but you forgot my words. I came in the guise of an old woman, but all I got was bad words.”  Nanasaheb felt ashamed.\

Once, a female dog went to Mhalsapati’s house.  She was repulsive, filthy and drooling. When Mhalsapati gave her a whack, she ran away howling. Afterwards, when Mhalsapati went for Sai’sDarshan, Sai said,” I went with great expectations to ‘Bhagat’s house (people referred to Mhalsapati as ‘Bhagat’) but all I received, were blows.”

All such Leelas of Sai are to enlighten the devotees.

“We should not shoo away any body. Whether it is a dog, cat or human, they come to us because of some connection. We should not despise them or look down on them.”

Sai Maharaj not only gave advice in words but also emphasised its importance in many ways.

Once, two hours after such a session, while we were all having lunch in the Wada, a dog came near our doorstep. We shooed it away and it went to the neighbour’s doorstep. There it was beaten with a stick and it ran away wailing. It was then that we remembered, what Sai had said and thought the dog would have gone away and spared the beating, if only we had given it a piece of our Bhakri(bread).

That evening, Das Ganu, in his Kirtan narrated the story of Sant Namdev.  Once, when Lord Vitthal, in the guise of a dog snatched a piece of Bhakri from Sant Namdev’s house, Namdev ran after the dog with a vati (small bowl) of ghee, saying, “Do not eat the Bhakri dry, Oh Lord ! Take this ghee !”

Later, on the same day, when Madhavrao Adkar was reading the ‘Bhakta Leelamrut’, the same piece happened to be read. Thus Baba emphasised and strengthened the guidance he had given in the morning.

Sai Baba went to many of His devotees in various guises.

Source: Saileela Magazine

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