Leela -158 - Picture equivalent to Darshan
It was often the experience of Sai
Baba's devotees that seeing Baba's picture earnestly is equivalent to
seeing Him in person. The following story illustrates this statement.
A Saint of Bombay named Balabuva
Sutar, who on account of his piety, devotion and bhajan (sacred
singing), was called "Modern Tukaram", came to Shirdi for the first time
in 1917. When he bowed before Baba, the latter said "I know this man
since four years." Balabuva wondered and thought, how could that be, as
that was his first trip to Shirdi. But thinking about it seriously he
recollected that he had prostrated himself four years ago before Baba's
portrait at Bombay and was convinced about the significance of Baba's
words. He said to himself, "How omniscient and all-pervading are the
Saints and how kind are they to their Bhaktas (devotional devotees)! I
merely bowed to His photo, this fact was noticed by Baba and in due time
He made me realize that seeing His photo is equivalent to seeing Him in
person!""
