Baba manifested Himself as a cart-man to test the faith and help Shri Ramkrishna GanpatRao Kothare of Mahim, Mumbai.....

Shri Ramkrishna Ganpatrao Kothare of Mahim, Mumbai and his father used to visit Shirdi often during Baba’s time and also after Baba’s Samadhi.
During the rainy season in 1919, Shri Ramkrishna Kothare and his father proceeded to Shirdi from Mumbai and reached Kopargaon railway station. Due to heavy floods in the river Godavari, there was no conveyance available to cross the river. The station master advised them against going to Shirdi in the floods. On hearing this, they simply sat uttering Sai’s name. A tall lean man with an ‘Alpi’ coat and carrying a stick in his hand came and told them, “Why do you people want to go to Shirdi ? The mad man there has died.” Shri Ganpatrao told him not to speak such words and said, “I want to go to Shirdi anyhow and Baba will help us.” It was then that the tall man brought his cart and took them in the cart to Shirdi. On the way he kept muttering words like “Maya, Mitthya, Brahma” etc. as if he were a mad man. The cart reached Kopargaon town. Due to the floods it was impossible to cross the river. The tall man made them get down near a brahmin’s house and went away without demanding any money from them.
He did not turn up even when the water subsided and they crossed the river by boat after 3 p.m. After crossing the river they reached Shirdi late in the night and stayed in Dixit wada.

They were the only people staying in the wada. In the morning they took darshan of Baba’s Samadhi and returned to Kopargaon. They went to the brahmin’s house and inquired about the tall cart-man. The brahmin told them that the cart-man did not belong to Kopargaon; and he was under the impression that he belonged to the Kothares. Everyone unanimously agreed that this occurance was nothing but Baba’s leela to test their faith.