Leela-86
Baba turned a
sceptic into an ascetic
BABA TURNED SHRI VIRENDRA p. PANDYA FROM A SCEPTIC INTO AN ASCETIC..... by Jyoti
Ranjan
Shri Virendra P. Pandya of Vaitarna, near Kalyan, was a university graduate and
did not believe in God. Everyone in his family was educated and except for his
parents, none of the family members believed in God.
In May, 1952, he accompanied his cousin brother to Shirdi on a casual visit.
Sometime after he left Shirdi, his family was in great distress. He was at that
time staying with his cousin at Vaitarna. His parents and other family members
were living in Bihar. There was no possibility of their coming to solve the
problem.
Shri Pandya suddenly remembered having brought a photo of Sri Sai Baba from
Shirdi, which was lying in his trunk. He took it out, cleaned it and kept it on
his table. He lit an agarbatti before the photo and prayed to Sri Sai Baba to
help him solve the problem.
Two or three days passed; but the solution did not occur and he became worried
and restless. He stood before the photo of Sri Sai Baba and said, “O Baba ! You
know that I have no strong belief in You. If You are really God as Your devotees
call You, You know my family problem and how worried I am thinking over my
matter. I pray to give me a proper solution by evening or else. I will keep Your
photo back in the trunk once and for all.”
By evening he felt calm as a solution to his problem occured to him. He
immediately wrote a letter to his mother at Dharaiajoba (in Bihar) informing her
of the solution and the way in which he got it. On the third day of his posting
the letter, he got a letter from his mother informing him of the same solution
which had occured on the same day and time. This incident brought him very close
to believing in Sri Sai Baba.
He thought of devoting his whole life to Sri Sai Baba for ever, doing nothing
but Bhakti. But, his mother refused permission and advised him to follow
Karmayoga. He once again stood before Baba’s photo and wrote on a piece of
paper. “O Baba ! You definitely know my dilemma. By Tuesday 5.8.1952 evening I
must get an answer from You in writing as to which way of life I should follow.”
He then placed the paper under the photo and prayed to Baba.
By dusk on 5.8.1952 he waited impatiently for an answer. He then accidently came
across the Gujarati book called ‘Sri Sai Baba Upasana’ published by Shri
Bhavnagar Sai Baba Bhakta Mandali. The book had been sent to him by his mother
two months ago; but he had not read it so far. Now, when he saw the book, he
opened it at random and came upon the chapter ‘Bhav Sudha’. After reading a few
lines he became interested and soon finished reading the entire book. At the end
of it he had got answers to his questions and that too in writing. In that book,
Baba had advised a devotee to follow Karmayoga way of life. This incident
brought him even more closer to the devotion of Sri Sai Baba.
Shri V. P. Pandya and his cousin were contractors doing work in connection with
the Mumbai Water Supply Scheme and lived in Vaitarna, a place which was
virtually a jungle.
One Wednesday (6.8.1952) he stood before Baba’s photo and prayed, “Tomorrow is
Thursday, i.e. Baba’s day. Some sadhu, sanyasi or fakir should come to my door
to have bhiksha between 12.30 p.m. and 1.00 p.m. the time I take my afternoon
meal. He should bless my entire body by moving his right hand from head to
foot.”
After 12.15 p.m. on Thursday he went to take his lunch as no one had come to his
door till then. Just as he was about to take his first morsel of food, he heard
the voice of a fakir asking for alms. His cook, who never gave anything to any
beggar gave a one anna coin to the fakir of his own accord. The fakir turned to
leave. He then called the fakir back and gave him prasad, which he had kept
before Baba’s photo. The fakir went away. By then Shri Pandya too finished his
meals. He thought of serving food to the fakir; but he had gone. He thought if
the fakir somehow returned again, he would serve him food. He inquired with his
cook, whether there was any extra food. The cook replied in the negative and
said that the food was sufficient only for him.
To his utter astonishment, Shri Pandya saw the same fakir coming towards his
door once again. He immediately offered prasad to the fakir and gave him Rs. 2/-
requesting him to have food with the amount as he was unable to serve him food
in his house. The fakir accepted the amount without saying anything and simply
laughed meaningfully at him. And then, to his great joy, the fakir blessed him
from head to toe with the peacock feathers he held in his right hand, just as he
had wished. He fell at the feet of the fakir with inexplicable joy and again
offered pranams. The fakir raised him up and said that He would meet again on
the following Thursday, 14.8.1952.
When he told the fakir that it would not be possible as he was leaving for
Shirdi in a couple of days, the fakir said, “Even then I will meet you” and went
away.
Shri Pandya reached Shirdi on 13.8.1952. On Thursday, 14.8.1952, during noon
Aarati at the Samadhi Mandir, while gazing at Sri Sai Baba’s photo, it suddenly
occured to him, what the fakir had said had turned out to be true. He was in
front of Baba, performing Aarati and so Sri Sai Baba too was in front of him.
Thus the fakir met him on Thursday, 14.8.1952.
Sri Sai Baba thus brought a faithless into His fold of staunch devotees even
after His Mahasamadhi.