Sai Katha Utsav- The monsoon of Sai's stories

Whoever sings my praises, I will bestow upon him complete happiness, permanent pleasure and contentment. Believe this as the Truth. - Sai Baba.

Taking the opportunity of this wonderful forum, I'll love to share various stories of our beloved Baba, available in various sources, the Sai Satcharita, Devotee's experiences, Sai Leela magazine.

I'll try to post 1 story every other day and then we all can take an opportunity to discuss about the same. I am not posting in any order and they will basically a hotch potch mixture from myriad sources.  

May Sai guide me.

Edited by saishyama - 6 years ago

The story of Ruttonji

In the city of Nanded, in the Nizam's dominion, there was a famous Parsi merchant. He was popular and very pious. His name was Ruttonji
He had every material possession. He owned horses, carriages, farms and woodlands. The doors of his house were open to all and nobody was turned away, empty-handed.In this way he seemed to be enjoying happiness, day and night. But, deep inside, he was caught permanently by a crocodile in the form of worry.This is the law of nature that nobody can have undiluted happiness. Some way or the other, everyone has some anxiety. A person may say boastingly that he is superior and the richest. He may walk upright with uncalled for pride. Whenever there is anything without a blemish, it will be flawed at least by a small blot. Therefore, it seems that God does this with His own hands.Ruttonji was endowed with wealth. He was hospitable to all; helped the weak and removed their miseries.He was always pleasant. In this way, though the world thought that Shethji was happy, the pleasure of wealth was of no consequence for a person who had no son.There was no dearth of daughters. There were twelve, one
after the other. But how could he have the slightest of happiness? How could his mind be at rest? Is there any beauty in a kirtan performed without love? What is music without harmony and rhythm? And what kind of a brahmin is he, who does not wear the sacred thread? What profit is there in proficiency of all arts when there is no sense of discrimination? What is correct behaviour if it is divorced from mercy towards all beings? How is there sanctity in one who wears sandal paste on his forehead, and tulsi rosary around his neck, if he mocks at Saints? What use is pilgrimage without piety and repentance? What
good is ornamentation without a necklace? What is a home without a son? He was constantly worrying about whether God would grant him a virtuous son. This was a nagging anxiety. Because of this Shethji was always depressed. He could not relish food or drink.He was always grief stricken and was
worrying constantly." O God, wash off this blemish and make me flawless. Give an
heir to the family. Save me from humiliation, Prabhuraya .As he had immense faith in Das Ganu, he opened his heart to him, who in turn told him to go to Shirdi and his wish would
be fulfilled." Go and take Baba's darshan. Bow down at his feet and tell him your heart's secret at length. He will bless you.Go. Your well-being will be assured. Baba's deeds are
inconceivable. Surender to him completely. You will be benefitted .Accepting this advice, Ruttonji took a decision. After some
days, he arrived in Shirdi. He went to the Masjid for darshan and prostrated at the feet
of Sai. Seeing Maharaj, the store of religious merit, he was overwhelmed with a surge of love for him.He opened the basket, took out the garland of flowers and lovingly put it round Baba's neck. The fruits he had brought as an offering were placed at Baba's feet.Ruttonji, with great humility and highest respect, went and sat near Baba. Listen to his entreaty. " I have heard that whenever people have insurmountable problems, they come to you for help and you immediately protect them.Therefore, I have come here to meet you, with great hopes and seek a boon at your feet. Please do not turn me away, Maharaja .Then Baba said to him: "You have taken a long time to come here. Give me whatever dakshina you wish. Then your objective will be fulfilled .
At the time of asking for dakshina from the Shethji, Sai mentioned an instance of the past, which Shethji could not recall and he was bewildered." You gave me Rupees three and fourteen annas earlier. That I know. Out of the amount intended for me, give me only the
balance. Give that to me as dakshina. This was the first darshan of Baba. Hearing these words of Baba, Ruttonji Sheth was amazed and tried to recollect.I have not come to Shirdi before. Nor have I sent anything with anybody'. In these circumstances, notice his surprise at
Sai Maharaj's words! Such a thing had not happened. Ruttonji was embarrassed. He
gave the dakshina and bowed down but could not resolve the enigma.It was left at that. He told the reason for coming. Again he prostrated at his feet and sat with folded hands.Shethji was very satisfied and said:"Baba, it is good that my last birth's good deeds have borne fruit and that I am able to have the darshan of your feet.I am ill-fated, ignorant, and know not how to perform puja,
rituals, sacrifice. Due to destiny, I have been able to take darshan of this sagacious person, knower of the past, present and future.You know the reason for my unhappiness. O, compassionate one, please remove it. O, kind one, do not send this ardent devotee away from your feet .Sainath felt pity for him. He Said: "Do not worry unnecessarily. Your misfortunes, henceforth, will start
diminishing .He gave him the prasad of udi in his hand and laid his boon-giving hand on his head. " Allah will fulfil your heart's desire , with these words he blessed the Shethji. Then, Ruttonji took his permission to leave and returned to Nanded. Whatever had happened was described in detail to Ganu Das." I had a good darshan, as desired. My heart was full of joy. I have received his boon and assurance and have been blessed.Everything went off fine. But I did not understand one thing.What was it that Maharaj said? I did not follow it at all . You gave me Rupees three and fourteen annas earlier. That I know'. Explain to me clearly what these words of Baba meant. What rupees and what annas! When did I give him earlier? I do not understand the mystery of it, because I went to Shirdi for the first time.I cannot solve this mystery. I feel that this is an
intriguing puzzle. It is beyond my comprehension. Can you please enlighten me? .This is a mystery, Das Ganu thought to himself. What could be the meaning? He couldn't come to any conclusion.After a lot of thinking he recalled an Aulia', who was called Mauli Saheb. He was reminded of him.He was a Muslim. His behaviour was like that of a Saint. He worked as a coolie for his living, leaving himself to the mercy of fate.At the time when the visit to Shirdi was decided, Mauli Saheb had casually come to Shethji's house, on his own. There was deep mutual affection between them; so, he was offered fruits, refreshments, garland as was the custom Shethji was inspired to offer a light meal to Mauli; and Das Ganu thought, at that moment, of checking the expenses of the same.He asked for the details of the expenses, added each and every pie and totalled it, which turned out exactly,to be Rupees three and fourteen annas, neither more nor less Everyone was astonished that Baba had known this and had, as it were a receipt for it.
Sai Maharaj was a store of knowledge. Sitting in the Masjid, he was aware of everything the past, the present and the future, wherever and in whatever country it may happen.Unless Sai Samartha had become one with all beings, could it be possible for him to experience or to tell others, this kind of things? Nanded is far away from Shirdi. There is a lot of distance
between the two. Besides, these two Saints did not know each other. How could Sai have got this information?Sai Maharaj is one person and Maulibuva some one else. This
is a misconception of dualism. In reality, there is no difference between them.Maulibuva's soul is the same as that which resides in every
being. But he is blessed who knows the secret of oneness of soul.Though the outer bodies are two, internally they are united. It is wrong even to use the words those two', for they were never separate.They both had the same knowledge, same soul, same aim. Both were the essence of the one supreme energy and of the same nature.There is a big distance between Shirdi and Nanded. But their minds were in unison. They had the same soul and as it were, the same body. Therefore, they exchanged the communication.How marvellous are the Saints and Sages. They are, as it were, the wireless machines without the cables! Anything might take place anywhere in the world. They are aware of it
from the beginning to the end.Later, after a suitable passage of time, God blessed Ruttonji. His wife conceived. The tree of hope blossomed.At an auspicious time, his wife delivered. The blessings bore fruit. A jewel of a son was born and Ruttonji was delighted.
His contentment could be described as that of abundant rains after many years of drought, because he had got a son.Later on, the family tree bloomed. Branches spread out, in
due course flourished and bore fruit with sons and daughters. Ruttonji was happy.Later on, also he went for Sai darshan with whose blessings his desires were fulfilled. He was truly contented.Even though a mango tree blossoms fully during spring all the
fruits do not ripen. Similarly out of the twelve children. only four survived and lead happy lives in Nanded.Ruttonji being of a gentle temperament, believed in cheerfully accepting whatever happens due to destiny. So he
did not regret this at all. Edited by saishyama - 6 years ago

Das Ganu's dilemma

Ganu Das had started to explain the meaning of every stanza of the Ishavasya Upanishad, in verse form, for those who did not know Sanskrit. With this intention, he translated the meaning of Ishavasya into simple, lucid, Marathi. This Upanishad is full of hidden meaning. Though the word-to-word translation was achieved, unless the deeper, implied meaning was clear, he felt dissatisfied. The essence of the four vedas is really the treasury for the Upanishads. But without the grace of God and Guru it is difficult to understand.One may say that I am learned and I will try on my own to understand the Upanishads and explain the meaning exactly.But it is never possible. It cannot be brought into practice till a Guru's blessings are received. The secret riddles are impossible to solve and at every step one would come across difficulties.But for him who seeks the feet of the Guru, there is not the slightest difficulty. The profound meaning reveals itself very naturally to him.That knowledge, which is the science of realisation of the Self, is a weapon to destroy the cycle of birth and death. It can be achieved by giving up the ego and attachment; and thus, one should qualify oneself to expound on it.If one takes refuge at the feet of such people, then within moments the meaning is revealed. That imprisoned intellect is liberated and the perplexity of the meaning disappears.While translating the Ishavasya into Marathi, Das Ganu underwent such a plight. But when Sainath blessed him, his difficulties were overcome.He had little knowledge of the Sanskrit language. Even then, he bowed down to Acharya Vidyaranya and at Sai Baba's feet and began to write the verses in the verse form.
Ganu Das's language was like the flow of milk to which was added the sugar of Sai Prasad. Now, oh listeners, listen to the sweetness resulting from it, for a moment with respect. So be it. You should read the original if you wish to understand fully the implications and the meanings of the Bodhini to which I have referred, a while ago. But the purpose of my narration is different. Bear it in mind.If his devotees come across any difficult passages while reading any book, Maharaj can satisfy him without uttering anything. See how he does it. This is the purpose of narrating this story, so that the listeners should understand the gist. I have only this in my mind. So, now, listen and pay attention.The writing of the commentary in verse form was completed.
Scholars approved of it. Ganu Das' aspirations were fulfilled. But, certainly, one doubt remained. He put it before the scholars. They all discussed it at length. But the doubt was not cleared to his satisfaction.In the meantime, for some reason, Das Ganu had to go to Shirdi; and lo! His problem was solved in the simplest of ways.He went to have Sai's darshan; held the feet of the Lord at his head; prostrated himself and felt full of happiness.One compassionate glance from a saint, sweet words from the mouth of a saint, the smiling face of a saint bestow the devotees with good fortune.Even the mere darshan of saints is able to wash off all sins. How can the good fortune of those be described who are
permanently in their company! " Hello Ganu! From where have you come? inquired Baba. "Is everything alright? Are you happy and contented? Ganu Das answered: "When you have graced and protected me why should I be unhappy? I am profoundly happy.You know everything, so why are you making small talk, as a formality. I too am aware why you are asking about my happiness.You propelled me to start a new venture. When it is in full swing, you have created an insoluble problem which no one can resolve however it may be tried .

Thus ran their mutual exchange, as Ganu Das pressed his feet and asked the question referring to the Ishavasya Bhavartha
Bodhini. " While writing the Ishavasya Bhavartha Bodhini my pen has stopped. Many doubts and misconceptions arise in my mind.
Baba, please solve them .He presented the whole matter, from the beginning to the
end, at Baba's feet, with respect, and placed his doubt which was extremely difficult to solve. Ganu Das humbly pleaded to Sainath saying: "All my efforts over this book are going to be futile. You know the whole of the story about the Ishavasya.Unless the doubt is cleared, the contents of the book will not be clear. Maharaj gave him his blessings and said: "Be happy. Oh, what is so difficult about this? When you go back to your place, the maid servant from that Kaka's house will
remove the doubt easily .That Kaka was Bhausaheb Dixit, one of Baba's loving devotees, who was always engaged in the Guru's services, fully devoting his mind, body and speech to him.At a little distance from that famous city called Bombay, in a village called Parle, stayed this Haribhau.His real name was Hari, which his parents gave him. People called him Bhausaheb and Baba had yet a
third name for him.Mahajani was called Bade Kaka', Nimonkar Matare Kaka' and Bhausaheb Langde Kaka' or Bambiya Kaka'. Ganu Das was surprised and all others were astonished also. How could Kaka's maidservant resolve the doubt? A maidservant is after all a maidservant. How much education could she have had? How learned could she be? Everything seemed strange!To discover the meaning of the shruti is far beyond the intelligence of a maidservant. "Maharaj is just joking people spoke thus.All thought that Maharaj was only indulging in humour. But Baba's words, even though uttered jocularly, were accepted as truth by Ganu Das.Having heard those words of Sai, people thought that those words were said casually but for Das Ganu those words were
the real truth.Though Sai had spoken casually, all the people were anxious to experience the outcome of those words. Whether they may or may not be uttered jokingly, they could never be meaningless, because in every word that Baba spoke there was a store of profound meaning.Whatever Baba said, these were not mere words but the seals of destiny. Not one word would ever be futile. It would accomplish its task at the proper time. This was Das Ganu's firm belief, whatever may be the
feelings of others. According to the measure of one's faith the fruits are received. One gets fruits according to one's devotion. One has the
strength according to one's belief. A loving heart determines the extent of purity of experience. He was the crown jewel amongst those who were learned. His words were never untrue. He had pledged to fulfil the
desires of his devotees. That was his creed.
The Guru's words are never in vain. Listen to this story attentively. All the miseries of the world will disappear and you will take to the spiritual path.Ganu Das returned to Parle and went to Kakasaheb Dixit's house, wondering eagerly as to how Kaka's maidservant was
going to help him.The next day, in the early hours of the morning, while Ganu Das was still in bed enjoying those moments of perfect
contentment after a sound sleep, a strange incident happened. A young peasant girl was singing in a melodious voice in a
tune that touched Ganu Das' heart. The song was sung with long drawn notes. The composition was appealing. When he heard it, he was carried away and he listened attentively. Suddenly he was fully awakened. His attention was caught by the meaning of the song. He listened to it with rapt attention and was thoroughly pleased.Whose daughter is this child who sings seriously and melodiously? She has fully explained the enigma of the Ishavasya', he mused. Hope that she is the same maidservant. Let me go and see who she is, who has through her simple language revealed the
meaning of the shruti'.When he went outside, he saw that she was really a peasant girl, cleaning the utensils in Kaka's backyard at the
particular place assigned for such work.When he inquired, he discovered a surprising fact that this girl was the sister of a male servant called Namya, who was serving at Dixit's home.He was certain that she was that maidservant. Her song wiped off all doubts. What can the saints not do? Even a buffalo
recited the Vedas at the command of one7!
Thus the song sung by this girl became the means of Das Ganu's satisfaction. All the people understood the implications and the greatness that lies behind Baba's jocular words.
That girl was eight years old and wearing torn
rags and was singing sweetly about the description of a beautiful orange sari. " How lovely is the sari with its brocade work; how beautiful is the border; how wonderful is the ornamental end , was the burden of the song which engrossed her. With scarcely enough to eat, her body barely covered by the rags she wore, yet she appeared to be happy singing about somebody's orange sari.Seeing her poverty and her romantic nature, Ganu Das felt pity for her and he said to Moreshwar. " Look, her body is barely covered. Why don't you give her a sari? God will be pleased and you will also be performing a meritorious deed .Moreshwar was a kind-hearted person, by nature; so, at the request of Das Ganu he bought a nice sari and happily presented it to the girl.The girl was very happy when she saw the sari. It was like a person who subsisted usually on coarse and unsavoury food
and is lucky enough to get a feast.The next day she wore that sari, whirled and danced about, excelled all the other girls as she was very pleased with the sari.The day after she put away the new sari in a box and wore
her old torn sari but did not look disheartened.
Though she did not wear it and had kept it aside, Ganu Das felt that her previous longing had disappeared because of the different attitude. She kept her new sari at home and came along wearing the torn one again. Still she did not look forlorn on account of the deficiency of a sari. To wear tattered clothes because you are incapable of wearing anything else is a different issue and being capable of possessing and yet doing the same is different. The latter is known as being contented. Thus happiness and unhappiness depend on one's attitude.This way Ganu Das' riddle was solved. He discovered the
essence of the Ishavasya and the meaning was clear to him,then and there.When God has completely pervaded the whole of the universe, how can anybody think that there could exist a place without the presence of God? That is Perfect and this too is Perfect. This Perfect comes out of that Perfect. If something is taken from that which is Perfect, the remaining will also be Perfect.The girl's poverty was an act of God; even her ragged
clothes were a part of it. The donor, the donee and the donation also belonged to destiny. God pervades all.Me and Mine' should be completely given up. Act without pride and enjoy the pleasure with an outlook of non-
attachment. Have no desire for anything.
Such were Baba's words that they never failed to have the desired effect. Many people had experience of it. He never left Shirdi till the end; but he could appear in front of people even in the remotest places.

Thankyou for creating this wonderful thread and sharing Sai miracles. Even though I read Sai Satcharitra daily but it felt so good to read the story in your words.
May baba bless you!!
Om Sai Ram

Originally posted by: Ritsrits

Thankyou for creating this wonderful thread and sharing Sai miracles. Even though I read Sai Satcharitra daily but it felt so good to read the story in your words.
May baba bless you!!
Om Sai Ram

Unbelievable leelas of Sai

Originally posted by: saishyama

Thank you so much for the wonderful comment Ritsrits.. Really motivated me to keep going. However, these are not my words dear. This the the English translation of Sai Satcharita written by Shri Hemandpant in Marathi in ovi meter. Usually, the Sai Satcharita we read is the abridged version of the original wherein one Shri Gunaji, has sorted and compiled the Sai Satcharita in prose form. The original Sai Satcharita written by Shri Hemandpant is about a thousand pages long.

Please let me know, if you need any more details.

Hi again
I read Sai Satcharitra daily in Hindi language though and know a little about the background. Would my pleasure to know more!
Thankyou
Ritika

Authenticity of the Ramayana

Bookmarked,
Thanks Alot For Writing This Thread.

Originally posted by: SilverBell

Bookmarked,
Thanks Alot For Writing This Thread.