Salutations of Ganesh !
Salutations to omniscient Shankara ¾
Lord of the universe with a
Dark blue neck.
Ganga flows from his matted hair.
He is Tryambakeswar,
He is the eternal time,
He is Omkara.
Oh you Omkara, bless me.
You and the Lord of Rukmini
Are one and the same.
What if water is called by various names?
You are the master of the universe.
They worship you in their own way.
If they worship sincerely
And with deep devotion,
You would be theirs.
Can a mother
Be harsh with her child?
I am your child.
Be bountiful with your love.
You are verily a wish-fulfilling tree.
You will fulfil all my desires.
Onces it was a third day of
The bright fortnight if vaishakh,
Akshay tritiya ¾ the day of offering to the manes.
This is an important day in Vidarbha
They cook sweet dishes.
They stew rice in milk,
And prepare soup of tamarind pulp.
And they keep a pitcher of cool water
fragrant with khus.
On this day Maharaj was surrounded with boys.
He asked one of then to fill up his chilim.
The boy filled it with tobacco
But could not get live charcoal to ingite it.
The boys asked for a burning charcoal in nearby houses.
It was morning and the kitchens were cool.
No smoke anywhere.
Bankatlal asked the boys
To go to Jankiram ¾ the goldsmith.
It is well-known
That a goldsmith’s furnace blazes
Earlier than his kitchen stove.
Boys went to Janakiram,
And asked him for a live charcoal
For Maharaj’s chilim.
Janakiram flared up at the boys ¾
"No, I won’t give the live fire to anyone
On akshay tritiya."
Boys again entreated him,
Said they, "the fire is needed
Not for overselves,
But for Maharaj.
If anything is needed by a sage,
One should be generous.
One should be not hesitate to give,
Even if the day be auspicious or otherwise.
If Maharaj is satisfied
With a puff at his pipe,
The credit will go to you.
You will be blessed by him."
But Janakiram did not listen.
He called names to the boys
And to Maharaj.
Janakiram questioned the greatness of Maharaj.
He called him a fool.
He blamed Bankatlal also.
Janakiram said. "If Maharaj is a saint
Why should he asked for fire?
Why can’t he create it?
Jalandhara was also a saint
And a smoker too!
Did he beg for fire from door to door?"
The children were crestfallen.
They returned to Maharaj
Told him what happened,
Maharaj smiled.
He took the chilim in his hands
Asked Bankatlal to hold a strow over it.
Bankatlal said he would kindle fire
And bring it.
Maharaj stop him.
He held the straw as ordered.
A flame issued forth
And ignited the chilim,
Maharaj sent up a cloud to smoke.
It was proved beyond doubt
That a sage has all the forces of nature
At his command.
It was noon time by now.
Janakiram with his guests
Was set for the sumptuous meal.
Tamarind soup is the chief item on this day.
When it was served.
They saw worms in it.
The guest got up and went away.
It was as though the manes did not
Accept the food offered.
Janakiram said to himself,
"I rebuked the boys
And did not give them live charcoal
For Maharaj.
I did not recognize the greatness of Maharaj.
Maharaj is as pure as Ganga.
I cast aspersions
On him ¾ who is so holy.
Bitter fruits I am reaping now."
He came with the pot of tamarind soup
To Bankatlal to tell the truth.
He told Bankatlal that guest left him
Without taking the food.
Bankatlal said to him,
"Perhaps the tamarind was rotten."
Janakiram said that the tamarind
Was new fresh. There could not be worms
In the tamarind. The shells were still there
So were the seeds for him to verify ¾
he continued ¾
"I pray you now,
Allow me to have darshan of Maharaj
I want to apologize.
I know he will forgive me.
Saints are so kind."
He was led to Maharaj,
He prostrated before him,
Praised him and eulogized him,
Apologized, solicited a favour,
Promised that he won’t belittle him thereafter.
He said to Maharaj.
That he had been punished good enough.
Maharaj said, "Don’t tell a lie
The tamarind soup is all right look."
The soup was quite well.
There was no trace of worms.
There was a devotee ¾ Chandumukin
It was the month of Jyeshtha.
The devotees were sitting around.
Some were fanning and
Some were garlanding Maharaj.
Some were distributing large crystals by way of prasad,
Some were applying sandal paste to Maharaj,
Some were slicing ripe mangoes,
And were giving the slices to Maharaj.
Maharaj said to Chandu,
"I do not want mangoes.
There are a couples of kanavalas
In the lowest earthern pot, in a pile of pots
In your home.
Go and bring them."
Chandu said ¾ " Where from shall I
Bring the kanavalas?
If you so desire,
I shall ask them to fry f few."
Maharaj said ¾ "No. Go and find them
Where I have told you to search ¾
Do not give me false reasons."
People around asked Chandu
To do as bade.
Chandu went home,
Asked his wife for two kanavalas
Which were in the lowest pot in the pile.
Wife said, "I had prepared kanavalas
On the akshaya tritya day ¾
One month has elapsed
They were finished that day.
If you want I shall fry a few afresh."
Chandu said, "Please don’t fry
Search in the pile of pots.
Maharaj bade me do so."
Then she remembered
That she had kept two kanavalas
In an earthern pot in the pile.
"But", said she, "They might have been spoiled."
When she took the pot in the pile,
She saw the two kanavalas.
They were not rotten.
They were almost fresh.
So Chandu brought those two kanavalas.
This was another miracle.
Maharaj ate kanavalas
Even as Rama enjoyed
The berries offered by Shabari.
Madhao ¾ a Brahmin
Lived in Chincholi ¾ a village south of Shegaon.
He was not old and beyond sixty.
When young, he was a rank materialist,
Did not think of anything beyond wife and son.
But things are preordained
In this world and none can alter one’s fate.
Madhao lost his wife and son.
He and his family lived lavishly.
Now he was poor and all alone.
And he was full of remorse.
He repented for not remembering God,
Ever before.
He came to Shegaon.
Sat at the door of the house
where Maharaj stayed.
Now he repeated the holy name
All the time.
He did not take food for the whole day
And declared that he would now fast unto death.
Maharaj told him that it was no good,
And said, "why did not you remember the Lord
When things were better for you?
What is the fun in performing sadhana
When you have no strength left?
Is it not it like digging a well
For water then the house is on fire?
You lived when the house is on fire?
You lived for your wife and children,
Where are they now?
You forgot the Real.
And ran after the unreal.
You will have to reap
What you sowed.
Now do not be obstinate.
Give up fasting.
And be normal,
Discriminate."
Madhao did not listen.
People persuaded him, but in vain.
Kulkarni of Shegaon
Wanted to take him home,
And give him food.
But Madhao did bot budge.
He stayed there,
Chanting the holy name.
Night advanced.
Darkeness enveloped the skies.
The silence was being broken
By the chirping of insects.
Swami Gajanan Maharaj
Assumed a big form ¾ dark and terrible
And darted at Madhao as if to swallow him.
Madhao was terrified,
His lips became dry and pale.
His heart was beating like bellows.
Seeing his plight,
Maharaj again assumed his normal form,
But became more stern
And told Madhao
That one day he would be no more,
That death would lay his icy cold hand on him,
That there would be no place to hide in the next world.
So Madhao supplicated Maharaj
To save him from the domain of death.
He pleaded with Maharaj to send him to vaikuntha.
He admitted that he had sinned a lot
But was not Maharaj a blazing fire
To burn down all impurities?
Was it not the good fortune of Madhao
That he had come for a shelter to Maharaj?
One who approaches a sage
Is saved from the eternal fire of hell.
When Madhao said so.
Maharaj smiled.
Maharaj said to Madhao,
"Now that your end is so near
Repeat "Sirman Narayana, Narayana"
Or do you yet desire to live longer?
If so, tell me. I shall add a few years
To your account, if you want."
Madhao was wise.
He said, "Please do not push me
Again into this mire of Maya.
Please Bless me, Maharaj"
Maharaj was pleased
With Madhao’s non-attached attitude.
He said, "Be it as you wish.
This is your last birth in the cycle
Of births and deaths.
No more shall you be born
On this earth."
Such was an inaudible talk
Between Madhao and Maharaj
Dasaganu has groped hard for eluding words
To narrate this incident.
People said that
Severve fasting affected
Madhao’s brain.
Madhao’s abandoned the body
In the presence to Maharaj.
No more birth for Madhao!
Grace is great.
God is great.
Once Maharaj
Said to the devotees,
"Summon the Vedic Brahmins.
Let there be chanting of the Vedas.
The chanting pleases gods and goddesses.
Let the prasada of pedha, barphi and khava
And the salted pulse of grams
Soaked in water over night be distributed
Let the ghanapathi Brahmins
Be given daxina worth rupee one each."
The devotees said,
"We are ready to spend
As much money as would be desired by you.
But where could we get
Brahmins well versed in the Vedas?"
Maharaj said,
"Do not worry.
Be ready tomorrow.
God will send the Brahmins
For the prosposed vasanta puja."
All were happy to hear this.
Hundred rupees were collected.
Things were purchased.
Sandal paste was rubbed
With particles of saffron and camphor.
At noon
The learned Brahmins arrived.
They knew pada patha and Jata Patha
People were happy.
Vasanta puja was celebrated
As never before.
The learned Brahmins were pleased.
Whatever bubbles up in the mind of a saint,
God Almightly fulfils it.
Bankatlal carried on the practice
Of vasanta puja.
Even today, his successors
Celebrate this holy day.
Let this glorious biography,
Composed by Dasaganu.
Show the path to the aspirants,
The path of pure devotion.
END OF CHAPTER FOUR