Baba Saved From Death of Ship Captain Shri Pyare Kishan
As Baba performed many miracles and He is still continuing to do so, I wish to add one more miracle which I have experienced. First let me inform the readers that I came to know the name of Baba and His miracles performed at various stages through my wife (Veena) who is a great devotee of Sai Baba, Then, I read many books on "Sai Baba. I have made this trip especially as I took a vow to come here personally and pay my respects to Him. The first I came to Shirdi was about a year back and that time. I visited all this places and found great peace at every place. It gave me a lot of peace (Shanti) when I used to look at his Photograph and sit by His side and pray. I can assure you that He has His own way to help the needy people and they are at times so strange that a man of my caliber is unable to understand them. I describe one of the most important things which happened to me in my life.
I had many offers of jobs in various capacities and as such I was confused as to which one I should choose. I definitely wanted to improve the status and the financial conditions. Hence my wife made twelve slips of paper and only on one, she wrote the name of the ship called "M.V. Dhanalakshmi" of which vessel I was offered to take the command and that was the highest post (i.e.) the captain of the ship. Prior to that all happening I had just returned from Shirdi after paying homage to "Sai Baba". My wife asked me to pick up one slip although out of 12 slips, eleven were blank and as I said earlier that only on one she wrote the name of the ship as mentioned above. So, I prayed and shuffled them more and what a strange thing. I had my eyes closed and the first one I picked was the ship on which the name of the ship "M.V. Dhanalakshmi" was mentioned. That was the destiny and Shri Sai Baba wanted me to take the command of the said vessel. I undertook the journey to Calcutta. I used to go on board daily since the time she arrived. It was being my first command, I was taking special interest and precautions. The ship sailed from Calcutta to Anandamans on 17-5-1972. After that, I met with heavy weather, rough sea and wind force 61.1 I decided to return.
I came back and anchored in Diamond Harbour. As usual, I prayed daily and used to light two Agarbathis before a plastic statue. A plastic ring I am still wearing which was bought from Shirdi. I was so strange that one Agarbathi used to go on, every time. I used to light it again. But again it used to go off. I used to place Sai Baba's plastic statue on my chair and I used to ask him to guide me protect the ship and men aboard. But the significance of Agarbathi going off could not be understood by me. Hence, I used to put my hand to my head and ask Shri "Sai Bapa" guide me or given me any indication as to what is ahead of me. But "No". Anyway, I took out the ship, out again but met still the game whether and I could not proceed out Hooghly river. The pilot was on board. She was a small vessal and after consultation with the pilot the second time, we decided to go back to Diamond Harbour. As usual I used to pray, but at the time I started feeling very much depressed in my heart the causes of which was still hidden from me, at the third attempt, the pilot was charged and out. Other pilot Anand boarded, I asked him about weather condition and accordingly to him weather outside Hoogly was not abnormal, but I told the second pilot that I already returned twice and that I felt not right to go out and I shall have to come back. But this time, all things had to happen and Shri Sai Baba was to perform another miracle. After I had already passed lower Gasper Light vessel, she started listing to star board. I wanted to ascertain the cause. I called the pilot who was collecting some papers in the room and the Chief Engineer to check up if any engine room valves were open. I and pilot were still trying to find the cause of the list and in meantime; she was taking heavy list to starboard. I told the pilot to return to Calcutta as I did not wish to proceed out, so that we could confirm the reason of her list. The pilot turned the ship back to Calcutta and the Chief Engineer told me that there was nothing wrong in the engine room.
There was no water entering into the Engine room. The list was becoming dangerous so I called the people on board's deck with life Jackets. Just then somebody informed me that my cabin was flooded with sea water as the port holes of my cabin were broke open which was confirmed by my writer and deck sarang and hence my life jacket could not be brought. All persons on board had their life Jackets except me. In the meantime, I was calling S. O. S. (Save our Soul) on the whistle. Although we were in the intermediate light vessel, no help was received. I had lost all hopes of saving my ship. My duty was to save the lives on board the vessel. I ordered the Chief Engineer to stop the engine and all hands including the pilot to abandon the ship. The ship was stopped and all abandoned. As the sea fared tradition goes, that master of the ship is to be the last I complied with it and I jumped without life jacket. As I jumped into the sea, the time then was about 0.10 on 21-5-1972. It was pitch dark, the swell was about 10 to 12 feet high and wind force was over 8. I felt I was being sucked in any way. I pulled myself out of it. Then I caught the chicken crate to which I clung after thrusting my fingers inside it as there was no place to hold. Then I met more people of my ship (crew) who were also cling to that crate and in this way we were tossed over more than 30 hours in water, during which period I prayed to Sai Baba, I said "Sai Baba you have put me into this and now you must give courage to go through this body". It might have taken a minute or so to say all that, I had very little fear in my heart. I was consciously alert, but ray body was eaten away by salt water and there was neither food nor water for over 30 hours, I was getting exhausted. Death was facing me very closely. But now Shri Sai Baba gave me the courage to go through this. After 30 hours, our cries were heard by a ship called "M. V. Jalakhanda". My other two members were picked up by that ship, but how I could be as I was falling into waters from a height of 15 to 20 feet as I was totally exhausted. Later after making three attempts, I became unconscious and when I woke up, I found myself in pilot vessel. I was running a temperature of 130° and my body was full of bandages all over. Later I was put in a hospital.
After that the Government case started (the fact finding of this mishap). Now dear readers although the court of enquiry was equally treacherous, Shri Sai Baba helped me to go through this by His leela. NOW I am a free man. As I said before Shri Sal Baba has His own ways of helping. So He helped me to save my life and others lives. The He helped me to go through the court of enquiry successfully and now I am sitting in Shirdi and writing His leela. I am proud to say that it is He who has granted me the privilege to do so, otherwise I could have been gone dead long. My request to the dear reader is that they should not lose trust and faith in Him and when you are in trouble, seek His guidance. I am hundred percent sure that He will show you the way but this prayer has to be from your inner self "Say Shri Sai Ram".
Surrender Shri Sai Completely ! Stupendous Delectation and Deliverance be there ! !
(Ambrosia in Shirdi – Stories after Baba's Mahasamadhi on 15-10-1918 – Written by Ramalinga Swamy, Ambrosia-14)
