Blessed Devotee who saw water lamps and Baba's sleeping Plank at height
Smt.Chandra Bai Borkar was the wife of Sri.Ramachandra Borkar who lived in Vile Parle, Mumbai. She went to Shirdi and met Saibaba for the first time in the year 1898. Baba used to give her udhi every day with his own hand in small quantities and Chandrabai preserved that carefully as it had great healing power.
She had deep devotion towards Saibaba and at the same time powerful response to her devotion from Sai Baba. When she went to him in the year 1898, the present masjid had not been built, nor the Wada of Sathe which came after rebuilding of the masjid. Baba was then sitting under the neem tree which is now in Sathe Wada. She saw Baba filling his panathi's, i.e., lamps with water, instead of oil, after drinking away the little remnant of oil mixed with some water.
She also saw his lying on a plank in the Masjid hung up from the ceiling with strings made of slender shreds of cloth. There were lamps on the plank, whereon he lay. No 'bigwigs' were coming then. Whenever she went to Shirdi, she used to stay in the house of some villagers.
Baba's kindness to her was very great. Her husband Mr. Borkar never went and saw Baba; but even to him, Baba showed great kindness. In or about 1909 her husband, who was an engineer, was engaged for the construction or repair of a bridge at Pandharpur. His residence was, therefore, at Pandharpur. When he was there, she had gone to Baba at Shirdi and was serving him.
One day Baba told her, 'you had better go to Pandharpur and I will go with you' and added that there was no difficulty for him to travel and that she should start expeditiously. So she started. She did not know what had happened there. When she reached that place, she found that her husband was not there, that he had resigned his work there and gone away to Mumbai. That information she got there for the first time and she was in great straits and sorrow. She had just a few rupees with her and had taken two companions with her. She had just money enough to take them back upto Kurdwadi. They went there. She had got thoroughly moody and was brooding over the situation.
Suddenly a Fakir appeared before her, and asked her what she was brooding over. She evaded replying to him. He told her that her husband was at Daund and that she should go at once with her two companions to Daund. But, where was the railway fare to come from, she enquired. Then, he immediately delivered 3 tickets for Daund and went away. She took the tickets and with her companions boarded the train for Daund. Meanwhile, her husband was at Daund drinking tea and sinking into half dozed condition or a reverie. A Fakir appeared before him and said, "How is it you are neglecting my mother? She is coming down by the train in carriage No. such and such" and gave him the number of her carriage.
He was startled and got up saying, 'Who is this that is taking me to task?' and looked up. But the Fakir disappeared. When the train arrived, she stepped down and her husband was there to receive her and take her to his quarters. Her husband told her of the Fakir's appearance before him and wanted to see a photo of Sai Baba whom she was worshiping. She showed him the photo and he recognized therein the Fakir who came to him.
(Source: Devotees Experiences of Saibaba by Poojya Sri.B.V.Narasimha Swamiji)
