The Leelas of Sai Baba – Divine Dream of Baba's Maha Samadhi
The great yogis and mahatmas of the past such as Sri Jnaneswar, Narsi Mehta, Eknath, Tukaram, Savata Mali, Kabir, Gora kumbhar, Bodhale, Samarth Ramadas and other were great devotees of God. Sri Sai Baba is also a saint of the same order. There is no difference between them. I pay my obeisance to that one who is in the form of all the sadhus- Sri Sai Baba.
Once I sat in front of him and stubbornly insisted that he show me some miracle. Then Sri Sai Baba made the holy Ganga flow from his toes and immersed me in bliss.
In this manner, Sri Sai Baba did many divine leelas and left his body while in sitting position, in the month of Asvayuja, on the tenth day of the lunar fortnight in the Abhijeet mahurta. In the Muslim calendar it was the 9th day of the Mohurrum month. That was in the English year 1918 and the year 1840 in the Hindu calendar. It was the day of the festival of Seemollanghan, when everybody ceremonially crosses the borders of his village to celebrate the victory of the mother Durga over the demonic forces (Vijaya Dasami). The divine Baba chose that day to cross the border of this world. His body has been kept in such a manner that both the Muslim as well as the Hindu devotees can visit and have his darshan.
I got a divine dream immediately after Sri Sai Baba entered mahasamadhi. I will let you know the details of the dream. In that dream, Sri Sai Baba who was none other than Sri Rama had crossed the borders of this world and went to Vaikuntha, the abode of Sri Hari. There the Almighty Sri Mahavishnu had come to the gates of Vaikuntha on the pretext of Seemollanghan but actually to welcome Sri Sai Baba along with mahatmas such as Sanaka, Sananda, Suka, Prahlada, Dhruva, Vibhishana, Narada, Tumbura, Maruti, Sabari, Sugreeva, Siriyala, Nandagopa, Yasoda, Bheem, Arjuna, Dharma Raja, Sri Shankara, Madhvacharya, Ramanuja, Matsyendranath, Ghoraknath, Gahaninath, Sopanadev, Changdev, Namdev, Gora kumbhar, Damaji pant, Tulsidas, Rohidas, Eknath, Savata mali, Bodhale bua, Sri Samarth Ramadas, Tukaram Maharaj, Sajan Kasai, Chokha Mahar, Narsi Mehta, Nagar and Kamaldas.
On seeing Sri Sai Baba Kamaldas ran to him and clasped him to his breast. He could not speak for some time but silently enjoyed the bliss of reunion. After a while he said, "My father! Baba! Where did you go for such a long time leaving me alone here? I was burning with anguish for a glimpse of you." Then the other mahatmas consoled him, "Why cry now? Your father Kabir has returned. He was in Shirdi all this while to show the right path to the people of this world. Now he will stay on with us." The rishis all hailed Baba. The celestial beings sang in his honour. Then Sri Sai Baba took his seat alongside Srimannarayana. I was prostrating to their lotus feet clasping them to my heart when I woke up. This was my dream.
The physical body of Sri Sai Baba was taken in a great procession by Kakasaheb Dixit and was put in mahasamadhi in the Buti wada. Gopal Mukund Buti was a very rich man of rare good fortune. He had great devotion for the feet of Sri Sai Baba. Now Baba is in Samadhi in the building constructed by him. Many devotees have experienced that Baba is still there. Nobody ever feels that he has died. If any one feels so, it is just ignorance. It is said that he was not born of the human womb. Where is death for one who has not taken birth? He is beyond both birth and death. He is one without end. He is indivisible. He is the ocean of knowledge.
Dear listeners! Of the devotees of Sri Sai Baba, Sri Narayan Govind Chandorkar was the foremost. As Kalyan swami was to Samarth Ramadas so was Chandorkar to Sri Sai Baba. Hari pant, Kaka Dixit, Buti, Mahajan, Harda Sadhu Bhayya, Govindrao Dhabholkar, Baba Tarkhad, Moreshwar Pradhan, Balasaheb Bhate, Purushottam Avaste, Baba M B Rege, Raghunath Tendulkar, His wife Savitribai, Malegaon fakir, Purandhare, Nanasaheb Nimonkar, Thatya Patil, Madhavrao Deshpande, Ramachandra Patil and so many others were his devotees. I have told some of the names earlier. Is it possible for me to name everyone?
Oh the able Sai! I kneel before you and seek your protection and make a request to you. Please make me worthy of your generosity. I am as the dust of the feet of the mahatmas. It is only you that can save me. I know that you are the ark which enables me to cross the ocean of worldliness. Oh Sai Maharaj! Do not throw this Das Ganu away from the shade of your lotus feet. This is my earnest prayer. My guru Vaman Shastri has passed away. That is why I am an orphan now. I am still too young to look after myself so you have to look after me and nourish me. Baba! You are in the form of all sadhus. You are Vaman Shastri. You alone are my father.
The divine history of Sri Sai Baba is like the limitless ocean of divine nectar. May all the auspiciousness attend to those who read this history as well as those who listen to it. This is the prayer of Das Ganu who is serving Sri Sai Baba by the singing of his story and by hearing his leelas.
Prosperity and happiness be to all.
All Hail to Sri Sai Baba who is the Brahman.
This is the end of the 53rd chapter of 'Bhakti Saraamrit' written by Das Ganu Maharaj.
(Contributed by Source: "Sri Sai Gurucharitra" originally by Santkavi Sri Das Ganu Maharaj. Translated from Telugu version by Sri SVL with an Introductory Preface by Sri Sainathuni Sarathbabuji)
(SRI SAIGURUCHARITRA - by devotee Ganpatrao Dattatreya Sahasra-buddhebetter known as Das Ganu Maharaj)
