SHIRDI SAI BABA lived upto late 1920’s.He was undoubtedly one of the greatest of the teachers to have walked on earth. His teachings on the oneness of all religions have been and are still being expounded by his millions of followers all over the world. Shirdi Sai Baba’s story begins from his visit to a marriage party of one Shri Chand Patil’s daughter. Chand Patil was the first one to call Baba by the name ‘Baba’. He had lost his horse while on a journey before his daughter’s marriage. It was on search for his horse that he had a chance meeting with Sai Baba sitting under a huge boulder of rock. Sai Baba called him by his name, which surprised him, by calling him by his name. Chand Patil was taken aback. Baba further said: ‘Bahut Ghum Liye. Ab thoda aram karle.(You have roamed enough. Now take some rest)”,so saying he hit the ground and lo! a flame automatically appeared there .Chand Patil immediately fell at Baba’s feet. Baba further stunned him saying “Kya re, Ghodi Kho Gayi Kya? (Have you lost your horse,Eh)”.Chand Patil was almost in tears. Baba thundered “ BIJLI.. BIJLI...O , BIJLI ”. Immediately they could hear the sound of horse’s feet. As he saw his horse coming Chand fell at Baba’s feet and cried like a child. He then addressed Baba as ‘Baba’ and said “Baba , Ap kaon Hai aur kahan se ayen Hai. Kaahan rehte hai?  (Baba, who are you. where do you come from ? and where do you stay?)”. Baba said “Mein , Mein to sabhi jagah rehta hoon.(I stay everywhere.)”.Chand Patil said “ Baba , Meri beti ki shadi hai. Chaline ki kripa kare.(Baba , My daughter’s marriage is underway. Please come)”.

Baba said “ Thik Hai, Chalenge (All right, We’ll go)..[silence for a while]..Allah Jane..Maula Jane”.

After the marriage was over, Chand Patil requested Shirdi Baba to stay at his place itself. Baba laughed and jocularly said ---

“To Phir mera kam kya tu karega [Then, are you going to do my  work] ...(silence for a while)...”

Baba’s face became a little serious as he said---

“Mujhe jana hoga re. Kai log mera intezar kar rahe hai (I have to go.Many are waiting for me.)”.

Chand Patil wept for a while as even the thought of being physically separate from Baba pained him immeasurably.

He asked –

“To phir, main apke sath chalunga. (Then I shall go with you.)”

Baba smiled and said –

“Are na, tujhe to main bulaunga ...... kuch der bad.( Oh no , I shall call   you......sometime later)”.

Chand asked again ---

“Lekin Baba Kab?(But Baba ,When?)”

Baba a little annoyed said –

“Are keh diya na badme ... badme matlab badme..(I told you later)..[by this time Baba started getting up]...Atcha ab sawal nahin (Ok , Now no more questions)”.

Chand intimated everyone of Baba’s decision to depart. Everyone was sad but Shirdi Sai had made up his mind. Before departing, Chand Patil touched Baba’s feet again. Baba looked straight into Chand’s eyes and said—

“Yad Rakna.. Bulaunga tujhe .. Bharosa karna mujhe pe .. (Remember.. I will call you.. Have faith on me)”

History has it that Chand Patil never visited Baba again.What happened to Chand is not known? But the truth is that Shirdi Sai Baba never called Chand Patil again.

But Does God ever lie? Never. Sai Baba did call him but in his next avatar as Sri Satya Sai Baba. By that time Chand was reborn in West Bengal , this time too in a Muslim family. They named him as Mohammed.

Mohammed from his childhood fell into bad company. As he grew up, he graduated from being a petty thief to a heroin smuggler. Many a times he just managed to escape the Police dragnet. But once during a cold rainy night he was not that lucky. He tried to escape using a small boat across the river but ended up being surrounded by Police jetties. He almost gave up hope but just then when Police were still at a certain distance, he heard the call of an old man sitting in another boat behind him. The man had a beard and wore tattered clothes. He said --

“Come over to this boat and I’ll go there. Do not worry. I’ll take care.”

He did as he was told. As the Police came near the boat, the old man asked them--

“Kya hua bhai. Budhe se kya lena hai.(What happened , brother ? What do you want from an old man ?).”

They came nearer and said--

“Babuji, Apse nahin, us admi se kam hai [pointing to the smuggler].(Sir , We got some work but , not with you, with that man)”.

They went over to him and chided him --

“Are kitni dur tak bhagega,Pakda gaya na,Mal kahan chupaya tune.Batade varna mein nahin mera danda bolega.(Are, How far will you run? Now you have been caught. Where have you hidden the loot? Tell us or else not I but my baton will speak.”

The old man turned back and asked--

“Are usko kyon pareshan karte ho, sahib. Vo bechara to khali hath aya hai.  (Oh Sir , Why do you trouble him? That poor man has come empty handed.)”

The search party looked everywhere but couldn’t find anything.As they were planning to return , the inspector saw a bag in the boat where the old man was sitting. He asked--

“Babuji , Us bag mein kyan hai , jara dekh sakta hun (Sir , That bag of yours,Can I see what is there in it ?)”

The old man replied---

“Are sab,Mujh jaise  budhe garib ke pas kya saman hoga. Is mein kuch nahin bus shakkar hain.(Oh sir, what things will a poor old man like me have? Thereis nothing, but sugar in it)”.

The inspector came nearer and said “Jara dekhu to sahi. (Well, let me see.)”

The smuggler now was on the edge. If the narcotics inside that bag was found out he could spend the rest of his life in jail.

The inspector lifted the bag and found............. sugar!

The old man said “Tasalli hogai sahib. Ab to is bechare ko chod do.(Are you convinced ,Sir? At least now leave this man alone.)”.

The inspector left disappointed. Before leaving he turned to the man on the other boat and said --

“Khuda ki rehmat hai. Aj to tu bach gaya.(God willed . Today you are saved.)”

As the Police left to the shore, there was silence for a while. The old man then turned to the smuggler and said--

“Why do you do all this? Your wife is such a pious woman. Right now she is crying before Krishna statue for santanaprapti (gift of child).”.

There was silence for a while and the old man said again--

“Ja , Hamne Vardan Diya.Tere bache honge. Kitne Chahiye tujhe?” (Go, I bless you.You will have children. How many do you want?)

Mohammed (not taking the old man very seriously) said “ Teen ya Char (3 or 4)”.

Hearing this the old man smiled and replied “Yeh bura dhanda chod de.Koi atchi naukari kar le. Me dilaunga. Atcha ab hum chalenge.(Leave this dirty work of yours.Do some job. I will give you.Ok,Now I shall go.)”

Before going the old man dumped all the contents of the bag in water and gave a slip to the other man and said --

“Yeh mere Mumbai ka pata hai. Jarurat pade to ajana. (This is my Bombay address. Come if you need me.)”

He did have children as promised by the old man --- but not 3 or 4 but 3*4 = 12 children. After that incident, He tried giving up his bad habits and attitudes but in-between his past kept lingering. He failed to get a decent job and his family suffered. His wife worked as a house cleaner and ran the house. As things became difficult, she suggested that he take the help of that old man from Bombay. They took a small loan from the Sahukar and arranged for his trip to Mumbai. As he reached Bombay, he searched for the old man’s address. He reached the area and someone there told him that the place of his interest was just round the corner a few steps away near a cluster of apartments. As he finally found the place, he read the notice board to confirm the address. It read:

“AKSHAR PURUSHOTTAM SHREE SAI BABA KA MANDIR”.

He went in looking for the old man who had saved him from life imprisonment. As he went about searching, the main priest rang the bell of arthi. As he too stood in lines for arthi, his eyes fell on the main idol of the temple. He was stunned. It resembled in every measure the man who saved him. Although not fully clear about the things happening around, he drew a picture of what might have happened. His version was as follows: --

“The old man was highly respected and saintly perhaps. He might have died sometime after the incident. Since he was highly respected and helpful to everyone around they must have built a samadhi mandir in his memory out of respect.”

That old man was his only hope. With him dead, all his hopes too seemed to have ended, at least it seemed to be so. As he turned back to return to Bengal, he felt an urge to pay his respects to him by having a pradakshina. He did so and as he stood before the idol looking at the flowers neatly arranged at the idols feet, a piece of paper flew and fell exactly at the spot where he stood. He picked it up and opened it.

It read “ BHAGWAN SRI SATYA SAI BABA

            PRASHANTHI NILAYAM , PUTTAPARTHY ”

Visibly shaken about the turn of events, the man returned home and told his wife about everything. He had never even heard of Shirdi Sai Baba and more shocking for him was to learn with little more enquiry that Shirdi Sai Baba had taken Mahasamadhi in the year 1918. Then how on earth did the same Sai Baba come back to save him on the rainy day of 1990!

And now who was this Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba and what did that note coming from Sai Baba’s feet itself mean. Along with the confusion that was clouding his mind, the following thoughts kept recurring in his mind ----

• Was this all true or was it just hallucination?

• As far as he knew, he had never been associated with Sai Baba at all. Why then did he save him?

• Why did he ask him to come to that Bombay address when he had died long ago?

• And now this man called Satya Sai Baba-- Who was He?

• How was He connected to him?

• And if this man also was Sai Baba, How are they both (Shirdi Sai and Satya Sai) connected?

In all the confusion that prevailed, He decided to take a train to Puttaparthi where he hoped to get answers for all the queer things that seemed to have happened so suddenly in his life.

He reached Puttaparthi and settled himself in the common shed built by the Central trust. He had food and retired for the night. He kept thinking for a long time. He felt his inner voice telling him that come next morning, his life would change for ever.

As he sat in the darshan lines the next day for morning darshan, he found himself at peace, free of all the confusion that had been troubling him for the last one week or so. As he music began, everyone readied themselves for Baba’s entry and so did he. As Baba came out for morning darshan, that feeling of inner peace and tranquility grew stronger. He could have a closer view of Baba now and he tried looking for physical features similar to that of the old man who saved his life. If there were any, he couldn’t find out. By now Baba was almost near him. Baba came, stood near him, looked straight into his eyes and said -- “agaya tu” ( So , you have come.)”.

Baba called him into the interview room and continued his outbursts--

“Yeh goonda hai , smuggler hai , Chori karke khata tha.? (He is a smuggler, He is a gangster, He used to steal and eat?)”. Embarrassed by this unexpected censor from Bhagwan Baba, He made up his mind to leave that day itself for his village. Baba read his mind, as he does so often with so many people, turned back to him and said “Abhi itne varshon ke bad aya mere pas , aur ajhi jana cahta hai (You have come to me after so many years and you want to go today itself)”.

There was silence for a while. Baba then said --

“Are, tera mera purana sambandh hai. Dekna cahta hai, to le dekle(Are , I and you have a very old relationship.Do you want to see.Then take this,see.)”....So saying Baba placed his hand on the man’s head. In a moment the entire episode of his last birth and his association with Sai Baba flashed through his mind’s eye. After he came out of his trance, Baba repeated the same words, which once Shirdi Sai Baba told Chand--

“Maine Kaha thana , Bulaunga tujhe...Badme. Ab bulaliya to chodkar jana cahata hai.(I told you , I will call ... later. Now that I have called, you want to go away.)”.

The man fell at Baba’s feet and wept like a child and asked for pardon for all his sins. Baba said ---

“Go anywhere. Do anything. I’ll bring on to the right track.”

Before the interview ended, the man promised to give up all his bad ways. Baba immediately materialised a cigarette and gave it to him saying --

“Let this be your last cigar.”

He drank the cigar as instructed by Baba and next day was found with a lusture all around his body.

The above episode teaches us on important truth:

Man may make a promise and may/ may not fulfill it.

But God always fulfills the promise that he makes to His children.

 God is known in different names as: Rama, Jesus, Mahavira, Buddha and Allah. He has come in so many forms when needed and will come again when needed.

That God we students firmly believe now lives in form of SRI SATYA SAI BABA.Long before in his 1968 discourse he promised to bring about the golden age, which He will fulfill. GOD has never reneged on His promise and even now will not. That day will come when the whole world will unify as one landmass and the world will have only one religion--- that is the religion of love, service and compassion,which Baba always says is the true religion of every human being.

Source: http://www.geocities.com/sai_ram108/mira11.htm