Sai Baba Consoles On Mother’s Death In Shirdi – Experience Of Vinod

Shirdi Sai Baba Devotee Sachin from India says: Babaji’s way of doing things are beyond our imagination. We all are ordinary people and we cannot see what Babaji can see us through His divine vision. He knows our past births and He knows what form we are going to take after leaving this world. As well known to every devotee, Babaji use to say that, “Agar mrityu mein bhala chupa hai to main mrityu ko kabi nahi taalta” (means if some benefit lies in death I never delay it). But we human are tied to the bond of relationships, so it become unbearable for us to have permanent separation from our loved ones. Babaji do take care of our relationships, but if death is inevitable for a person’s spiritual progress, then Babaji don’t delay it. Moreover, its Babaji only who gives enough courage to us to bear this separation from our near ones. One such ironical experience happened with one of my close friend Vinod (a person truly devoted to Babaji and I must say that people like him are hard to find as his heart always cries for the needy and he can give his everything to fulfill their needs. The most humble person I have ever met. Most sincere child of Baba is all, that I can say!!!).

As I have already mentioned how my first ever trip was arranged by Babaji. We were 4 people who set off for Shirdi. Me, Vinod, Pujari ji and Manmeet. We reached Shirdi and had planned to stay for 3 days. But Babaji was having his own plan.When we reached Shirdi, we booked a room. As it was my first trip,I was over-excited. Feeling Babaji’s presence everywhere, watching Babaji’s photos in every shop with the fragrance of roses that were hung on the shops waiting to be decorated around Babaji in Samadhi mandir, Dwarkamai’s dhuni’s smoke coming out of chimney which was purifying us with every breath we were taking. All this was looking like heaven.

We went to Samadhi mandir, the very first touch of Samadhi brought vibrations in whole body which caused the tears to flow down the cheeks. After coming out of Samadhi temple nobody was able to utter a single word after such divya (divine) darshan. Then we went to Dwarkamai but cannot even write what we felt. I will proceed further with apologies to everybody for not able to pen down my feelings in Dwarkamai. We all were so lost after having Babaji’s darshan. We were moving in the streets of Shirdi but our senses were still in Samadhi mandir and Dwarkamai.

Finally it was night and we went to our room. All of us were very tired and laid down on bed. Vinod said to me “Maine suna hai jo Shirdi ata hai use Babaji kisi na kiisi roop mein darshan de jate hain, lekin hum samaj nahi pate ki wo Babaji hai to chalo hum abi raat ko jate hain baahar, ho sakta hai Babaji hi dikh jaye meaning I have heard that Babaji gives darshan to everyone who comes to Shirdi in any form, but we cant understand that it is Babaji only. Let’s go out now at night and it may be possible that we can see Babaji”. Hearing such innocent urge, I could not stop myself and went out with him. It was 11:30 pm. Other two friends said that they will have darshan next day as they were very tired. So finally me and Vinod went out.

Now notice how Babaji arranged each and every step. We switched off our mobiles and deposited them in lockers and went to Samadhi mandir first. The main mandir was closed but in those days they allowed people to visit the surroundings of temple. We went in. There was a sweeper who was collecting garbage in his trolley. We stopped near him and asked him if he was from Shirdi. He replied “Yes”. Then we proceeded asking him, “Whether his grandparents were from Shirdi?” Again the reply was “Yes”. Then I asked him whether his grandparents saw Sai Babaji during His times. He again replied positive!!! Hearing this me and Vinod both hugged him and told him how blessed was he. Then we went ahead. There was a person standing near prasadalya. He was carrying a poly bag and was smiling at me. It was a bit strange but we went ahead. We went to Dwarkamai at around 12:00am. There were only 3-4 people in Dwarkamai at that time including one security guard. It was totally divine. I started having an urge to read Sai Satcharitra there. But I was not having any at that time. Suddenly I saw that person who was smiling at me in Samadhi Mandir’s surroundings few moments ago. I saw that he was carrying two Sai Satcharitra. I went to him and asked for one. He did not say anything and quietly handed me that Sai Satcharitra. Strange again !! I read one chapter from it and went back to give him back Sai Satcharitra. I handed over it to him and said “Jai Sai Ram”. He again looked at me and just smiled. I dont know who was he, but he fulfilled my wish of reading Sai Satcharitra in Dwarkamai without uttering a single word. Then I saw him closing his eyes and meditating. I also sat there near Babaji’s stone. Vinod, bowed down at stone and remained like that for nearly half an hour. I was imagining like Babaji is sitting on the stone and moving His hands on Vinod’s head while he is resting his head on Babaji’s lap. Truly a divine bond could be seen in both at that time.

I was also sitting there quietly with my mind on Babaji. Suddenly we heard one voice singing bhajan of Babaji outside dwarkamai. There was a touch of bliss in that voice. Me and Vinod could not stop ourselves and we went out to see that who was singing that bhajan. We saw a person who was looking like a fakir like Babaji scraf on his head and orange kafni on his body. He was having a magic in his voice. Security guard told us that he is a devotee of some saint in Maharshtra (don’t remember but I think it was Swami Samarth) and he used to travel 200 km on foot and went to Shirdi every year. There were only few people (around 5-6) at that time. Whole of Shirdi was sleeping as it was 1:30 am. He ended with his bhajan and Vinod asked him to sing one more for us.He started again. This time the bhajan he sang was also divine. I could not clearly recall the wordings but it was something like this (yeh shareer mitti ka hai bande, aur mitti mei mil jana hai isliye tu sach pehchan aur ram ka naam bhaj sai ka naam bhaj) In between he used to call Babaji by loud voice and looked in Dwarkamai as if Babaji is sitting inside and he is calling Babaji like O Sai Baba…Sai Baba…O Sai Baba…as we sometimes call our friends. Then he would smile and continue his bhajan. All this was breath taking. It was 2:00 am and we finally decided to have tea as there was a chaiwala bhaiya (tea stall) standing near Dwarakamai. Vinod went to him, took tea for all and paid. He asked everybody to take tea. Everybody as we usually say like are nahi nahi main paise deta hun meaning Oh no no I will give money…started saying like this. But it was only that person (from whom I took Sai Satcharitra in Dwarkamai) who took it quietly and smiled again !! Finally after having tea we went to our room.

Now from here the irony started. As we reached room both of our two friends were not asleep yet. We went inside. Pujariji followed me near washroom and told me that, “Sachin ji ek bahut buri khabar hai. Vinod ji ki mother ki death ho gyi hai – meaning Sachinji there is a bad news. Vinodji’s mother is no more”. It was unbelievable. How could this happen??? He added, “It was a heart attack. When you people went out of room we got call from his wife who was saying ki inka phone switch off aa raha hai, isliye main aapko yeh bataane ke liye phone kia hai ki mummi ki death ho gayi hai. Lekin aap inko mat btana wahan par. Inka dil bahut kamzor hai. Inhe ghar le aao kisi bhi tareeqe se (meaning Vinodji’s wife called up Poojari ji since his mobile was switched off. She conveyed bad news to him, but requested not to disclose it to Vinodji since he is very sensitive person. She extended her request asking them to bring Vinod ji home anyhow”. I got shock after hearing this. This was totally ironical for what I felt in Dwarkamai few moments ago. We did not tell him about all this and said that we have to leave next morning as Manmeet’s aunty was not well. He asked Manmeet not to worry for his aunt and added that Babaji is there to look after her (but he never knew that it was her mother who has left him forever). He said that I will go and pray to Sai abaji right now. He ran towards Dwarkamai. It was 2:15 am and came back at around 3:00 am. We were quietly watching him that how he has such a faith on Babaji and how all this has happened to him when he is in Shirdi with Babaji.

We set off from our journey back on the next day. We got our tickets booked for the next evening as we were not able to find tickets for morning which prompted us to visit Shani Shingnapur as well. Morever Vinod’s father said on call, “Now let him do all the darshans and then come back because they had already taken his mother for cremation”. Our heart was crying, but we still went to Shani Devji’s temple and had His darshan as well. It was raining in the temple as against our thinking that Shani Shingnapur is always hot and humid (besides this Shani Devji has His own taap – heat). But at that time it was raining and we had a wonderful darshan. It was like Shani Devji’s blessing. Then in the evening, we left shirdi for Kopergaon as our train was from there only.

As soon as we left Shirdi, there was a hailstorm. It was raining like anything. It was appearing as if Babaji was crying for us and Vinod. We reached Kopergaon and boarded the train. Finally after 38 hours of journey, we reached Amritsar. Now as the time was passing we were in tension as how to tell Vinod about all this while sitting in the auto to go home.

Finally when we reached near Vinod’s home, he saw crowd gathered near his home and everybody was crying. He ran towards his home and one of the lady hugged him and said that his mother has left her body. I cannot forget the screams that I heared at that moment. Vinod fell down on his knees and started calling Babaji loudly, ”Baba esa nahi ho sakta, aapne muje Shirdi bulaya aur peeche se mummi ko le gaye…mere saath dhokha kia hai aapne… meaning Baba this is not possible. You called me to Shirdi and in my absence You took my mother. Baba You have cheated me”. The whole scene went into mourning. We were thinking that from now onwards Vinod would lose his faith on Babaji.But ironically, this did not happen. To our surprise he did not lose his faith instead his faith kept on increasing (As it is rightly said that great person of saintly nature do not lose their self even in bad times. They keep on moving ahead on the path of spirituality). I am fortunate enough to be with such a person who has accepted everything as Babaji’s wish and is still having so much faith on Babaji.

Now from worldy point of view, it was saddest of the thing that had happened. But it was Babaji’s unique way of calling her mother in His lotus feet. Now I would co-relate the Shirdi experience and what was happening to her mother at the same time. As told by Vinod’s wife, “Vinod is a weak hearted person who cannot bear such incidence on the spot”. Who knows what would have happen to Vinod if he would have seen his mother dying in front of him. Now his mother’s soul departed at about 12:15 am. Same time when Vinod was lying on the stone in Dwarkamai on which Babaji use to sit (and at that time I was thinking as if he is lying on Babaji’s lap and Babaji moving His hand on his head). It was actually a condolence which Babaji was showing towards him. He was providing him courage. Then after that bhajan incidence and the person singing the bhajan whose wording clearly showed positive attitude towards death. After that, the person who gave me Sai Satcharitra who knows, He might be Babaji and gave darshan to me and Vinod. One more thing as we deposited our cell phones in locker his wife was not able to call him. This thing also was necessary because Manmeet told me the way with which his wife told him about death. Anybody can himself die after hearing that. Manmeet beared it and thus Babaji prevented Vinod to hear that.

Now the next thing, Babaji allowed us to have all darshans including Shani Devji as it was our first visit to Shirdi. Shani Devji also made him feel comfortable in Shani Shingnapur as it was raining. It was actually kripa drishti (mercifulness) of Shani Devji. All this happened as if it was well planned by Babaji. We are aware of the fact that Dwarakamai is our mother. It cannot harm anybody. Now, we can see that when Vinod’s mother was leaving her body, Dwarakamai came to protect Vinod and let him rest on Her Lap. I am sure that pious soul must have got Babaji’s lotus feet as her refuge. Now when Vinod reached Amritsar, he was given condolence by his father, brother, sister who already went through the bad stage and were ready to give courage to Vinod. Otherwise, at the time of death there would have been nobody to give him condolence because everybody would have been in shocking stage themselves. I must say that through every event Babaji was providing courage to Vinod. It is because of this courage that he faced such a bad time and still his faith is unmovable. Great is the mother who gave birth to such a son and great is our Babaji, who in tough times don’t let His devotees fall. Death is inevitable, it has to come. In vinod’s case, his mother’s death must have brought something good for her spiritually, though we cannot see or understand it. But Babaji knows it very well and He acts accordingly. Although we, Vinod and his family will always feel her absence but somewhere inside we know that she is resting in Baba’s world in His lotus feet. OM SAI RAM

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