Sai Leela

💐II 🕉 Sairam II💐
LEELA

*Baba comes in the form of a photograph to stay in the Tarkad home.*

          In the Shri Sai SatcharitaChapter 9, the story of Ramchandra Tarkad and his son Jyotindra is given. How Jyotindra extracted a promise from his father, to worship Baba’s photograph in the sandalwood shrine daily. Jyotindra, followed a routine rather strictly. He got up every day at 5.am had a bath, and then did puja. He applied sandalwood paste to Baba’s photograph. Then lighted incense, and offered naivedya of sugar candy as prasad. Thus he was reluctant to accompany his mother to Shirdi, as he did not want a break in this routine.

          Ramchandra assured him again and again that he would perform puja daily and offernaivedya to Baba, and then have his lunch. Only after Jyotindra was fully convinced of his fathers promise did he accompany his mother. But one day his father forgot, to offer naivedya. There at Shirdi Baba said,  “What to do O! Mother? Today as every day I went to your home in Bandra, but there was no rice, no gruel, nothing to eat or drink. And hungry I have to return”. (Shri SaiSatcharita Chapter 9, Ovi 107)

How Baba came to the Tarkad House in the form of a photograph?

          In Shri Sai Satcharita, Chapter 40 Baba goes to Dabolkar’s home in the form of a brass relief. In this leela Baba goes to the Tarkad house in the form of photograph. One day early in the morning Jyotindra and his father had an identical dream. They both saw a beautiful sandalwooddevera (shrine) and Baba sitting in it. They immediately got up and made a sketch of it. When they met for breakfast, they spoke of their dream. They were astonished to find that their dream was identical, and the sketch that each had drawn was the same.

          They decided to have such adevera, as soon as possible. They set out and bought  lot of sandalwood. Then brought a carpenter and showed him the sketches, and commissioned him to make the shrine. Their residence at Bandra had a small terrace, and there the carving of the shrine started.

           It took about a year to complete it. After completion the devera stood 9 feet tall and 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches in length and breadth so  it was a master piece. Now they wanted a beautiful photograph of Baba. They knew that Baba did not allow himself to be photographed, so what was to be done?

          One Friday evening father and son were strolling in Chor Bazar, when a shopkeeper was gesticulating at them to come to his shop. Then the shopkeeper ran after them and said he had a packet for them. Jyotindra and his father entered the shop rather sceptically.

          Then the wonderful leelastarted unfolding. They questioned the shopkeeper about the parcel. The shopkeeper said “A few days ago, a saintly looking, elderly gentleman came to my shop. He said on Friday a Hindu father and son will pass this way. You can easily recognize them as the father will have on a hat, and the son will have a black Gandhi cap. He then handed me this packet and also gave me Rs 50/- as service charges. Please accept this packet.” They still were sceptical so they asked the shopkeeper to open it. What they saw left them speechless. It was a beautiful photograph of Baba sitting on the stone.

          They thanked him and offered him some money for the trouble he had taken; he refused to accept the money. Jyotindra and his father returned home. They placed the photograph in the devera, and it fit perfectly.

          On there next visit to Shirdi they went to the Dwaraka Mai. At that time a local devotee was trying to get a photograph of Baba. When Baba said “अरे फोटो फोटो काय करतोस माझ्या भाऊंच्या घरी जाऊन पहा मी तिथे जिवंत बसलेला आहे  ”

  “Arre photo photo kay kartos, Maje bhaucha ghari jaun paha me jeevanth baslela aahye (Roughly translated -Go to my Bhau’s house and see. I am alive and sitting there) Jyotindra got up at once and held his feet. Mentally he prayed for one and only one boon and that was to never ever forget Baba.

Ref Shri Sai Swanubhav Tarkadache

 

*jai sairam