Shirdi Sai Baba Stories,Leelas and Teachings.: Ganga will be at our Feet.

Dear readers ,

Happy Thursday and Happy Baba's day .
Whatever Baba said for future,about anyone or anything ,all came true and ofcourse we children need not find reason how this happens?

Baba the Parabrahma , the unquestionable Master of the world ,time to time predicted many things and devotees would realise it later .Just like I had mentioned in one of my old post where Baba conversed with Mhalsapathy and told him about the future of Shirdi.

Baba said "Aree Bhagat this little village will become a famous place of pilgrimage .Huge palatial buildings will come up. Pilgrims will flock to this place from far and wide .Highly placed officials and famous people will visit Shirdi.There will be much pomp and show ,Bhagat .In fact people will be crawling like ants”.

And needless to say we all are witnessing this with our own eyes.

Baba would say ,"Pude leye changle divese yethele" meaning -Very good days will come in the future," this leela was written by Mahartra.He tells the leela of Naga Mahasheya's father who wanted to have a bath in the Bhagirithi river. The reason for this was that it was parvani (a shubh kaal -auspicious time) and traditionally everyone went to have a dip in a holy river .

He pestered his son to take him to the Bhagirithi,but his son said,” We will see.” Utterly disappointed with his son, the father accepted his fate. Little did he know that at the exact muhurath, there was a break in the wall, and the river with all its force flooded the land .Hence, his father and all the villagers had a bath in the Bhagirithi.

Many decades later this same parvani (auspicious time ) came and Bapu Sahib Jog and his wife wanted to have a bath in Ganga at Kopergaon.Baba called Godavari river Ganga .Hence the rest of the devotees did the same.

A mention of Bapu Sahib Jog is done in Sai Satcharitra ,those readers who do not know about Bapu Sahib can read given below.

After retirement from service in 1909, Bapu Saheb Jog came to Shirdi along with his wife and settled there permanently. They had no children and therefore no family responsibilities. Both of them were completely immersed in the service of Baba. After the death of Megha, Jog gave aratis in the Dwarkamayi and Chavadi. He did this only till Baba’s Samadhi. He was also called Pujari Jog. In the evenings, he would recite sacred books like Jnaneshwari and Eknath Baghavata and explain them to the devotees who assembled there. But he did not enjoy peace of mind in spite of doing all these.

One day he asked Baba, "Baba, I am fully immersed in your service since so long. But there is no peace of mind for me. Why? When are you going to take pity on me?" Baba replied, "Wait for some more time. The sufferings for your past actions will be over. Your merits and de-merits will be burnt down to ashes. When you renounce all your attachments, conquer your lust and sense of tastes, and overcome all other obstacles, then your life will be a blessed one." After sometime his wife died. As there was no other attachment for him, he took sanyas.

So during their stay in Shirdi one day Jog went to take permission from Baba to have a bath in Ganga at Kopergaon.Baba said"Bapu Sahib! baghuthyacha vichar udhya sakali-meaning- Bapu Sahib look we will think about it tomorrow".

Bapu Sahib replied"Baba the auspicious time is at seven in the morning .We will have to get up at about 4 in the morning to reach Kopergaon.Only then will it be possible to have a dip in the Ganga ."

Again Baba repeated the same words. Jog pleaded with Baba many times in various ways. But Baba had only one reply,"We will see tomorrow.” Jog and his wife were quite disappointed, as such a shubkaal came only once in a lifetime.

Bapu Sahib was such a staunch devotee that he would not go against Baba's wish .That night he was very restless,and it was the night that Baba slept in the Chavadi.In the morning he performed kakad aarti,and had just finished the ritual when the villagers came running .

They were shouting that the canals were filled with water from Ganga.Baba looking at Jog said,"Tu saagli rath leye shive dileyas ,pan devache daya Ganga aaplapashi aale.Jaa atha angole jarun gheye." -Meaning -"The whole night you hurled abuses at Me, But due to God's kindness the Ganga has come to us. Now go and have dip in it.”
Thus Bapu Sahib, his wife and the rest of the villagers had a dip in the Ganga.

The canal that was to supply Shirdi with water from the Godavari was not completed at that time. There were yet two to four months for the water to be released into it .So much water flooded Shirdi that no one could have dreamt of .The reason being that a dam further up had broken, It was then declared useless and from another dam water was given to Shirdi .Because of the abundant water, Bapu Sahib had a bath in the morning and at noon.

Seeing his delight Baba said,"Arre Bapu Sahib see how kind God is.But we do not place total faith on Him nor do we have Saburi."

In the September of 1919 Mahatara first went to Shirdi .At that time the water for the village was being drawn from the wells.He remembers Baba saying "Arre Ganga aaplya paya pashi ye ele" meaning -"Arre the Ganga will be at our feet ".

At that time it seemed an impossibility .After many years the Survey department sought permission and the government approved of the plan of letting the water from the Godavari flow into Shirdi .Kopergoan is about eight miles from Shirdi and much of the land was barren .But now the lands on the way to Kopergaon are lush farmlands, Infact, there are canals in and around Shirdi that supply water to the village from the Godavari.

Jai Sai Ram.

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