A Panacea to all problems

I have attempted to describe the greatness of my Sadguru in the previous blog. But this is a very difficult task. For only my Sadguru can himself describe his immeasurable greatness. Therefore, by seeking refuge in his lotus feet, I pray for his guidance in this task. I know that he alone is the doer and it is he who inspires me to sing his glory.

Let me describe how my first pilgrimage to Shirdi was. What all Leelas (Divine play-Often used in assosciation with the acts of Lord Krishna). I have already said, what happened as soon as I entered the village of Shirdi. The depression, the miserable and sad feeling that was lingering in the mind, the feeling of hopelessness all left me in a jiffy as soon as I entered the village. Then when I entered the samadhi Mandir (The temple which contains Baba's Samadhi or tomb(The word tomb is often a wrong word, but there is no appropriate word in english.)), I kept thinking "I am here finally! After waiting for so many years, here I am!". Once I was in the main hall, I could see the marble moorthi (Statue) of Baba looking blissfully at all present. I wish to meander a little here. This moorthi was sculpted by Shri Talini of Bombay. It is said that, before engaging in the work, Shri Talini requested Sainath (It means Lord Sai) to provide him darshan(Vision) and Sainath did so. Hence the moorthi is so lifelike. Also, anyone visiting the temple can see that Sainath keeps looking at you no matter where you are standing in the hall. So it was with me. I had the very same experience. And when I reached near the samadhi, powerful waves seemed to sweep through me and there was positive vibration everywhere and the atmosphere was charged with devotion. As I neared the Samadhi holding back tears of Joy, I could see the blissful stare of Sainath. So wonderful was this merciful gaze of the Sadguru, that at that moment I had lost all sense of ego and just stood there gazing. Now after darshan that day, when I went to the Gurusthan (The neem tree where Baba used to meditate on his Guru), I saw the picture of an ascetic. His face resembled Sainath, but I did not know who he was. He was covered only with a loin cloth and on his body were the marks of the divine weapons of lord Vishnu. Now this neem tree was enmeshed to prevent people from plucking it's branches and twigs and leaves.


Another miracle happened near this neem tree. You see, people were picking up whatever neem leaves were lying on the floor. My mother picked one up and washing it up near by, made 3 pieces of it, and my father, mother and I had a piece each. To our astonishment the neem leaf tasted like Tulsi. It was not bitter! I then learnt that Baba meditated under this neem tree, when he first came to Shirdi. He sat there meditating on his Guru. His meditation has made the leaves of the neem tree sweet. Also, it is said that when Baba came to Shirdi, the god Khandoba spoke through a person and said that the fakir(alluding to Baba, is an Arabic or Persian term used to refer to a poor man who often has renounced the world) was a great saint. And then Lord Khandoba asked the people to dig near the roots of the neem tree. Underneath this a passage was found, which contained four lamps which were burning. Strange vessals, shaped like the mouth of a cow were also seen in this underground structure. Baba told the people that this was his "Gurusthan" and it contained the Samadhi of his Guru. Some scholars are of the opinion that Baba said that it was the Samadhi of his Guru from a previous life.

Mysterious are the ways of Saints. One cannot see the beginning or the end of their leelas(Divine play). I will write more about the Neem tree in a seperate blog.

Coming back to my tasting the neem leaf, my doubting and silly mind, had a doubt. How do I know if all neem tree leaves are not like the one I just tasted. There was another neem tree away from the Gurusthan. I plucked the leaf and tasted it. I couldn't get rid of the bitter taste from my mouth the whole day.

This showed me that the neem tree near Gurusthan is special, Baba by meditating there has rendered the leaves sweet.

After this, I visited the holy Shrine of Shani Singanapur. This is a holy Shrine of Lord Shanidev, who is present here in the form of a black stone. Now there is something unique and miraculous about this place. The houses and buildings in this village do not have doors in them. No one dares to rob people here. It is said that only two people tried that. One was found unconscious outside the village, and he did not realize how he came to be there. He repented his actions and became a pious devotee. Another lost his mind.

Next, I visited Nasik. And it was a very memorable visit. Nasik is a very ancient city. It is where Panchavati of the Ramayana is located. This is the site of the ancient Dandakaranya forest. For all those who doubt whether the Ramayana really happened, do visit this city. The evidences of the presence of Lord Rama permeates this area. Nearby on the beautiful Sahyadri mountains is located Triyambakeshwara. It is an ancient Jyotirlinga which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. For those who do not know, there are totally 12 Jyotirlingas situated all over India and they are considered very sacred temples of Lord Shiva. This is also the birthplace of Mother Godavari, which starts as a trickle, vanishes in the earth, flows near the Jyotirlinga and then flows as a mighty river once it reaches Nasik. Godavari is also called Gautami, since the great sage Gautama was responsible for bringing this river to earth through his severe penance.

I will describe the experience at Trayambakeshwar in the next blog.

Bow to Shree Sai! Peace be to all!