Shirdi Diary by Shri G.S.Khaparde - Part 4

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Previously Posted:
Shirdi Diary by Shri G.S.Khaparde - Part 1
Shirdi Diary by Shri G.S.Khaparde - Part 2
Shirdi Diary by Shri G.S.Khaparde - Part 3

1910, 11 December Sunday
Shirdi.

In the morning after I finished my prayer & had a wash, Mr Haribhau Dixit of Bombay with a few companions, Mr Tarkhadkas son of the late Dr Atmaram Pandurang and Mr Mahajani who is a cousin of Annasaheb Mahajani of Akola. We went to Sayinsaheb as usual & today’s conversation was both important & marked by two incidents. Sayin Maharaj said that he used to sit in a corner and desired to exchange the lower part of his body for that of a parrot. The exchange came & he did not realize for a year and lost one lakh of rupees. Then he began to sit near a post & then a great serpent woke up and was very angry. It used to jump up & also fall from above. Then he changed the subject apparently & said that he visited a place and the Patil there would not let him go unless he made a plantation & had a foot path through it. He said he completed both. Some people came in at this point. To the man, he said, “You were a Rohilla before & were looted & made later on into a Bania.” To the woman, he said “you have no body but me to look after you.” Looking round he added that she was a relation of his, & had married the Rohillas who looted the man. Then he said, the world is bad. People were not as they were before. Formerly they used to be pious and trustful.

Now they were unbelieving & disposed to contemplate the evil side and then he added something which I could not catch. It was something about his father, grandfather & his becoming the one & the other alternatively. Now as to the incidents, Mr Dixit brought fruits. Sayinsaheb ate some & was distributing the others. Balasaheb, Mamladar of this Taluk, was there & said that Sayin Maharaj was giving away only one fruits of one kind. My son told his friend Patwardhan that Sayin Maharaj accepted or refused fruits in proportion to the devotion with which they were offered. My son Baba tried to tell this to me & wished to do the same to Patwardhan. This made a little noise and Sayin Maharaj looked at me with an eye that blazed wonderfully sparkled with anger. He demanded what I said. I replied that I was saying nothing and that children were talking with each other. He looked at my son and Patwardhan and changed the mood immediately. Towards the close Balasaheb Mirikar remarked that Sayin Maharaj was talking all through to Haribhau Dixit. In the afternoon while we were at meals, Mr Mirikar ’s father who is an Inamdar & a special magistrate at Ahmednagar came. He is a very respectable gentleman of the old stamp. I liked his conversation very much. In the evening we saw Sayin Saheb as usual &at night we sat talking & Mr. Nulkar ’s son Vishwanath did Bhajan as he does every day.

1910, 12 December Monday
Shirdi.

In the morning after prayer we saw Sayin Maharaj passing out as usual & then sat talking among ourselves as usual. Mr Dixit appears to have turned a new leaf altogether & spends a good deal of his time in prayer & his temper which was always mild, appears to have acquired the peculiar sweetness which is entirely due to internal calm. Rao Bahadur Rajarampant Dixit came soon after from Pulgaon. He said he had no intention of visiting Shirdi when he left Nagpur, but some how, at Pulgaon, he made up his mind to the visit very suddenly and made the journey practically on the spur of the moment. I was very glad to see him. We all went to see Sayin Saheb later on. I was a bit late & missed a very interesting story told by him. He teaches in parables.

It was about a man having a very beautiful horse, which, do what he could, would not go in pair. It was taken all round and given all the usual training to no purpose. At last a widwan suggested its being taken to the place from which it was originally brought. This was done & then the horse went all right in the harness and became very useful. I heard the fag end of the parable. Then he enquired when I was going. I replied that I would go when he gave me permission of his own accord to go. He replied “you go today after taking your meals,” and later on sent curds by the hand of Madhava Rao Deshpande, as prasad to me. I had it at meals, & soon after it went to Sayin Saheb. He confirmed his permission to go as soon as I went. My son did not feel sure of the permission & so asked expressly & the permission was given in clear words. The Sayin Maharaj today asked Dakshina of others but nothing of me or my son. I was very low in funds & he appeared to know it. After saying goodbye to Mr Nulkar, Mr Dixit, Mr Bapusaheb Jog, Babasaheb Sahasrabuddhe, Madhavarao Deshpande, Balasaheb Bhate, Wasudeorao & others we left with Patwardhan, Pradhan, Kaka Mahajani, Mr Tarkhad and Mr Bhide who came today. We caught the train about 6.30 P.M. at Kopargaon & travelled to Manmad, Mr Bhide getting down at Yeola. I & my son will soon leave Manmad by the Punjab Mail. Last night I dreamt that I saw Uzizuddin & another whom I could not recognize.


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