Shirdi Diary by Shri G.S.Khaparde - Part 24

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1912 29 January Monday
Shirdi

I got up very early in the morning prayed & found that I was a bit too early but I kept on & attended the Kakad Arti. On my return I began the routine of the day. About 9 A.M. I went to Bapusaheb, with him & Upasani, began the Parmamrit, but most unaccountably I felt so sleepy that I could make no progress. At last I returned to my lodgings & lay down and fell asleep so long that I did not get up till 12.30 or 1 P.M. Madhavarao Deshpande & others tried to awaken me for the Arti & called me aloud but I did not respond. At last they went to the Arti & somehow the matter reached the ears of Sayinsaheb & he said that he would awaken me. Somehow I got up as the arti was being finished and attended the closing portion of it. I felt ashamed of having slept so long. I felt drowsy during the rest of the day. Narayan Rao Bamangankar came today from Sholap. He is a nice young man & I sat talking with him. Then in the afternoon I attended the Purana of Dixit & saw Sayin Saheb at the evening stroll. I had seen him when he went out between 9 & 10 A.M. In the evening there was the Bhajan of Bhishma & afterwards the Puran of Dixit. He read Ramayan as usual.

1912 30 January Tuesday
Shirdi

I got up early but did not like to leave bed & begin work for fear of becoming again overcome by sleep as I was yesterday. I left bed before day break, finished by prayers and went to Bapusaheb Jog for our Parmamrit class. Upasani Shastri, Mrs Kaulgi & Bapusaheb were there & we made very good progress. We saw Sayin Baba go out & saw him again after he returned to the Masjid. He asked me how I spent the morning & I gave him an account of what we did. After the mid-day arti, I returned & we had our meal. After it I sat reading the dailies & then wrote a few letters. Later on Mr Dixit read Ramayan. Bhishma & Madhavarao Deshpande attended the reading.

Some two men of this village & the younger brother of Sitaram Denglé also came & sat talking after the reading was finished. One of them recited a Chhanda on Ramayan. Then I went to see Sayin Baba at the Masjid & he again asked how I spent the afternoon. When I mentioned my writing letters, he smiled & said “It is better moving your hands than sitting idle.” We saw him have his evening stroll, and at night attended the Sheja-Arti. There was no Bhajan tonight but reading of Bhagavat took up all its time, and Dixit read Ramayana at night.

1912 February 1 Thursday
Shirdi

I was somewhat late in getting up but was able to finish my prayer &.in time to attend the Parmamrit class. The work was finished today & we shall begin to revise it tomorrow I then went to the Masjid, sat with Sayin Maharaj & accompanied him out up to Sathe’s Wada. People assembled there as usual to salute him. I joined their group, saluted him and returning to Bapusaheb Jog’s quarters, commenced Panchadasi & explained the first ten verses which really contain the whole work in germinal form. Then I returned to my quarters wrote a few letters & had them sent off, and went to the Masjid to attend the mid-day Arti. It passed off all right. Mr Manekachand of Ahmednagar who has this year taken the degree of LL.B. came there & stayed here the whole day. We had our meals after we returned from the Arti. I sat reading Jnyaneshwari edited by Sakhrebwa.

Unfortunately, like the other editions, it does not solve all my difficulties. Later on Mr Dixit read Ramayan. Mr Sané Mamledar of Shirdi, and Mr Sathé, Dy Collector & Sub-divisional officer came & sat talking for sometime. We resumed our Ramayan after they went and in the evening went to the Masjid to meet Sayin Baba at his evening stroll. After the Wada Arti, we attended the Sheja- Arti, Bhishma did not have his Bhajan but read Sakharoru’s Prakrit Bagavat & at night Mr Dixit read Ramayan. Today evening when we assembled at the Masjid before Sayin Baba started on his stroll, Sayin Saheb told Mr Dixit to give two hundred Rupees to my wife who was there champooing the legs of Sayinsaheb. This order was unaccountable. Has it come to this that I have to be maintained by charity!!! I prefer death to this. Sayin Saheb I think wishes to curb & finally destroy my pride. So he is getting me used to poverty and the charity of others.


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