By: Dubagunta Sankaraiah
Tatyasaheb Noolkar alias Laxman Krishnaji Noolkar was born in 1863 and was educated at Poona High School. In 1908 Tatyasaheb was working as Sub Judge at Pandharpur and Nanasaheb Chandorkar was the Mamlatdar at the same place. Nanasaheb once urged Tatyasaheb to visit Shirdi.
He went with Nanasaheb Chandorkar to Shirdi. Tatyasaheb was short in stature and fat. As he bowed down at Baba’s feet, Baba placed his hand on Tatyasaheb’s head lightly but with a little force. As a result, Tatyasaheb fell down towards the nearby pillar but got convinced that Baba was his real Guru, and he was in a state of ecstasy. Tatyasaheb from then onwards used to visit Shirdi for Sai Baba’s darshan.
When Sri. Narasimha Swamiji met Tatyasaheb’s grandson, Raghunath Vishwanath Noolkar based on an article in Sant Kripa magazine, he was given a lot of information on Justice Noolkar
Once Tatyasaheb had some eye disease and was unable to see properly. He then came to Shirdi. He stayed in Sathe Wada and was praying to Baba continuously. When he went to Baba, Baba placed his hand on his, said to Shama “Today my eyes are paining severely”. As soon as Baba said these words, Tatyasaheb’s eye pain was cured completely.
In those days, there was no regular worship of Baba except accepting garlands brought by the devotees. But later on, Baba started allowing devotees to apply sandal-paste to his forehead and offer him flowers. It was Tatyasaheb who introduced for the first time puja to Baba by offering arati by waving lighted lamps around Baba in an arch. Tatyasaheb started this practice started on a Guru Pournima Day. He was one of the three important devotees (others being Khaparde and Booty) who always kept silent in the presence of Baba and was also in the habit of obediently following Baba’s orders in all matters, personal as well as official.
While working as Judge at Pandharpur, he gave a landmark judgment to two groups of priests, viz., Badvas and Utpats, in the temple at Pandharpur regarding Arathi rights. The priests were harassing devotees. When he went to Shirdi, Baba said that the judgment was good and reasonable but also said that Tatyasaheb’s wish would be accomplished.
Justice Noolkar laid the foundation for future developments in the puja performance. Some of the lower caste persons like Namdev, Chokhamela, Tukaram, and others by the degree of their devotion to Lord Vithoba, became saints irrespective of their castes. Lord Vithoba was so generous that He did many miracles in the lives of the above saints and also manifested before them. Lord Vithoba symbolizes an ocean of compassion for such people. There was a lot of resistance and opposition in allowing low-caste people. Justice Noolkar with Baba’s grace encouraged this reform in his judgments. A recent Supreme Court judgment has quoted Justice Noolkar in appointing women priests.
It was Noolkar who was permitted by Baba and who did the first Guru Poornima celebrations in Shirdi with all the sixteen puja items on Saturday, 3rd July 1909 when Dada Kelkar, Jog, Shama were also present along with others. This information is based on a letter written by Noolkar to Nanasaheb Chandorkar who was not present in Shirdi to witness the first Guru Poornima.
When Tatyasaheb arrived for Guru Poornima, Baba pulled out one ‘Kafni’ and placed it on Tatyasaheb’s body saying, that it would protect him from severe wind and cold. But he felt that this was a sort of initiation into the fourth stage of life, i.e., Sanyas Diksha as per his desire and he accepted it with ecstasy and then placed his head on Baba’s feet.
While in Shirdi, he had no other thought in his mind except that of Baba and he requested Baba’s darshan continuously. Then Baba replied affirmatively. Then onwards Justice Noolkar was seeing moment-to-moment visions of Masjid.
During childhood, Tatyasaheb and Nilkanth Ramachandra Sahasrabuddhe were close friends while studying at Poona High School. After leaving the school, they did not meet each other during the last several years. Nilkanth suddenly landed at Shirdi from Bombay at the instance of Nanasaheb and Dixit, who paid him the railway fare and also gave a note to Shama.
By 1910, Tatyasaheb was unwell. Nilkanth, his school-friend served Tatyasaheb along with his two sons. The- elder son ‘Wamanrao’ was a doctor. In Shirdi in those days, there was no hospital or any medical shop. Wamanrao then procured medicines and equipment to Shirdi and operated on the carbuncles on the body of his father and bandaged them. Nilkanth also assisted as a nurse all the while including during the nights. It looked as though Tatyasaheb did not wish to be cured and he did not appear to be praying to Baba for any cure.
Tatyasaheb disclosed a desire to get holy water from Baba’s Feet. It was almost past 1-00 o’clock in the night. Who could dare to go to Baba at that midnight? But Shama went to the masjid with a vessel. Shama requested Baba and asked him to give the holy water from his feet as Noolkar was on the death bed and that he desired holy water from Baba’s feed as his thirtha at his last moment. With these words, Shama came forward and then Baba put forward his toe and Shama immediately dipped the toe in the water in the vessel and carried the vessel, and fulfilled the last desire of Noolkar. Udi was applied to Tatyasaheb’s forehead, he opened his eyes clearly and looked around. Baba’s Pada-Tirtha was given to Tatyasaheb three times and then Tatyasaheb breathed his last. At that time Baba said in the masjid that behind the masjid a big star had collapsed. Then Baba came out from the masjid and shouted loudly, beating his mouth with hands. Whenever a dear devotee passed away, Baba used to behave like this. Baba also said that Tatyasaheb was a good man and that he would have no further birth.
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