Adoration to KUSHA BHAV

By: D. Shankariha

Kusha Bhav alias Krishnaji Kasinath Joshi was the son of Kashinath Padmakar Joshi from Mirajgaon, Maharashtra. He belonged to a poor family and studied in local elementary school in vernacular and became a schoolteacher with an income of Rupees 5 to 7 per month. He was also trained in the hereditary duties of the village priest. However, he did not have a liking for these avocations. But he had a flair for bhakti and started searching for a Guru. His Guru was Datta Maharaj. Under the guidance of his Guru, he learnt yoga and various Asanas. He also learnt Pranayama and the rousing of the Kundalini Shakti. In spite of all these practices, he was not satisfied with his achievement, and he still wanted to know and practice some other mantras which would give him worldly powers. This was due to his peculiar thinking. He was aware that his Guru knew such Mantras and approached his Guru through his persistent solicitations. Seeing his stubbornness in his approach, his Guru most unwillingly imparted to him such Mantras. He went through the necessary Japa and sadhana and practiced them as prescribed for the required number of times and became an adept in these Mantras. He also wore an iron bangle and succeeded in acquiring the required powers. Based on these powers acquired, he could simply utter a mantra and order the production of sweetmeats, pedas and the like and the articles ordered would at once appear in his hands. He would thus produce certain things and show to others and the items so produced were distributed among the admiring public. Such items produced through the Mantras should be distributed to others and should not at all be used by oneself. He was also capable of destroying by exorcising the evil spirits of others. Of course, he was able to produce these items through his power of Mantras and there was no role of any evil spirits.

All these things had happened within his twenty-two years. When he was about twenty-two years old, he was thus fully armed with these magical powers. His Guru decided to move to the Himalayas and wanted to live there alone and spend his remaining lifetime at the Himalayas. He moved with Kusha up to Delhi and from there his Guru wanted to proceed further alone. His Guru also told Kusha that there was one Sai Baba in Shirdi, whom he referred to as his elder brother and that Kusha should go to him and do whatever Sai Baba would direct him to do. With these words, his Guru went away and disappeared from him. Subsequently, Kusha had not seen or heard anything further about that Guru since then.

In 1908, Kusha went to Shirdi and had darshan of Sai Baba. But Baba was against Kusha exercising his powers through Mantras and production of pedas etc., and also his wearing of the iron bangle. Baba asked him to break his iron bangle, stop exercising powers and production of pedas. Baba also ordered him to sit in a corner of the masjid and go on reading Dasabodha of Ramdas Swami. As Baba’s orders were strict, Kusha complied with them and broke and threw away his iron bangle and stopped production of pedas etc., through his powers of Mantras.

He stopped the practice of those worldly powerful mantras that produced things and started his life afresh by begging food in Shirdi village and was not having any specific shelter. He obeyed Baba’s order to sit in a corner of the masjid and read Dasabodha during the day time. During nights, he used to sleep wherever he could find some place to lie down. Baba did not give him any mantra upadesh. Baba advised him not to use his powers of Mantras and Kusha sincerely followed Baba’s directions.

During 1908, there were only few visitors to Shirdi from Bombay but only the local people from Shirdi village used to go to Baba now and then and ask Baba for remedies to their illness. At that time Baba was giving Udi to them from his ever-burning Dhuni for curing their illness. Baba was also not asking for dakshina from all the visitors but was asking dakshina only from a selected few for buying fuel for the Dhuni or some other items of necessity. At that time, Nanasaheb Nimonkar was often seen with Baba. Whoever was visiting Baba, Baba used to advise them to follow their own God, their religion but have faith in God. Baba would also give darshan to each visitor in the form of the God whom the visitor was devoted to (ishta daiva).

Kusha stayed in Shirdi for three years at a stretch with Baba. During the next nine years, he frequently visited Shirdi. On one occasion, Baba told him to visit and have darshan of a person with three heads. Based on Baba’s expression, he took it that Baba wanted him to visit and have darshan of Datta at Gangapur. Every year he was visiting Gangapur twice and had darshan of Datta, once on Guru Poornima Day and again on Magha Poornima Day. During another one of Kusha’s visit, Baba asked him to do 108 parayans of Guru Charitra, taking three days to finish each parayan. Accordingly, Kusha completed 108 parayans in Gangapur by staying there for about 11 months.

After completing Guru Charitra parayan, Kusha visited Shirdi and at that time, Baba told him that it was not necessary for him to come to Shirdi several times, traveling all the way to Shirdi for his darshan. Baba said that He was there in his (native) place also and told him about the specific location in Mirajgaon where He was there. Then Kusha went to the specific place in Mirajgaon and got the area cleared and found a Samadhi.

Kusha then spent his remaining life totally devoted to propagating about Baba and spreading information of Baba’s miracles and powers. Thus, he did lot of service to the public in the name of Baba while he propagated Baba’s mission and miracles to the public.