By: Ramaswamy Seshadri
After Radhakrishna Mayi came to Shirdi, Baba called her residence ‘School’. Baba sent devotees to find out their caliber and confirm their spiritual aspirations.
Sai Baba often offered teaching stories, rather than moralistic preaching. Teaching Stories invite us to step across a threshold, as it were, to more wholesome ways of seeing and being in the world. Often, they remind us of our higher goals and purpose that we can so easily lose sight of.
Once as Rama Navami approached, Mother Radhakrishna Mayi was busy cleaning up decorative material for putting up at the mosque with many colors. The pattern was simple and splendid.
That afternoon, a friend Radhakrishna Mayi had not met after she left Pandharpur came to visit her. Seeing her the Radhakrishna Mayi exclaimed: “Dear sister friend! I am so happy to see you. Do come in, you must be tired from the long journey, let me first fetch you something cool to drink.”
When Radhakrishna Mayi was in the kitchen, her friend looked around and noticed the gorgeous decorative material and the silk threads shimmering in the wicker basket beside it. She knew they could not be found in Shirdi; Radhakrishna Mayi must have traveled far to Kopergaon for them. They were so beautiful that she could not resist the impulse. She reached over and snatched one of the metallic lamps, tucking it under her saree.
When Radhakrishna Mayi returned from the kitchen and set down the glasses, she noticed one lamp missing. She realized with a heavy heart that her friend had taken it. She thought for a moment; she did not want to confront the woman and shame her, nor did she want to remain quiet about what she had noticed and had saddened her.
As they finished their drinks and chatted for a while, she stood up, “Sister-friend”, she said, “This is a wonderful day, we should celebrate our coming together. Do get up and let’s dance together.” Hesitantly her friend agreed, “Yes, let us dance.”
They stood up and Radhakrishna Mayi raised both her arms high and began to sing a song of friendship and sisterhood. She smiled as she began to spin and turn in slow circular motions that grew faster and more joyfully abandoned. She closed her eyes, turning away from her guest as she sang her song, giving her the space to return the metallic lamp. Her friend began to dance too, but stiffly, uncomfortably, with both her arms pressed close to her sides, holding the lamp tightly underneath in her saree by one of her arms.
When Radhakrishna Mayi noticed this, she said, “Come, come, sister-friend, this is no way to 
celebrate. Are you sad? Are you worried? Look, dance like me with both your arms raised!”
celebrate. Are you sad? Are you worried? Look, dance like me with both your arms raised!”The friend then raised one of her arms but kept the other pressed tightly against her side. Seeing this Radhakrishna Mayi said, “It is such a joyful day, close your eyes, open your arms wide, dance freely and joyfully. Look at me. Like this!” Radhakrishna Mayi continued to dance, arms flung wide, spinning, turning, and swaying with joy.
The friend looked down and quietly returned the lamp and said, “I am sorry, I have stolen it.” She sought forgiveness from Radhakrishna Mayi. By then, a boy came running to Radhakrishna Mayi. He told her Baba’s instructions to her to gift the lamp to her friend. He also had sent a one-rupee silver coin as ‘Dakshina’.
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