Leela II

The night which Sai Baba left his physical body at Shirdi my nephew Sri Madhav had a dream in which a great yogi takes Samadhi. Similarly, one person from North named Hanuman Prasad from Bombay experienced Baba mounting on wall of his house and moving to and fro. Many of Baba’s ardent devotees also felt the same in various forms indicating Baba’s Samadhi.

Baba said, ‘Take me to Buti wada’ before shedding his physical body. After Baba’s Niryan close devotees present at Dwarkamai and in Shirdi were contemplating where to place Baba’s mortal coil and to build a Samadhi over it. Some of the devotees felt Baba’s physical body must be shifted to Buti wada and Samadhi must be built over it as per Baba’s command. Another section of devotees felt Baba’s physical body must be laid to rest in some open space and Samadhi built over it. After 24 hours of Baba’s shedding his body it was unanimously agreed by all section of devotees to shift his mortal coil to Buti wada and a Samadhi be built there. This wada was earlier built by Buti Saheb for his stay in Shirdi. In 1916 when Buti wada’s construction was in progress Baba took critically ill and Sri Nana Sahib Chandorkar then felt a temple must be built within this wada and it should not be a mere place to reside for Sri Buti Sahib. Nana Sahib’s view was put forth before Baba. He approved the same and ordained a temple to be built within Buti wada. It was decided to build a temple in the center space of Buti wada, skilled workers required to build the same were hired from Nagpur. When the temple work was in progress, suddenly these skilled workers from Nagpur returned to Nagpur for some specific reasons, thus the temple construction was stalled and it remained unfinished till Baba’s Niryan. Baba was laid to rest in the said temple space and a Samadhi was built on it and thus a temple rose in true sense for Baba. Baba spoke for years prior to shedding his mortal coil that Buti wada is his place and he would reside there forever.
Many childless couples were blessed with Male child by Baba’s grace. Rao Bahadur Hari Vinayak Sathe, Ahmed Nagar’s Damushet Kasar, Nanded Ratanji Seth, Gopal Gund, Rahuri’s Deshmukh all came to Baba’s darshan with prayers to be blessed with Male child. Accordingly, all of their prayers were answered and their wish fulfilled by Baba’s grace. All of them then led a happy and contented life. Other than these affluent people, thousands of poor and needy people were blessed with male children by Baba’s grace. Many female devotees came during Ramanavami festivals to Shirdi or on Thursdays’ to seek Baba’s blessings to bless them with a child.

Some women yearning for child prayed from their homes instead of coming to Shirdi with a vow to Baba. Baba thus fulfilled their vow and blessed them with child. In Pune, a lady aspiring for a male child vowed to Baba., Shortly Baba appeared before her in a dream, blessed her and gave a coconut to her hand. The lady woke up and found a coconut beside her. She felt extremely happy and later delivered a male child. After a year, as per vow, she visited Shirdi with her child and placed the child at the feet of Baba and sought his blessings. Devotees felt that whenever Baba gave coconut to a female devotee craving for a male child, Baba’s blessing would come true. Even after Samadhi many took vow before his photo or Samadhi praying for male child and their prayers were answered. Here is a live example where Jaganath who took care of Baba’s horse later turned ascetic and stayed in Lord Shanker’s temple at Ulve village, Panvel taluk. During his stay in Lord Shanker’s temple he met Shanker Rao’s wife named Uma Bai. She narrated that her husband Sri Shanker Rao married again at her instance and they had no male child. Jaganath at Uma Bai’s persistence gave a coconut to Sri Shanker Rao’s second wife with a prayer if she delivers a male child, Uma Bai must visit Baba’s Samadhi at Shirdi and seek blessings. Accordingly, Umabai took vow to visit Shirdi and seek Baba’s blessing if her co-sister delivers male child. On being blessed with male child Uma Bai visited Shirdi as per vow and Jaganath who by then had left Ulve village was in Shirdi. Coincidentally Uma Bai took darshan of Baba’s Samadhi and offered a coconut with tip covered with Gold in a salt cube shape that  weighed 4 annas coin of British year (yearly 1920). The said coconut covered with gold at the tip is with Shirdi Sansthan.

By Chandra Sekhara Shetty Udipi