By: Smt. Seetha Vijayakumar
Anna Saheb Dabholkar went to Shirdi for the first time in 1908. Since his friends – Nana Saheb Chandorkar and Hari Sitaram Dixit stayed at Sathe Wada, Anna Saheb Dabholkar joined them. Baba had gone to Lendi Baug, they finished their morning ablutions and were waiting for Baba’s return to the mosque.
All of them were excited about Baba’s darshan. Anna Saheb Dabholkar was not able to make out their excitement. He asked why a Guru needed to guide us. Anna Saheb Dabholkar contented that only individual effort is required. No one agreed with him and Bala Saheb Bhate argued with him about the need for a Guru for all for spiritual development. The arguments were inconclusive as they had to rush to the mosque as Baba had returned by then.
Everyone bowed to Baba. He virtually ignored Anna Saheb Dabholkar when Nana Saheb Chandorkar. Without addressing anyone Sai Maharaj told them the story of a donkey.
A donkey was walking along when night fell. He wasn’t sure what his destination was or how to reach it. And what made it worse was that he could hear wild animals in the forest, where he had been grazing all day. It was too dark for the donkey to see beyond his nose. Fear gripped the donkey as stared into the darkness ahead to see if he could make something of it. Just as the donkey ambled about directionless, an owl from a treetop hooted out to him, “Buddy! You cannot see at night, but I can; maybe I should become your guide and show you the path.” The donkey could not have asked for anything better. He guffawed with joy and invited the owl to sit on its back.
With the owl perched delicately on his back, the duo made their way through the forest. The owl gave directions, and the donkey followed them. All night, the arrangement worked out well. They managed to avoid wild animals and see the light of day. The sun rose as the team reached the forest’s edge, and a new day was born.
In the daytime, the donkey could see very well, but the owl was blinded by the sunlight. For a few minutes, there was confusion, but the owl, having donned the guide’s hat, was reluctant to give up the leadership role. The owl was too attached to his seat on the donkey’s back and the power it gave him. So, even though the owl could see nothing, he continued to give directions.
The donkey did not think much about the arrangement that was well-suited to the night but defective during the day. He did not realize that he could see and did not need the owl’s help navigating the forest. Even though he did not require a visual guide now, he continued to accept the owl as his guide. He never attempted to use his head or eyes and perceived that he could see during the day, hence he did not need a guide. He continued to follow the owl’s directions, which were not based on knowledge of the path ahead. At one point, the owl instructed the donkey to turn left and immediately right. The donkey could see a deep, fast-moving river down the cliff. But he was following the guide and not thinking, so he did as he was told. The donkey fell directly into the river and drowned.
Sai Maharaj summed up two things from this incident. When a guide is needed, no guide can be greater than the Guru or the spiritual teacher. However, it does not mean we stop seeing ourselves or examining things critically. All great seers have encouraged us to look for the Truth ourselves. They have also suggested choosing your Guru guide after consideration.
Baba’s story convinced Anna Saheb Dabholkar of the need for a Guru in one’s life to search for the Truth yourself. He repented for his foolish argument with Bhate Saheb. Recognizing his scholarship, Baba gave the title ‘Hemadpant’ to Anna Saheb Dabholkar and assigned the mighty task of composing Sai Satcharita in 800 plus verses, the first authentic collection of details to Anna Saheb Dabholkar.
Leave a Reply