Sai Baba Comes Running To Save Raghunath Bhaskar Purandhare

The souls that are ignorant, unknowledgeable, unfortunate, who are not able to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of their birth, such souls will get solace and salvation if they surrender lovingly to Sai Baba and He will embrace them compassionately in reciprocation.

Baba used to address Raghunath Puramdhare lovingly as “Bhau”. He lived in Mumbai and once came to Shirdi with his mother. It was his practice to stay for longer durations in Shirdi. On one such visit, Baba was in Dwarkamai surrounded by devotees. He was in a good mood and cracking jokes.

He said to Purandhare, “Bhau, build a Wada (building, here – house) somewhere, I want to come to stay there”.

To this Purandhare replied, “Baba, don’t mention that, I do not have huge money to build a house, I am not a rich person, it is an impossible task for me”.

Baba said, “O Bhau, I will give you ample money with all My heart. I have saved a lot of money for you, just say yes once, then see what I do”.

Purandhare not expecting any money from Baba answered, “Baba, I do not want anything, just keep Your Boon Bestowing Hand on my head to bless me always”.

Baba immediately took out six currency coins of that time from the giant pocket of His Kafni which Purandhare accepted with a lot of hesitation after being convinced by Baba.

He stayed in Shirdi for eleven days and on the day of departure, he went to take permission from Baba to Dwarkamai. His mother also went with him. Baba bowed to her saying, “Are Aai, I will take care of My Bhau even if he is a thousand cos away from Me. Who wants to claim that you have taken care of and helped him to become a mature adult, I am roaming around him since his childhood. He is with me. Take this Udi and start your return journey”.

After his return from Shirdi, Purandhare received money from a source using which he bought land in Bandra (a suburb of Mumbai) and built a house. Now he understood what Baba meant by “Bhau, build a Wada (building, here – house) somewhere, I want to come to stay there”.

Let’s see another interesting incident where Baba runs to save Purandhare

It was the practice of Purandhare to stay in Shirdi for 12-15 days in Shirdi. During his stay there, he was constantly engaged in sorts of services. If he was in Shirdi during any festival, he would decorate Palanquin, tie the flag, arrange Baba’s seat in Dwarkamai, when He went to Lendibaug, arrange roof-tops of Dwarkamai, fill the pits in the walls, level up the floor and many other petty yet important chores.

Dwarkamai was not a pakka building at that time, so then and there, It will need repairs. Once Purandhare was fixing uneven floors of rectangular stones like tiles. He brought cow dung and mixed it with sand and mud and picked up every stone, spread the mixture underneath to level, and make it more strong. A lot of scorpions oozed out on lifting each such stone. However, they were not harmful to anyone. This is just a small instance to show how Purandhare would do petty jobs, because of which Baba used to get angry with Him and at times abused him badly as well. Sometimes he would get beaten with stones and bricks by Baba. Once, Baba pulled his nose and dragged him out of Dwarkamai near Chula (hearth) and announced in anger, “Cunning fellow, he is very restless, not sitting quietly in one place and does not allow Me to do so”. Purandhare never cared for this anger of Baba, as he fully surrendered to Baba and that is the only thing that he knew and remembered.

Once preparations for Ramnavami festival were going on in Shirdi. Purandhare and a devotee named Pandit, both were trying to hang a heavy bell in Dwarkamai. For that purpose, they both stood on a table, lifted up the heavy bell, and were trying to suspend it on a big nail that was attached to the roof of Dwarkamai. Baba suddenly came running from Lendibaug in haste. Instead of going to Chavadi as usual, He straight away rushed to Dwarkamai. Others present in Dwarkamai doing other jobs escaped seeing Baba coming with such haste, predicting that He is very angry. They felt safe to run away from there as no one wished to face the Wrath from Him. Purandhare and the other devotee were at the table at that time, they were not in a position to run away from the spot with the heavy bell. With no other option, they stood at the very same spot where they were, not moving even an inch, but scared to death internally. Baba looked up, pointed toward them, and said, “See these boys are nearly dying here. Someone come and help them out. Poor ones are stuck in such a bad situation that they can’t even run away.”

Then suddenly, as if the bell shed all its weight, became light as a feather. Purandhare immediately suspended the bell up to the roof, nailed and hooked it, and quickly finished the job, only to come down and fall in the Holy Feet of Baba. Baba showing sweet anger towards his gesture said, “Why do you behave like a fool, what if you were dead? Others ran away while you got stuck up, how far am I going to run behind to save you, cunning fellow. Allah is Maalik”.

Source: Translated from Gujarati Book “Sai Sarovar”

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Hemadpant (Shri Govindrao R. Dabholkar)

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