(Smt Nirmalatai is the daughter of Shree Baba Maharaj, the Sadguru of Shree Maharaj)
Important Extracts from ” Tuchi Baap Dhani “
“Shree Maharaj Supported me like a Brother”
In the year 1955 during the time of Festival (the tenth day of the first fortnight of Ashwin-the month of October or November) a middle aged gentleman came to our house at wardha, by morning train. He introduced himself as Shri Vithal Ganesh Joshi, the disciple of Shree Baba Maharaj. He stated that he was not present in Pune, at the last moment when Shree Baba Maharaj took Mahasamadhi ( the last conscious communion with God). But now he had decided to render service to Shree Baba Maharaj in the private plot at 937/D, Chatushringee Road, Shivaji Nagar, Pune-16, owned by Shree Baba Maharaj.
Then my husband Shri Nilkanth Khare(Shri Bhau) decided to discuss the subject in detail after the lunch and afternoon rest. Afterwards it was discussed in detail and decided that Shree Maharaj will take the plot, 937/D (where the last rites of Shree Baba Maharaj was carried out and the samadhi was located) on rental basis. Out of the thousands of disciples of Shree Baba Maharaj my husband found Shree Maharaj the most trustworthy disciple.
I strongly feel that the worship and performance of various religious rituals are being carried out at the temple shrine of Shree Baba Maharaj by the divine grace of Shree Swami Samarth.
In the month of May 1956, myself and my husband (Shri Bhau) came to Pune and after taking into account all aspects the plot 937/D was handed over to Shri Vithalrao Ganesh Joshi on rental basis.
We belonged to a middle class family. Since my husband was the eldest, he had to shoulder all the responsibilities. This included the education of younger brothers, marriage of the sister and welfare of the mother and other members of the family. It was a difficult task while taking care of all the duties of the entire family. We could shoulder all these responsibilities only by the blessings of Shree Baba Maharaj and the good wishes, moral support and cooperation of this elder brother like Shri Vithalrao Joshi (Shree Maharaj). Because of the full support of Shree Maharaj, our family prosperity was restored again. In the spiritual field, we were observing daily worship of Lord Shankar and other religious rites and also hospitality.
For any difficulty I used to consult Shree Maharaj, who used to give the solution for my problems. He always used to say ‘Nirmalatai (Sister Nirmala) as long as I am alive, you need not worry for anything’. He looked after me as my elder brother and even now, for any problems if I remember him (invoke him) my work gets done successfully and I get peace of mind. Shree Maharaj never allowed me to feel the deficiency of a real brother in my life. Very often, Shree Maharaj used to get angry on my husband (Shri Bhau) but very soon he would say ‘What does our advocate say’ and enquire about Shri Bhau, with admiration.
Our present domestic circumstances are excellent. In my spiritual routine life on daily basis, I do God worship, prayers and continuos remembrances of my Sadguru Shree Baba Maharaj and meditation. As per the advice of Shree Maharaj I invoke (repeat) ‘Om Nama Shivay’(prayer to Lord Shiva) daily . That helps in solving all my difficulties. I get lot of peace of mind. It drives away all the evil thoughts. By reading daily the aarti (waving of a lamp before a deity while simultaneously singing a song about the deity) as well as the biography of Shree Baba Maharaj written by Shree Maharaj gives me lot of happiness.
Shree Maharaj has always respected me as his sister. He always used to give me medical advice as well as the solution to the problems of our children alongwith their welfare. Even after accepting the wrath of a number of devotees, he did not show any disrespect to me. He always used to say with admiration ” I have got only one sister. She should receive the Bhaubeej from me”. (Bhaubeej – the 2nd day of Kartik (November month) when brothers meet sisters with presents) whenever I go to the temple-shrine of Shree Baba Maharaj at Pune, he (Shree Maharaj ) always used to give me saree and blouse piece and he saw to it that I never return home empty-handed. Shree Maharaj was always humble. Despite having such big properties, he never exhibited his greatness amongst the public.
He (Shree Maharaj) always used to say “whatever I possess belong to Shree Baba Maharaj, I am only his servant”. He lived his entire life for carrying out the works and spreading of the greatness and fame of Shree Baba Maharaj in this world. He presented the ideal of Guru Seva (worship and service to the preceptor) in this world.
As I could not render my service to Shree Baba Maharaj (who was my own father) likewise I was extremely unlucky in rendering service to Shree Maharaj also. Whenever I used to go to Pune, Shree Maharaj always took a lot of pains to give the best of the treatment. But when I went to Pune, to see him in the last days of his illness, I could only get the sight of his lifeless body. I got a severe sense of shame as I missed the only opportunity to render little service to Shree Maharaj.