Along with discipline, ‘caution’ was also another important aspect of Maharaj. When the buildings, Hanuman Nivas and Ramchandra Nivas were purchased from Pant Sachiv and Shalinitai Rane, there was no fence surrounding the buildings. The construction of the fence walls for both the buildings was in progress and the holes and trenches had been dug. Trenches had been corded externally with thin ropes as a precautionary measure to avoid anybody falling into the trenches at night. Stumps were erected and connected with lanterns along with red paper & to further prevent the lanterns from theft, they were hooked with chains and locks. These were all precautionary measures implemented to prevent nuisance from the Government officials, in case anybody fell down into the trench. A couple of passer-by commented on the cleverly secured trenches and even noticed the precautions taken to prevent the lanterns from getting stolen.
In one of the verses of Saint Ramdas, he has noted, ” The third aspect is caution| in all matters||”. He had stressed on the importance of ‘caution’ after narrating the story of ‘Lord Vishnu’ and politics. Taking this to heart, Maharaj had really implemented in his day to day life, the words “in all matters” above. In fact, one can clearly observe how he put the importance of ‘caution’ in his daily activities & his communication (which has been printed in his biography — ‘Tuch Baap Dhani’)
A gentleman named ‘Rajguru’ from the town of Bhor (near Pune) played excellent ‘Mrudunga’ (percussion instrument of ancient origin in India). He used to get totally entranced when he accompanied the devotional music with his ‘Mrudunga’ during the festivals at the temple. Maharaj was extremely fond of his ‘Mrudunga’ and at the same time, Rajguru had deep faith in Maharaj.
Around 1985-86, Rajguru’s wife came to meet Maharaj along with her two children. She had come to pray and tell Maharaj about the heart attack Rajguru had suffered when playing his music near Shirur. He had been admitted to the hospital of Dr. Joshi in Pune. Maharaj calmly listened to her agonies. Then he told us to give her some snacks to eat. Once she and her children had finished eating the snacks and tea, Maharaj told me, “Ashok, give her five hundred rupees for expenses.”
I gave her Rs.500 as per Maharaj’s wish. But in my mind, I wondered why Maharaj gave her only 500 rupees, when her husband was being treated in a private hospital in Pune. She must definitely be in an urgent need for money to keep his treatment going. Besides, Rajguru was one of Maharaj’s favourite and Maharaj always had an open heart when helping people. So, when he usually never curtails from helping anybody, why did he let go of this family with just Rs. 500/-. Why was the source of generosity so dry today? There was nothing in my hand — besides the thought process!
After Rajguru’s wife and kids left, Maharaj turned to me and asked if I felt uncomfortable that he had let her go only with Rs500. He said, “There was no point in giving her any more cash today, since Rajguru had already taken his last breath at the hospital. She will find that out as soon as she goes there. There was no chance of her meeting him so I made sure to feed the kids and her before they left the temple. There is nothing more that could be done today.”
A few minutes after she left, there was a call from Joshi hospital confirming the death of Rajguru. After about 2 months, Maharaj summoned Bandushet Jadhav from Mumbai, gave him an amount of Rs10000/- and asked him to give it to Rajguru’s wife. I was a witness to this moment too. So Maharaj told me that if he had given her the amount at the time when she visited the temple, there was a high chance that she would not be in the right frame of mind for properly utilizing the money. Besides, her relatives might have spent major part of that money for funeral rites. But now, after 2 months, she has probably recovered from the trawma and hence he was sending the money to her now.
After this, Maharaj even arranged for her eldest son’s employment with the Pune Municipality Bus Service with the help of his riend Mahashabde
Another memorable experience with his foresightedness is when Maharaj decided to dig a well within the Temple premises. Many felt it was insane and least necessary. Most of them felt that there was more than enough water supply through the corporation pipeline; then what was the need to go through the trouble of digging a well! Adding to the complexity, they hit a completely black stone when they started digging the well. The location of the well was in the densely populated area. Therefore, it was not at all possible to dig the well using explosives with detonators etc. Hence the big black stone had to be broken using a compressor by hand. Usually, there is 15-20 ft of clean water in the well and Maharaj always said proudly that it was water from the holy river Ganga. Maharaj had mentioned a few times that when the Khadakwasla dam supplying water to Pune was swept away, we would all be living off of this well-water only! In fact, I believe this well is a great witness of Maharaj’s far-sightedness and caution.
Right from the beginning, Maharaj had a great liking towards farming. During his stay at Pomendi (Ratnagiri Dist.), Maharaj always went to the farms and grew vegetables like Padwal (Snake-gourds), Dodaki (Chinese Okra), Bhendi (Okra) and Dudhi Bhopla (Opal/gourds) etc. Ploughing the farm requires thirty two items, and he knew them all by heart. He knew what items needed to be connected to which place. However arrogant, stubborn or haughty the bull was, he was able to calm the bull and get him to plough the farms. In Dervan, Maharaj himself sometimes got the land ploughed. He had maintained a big cowshed in Dervan. He had also tried to buy 50-60 acres of farmland near Pune to get enough supply of milk and other products to the temple of Shree Baba Maharaj. For that purpose, we had gone to visit places like Paud Rd, Khed, Shivapur and Tathavade. Shree Sadashivrao Shelke and Shree Patil, the dealer of figs, had shown us some farmlands, but all that land was afflicted. A land about 100 acres was readily available, but it was totally barren without even short grass. Maharaj said, “There are signs of ‘Brahmapishach’ (Ghost of.a Brahman who possessed high attachments towards material things indulged in a haughty disdainful spirit). What is the use of such a land?” Later, when Maharaj decided to leave his body, this matter came to end there itself.
A cow in the Dervan cowshed gave birth to a bull calf. When the bull grew up, he was taken to the farms for ploughing. But when the yoke was placed on his neck, he was not ready to take a single step ahead. It kept squatting down on the farm. No matter what measures they took, the bull was stubborn not to get up. Finally, someone informed Maharaj and he said, “Let us go”. Tidying up his dhotee, he came upto the plough and instead of beating him like others, he spoke to him softly as if her were a human. “You have taken birth to pull the plough, so why are you being so obstinate. Do you thinkg this behaviour appears okay? Now get up, give up your laziness and start working!”
And to everyone’s great surprise, the bull immediately stood up and started ploughing! It died after 20 years, but fulfilled its duty with loyalty and trust for all those years without any trouble. Maharaj was able to simplistically activate even the dumb animals — this is always remembered while managing the prosperous herd of cattle in Dervan. Maharaj never deserted aged cattle that were rendered as useless — this is also something that is remembered along with the realization of his extensive thought behind his actions.
In the year 1978, Maharaj had bought a ‘Pindi’ (statue of Lord Shiva) and ‘Nandi’ (the pet ‘Bull’ of Lord Shiva). He had kept them in a box made out of teak wood. The key for the box was with Sapre Guruji. The box had been forgotten for years ahead. In the year 2003, during the anniversary festival of Shree Baba Maharaj, a thought crossed my mind to install the ‘Pindi’ of Lord Shiva along with ‘Nandi’. Later that day, when I was taking a walk outside, I suddenly remembered the ‘Pindi’ and ‘Nandi’ that Maharaj had bought and kept in the teakwood box. I immediately spoke to Mandar Phadke Guruji to find out where the key was kept. Once I got the key, I took the Pindi and Nandi from the box and asked Balasaheb Kajrekar to get silver seats prepared for the gods. I then got them installed in the temple on 4th and 5th of December, 2003. The worship of ‘Laghurudra’ was carried out and later, during the sacrifice of ‘Panchayatan Yag’ the worship of ‘Atirudra’ was also carried out. I believe that Maharaj has accomplished these with his own desire.
The word ‘foresight’ is being often used in reference to Maharaj. But if we really want to understand the true meaning of this word, then we should ponder over the details of each one of the different projects undertaken by Majaraj. The procedures he adopted while administering the institute, the decisions he took on different occasions and in difficult situations! All of it makes us realize the true meaning of the word ‘foresight’. If we define ‘foresight’ as making a close observation of the future, the question that comes to my mind is, “How many years should one look into the future ….!” Sadguru Baba Maharaj had told Digambardas Maharaj years ago that he would continue to stay in the temple for thousand years! As we notice now, Digambardas Maharaj surely adopted many projects suitable to this vision of his Guru.
One, who understands the connection between his foresight and his activities, can definitely understand the secret behind the projects and decisions taken by Maharaj.
During the decade of 1980, there was a lack of interest in the society with regards to religion and religious activities. This had a direct and indirect impact on the groups of Brahmins who usually carried out the religious duties. There was no favourable atmosphere for the study of Vedas (the oldest Hindu Scriptures). Apart from their duties of a family priest, the Brahmins were now thinking of entering other occupations to maintain their livelihood. It had become very difficult to make a living by performing the duties of a family priest, because the society as a whole had lost respect for religion and related activities.
In times of such changing atmosphere, Maharaj rapidly initiated a number of religious activities. He kept the Brahmin community busy with large scale religious programmes, such as reading of the ‘Pavaman’, ‘Soursookta’, ‘Shrisookta’, ‘Saptashati’, ‘Srimat Bhagwat’, ‘Shri Guruleelamrit’, ‘Shri Navnath’ and ‘Shri Gurucharitra’. By keeping the learned Brahmins (who were experts in reciting the Vedas) engaged, he ensured that the knowledge they had acquired would not go waste.
He motivated the school of Vedas and provided necessary help; thus ensuring that more and more young men studied the Vedas and kept our traditions alive. In fact this was the responsibility of the entire Hindu Society and not just one person. But what the society did was to hold consultations or discussion on what was right & what was wrong? But Maharaj was the only one who acted on it! Today after 25 years, the picture is more delightful than any previous time and all the credit must undoubtedly be given to our Maharaj.
Maharaj had expressed many brilliant thoughts in a very systematic form targeting the future progress of our society. If you just took it by facevalue, you could never understand the deep thoughts behind them. For that purpose one had to go deep into understanding his view points.
Maharaj always said that any society should not have a very huge fund base. When wealth is collected in funds with crores of rupees, the society could become petty and greedy. The wealth of the society would then attract the greedy and selfish, just like ants. If a person comes to the society without any aim or objective for the society, it is definite that such a person will bring destruction to the society.
So Maharaj always told us to only make arrangements for a particular forthcoming festival, and not worry about festivals or expenses that could pop-up over the next few years. Our Sadguru is always there, to take care of our worries.
This way Maharaj always presented his thoughts which appeared contradictory on the surface, but were definitely suitable and orderly when seen by foresight. He always took his own decisions without advice from anyone else.
Two things are extremely essential for ‘forethought’ – contemplation and Planning! When things needed to be done, Maharaj first thought in-depth and only then planned. He would not carry out any work without good planning whether it be big occasion like festivals at the temple or usual routine rituals. It could be a building construction or the erection of a temporary shet — whatever the occasion, every activity had to be planned and carried out accordingly. Hence.there was no confusion left since Maharaj had usually thought-out every minute detail and planned for probable scenarios. Alternative arrangements were usually always ready! Let us just consider the simple example of electricity. In today’s modern world, if there is a power failure the generators start automatically. But this was not the case few years back since generators were not available back then. So back then, during the festivals, there used to be one lamp installed at the water-tank for washing feet, another one at the Temple and one on the path of the palanquin. In addition to that there used to be 4 lamps in the 4 corners — so a minimum of 6 lamps were always lighted.
This was all pre-planned with great cautious thinking behind it. A number of women attended the festivals — and if ever there was a power failure, there should be enough light around so that no one could misbehave taking advantage of the darkness. All this precaution was being taken for that sole purpose. All the gas-lamps were being systematically taken care of. Whenever Tatya Bhide came from Ratnagiri, it was his job to maintain the lamps and ensure every one of them is in good working condition. The spare parts for the lamps with mantles; spanners etc. were always brought on time and kept in a specific spot. Once every 4-5 months, the lantern was also washed, dried and made ready by filling kerosene oil. The lanterns in the Temple Maharaj’s bedroom as well as upstairs were kept lighted. Besides there were candles and match-boxes kept in a pre-determined spot all the time. A candle, match-box and a flashlight were always kept behind the chair where Maharaj usually sat. These were all arrangements made with reference to lighting of the lamps or the candles in case of a powerfailure. This level of planning was required in every aspect at the temple or for the projects undertaken. Maharaj always had a procedure of making detailed arrangements, and keeping the same in written form. That made it easier for the next time an event took place at the temple.
Besides such acute arrangements to avoid confusion and disorder, he insisted that the work should be neat and extraordinarily tidy. Every action of Maharaj was nothing but perfect! Even his plate after eating the meals was worth seeing. He also consumed limited food.
After Shree BabaMaharaj took Mahasamadhi (last conscious communion with God), Maharaj gave up his favourite tea. But later because of health issues, he stopped drinking coffee and started drinking tea again. Certain days, he would consume upto 10-12 cups of tea per hour. And I had to drink those many times along with him! If I refused to drink at any point, he would refuse saying, “Then I will also not drink tea.” Therefore, I had no choice but to continue drinking tea to give him company!
In the last few days, he was losing consciousness and it was now more important to pay attention on his meals. We would serve as much food as he would normally eat but if he lost his consciousness, he would simply get up and walk away in that condition. He would eat chutney (relish made with green chillies, cocunut) should be served only like a chutney; the vegetable curry should be served like a vegetable only — this was just a glace on one side of his plate. Vegetables like Bhendi (Okra or lady’s finger), Padwal (snake-gourd), Dodaka (Chinese Okra), Gawar (cluster-beans), Dudhi-bhopla (Opal – squash), and Vangi (brinjal) etc were prepared usually. He was fond of mixing the bitterish beans of ‘Waal’ in different vegetables such as Padwal and ‘Tondali’ (ivy gourd). In the meals there used to be either a dish of spiced ‘Waal’ pulses or ‘Moong’ or a dish of boiled and spiced beans. Also depending on the season, they would serve peas or ‘Pawata’ beans.
He would eat every thing from him plate in a systematic manner. The part of the plate occupied with veggies, chutney, rice and salad would be in its place, while the rest of the plate would be nice and clean. His plate looked sparkling clean even after he finished his meals — almost to an extent that one could doubt if the plate was ever used for eating.
Traditionally, food is served in a specific manner on the plate. Chutney, pickles on the top left; desert, vegetables on the right and rice or chapatis in the center or lower half of the plate. Once when we were having lunch with Maharaj, he appeared to be extremely tired. He was seated on the bed with his plate on top of a stool. That day, they had served Bhendi (Okra). The gentleman who sat besides me did not like this vegetable since it was a bit mushy. So he requested for more servings of ‘Koshimbeer’ (salad made from cucumbers and yogurt). Even though Maharaj was extremely tired, he immediately responded to this request from the gentleman and taunted “Do they serve vegetables on the left side of the dinner plate nowadays?” This simple sentence was sufficient warning for that gentleman.
The desire for neatness was part of his appreciation for beauty. He had a strong liking to keep everything good looking and clean. The wooden case for the idols was polished every year. The ironsheet base below the wooden case was always being polished with oil-paint and kept shining. This precaution was necessary to prevent the iron sheets from rusting due to contact with water. The base was then covered by a piece of brown paper of the same size until the oil-paint was dry. The bell and brass foil on the square seat of the ‘Padukas’ (the feet impressions on stone) were required to be rubbed clean, then polished and kept very shining. The slabs in the Temple were washed with water and then wiped with a wet piece of cloth. After that they had to be cleaned with a dry piece of cloth. Even after all these efforts, Maharaj was able to find some dust somewhere and would say, “My feet are getting slightly dusty. The slabs were not cleaned properly!”
When we observed closely, his feet really seemed to be covered with dust. Lord Krishna was usually described as, “One whose lotus feet very delicate” Like Lord Krishna, the feet of Maharaj were also very delicate His soles were soft, tender and pink. They were so clear that even a minute dust particle from a cleaned floor could be obviously noticed on his feet.
Maharaj was very selective in the preparations for the worship of Shree Sadguru Baba Maharaj — such as the flowers used for worship, utensils required and the delicacies that were prepared as offerings for the deities etc. He was very picky about the freshness of the flowers, and that every diety was showered with flowers of their liking. For Lord Ganesha, the red hibiscus and Doorva (three-stem grass) was compulsorily made available. Similarly, Lord Shankar was decorated with the tender three-leaf sacred leaves of ‘Bel’ and the ‘Tulsi’ (holy basil) was expected to be nothing but bright and full. Every copper and brass utensil used for the worship was rubbed clean and shined to perfection. The sandalwood paste used during worship was always a thick quality paste and the sandalwood perfumes or incense sticks used were always the best quality. Even the ghee used for lighting the lamps before the idols were of extremely good quality. While offering flowers to the idol, one had to arrange them beautifully in order to increase the glamour of the idol. Garlands had to be put up in perfection so the idol or the portraits were in the center. Every idol and portrait was adorned with garlands.
The beds had to be setup neatly and he used to personally pay close attention so there were no wrinkles on the bedding. At night an offering of milk with sugar was made to Shree BabaMaharaj in a silver utensil. After offering it to Baba Maharaj, he would take a mouthful along with a sugarcandy before sleeping. The remaining milk offering was available to the rest of of us.
In the Temple of Pune, food was being offered to 27 such different deities. Therefore, it was a ritual to prepare 27 plates when offering food to all the deities. But soon, the cook and the attendants complained of the amount of work and based on the grumbling and discontent the number of plates served to the deities was reduced to 18. Maharaj spoke sorrowfully “Shree Baba is going to dwell in this place for the next one thousand years. So I had planned to feed all the 27 deities. But because of the laziness of my attendants, this plan had to be cancelled.” His eyes were wet and his voice choked as he spoke with emotion. From these very tears of Maharaj, I realized how far ahead he had planned for his dependents.
His vision and eye for beauty was a joy to watch even on the simplest of occasions. Once, someone brought a large bouquet of roses for Maharaj. He kept that bouquet near his bed with great admiration. That same day, Malitai Walawalkar and her daughter-in-law had come to visit and take his blessings. Maharaj asked Madhavrao to give two flowers from the bouquet to each one of them. Madharao pulled out two roses that were easily in his reach and game them to Malitai and her daughter-in-law. Immediately, Maharaj said “Oh! That is not the right way to do this. Just look at that bouquet for a moment and think as to which roses are really good. Whichever is good, that is the only one that you should give to others. It is only on that basis, our good wishes would reach up to them. Do not just perform the duty with emotional expression but enjoy the happiness out of that task. For that purpose your mind should be emotional and tasteful. Your life would certainly become pleasant if you take that approach; but more importantly, the people who come in your company will also become happy and content.”
The creativity and vision for beauty was more obvious during festive ceremonies. Maharaj paid full attention while preparing for all the festive ceremonies. At the time of Diwali, his used to be overjoyed with enthusiasm. Almost felt like he was in a great hurry. He would personally make all the purchases from fragrances to fragrant oils to sarees, shirts, dhotees and more. He used to bring fire-crackers 7-8 large sacks full! He would then pack the gifts for every family coming to the temple during Diwali based on the number of ladies, getns, and children from each family abd then carefully writing their names on the wrapped gifts. Each giftbag included a fragrant oil bottle, small fragrance and if the family had school-going children, then a variety of fire-crackers were also included without fail. Also everybody staying in the Temple was provided with new clothes before Diwali.
After completing the ‘Arti’, people who came to the temple were offered coriander seed, sugar tarts, and then, coffee. The Diwali festival starts with the day of ‘Dhanatrayodashi’. By summoning various cooks, Maharaj prepared in advance snacks like ‘Chivada’ (spiced rice flakes with nuts and coconut), ‘Besan Ladoo’ (sweet balls made from chick-pea flour), ‘Rava Ladoo’ (sweet balls made from cream of wheat), ‘Chakli’ (fried spicy spirals made from gram flour), ‘Kadbole’ (fried rings made of mixed flour) and ‘Shev’ (deep fried noodles made from gram flour) etc. All these refreshments were offered at the temple on this day of Dhantrayodashi. The temple was also decorated with small-decorative lamps the same night.
Maharaj woke up everybody early before dawn the next morning on the day of ‘Narak Chaturdashi’. After the morning rituals, the entire temple was illuminated with the small lamps called ‘Pantya’. The floors were decorated with beautiful ‘Rangoli’ made from vibrant colours that would catch anyone’s eye! Everyone was then massaged with fragrant oil and at times, Maharaj would personally empty entire bottles of fragrant oil on their scalps. But he himself would only apply as much as a drop on himself. After everybody had bathed with enough of hot water, Maharaj used to give everyone a small scented piece of cotton and some money for sweets. He said, “You guys live here in the home of Baba, leaving your own house ad family behind. So I have to give the same affection that you may be getting from your family!” Maharaj treated us with so much affection; but the truth is that we would never get so much affection even from our own families!
The ‘Arti’ was conducted from 8am — 8:30am; the refreshment were offered to Baba Maharaj on the occasion of Diwali and the devotees who come there for blessings, were served with enough refreshments. If anyone had already had their refreshments at home, then they were sent home with refreshment packs. At 10am, Maharaj would start insisting that we also eat the snacks. Later, the afternoon meals were the tastiest of dishes along with other refreshments. At night, the temple was illuminated with tons of decorative lighting. For everyone who came to the temple on the day of ‘Diwali’ for blessings, Maharaj gave them one spoonful of oil for applying on their scalps and a small scented piece of cotton for each one of them. In addition, a lot of sweets were purchased ahead of time from the market and distributed to all the devotees visiting the temple for Diwali.
On the day of ‘Bhaubeej’, many women came to the temple to perform the traditional ritual of ‘aarti’, considering Maharaj as their elder brother. After the ‘aarti’, Maharaj would gift them money or sarees just like brothers do on this auspicious occasion. During diwali, we were also gifted with clothes. A square-shaped glass Lantern was kept illuminated right from ‘Kojagiri Pournima'(The full moon day in Ashwin month as per Hindu calendar) up until ‘Tripuri Pournima’ (full moon day in ‘Kartik month as per Hindu calendar). We used to fire crackers to our hearts content. Maharaj used to stand behind us and watch us with great pleasure. If anyone was afraid of fire crackers, he would encourage them and insist that they try to overcome their fears. He wanted us all to take the lead in every matter and never lag behind. Overall, the days during Diwali were a lot more enjoyable in the Temple that they would ever be in our own homes!
Another festival that is worth mentioning is the ‘Tulasi Vivah’ …..marriage ceremony of ‘Tulsi’, the holy basil (also considered as a goddess) with Lord Krishna. This was celebrated with great pomp, almost appeared like the domestic marriage of a millionaire. Women came dressed elegantly and men also dressed up for the special occasion. A wedding drape was held between the bride and the groom (idol of Lord Krishna and Tulasi (also known as Radha, the beloved of Lord Krishna). Everyone was given fragrance, rosewater and sweets. Each lady was offered the ‘Haldi Kumkum’ (traditional representation of a married women with turmeric and a red powder to be applied on their forehead). Women were also given the flowers for their hair etc.
These are some festivals described just as examples! All the annual programmes were organized and implemented in a much disciplined manner and it was pretty easy to feel his excellent planning behind all that. Behind all the troubles, hard work, planning and other headaches that Maharaj dealt with, there was this exceptional, boundless devotion towards his ‘Sadguru’ and the feeling that ‘this is the house of my Sadguru; I am his humble servant ….’Vithu’, something that always hums in my mind!’
The ‘Ganesh’ festival was also another festival celebrated at the temple with great joy. The arrival of ‘Lord Ganesha’ brought excitement and joy to Maharaj. He went to the market a couple of days ahead of the festival to bring all the decorations, the statue of Ganesha along with the idol of ‘Hartalika’ (i.e. ‘Parvati’ — mother of Ganesha and wife of Lord Shiva). One of the rituals during this festival is to offer a three-stemmed grass called ‘Doorva’ as it is one of Ganesha’s favorite. Maharaj would ensure that enough ‘Doorvah’, flowers and related items were collected ahead of time. This job was usually entrusted upon Dnyaneshwar Kale and Baban Patil. All of us would join hands for the beautiful illumination for the idols.
The Ganesh festival was celebrated for 1 ½ days. The sacred ceremony of “Pran Pratishttha” (instilling life in the idol), then ‘Sahasravartane’ (reciting the name of Lord Ganesha for one thousand times), then offering Ganesha with ‘Sahasra doorvah’ meaning 1000 Doorva’s. All these rituals were completed within the 1 ½ days of the celebration. The temple echoed with the sounds of the ‘aarti’ in the morning and evening. A heavy feast including ‘Modak, which is the most favorite dish of Ganesha was prepared on the day of immersion. Every devotee was offered with a ‘Modak’ as blessings. The very next day, idol of ‘Lord Ganesh’ was immersed. Maharaj used to choke with emotions at the thought of immersing the idol of Lord Ganesha. He would bid his goodbyes saying ‘Please come back soon…..’ with a heavy heart. And he never joined the immersion procession saying that if he ever did, he may immerse himself in water along with Lord Ganesha. Therefore, Vazekaka, Pramod, Ravikaka and a few others including myself would go with the procession and complete the rituals of immersing the idol of Lord Ganesha.
Back then, the temple was more like a shet with a thin metal-plated roof. We had heard Maharaj murmering to himself almost as if he was talking to his sadguru, “You have given me a house built of cement-concrete while you yourself are living in a shet with a metal roof”. He would be overcome with emotions everytime he thought of this. The roof would heat up quickly during the summer months. Until 1981, we would run the fan in the temple between 11am to 4pm everyday during the summer days to ensure that Sadguru Baba Maharaj did not feel uncomfortable with the heat.
There was also a small table-fan in Digambardas Maharaj’s room. Besides that there were no other fans in the temple. But due to my continuous pestering, Maharaj finally approved installation of fans across the residences of ‘Gurukripa’ and ‘Vasudevanant Saraswati’. At the same time, a cooler was installed in the temple of shree Baba Maharaj.
Maharaj got a beautiful oil-painting of Baba Maharaj made from a well-known artist named ‘Sawardekar’. While he was working on the painting, Baba Maharaj himself appeared infront and blessed him. Maybe because of that, the painting turned out really perfect. Maharaj installed this painting with great devotion in the temple. Later when the idol of Shree Baba Maharaj was installed, the painting was moved to the right side of the idol.
In this oil-painting, Shree Baba had held both his hands joined at the fingers and near the heart with a facial expression of salutation and there was this hollowness at the palms. Seeing this hollow space between the palms of his joined hands, Sadguru Ranade had once said, “This hollowness shows that ‘He’ (Shree Sadguru Baba Maharaj) is the origin of the Universe.” Digambardas Maharaj would often narrate this to us.
An open mind was required to adopt any improvements or modern habits. A right attitude towards planning almost as if its our own was required to make any function successful. Maharaj had no disagreements with modern conveniences nor did he have any objections towards using them at the temple. So when the number of programs and attendees kept on increasing, he was completely in favour of changing his plans as required by changing times. Before, the food was cooked using charcoal; over time this was replaced by cornhust stoves and eventually to kerosene stoves. We required almost 30-40 stoves to cook the meals. Back then the stoves needed to be ignited with the help of Spirit. A permit was required every year for the use of Spirit. So Balasaheb Kajrekar took Mahara’s permission and finally started the use of gas for cooking in the kitchen. The next level of modernization was use of the pressure cooker!.That saved both time as well as fuel. The dinnerware and utensils used for preparing and serving food were initially made of brass (including plates, bowls, glasses and small dishes). Maharaj himself preferred drinking water from copper utensils. But cleaning the brass utensils was a time-consuming task. Plus we needed to do tin-plate them every few days. So Balasaheb put forth a proposal of using stainless steel utensils and Majaraj immediately approved that. The steel utensils required a lot of care when cleaning and if they were given to the maids for cleaning, they would scratch them easily. So Maharaj raised the question, “Who would clean the utensils?” At the end of a hour-long discussion, I was given the honour of cleaning those utensils. With due respect, I only cleaned the utensils after both meals, for approximately 5-6 months. Later, Maharaj gave permission to get these utensils cleaned through a maidservant.
Once Maharaj bought rice from the ration-shop and the same rice was used to cook that day and unfortunately, the same rice was also used in the offerings prepared for Shree Baba Maharaj. That night, Shree Baba came in the dream of Maharaj and asked why he was offered rice from the ration-shop and if it was difficult to bring good quality rice? So, from that day onwards, the rice from ration-shop was never brought into the Temple. On festive occasions, thousands of devotees sit in rows for food. They are also served with good quality rice only. When some pitiful people eat and leave, they discuss amongst themselves how the temple could afford such good quality rice. But Maharaj made sure he did not let his guru down until the end.
Maharaj always offered his meals as ‘Naivedya’ …probably offering it to his Sadguru and deity. Hence everything served on his plate had to be fresh and not served to anyone else yet. If any item was left out, Maharaj would not accept it later once he had started eating. Many times, we had the privilege to hear him have conversations with Swamiji, Sadguru Baba Maharaj while eating. The conversations were interesting such as, “Swamiji, why are you only eating rice today? Add some buttermilk; try not to eat dry rice”. At times, Maharaj would say to us, “Sadguru Baba was saying that he did not have any taste at all, he was simply eating for the sake of it!”
Lord Pandurang ‘Vithoba’ appeared in Maharaj’s dream usually on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’ (the eleventh day of the fortnight in the fourth month of Hindu calendar and June and July month as per EnglishCalener) and also during ‘Kartiki Ekadashi’ (the eleventh day of the fortnight in the eighth month as per Hindu calendar and November-December month as per English calendar). Maharaj always said that the nineth incarnation of Buddha was Lord Pandurang Vithoba himself! Saint Ekanath Maharaj had also stated the same. Buddha means silence. It had no connection with Gautam Buddha at all. In the ‘Dwapar Yug’, the third age, Lord Krishna had performed numerous acts. He also had open conversations with all. Lord Krishna also told Bhagwadgita, the section of Mahabharata, in which he sets out for Arjun, the principles of a correct and pious life. But in the incarnation as Buddha, Lord Pandurang did not speak even a single word. He speaks only to his devotees; Maharaj had explained this during the ‘Keertan’ at the temple.
Just like his Sadguru, Maharaj loved his country, his religion and also maintained his trust. Therefore, he had special respect towards leaned Brahmins. He showed great affection just like his own family members to Sapre Guruji, the religious teacher who was given the responsibility of the chief priest for all religious functions in the temple. Maharaj also had very close friendly relations with pre-eminent personalities like Vedic scholar Kinjawadekar Shastri, religious teachers like Nawathe guruji, Vasantrao Phadke Guruji, Dr. Deo from Bernaras, Dinakar Bhatt Phadke, Gulsundkar Guruji, Phanasalkar Guruji, Athalye Guruji, and Bhatkhande Guruji from Alibag, Raigad district etc. He cared deeply for these brahmins and was always alert to ensure that was no lapse in honoring them. Nawathe Guruji and Vasantrao Phadke Guruji never ate anything that was prepared by someone else. During the sacrifice hosted at the temple in 1982, Maharaj invited both of them. He had assured them that he would take every precaution with respect to their discipline with food preparations. During their presence at the temple, a sweet dish called ‘sheera’ was made without using a single drop of water. This dish was made with Ghee and milk only. He personally paid attention to see if they received the dish in time.
Maharaj had complete faith in many of the Hindu religious rituals or customs. He was very prudent in performing the various ceremonies in time, such as the ‘Paksha’ and ‘Shraddha’. These rituals are conducted every year in honor of the past family members during the month of ‘Bhadrapad’ as per Hindu calendar. Further he also followed the ceremony ‘Shravani’ (renewing of the sacred thread in the month of ‘Shravan’).
Once I had a small surgery done on my right hand during the month of ‘Ashadh’. But my hand was still not completely okay until the month of ‘Shravan’. It was extremely painful for me to even move my hand leave aside me performing the sacred thread ceremony ‘Shravani’ for 3 to 4 hours. When I told Maharaj that I would be unable to attend the ‘Shravani’ due to my hand, he immediately retorted, “This is not at all agreeable! You can sit by my side, and perform whatever you can with your left hand. In any circumstance, the ‘Shravani’ must be performed!”
Maharaj had a simple mind with pure thoughts. He always brought people together with love and extended his affection to every extent possible. But when self-interest and ego was afflicted, the same people would go out and start making wrong propoganda’s against Maharaj. Some people skillfully condemned Maharaj and even published pamphlets against him. I consider myself lucky and extremely fortunate for two things. First, I never met any such person who was banned from coming to the temple by Maharaj and second, I never came across or had the need to read any content published against Maharaj. I consider this as a kind and gracious favour of Maharaj on me.
Once someone published something just before the Anniversary celebrations of Sadguru Baba Maharaj. Maharaj was a bit distressed due to this. On Sunday morning, when I came to the temple for some work, Maharaj told me about the leaflets published and said, “Now some people will avoid coming for the festival. You will be there for my help, won’t you?” I immediately said, “Whatever happens, I will certainly be here only! Please do not doubt about this in your mind at all!”
My assuring words brought a smile to his face! That excessively joyous facial expression of Maharaj is still fresh in my memory. Frankly speaking, my contribution to the entire program was merely important. But my support during his difficult times, brought joy to his pure and innocent mind. Sometimes, I wonder if even at that high ranking spot, he might be feeling really lonely!
Besides all the seriousness, Maharaj had a very good sense of humor. Someitmes, while talking to a person wearing a hat, Maharaj would suddenly play pranks with their hat. A ‘Pravachankar’ named Joshi, from ‘Basani’ village near Ratnagiri District; gave religious discourse as a living, had come to meet Maharaj. He was the disciple of Saint ‘Swarupanand’. He had come to do some fundraising for the renovation of the ‘Rukmini Raman’ temple in Basani village. He was a bit arrogant. After the initial welcome and friendly reception, Maharaj asked him the reason for his visit. He said, “I came here to collect some ‘Patti’ as your contribution for repairing the Temple!” etc.
In Kokani language, ‘Patti’ means contribution towards any fundraising activities. In the Konkan region, such contribution was usually collected for public works. Maharaj belonged to the Konkan area! Patti also meant a long piece of cloth in marathi and konkani. So Maharaj went inside and brought an arms length strip of cloth about nine inches wide and handed it to the gentleman as his contribution ‘Patti’! Then Maharaj offered him milk etc and after the usual formalities the gentleman went away without saying a word. He did take the piece of cloth that Maharaj gave him as donation. The smart man put the ‘Patti’ or piece of cloth that Maharaj gave him into the donation box at the temple of ‘Rukmini Raman’. Miraculously after that, there was a constant flow of funds from all over the place! The temple was renevoted soon after that and the festival of the temple was initiated in systematic manner.
Maharaj was amusingly playful here with the use of words. I had already observed the correct and conclusive usage of words by Maharaj during the quarrel about the drumsticks in the temple yard. Once a family had come especially to take his blessings. Maharaj suddenly asked their young teenage daughter, “Oh! Have your number arrived?” The girl got confused and said, “Maharaj, there was no examination at all. So what numbers are you asking about?”
Maharaj asked her the same question after a few minutes and the girl gave him the same answer. After 4-5 times, the seniormost member of their family disgusted with this question, spoke to me and said, “Is there a shortage of blood supply to his brain? Why is he asking her the same question again and again?”
What examination and what number? I had a clear idea what Maharaj was referring to. Indirectly, Maharaj was indicating to her that she had already arranged for her own love-marriage and that’s what he meant by saying her number had arrived. Giving all these details to the family chief would have given him a heart-attach and even stopped the flow of blood in his entire body! So, I just laughed. After that family left the temple, Maharaj looked at me, meaningfully and gave me a big smile.
A few days later, we received a wedding invitation from that family for the girls wedding ceremony. But by that time, Maharaj had already left this world.
If Maharaj ever asked a lady, “Did you suffer from typhoid?”, then we assumed that she had done something immoral!
Maharaj had the skill to shape his words as per his desire or break them to form new words the way he wants them to. All this added to the amusingly playful nature that proved his distinctive personality. But the actual power of words should be experienced in his poems! And also in the huge treasure of books written by him! You can take any of his poems – ‘Babancha Dhava’, the earnest prayer to Baba or ‘Sankshipta Sadguru Charitra’ the short biography of Sadguru (good preceptor). It is amazing to watch the beautiful usage and placement of the words. Words are insufficient to describe!
Saying this by getting emotionally overpowered; in reality there was no shortage of creative words for Maharaj, especially when he was praising his Guru. It was almost as if he owned a mine of word-gems in his hands. Just like setting a gem in the gold socket, so did Maharaj set all his word-gems into the gold sockets of his poems as an offering at the lotus feet of his Sadguru!
|| Transpose the entire ocean into ink ||
|| Lay out the writing on this entire earth ||
|| Even then the biography of Sadguru is limitless ||
|| No one would know the end of that ||
Maharaj said this in one of his poems and further, humbly said that acceptance of silence was the only way to adopt.
“In this manner my Sadguru summoned me” by saying so he again offered everything at the lotus feet of his Sadguru, with the feeling that this entire writing ‘does not belong to me’!
What I never understood was if there was a fragrance of the good preceptor, regarding the imaginative power of the poems of Maharaj or whether the seven colours of the imaginative power of poems had been accrued together as a devotion to his Sadguru –
In the sixth chapter of the short biography, Maharaj has written to his sadguru-
|| In the forest of devotion, you are like the Sandalwood tree ||
|| You are God and We the worshippers ||
If one reads this with true dedication and devotion, they will be thrilled with joy. While describing his Sadguru, he has also written, ‘You are the emperor of Divine Experience|’, and the use of the word, ‘Chakravartee’- meaning the emperor, is just perfect and I doubt any great poet would be able to suggest another word for that!
In the eleventh chapter of the short biography, Maharaj has said,
|| You would become a relative to such a person in this world ||
|| The one who has no self-arrogance at all ||
In this line, the word ‘Soyira’ means a diamond with excellently polished facet. In marathi, the word Soyira means a close relation. When looking closely at a diamond against the light, it shows the brilliance and in the same manner, the word ‘Soyira’ portrays the beautiful relationship of the guru and his disciple. The word ‘Soyira’ has created magic on me. The moment when I realizd that my Sadguru has revered me as his disciple, that very moment I realized there is nothing more for me to achieve!
Baba Maharaj accepted Maharaj as his ‘Soyira’, and said “Vithoba, I have taken over your entire ego!” By doing so, Baba Maharaj accepted Maharaj as his ‘Soyira’. Long before that, Digambardas Maharaj had already broken all his bondings with family and other relatives.
When Maharaj laid unusual conditions on me, my relatives also got detached from me. Maharaj accepted me as if his own and he became my ‘Soyira’! In the end, this relationship is the only true relation that is meaningful to me. And why not! How was this ‘Soyira’? He was so strong that the whole universe played at his tunes and bowed to his powers. My entire life became fully blissful ….thanks to my Guru, my ‘Soyira’!
I had the benefit of getting complete affection from my Sadguru. It was almost as if he was always with me, when doing work, with each passing breath, with each heartbeat, when I was awake or in sleep. And hence I bow down at your lotusfeet!
|| I am worshipping you, by devoting myself entirely ||
In this line, the word ‘Sarvaswe Karoon’ (devoting oneself entirely) has immense importance. Unless I devote myself entirely, how would my Sadguru become my ‘Soyira’?
Once I told Digambardas Maharaj that even if he had stopped writing after compiling the ‘Arati’ in honour of Sadguru Shree Baba, he would still have received the honour of a great poet. Seeing such a favourable composition in modern times was a miracle of divine talent in Maharaj. It was definitely a living manifestation of intense devoutness for a Guru!
Once we were honoured with a strange vision along with the talented poetry recited by Maharaj. Walawalkarsaheb and myself were the only two there. It was the death anniversary of Saint Dnyaneshwar Maharaj. It was quarter past three in the afternoon. Maharaj randomly composed an entire poem on the precious occasion when Dnyaneshwar Maharaj went into trance; and furthermore, he practically presented it infront of us. This powerful speech continued flowing until 8.00 o’clock that night.
Similarly, I remember another time when after dinner around 11pm, Maharaj started to narrate the biography of Lord Krishna in a poetic form. He narrated in poetry, about the land controlled by demons; the marriage of Vasudev-Devki (parents of Lord Krishna); their imprisonment; the dreadful assassination of Devaki’s seven babies by her own brother King Kaunsa; the birth of Lord Krishna along with his playful years in Gokul; the war between Kaurav-Pandav; and then the frantic dance of destruction etc. In then end, when the arrow of a hunter struck the big toe of Lord Krishna, and he gave his life voluntarily, we all silently listened and almost felt the events happening in front of us. As a result the audience was all in tears by the end of the recital. When Maharaj suddenly proclaimed, “Come on, let us now go and take bath!”, we all realized it was almost 5am in the morning.
There is this specific category of individuals that has a liking towards spirituality and they go wandering from Himalayas to Kanyakumari (northern tip to the southern tip of India). When they find someone interesting, they spread the word around and advise others to go try it out. If someone from such an interest came to Maharaj and asked him to join them in visiting a particular saint or Guru, Maharaj would eagerly agree and say, “If you say so …let us go!” He had the tendency of scanning things like a cobra. So, he was testing the other person too. Seldomly, he would express acclamation by clapping his hands when there were some tricks shown by the other person — but soon, he would be thrown out like a small pebble in the rice!
Once a gentleman named Desai from Mumbai insisted Maharaj to visit someone named Phulab Maharaj, near Beed District. Maharaj decided to go visit along with Walawalkarsaheb, myself and two others from the temple. At night, we all rested in a Government Rest house and ate whatever snacks we had carried with us, such as ‘Chivda’ and ‘Ladu’. At night Maharaj was sitting on the bed for a long time, totally absorbed in meditation. In the morning when we woke up, we observed that he was still sitting in the same position. Later in the morning we all went to visit ‘Phulab Maharaj’. There some of us waved the lamp around ‘Phulab Maharaj’ and garlanded him etc. After that, Phulab Maharaj gave us a demonstration. He inserted his bare hand and removed the fried ‘Poori’ from a pan of boiling oil. Digambardas Maharaj was right there watching everything but he did not say anything about this demonstration.
On our return journey, we all went to Ambejogai (Marathwada, Maharashtra) to take the blessings of the goddess Jogeshwari . We stayed at the residence of Pathak, the family priest of Maharaj. Maharaj performed the worship of the Goddess with full devotion; dressed her up with a saree and then made an offering of ‘Puranpoli’ (a sweet stuffed pancake made with lentils). We returned to Pune from there but we were delayed a bit since our vehicle had some issues.
After coming to Pune, within a few days, we received a letter from one of Phulab Maharaj’s disciple. He had laid down the trade secrets of Phulab Maharaj — supposedly he applied sandalwood oil to his hands before immersing them in boiling oil and therefore, his hand was never burnt. After reading the letter Maharaj laughed and said “In the society like this people easily follow a juggler making a miracle. There is no salutation without miracles! This saying came into being because the show of such jugglers was numerically growing but sooner or later, their hypocricy will definitely come into light”.
Just like ‘Phulab Maharaj’ incident, there was another ‘Baba’ from Bhaatkal (North Kanara district). A scientist named Mudbhatkal, recommended intensely about this ‘Baba’, so Maharaj sent three of us (Bajiraosaheb, Desai and I) to Bhatkal. We brought him with us in a taxi and made arrangements for him to stay in a hotel (This was the same time that my hand had started to pain). At night the ‘Baba’ started humming weird sounds like “Hu Hu, Hi Hi” etc. I said, “What is going on? I do not have faith in such things.” So Maharaj changed the subject and said, “Ashok has fear for such things. Let him go down and sleep.”
I went downstairs to sleep with pleasure at 11pm. There were a couple of other gentlemen from Pune who had stayed upstairs. Early morning around 4 am they woke me and asked me to go upstairs with them. They were all telling me what happened with ‘Baba’, but I was never really interested in these things, so I did not pay too much attention. After 2-3 days, Maharaj sent this ‘Baba’ back to where he came from!
While going to Bhatkal, on the nearside, there is a town named Haldipur. There Mudbhatkal took us to a gentleman named Hegde. He had a daughter about 15-16 years old. As per her statement, she was able to see Lord Hanuman, in the oil lamp. She also said, that Lord Hanuman could reply all her questions. This Hegde was a Brahmin, a member of the Hindu priestly caste and there was extreme poverty in his house. Even then, they greeted us and gave us tea and snacks. So we kept 100/- each in front of their deity. Mudbhatkal had brought a watch and gold chain to give to the girl but Hegde did not accept anything. He said, “I would prefer to survive in the same state. Otherwise we will get spoiled!” This small experience made us feel better to realize that was still people in this world, who preserve their self-esteem.
Afterwards we went to the town of Shirali, well known for the temple of the Saraswat community. We also visited the tomb of second Shankarswami in the town of Mallapur (this was related to the past life of Digambardas Maharaj).
Someone took me once to an ascetic of Nathpanthi sect. He was from the town of Dhankavadi. This ascetic was famous for making accurate predictions. When I met him, I asked when the issue of my land-properly will get resolved? He replied, “Next month your dispute will definitely get resolved.” I laughed and replied to him, “I own no land …in that case, I have no property case, then how would my case get resolved next month!”
I never believed in such braggers, nor do I believe in them now. Fortunately, by the grace of my Sadguru, a spiritual instructor and director, by the grace of my family deity, and the grace of Gangeshwar of Khanu, the ancestral religious merit, I received blessings of many true saints as well as virtuous personalities. I also received their affection!
Once we had gone to visit Harikaka Gosavi, a true ascetic. As soon as he laid first sight on us, he exclaimed, “These people belong to high society, spread a large carpet for them to sit and ensure a special meal with sweet plaintains is prepared today.” In the second meeting, he placed a rose in my hand, and said “Your work had been done.” In the third meeting, he kept sacred rice in my palm and said, “I will return soon!” He left his body within a month after this last meeting. A person from our own group mis-interpreted the sacred rice Harikaka Gosavi gave to me in my last meeting with him. This person interpreted that as being a sign of me being an ascetic. But I believe that he kept the rice in my palms as if he was taking my leave and saying goodbye until he comes back into the same ‘Swami sect’ again! Even now, I have preserved the sacred rice given to me by this true ascetic.
Just like Harikaka, DadaMaharaj of Sangli, Maharashtra also showered me with ample affection. He was fully aware about Digambardas Maharaj and his accomplishments. Therefore, he had strange affection towards Maharaj. Maharaj also was aware of the powers of Dada Maharaj. Therefore Maharaj had told Balasaheb Bhide in my presence once that when he does not exist in this world, if there are circumstances that need someone’s guidance, Balasaheb should approach Dada Maharaj and get his blessings. When Balasaheb asked who Dada maharaj was, Maharaj told him that he would know when the time is right! Balasaheb probably never approached Dada maharaj for blessings, but I continued to go to Dada Maharaj for blessings and guidance.
After Digambardas Maharaj’s ‘Nirvana’, some of us went to Sangli to take the blessings of DadaMaharaj. I have already mentioned about this visit before. When we reached, DadaMaharaj had started his ‘Kirtan’ (The narration of the praise of God with music and singing). When he saw us, he said, ÒPlease come and take your seats! I was waiting for you! How long should I keep myself waiting?Ó Then he asked his disciples to bring us some fresh lemonade and also gave us each a rupee as blessings.
Next day again we went to visit DadaMaharaj and told him that we had come to him for guidance as instructed by our dear Maharaj. Since Digambardas Maharaj had taken his nirvana, someone had to take charge of the establishment that he had left behind. We ask Dada Maharaj to identify the person that should be taking on the responsibilities.
DadaMaharaj closed his eyes and went into meditation for a few minutes. When he opened his eyes, he pointed at me and said that Digambardas Maharaj wanted this’Joshi Maharaj’ i.e. myself, to look after everything.
I continued to visit Dada Maharaj frequently for blessings. While managing such a huge organization, one needs to ensure his feet are on ground and also that he is standing on his own feet. To avoid making mistakes, one needs to spend some quality time with saints. I also feel that we require having control from saints in human form and with this feeling I tried to visit DadaMaharaj often to take his blessings. Just like Maharaj graced me with the affection of a son, Dada Maharaj blessed me with similar affection. Just like pampering a dear son, he gratified much of my perseverance. I never used spiritual powers but had thrown myself to the cause established by Maharaj. But whenever I felt the need to make use of spiritual powers for issues beyond human controls, I made an earnest request to Dada Maharaj and took his help solving the problem.
Maharaj had said that a Sadguru should always be incarnated in human form; he mentioned to us ÒWhen Shree Baba Maharj was incarnated; I was completely drenched with his grace! I would always experience the protective armour of his eyes upon me. Hence whenever I had to deal with adventurous acts, I knew he was right there with me. In the Manas Lake, only one lotus flower blooms daily. God Indra personally plucks that lotus flower and offers it to Lord Vishnu. When Shree BabaMaharaj was here, I had visited places like ‘Manas Lake’ and ‘Char Dham’ (four pilgrimage spots sacred to Hindus – Badrinath, Jagannath, Dwaraka and Rameshwar). I had even visited the underworld. There, I was stopped at the main entrance by the guards of demon king ‘Bali’ (the son of Virochana and the grandson of Pralhad). King Bali was very generous but I prayed my sadguru Baba Maharaj. King Bali told Jay and Vijay (the two guards at the gates of Lord Vishnu) to let me inside the main entrance. I then worshipped King Bali. After Sadguru Baba Maharaj left his mortal body, I never dared to perform such adventures. But my Sadguru graced me three times with his appearance in a divine form after he had left his mortal body.
Therefore, when Digambardas Maharaj left his mortal body, I summoned upon Dada Maharaj to help out when required; and he responded to my calls without a moment lost. My nephew, Prasad Bhadbhade is a dentist and I have already mentioned about him earlier in this book. Now at Kolhapur, his medical practice is going very well. Once when he was diagnosing someone, he did not take proper care and therefore, suffered from ‘Hepatatis-B’ – a contagious form of Jaundice. Therefore, he came to his aunt, Meena Pendharkar at Satara. Dr. Pendharkar, her husband is a very renowned doctor.
Prasad was with me right from his childhood. He had no addictions whatsoever, even for tea. He was very intelligent and had a profound reading habit; straight-forward and always thinking well about his work. Hence he was definitely one of my very favourite nephews. The news of his illness made me totally uncomfortable. So I spoke to Sadguru Dada Maharaj on the phone and earnestly prayed him to save Prasad’s life. I even called Ragodkar and requested him to inform me of anything expressed by Sadguru Dada Maharaj. Sadguru DadaMaharaj made arrangements to send Ragodkar to a holy place called ‘Chimad’ and asked him to get the ‘teerth’ (holy water) as well as ‘Angara’ (sacred ashes of incense burnt before a deity); arrangements were then made to send them to me at Dervan along with instructions on how to mix it with the holy water and sacred ashes from the worship place in Dervan with my own hands. This was then sent to Prasad as a blessing. Accordingly, when we completed the process, Ragodkar took the holy water and sacred ashes to Satara around 11pm at night. He gave the blessed water and Angara to Prasad. Within four days after that, Prasad was completed cured and infact, within 15 days, he was back to his dental practice in Kolhapur. Later, at his own leisure, he went to visit Dada Maharaj and took his blessings.
One of my neice is a doctor; she and her husband Dr. Sunil Andalgaonkar manage a hospital at Solapur. Once while Andalgaonkar was coming to Miraj, his Maruti car had a big accident. Doctor Sunil was severely injured. He was admitted to the Mission Hospital in Miraj. I told my nephew, Amol Kondkar to call Ragodkar and ask him to give any urgent treatment required for the patient. Ragodkar immediately went to the hospital; he did not recognize anyone there. But he made appropriate inquiries and got himself well acquainted with my neice and gave her some confidence. He also helped her to every extent possible.
He went to the hospital daily and ensured the patient was in good form. But there was no improvement in Dr. Sunils health. So, Dr. Deo, a friend of Dr. Sunil, decided to shift him to Solapur. AT that point, my neice saide, ÒWhatever my uncle (me) decides É..I will accept his decision.Ó So I advised them to shift the patient to Pune and sent Ragodkar to DadaMaharaj seeking his advice. Shree DadaMaharaj advised us to shift Dr.Sunil to Pune.
Dr. Sunil’s thigh-bone had broken and his lungs were filled with water. In Pune, they operated his thigh-bone successfully, but the surgery of removing water from his lungs was a difficult one. Hence, I called Sadguru DadaMaharaj; it was the birth anniversary of Sadguru Shree BabaMaharaj. He told me to give Dr.Sunil some holy water from Shree Baba Maharaj’s temple. Accordingly, Amol kondkar took the holy water and went to the Inlak Hospital. He gave the holy water to Dr. Sunil and miraculously, when they checked him later there were no signs of any water in his lungs! He was discharged from the hospital after about 8-10 days. Usually, it takes about 3 months for a person to recover completely after a thigh-bone surgery; but Dr. Sunil was back to work within a month after his surgery. Such a miraculous recovery of the patient was nothing but the blessing of a Sadguru!
The chief of a well-known Hindu religious organization and purification campaign had come to meet Maharaj. He was a gentleman & very well aquainted with Maharaj. Maharaj always welcomed him and made him sit besides him on the chair. But this time when he visited, Maharaj was lying on his bed because of his weak health. Maharaj honoured him with a shawl and Rs.100/- through me. The gentleman later started a conversation with me, ÒOur Guru had gone to Shree Siddharoodh Swami in Hubli. Swami Siddharoodh always gave away food as chartiy. But our Guru made him stop this charity! According to our Guru, people should be taught to earn their food by working for it. Giving away food in charity makes people lazy. Hence, I recommend that you also should stop giving away food as charity.Ó He further started talking about several philosophical principles so at that point; Maharaj said to him, ÒYou are making me listen to your philosophies because I am now a disabled man. You did not dare talk to me in such a manner before this!
Even after this, this person kept his prattle on and there were no signs of him stopping soon. So Maharaj looked at me, ÒAshok! What was the time on our backside clock?Ó I said, Ò5 minutes to 1pmÓ. ÒThen go in the Temple of Shree Baba and see what time it is?Ó, Maharaj advised me. I went to the temple and came back, Ò4 minutes to 1pmÓ. Maharaj asked me again, ÒWhat is the time in our clock now?Ó I looked and said, Ò3 minutes to 1pm!Ó. Maharaj asked, ÒWould you go and see the time in the Temple of Shree Baba again?Ó I went and came back, Ò2 minutes to 1pm!Ó After this back-forth for a few times, Maharaj finally looked up to me and asked, ÒDid you notice anything?Ó. I immediately replied, ÒI noticed that the time in Shree Baba’s temple was most accurate!Ó. Then he said to me, ÒIn that case, you do not have to pay attention to what other people say!Ó After this, Maharaj asked the gentleman to take leave, so he left immediately.
Once when I was visiting DadaMaharaj, I told him about this incident. Since the clocks of both Sadguru DadaMaharaj and Sadguru BabaMaharaj were exactly matching, I had told DadaMaharaj that I was coming to take his blessings. ÒLet us unite our Nimbargikar sect and your sectÓ by saying so, DadaMaharaj gave me some insight into their sect and the idols of his gods and his guru, Nimbargikar Maharaj. I have alerady installed the idols in the Temple of Sadguru BabaMaharaj. Sadguru DadaMaharaj had also given me two of his black hats, a copper ring, a snuff-box, a walking stick and his rosary as a blessing. Sadguru DadaMaharaj once appeared in his disciple Sudhakarpant Ragodkar’s dream after leaving this world, ÒI had given you my touque to preserve. You must now give that touque to Shree Ashok Joshi.Ó All these things belonging to Sadguru DadaMaharaj were the signs of affection towards me.
I accepted them as a blessing only and I have preserved all these invaluable assets even now!
DadaMaharaj always told me that the strength of both the sects (Swami Samarth and Nimbargikar Maharaj) had now assembled together. In the next 25-30 years we intend to spread the name of ‘Joshi family’ throughout this world. And that would be certainly done. Whenever I paid my obeisance to him, he would say, ÒYou must not pay obeisance to me. Instead I should pay obeisance to youÓ I asserted to him that he was senior to me by age, by spiritual accomplishment and from all other angles. Then he would say, ÒOh! You were our Guru, the preceptor!Ó But I would deny saying, ÒI do not recollect my past life. So now, you are in the place of my Sadguru therefore, I will pay my obeisance to you without any doubts!
After my son, Kamlesh’s wedding, Vikasrao planned for a change to our residence, which was in the ‘Hrushikesh’ building. He thought that the existing residence was insufficient for a growing family. Besides, he said that it was his father’s (Shree Walawalkar Saheb) desire to provide us with a better accomodation. I was really confused and in dilemma whether I should accept a bigger residence or not! So, I decided to take advice from Dada Maharaj. He advised me that it was essential for me to accept bigger accommodation. In fact, he further advised me that I should take an entire floor! He further suggested July 26th, 2001 as a date for housewarming. But unfortunately, he himself left his mortal body on the night of July 25th. As proposed by him, I entrusted Kamlesh with the responsibility of the house-warming ceremony on July 26th and immediately left for Sangli as my last visit to take the blessings of Sadguru Shree DadaMaharaj.
Even though DadaMaharaj was not an incarnate, his bountiful blessings are still with me and that is why he guides me even now. DadaMaharaj had infinite love and affection towards Shree Sadguru Digambardas Maharaj. When DadaMaharaj had come to the temple after Digambardas Maharaj had taken nirvana, he kept his forehead on the wooden slippers of Digambardas Maharaj and wept a lot. He has bestowed the same love and affection on me too!
I do not have the art of giving discourses or singing in the praise of God because I do not possess any poetic genetics required for musical composition. Therefore, I had requested DadaMaharaj to compose poetry on Shree Digambardas Maharaj that could be used during ‘Aarti’. He briskly wrote a piece in less than 2 minutes and gave it to me. That ‘Aarti’ was not just a poem, but a blessing given to me. But in this composition, he had mentioned my name ‘Ashok’ on the last stanza and that raised a number of doubts in my mind. I said, ÒSome people may not like this. So I think my name should not be in that poem.Ó But Dada Maharaj replied, ÒThat stanza was the ‘Gyanbachi Mekh’ (an important point) in that poetry! Let the name remain as it is. It will not be possible for you to wipe out the name.
As of today, when we sing the ‘Aarti’ of Sadguru Digambardas Maharaj in the temple daily, I automatically remember Sadguru DadaMaharaj!
In the end, I am aware that we have an inadequate grasp on the immense personality of Shree Digambardas Maharaj in words. No matter how much you write, there will always be something that will be left out!