Shri Annasaheb i.e. Hemadpant, the author of this work, on seeing and hearing about the innumerable Sai Leelas felt inspired to make a poetic work about Baba's life which would be "interesting and instructive to His devotees". However a saints life story cannot be a "logical and dialectical" exposition. IMHO the above line could mean that one shouldnt debate on the outward mannerisms, but try to understand the inner purport of every Leela with a sincere, devoted heart so as to draw the right lessons. What is "right"? - if we surrender our ego and pray sincerely to Sai Baba, he will let us know what is right.
Hemadpant, in his humility, considers himself unfit to write this book. As writing about a saint's is a most difficult task, hence he invokes Baba's grace.
It is always important to seek Guru's permission and grace before any major undertaking.
Sant Jnaneswar says that the Lord loves those who write about saints. The saints also use devotees as a medium - "The saints inspire the work, the devotee becomes only an indirect cause or instrument to achieve the end".
Hemadpant also directs us towards several others works on the lives of saints, many about Sai Baba himself. "Bhakta Leelamrit and Santa Kathamrit" by Shri Das Ganu have chapters on the life of Sai Baba. "So also Sai Baba’s wonderful Leelas are described in a small decent book named Shri Sainath Bhajana Mala by Mrs. Savitribai Raghunath Tendulkar of Bandra."
Hemadpant himself asks that when there are so many works, where is the necessity for another book. The answer is - "The life of Sai Baba is as wide and deep as the infinite ocean; and all can dive deep into the same and take out precious gems (of knowledge and Bhakti), and distribute them to the aspiring pub- lic. The stories, parables, and teachings of Sai Baba are very wonderful. They will give peace and happiness to the people, who are afflicted with sorrows and heavily loaded with miseries of this worldly existence, and also bestow knowledge and wisdom, both in the worldly and in spir- itual domains......This collection would be most delightful to those simple souls, whose eyes were not blessed with Sai Baba’s darshana."
It was Sai Baba who inspired him, when he surrendered his ego at Baba's feet.
When Hemadpant sought Baba's permission through Shama i.e. Shri Madhavrao Deshpande's help, Baba blessed Hemadpant's with His Udi and gave permission. Baba told him to surrender his ego to Baba - "When his ego is completely annihilated and there is left no trace of it, I Myself shall enter into him and shall Myself write My own life. Hearing my stories and teachings will create faith in devotees’ hearts and they will easily get self - realization and Bliss; let there be no insistence on establishing one’s own view, no attempt to refute other’s opin- ions, no discussions of pros and cons of any subject."
Hemadpant then describes how his first meeting with Baba came about. Two great devotees of Baba, Kakasaheb Dixit and Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who were also good friends of Hemadpant had repeatedly urged him to meet Baba. He had even planned for the same. But he got disillusioned when neither medical nor Divine help could cure the fever ravaging a son of his close friend. However sometime later fortuitously Nanasaheb met him and chided him for not going to meet Baba. Convinced by Nanasaheb's reasoning, Hemadpant started for Shirdi the same night travelling through train. Here is what happened then -
"I planned to go to Dadar and there to catch the train for Manmad, and so I booked myself for Dadar and sat in the train. While the train was to start, a Mahomedan came hastily to my compartment and seeing all my paraphernalia, asked me where I was bound to. I told him my plan. He then suggested that I should straight go to Boribunder, and not get down at Dadar, for the Manmad Mail did not get down at Dadar at all. If this little mir- acle or Leela had not happened, I would not have reached Shirdi next day as settled, and many doubts would have as- sailed me. But that was not to be."
Next morning when he reached Shirdi, fortunately Baba was visiting the same lodge where he was to be put up. He immediately ran and fell at Baba's feet. This is what he felt -
"All my senses were satisfied and I forgot thirst and hunger. The moment I touched Sai Baba’s feet, I began a new lease of life. I felt myself much obliged to those who spurred and helped me to get the darshana;...The peculiarity of Sai Baba’s darshana, as I found it, is that by His darshana our thoughts are changed, the force of previous actions is abated and gradually non-attachment of dispassion towards worldly objects grows up. It is by the merit of actions in many past births that such darshana is got, and if only you see Sai Baba, really all the world becomes or assumes the form of Sai Baba."
The author then describes how discussion and debates cause a spirit of egoism to rise and one loses peace of mind. While at the lodge, the author had debate with another gentleman on the necessity of Guru, the author opining that Guru cannot help one who doesnt help himself while the other man emphasized on the need of Guru and importance of Destiny. Miraculously Sai Baba who was at the Masjid percieved this debate and next morning asked about the matter, referring to the author as Hemadpant. Hemadpant was 13th century statesman serving the Devagiri kings. He was learned and had authored a spiritual treatise.
Baba's title of Hemadpant to Annasaheb was prophetic because in future Annasaheb effeciently managed the administration of Sai Sansthan and also wrote this gem of a book on Sai Leelas.
On the necessity of Guru, Sai Baba says that when the soul has to spiritually evolve, it has to go through great difficulties, its like travelling through a forest with tigers, wolves and deep pits (these dangers are the senses, ahamkara, the six evils). The Guru is like a guide who takes the disciple straight to the destination without getting lost in the jungle or falling in ditches, "real Paramartha is possible only as the result of the teachings of the Guru,"
OM SADGURU SHRI SAINATHAYA NAMAHA
HARI OM
Hemadpant, in his humility, considers himself unfit to write this book. As writing about a saint's is a most difficult task, hence he invokes Baba's grace.
It is always important to seek Guru's permission and grace before any major undertaking.
Sant Jnaneswar says that the Lord loves those who write about saints. The saints also use devotees as a medium - "The saints inspire the work, the devotee becomes only an indirect cause or instrument to achieve the end".
Hemadpant also directs us towards several others works on the lives of saints, many about Sai Baba himself. "Bhakta Leelamrit and Santa Kathamrit" by Shri Das Ganu have chapters on the life of Sai Baba. "So also Sai Baba’s wonderful Leelas are described in a small decent book named Shri Sainath Bhajana Mala by Mrs. Savitribai Raghunath Tendulkar of Bandra."
Hemadpant himself asks that when there are so many works, where is the necessity for another book. The answer is - "The life of Sai Baba is as wide and deep as the infinite ocean; and all can dive deep into the same and take out precious gems (of knowledge and Bhakti), and distribute them to the aspiring pub- lic. The stories, parables, and teachings of Sai Baba are very wonderful. They will give peace and happiness to the people, who are afflicted with sorrows and heavily loaded with miseries of this worldly existence, and also bestow knowledge and wisdom, both in the worldly and in spir- itual domains......This collection would be most delightful to those simple souls, whose eyes were not blessed with Sai Baba’s darshana."
It was Sai Baba who inspired him, when he surrendered his ego at Baba's feet.
When Hemadpant sought Baba's permission through Shama i.e. Shri Madhavrao Deshpande's help, Baba blessed Hemadpant's with His Udi and gave permission. Baba told him to surrender his ego to Baba - "When his ego is completely annihilated and there is left no trace of it, I Myself shall enter into him and shall Myself write My own life. Hearing my stories and teachings will create faith in devotees’ hearts and they will easily get self - realization and Bliss; let there be no insistence on establishing one’s own view, no attempt to refute other’s opin- ions, no discussions of pros and cons of any subject."
Hemadpant then describes how his first meeting with Baba came about. Two great devotees of Baba, Kakasaheb Dixit and Nanasaheb Chandorkar, who were also good friends of Hemadpant had repeatedly urged him to meet Baba. He had even planned for the same. But he got disillusioned when neither medical nor Divine help could cure the fever ravaging a son of his close friend. However sometime later fortuitously Nanasaheb met him and chided him for not going to meet Baba. Convinced by Nanasaheb's reasoning, Hemadpant started for Shirdi the same night travelling through train. Here is what happened then -
"I planned to go to Dadar and there to catch the train for Manmad, and so I booked myself for Dadar and sat in the train. While the train was to start, a Mahomedan came hastily to my compartment and seeing all my paraphernalia, asked me where I was bound to. I told him my plan. He then suggested that I should straight go to Boribunder, and not get down at Dadar, for the Manmad Mail did not get down at Dadar at all. If this little mir- acle or Leela had not happened, I would not have reached Shirdi next day as settled, and many doubts would have as- sailed me. But that was not to be."
Next morning when he reached Shirdi, fortunately Baba was visiting the same lodge where he was to be put up. He immediately ran and fell at Baba's feet. This is what he felt -
"All my senses were satisfied and I forgot thirst and hunger. The moment I touched Sai Baba’s feet, I began a new lease of life. I felt myself much obliged to those who spurred and helped me to get the darshana;...The peculiarity of Sai Baba’s darshana, as I found it, is that by His darshana our thoughts are changed, the force of previous actions is abated and gradually non-attachment of dispassion towards worldly objects grows up. It is by the merit of actions in many past births that such darshana is got, and if only you see Sai Baba, really all the world becomes or assumes the form of Sai Baba."
The author then describes how discussion and debates cause a spirit of egoism to rise and one loses peace of mind. While at the lodge, the author had debate with another gentleman on the necessity of Guru, the author opining that Guru cannot help one who doesnt help himself while the other man emphasized on the need of Guru and importance of Destiny. Miraculously Sai Baba who was at the Masjid percieved this debate and next morning asked about the matter, referring to the author as Hemadpant. Hemadpant was 13th century statesman serving the Devagiri kings. He was learned and had authored a spiritual treatise.
Baba's title of Hemadpant to Annasaheb was prophetic because in future Annasaheb effeciently managed the administration of Sai Sansthan and also wrote this gem of a book on Sai Leelas.
On the necessity of Guru, Sai Baba says that when the soul has to spiritually evolve, it has to go through great difficulties, its like travelling through a forest with tigers, wolves and deep pits (these dangers are the senses, ahamkara, the six evils). The Guru is like a guide who takes the disciple straight to the destination without getting lost in the jungle or falling in ditches, "real Paramartha is possible only as the result of the teachings of the Guru,"
OM SADGURU SHRI SAINATHAYA NAMAHA
HARI OM
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