Inside the shrine, behind a glass window on the left side as you face the samadhi, some things associated with Baba are on display. These include three pairs of sandals (though Baba was almost always barefoot), his folded clothes in a glass-fronted cupboard, several chillims, ornaments for Shyam Sunder the horse, cooking pots and a silver palanquin.
There is one other item here which, though insignificant looking, perhaps holds the greatest fascination for Sai devotees, and that is Baba's satka. This short, sturdy stick played a role in many of Baba's leelas. It is not that Baba gave it so much importance (as he did, say, to the brick), but whenever someone or something was to be chastised or driven out, we usually find that the satka is there, being shaken, waved threateningly or beaten on the ground. For example, when a sudden cyclone hit Shirdi, trapping the devotees in the mosque and causing them to fear for their lives, crops and livelihoods, Baba, upon being appealed to, simply shook his satka and ordered it to stop. In a similar way, he once commanded the wildly leaping flames of the dhuni to be calm. The satka was also once used to intimidate a group of Muslims waiting to threaten Mhalsapati outside the mosque.
On another occasion, Baba used the satka for healing purposes. He had warned Mhalsapati that some misfortune would strike his family, but that Mhalsapati should not worry as he would take care of it. Soon after, several members of Mhalsapati's family fell seriously ill. Some devotees who were doctors offered Mhalsapati medicine, but Baba discouraged him from using it, saying simply that the sick should stay in bed. With that, he walked around the mosque waving the satka exclaiming, "Come on, show us your power! Let's see it, such as it is, and I will show you the power of my satka if you [dare to] come and face me." This was the way Baba treated the disease and cured it without any other medicine.
No comments:
Post a Comment