Shirdi Diary Of GS Kharpade: When Baba Made Hand Signals That Puzzled Everyone

8-3-12

In the morning Bhishma and Bandu got up early and had a musical prayer. It was very helpful, I prayed and then we had our Panchadashi class. We saw Sai Maharaj go out and later on I went to the Masjid. Sai Maharaj very kindly called me by name and as soon as I sat down he commenced a tale of his having had four brothers.

He said he was very young but very intelligent. He used to play at his house which was very big and also at the Ashub Khana which was close by. Near it used to sit a very old man who would not go either into the Masjid or the Ashub Khana saying that the place where he lay was his. His people did not wish it but Sai Baba used to go the Ashubkhana also and approved of the programme carried out there.

The old man turned out to be his mother's father and Sai Baba always carried to him a bread and something to eat it with. The old man was a leper but his fingers and toes daily grew worse until at last he refused food and died. Sai Baba played near him, did not suspect that death was so near and talked about it to his mother who went to see her father.

When Sai Baba went he found the old man gone and his body converted into rice. Nobody would take charge of the clothes of the old man. Later on the rice disappeared and the old man was born again, but associated with mangs. Sai Baba gave him food and then the old man was born a third time as a son of Kondaji. The boy played with Sai Baba and died a few months ago.

At the midday Aarti Sai Baba approached me and touched my left arm and held his hand waist high just as we do to indicate a young man, with the other hand he made a sign as we do to indicate a man passing away. He made a sign with his eyes. I did not understand the whole and puzzled over it all day.