Salutations to Ganesh !
Oh Pashupati in the form of Omkar,
Oh Daxinamurti, the consort of Bhavani,
All that which is great in the universe
Is your form.
You are formless
And yet you inhere
In the entire universe.
You are the substratum
Of avidya of maya.
It is verily impossible
To know You.
That is so because you have
Assumed forms.
Everyone worships You
The way he likes.
By whatever name
One may call you,
You are the One and the same.
The Saivaites regard you as Siva,
The Vedantists regard you as Brahman,
Ramanuja’s disciples
Regard you as Sitapati,
And you are Vishnu
For the Vaishnavities.
You are Somanath.
You are Vishveshwar,
You are Kedarnath
In the icy land
Of the Himalayas.
You are the Mahakal
On the banks of Kshipra
You are Naganath,
You are Vaijanath,
You are Ghrishneshwar
At Verul.
You are Tryambak
On the banks of Godavari
You are Bhimashankar,
You are Malikarjuna,
And Rameshwar,
You are Shankar
At Gokarna.
You are Mahadeva
At Shinganapur.
I bow to you, in all your forms
And pray to you to remove
My threefold sufferings.
Oh God, you made Kubera
As a lord of wealth in no time.
Oh, Consort fo Girija,
Why do you hesitate
To shower your blessings on me.
Next year, Maharaj
Came to Balapur
For the Dasanavami celebrations
at Balabhau’s
Sukhlal and Balkrishna,
Two devotees, resided
Near Balapur.
Bhaskar Patil, Balabhau,
Pitambar, Ganu, Jagadeva
And Dindodkar accompanied Maharaj.
The celebrations went smoothly,
But a calamity befell on Bhaskar.
A rabid dog bit him.
All the near and dear ones
Were perturbed.
Someone sent for a doctor.
Bhaskar however said,
"Take me to Maharaj,
He alone will save me."
Bahaskar was brought before Maharaj.
Balabhau told Maharaj
What had happened.
Maharaj smiled and said
"Killing, enmity and debt
Will not spare anyone.
Suklal’s cow was naughty.
It was, however, cured in Shegaon.
But the same vice seized a dog here.
And the dog has bitten Bhaskar,
Bhaskar had entreated me
To cure the cow
So that Bhaskar may milch the animal.
And drink the milk.
Bhaskar was happy to drink the milk.
But now he does not want
To bear the consequences
"Oh Bhaskar, shall I really
Save you now?
The dog-bites is a superficial cause,
In fact, the term of your life is over.
You must now depart from here.
If you have really an urge to live,
I may prolong your life,
But that will be
A temporary lease.
Now tell me what is it
That you wish?"
Bhaskar said,
"I am an ignorant fellow.
I do not know anything.
You are my mother,
And a mother knows
what is good for the child.
So do as you would please?"
Maharaj was pleased
To hear this
He knew that Bhaskar
Was telling the truth.
Some one said to Maharaj,
"Bhaskar is a great devotee.
Kindly save him.
Let not the bite prove fatal."
Maharaj said to him,
"Life and death
Are both illusions.
None dies and
None is born.
One should give up attachment.
And suffer one’s lot.
There are three types of Karmas
Sanchita or accumulated karma,
Prarabdha or the karma
Which has started bearing fruits,
Kriyamana or the karma
Which is being done now.
A Jiva has to put up with all these karmas.
One cannot avoid them.
Whatever one does in the past birth
One has to bear its consequences
In the present birth. And what new
Actions one would do in this birth
Will fructify in the next birth.
In this way, one has to undergo
A number of cycles of births and deaths.
This is Bhaskar’s last birth.
He has no balance left.
He will be relieved
Of births and deaths.
Now, therefore, don’t insist
On prolonging his life here.
It is seldom that
Devotees like him
Are born in this world.
The dog which bit him
Was his enemy in the last birth.
If Bhaskar now
Harbours animosity
against the dog
He will have to be born
Again, to avenge the dog.
With this bite
The past enmity has ceased
And all the knots
Of the post karmas
Have been severed.
I can do one thing.
I shall keep Bhaskar
Alive for a couple of months.
He will not go rabid.
If I do not do this,
Bhaskar will be born again
And will have a short life
Of two months."
Balabhau was glad to hear this
He shouted loudly.
"Oh Bhaskar, you are great!
You have been released
From the cycle of births and deaths!
You are really great.
Your devotion has stood you well.
Never you will born again!"
They returned to Shegaon.
Bhaskar narrated the incident
To the residents of Shegaon.
Bhaskar entreated them
To tend with care
Maharaj, who was a gem.
He wanted that a monument.
Be erected in the name of Maharaj
Which would for all the time
Remind men and women
The greatness that breathed there.
Jnyaneshwar had sanctified Alandi.
So did Samarath
The Sajjan Garh.
Tukoba did the same
In respect of Dehu.
In this way Bhaskar
Persuaded one and all
To erect a big monument
In the name of Maharaj.
Once he called all the devotees
In the math,
And Maharaj did not know.
All came. Bankatlal,
Hari Patil, Maruti Chandrabhan,
Shripatrao Vavikar and
Tarachand, the money lender.
Bhaskar told them all
That he was with them
For a couple of months.
That he wanted
A worthy memorial
In Shegaon.
if all would agree
And would decide to have
A memorial in the name of Maharaj,
He would happily
Give up his body.
The saints always condescend
And fulfil devotees’s desires.
Service to a saint
Will not go in vain."
Bhaskar’s entreaties were heeded
They all agreed
To construct a memorial
This made Bhaskar happy.
He was always joyful thereafter.
On the thirteenth of the dark fortnight of Magh,
Maharaj asked Bhaskar
to accompany him to
Trymbakeshwar for Shivaratri celebrations.
Said Maharaj to Bhaskar,
"Shankar the Lord of Bhavani,
Resides in Tryambakeshwar on the bank of Godavari.
The jyotirlinga is efficacious
And would destroy all sins.
So make haste.
We shall go and have a dip
In Godavari The Ganga of the Deccan.
Oh Bhaskar, there is one hill
By name Brahmagiri.
Medicinal herbs grow there.
Gahininath stays on the hill
Even now. He knows the properties
Of all the medicinal herbs.
Let us go and see him.
He may give us an antidote
For the dog-bite."
Bhaskar said,
"Oh Maharaj, what for
Shall I take the medicine now?
I know you have power
Greater than that of any medicine.
The ill effects of the bite
Ceased while I was in Balapur
I have now two months left
Of the lease of life.
You are Tryambakeshwar to me.
Godavari flows from your feet.
I shall take a dip in the eternal flow of your blessings.
I do not hanker
For any other holy place."
Maharaj simply smiled.
He said "It’s true as you say,
But do not belittle the holy places.
Come, let us go. Ask Balabhau and
Pitambar to accompany us."
All of them proceeded
To Trymbakeshwar.
They reached there on the
Auspicious day of Shivaratri.
They took the holy bath
At Kushavarta and had
The darshan of Shankar.
They went to Gangadwar
And worshipped Gautami
They bowed before Neelambika
And Gahininath and Nivrittinath,
Then they went to Nasik
To see Gopaldas,
Gopalda, Mahant of Panchvati in the temple of Kala Ram.
There was a peepal tree
In front of Ram Mandir.
Maharaj sat there with his disciples
On the par.
Gopaldad Mahanta
Was very happy.
He said to those near him,
"My brother has
Come all the way from Vidarbha"
He bade his disciples
Worship Maharaj
And offer him coconut and candy
On his behalf.
He asked his disciples
To look upon Maharaj
As they would look upon him.
The disciple of Gopaldas
Worshipped Maharaj as bade.
Maharaj asked Bhaskar
To distribute the coconut pieces
And the sugar candy.
Maharaj was happy to have
Seen his brother and now
Wanted to proceed to the city.
Maharaj was eagar to visit
Dhumal who was a pleader.
Maharaj spent a few days
in Nasik and then
Returned to Shegaon.
Shamsing had been in Shegaon
To take Maharaj to Adgaon.
Maharaj said that he would
Come to Adgaon after
Ram Navami celebrations.
So Shamsingh returned
And then came again
During the Ram Navami celebrations.
He accompanied Maharaj to Adgaon,
For the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.
While in Adgaon
Maharaj knocked down Bhaskar
In the dust and sat
On his chest and
Beat him hard.
Balabhau prayed Maharaj
To have mercy on Bhaskar
As he was already
Beaten by the hot sun.
Bhaskar, however, asked Balabhau
Not to interfere.
"Let Maharaj do whatever he likes."
Said he to Balabhau,
"He is my lord and my master.
Let them say that
Maharaj is beating me,
But I am feeling tickled."
Then Maharaj returned
With Bhaskar to the place
Where they were lodged.
Maharaj told Balabhau
That only two days remained
For passing away of Bhaskar.
"Do you remember, Balabhau," said Maharaj
"That Bhaskar caused me beat you once
With an umbrella, till it broke.
I had to beat him today
To set him free
From the bondage of that action,
That is why I beat him hard today."
Hanuman Jayanti celebrations
Were over and the fifth day
Of the dark fortnight of Chaitra dawned.
When the sun rose of the horizon,
Maharaj asked Bhaskar
To sit before him in a lotus posture
Facing the sun. he bade him
Calm his mind and think
Of the almighty God.
Maharaj asked others to sing
Bhajans "Vitthal, Vitthal, Narayana."
People garlanded Bhaskar
And applied bukka on his forehead.
The bhajan lasted for about
Five hours and when it came
To an end, Maharaj
Uttered loudly,
"Hara, Hara."
The moment Maharaj
Said so, the last breath
Left Bhaskar dropping the body
Like a rag.
The devotees held
The falling body,
But his soul had
Already reached vaikuntha
To enjoy the hospitality of Hari.
The devotees asked Maharaj
Where to cremate Bhaskar
There was a temple of Dwarakeshwar.
Maharaj told that
Bhaskar be cremated
Near that temple.
So they made a vimana
Out of plantain tree trunks
And the cortage was
Taken to Dwarakeshwar.
The next day
The poor were fed there.
The temple of Dwarakeshwar.
Is a mile and a half
From Adgaon. It is a fine shady spot
With tall tamarind trees.
There are other trees.
Also, as neem peepal and mandar,
amra, vata and audumbara.
A few flower of plants also there.
So Maharaj gave samadhi
To Bhaskar at such a pleasant spot
Half way between Akoli and Adgaon.
Feeding of the people was done
For full ten days.
They used to sit in the cool shade
Of tamarind trees. But the crows
Were a nuisance. They used to carry away the dronas
And sometime used to spoil the food
By their droppings.
The people were annoyed
the bhills fixed sharpened arrows
On their bows.
Maharaj however stopped
The bhills from using their arrows.
"The crows are not a fault,"
Said he, "They want Prasad
From Bhaskar.
Bhaskar has
Reached Vainkuntha.
Normally the soul lingers on
For full ten days
And then only departs
From the mundane region
they cannot leave this land
Unless the food is eaten by the crows.
But Bhaskar has left this place
Without caring to see
That the crows get their share
That is why these crows
Are ravenous.
So therefore, please do not kill the crows. I
shall tell them, "to behave."
So saying Maharaj
Bade the crows
Not to cause nuisance
From the next day.
Those men who had faith
In Maharaj were convinced
That the crows won’t come next day.
But there were a few
Who did not believe.
They thought that it was futile
To request the crows in this fashions.
The crows were after all crows,
Why would they leave the place
If the food would be readily
Available there? They said
That Maharaj was a hypocrite
And his devotees inflate him
And give him a honour
Which he did not deserve.
Next day, those doubting fellows
Came there to verify
Whether the crows had really
Stopped frequenting the place.
Lo, not a single crow
Turned up there next day.
The feeding of the people
Was going on but not a single
Crow came there thereafter.
After fourteen days
Maharaj returned to Shegaon.
Those were the days of drought.
They were digging a well in Shegaon.
They dug about fifteen feet and
They could not dig further
Without blasting the black rock
They had to dynamite the rock.
They bored four holes with a crowbar
And filled the holes with gunpowder.
The rope wicks were fixed.
Through the ribs of castor oil plant.
They ignited the wicks,
But the fuse got blocked up.
The water was oozing from the sides,
The whole gunpowder and the
Dynamite would have gone waste.
So the Mukadam
Asked Ganu Jawre to get into the well
And remove the block.
None dared to enter the well.
And Ganu Jawre was all fright.
The mistry had a foul tongue
And he roared at Ganu
The poor fellow was a death-pale.
How could he, who was poor and starving
Disobey the Mukadam.
Ganu had faith in Maharaj
And remembering Maharaj
From the core of his heart,
He stepped into the well.
He removed the first block
And the fire on the wick
Rushed to the dynamite.
By the time he removed the second block
The first dynamite blasted with a big bang.
Clouds of smoke emerged from the well.
Ganu was in the well.
He piteously shouted for Maharaj
And asked for protection.
Before dynamite could blast,
Ganu saw a kapar in the
Wall of the well and he squeezed
Himself there.
All the remaining three
Dynamites blasted one after the other.
Now the mistry was death-pale
Ganu must been blown to pieces’, thought he,
All men now rushed to the well.
Ganu could not be seen.
They thought that he must have been
Thrown up like other stones.
And his body must have been
Shattered and dropped somewhere.
Men began to search outside the well.
When Ganu heard the mistry call,
He responded from within.
Said he, "I am alive and safe.
Glory be to Gajanan Maharaj.
The cutting in the side of the well, where I am hiding
Is blocked with a big stone.
Please remove it soon."
All those who were there were overjoyed.
A few got down into the well
And removed the big stone with crowbars
To see Ganu Jawre alive.
They pulled Ganu out
And Ganu ran towards Maharaj.
Maharaj was simply smiling
"Oh Ganya, how many stones
Did you throw up?
The big stone shut the kapar
That is why you are alive
Thank the big stone.
The danger is averted today.
Do not be reckless hereafter."
Ganu said, "Oh my master,
It is you who saved me,
When all the four dynamites
Blasted in the hollow of the well."
Dasaganu has no skill
To describe the great glory
Of the mercy of Gajanan Maharaj.
Let this his scribbling
Give pleasure and kindle devotion
Among the devotees.
END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN