BABAS UNIQUE GURUKUL (Continuation) Unlike other schools & colleges Babas Gurukul did not have any timetable; anyone who was thirsting for knowledge received it instantaneously. There were no entrance exams, no fees, breaks or vacations. Baba Himmself was always present to help the devotee to step further in his spiritual development. Many students are refused entrance into schools because of physical handicaps, but in Babas Gurukul this was not a deterrent. Kaka Dixit walked with limp, but he was the prime teacher of the Gurukul.(To be continued). When the devotee sat before Baba, he looked at the devotee intently. In a single glance he knew what his physical constitution was, & any diseases that the devotee had. Baba knew the level of his spiritual development, his eagerness to progress & the reason for his question. Keeping all this in mind he answered the devotee. There was no age bar. Baba taught the young & the old, the robust & the weak, & the physically handicapped. In fact, any & everybody with a yearning for knowledge were welcome. With the passage of time, numerous devotees flocked to Shirdi. Baba placed two Acid Tests of ‘Kanchan & Kamini’ before them. One was in the form of Dakshina, sometimes Baba took all the money they had brought. Then he rewarded them with ten times the amount. The other test was to go to Radhakrishna Ayi’s residence. These two tests revealed their love woman & wealth. Baba in His conversations taught about the accumulation of wealth. He said, “Wealth should be made with honesty & integrity. Money ought not to be squandered, but used wisely, taking into account the time & place. Life should not be considered a burden; lead it joyously with your family & friends. Everyone should do Seva of their Guru, parents, gaon & motherland. Thus, they can obtain Bhakti, Jnana, Vairagya & Atma Jnana”. This seat of learning was very unique. In universities around the world education & knowledge is given when both the teacher & student are awake. Baba however imparted knowledge & guidance in dreams, or when the devotee was awake. Sometimes the devotee was in a Samadhi state when Baba gave Sakshatkar and cleared his doubts & answered his questions. Often it seemed that Baba was nodding off to sleep but at that time Baba was in Samadhi State 9r in bliss. Baba was & is always awake. Baba once told Mhalsapati that he slept with his eyes open. Education imparted through the medium of reading & writing. Baba however, made the devotee use the ‘Panch Indriyas, Karma Indriyas’ for his welfare, & business. Often Baba used humour to teach or get his view across. He gave them apt nicknames that had profound hidden meanings. He answered their questions, cleared their dilemmas using various methods. He spoke to them sweetly, & used leelas & chamatkars that had profound impact on their lives. He channeled them into the Bhakti Marga. Sometimes He shouted & used foul & abusive language. An apt example is given in Shri Sai Satcharita, Chapter 41 of how Deo was made to read the Jnaneswari. At other times He hit them with His Satka or with small pieces of bricks. He took hold of their head & banged it against the pillar, or He lifted them above His head & whirled them around. All of them advanced a step or two further, in their spiritual development after this treatment. Like the mother tortoise He watched them & looked after them eternally. The main seat of learning was Shirdi & the Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, with numerous smaller sister institutions around the world. But the devotees enrolled there did not feel blessed & satisfied until they made a pilgrimage to Shirdi & venerated all the seats of knowledge. However, there was one condition, they could not visit Shrdi until & unless Baba permitted them. Because of the truthful nature of this village, & all the qualities mentioned above, many a saints came & stayed there. As time went by the name Shiladhi became Shirdi. The Saint named Devidas Maharaj was already residing in Shirdi when Baba returned with the marriage party of Chandbai Patil. Then Janakidas Gosavi & Gangagir came as per Chapter 5, Shri Sai Satcharita. After Baba took up residence in the Dwarika Mai, numerous saints & God-men came to take His darshan. The Vess of Shiladhi If one exists the Dakshina Mukhi Maruti Mandir & walks towards the Dwarika Mai, there is a brick that is placed horizontally. The brick is fixed above the level of the tiled flooring. This is the marker for the Vess or Entrance gate of Shiladhi. On auspicious occasions like a wedding the groom will break a coconut over this brick & then step into Shiladhi. On the festival of Pola, the bulls are brought in harness till this vess & let free to gohome as they please. When a person dies in the village the bier is brought to this threshold & as a mark of respect, the bier is placed on the ground for a few minutes & then taken to the ceremony. The Shivas of Shiladhi The Shiv is the boundary or border of the village of Shirdi. The Northern Shiv is near Police Station, which is on the Northern Side of the Nagar-Manmad Highway. On the opposite side is the Lakshmi Nagar cremation ground. The Southern Shiv is on the same Highway in the opposite direction. It is called the Shirdi Sakori Shiv & is at the Mhasoba Temple. The Western Shiv is on the Pimpalwadi Road near Lute Vasti. The Eastern Shiv is on Kankuri Road at the Mhasoba Temple. The Wells of Shiladhi The water was drawn from the numerous wells. There was a huge well in Saran Jane Baugh; this was in front of the Shani Mandir. There was another well in the Smashan Bhoomi (Cremation Ground). The bodies were cremated in the vacant area between what is now the museum (Dixit Wada hall) & the bath rooms & latrines. The bathrooms & latrines were located behind the present Parayan Kaksh. Since it was a cremation ground there was a well there, as water is used extensively for the cremation rituals. Next to the hall in Dixit Wada there was a well, & one well next to the present exit of Samadhi Mandir. There was no electricity & kerosene oil lantern & petromax was used as a source of illumination.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 11:06:59 +0000
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