Bhimaji, who had serious chest diseases such as asthma and tuberculosis, Baba first told Shama, ‘In bringing this thief to me what a load of responsibility you are placing on me. Baba meant that the tuberculosis and asthma from which Bhimaji suffered were the result of Bhimaji’s karma in a previous janma consisting of theft.
Bhimaji felt Baba’s declaration a blow. At once he surrendered himself to Baba and said, Helper of the helpless! I am helpless. Pray show pity and grace to me. Then Baba’s tone changed, Baba told him, The Fakir is merciful, and your disease will be cured.
He was suffering from the results of a karma, but that could be mitigated, and so the man was sent to live and sleep in a wet verandah.
Bhimaji did so. There, he had two very dreadful dreams: In one dream, he was mercilessly birched by a school master. For, in the dream he fancied he was a boy and the master was birching him. So, he felt the pain in the dream and roared out. In the second dream, it was even worse. He felt that some one was placing a stone roller and rolling it over his breast. He suffered all the horror of instant death approaching him. All the pain of a hanging sentence and whipping sentence were endured by this man in the course of one night.
Baba thus changed the punishment which he had earned by his previous karma, and told him that he was thus free from karmic effects. He then recovered his health.
The above instances go to show that most of our conceptions about karma are nebulous and ungrounded, and that the safest course for us to follow would be to be guided by the dicta of Satpurushas like Sai Baba.
"I draw to Me, My man from far off or even across the seven Seas to Shirdi, like a sparrow with a string fastened to its feet"-Shirdi Sai Baba, Indian Spiritual Guru-God 