6–9 minutes
Baba’s Says on children
Para Number in the Book & About children birth
(a) D.S. Rasane
539. Damodar S. Rasane married one wife, had no issue and married another, hoping to get issue. But still the second marriage also was not fruitful. In his horoscope there was a papi in the fifth place from lagna. The stars evidently were against him. But he had great faith in Baba. When he went to Shirdi, Baba was waiting for him and gave him four mango fruits.
B.: “Damia, take these fruits now. Eat and die.”
Damia was shocked, failing to see that begetting progeny and continuing in Samsara was Spiritual death. Again,
B.: “Do not eat the fruits yourself. Give them to your wife. Damia: Which wife?
B.: “Junior wife. Let her eat the fruits. She will have two sons first, the first to be named Daulat Shan, and the second to be named Thana Shah.”
Later Baba told him that he would have eight children in all. This proved to be exactly the case, Damia had two sons first. He took his first son to Baba and said’ ” How shall I name this child?”
B.: “Have you forgotten what I told you? You have written it at page 3 of your notebook- Did I not say that he should be named Daulat Shah?”
(He is Nanasaheb Rasane, Trustee of Baba Sansthan)
(b) Rao Bahadur H. V. Sathe
540. H. V. Sathe, a deputy collector was at the age of 50, a widower with 2 daughters and without male issue and he hesitated very much to marry again to get male issue. He came to Shirdi in 1904 along with the Mamlatdar.
Mamlatdar: Saheb has no male issue, Baba.
B.: “If Saheb marries, God will give him a son.”
Thus assured, H.V.S. was prepared to marry. Next year, Dada Kelkar’s daughter was offered: but H.V.S. wished to consult Baba. As soon as the girl was taken by Sharma and Dada Kelkar to Baba, Baba (putting Kumkum on the forehead of the girl) said: “Send this girl away to Ahemedabad (The place where H.V.S. then was). Then H.V.S. married her (1906); but during the next six years, two daughters only were born.
In 1912, Dada Kelkar and his wife went to Baba and said: “Baba, when are we to have a grandson?”
B.: “I am requesting Allah. He will comply with my request.” (In 1913 a son was born to H.V.S. and he is still (1940) hale and hearty.)
(c) Sapatnekar
541. One, Sapatnekar, a law student found his friend going up for the Law Examination with him and asked him what hopes of success, he could have with his insufficient preparation of his subjects. The latter replied that he was relying upon Sai Baba’s assurance to him of success despite insufficiency of preparation. Then Sapatnekar reviled both his friend and Baba. The Examination results came and proved the correctness of Baba’s statement.
Sapatnekar, however, attributed the results to a fluke and still held Baba in low esteem. He then practised at Akkalkot as a lawyer and after ten years lost his only son. Then conscience began to prick him and he wished to visit Baba to apologise. He went and bowed to Baba.
B: “Chal! Hut” (i.e., get away).
A little later, again he bowed to Baba.
B.: “Get away from here.” The man went back.
A year later, Baba appeared in his wife’s dream and invited the pair to come to him. On this occasion Sapatnekar apologised humbly for his past contempt. Baba then addressed a shepherdess in S.’s presence and narrated the incidents of S.’s life, as his own.
While S. was wondering at Baba’s thorough knowledge of things transpiring at distant places and at distant times. Baba spoke again to the shepherdess.
B.: “This man (pointing to S.) blames me, thinking that I killed his son. Now I will again bring back that identical soul to his wife’s womb.”
Baba then turned to S. placed his palm over his head and said: “Your object will be quickly attained.”
Sapatnekar was full of joy and his faith grew and developed as Baba showed him, more and more of his Antarjnana. For instance Baba gave a full account of Mrs. Sapatnekar’s disease and foretold (or directed) its cure. In the face of such utterances, it was impossible to disbelieve Baba again, as he(S) did in his student days. At leave taking, Baba gave him a cocoanut and said “Put this in the Padar ( the frings of the upper cloth) of your wife and go away rejoicing”.
In 12 months’ time he got a son, whom later he brought to Baba.
(c) Mrs. Aurangabadkar
542. One Sakharam Aurangabadkar of Sholapur had no issue by his second wife. She never conceived even once during the 27 years she lived with him. Shama asked her to wait near the mosque, when he would call for her, after Baba should get into a pleasant mood.
After Shama poured water on Baba’s food-soiled hand to wash it, Baba pinched his cheek. Shama feigning anger “What Deva, is it good for you to pinch me?”
Baba: “During the 72 Janmas that you were with me. I never pinched you till now; and yet you resent my touching you.”
Shama: Deva, we want a deva to give us sweet things, e.g.. Swargaloka, Vimana, etc.
B.: “Yes indeed I have come for that”. Then Baba sat on his usual seat. Shama beckoned to the lady and she came, bowed and presented a cocoanut and scented sticks.
Baba shook the cocoanut, which was dry. The kernel within rolled and made a noise.
Baba: (holding it in “guduguduppandi” fashion) “Shama, this is rolling. See what it says.”
Shama: The lady here prays that a child might be similarly quickening in her womb. So give her the cocoanut with that blessing.
B.: “Will the coconut given to her turn into a baby? How foolish people are to fancy such things!”
S.: I know the power of the blessing and the cocoanut. Give her the coconut and the blessing.
B.: “Break the coconut. “
S.: Give the blessing and the coconut.
This was repeated twice or thrice. S.: But when?
B.: “In 12 months’ time.”
Then the coconut was broken and one half was given to the lady.
S.: Madam, you see what he said. If in 12 months time you do not get issue, I will break a coconut against his head and drag him out of the Masjid. If I do not, I will not call myself “Madhava Rao”.
She was delivered of a son in one year’s time and the boy was brought to Baba in his fifth month; and the grateful father paid Rs.500/-, which was used for constructing a stall for Baba’s horse “Syamakarana“.
(e) Cbintamani Rao
543. Baba to Mahalsapathy: “Tell that man Chintamani Rao that, if he marries again, he will have one son and one daughter”. Chintamani married again and had just one son and one daughter.
(f) Mahalasapathi
544. Mahalsapathy had only female issue and yet resolved to lead a life of Brahmacharya and slept at the mosque or temple.
Baba: “Bhagat, Go and live in your house. You will get a son. A son is a mango fruit. A daughter is a tamarind fruit.“
Bhagat went on a Gokul Ashtami day and stayed at his house. Next Gokul Ashtami, a son was born to him.
(g) Ratanji Sait
545A. Ratanji Sapurji Wadia of Nanded (Nizam’s States) having no issue, gave a picnic party to Das Ganu Mahraj and Mouli Sahib, a Moulana at cost of Rs. 3-14-0 and went to Baba. He had no issue and wanted blessings from Baba for issue.
B: “You have already given me Rs. 3-14-0. Give me now Rs. 2-2-0 Dakshina”.
Ratatnji gave the required amount, but wondered how he had given Rs.3-14-0 to Baba, as he had sent him no money and never met him before.
Baba: “God will fulfil your heart’s desire.”
With this blessing, Ratanji returned and learnt from D.G. that Baba’s receipt meant that Baba had received it in the form of the Maulana. Ratanji looked up the account and saw that Rs3-14-0 was the amount expended on the picnic.
Ratanji thereafter was blest with the birth of a son
(h) Re: Narayana Govind Sindhe
545B. N.G.S who got one son (after 7 daughters were born) by prayer to Datta in 1903 was told by Baba, that Baba granted the prayer, though there was no male issue in the man’s prarabdha. See under “Powers”.
545C. Baba’s blessings for longevity of children
B: “Has G.G Narke children?
Devotee: Baba, they all died very young.
Baba: “Allah will bless.”
Four children were born to G.G. Narke, after that and all of them are alive (Baba blessed Mrs.Badave, with similar effect.)
545D. Villagers (after Appa’s death) : Baba, there is terrible cholera raging in the village. Save us.
Baba: “Do not fear. Only seven will die. After that this epidemic will disappear,”
