Shri Sai Sat Charitra-Chapter XXI - Part III

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One gentleman from Poona, by name Anantrao Patankar wished to see Baba. He came to Shirdi, and took Baba's darshan. His eyes were appeased, he was much pleased. He fell at Baba's Feet; and after performing proper worship said to Baba - "I have read a lot, studied Vedas, Vedanta and Upanishads and heard all the Puranas, but still I have not got any peace of mind; so I think that all my reading was useless. Simple ignorant devout persons are better off than myself. Unless the mind becomes calm, all book-learning is of no avail. I have heard, from many people, that you easily give peace of mind to so many people by your mere glance, and playful word; so I have come here; please take pity on me and bless me".

Sai Ram. His reading was not entirely useless, since the punya (merit) thus accrued made his mind clear (if not calm) enough to realise that he needs the grace of a Sadguru and brought him to Shirdi. Mere intellectual understanding of the truths in Vedas and Upanishads is not enough and experience of that truth is needed for the mind to get sraddha and saburi. Baba showed him the path as you will read below. Sai Ram.*

Then Baba told him a parable, which was as follows:-

Parable of Nine Balls of Stool (Nava-vidha Bhakti)

"Once a Soudagar (merchant) came here. Before him a mare passed her stool (nine balls of stool). The merchant, intent on his quest, spread the end of his dhotar and gathered all the nine balls in it, and thus he got concentration (peace) of mind".

Mr. Patankar could not make out the meaning of this story; so he asked Ganesh Damodar, alias Dada Kelkar, "What does Baba mean by this?"

Sai Ram. It it interesting that he did not think of asking Sai Baba himself. Baba had total control over the minds of the devotees coming to him and they could not think of asking any questions unless He willed it. And while Baba did not allow some devotees to ask others their doubts (we will be reading an interesting story about BV Deo in a future chapter), He allowed others to ask other devotees and thus cleared their doubts. Varied indeed were His methods of instruction. Sai Ram.