Shri Sai Satcharitra · Chapter 23

TL;DRChapter 23 brings together four episodes that, taken together, define what Hemadpant means by "loving devotion towards the Guru's feet." A Yoga sadhak who has read every text including Patanjali — but cannot attain samadhi — comes to Shirdi convinced Baba's onion-eating disqualifies him as a teacher; Baba reads the thought and replies that he who can digest onion may eat it.

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Editor’s note

Chapter 23 brings together four episodes that, taken together, define what Hemadpant means by "loving devotion towards the Guru's feet." A Yoga sadhak who has read every text including Patanjali — but cannot attain samadhi — comes to Shirdi convinced Baba's onion-eating disqualifies him as a teacher; Baba reads the thought and replies that he who can digest onion may eat it. Shama is bitten by a poisonous snake on the little finger; he runs not to the village deity Viroba but to Baba in the masjid, where Baba's apparent rage ("Go, Get away, Come down") is in fact a five-syllabled Mantra addressed to the venom — not to Shama. The cholera ordinances of the Shirdi panchas (no fuel-cart, no goat-killing) are calmly broken by Baba on the principle that the whole epidemic-precaution was superstition. The goat-killing scene that follows becomes the Satcharitra's most concentrated test of Guru-Bhakti: Bade Baba refuses; Shama hesitates; Kakasaheb Dixit, a pure Brahmin, raises the knife at Baba's command — and is stopped at the final second with the test passed. Hemadpant closes with the three classifications of disciples (best, middling, ordinary) and the canonical statement that Hath-Yoga and breath-control are not necessary for the disciple who possesses faith, patience, and intelligence.

Chapter XXIII — Yoga and Onion; Shama's Snake-Bite; Cholera Ordinances; the Goat Ordeal

Source: Shri Sai Satcharitra, trans. Gunaji
Marathi original: Sai Satcharita (archive.org scan) · Devotee testimonies: Narasimha Swami 1936 (Internet Archive) · Full bibliography: /sources.html

URL: https://www.saibaba.org/satcharitra/sai23.html

Sections

Preliminary — On the Jiva and the Guru

Hemadpant opens by stating the human soul (Jiva) really transcends the three qualities (Sattwa, Rajas, Tamas) but, deluded by Maya, forgets its nature as Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and thinks itself the doer and enjoyer. The only deliverance is loving devotion at the Guru's feet. Though an incarnation, Baba always called himself an obedient servant of God; he saw Narayan in every being and uttered continually "Allah Malik" — God is the sole Owner.

Yoga and Onion

A Yoga sadhak came to Shirdi with Nanasaheb Chandorkar. He had read every Yoga text, including Patanjali's Yoga-sutras, but could not concentrate or attain even brief samadhi. He came hoping Baba would help. At the masjid he saw Baba eating bread with onion. He thought: how can this man, eating stale bread with raw onion, solve my difficulties? Baba read his mind and said to Nanasaheb:

"Oh Nana, he who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else."

The yogi was wonder-struck, fell at Baba's feet, surrendered openly, asked his difficulties and received solutions. He left with udi and blessings.

Shama Cured of Snake-Bite

Shama (Madhavrao Deshpande) was bitten by a poisonous snake on the little finger of his hand. The pain was severe; the poison began to spread; he thought he would die. Friends wanted to take him to the village deity Viroba (where such cases were customarily sent). Shama ran instead to the masjid — to his Viroba, Baba.

When Baba saw him climbing the masjid steps, he became enraged and roared:

"Oh vile Bhaturdya (Priest) do not climb up. Beware if you do so. Go, Get away, Come down."

Shama, devastated, lost all hope and kept silent. Soon Baba became calm. He told Shama to come up and sit near, then said:

"Don't be afraid, don't care a jot, the Merciful Fakir will save you, go and sit quiet at home, don't go out, believe in Me and remain fearless and have no anxiety."

Shama was sent home. Baba dispatched Tatya Patil and Kakasaheb Dixit after him with instructions: eat what he liked, move about the house, but never lie down to sleep. The instructions were followed and Shama recovered.

Hemadpant's key gloss: Baba's apparent rage and the five-syllabled words ("Go, Get away, Come down") were not addressed to Shama but were a direct order to the snake and its poison not to ascend through Shama's body. Unlike practitioners of Mantrashastra, Baba used no incantation, no charged rice, no charged water — his words alone were efficacious.

The Cholera Ordinances

Cholera was raging virulently in Shirdi. The panchas of the village met and decreed two ordinances: (1) no fuel-cart should enter the village; (2) no goat should be killed within it. Violators would be fined. Baba regarded the measures as superstition and ignored them.

While the ordinance was in force, a fuel-cart arrived and was being driven away. Baba came to the spot and directed the cartman to take the fuel to the masjid. No one dared object. Baba kept the Dhuni burning night and day; he always needed fuel. The masjid was open to all without lock and key; poor people often removed wood for their use, and Baba did not grumble.

The Goat — the Ordeal of Guru-Bhakti

While the second cholera ordinance (no goat-killing) was in force, someone brought a weak, old, dying goat to the masjid. Fakir Pir Mohamad of Malegaon — known as Bade Baba — was present. Baba was deeply respected by Sai Baba: he always sat on Sai Baba's right at meals, smoked the chilim first, received Rs. 50 daily out of Dakshina, and Baba would accompany him a hundred paces when he left.

Sai Baba asked Bade Baba to behead the goat with one stroke and offer it as oblation. Bade Baba refused flatly: "Why should it be killed for nothing?"

Baba next asked Shama. Shama went to Radha-Krishna Mai for a knife. Knowing what it was for, she recalled the knife. Shama went for another, stayed in the Wada, did not return.

Baba then turned to Kakasaheb Dixit — described by Hemadpant as "good gold" who had to be tested. Kakasaheb was a pure Brahmin, born into a family that knew no killing. He went to Sathe's Wada, returned with a knife, tightened his dhotar, and with a semicircular motion raised his hand. He looked at Baba for the final signal:

"What are you thinking of? Go on, strike."

Just as the hand was about to come down, Baba said:

"Stop, how cruel you are! Being a Brahmin, you are killing a goat?"

Kakasaheb obeyed and set the knife down. He said to Baba:

"Your nectar-like word is law unto us, we do not know any other ordinance. We remember You always, meditate on Your Form and obey You day and night, we do not know or consider whether it is right or wrong to kill, we do not want to reason or discuss things, but implicit and prompt compliance with Guru's orders is our duty and dharma."

Baba then said he would himself do the offering and killing. It was settled the goat would be disposed of near a place called Takkya where fakirs sat. While being carried there, the goat fell dead on the way.

Classification of Disciples

Hemadpant closes with a three-fold classification:

Best — disciples who guess what the Guru wants and act without waiting for an order.
Middling — those who carry out the Guru's orders to the letter, without delay.
Ordinary — those who postpone and stumble at every step.

His summary teaching: faith backed by intelligence and patience is sufficient. Breath-control, Hath-Yoga, and other difficult practices are not necessary. When the disciple has these qualities the Master appears and leads them on.

Verbatim Sai Baba quotes documented in this chapter

(Continuous utterance) "Allah Malik" — "God is the sole proprietor or Owner."
(To Nanasaheb, of the Yoga sadhak) "Oh Nana, he who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else."
(To Shama on the masjid steps, addressing the snake-poison) "Oh vile Bhaturdya (Priest) do not climb up. Beware if you do so. Go, Get away, Come down."
(To Shama, calmly, after the dismissal) "Don't be afraid, don't care a jot, the Merciful Fakir will save you, go and sit quiet at home, don't go out, believe in Me and remain fearless and have no anxiety."
(To Kakasaheb, with the knife raised) "What are you thinking of? Go on, strike."
(To Kakasaheb, stopping the stroke) "Stop, how cruel you are! Being a Brahmin, you are killing a goat?"

Frequently asked about this chapter

What does the "Yoga and Onion" story teach?

A Yoga sadhak who had studied every Yoga text but never attained samadhi judged Baba by his diet — raw onion with stale bread. Baba read his thought and said: "He who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else." The teaching: spiritual qualification cannot be judged by externals; the seeker should test his own capacity, not the saint's appearances.

How was Shama cured of the snake-bite?

Baba's apparent fury — "Go, Get away, Come down" — was, in Hemadpant's reading, not directed at Shama but at the poison: a five-syllabled command ordering it not to ascend through Shama's body. When Baba became calm, Shama was told to sit at home, eat what he liked, move about, but not lie down to sleep. He recovered. The episode is the canonical Satcharitra example of Baba using his word alone (without incantation, charged rice, or charged water) as Mantra.

What were the Shirdi cholera ordinances and how did Baba respond?

The Shirdi panchas decreed two measures during a cholera epidemic: no fuel-cart could enter the village, no goat could be killed within it. Baba regarded both as superstition. He ordered a stopped fuel-cart taken to the masjid for his Dhuni, and arranged for the dying goat-offering at the Takkya. The chapter offers his calm violation of both ordinances as a teaching against superstition disguised as public health.

What is the "goat ordeal" of Guru-Bhakti?

Baba asked Bade Baba (Pir Mohamad), Shama, then Kakasaheb Dixit to behead a dying goat. Bade Baba flatly refused. Shama delayed. Kakasaheb — a pure Brahmin who had never killed — raised the knife at Baba's command. At the last second Baba said "Stop." Kakasaheb's response — "implicit and prompt compliance with Guru's orders is our duty and dharma" — defines the highest discipleship. The goat fell dead on its own en route to the Takkya.

What are the three kinds of disciples Hemadpant names?

Best (guess the Guru's wishes and act without being asked), middling (carry out orders promptly and exactly), ordinary (postpone, stumble, hesitate). The chapter's closing teaching: faith backed by intelligence and patience is sufficient; difficult practices like Hath-Yoga and breath-control are not necessary. When the disciple possesses these qualities the Master appears and leads them on.

Who was Bade Baba?

Fakir Pir Mohamad of Malegaon, known as "Bade Baba" (elder Baba). Sai Baba treated him with deep respect: Bade Baba sat to his right at meals, received the chilim first, was paid Rs. 50 daily from the Dakshina collection, and was accompanied a hundred paces by Sai Baba when leaving. His refusal in the goat-ordeal is recorded without rebuke; Sai Baba simply turned to the next disciple.

Source: Shri Sai Satcharitra by Govind Raghunath Dabholkar (Hemadpant), 1929. English adaptation by N. V. Gunaji. Original chapter text: saibaba.org/satcharitra/sai23.html. This page is a factual summary with verbatim quotations from the source. We add no commentary attributed to Baba.

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Ch. 22 — Rescues from Snake-bites; Baba's Opinion on Killing Serpents

Ch. 24 — Baba's Wit & Humour: Chana Leela; Sudama; Anna vs. Mavsibai