First-person testimony · Part II

Das Ganu Maharaj

Context

Das Ganu's biography is a separate Sit With Sai page: Das Ganu Maharaj. Briefly: police-constable-turned-kirtankar in the Naradiya tradition; his Bombay-Presidency kirtans from 1910 onward spread Baba's name to thousands; from 1915 Baba permanently entrusted him with the Rama-Navami kirtan at Shirdi. The morning after Baba's Mahasamadhi, Das Ganu received the news in a dream at Pandharpur and was directed by Baba to come at once: "The Masjid collapsed, all the oilmen and grocers of Shirdi teased me a lot, so I leave the place… please go there quickly and cover me with 'Bhakkal' flowers."

About the 1936 statement

Das Ganu's first-person 1936 statement is at page 127 of Part II. The Satcharitra was already published (1929) when he gave it. The statement is unique among Part II testimonies for being given by the very devotee Baba had used as principal evangelist for two decades.

Verbatim excerpt from Narasimha Swami (1940s)

y had been safely performed. The same day my friend, Haribhav Moreswar Panse told me that he hoped that the operation by the grace of Sri Sai Baba, would be a success. That was the first mention of Sai Baba to me. I had not then known of him. Evidently Panse had. Later in the evening, we learnt from my father who re turned from the hospital that the operation had been performed and that there was no trouble or danger. After the operation a sadhu had appeared there and approaching the patient passed his hands over the operated part of the body, and said all would go on well. The operation proved quite safe and my brother recovered. The same year, my father attended Das Ganu’s Kirtan. Wherein Sai Baba was described as a veritable Avatar of Datta, as a remarkable person with wonderful powers and wonderful kindness. We got a picture of Sai Baba and worshipped it with Udbatti (light ing scented sticks) at home. In 1912 was my first visit to Shirdi. I had appeared for my Revenue Subordinates Examination and before the results were announced, I went to Shirdi along with two friends, Sankar Balakrishna Vaidya and Achyta Date. On the way, we alighted at Kopergaon station.

Source: B. V. Narasimha Swami, Devotees' Experiences of Sri Sai Baba (All India Sai Samaj, Madras, 1940s; reprint Akhanda Sainama Sapthaha Samithi, Hyderabad). PDF on Internet Archive · OCR full text. Excerpt matched on the term: Das Ganu. This is the canonical English excerpt; please consult the original PDF for context.