Aniruddha Bapu, the only Saviour 

 

Everyone has a different story about their journey towards Aniruddha Bapu,  which is very close to their heart. It is a memorable journey…...that carries you from the mountains of sorrow to the peaks of joy. As a matter of fact, Bapu is our companion right from the day we are born. But for the realisation to dawn upon us, there has to be some reason….and once we realize, our entire journey towards him is 'full with Bapu'.

My husband was a teacher in a Municipal school at Mahabaleshwar, and I was a homemaker. We were already married for eight years but did not have any children. I, unfortunately, had undergone a miscarriage after one year of our marriage. We had gone to various temples and made several votives and also had consulted doctors for medical treatments but all in vain.

I would go for a walk at 4.00 pm daily with my friend Mrs Rode, because of whom I became an ardent follower of Saibaba. She would narrate several experiences of Baba. During one such conversation, I closed my eyes and bowed at his Samadhi intensely.

Eventually, I forgot I had devotedly offered my reverence at Baba’s Samadhisthan. Surprisingly, in the same month, I discovered I was again pregnant after so many years. On 28th April 1981, I was blessed with a daughter. I had become a mother. Since then, I have become 'Saimay'. This was the first turning point of my life.

Following this, a sorrowful incident knocked me down in 2009-2010. My younger brother had expired, which came as a blow to me. He had been suffering from kidney failure for quite some time. During his illness, we often visited him. We met Mr Bagul, a Bapu Bhakt living in the same building.

He often asked me to attend discourses and seek the darshan of Bapu’s Chinmaya Paduka. But we turned a deaf ear since we considered ourselves Sai Bhaktas. I ascertained never to abandon Sai’s Lotus feet and seek shelter elsewhere.

My brother’s demise left me bereaved. For some unknown reason, my skin used to turn blue and black. I was restless, so I used to go to my elder brother-in-law’s house to relieve myself. They made all efforts to console me, but nothing seemed to lift my spirits because I was deeply affected by the incident. I acknowledged whatever they explained but failed to put it into practice.

One afternoon I was sitting on my porch, gazing at the road outside, when I saw my cousins. They had come over to see me. They were hurt to see me grieving. They are followers of Bapu, so they tried to convince me to come over to Bapu and finally took me for darshan of His Padukas. They attend the Upasana every Saturday from 6.30-9.00 pm. My entire world was transformed when I bowed at His Padukas and listened to His discourse for the first time. I experienced immense peace. Hence, I decided never to forsake these Lotus feet.

Two years have passed since this incident. Our life and our hearts are full of Bapu now. I believe Bapu is with me every moment; He is my breath! He is our guide, our protector. We have offered our devotion at His lotus feet.

I had several experiences that helped me fortify my devotion.

1. My eldest daughter Mrs. Arya Yashodhan Joshi, and her husband are computer engineers. They had lost their jobs. Eventually, by the grace of Bapu, they secured a new job in a good company, and things have been going very well for them.
2. My younger daughter is an electronic engineer. Once when she was returning home from college on her two-wheeler, as she waited at the signal, a four-wheeler hit her from behind and sped away. The four-wheeler had hit her so hard that she fell far away, and her two-wheeler skidded 40 feet on the road.  

She was badly injured and was unable to get up. Fortunately, she had Param Pujya Bapu’s Udi and photograph in her bag. An aged couple helped her stand upright. The people around her aided her in getting into the auto-rickshaw and took her to a nearby clinic. The doctor immediately attended to her; he got her x-rayed. Her hip bone on the left side near the abdomen was slightly fractured. However, it was Bapu’s grace that it didn’t affect her future life. Oh! How my Bapu takes care of his child! 

When her treatment was completed after eight days, we took her to Wai. She had recovered completely after about a month. She resumed college within the next eight days.

Oh, really! Bapu immersed me in His world of devotion, offering me His shelter of compassion.

Now each day brings a new experience. The grace of Bapu often fulfilled my pure and innocent wishes.