Page 42 - My Father-Final Book

is the connection between the true guru and disciple![Illustration 16: My father’s Guru, Shree Krishnanatha Maharaj of Mirajgaon. 1945]
Many times during the Thursday Arati prayers, my father received a blessing from Shirdi Sai Baba in the form of Pedha sweet or Udi (sacred ashes). He will then give it to the ones who were present. This signifies that the devotees should partake of the blessing and they would be protected by Shree Sai Baba. After he moved to Mr. Limaye’s place, the incidence of this blessing was reduced for some reasons. I myself have witnessed two of such incidences, in the first one a big Pedha was distributed and in the second one, burning ashes were placed in the Dhoti garment of my father and there were dry rose flowers in them. There was no indication of the ashes anywhere in his Dhoti clothe or on the floor when the ashes appeared. He placed them onto the plate in front of the shrine. The smell in the entire room was so powerful and unusual. But, my father never showed that this was anything special neither did the people feel it was something unusual for my father. There were no incidences of other objects coming in these blessings. It was only Pedha or ashes. Also, on no occasions my father used these events to promote himself. No photograph of any such event was taken. And, my father never told people that this event would solve all their problems. He had explained in one of his discourses that this event was not his wish, but it was the wish of Shirdi Sai Baba and his Guru.
Baburao Patwardhan was an attorney in Bagalkot, Karnatak. His son, Shashi, was studying in Fergusson College, Pune. He lived at his maternal uncle’s home in Shukrawar Peth. He regularly attended the Thursday arati at Shree Siddhamata Mandir. Thus, he became our family friend. One year, during
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