Sathya Sai Remembers His Kamandala ‘In Shirdi…’

Did Bhagawan in the old days ever describe any episode from the life of Shirdi Sai Baba? Though there are plenty of such references, directly from Bhagawan, throwing light into the Oneness of both the Avatars, sometimes He makes it unique and more interesting, involving some devotees, leaving an eternal impression in ‘His-Story,’ proving the Oneness.

The Raja of Chinjoli had been a great devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi, who used to go and stay with Him. After the demise of the Raja and when Shirdi Baba was also no more, the Rani learned from two of her sisters living in Bangalore that there was in Puttaparthi a young Baba who called himself an incarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi. These sisters, Rajamma and Sitamma, visited Puttaparthi frequently.

The Rani told her sisters that she did not believe that the young Swami could be Shirdi Baba reborn, and they left the topic. Then Puttaparthi Baba came to her in one of her dreams and said: “Why don’t you come and visit Me? I am Shirdi Baba born again and living in Puttaparthi.”

According to what these people told, the Rani shortly afterwards contacted one of her sisters in Bangalore and asked her what that Puttaparthi Baba looked like. And as her sister was describing Him, she exclaimed: ‘Yes, that is the very same Man that was in my dream.’ Till then she had not met Puttaparthi Baba and she did not have much knowledge of Him.’

The three sisters went to Puttaparthi together. As soon as the old Rani appeared, Baba said: ‘You have come at last. But what has happened to the mug I was carrying all the time? What about My kamandala? Have you brought it with you?’ The Rani asked Him: ‘What kamandala? Tell me.’ Swami replied: ‘Have you not kept it at such and such place in the palace? I used it so often. Every time I sat for a meal, water was only kept in that kamandala. Don’t you remember?’

The Rani was then taken aback for a minute for she remembered this, but was not fully convinced. She probably thought that her sisters might have told Him something.

Next Baba asked her” ‘What are you doing with My tonga (a small horse-driven cart)?’ Only Shirdi Baba used to ride in a certain tonga that was kept at the palace for His disposal when He visited Chinjoli. The Rani said that after Shirdi Baba’s ‘passing on’ they were not using the tonga. ‘Instead of keeping it idle in Chinjoli, why don’t you bring it to Puttaparthi?’ Swami suggested to her, and she had the cart brought to Puttaparthi.