Shri Upasanibaba Maharaj
Shri Upasanibaba Maharaj
Born on 5th may, 1870 at Satana, Maharashtra (in India),
Kashinath did not exhibit traits of a normal child from the
beginning, although his deviations did not indicate existence of any
super-intelligence or excellence in him. He held extremely strong
views about two vital aspects of life when in his teens. First, he
declared that the formalised educational learning was only for bread
winning and, therefore, after doing three years in a vernacular
elementary school left it; merciless canning by his teacher becoming
the immediate cause of such realisation. Secondly, he hated and
condemned the body (i.e. his own body) as the creator of limitations
and pain in life. He spent all his time doing in Asans (exercises as
per Yoga), Pranayama (Breath control exercises), repetition of
mantras etc. With such an attitude he could earn nothing and for his
family members he was a problem child. To make matters worse, he was
married with the hope that his ways would change. Old habits die
hard. Not only did Kashinath not change, but also a few months after
marriage he ran away from home (at the Dhulia district in
Maharashtra) leaving a departing note and reached Nasik. However,
two months later anxiety about the plight of his parents compelled
him to return home. Shortly thereafter his wife expired, but before
the cup of sorrow could be emptied, Kashinath, now fifteen was got
married second time. To earn livelihood he went to places like Pune
and could not find a job because of the absence of any formal
education. At times he did menial work for others and at other
times, he took to begging. He was in a miserable state of life.
Sometimes, he even had to sleep on footpaths (sideways) and live
only on Margosa (Neem) leaves.
During this period of trials and tribulations, he met a saint who
impressed upon him the virtues of Brahmacharya (celibacy). Leaving
Pune he went to a place called Kalyan where he restored to begging
as a means of livelihood, often quenching his hunger only by
drinking water. A few days later, frustrated and exhausted, he
decided to return home moving through Nasik. He reached home at
Satana in July 1890. Soon after his father passed away. To earn
livelihood, he practiced medicine for some time, followed by a job
of a Malgujari (tax collector for the king or ruler). However, he
failed in all the material ventures he undertook. His health also
deteriorated substantially due to neglect and lack of comforts.
While practicing Pranayama(Breath control exercises), his
breath-cycle also got disturbed. Even his sleep, digestion and
evacuation systems got difficult. All efforts of medical and
religious having failed, he tried to get occult help of a Yogi. A
Yogi called Yogi Kulkarni whom he met at Rahuri told him that
Kashinath had entered a high yogic state and therefore, must take
the help of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi.
An explanation about the role and greatness of Shri Sai of Shirdi would remain incomplete without the understanding of the life of Kashinath Govind Upasani Sastri, who later came to be known as ‘Shri Upasani Maharaj’. Shri Sai’s deeds and life was full of miracles, but the greatest miracle was His creation of this once inconsequential person to the status of a Sadguru within a period of four years! The methods used by Shri Sai to completely transform Kashinath Sastri, the pain taken by him to protect the neophyte and the assurance with which he grew this unsure and confused disciple to the state of a Perfect Master, would indicate where in the spiritual hierarchy of this world Shri Sai remains.
Presuming Shri Sai to be a Moslem, Kashinath did not take the
advice seriously. One day when Kashinath was walking in the streets
of Rahuri, an old man approached him to take hot water as a curative
measure and to avoid taking cold water. Kashinath did not take this
unsolicited advice given by a unknown person but continued his
search for a Hindu Yogi. While on such a move, at a certain place
called Jajuri, he went into a Samadhi state while sitting in a
lonely place surrounded by prickly-pear bush. When he awoke, he felt
very thirsty and went to the stream nearby to drink water. At that
time the same old man re-appeared from nowhere. He repeated his
advice in an angry tone and disappeared suddenly. Kashinath took his
advice (this time) seriously and found sudden relief. In a short
time his health became all right by this hot-water therapy. Then he
went to meet Narayan Maharaj of Kedgaon a famous Saint. On his way
back he again met Yogi Kulkarni at Rahuri who again insisted upon
him to meet Sai Baba, as Shirdi was on the way. Ultimately Kashinath
came to Shirdi and met Shri Sai on 27th June 1911. Little did he
realise at that time that he had met his Sadguru (Master) and that
the course of his life would undergo complete thereafter.
After staying at Shirdi for about two or three days, Kashinath
wanted to leave for home. Obviously he had been wishing for a happy
union with his family members and to live with them happily ever
after. However, Sai would not agree. Everyone in Shirdi knew that if
Shri Sai did not permit one to leave Shirdi, there must be something
more to it. Those who disobeyed faced problems, which could have
been avoided, had they heeded to the words of Shri Sai. When
Kashinath pleaded vehemently, Shri Sai ultimately permitted him on
the condition that he (Kashinath) should return to Shirdi in eight
days. Kashinath, at that time, not having full faith in Sai, started
worrying and fretting as eight days was too short a time. Sai
knowing his mental state told him “well, go if you like, I will see
what can I do.” Very happy at the prospect of going home he made a
quick departure. However, strangely enough, moving from place to
place, he reached Kopergaon (a village 8 miles away from Shirdi) on
the eighth day. He was utterly confused and did not know that as to
how in eight days of continuous walking he could only cover eight
miles. Willy-nilly from Kopergaon, he came to Shirdi with a group of
pilgrims and met Shri Sai again.
When he bowed before Shri Sai, the latter asked him
Sai : “So You have come, when did you leave this place?”
Kashinath : “Thursday”
Sai : “ At what time?”
Kashinath : “At Three”
Sai : “What day of the week is this?”
Kashinath : “Thursday.”
Sai : “How long since you left?”
Kashinath : “A week. To-day is the eighth day”.
Sai : “That’s it. When you left, you protested that you could not
return within eight days!”
Kashinath : “I do not know how this has happened. It is all your
doing”.
Sai : “Man, I was behind you all these eight days. Now go and stay
in that wada” (i.e. Kaka Saheb’s, where visitors of Shri Sai usually
stayed. ‘Wada’ means a building within a compound)
From that day onwards Kashinath was put on probation by Shri Sai who
asked him to stay in the wada (a place where the other pilgrims were
put up). Kashinath attempted to understand Sai by starting to
enquire from other devotees and observation of His daily activities.
On one day, Sai as usual narrated a peculiar story in the form of a
self-experience to the assembled devotees. He said that once he met
an emaciated and pregnant woman whom he advised to take only hot
water and avoid cold-water, so that the child could be delivered
early. She did not heed His advice but went on to drink cold water.
He again came and advised the lady not to take cold water but to
take hot water only. When she started to take hot water, she
delivered the child. While narrating the story Shri Sai pointed
frequently at Kashinath, who was convinced that it was Shri Sai who
had appeared at two places to save him. Love and gratitude engulfed
him so much that he started crying. Sai told him clearly that he and
Kashinath had Rinanubandha (Karmic obligations of the past,
including the previous births) for many centuries.
To protect Kashinath from all external factors that effect spiritual
growth, Sai asked him to go and sit in Khandoba Temple and do
nothing so that Sai would be able to do whatever he wills to do i.e.
to work within Kashinath and evolve him. Sai told Kashinath that
Khandoba’s (Lord Shiva) full grace will come on him after a period
of four years.
Like a mother protecting its child from the on-slaughts of nature
and people around even at the cost of her own life, Shri Sai
protected Kashinath whole-heartedly and openly. Before the
assemblage of jealous devotees who asked about the reason of His
extreme grace He said, “yes, yes, everything has been given,
whatever he is, good or bad, he is mine. There is no distinction
between him and me. Now, the whole responsibility for him rests with
me.” Kashinath still could not understand the import of the words of
Shri Sai. To further indicate his future, Sai said “wherever you
are, you are God – You will realise everything.”
The grace of the Sadguru is immeasurable. It is said that whereas a
touch stone can change a stone to gold by mere touch, the Sadguru
(Perfect Master) is such a touch-stone who can convert a stone
(disciple) to a touch-stone i.e. to His own state (Perfect Master).
The Sadguru, at this stage is responsible for everything, good or
evil, done by the pupil. At this stage, the Sadguru virtually
remains at the mercy of the disciple. By this total sacrifice of
Himself, the Sadguru evolves the disciple to a state of perfection
i.e. His own state. Shri Sai, once told one of His close-associates
that the endeavor should be to create these perfect men so that they
can, in turn, spiritually uplift thousands and millions of other
souls from the state of Jivatma (bonded souls) to the state of
Shivatma (Perfect souls). To evolve Kashinath was no easy task for
Shri Sai. It is said that the difference in the state of
consciousness between a stone and an ordinary man is what is the
difference between an ordinary man and a Sadguru. Like a man turning
a piece of stone by the use of hammer, chisel to a beautiful piece
of sculpture, the Sadguru can change a gross individual to that of a
perfect soul. This is what Shri Sai was trying to do on Kashinath.
The methods he used were, sometimes, harsh from the point of view of
Kashinath, but, none the less were meant for his evolution to that
perfect state only.
To begin his work Sai told Kashinath “Sit quiet, somehow. Have
nothing to do with anyone”. Sai wanted Kashinath not to create
further ‘Samskaras’ or impressions for himself in attachment with
other people but to draw his mind inwards. As he followed the
master, a series of mystic reactions happened in Kashinath and
around him.
To make Kashinath realise that, his Guru (Shri Sai) was present in
every living being irrespective of the species, He once told
Kashinath that he would one day visit Khandoba temple (where
Kashinath used to stay). He further said that would Kashinath
recognize Him, He would have chillum (earthen pipe for smoking) with
him. About two or three months later Kashinath was taking some food
to his Guru (Sai, who was sitting at the DwarkaMai mosque). A black
dog who had been watching Kashinath while cooking, followed him.
Without giving any food to the dog, Kashinath went straight to Sai,
who said, “why did you take the trouble to bring the food here, in
this hot sun. I was sitting there (i.e. near the temple)”. Kashinath
was shocked to hear that his Guru was at the temple and he did not
know. He told Sai that there was none in the temple except a black
dog. At that, Sai said ‘yes, yes, I was that dog”. Hearing this
Kashinath could not stop crying and resolved never again to commit
such a blunder. On the next day, while cooking, he watched around
cautiously lest the dog would come again. The dog was no where to be
seen. A shudra (lower-caste) beggar was found leaning against a wall
and watching him cook. Kashinath the Brahmin (Uppermost-caste) grown
in the orthodox tradition, immediately asked him to go away. Later
when he approached Sai, the latter asked him “yesterday you did not
give me food and today you also ordered me not to stand there and
drove me away. Do not bring food for me hereafter”. Again Kashinath
was surprised and again he was told that ‘shudra’ was Sai Himself.
These two lessons taught Kashinath that God and Shri Sai are in
everything, and that the essence of God pervades everyone and
everything.
On the Gurupurnima day (Ashadha full moon day) of 1913, Shri Sai
asked a devotee Chandrabai, a strong willed lady to worship
Kashinath the way Sai was being worshipped. This lady approached
Kashinath in Khandoba temple with the Puja (worship) material for
his worship. Kashinath refused to be worshipped and, even,
threatened her for her audacious act. But Chandrabai told him (the
language of Sai said through her) that even his body, which he
thought was being worshipped, did not belong to him. From this day
onwards Kashinath was called as Upasani Maharaj as officially Sai
installed him as a Guru even in his probation period. After this
incident, he started losing the sense of his body (Dehabhava).
Now Upasani Maharaj started having visions and feelings of a highly
psychic and spiritual nature. For example, he lost his normal vision
by looking at the sun constantly. The sun and other light sources
looked dark to him. When in this state, one day, he suddenly started
seeing circles of light, which expanded and then came near him.
These circular specks of light would disappear coming near his body.
Now he started seeing spiritual visions inside these circles of
light. One day he saw himself standing at some place in the space
and saw the whole cosmos including the sun, moon, sky revolving. The
whirling cosmos slowly became smaller and smaller, came towards him,
and vanished near him or into him. Upasani Maharaj now experienced
that the whole world was illusory and revolving and that he, as a
soul, was outside it. This was a higher stage in his spiritual
growth.
From his childhood Upasani Maharaj had identified the body as the
cause of all evils in life and had made conscious attempts to punish
it. For a spiritual aspirant identifying the body with the self is a
big limitation. How Shri Sai removed it is an interesting story. One
day Upasani Maharaj saw a vision that in an old building he (Upasani)
and Sai were there. Shri Sai beckoned him to bring his ear close to
his (Sai) mouth so that he could give a mantra. When Upasani Maharaj
tried to do so, a shabby figure, which looked exactly like him tried
to pull Maharaj away from Sai. Then Sai beat-up that shabby figure
carried him out and burnt him in a pyre. Identifying himself with
this figure when Upasani complained about this action (of burning).
Shri Sai told him that it was his (Maharaj’s) evil form, which has
been burnt. Little later, he saw an illuminated figure of himself.
Again on being asked, Sai said that it was his (Maharaj’s) virtuous
form. Maharaj was surprised and asked if he had an evil form and
also a virtuous form who was he! Shri Sai told him that he was
beyond both these forms and was the pure soul the element with which
Shri Sai himself was made of.
As Upasani Maharaj proceeded from the stage of illumination to self-realisation
occult powers and ‘siddhis’ came to him. When an aspirant evolves in
the spiritual path higher psychic and occult powers gradually grow
in him. He could read the minds of everyone – his past, present and
future. People started surrounding him and he had some following.
Often, when he would be worshipped by a few persons, a crazy ascetic
called Nanavali, who stayed at Shirdi, would come and pull out his
cloth and talk with him with disrespect and contempt. Once he tied
him up and beat him up. As Nanavali was a tough and dangerous
person, no one could protect Upasani Maharaj. His cup of sorrow was
full but inwardly his Godly qualities were evolving to perfection.
He was getting ready for his new and bigger role. Every time he
faced a problem, Sai assured him by saying that He (Sai) was always
with him and that the more he suffered at present, better it would
be for his future.
One night in July 1914 Upasani Maharaj left Shirdi quietly taking
mental permission from his Guru for a role he was destined to play
elsewhere. First he went to a place called Shindi, then to Nagpur
where he stayed for about a month and finally Kharagpur. At all
these places, people started worshipping him even when he tried
fervently to run-away from such situations. He tried to remain
incognito but people would not leave him in peace. At Kharagpur, he
deliberately stayed in a dirty condition and used filthy articles
and even abused people in most unparliamentary language that he
could. People followed him everywhere and conducted his Puja
(worship) and demanded advice out of him. When a flower blooms and
its aroma spreads, butterflies and insects naturally get drawn
towards it.
Same was the case with Upasanji Maharaj. Since he had become a ‘Satpurush’
(Perfect one) people naturally flocked to him whether he liked it or
not. All persons coming in contact with a Satpurush get purified.
His following increased everyday and his surroundings became a place
of activities like poor feeding, kirtan and ‘Naamjap’ remembrance of
the name etc. Although Upasani Maharaj would not agree to be the
creator, but a number of miracles started happening around him.
After staying for about a year in Kharagpur, when people tried to
build a permanent abode for him, he quickly left the place. Soon he
reached Nagpur, where also, people surrounded to have his darshan.
After two months of stay at Nagpur, he visited places like Poona and
also his home at Satana. As his four-year period was over, he
returned to Shridi and stayed at Khandoba temple for about seven
months. Thereafter, he left for a place called Rahata where he
conducted naam japs, poor feeding etc. From there he went to
Ahmedabad for some time. Returning to Shirdi, a third time he stayed
near to his Guru for about two to three months. In 1917, he finally
shifted to Sakori and started functioning as a spiritual master (Sadguru).
This child of Shri Sai served thousands and thousands of people, day
in and day out with least regard for his personal comforts and
finally left his gross body in the early hours of the 24th day of
December, in the year 1941. Like his Guru, Upasani Baba had given
enough indications about his final departure earlier. Upasani Baba
was Shri Sai’s loftiest creation a stone turned into a touchstone.