widow of Hansraj, caste Vani, age about 45, residence Sakori. 2nd December, 1936.
I and my husband went to Shirdi 20 years ago. In Margasira about December, 1916, just after Radhakrishna Ayi died, we went and stayed for about 6 months. My husband had Asthma. Narasinga Baba Maharaj of Nasik had told him that as an evil spirit was possessing his body, we got no issue and that he should go to Shirdi Sai Baba who would give him two slaps and exorcize it. That is why we came to Sai Baba. Baba gave my husband two Slaps saying, “Evil spirit be off ." From that time we lived there. My husband’s asthma abated. It was operating during the day but did not trouble him at night.
Before we came to Shirdi it was troubling day and night. Baba was caughing away at night when we lived there. At the end of our 6 months’ stay Asthma ceased to trouble my husband by day even. Before I mention that, a chamatkar on Baba’s part in healing him has to be mentioned. Soon after we settled here, Baba told my husband that he should be strict about his diet and avoid curds, and other acid and pungent articles of food. When it came to acting on this advice, my husband found it hard to follow it, as these were what he liked most. He did not relish his food without curds etc. He would sooner give up life than curds, he declared. So every day for two months we were trying to prepare curds at home, for in this village curds are not easily to be had at noon. We kept milk heated and cooled for curdling every night and then we would go and attend the Noon-Arati of Baba at the Mosque. Everyday almost for two months a cat would steal into our lodgings in our absence, jump up the sling in which the curd pot was kept and drink it off. As our meal had to be after Arathi my husband found that there were no curds to take. One day he resolved to catch the thief in the very act and so stayed away from the Noon Arathi. The cat came in, my husband allowed it to get in, to watch how it could possibly reach the curd pot which was kept so high in a sling. But it did. Anyhow the cat had dipped its mouth into the curd pot and the curds were not fit for use. He quickly watched its drinking and when it got down he used his stick severely on its back, by way of summary punishment for its larceny. In the afternoon, people resorted to Baba at the mosque and got udhi from his hands. We went there; Jog, Madhav Rao Deshpande, Kaka Dixit, Buty etc., were there. Baba addressing them referred to my husband and said “There is an upantiya (i.e. one who does the reverse of what he is asked to do) who wants to die by eating sour and pungent things. But I would not allow him to do that. To day I went to him in the form of a cat. That fellow has given me a caning on the back. See here." Then Baba exposed his back from under the Kupni; and there we could see a weal or stripe such as caning might cause.What a wonder!
Thereafter my husband wanted no more curds to be prepared and no more acids etc., to take. This accelerated his improvement very probably. Baba was not for giving him any medicines. First I gave my husband daily some medicine for the Asthma. Baba then said that he also had Asthma and that as I was giving medicine to my husband he had thousands of women who would give him medicine; “ But what is the use?” He added “Allah Malik hai - God is the Lord". So I stopped giving medicines. It is without resort to any medicine that Baba got my husband’s asthma cured. That cure lasted for a year or so. Then my husband had again his Asthma. That was in 1918 or 1919 and then he was cured by Upasani Baba when the latter went to Sion.
Sai Baba used to say many things. I remember some.While he was all along living at Shirdi alone he would suddenly declare “I have been to Kasi and had a bath and just now I have returned. Why do I want a bath here?” or “I have been to Kolhapur, or Audumbarwadi and I have just now returned”. Jog told me that Sai Baba gave him darsan of himself as Akkalkote Maharaj, at his (Jog’s) request.
Source: Devotees Experiences of SRI SAI BABA by B.V.NARASIMHASWAMIJI