Retired Deputy Collector, Deccani, Brahmin, Aged 81 (born 1855), Residing at 108, Shukrawar Peth, Poona
RAO BAHADUR H.V.SATHE continued on 6-8-1936 and 28-8-1936.
Baba expressed my nature aptly by saying "Saheb is quite simple and unsophisticated." And as that was his view, he never beat or abused me, though he beat and abused others. Only once he threatened to beat me, and I knew that I was then at fault. It was a Dhanur Masa celebration at my Shirdi lodgings and living away from my father-in-law as we were not on the best terms. I then invited others for the ceremony but not my father-in-law. I went however to invite Baba. Then he cried "Fetch that stick." I stood quiet. His mood changed at once and he said, " Never mind. I will come." There was another fault committed by me that day which also would account for Baba's displeasure. That day I had gone to a Marwadi to intercede in one of his affairs or disputes. Baba did not like that.
When I had boasted that I was the only devotee of Baba who had not got a beating at his hands, Madhav Rao Deshpande communicated this to Baba in my presence and asked him the reason. Baba said "Why should I beat him? There is his father-in-law to beat him". Baba evidently conveyed thereby the idea that I was being constantly "Fined" by my father-in-law's excessive demands and collections of money from me. Baba's help to me on the spiritual side was often to keep me off from vanity, pomp or sin in thought or action. Here are some instances.
At the time, when in the Wada (i.e., Sathe wada), the foundation stone was laid, there was no previous intimation of the date to me. It was however on a Poornima day. Myself and Bere started the previous day to go to Shirdi without previously intimating our intention to go there. At Kopergaon which we reached in the evening, Bere induced me to halt for the night as Baba could not easily be visited by us at night. Next morning we went to Shirdi. Baba was then coming from the Lendi. There was a crowd of 80 to 90 spectators waiting to see him. We also went and prostrated. Baba told me, "You have come just in time. The foundation stone is to be laid". I fancied that I must go through the pompous ceremony in high style. I took up a hatchet to dig up a bit of the foundation and lay the foundation stone. Baba stopped me at once and said, "Why do you go there? What have we to do with all this? The masons and other workmen will do it." So no formal ceremony of laying the foundation stone was gone through. My father-in-law told me that he knew the previous day that I was arriving at Shirdi on the Poornima day and so fixed up that date for laying of the foundation stone. When asked how he knew of it, he said that Baba was saying the previous day, "Saheb is coming tomorrow. The washer¬woman told me of this as Saheb's tent had come to her for washing". In fact there was no tent sent and no washerwoman could have got intimation of our arrival. Bere's stopping me at Kopergaon was useful. That night (unknown to me though it was) was the tenth night of the death of an agnatic relation of my father-in-law and his house was under pollution and resounding with wailing and there was none even to cook and offer unpolluted food for me then, had I gone.
On one occasion Baba, who was ever watchful over his children's actions in sight or out of sight, saved me from plunging headlong into passion and headstrong cruelty. The facts are these. My father-in-law wanted me to buy some 20 acres of agricultural land at or near Shirdi and I sent him 1200 Rupees and the land was purchased. One day when I was there, I desired to go and see the land. My father-in-law would not accompany me and was placing obstacles in the way of my visiting the land. His reason was that his brother's son (Babu) had left a widow, who was living with him and she would come to know of the land and claim a share therein. I however insisted that we should go and ordered Tatya Patel's cart to be brought up and wanted my wife to go with me. She had first consented to go but finally under instructions from her father, she declined to accompany me. I was wroth. I seized the whip from the cartman and was intending to chastise her for her disobedience to my orders. Lo! suddenly Megha rushed into my Wada and said that Baba wanted me urgently to proceed at once to the Mosque to see him. I went up. Baba asked me "What is the matter? What is it that has happened?" I saw that he knew everything and felt ashamed of myself. Then Baba added evidently to explain and justify the conduct and attitude of my wife and father-in-law, "Your land is there. Where is the necessity to go and see it?" How watchful he was over my conduct and welfare!