003. Thakurdasbua

|| Shri Swami Samarth ||

There is a famous Devasthan in Mumbai called Thakurdwar. On the right side of this Devasthan on a small altar are the portrait and paduka of Swami Maharaj. The daily ritual offerings and the Thursday palanquin seva are conducted with great devotion regularly. This institution was established by Shri Krushnabua, also known as Thakurdasbua.

Thakurdasbua had been a Shri Datta upasaka from childhood and he regularly visited Narsobachi Vadi and Gangapur to offer his seva. He was an excellent kirtankar.

By the law of karma, as the fruit of some act committed in his past lives, Thakurdasbua was stuck with vitiligo (shweta kushta) and he developed white patches on his body including his face. He felt that he was beginning to get unbearable to look at and this caused him great mental anguish. He underwent treatment for twenty years but the disease was not cured nor was the spread halted. A completely dejected Thakurdasbua resolved to spend the rest of his days at Kashi kshetra where he hoped that he would not have to face anyone that he knew.

With arrangements made, Thakurdasbua arrived for the darshan of the paduka at Gangapur before he left for Kashi. He had brought along with him kasturi to offer at Shri's paduka. He received darshan and with great devotion offered his worship, with great attention to all details, except that he forgot to offer the kasturi he had brought along. Then he served brahmin bhojana and also performed kirtan in the evening. Before resting for the night, he offered his prayers to Shri's paduka and sought permission to leave for Kashi.

That night, bua had a vision in his dream in which he was instructed, "Got to Akkalkot and receive darshan from Shri Swami Samarth so that you will be rid of your disease!" When bua woke up the next morning, he remembered the vision and immediately after completing his morning snan, pooja, and sandhya, he left for Akkalkot with his family. In three days' time, bua reached Akkalkot.

On enquiring about where he could find Swami Maharaj, he was told that there was a prostitute who had come from out of town and was now staying in Akkalkot, and Maharaj was at this time at her residence. Bua went there promptly and upon receiving darshan from Maharaj, placed his head on Shri's feet.

Maharaj looked at bua and said, "Give me my kasturi right now!"

It was then that Thakurdasbua remembered that he had forgotten to offer the kasturi he had brought along with him and was overjoyed that Shri Swami Maharaj had reminded him of the miss. He ran to where his family was staying and found the kasturi in his pooja materials. Bua then ran back to where Maharaj was and handed it to Him. Laughing loudly, Maharaj distributed it to the children who were gathered there.

Thus, Thakurdasbua believed that Maharaj knew the minds of men. Krisnabua then stayed in Akkalkot for some days offering seva to Shri Swami. 

One day bua went to receive the darshan from Maharaj. There was a dhuni burning nearby. Maharaj picked up a burnt piece of wood from the dhuni and threw it at bua. The devotees who had gathered there cheered and said to bua that his desire would be fulfilled.

The next day, bua ground the wood on a stone slate, added water to make a paste, and then mixed the sacred bhasma from Gangapur in it. He applied this as an ointment on the white patches on his body and face. After doing this for a few days, lo and behold, the white patches disappeared and his normal skin was restored.

Thakurdasbua's wife, Radhabai, was a devotee of Shri Samarth. They had a seven-year-old daughter. Once at Akkalkot, Radhabai prayed to Maharaj for a son and in answer to her prayer, He took off the cap He was wearing and dropped it in her hands. She was overjoyed and offered her obeisances to Maharaj. Within a year, she delivered a son. He was named 'Gurunath'. Per the instruction of Shri Swami Maharaj, Gurunath's vratabandha (sacred thread ceremony) was also performed at Akkalkot in the presence of Shri Swami.

In the shaka year 1972, in the month of magh, when Thakurdasbua was performing kirtan at Akkalkot, Maharaj took off the cap He was wearing and put it on Gurunath. Thakurdasbua eventually became a full devotee of Shri Swami. Going forward, during the Gurupratipada festivities at Akkalkot, Thakurdasbua performed kirtan.

Thakrudasbua installed Shri Swami Maharaj's paduka at Thakrudwar in Mumbai. After Thakurdasbua passed away, his son Gurunathbua, continued the devotional service to Shri Maharaj.

After Thakurdasbua was cured of shweta kushta he always went to Akkalkot and performed kirtan and offered pooja to Shri. 

Once when in Shri's presence, bua thought to himself, "If only Shri Swami would offer me guru-upadesha." No sooner did this thought come to him than Maharaj in extreme anger said, "Hamku kaiku satata hain, hum pantojipan nahi karta | Gathke guru, bathke chele kum karte nahin dekhe |"

The next year bua resolved that even if it meant death, he would seek and receive anugraha (spiritual initiation) from Shri Swami Samarth. With his mind fixed on this goal, he stood in front of Shri Maharaj. Shri Maharaj said, "Nikal jao, joota marenge!" 

On hearing these words, bua was reminded of the conversation between Ramanand and Kabir from the Bhakti Vijaya. As soon as this thought came into his mind, Maharaj said, "Tera Kabir jhak marta hain | Hum kuch parva nahi rakhta | "

Bua was utterly convinced that Maharaj knew the minds of men and that He was Datta Murti, Himself. With this resolve, he continued to serve Shri Swami Samarth till the end.

|| Shri Swami Samarth ||