|| Shri Swami Samarth ||
There was an old Vaishnav Brahmin who had come to Akkalkot hoping for Maharaj's blessings to cure his chronic stomach ache. He served Maharaj for many days.
Maharaj always had an entourage of around two hundred people that were ready to offer seva. This Brahmin had also joined that group.
There wasn't really much to do in terms of personal seva as opportunities like making His bed, cooking for Him, offering Him the lamp and incense, bringing flowers as an offering to Him, or carrying His things when he moved around, were already taken.
So, for the Brahmin, like most devotees, seva meant receiving darshan thrice a day, partaking in tirtha and prasadam, and being present in the gathering of bhaktas.
Maharaj was at the sakhar vihir (well) and the Brahmin was seated under the nearby lemon tree along with the rest of the devotees. He was in extreme agony due to his stomach ache and prayed silently to Maharaj for relief.
Just then Maharaj said to him, "Am I your father's servant? Why have come to die near a Sannyasi like Me?"
The Brahmin let out a cry and prayed, "Maharaj! Who else but You can save me!? Please take mercy on this poor orphan."
On hearing his anguish, Maharaj, who is the most merciful, was moved with compassion and instructed him, "Eat the mixture of elephant stool and the leaves of the lemon tree overhead to cure your stomach ache."
The Brahmin followed through and the next day came to Maharaj and said, "The lemon leaves are very bitter."
On hearing this, the bhakta-kama-kalpadruma Maharaj angrily said to him, "Eat the leaves of this branch", holding a particular branch of the tree.
It was a miracle! The tree had three branches. The leaves on two of the branches were bitter, and those on the third, which was the one Maharaj had held, were sweet.
With the prescribed medicine, the Brahmin's stomach ache was cured completely, and was now desirous of receiving spiritual initiation from Maharaj. On hearing his prayer Maharaj said, "Go, eat onion bondas!"
No one understood what Maharaj meant by these words but the Brahmin became a firm devotee of Shri Swami Samarth.
|| Shri Swami Samarth ||
No comments:
Post a Comment