The Supreme, Fortunate Occasion Naturally Happened

The following is a translation of a memory of one of Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar’s disciples from Solapur, Mrs. Kulkarni. 

This is a recollection of what I saw as an unforgettable and remarkable incident in 1964. 

We were living in Railway colony in Solapur, close to the train station. We had a very nice 4-bedroom home. Even when we had guests, we never had a problem of not having enough space. We easily had enough room even with 15-20 people visiting. We are ordinary people, so except for relatives, no one else had ever visited our home. That all changed one day! The day when saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar’s lotus feet (charan kamal) graced our home. We and our home were sanctified.

On that day, like every day, I sat to eat around noon. As I was about to take a bite, there was a knock on the door and someone called out, “Is N.V.K here?”

When I opened the door, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Baba was standing directly in front of me! I immediately bent down, greeted him with a namaskar, and asked him to please come inside. He came inside and took a seat. There were about 15-20 sadhaks with him. With their sudden arrival, all at once, I started feeling overwhelmed and confused. I didn’t know what to do. I was the only family member at home. I got lost in my thoughts. In such a state, Baba said, “Okay, look, all of us are going to eat lunch, so as quickly as you can, get the food ready!”

He later came into the kitchen and said to me, “You were overwhelmed, na? We are all here to help you, na!” Hearing this from Baba steadied me, made me feel more at ease. 

I immediately took stock of everything that we had in the kitchen. Whatever we were short on, I gathered from neighbors. Four of the women who came with Baba, began helping me cook. But there was still the question of the main cooked vegetable. The vegetable vendor, who usually came by at 10am every day, so happened to come later today, and all but ran to my aid like god! I thanked him profusely and bought all of the vegetables he had on hand. He said, “Madam, because I got so late today, I wasn’t going to come at all. But my mind wouldn’t let me sit still, so I came.”

It suddenly hit me that Baba had given him the sense to come!

Everyone ate well at lunch. 

Saint Baba stayed at our place that night, and in the morning, left after giving everyone in the house his blessings. 

I joined my palms and said to myself, “Tuzhe Sangati Cha Sada Yog Hwava | Jagi Vagata Mokala Bhav Yava |”

Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar says that in life, it is through the company of saints that bhakti (devotion) naturally arises, and the natural, true form of bhakti becomes clear. As natural as the light that shines through the rays, so too is devotion dwelling in the heart of the bhakta (devotee).