This book is a kaleidoscope of leelas and the lives of some devotees of Baba to illustrate their karmic and rinanubandhic ties with the Baba of Shirdi.
The word rinanubandh literally means ?karmic debt?. Though it is difficult to convey the exact meaning of the word, one can understand the deeper meaning after reading about the lives of Baba'sdevotees and their bond with Baba for many generations. The Baba'sdevotees hail from different backgrounds?some highly educated, others rustic villagers; some young and others middle-aged and set in their ways. Some have been to Shirdi without knowing what to expect; others have gone by chance or out of curiosity. Once they had met their Baba, their lives changed forever and the karmic bond started unfolding.
In the narration of one of the leelas, Rajaram Kaka Walavalkar'swife Sitabai contacted nandavayu (tetanus) during her pregnancy. He rushed to Shirdi to tell Baba about it as her life was in danger. Baba told him ?Balantpan nirvigna hoyeel.? (The delivery will be trouble free.) Finally she gave birth to Dev Baba and when the child was taken to Baba at Shirdi, the Baba nursed him by placing his thumb in the child'smouth. The infant sucked it and out poured the milk from the thumb.
In another leela, it is told that Baba always carried a brick as his companion. Baba loved this brick so much that he called it his ?lifelong companion?, referring to the brick as ?her?. Baba would support his hand on ?her?, while sitting in solitude in the Dwarkamai. When sleeping, he used ?her? as his pillow. One day, when Baba was away, a young sevakari, while sweeping the Dwarkamai, accidentally dropped the brick and broke it into two pieces. Frightened of the consequences, he quietly placed the pieces against each other at Dhumi Ma and left. When Baba returned, he asked for his brick. Mhalsapathy lifted ?her? and one of the two pieces fell to the ground. The Baba began to cry like a little child, ?It'snot the brick, but my fortune that is broken. She was my constant companion! Now that she has gone, I too will leave.? Thereafter Baba'shealth started deteriorating and on the fifth day, he took mahasamadhi. In 1918, the Baba was taken to Butti Wada according to his wish and the samadhi was made for him.
The author narrates many such leelas (stories) of Baba. He says that the Baba, while conversing with Mhalsapathy, would often tell him about the future of Shirdi. ?Arre Bhagat, this little village will become a famous place of pilgrimage. Huge palatial buildings will come up. Pilgrims will flock to this place from far and wide?There will be much pomp and show, Bhagat. In fact, people will be crawling like ants here.? He also told other devotees, ?Golden days are ahead of us.? And so it came to pass that people from all over world visit Shirdi?not once, but over and over again, says the author, who is a paediatrician settled in Shirdi, after having studied in the USA.
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