Sai Baba required no door or window to enter anywhere. He resides in the hearts of His devotees, He is Brahmaroop and Avinashi. For the sake of the world and for its well being He took form of a poor Fakir. Sai baba emphasized One religion for all. He never differentiated between you and me, small and poor, high and low, He looked at everyone with same Drishti and loved everyone equally. But we are ignorant humans and cannot understand His Leelas and never know in which form He comes to us. In the following story Sai Baba takes form of a cat in order to save His devotee but in turn gets hurt by Him.
In Bombay there lived a Sai devotee named Hansraj Vaniya. He had a shop in Dadar. Though he was a jain by caste, he believed in Sai Baba immensely. Everything was fine with him, but he had only one addiction of eating curd. He compulsorily required curd during lunch and dinner. Any thing in excess if consumed damages the body in long run. In younger age, excessive curd did not harm Hansraj. But when he grew old it started troubling him. He started suffering from continuous cough. Gradually it took form of Asthama. He passed many sleepless nights and his wife and other family members also were much troubled because of him. Even neighbours could not sleep because of the noise of his continuous coughing. But he did not leave eating curd. He found not taste in food without curd. At last he got fed up of all these and decided to go to Sai Babas refuge and so he went to Shirdi with his wife.
Sai Baba said to Hansraj in very sweet words when he came to Shirdi, Kaka, now it is too much. You have enjoyed much by eating and drinking in your life. Now leave the medicines and get rid from the addiction of curd, you will be alright. On one hand Hansraj wanted to be alright and on the other hand he could not stop himself from eating curd. He used promised Sai Baba everyday that he will not eat curd from that day and when he reached his lodging he again started eating curd. His wife also requested him not to do so but he did not even listen to her.
Every night he used keep a vessel of milk to form curd for the next day and kept it on the top of a cupboard. He used to go to Dwarkamai for Madhyayan Arti and after returning he took his lunch along with curd. They used to lock the door of their lodging and then went to Dwarkamai.
Sai Babas heart is like wax and thus it melted due to the love for Hansraj and he took form of a cat, entered the lodging of Hansraj when he was in Dwarkamai for Arti. Sai Baba i.e. the cat ate up all the curd keep on the top of the cupboard. This happened for 60 days. Hansraj used to think that he used to lock the door and how some one could enter the room and eat up the curd.
One day he decided to catch the thief. So he asked his wife to go for Arti and he stayed back to finish off his work. Due to the love of curd Hansraj did not care for Arti and thus missed it. He hid himself on the back of the door. As soon as the cat entered the room, Hansraj gave a stroke of big stick on its back. Meanwhile the Arti got finished but still when Hansraj did not reach Dwarkamai his wife returned to their lodging. Hansraj told her what had happened a few minutes before. He narrated the whole incident as if he had achieved some thing great.
In the evening, again Sai Babas Darbar gathered. Hansraj and his wife were also present there. Sai Baba said to one of his Bhakta, O Brother in this cruel Kaliyug we cant do good to anyone by taking pity on them. Today while Arti was going on, I went to house of this Bhakta, the question of welcoming me with love was far away, instead he beat me with a stick on my back. He lifted his Kafani and showed the red mark of the wound to everyone. Nobody understood this but Hansraj and his wife were fully aware what Baba was saying. Hansraj said to himself, how this came to mind that I bet Baba with a stick. Baba came in the form of cat for my good but I could not understand and I hurt Him wound. From now onwards I will never touch curd. In this way Sai Baba made Hansraj leave his addiction of the curd.
बाबा की लीला तो बाबा ही जाने न कोई समज पाया है और न कोई समज पाएगा meaning the Baba only knows His Leela no one has been able to understand it and no one is capable to understand। We just have to drink the nectar of His Leelas and always chant Sai Sai.
Source : Translated from Gujarati Book “Sai Sarovar“
© Shirdi Sai Baba Life Teachings and Stories