Balakistna Ramachandra Khairikar

When I first heard of SaiBaba, it was that he was a madman.That was 35 years ago or thereabout. But when everybody began to talk of him and as some of the Brahmins of Shirdi (eg.Appa Kulkarni) are connected with me, I went to see him. I was a hereditary village officer. The Government dispensed with our services in 1916, Formerly people used to visit Shirdi along Chitale, Jalgaon, Rampur, Nathpatlacha, Wadi, Pimpalwadi, Shirdi route. That road not being in use is not now to be found.

I saw Baba using water instead of oil for his panthis (lamps).

Deshpande Master of Danderpur was often hearing Baba talk. I know nothing of what Baba said.

Once in 1908, when I went to Baba, a coin a pice I trod upon at the mosque. I picked it up and delivered it to Baba saying ‘Keep this safe. This is you coin’. He returned it to me saying 'That is all right. Take this coin home. Keep it in your pooja, along with he images you worship. You will have prosperity. I took it and worshipped it. For three years, (i.e) till 1911, I had prosperity. Formerly, I could not get even rice for a night meal. But after I started the worship, I save so much from my earnings as Kulkarni, that my wife could get gold bangles (i.e., wristlets). Then when I travelled and came under pollution I delivered my study book (Pothi) with the pice in it to a friend and some days later, I found the pice was lost. Since then (1911) misfortune dogs my heels. I first lost my wife in six months of losing the coin. In 1916 I lost my service. In 1917-18, I lost my mother. I am now begging for my food. I visit Shirdi on each Ramnavami.