Raghuji Ganpat Scinde Patel

As soon as Baba came to Shirdi, one Amanbhai, a moslem, gave him food. That amanbhai was visiting occasionally my Mavsi’s house. Her son Ganpant Hari Kanade, aged 35, had leprosy and fever. Amanbhai told her that a holy man had come to his house and could treat her son. Then Baba came in and saw the patient and administered medicine. That medicine was made out of cobra poison. Baba asked Ganpat courageously to catch a cobra, as the cobra would not sting a leper. Ganpat caught a cobra and it did not sting him. Out of its poison, medicine was prepared and give to Ganpat. He began to improve in a few days. But he did not observe the medical injection to avoid sex pleasures. So Baba stopped giving the further treatment. The disease developed and Ganpat died.

Baba came to this very house to treat my younger brother Baguji, who was suffering from fever - at a very critical period when death was imminent. Baba gave him some medicine and further had him branded with red-hot irons (one on each temple and one on the back), Baguji recovered his health (i.e) escaped death and fever. Baguji had leprosy. That was arrested by Baba’s grace but not cured. Baguji served Baba personally. I also served Baba personally.

There has been faction at Shirdi I belonged to one of the factions. The hatred between the factions did not affect Baba. He was not hated by either faction. One Birjichand’s wife was carried naked and brought here, and there was a case against me and others, before the Kopergaon Magistrate Appa Saheb. When the case was under trial, one day Baba was requested by H.S.Dixit that Baba should see that I was not acquitted. ‘No, that cannot be done’ said Baba. ‘Who am I to do it?’

At the trial, all of us accused except one were convicted and given terms of four months imprisonment. From Kopergaon lockup, we were taken to the Ahmednagar jail and kept there. I then prayed to Baba for release. The third night Baba came, in my dream, into the jail and said ‘Do not be afraid. I will get you all acquitted.’ I wept at that time in my sleep. The jailor or sepoy rather came and woke me. Next morning, Mr.Dhumal came and that day we were all acquitted. For expenses of the trial, I contributed Rs.70 by sale of a buffalo. Once, I was splitting a log for fuel. Baba stopped me saying that I would split dry wood and not green. I gave up further splitting.