Miracles vs. Purification: The Tale of Two Devotees

In the sacred pages of the Shri Sai Satcharita (Chapter 49), a fascinating study of contrasts unfolds through the lives of two distinct devotees: Hari Kanhoba and Kaka Saheb Dixit.

Hari Kanhoba, a man of wealth and skepticism, arrived in Shirdi not with a surrendered heart, but with a testing mind. Draped in fine silk, wearing a golden-threaded turban and expensive shoes, his motive was intellectual curiosity: "Does this Sai Baba truly perform miracles? Let me see." Understanding the nature of this guest, Baba decided to play the role of a divine thief. While Hari sat before the Master, his precious slippers—symbols of his attachment to comfort and status—vanished. Though physically present in the holy Dwarkamai, Hari’s mind was frantically wandering outside, obsessed with the loss of his footwear. To shatter his pride, Baba orchestrated a peculiar miracle: a young boy walked through the crowd carrying the missing slippers on a stick, chanting, 'Hari ka beta, Jari ka pheta...' (Son of Hari, Turban of Zari). The slippers had traveled inexplicably to the very spot where Hari sat, leaving him stunned and humbled.

In stark contrast stands the noble figure of Kaka Saheb Dixit. Unlike Hari, who sought wonders, Kaka sought only purity. When urged by Nana Saheb Chandorkar to visit Shirdi for the healing of his physical limp, Kaka famously declared, "I do not care if my leg remains lame. The real disability is the lameness of my mind—filled with impurities and ignorance. If your Guru is powerful, ask Him to heal my inner being." With such purity of intent, he did not even need to reach Shirdi initially; Baba, in His infinite grace, traveled to meet him in Ahmednagar through a miraculous appearance in a photograph, proving that for the pure-hearted, the Guru is always near.