sain svayan bhikshatan karte the aur bhakton se dakshina bhi svikar karte the, unhonne hi apne bhakton ko bhautik pragti aur adhyatmik unnati ka ashvasan diya. sain bhikshatan men jo kuch bhakshya, bhojya, lehya aur chokhya padarth late the use apne nivas dvarkamai men sthit mitti ke ek bartan men dal dete the. us mitti ke patra se lekar pashu- pakshi bhi khate the, bhaktagan bhi usi se grahan karte the aur dur se ae bhukhe-pyase yatri bhi usi se grahan karke tripti ka anubhav karte the. kabhi kisi ne bahut agrah kar diya to sain ne svayan bhi ek-adha nivala usse le liya. koi n to vahan se khali hath lautta tha aur n hi bhukha. sain ke sparsh men annapurna siddhi thi. sain ke sannidhya men sabko tripti, sabko santosh. vastav men unka avtar hi manvta ko vaisi tripti dene ke lie hua jiske lie manav samaj ne anant kal se yatra ki hai. manav samaj ki is yatra ki thakan ne iski disha ko hi mor di. manav is mor par khara ho gaya jahan use yantra men uljhna adhik sukun deta hai, jahan din-rat jagna uski vivshta ho gai hai. lekin kya vah sukun pata hai? vah kitne men santosh karega, iska use svayan bhi gyan nahin. baba nitya bhikshatan ke lie niklte the.
lekin unhonne kabhi bhi panch ghar se adhik men bhikshatan nahin kiya. ve dvar par khare hote the aur pukarte the- ‘‘o mai, ek roti de dena.’’ itna sunte hi shirdi ki grihasvaminiyon ke antas men ek adbhut bhaktibhav ka sanchar hota tha. ve daure-daure dvar par ati thin. unhen lagta tha ki unke kai janmon ke punya ke sanchay hone se bhi yah fakir uske dvar par nahin ata, yah to fakir ki kripa hai jo unhen malamal karne a gaya. vahan ki saral hriday nariyon ko kabhi is bat ka abhiman nahin ki uske achche karm hain, islie sain unke dvar ate hain. balki ve man hi man sain ko dhanyavad deti thin ki ve unke dvar a jate hain. unke ghar men jo kuch rahta tha us par pahle hi se ve sain ka adhikar manti thin. iske lie kabhi unhen kahin satsang nahin karna para ki pahle bhagvan ko bhog lagana chahie fir svayan bhojan karna chahie. yah to unki sanson men basa hua tha ki pahle sain, uske bad ve sabhi. unki har sans men sain base hue the. han, unhen itna to garva avashya tha ki sain unke ganv ke hain aur ye log sansar men sabse adhik bhagyashali hain jinke yahan baba ne apne kadam rakhe. itne garva ki to unhen chut thi. jis ghar ke samne ve kahte the - ‘‘o mai, roti ka ek tukra dena, tere dvar sain aya hai.’’
itna sunte hi grihasvamini ke man ke ullas, atma ke hulas, antas ki vina ke jhankar, bhakti ke pravah, vairagya ke prasar, karm ke vistar, dhyan ki gahrai, vivek ki sukshmata aur samarpan ki ananyata ki koi sima nahin rah jati thi. braj ki gopangnaon ko kanhaiya ko makhan dene men jo anand ata tha kadachit usse kam anand shirdi ki in lalnaon ko nahin ata tha. dhanya bhagya inke. shuru men ve janti thin ki yah fakir kisi rank ko raja bana sakta hai. lekin bad men us sant ko vah apne ghar ka sadasya hi nahin balki apne sanson men mahsus karne lagin. use apne dukh-dard ki chinta rahi hi nahin. sare sain ke havale. iske bad shesh gaya to ek anant prem jo kadachit anivarchaniya hai, akathya hai. jisne ise mahsus kiya vahi iske ufan ko bata sakta hai, vahi iske virah ko vyakt kar sakta hai. jis din kanhaiya ke darshan nahin hote the, jis din kanhaiya makhan chori nahin karte the us din braj ki lalnaen udas ho jati thin. unhen lagta tha ki unke jivan ka vah din vyarth chala gaya. sanbhvtah isi bhav men dubakar gosvami ji ne kaha - ‘‘soi karam dharam jari jau. jahan n ram pad pankaj rau.’’ braj men kanha, ayodhya men ramlla aur shirdi men sain.
shirdi men sain ka nivas shirdivasiyon ke lie aisa hi tha jaise sakshat parmeshvar fakir ke vesh men prem ka chola pahan kar unke angan men thirak raha ho. jis din bhi is thirakan ke unhen darshan nahin hote the us din ve apas men bat karne lagti thin- ‘‘ari bayja, kahin tune baba ko dekha hai? ari lakshmi ki man, baba kahin idhar se to nahin gujre hain ari nur tujhe baba ke bare men kuch pata hai? n jane baba kahan chale gae?’’ n jane kitne prashn, kitni ashankaen ek sath. mano ghar ka koi dulara bachcha kahin kho gaya ho. itne men sainnath koi purani kafni pahne hue kahin se a jate aur sabko dantne lagte- ‘‘ari, tumlog itni shor kyon macha rahe ho? kiska kya kho gaya? itni ashanti kyon?’’ sabhi chup rahte. ekatak us mohnmurti ko dekhte rahte jiske sneh mishrit dant ke lie logon men vaisi hi tarap hoti thi jaise machli jal ke lie tarpti hai. jahan sabhi jante the ki baba ishvar hain, fir bhi itne premakul ho jate the ki baba ke kho jane ke bhay se kanpne lagte the. jahan prabhu ke lie log bechain hote hon vahin bhakti ki ganga bahti hai. yahin par kavi ne gaya - ‘‘are mor kahe bekar nachna hai ghanashyam bina. jal jae jihva papini ram ke bina.’’
ye nariyan man hi man baba ki najren utarti thin. ve baba ki arti to karti hin thin. arti ka ek bhav yah hai ki hamare isht ki vipatti hamare upar a jae. islie mataen apne bachchon ki arti utara karti hain. ve baba ki arti utarti thin aur baba shirdi ko apad mukt kar dete the. yah pyar ka silsila bara purana hai. bhakt bhagvan ke dukh apne upar lene ke lie betab aur bhakt bhagvan ko pratyek vipatti se mukt rakhne ke lie bechain. vibhishan par ravan ne shakti ban chalaya lekin shriram ne us ban ko apne upar le liya. yahi ram ka ramatva hai. sharnagat ki raksha, sakha ki raksha prabhu ka pavan kartavya hai. vah jante hain ki unka bhakt kitna jhel paenge. sainnath ki mahasmadhi se do din purva unke bhakt tatya patil unse milne ae. tatya apni akhiri sansane lete hue jan parte the, baba ne unki vipatti ko apne upar le liya. iske sattais varsh bad tak tatya jivit rahe.
baba ne jiska ek bhi nivala svikar kiya, uska jivan dhanya ho gaya aur uske vanshaj aj sukhi hain. is bat ke sakshi aj bhi baba ke samkalin bhakton ke vanshaj hain. sain ko dakshina men jo kuch bhi milta tha use ve logon men bant dete the, khasakar jarurtmandon ko. ek bar baba ne ek vyakti se adha minat ke lie bans ki sirhi mangi. turant sirhi vale ko sirhi lautate samay unhonne use chandi ke tin sikke die. logon ko ashcharya laga. baba ne logon ke manobhav ko dekhte hue kaha- ‘‘logon ko uske parishram se adhik mehntana dena chahie.’’ sainnath ki lila sain nath hi janen. lekin baton hi baton men unhonne bahut bare adarsh ko siddhant ke sath-sath vyavharik svarup de gae. halanki yah koi nahin janta ki baba ki drishti kahan rahti thi. bayyaji appa patil ki god men unhonne apni kaya ko purn viram diya.