Kusa Bhav
How Sai Baba turned a seeker of occult powers toward service, discipline and the gift of udhi.
Sai BabaDevotee experienceVolume 3
The chapter
Krishnaji Kasinath Joshi, known as Kusa Bhav, was a poor village vatandar from Mirzgaon. After studying yoga and learning mantras for maranam, uchchatanam and vasikaram from Datta Maharaj, he could produce pedas in his hands and remove evil spells. When his Guru left for the Himalayas, he directed Kusa Bhav to Sai Baba, calling Baba his elder brother.
When Kusa Bhav reached Shirdi in 1908, Baba stopped him at the Mosque and ordered him to throw away his iron bangle and abandon the production of pedas. Kusa Bhav obeyed, begged for food, and spent his days reading Dasabodha in a corner of the Mosque. He remained with Baba for three years, later visiting Shirdi for nine more years. Baba sent him to Gangapur, where he completed 108 readings of Guru Charitra.
On an Ekadashi, Baba playfully gave Kusa Bhav onions and then produced sweet potatoes from his mouth. When Kusa Bhav eagerly took them, Baba rebuked him for eating another’s remnants, then changed the lesson into a blessing: by remembering Baba and holding out his hands, Kusa Bhav would receive udhi from Shirdi’s dhuni and distribute it freely. Kusa Bhav later demonstrated this before witnesses in Poona; the warm udhi appeared in his hands and was used to help the sick.
Baba also instructed him to marry. Later Baba described a neglected plot near Mirzgaon, where Kusa Bhav found and worshipped the samadhi of Datta/Pakir Shah. The chapter closes with Kusa Bhav’s continuing connection with that shrine and the tomb worshipped by his own devotees.
Editorial note: This page is a concise paraphrase for web presentation and does not reproduce the complete chapter. Please consult the original PDF for the full account and wording.