Mrs. Tarabai Sadasiva Tarkhad
Illness, danger and Baba’s intervention in the daily life of a devotee’s family.
Sai BabaDevotee experienceVolume 3
The chapter
Mrs. Tarabai Sadasiva Tarkhad records a series of incidents in which Baba responded to the family’s immediate troubles. When Nalini fell ill, a vow was made and the child recovered. On another occasion a snake threatened the family, and Baba’s protection was experienced in the danger.
A leper came to Baba and received food and attention. In the incident of the pedas, Baba used the encounter to teach that outward appearance should not decide whether compassion is offered. The account keeps the lesson tied to the person who arrived and the food that was given, rather than presenting compassion as an abstract principle.
When a servant suffered severe pain around the waist, Baba indicated the use of korphad, and relief followed. Tarabai also describes an eye condition and the way Baba’s awareness reached beyond what was visible to the people around him.
In one of the chapter’s striking experiences, Baba’s inner awareness and physical presence seemed to be understood together. Tarabai’s account connects this Antaryami knowledge with relief from a headache in Godavari and with Baba’s continuing attention to devotees even when he was not physically beside them.
What this account invites us to reflect on
Tarabai’s testimony is built from family incidents—illness, a snake, the leper’s visit, the servant’s pain, an eye problem and a headache. In each one, Baba’s compassion appears as a response to a particular person and need.
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.