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. Chottu Bhaya Parulkar alias Krishnarao Narayan Parulkar was an ardent devotee of Saibaba. Baba loved him immensely. Shri.M.Radhakrishna Rao, an artist from Mumbai had made a sketch portrait of Saibaba on 7th June 1914 as he was completely enamored of Baba’s luminous Roopa (form). Kaka Saheb Dixit, Kaka Mahajani and every devotee who saw the portrait liked it very much. But, they knew very well that Baba would be extremely angry upon seeing it. Hence, they decided to keep the portrait in the Dwarakamai and covered it with a white cloth. They decided to show it to Baba when he is in good mood. One day after the noon Aarti, Baba was smiling and hence Shama said “Deva, an artist from Mumbai has made your sketch. We would like you to see it.” Even before he could finish speaking, Baba roared, “Where is the portrait? Bring it before me. Why are you making my portrait? Bring it at once!”. The devotees obeyed his orders and brought the portrait and placed it before Baba. Rolling his eyes, Baba picked up his Satka (Baton) and lunged towards the portrait, and was about to strike it. But suddenly he became calm. Shama said “Deva, what is to be done with the portrait?”. The devotees were standing transfixed and waiting. Baba looked in all the four directions and at every devotee that was present there. Chottu Bhaya was standing just next to Baba. Baba turned towards him and said softly, “Take this portrait with you, and everything of yours will become gold.” The drawing is 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches in dimension. Chottu Bhaya Parulkar took the portrait home and venerated it.
Baba's 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches Portrait On another occasion, a devotee from Poona gave Baba Padukas. That day Baba went to Lendi Baugh wearing the Padukas, which was rather unusual. After returning from Lendi Baugh, he took off the Padukas, washed his feet and went into the Sanctum Sanctorum. Then he gave Chottu Bhaya Parulkar the holy Padukas. It was in the year 1915, when Baba had given these Charan Paduka’s to Shri.Kishore Ranganath Parulkar's grand father “Shri. Krishnarao Narayan Parulkar”, who was a great devotee of Sai Baba. Baba used to lovingly call him Chottu Bhaya. The story of how Sai Baba gave these holy padukas is very interesting: In those days as there were no sufficient means of transportation, Chottu Bhaya used to take a ride on a bullock cart & also walked quite a distance for several days to reach Shirdi and pay obeisance to Babaji by crossing the groves and glades of the dense forests. Once Sai Baba asked Chottu Bhaya why he underwent so much pain merely to see him, Chottu Bhaya replied, '' Babaji I don't have any memento of yours & after some days when I go back, I start missing you & hence I am compelled to come here to see you.'' Reacting on this Baba immediately said him to take his Padukas which he was wearing then as a memento and asked him not pain himself by coming there again and that it was in the form of these Charan Paduka’s itself, that he himself was coming to Harda to stay with him & his family.These were the same Padukas which a devotee from Pune had offered to Baba and Baba had worn them to Lendi Bagh the same day before giving them to Chottu Bhayya, which he worshipped. Both the Portrait and the Holy Padukas are still with the descendants of Chottu Bhaya Parulkar. At their home in Harda, this Portrait and Padukas are being worshipped daily. The Parulkar family in its third generation is headed by “Shri. Kishore Ranganath Parulkar” who daily worships these holy Charan Padukas with the same reverence as was being done in his family, since the past 90 years. He regards himself blessed & fortunate to get an opportunity to do Baba’s Paduka seva.
We have given below contact details of Shri.Kishore Ranganath Parulkar for the benefit of Sai Devotees: Shri.Kishore Ranganath Parulkar (Source: Baba’s Vani by Sai Bhakta Vinny Chitluri and personal interview with Shri.Kishore Ranganath Parulkar on 25th November 2016) |
