The animal statues
Tiger statue & Horse Statue (SHYAM KARAN)
On
each side of the photo is a statue of an animal - to the right a tiger and to
the left a horse. There is a remarkable history behind each of these.
Just
one week before Baba's mahasamadhi, a band of travelling dervishes brought a
tiger to him which they were exhibiting and thereby earning money. The animal
had fallen sick, and is described as "very ferocious". After trying
various remedies in vain, the dervishes brought it to see the renowned saint of
Shirdi hoping it would be cured by darshan of a mahatma.
The
group paid obeisance to Baba and told him about the tiger's condition. "I
shall relieve him of his suffering," said Baba. "Bring him
here!" The dervishes wheeled the cage into the courtyard of the mosque.
The tiger, which was tied up tightly with chains, was taken out for Baba to
see.
People
watched the unfolding drama first in great apprehension and then in utter
astonishment. The tiger approached the steps and stared at Baba, who returned
its gaze. It then thrashed its tail on the ground three times, gave out a
terrific roar and fell down dead!
The
dervishes were dismayed at losing their means of livelihood, but later they
were reconciled to it and recognized the tiger's exceptionally good fortune in
dying in the presence of a saint. (In India, this is commonly thought to confer
moksha, i.e. liberation.) Baba consoled them saying that the tiger was
"meritorious" and that it had been destined to die there on that day
and had achieved permanent bliss by doing so. "The tiger's debt incurred
to you in a former birth is now cleared," said Baba. He also helped the
dervishes financially by giving them 150 rupees.
Baba
told the dervishes to bury the tiger in front of the nearby Mahadev Temple (one
of the three small temples that now lies between the Samadhi Mandir and the
Queue Complex) and you can see its samadhi by the Nandi. The statue of the
tiger was erected much later (on 12 November 1969), by Sri Tryambaka Rao of
Ojar village, in commemoration of this blessed incident.
The
story of the horse is equally remarkable, though somewhat milder! The horse was
given to Baba in fulfilment of a vow by a horse dealer named Kasam, in about
1909. Kasam's mare had not produced a foal for a long time and so he resolved
to give the first-born to Baba if she foaled. This came to pass and Shyam Karni
(meaning "black ears", Baba's name for him) became a great favourite
with Baba who lavished much love on him. Shyam Karni (also known as Shyam
Sunder, "Black Beauty") was an integral part of the Chavadi
procession. Extravagantly decorated, he would lead the procession each time. He
was present at puja and is also said to have been trained to do namaskar to
Baba. Nana Chandorkar hired a man to look after him. One day, when Baba was in
the mosque, he suddenly exclaimed in pain, "Oh they're killing that horse!
Go quickly and fetch him!" It turned out that the trainer had been beating
him severely, but perhaps what is more extraordinary is that when Baba revealed
his back, the livid marks of a whipping could be seen on his own skin.
Shyam
Sundar outlived Baba; his samadhi is in Lendi Gardens.
The tortoise tile
Tortoise tile
On the floor of the mosque, about
two-thirds back from the steps, you will notice a white marble tile with a
tortoise carved in relief. The tile is said to mark two things: the place where
Shyam Sunder used to bow down to Baba, and the original location of the stone
on which Baba sat, which was moved when the mosque was extended after Baba's
mahasamadhi. According to Hindu mythology, it is a tortoise which bears the
weight of the world on its back. As it is already underfoot, it cannot be
defiled by being trodden on, so is an appropriate symbol to use here.
