The cobbler

This is an incident which took place when Swamiji was still in His teens —- it gives us yet another glimpse of His love and compassion. There was a cobbler who was plying his trade in a corner of a street in Bangalore. He happened to see Baba in a bungalow opposite the place where he sat. There were many cars being driven to and from the bungalow, and streams of people going in and coming out. He saw that the faces of those who came out on the road were bright and happy, and they were talking of an incarnation of Lord Krishna and of Sai Baba. The cobbler too ventured to enter the gate and peeped nervously into the hall where Baba was seated on a special chair with men on one side and women on the other. His eyes fell on Baba just when He too looked at him. Baba immediately arose and came forward to the door where the cobbler stood. He took the little dried up garland of flowers that he held in his hand, even before the man offered it, and asked him in Tamil, the only language the cobbler knew, what he wanted from Him! The courage to formulate his wish and express it in so many words must have been been given to that decrepit old cobbler by Baba Himself; for he said without any hesitation whatsoever, much to the surprise of those who heard him, “Please come to my house and accept something.” Baba patted his back lovingly and said, “Alright, I shall come;” and then went back into the hall.

The cobbler waited for a long time because he wanted to tell Baba where his house was and to know when Baba would visit, so that he might clean it and be ready to receive Him. But he finally had to hurry back to his corner to keep watch over his heap of leather pieces and old shoes. He was pushed and jostled by the rush of visitors. No one listened to him when he said that Baba had promised to pay a visit to his hut. The cobbler wanted them to find out from Baba when He would be coming. Some laughed at him; some said he was drunk or mad. Days passed and the cobbler gave up all hope of meeting Baba again.

Suddenly one day a car drove up right in front of the aged cobbler. He was taken aback, afraid that it might be the police or some city official to prosecute him for plying his trade on the pavement. But it was Sai Baba! He requested the cobbler to get into the car. The cobbler was so confused that he couldn’t even open his mouth to direct the driver to his hut. But Baba seemed to know. Stopping the car on the side of the road, Baba got down and hastened over the cobblestones in the by—lane to the exact hut in the midst of the slum! The cobbler ran forward to warn his family. Baba created some sweets and fruit and gave them as gifts to the members of the family, then He sat on a plank near the wall. He blessed the cobbler who was

shedding tears of joy and to please him He accepted a few bananas that he had brought from a shop nearby. Baba then left the hut which was thereafter made a place of pilgrimage for the entire neighbourhood!