|| Hari OM ||

My father left for heavenly abode on December 17, 2011. I will never be able to forget that day. On that day, around 11 in the morning, I causally had called my sister Sandhya. My sister lives in Akola.  My father used to live at Akola with her. When I called her, she was at the dispensary with my father. I asked my father,”How is your health now?” He said,”I am alright. I have some cough but your sister insisted I show it to the doctor.”  On reaching home, my sister called to tell me that my father’s blood pressure was reading lower than normal.

I had gone to work. On causally checking the wall clock, I realized it was 330 in the afternoon. I suddenly thought of calling my father to check how his health was. I usually do not call but then that day, I decided to call him.My sister picked up the phone. She said that his health was stable and he was doing alright.  She informed me that he had gone to the washroom.  While she was talking to me, I could hear his voice at the background. My sister said hurriedly,’Sandhya, let me hang up now.” However, she had just kept the phone on the adjacent sofa because not only the phone was connected but I could also hear the background conversation and noise.  She had made my father sit on the sofa. She was asking my father if he was doing alright.  She gave him Udi and also gave him some water. I could hear on the phone, my niece chanting Ramraksha. I could not understand anything. I was continuously saying,”Hello  ssss hello. Bapu what could I do? I am not able to do anything here.” And then suddenly, I could hear this loud crying “Dada s s s Dada s s Baba  s s Baba.”

I understood the event that had just taken place. My father had just passed away. I disconnected the phone. I performed Namaskar to Bapu and then decided to proceed to Akola. It was 430 in the afternoon. I called my husband at work and asked him to come home. My husband and my nephew (Anup) went looking for a taxi. They could not find any taxi, bus, Asiad or for that matter any other type of vehicle. I called all those people I knew. The enquiry for the fastest mode of transport was on but in vain. In the night around 8, a private vehicle from Phursungi came and we began our journey by that car. I was chanting Ramraksha while my mind was flooded with his memories. My mind was full of memories and that caused throbbing headache.  Since we did not have a brother, I was going to light his pyre. It was my father’s wish anyway. The total journey was of 12 hours. I was thinking about my father. I wanted the time to pass by fast, I wanted to see my father. I prayed to Bapu that until I light his pyre, let my health support me through this event.

In the midnight at 12, we stopped at a Dhaba to drink some tea. Our Driver had some snacks. We had some snacks as well. I took some medication and sat back in the car. I asked Anup to sit at the back. He was tired.  If he slept, the driver would sleep as well, thought I. I sat in the passenger seat with my Ramnaam Book.  The driver suddenly looked at me with utter shock written all over his face. I was also scared in my mind. I was continuing with my Ramraksha. I finished chanting Ramraksha five times and then began chatting with the driver. I asked him which part of India was he from. He said that he hailed from Kurla. I asked him if he knew Bapu. He said that since he was in 6th grade, he was following Bapu. I felt quite good talking to him. Then he went on to narrate many of his experiences to me. While listening to all those experiences, I did not realize that my head had stopped aching some time back.

I felt quite warm and cared for on thinking about how far Bapu had travelled for me. After taking darshan of my Father’s mortal remains, we sat there chanting Ramraksha. Several Bapu devotees from Akola had come there. As a result, Ramraksha chanting was going on with much force and vigor. Bapu got everything done as he desired it to be done.

On the 10th day, we decided to immerse his remains in the Taapi River. We had to go to Bhusaval for that. It was going to take us three hours to cover the distance between Akola and Bhusaval. The train was to leave at 120 pm and by the time we left home, it was already 120 pm. I had desired to apply Udi on his remains before we left home. I quickly took some Udi in a small paper packet. I tied it to my Dupatta. I had tied a nice garland to the container which had my father’s remains. I had taken some Tulasi Patra with me. We reached the banks of the river.  I emptied the remains from the container into the river. I was not sure about the container. I did not want to break the earthen pot. I let the earthen pot float in the water. The earthen pot was slightly diagonal and therefore, it got filled half with water. It was still floating. I kept looking at the earthen pot until I finished chanting Ramraksha. In spite of it being filled with water, the earthen pot was not sinking in water.  I invoked Bapu and said,”Bapu, I am not sure if any of my father’s wishes have remained unfulfilled. I don’t know. Please do look into it.” I put my hands together to do Namaskar. The train to return to Akola was to depart in a short while and therefore, it wasnot possible for us to stay back.

I turned back andmust have walked 15-20 steps and then suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to apply Udi to the remains. I ran back, took out the Udi. I applied some of it on my forehead. I invoked Bapu. I thanked Bapu and I showered the Udi on the water portion where I could see the ashes floating. The earthen pot, by then, had washed ashore. I applied Udi to the earthen pot. As soon as I applied Udi to the pot, it slowly sank in the water. My father had received Udi through Bapu. He used to apply Udi with immense love and he took that Udi with him for his journey ahead. Of course, it ought to have been Bapu’s wish.

While leaving home, everyone had informed me that on immersing his remains, I ought not to look back. I asked everyone, “Why? What happens?” Some of them said,”weird things happen.” While leaving home I said,”Such weird things do not happen when Bapu is with us.”

Bapu, I bow at your lotus feet and pray that you be with everyone till one’s last breath.

II Devayan Panthi Parthacha Sarathi

Tocha Mazha Saathi Aakhericha II

|| Hari OM ||