Spiritual Masters : Touchstones for the devotees
Believed to be an incarnation of Shri Dattatreya Avdhoot, ‘Swami Samarth’ is a household name in Maharashtra and the region around. A comparative picturization of the lives of these two great saints, i.e. Swami Samarth and Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi would establish a surprising amount of commonness in their lives and deeds, which include their methods of teaching, the universality of their approach and the miracles they performed.
Like Shri Shirdi Sai who was, at times, seen rubbing coins in his hand while taking the names of some of his devotees, Swami Samarth used to toy with metallic rings frequently. He used to give these to some devotees at random. The surprised receiver always used to find the picture of his Deity (Ishta) engraved on the ring. Swami Samarth had the capacity to read the minds of all the people coming to him and was also able to know about their past and future.
Baba Saheb Jadhav, one of his great devotees, one day came to meet the Master. Seeing him, suddenly Swami Samarth said “Oh Potter! there is a summons coming in your name.” The potter being a part of the close circle of Swami Samarth, understood the meaning of this sentence and begged of the Swami to save him from the approaching death, so that he could continue to serve him (the Master). Moved by his devotion, Swami Samarth looked up towards the sky and muttered something, as if he was addressing someone who was invisible. Suddenly, he pointed his hand towards a bull passing nearby and said in a loud voice “Go to the bull.” In the presence of a large number of devotees, the bull instantly fell dead. Jadhav, with a fresh lease of life, devoted himself totally to the service of Swami Samarth thereafter.
The Sadgurus or the Spiritual Masters always endeavor to change the quality of men that encounter them. Besides bestowing material benefit, they try to uplift them spiritually.
It is said that a touchstone can convert an ordinary metal to gold. The Spiritual Masters are such touchstones that they can convert an ordinary metal, not just to gold but to that of a touchstone.
The Spiritual Masters are capable of giving spiritual life to any person in a fraction of a second by a touch, a look, a word or even by a mere thought.
Just before he left his gross body, one devotee asked “Maharaj, since you are going, who will give us protection?” Swami Samarth gave him a pair of his sandals to worship. He told him “In future I will be staying at Shirdi in district Ahmednagar.”
Source: Shirdi Sai Baba and Other Perfect Masters by Dr. C B Satpathy