On Tuesday, August 27, 2014, a
friend called in the evening at around 5:30PM and said to that he was going to
a book store located in Edison, New Jersey (kitab book store) which was owned
and operated by Jayantbhai Patel for over 25 years. The Edison Sai Center was
started in the back of his store.
Weekly satsang, bhajans and
meetings were held in the store room. He was an extraordinary man and did a lot
of selfless service regardless of a financial situation. When Hurricane Sandy
hit New Jersey, he made hundreds and hundreds of sandwiches and delivered them
to the worst place hit; Staten Island. People would be waiting for him, and in
no time it would be empty and people will ask “when are you returning?”
Jayantbhai was diagnosed with
Crohn's Disease and in a matter of months his health had deteriorated.
Jayantbhai finally merged with Swami in June of 2014. His family now had to
liquidate the business, sell the stock, and vacate the premise by Saturday August
30, 2014. We wanted to help the family's loss by buying whatever we could a
drop in the ocean. My friend, as he had known Jayantbhai for almost 25 years,
wanted to purchase 200-300 books and give them as gift in his annual bhajans along
with various other gift items. I, on the other hand, bought only three
pictures.
The first picture that caught
my attention was Lord Ganesha who was seated very regally in the middle of the
ocean with a serpent behind him. The next, an old picture of Swami (maybe when
he was in his 30-40's) and a message hand-written by him and signed. It was a bit
difficult to read as the ink had faded over the years. Finally, I purchased a
portrait of Shirdi Sai. I purchased these pictures but knew my spouse will have
something for sure to tell me. Nevertheless, I came home and installed Ganesha
in the puja room altar. It seemed like a perfect fit for the place. I cleaned
the puja room and for the first time in 20 years I don't know why I set up a
grand chair decorated for Swami. I placed cushions on the chair as well as one
for his feet and two handkerchiefs on either side.
I slowly stepped back and began
admiring how beautiful he would look. And finally the picture of Shirdi Baba
was placed in the entrance as you walk down towards the basement. When my wife
came from work she went ballistic and started calling me all kinds of words and
talked about how I have gone mad with these pictures. “It is not a temple, it
is a home! If you want, go and surround yourself with all these in a temple. I don't
want hundreds of people parading thru this home.” I was shocked and hurt at the
same time. I was speechless and kept quiet until she finished bombarding me.
She put all the items I had placed on the chair back. It was bare now and not
the same anymore. She said “you cannot take any furnishing from the house. If
you want, go and buy extra for your decorations.” I went and slept in another
room and prayed to Swami to melt her heart and change her mind and show her the
correct path.
Every Thursday I volunteer to
cook at the Shirdi temple and start at 5:30am but that day I just could not
wake up and had a severe pain in my left leg. At 7:00am, when I came down, my
wife had gone to work and she had placed the chair, cushions, and the handkerchief
back in the puja room. When I saw that, tears rolled down my face, as my
prayers were answered. Swami must have come in her dreams and made something
change in her. Along with that she wrote an apology letter. I guess I had to
purchase these pictures for her transformation.
Sai Ram.
