DISCOURSES & TALKS BY MEHER BABA

STORY  OF  SAKHUBAI

10th May, 1925

To end the festive day, a film portraying the life of the Hindu saint Sakhubai was shown. Baba was very fond of the life stories of saints and gurus, and urged children and adults to study their lives. The following story of Sakhubai should interest those who long to know the lives of real saints:

Sakhu was her given name. From childhood, she was a devotee of Lord Krishna and spent her private hours alone in worship. Misfortune befell her; she was married to an unkind man who had no religious inclination. Her mother-in-law was a cruel woman who showed no fear of God. She harassed Sakhu terribly, scorned her devotions and kept her overworked maintaining the household. Sakhu's duties became so many that she was hardly allowed time to eat and sleep.

One day, after she had an inner experience, Sakhu escaped the house and left on pilgrimage to Pandharpur to have darshan of Vithal (Lord Krishna). A very large celebration was being held there, and pilgrims were praying for a manifestation of Krishna.

It is legendary in India that when one's love is true and devotion is pure, statues and pictures of the Lord and gods come alive.

Meanwhile, the mother-in-law had no idea that she had gone, for the Lord himself had taken the form of Sakhu and was doing all the household chores. When some people returned to the village from Pandharpur, they told the mother-in-law that they had seen Sakhu there. She could not believe them! She went to find Sakhu, but Krishna had disappeared — no one was in the house!

The mother-in-law went in search of Sakhu. To her surprise, she found Sakhu in the festive procession. Upon inquiry, people informed her that it was true that Sakhu was returning from Pandharpur with them. The mother-in-law then realized that the Lord himself had done all the work in the house while Sakhu was absent, and she repented. From that time on, Sakhu's devotion was recognized as that of a saint. She was reverently called Sakhubai, and she led many Hindus into Krishna's fold.

Lord Meher On-line page 582-3

Lord Meher Vol.2 p.713