His Holiness Shree Mama (“Mama”) was a saint with a golden heart. With the power of His sadhana, Mama had achieved an almost unbelievable control over His heart and His material body.

Dr. Sane, who was a disciple of and a medical caretaker to Mama, had probably witnessed Mama’s control over His body from a closer proximity than anyone else. This night, in the middle of nowhere, was one such event.

There were no medicines at hand; and there was Mama who had no heartbeats at that time.

It was the perfect storm for Dr. Sane . To add to the doctor’s worries, Mama was unfazed, calm and composed and his usual smiling and talkative self. At first, when Mama said that He was feeling a little strange, the doctor checked His pulse – and could not find any! He then took out his stethoscope to check Mama’s heartbeats. No heartbeats! The doctor thought that either his own hearing had gone bad, or the stethoscope wasn’t working. He tested the stethoscope on himself and on other people to make sure it was working. He also requested others to try to listen to Mama’s heartbeats. Everyone came back with the same answer – no heartbeats!

Now, Dr. Sane was genuinely worried. Desperate to find ways to take care of Mama, he pleaded to Mama, “I am at the end of my wits. I can’t figure out what is wrong with your heart. Will you please rest, at least?”. Mama just smiled and said “Forget about the heartbeats. I am starting the discourse. Sit here and listen, if you folks are interested”. There was nothing the doctor could do, so he just sat there, listening to the discourse and checking Mama‘s heartbeats every so often. Every time, he got the same result – no heartbeats!

The discourse lasted for 45 minutes. After it was over, Mama said He would rest for a while. It was then, that the doctor suddenly remembered that a couple of years ago, Mama had been admitted to the hospital. The doctor was performing  surgery on Him when, suddenly, Mama‘s heart had stopped beating. Surprisingly, the rest of His body was perfectly normal. The doctor had been horrified as well as confused, not knowing how to make medical and practical sense of what he was witnessing – an anatomical anomaly like one he had never seen before. And then Mama‘s heart had started beating again, almost as suddenly as it had stopped.

Remembering that incident, the doctor tried to keep his cool this time. Nevertheless, he was still worried. After a while, Mama said “Ok, check my heartbeat now” and the doctor obeyed. Sure enough, Mama’s heart was beating again – loud and perfectly clear! It was all beyond the doctor’s medical knowledge and practical experience.

The doctor finally surrendered and said to Mama,“You did it last time and You did it now. How this is happening, is beyond me. But please, don’t do it again, for our sake.” Mama just smiled, and said “Well, I didn’t do anything. It just happens.” He then quoted a verse from Shri Jnyaneshwari – ‘Manachi Ghadi Ghade | Rhudaya maji ||‘ – a verse that shed light on what the doctor had just witnessed first hand.

For the second time in his life, Dr. Sane realized the state of spiritual maturity that Mama had achieved through sadhana. He was a saint with a golden heart, that sometimes stopped.

Original story featured in the book titled स्मृतिप्रसंग (Smruti Prasang) and was written by Dr. S. P. Sane. Paraphrased in English by the SMF Project X team.

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(Sanskrit version)

संत: येषां सुवर्णमयं हृदयम् (हृदयस्पन्दा:) |

परमपूजनीयश्रीमामामहाभागा:  महान्त: (हृदयालवः) सन्त: आसन्, येषां सुवर्णमयम् आसीत् हृदयम् |

साधनाबलेन तेषां शरीरे हृदये च अविश्वसनीयरीत्या नियन्त्रणम् आसीत् |

मामामहाभागानां शिष्येण वैद्येन डॉ. सानेवर्येण मामामहाभागानाम् इदं शरीरनियन्त्रणम् अन्येषाम् अपेक्षया सामीप्येन अनुभूतम् | एकस्यां रात्रौ अनपेक्षितरीत्या एषा घटना घटिता |

मामाभागानां हृदयस्पन्दा: एव नासन्, तदुपरि वैद्यस्य समीपे औषधानि अपि न आसन् !  औषधस्य अभावे मामाभागानां स्पन्दनहीनहृदयस्य उपचार: कथं वा क्रियेत इति महान् आतङ्क: सानेवर्यस्य मनसि समुत्पन्न: |

तदुपरि मामामहाभागा: तु सामान्य इव व्यवहरन्त: आसन् | तेषां मधुरं हास्यम्, सम्भाषणम्, प्रशान्ता मुद्रा च इति तु यथा सामान्यदिने त‍थैव आसीत् |

यदा मामामहाभागा: अवदन् यत् तेषाम् आरोग्यं समीचीनं नास्ति, तदा वैद्येन तेषां नाडीपरीक्षा कृता, किन्तु नाडीस्पन्दा: तु न आसन् | तदा तेन स्थेतेस्कोपयन्त्रेण हृदयस्पन्दा: परीक्षिता: | हृदयस्पन्दा: नासन् ! वैद्य: अचिन्तयत् यत् किं मम श्रवणसामर्थ्यं क्षीणं जातम् उत स्थेतेस्कोपयन्त्रं कार्यं न करोति ? इति |

स्थेतेस्कोपयन्त्रेण तेन स्वस्य तथा च अन्येषामपि परीक्षणं कृतम् | यन्त्रं तु सम्यगेव आसीत् |

सर्वेऽपि मामामहाभागानां हृदयस्पन्दान् श्रोतुं यतन्ताम् इति स: प्रार्थितवान् | सर्वेषाम् एकमेव उत्तरं “हृदयस्पन्दा: न सन्ति” इति |

इदानीम् सानेवर्य: अधिकमेव चिन्ताग्रस्त: जात: | कथञ्चित् अपि मामामहाभागानां स्वास्थ्यरक्षणं भवेत् इति  चिन्तयन् स: मामामहाभागान् कातरस्वरेण प्रार्थितवान् “अहो हतबुद्धिः अहम् | न जानामि भवत: हृदयस्य एवं स्थितिः किमर्थमस्ति इति | भवान् कृपया विश्रामं तु करोति खलु ?”

मन्दहास्यपूर्वकं मामामहाभागा: अवदन् “हृदयस्पन्दनानां विषये अलं चिन्तया | इदानीम् अहं प्रवचनम् आरभे | भवन्त: इच्छन्ति चेत् उपविश्य शृण्वन्तु |” अनन्यगत्या स: तत्र उपविष्ट: |  प्रवचनं शृण्वन्, पुन:पुन: मामामहाभागानां हृदयस्पन्दान् परीक्षमाणः आसीत् स:  | प्रतिवारं स एव परिणाम: – ह्रदयस्पन्दाभाव: |

पंचचत्वारिंशत्-निमिषान् यावत् प्रवचनं प्रावर्तत | प्रवचनसमाप्त्यनन्तरं मामामहाभागा: अवदन् यत् ते किञ्चित् विश्रामं करिष्यन्ति इति | तदा एव सानेवर्यस्य स्मृतिपथं एका प्राचीना घटना आगता | वर्षद्वयात्पूर्वम् एकवारं मामामहाभागा: चिकित्सालये प्रवेशिता: आसन् |

यदा वैद्य: शल्यक्रियाम् कुर्वन् आसीत् तदा अकस्मात् एव तेषां हृदयस्पन्दा: अवरुद्धा: | अहो आश्चर्यम्, तेषां शेषशरीरं तु पूर्णत: सामान्यमेव आसीत् ! वैद्य: भयग्रस्त: भ्रान्त: च जात: | शारीरशास्त्रनियमदृष्ट्या असामान्या पूर्वं कदापि न दृष्टा श्रुता अनुभूता च इयं घटना | वैद्यकशास्त्रे व्यवहारजगति च  कथम् अपि अर्थबोधं कर्तुं नाशक्नोत् स: |

सहसा तेषां हृदयस्पन्दा: पुन: आरब्धा: जाता: आसन्, अकस्मात् एव, यथा ते पूर्वं स्थगिता: जाता: आसन् तथा एव !

 तं प्रसङ्गं स्मृत्वा इदानीं वैद्यवर्य: आत्मानं शामयितुं प्रयत्नम् अकरोत् | तथापि स: चिन्ताकुल: आसीत् एव | किञ्चित् कालानन्तरं मामामहाभागा: अवदन् “इदानीं मम हदयस्पन्दान् परीक्षस्व |” वैद्य: तथैव कृतवान् | यथा अपेक्षितम्, हृदयस्पन्दा: पुन: आरब्धा: – सुस्पष्टः सन्देहरहित: उच्चै: ध्वनि: | अयं तु वैद्यकस्य वैद्यकशास्त्रज्ञानस्य व्यावहारिकस्य अनुभवस्य च पर: अनुभव: आसीत् !

सानेवर्य: अन्तत: मामामहाभागान् शरणं गत:, “गतवारे भवानेव हृदयस्थगनम् अकरोत्, इदानीम् अपि भवान् एव कृतवान् |

कथम् इदं प्रवर्तितं न जानामि | किन्तु कृपया इदं पुन: मास्तु, अस्मदर्थे !”

 मामामहाभागा: मन्दहास्यपूर्वकम् अवदन्, “अहं तु किमपि न कृतवान्, इदं तु सहजमेव भवति  |” तै: तदा ज्ञानेश्वरर्या: एकः श्लोकः उक्तः, “मनाची घडी घडे | हृदयामाजी  |” – यत् वैद्यवर्येण प्रत्यक्षम् अनुभूतम्, तदेव वर्णितमस्ति अस्मिन् श्लोके |

सानेवर्येण तस्य जीवने द्वितीयवारम् अनुभूता मामामहाभागै: साधनाबलेन प्राप्ता अद्भुता आध्यात्मिकी प्रौढिः| तेषां हृदयं तु सुवर्णमयम् आसीत्, यत् यदा कदा अवरुद्धं भवति स्म |

मूलकथा : “स्मृतिप्रसंग” इतिपुस्तकेअस्ति | लेखक: डॉ. श्री सु. पु. साने . अनुवाद:  SMF Project X team.