Santbal A Saint with a Difference

Author(s): T U Mehta
Publisher: Navjivan Prakashan Mandir

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house alongwith her widowed daughter. Both the widows were maintaining themselves by doing labour work. There was no other member in the family. Her house was broken open and everything which was of some use to the widows was stolen away. This included their ornaments and some cash. The widow had gone to the police to file a complaint but no one paid any heed to help her as they were afraid of the head-strong ruffians who were supposed to have committed the theft. Some one, however, advised the widow to go to Santbal who was in the nearby village and hence she had preferred to go to him.
Hearing her story, Santbalji asked her to bring some village elders as he wanted to verify the facts. No elder of the village had courage to accompany her during the day time but some were persuaded to go to Santbal during night time only to verify the fact that there was a theft as alleged by the widow.
Santbalji then deputed one of his associates to go to that village and find out, if possible, the persons who were responsible for the theft. That man came back with the report that the whole village was so much terrified that no one was prepared even to discuss various incidents of theft and robbery committed in open daylight, and everyone was afraid of the gang of some head-strong men whom even police could not do anything.
Santbalji thought this to be a proper case to try the efficacy of his "Shuddhi Prayog” and hence advised his close associate to try Shuddhi Prayog methods for organising moral resistance against the evil elements.
One of them went to that village with his spinning wheel, found out a place in the outskirts of that village near a desolated temple, cleaned that place and began to spin cotton at the wheel and recite Bhajans and Ram Dhun. This attracted the attention of some · children who gathered there out of curiosity. They were
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