Why did Baba thrust his hands into the Dhuni’s fire?  The devotees shed tears on seeing this action of Baba. Baba replied with a smiling face. “What can I do without inserting my hand into the Dhuni/ The wife of  that black smith is my devotee. Her child fell into the fire. She was assisting her husband in his work by blowing the bellows of the furnace. She was concentrating on me with her eyes closed. She forgot  that the child was in her arms. The child was extremely restless . She slipped  the child. She did not even notice it. She forgot to remember the child because of her devotion to me and she was concentrating on me. So it became my responsibility to save the child. So I thrust my hand into the fire and picked her up.  Fortunately the child did not suffer. Its life was saved. My arm got charred.

On hearing the explanation given by baba for inserting his hand into the Dhuni fire  the devotees cried. Baba’s another devotee Naana Chandorkar heard this news from Madhav Rao Deshpande. Even if God assumes the form of a human being then HE will also have the same bodily ailments. He has to bear the pain of the charred hand. He knows one Dr. Paramananad of Mumbai a practicing doctor there. He is an expert in curing burns, He informed him every thing that had happened and brought him to shirdi to treat baba. Dr. paramanand brought with him a number of medicines like ointments, bandages etc., an d reached Shirdi.  To treat the burnt hand and to apply ointment and put bandage  on it he requested Baba to show his hand. But Baba had a hearty laugh.

He did not show his hands to the Doctor.  Baba who can treat the disease of repeated birth and death cycles, felt that his body ailment is not a matter for concern. He who can treat all the ailments of his devotees if he wished could have treated his ailment also. But for some  reason or other he did not like it. Only the Soul is permanent.  One day  the whole. Body is going to perish one day. There is nothing in my feeling sad \What is there, in it if just one hand got affected by burns.  Even if I feel sad for it, it is not a mistake. If a child can  be saved then the body pain and suffering  is a very small matter.  Forget about the not so permanent  body but think about the  permanent  soul which does not perish. God is the only doctor for all of us. The ailments that afflict our body is nothing. Try to cure the ailments that afflict our mind such as Desire, anger etc., etc., The devotees felt happy on hearing the sweet words of Baba that tasted like sugar candy. There was a devotee by name Bagoji Shinde. He was suffering from leprosy. He was afflicted with leprosy due to the bad karmas in his previous birth.

In the presence of Baba he forgot every thing and lived peacefully. Though he was unfortunate soul because of his leprosy he was fortunate in another way. He was fortunate enough because he had the opportunity to remain near of Baba and hear his divine speeches at all times. He , in order to serve Baba took care of his hands. He would massage his hands, apply ghee, place a plantain leaf upon it and tightly bandaged it every day. Baba accepted his treatment with a smile in his face. This is the only simple treatment  he was aware of. The God who refused to show his hand to Dr. Paramanand for treatment accepted the very simple treatment offered by his staunch devotee Bhagoji Shinde. Because of the constant request s of his devotees Baba accepted Bhagoji shinde’s treatment and got his hand cured. Baba is a Siddhar (divine soul). If he so desired he  could have cured his hand within a fraction of second. But he wanted to show that his devotees should give up their selfishness and come forward to bear the pains of others.  He performed that incident to make the devotees to understand his teaching not by  mere words but by that incident.

Baba’s devotees understood his teaching that they should give up selfishness  but live for the welfare of the others. God’s compassion lies in the fact that he executes  their desires as desired by them.  While granting the boons of his devotees God performs several sports. One such Leela (sport) was performed by baba in the life of Nana Chandorkar. Nana Chandorkar got a transfer order in his job  un expectedly.  He was transferred Pandaripuram. Left to himself  shirdi is his Kailash and Vaikundam.  Now he has to leave for Pandaripuram. He thought of getting the approval and permission of Baba because every thing happens according to Baba’s wish. Whether Baba wishes that he should go to Pandaripuram or not?  Whether this transfer will be good for me?  What should I do? Should I leave immediately?  He could not take a decision. So he started for Pandaripuram. He reached  the outskirts of Nimgaon.  At the same time there was commotion in the mosque at shirdi. Baba who was chatting with his devotees Mahalsapathi, Appa Shinde, Kashiram  abruptly stopped the chatting. The devotees looked at Baba with wonder.