There was person by name Basappa Teli and he was residing at Mangalwada near Padarpur district in Maharashtra. Once when Basappa Teli was strolling in a forest near his house he saw Shri Swami Samarth sleeping under a big tree. Basappa Teli did not know who this sage was but one glance was enough for him to realise that the person lying under the tree was not an ordinary person. Basappa Teli decided then and there to render his rest of his life in service of Swamiji. Basappa Teli was a poor man and he used to earn very little money for his living. With the money he earned he could just afford food for two times a day.
Change of Fortunes
Basappa Teli’s wife was very worried that he earned only a small amount and rest of the time he was spending in the service of Swamiji. Swamiji at the same time knew that Basappa Teli was very poor but he never spoke anything to Basappa Teli about is poverty. Basappa Teli became a strong devotee of Swamiji and dedicated himself completely to the service of Swamiji. His devotion towards Swamiji was so genuine Swamiji was very happy with Basappa Teli. One day Swamiji decided to change the fortunes of Basappa Teli and took him to a nearby forest named Katwan. When they both reached the forest there were thousands of snakes crawling near the feet of the two of them.
Basappa Teli was shocked to see the scene and Swamiji was quick to read the mind of Basappa Teli. Swamiji told Basappa Teli not to worry because he was there and to gain something in life one has to bear some pain. Swamiji asked Basappa Teli to pick up a snake and told him to keep it with him. Basappa Teli was afraid to do so but since it was an order from Swamiji he picked one and kept it in his bag. Swamiji and Basappa Teli returned from the forest and Swamiji told him to go home and live a happy life with his wife.
Happy Life
Basappa Teli after reaching home narrated the entire story to his wife and the wife was also afraid hearing the story. She asked Basappa Teli to remove the snake from the bag and leave it outside because she feared that it may be poisonous. Basappa put his hand inside the bag and he could feel a hard inside the bag and not the snake. He removed it from the bag and was surprised to see that it was gold in the shape of a snake. Basappa Teli understood the meaning of what Swamiji meant by saying go home and lead a happy life. After this incident Basappa Teli and his wife started worshipping Swamiji every day.
