1. Sati Shree Lirbai Mataji
The story of Sati Shree Lirbai Maa has been passed on
from generation to generation for over two hundrend
years.
The story begins with Jeevan Modhwadia. He was from
the Modhwada Gaam. Jeevan was well-known in
Modhwada, however, people knew him for all the wrong
reasons. People used to try and avoid him, and try not to
catch his eye; if they did they used to shake with fear.
He was near the holy place of Parab; where he stole two
bulls from the Patel. He then walked with the bulls, to
Sati Shree Lirbai Maa Parab. Now, even though Jeevan was how he was-
notorious, he always, without fail prayed to God in the
evening. The Patel happened to go the holy place of Parab and he asked Sant Devidas if he
had seen his bulls. Jeevan overheard the Patel saying this and became extremely agitated.
Whilst doing his mara, Jeevan prayed to God saying that he had never forgotten to remember
the Divine Lord at any day. The Patel asked Sant Devidas again if he had seen his bulls. Sant
Devidas replied saying that no-one goes to Parabh if they have been stealing- and if they do
by chance-they will never do it again. The Patel asked Sant Devidas if he could go and have a
look to see if his bulls were anywhere to be seen. Overhearing this, Jeevan Modhwadia
started to worry, knowing that he was going to be caught any second now. The Patel had
white bulls, and as Jeevan turned to look at them, they changed to a black colour! The bulls
had suddenly changed colour just like Jeevan’s heart was about to…
The Patel approached Jeevan, where he was doing his prayers and noticed that the bulls
Jeevan had, were similar to his. He went to Sant Devidas and told the Sant that the bulls
looked alike to his, but they were a different colour. The Patel later left and Jeevan started to
cry. He couldn’t believe it! He approached Sant Devidas, as he has just finished his prayers
and held his feet. In this space of time, Jeevan Modhwadia realised that Bhakti was the path
that he wanted to take.
From that day on, Jeevan Modhwadia was known as Jeevan Bhagat. He stayed at the holy
place of Parab for twelve years. He did a lot of ‘seva’ and Bhakti.
Then one day, Sant Devidas sat Jeevan Bhagat down and told him that he felt it was time for
Jeevan Bhagat to go. He felt that Jeevan Bhagat had a calling to go. Jeevan Bhagat bowed to
Sant Devidas and started to walk. He stopped at the Gaam of Vekadi. There, an Ahir family
had a function. Jeevan stayed all night and sang Bhajans and Kirtans. The next morning, the
Ahir’s daughter, Sonal, decided that she wanted to go with Jeevan Bhagat to Modhwada to do
Bhakti. Son Bai’s parents weren’t sure. They didn’t want their daughter to go with an older
man, by herself because people would talk. It wasn’t reputable for a girl to go with a single
man by herself. Son Bai didn’t say anything and she went to the nearby well to fill some
water. She came back and her fingers had divas on them, her tongue was all the way around
her neck and the water carrier (Bedu) was three to four inches above her head. This was a
parcho and Son Bai’s parents realised that she wasn’t an ordinary woman-but a Maha Sati.

2. They let her go and Jeevan Bhagat and Son Bai walked and walked until they got to
Modhwada. As Jeevan Bhagat had come back to Modhwada after so many years, not many
people recognised him. People started to talk. They gossiped saying that they couldn’t
understand why Son Bai’s parents had let her go with a man by herself. They tried to look at
Son Bai and their eyes started to hurt. There was some much glow and radiance on Son Bai’s
face that they just couldn’t even glance at her. People realised that this woman wasn’t an
ordinary woman. They also found that the man was Jeevan Bhagat, and everyone was
surprised at how much he changed.
In Modhwada Padaar, near the ‘Bava Vaav’ they found a little hut and that is where both of
them lived. As people recognised Son Bai’s ‘Shakti Roop’, they often came to their hut
where they sang Bhajan and Kirtans and had Prasad.
Regularly, there came a seven year old girl. She used to go to the hut, to get water. There, she
used to stay on and sing Bhajans, sweep the floor and help Son Bai and Jeevan Bhagat. She
was the daughter of Lakhi and Luno Modhwadia- her name was Liri. Lir Bai enjoyed going
to Jeevan Bhagat’s hut where she sang Bhajans until late in the night. Both Son Bai and
Jeevan Bhagat were fond of her, and she was like a daughter to both of them. They were fond
of her because she was interested in God at such a young age.
A few years later, when Lir Bai Maa grew older, Jetha Bhai Keshwala, from the nearby
village of Keshav came and asked Luno Bhagat, if he wanted to give her daughter to their
family. Luno Bhagat pondered and decided to ask only two people- Jeevan Bhagat and Son
Bai. The next day, Luno Bhagat went and asked them. Son Bai replied saying that all girls
should eventually get married, and it was now her time. They told Luno Bhagat that they
should take Ramapir’s name and start preparing.
A year later, Lir Bai Maa got married to Vajshi Jetha Keshwala, from Keshav. As Lir Bai
passed Son Bai’s hut, she bowed to her Guru’s and put her head on Son Bai’s lap and started
crying. Son Bai reminded Lir Bai of her duties, now that she was a wife. She reminded her
that she should always keep her parents respect and reputation in mind.
Being quite young and newly married, Vajshi Keshwala had a bad temper and got irritated
regularly. He would often go out socialising, come home late and argue with Lir Bai Maa for
no reason. Remembering what Son Bai had told her, Lir Bai put up with it as much as she
could however, one day, she couldn’t bare it anymore. Getting her belongings, Lir Bai Maa
went back to Modhwada, where she stayed at her parent’s house. Frequently visiting her
Guru’s, she would sit there for hours singing Bhajan and Kirtans. Two months passed, and
Lir Bai Maa still hadn’t come back. Vajshi Keshwala’s friends started to mock him saying
that he couldn’t stand up to Jeevan Bhagat or Luno Bhagat. They told him that it was Son Bai
and Jeevan Bhagat’s fault that Lir Bai had left. They told him that he should go immediately
to Modhwada and confront everyone.

3. Angrily, Vajshi Keshwala got on his horse and rode up to
Modhwada; he found out that Lir Bai Maa was at Jeevan
Bhagat’s Hut and that made him angrier. Vajshi Keshwala
listened in to the conversation that Son Bai and Lir Bai
were having. Son Bai Maa told Liri Maa that a husband is
like God and that she should go and return to Keshav as
soon as possible. She explains to Lir Bai Maa that she
shouldn’t be staying at her parent’s house when she is
married.
Vajshi overheard and realised that they weren’t trying to
destroy their marriage, but to make it better. He walked in
and started crying. Bowing down to Jeevan Bhagat and
Son Bai, he apologises and asks for forgiveness. Sati Shree Lirbai Maa
Accepting his apology, Jeevan Bhagat tells Lir Bai and
Vajshi Keshwala to go back to Keshav and do a Barporo Paath (Ramapir’s Paath) at Bij (2nd
day of the month). Returning to Keshav, he was now known as Vajshi Bhagat.
Now that Vajshi Bhagat had changed, he didn’t like eating meat or going out with his friends.
Whenever anyone did anything wrong, he used to confront them and show them that Bhakti
was the right way. Slowly, his friends stopped being his friends. Some decided to stay with
Vajshi Bhagat and become Bhagats others carried on as they were. When Bij came, there was
a Barporo Paath at Vajshi Bhagat’s house. Many people from Modhwada, Keshav and other
villages nearby came to enjoy the Bhajans, which lasted for a few days…
Lir Bai Maa went on to have two boys, Punjo and Patho and a daughter called Puti. As a
family, they would often sit and sing Bhajans, whenever people came to their house; they
would make prasadi and made sure that everyone ate before they left.
On Maha Bij, Vikram Savant 1854, Jeevan Bhagat and Son Bai took their Samadhi in the
Gaam of Modhwada. Invitations were sent out to Virpur, Satadhar and Parab. Lir Bai Maa
and Vajshi Bhagat found it hard as did many of the people in Modhwada.
One day, Jeevan Bhagat became ill. Even though the people from Keshav advised him to take
some medicine, Vajshi Bhagat disagreed. He felt that his time had come for him to take
Samadhi. Liri Maa did not agree with this. She explained to Vajshi Bhagat that it was not
right for him to go before her, as she is the wife, she should take Samadhi her first. Lir Bai
Maa tells Bhagat that many women have died for their husbands and for Vajshi Bhagat to go
first-it wouldn’t be right. The only way forward was for someone to give their life to him.

4. Contemplating this, the next morning, Puti Bai got some
Tulsi leaves; water and incense gave it to Vajshi Bhagat
and told him that she would give her life to him. She
explained that Punjo and Patho were sons and that they
would carry on the family name. Sati Puti Bai was ten
years old when she gave her life to her dad. Her mandir
and Samadhi is in Keshav. She is known as ‘Puti Sati
Aai’.
Punjo and Patho got married to two sisters from the
Gaam of Tukda. Now that their sons were grown-up and
married, Lir Bai and Vajshi Bhagat gave all the
responsibilities to them.
Wanting to take her Samadhi at Modhwada near her
Guru’s, Lir Bai went and asked Vangha Patel if that was
possible. Knowing that Lir Bai was a Devi, he carefully
explained to Lir Bai, that he or the rest of the people in
Modhwada couldn’t bear to see their daughter being
buried in her home Gaam.
Sati Shree Lirbai Maa Mandir in
village of Sisli
Without uttering a word, Lir Bai Maa returned to
Keshav, where she felt that she wanted to leave Keshav and go to the village of Kandora. The
people of Keshav were upset and they kept questioning the reason why Lir Bai Maa wanted
to leave. Sati explained that she felt like Kandora was calling her and that it was in her
destiny to go. Settling in Kandora, Liri Maa held a Barporo Paath, where Nathoo Bhagat from
Kotri came; Natha Bhagat from Ratadi, Rajshi Bhagat from Nagka and Rudi Aai from
Modhwada. Every Bij, Lir Bai Maa and Vajshi Bhagat held a Barporo Paath. They would
sing Bhajans have prasadi.
The time came when Lir Bai Maa wanted to take her Samadhi. Her time had come and she
knew that she had to go. Calling Natha Bhagat, Nathoo Bhagat, Rajshi Bhagat and Rudi Aai,
as well as many others, Lir Bai Maa held her last Barporo Paath. Sati Shree Lir Bai Maa took
her Samadhi on Maha Bij, Vikram Savant 1832.
Vajshi Bhagat took his Samadhi a year later.
There are many mandirs of Lir Bai Maa, which are in Modhwada, Keshav, Kotdi, Rana
Kandorana, Sisli and Kinderkheda- to name a few. Not only was Lir Bai Maa a Maherani, but
she was a Maha Sati that uplifted the Maher name and made the Maher Naat proud.