Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi
Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who is regarded by
his devotees as a saint, a fakir, a satguru and an
incarnation (avatar) of Lord Shiva and Dattatreya. He is revered by both
his Hindu and Muslim devotees during, as well as after his
lifetime.
Saibaba is now
revered as incarnation of Sri Dattatreya and considered as Saguna Brahma. He is
attributed to be the creator, sustainer and destroyer of this universe by his
devotees. He is decorated with jewels and all forms of Hindu vedic deities as
he is believed by his followers to be the supreme God.
According to
accounts from his life, he preached the importance of realization of
the self and criticized love towards perishable things.
His teachings concentrate on a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others,
charity, contentment, inner peace and devotion to the God and guru. He stressed
the importance of surrender to the true Satguru, who, having trod
the path to divine consciousness, will lead the disciple through the jungle of
spiritual training.
Sai Baba also
condemned distinction based on religion or caste. It remains unclear if he was
a Muslim or a Hindu. This, however, was of no consequence to Sai Baba. His
teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the
Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque in which he lived, practised
both Hindu and Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from
both traditions and took samadhi in Shirdi. One of his
well-known epigrams, Allah Malik (God is King)
and Sabka Malik Ek (Everyone's Master is One), is
associated with both Hinduism and Islam. He is also known to
have said Look to me, and I shall look to you.
Sai Baba's date of birth including his birthplace remains
unknown and is debatable due to lack of evidence and no definitive information
exists to prove it. Most definitive information about Shirdi Sai Baba tends to
be derived from a book called Shri Sai Satcharitra written by a disciple called
Hemadpant (also known as Annasaheb Dabholkar / Govind Raghunath) in 1922 in
Marathi. The book itself is a compilation based on accounts by his various
disciples and Hemadpant's personal observations observing Sai Baba from 1910
onwards.
Sai Baba's real
name remains unknown. The name Sai was given to him by Mhalsapati when
he arrived at Shirdi, a town now in the west Indian state of Maharashtra.
The word Sairefers to a religious mendicant but can also
mean God. In several Indian and Middle Eastern languages the
term Baba is an honorific signifying grandfather, father, old
man or sir. Thus Sai Baba denotes holy father, saintly
father or (venerable) poor old man.
Some of Sai
Baba's disciples became famous as spiritual figures and saints, such as
Mhalsapati, a priest of the Khandoba temple in Shirdi and Upasni
Maharaj. He was revered by other saints as well, such as Saint Bidkar Maharaj,
Saint Gagangiri Maharaj, Saint Janakidas Maharaj and Sati Godavari Mataji. Sai
Baba referred to several saints as 'my brothers', especially the disciples
of Swami Samartha of Akkalkot.
Although Sai Baba's origins are unknown, some indications
exist that suggest that he was born not far from Shirdi. Historical researches into genealogies in Shirdi give
support to the theory that Baba could have been born with the name Haribhau
Bhusari. Baba was notorious for giving vague, misleading and
contradictory replies to questions concerning his parentage and origins,
brusquely stating the information was unimportant. He had reportedly stated to
a close follower, MAhalsapati, that he has been born of Brahmin parents in the
village of Pathri and had been
entrusted into the care of a fakir in
his infancy. On another occasion, Baba reportedly said that the fakir's
wife had left him in the care of a Hindu guru, Venkusa of Selu and that he had
stayed with Venkusa for 12 years as his disciple. This dichotomy has given rise
to two major theories regarding Baba's background, with the majority of writers
supporting the Hindu background over the Islamic, while others combine both the
theories (that Sai Baba was first brought up by a fakir and then by a guru).
Baba reportedly
arrived at the village of Shirdi in the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra, India, when he was about sixteen
years old. Although there is no agreement among biographers about the date of
this event, it is generally accepted that Baba stayed in Shirdi for three
years, disappeared for a year and returned permanently around 1858, just after
the Indian
Rebellion of 1857.
This which posits a possible birth year of 1838. He led an ascetic life,
sitting motionless under a neem tree
and meditating while sitting in an asana. The Sai Satcharita
recounts the reaction of the villagers
The people of the village were
wonder-struck to see such a young lad practicing hard penance, not minding heat
or cold. By day he associated with no one, by night he was afraid of nobody.
His presence
attracted the curiosity of the villagers and the religiously-inclined such as
Mhalsapati, Appa Jogle and Kashinatha regularly visited him, while others such
as the village children considered him mad and threw stones at him. After some
time he left the village and it is unknown where he stayed at that time or what
happened to him. However, there are some indications that he met with many
saints and fakirs and worked as a weaver; he claimed to have fought with the
army of Rani
Lakshmibai of Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of
1857.
Sai Baba returned to Shirdi in 1858. He appeared at the
Khandoba Mandir in Shirdi. The temple priest, Mahalsapati, upon seeing him for
the very first time, welcomed him by saying 'Aao, Sai!' ('Come Sai'). From then
on, He was known by the name (Sai Baba).
Around this time
he adopted his famous style of dressing, consisting of a knee-length
one-piece Kafni robe and a cloth cap. Ramgir Bua, a devotee,
testified that Sai Baba was dressed like an athlete and sported 'long hair
flowing down to the end of his spine' when he arrived in Shirdi, and that he
never had his head shaved. It was only after Baba forfeited a wrestling match
with one Mohiddin Tamboli that he took up the kafni and cloth cap, articles of
typical Sufi clothing. This attire contributed to Baba's identification as a
Muslim fakir and was a reason for initial indifference and hostility against
him in a predominantly Hindu village.
For four to five
years, Baba lived under a neem tree and often wandered for long
periods in the jungle around Shirdi. His manner was said to be withdrawn and
uncommunicative as he undertook long periods of meditation. He was
eventually persuaded to take up residence in an old and dilapidated mosque and
lived a solitary life there, surviving by begging for alms and
receiving itinerant Hindu or Muslim visitors. In the mosque, he maintained a
sacred fire which is referred to as a dhuni, from which he gave sacred ash
('Udi') to his guests before they left. The ash was believed to have healing
and apotropaic powers. He performed the function of a local hakim and
treated the sick by application of ashes. Sai Baba also delivered spiritual
teachings to his visitors, recommending the reading of the Ramayan and Bhagavat
Gita for Hindus and Qur'an for Muslims. He insisted on
the indispensability of the unbroken remembrance of God's name (dhikr, and
often expressed himself in a cryptic manner with the use of parables, symbols and allegories).
Baba is believed
to have grown and cultivated a garden called Lendi Baug, named after a riverlet
called Lendi which flowed nearby. The garden continues to be a place
visited by pilgrims, and has temples, samadhis of people and animals
associated with Shirdi Sai Baba's life and temples.
In 1910, Sai
Baba's fame began to spread in Mumbai. Numerous people started
visiting him, because they regarded him as a saint with the power of performing
miracles or even as an avatar. They built his first temple at Bhivpuri, Karjat.
In August 1918, Shirdi Sai Baba told
some of his devotees that he would soon be "leaving his mortal body"
(dying). Towards the end of September, he had high fever and
stopped eating. As his condition deteriorated, he asked his
disciples to recite holy texts to him and continued to meet visitors. On 15th
October 1918, he breathed his last. The day coincided with the Hindu calendar
date that year for Vijayadashami. As is the case with Hindu
saints, his followers believed that Sai Baba had accepted the state
of samadhi
and attained nirvana. His
remains were buried at Buti Wada in Shirdi, and it became a became a place of
worship, today known as Shree Samadhi Mandir or Shirdi Sai Baba Temple.
Teachings &
Practices
Sai Baba opposed all persecution based on religion
or caste. He was an opponent of religious orthodoxy — Christian, Hindu and
Muslim.
Sai Baba
encouraged his devotees to pray, chant God's name, and read holy scriptures. He
told Muslims to study the Qur'an and Hindus to study texts such as
the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Vasistha. He was
impressed by the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita and encouraged people to
follow it in their own lives. He advised his devotees and followers to
lead a moral life, help others, love every living being without any
discrimination, and develop two important features of character: devotion (Shraddha)
and patience (Saburi). He criticised atheism.
In his
teachings, Sai Baba emphasised the importance of performing one's duties
without attachment to earthly matters and of being content regardless of the
situation. In his personal practice, Sai Baba observed worship procedures
belonging to Islam; he shunned any kind of regular rituals but allowed the
practice of Salah, chanting of Al-Fatiha, and Qur'an readings at
Muslim festival times. Occasionally reciting the Al-Fatiha, Baba enjoyed
listening to mawlid and qawwali accompanied with the tabla and sarangi twice
daily.
Sai Baba
interpreted the religious texts of both Islam and Hinduism. He explained the
meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the spirit of Advaita Vedanta. His philosophy
also had numerous elements of bhakti. The three main Hindu spiritual paths
— Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga — influenced his
teachings.
Sai Baba
encouraged charity and stressed the importance of sharing. He said
‘‘Unless there is some relationship or
connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not
discourteously drive them away, but receive them well and treat them with due
respect. Sri Hari (God) will certainly be pleased if you give water
to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to
strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants any money from you and you
are not inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark at him like a dog."
Worship & Devotees
The Shirdi Sai Baba movement began in the 19th
century, while he was living in Shirdi. A local Khandoba priest,
Mhalsapati Nagre, is believed to have been his first devotee. In the 19th
century, Sai Baba's followers were only a small group of inhabitants of Shirdi
and a few people from other parts of India.
Because of Sai
Baba, Shirdi has become a place of importance and is counted among
the major Hindu places of pilgrimage. The first Sai Baba temple is
situated at Kudal, Sindhudurg. This temple was built in 1922. It is
believed that Sai Baba gave one rupee to Dada Madye ji with which he
built the temple in Kudal.
Today, the Sai
Baba Temple in Shirdi is visited by an average of 25,000 pilgrims a
day and during religious festivals, this number can reach up to 100,000. The
Sai Baba temple in Shirdi is managed by the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust.
Inside the temple, the statue of Sai Baba and the Samadhi are carved out of
Italian marble and is seen draped with royal cloth, wearing a gold crown and
adorned with fresh flower garlands. The interior is made of old stone bricks.
The interior, as well as the exterior (cone) of the temple, is covered with
gold. As per rituals and traditions dating back to when Baba was still alive,
four Aarti's are held daily (corresponding to the time of the day) inside
the Samadhi Mandir.
·
Kakad
Aarti (The Morning Aarti) at 4:30 (am)
·
Madhyan
Aarti (The Afternoon Aarti) at 12:00 (pm)
·
Dhup
Aarti (The Evening Aarti) 6:30 (pm)
·
Shej
Aarti (The Night Aarti) at 10:30 (pm)
The Palanquin
procession of Sai Baba takes place every Thursday from the Samadhi Mandir to
Dwarkamayi, onward to Chavdi and back to the Sai Baba Mandir. Devotees
belonging to all faiths are welcome to take Darshan in the Samadhi
Mandir and have free meals in the Prasadalaya, irrespective of caste, creed,
and religion as these were one of the ideal principles of Sai Baba.
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