In this blog, we will get to know about a Saint who lived a century ago and travelled not beyond 200 km distance during his life time. But now he has shrines built all across the world – USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, Netherlands, Kenya, Benin, Cuba, Canada, Pakistan, Australia, UK, Germany, Japan and New Zealand…What did people find great about this simple person?
Greatness
Shirdi Baba had followers in both Hindu and Islam religions.
Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi (a town in Andhra Pradesh) who was considered as a reincarnation of Shirdi Baba, lived between 1926-2011. He had travelled to several places and has centers established in more than 100 countries. He had built educational institutes and hospitals that are functional till date and offers subsidized or free services.
Still, followers of Shirdi Baba continued to increase exponentially after his lifetime (1918). People took to his worship after experiencing his miracles and Shirdi has become a popular pilgrimage destination.
Though several books and articles are written about Shirdi Baba, still very little is known about his life. He gave health and wealth instantly to his devotees, but himself chose the life of a poor begging fakir (Muslim saint) in the streets of Shirdi. His miracles are innumerous to be compiled. So, I attempt to furnish details of his life, that is scarcely known.
The information written in this article are excerpts from two books – “Life of Sai Baba” written by Sri Narasimha Swamy and “Sai Satcharithra” written by Hemadpant Dabholkar.
Childhood
Shirdi Baba was known for his ambiguous replies to questions concerning his parentage and origin, stating the information was unimportant. He told one of his close followers (Mahalsapati) that he was born in a Brahmin household in the village of Pathri and had been entrusted to the care of a Muslim fakir when he was 5 years of age.
However, it is believed (from other sources) that the fakir died within few years and instructed his wife to hand over the infant to a Hindu guru, Gopal Rao Deshmukh (Venkusa) of Selu. Shirdi Sai Baba had stayed with his guru for a period of 12 years.
Transfer of power
Gopal Rao Deshmukh is believed to be a worshipper of Lord Balaji in Tirupathi, with whom he was believed to communicate and received inputs/directions too.
When Gopal Roa visited the tomb of a saint in Ahmedabad, the tomb is said to have perspired in joy and spoke that Gopal Rao was none other than Ramananda Das of Kashi from his former birth and proclaimed that his disciple (in the former birth) Kabir will be soon united with the guru.
Young Baba was deeply attached to his guru Gopal Rao and would be constantly at his side. Gopal Rao due to his spiritual powers was popular as a successful healer amongst the local villagers.
A group of men jealous of Gopal Rao’s growing closeness to young Baba, hurled a brick at Baba. Gopal Rao with his powers, kept the brick suspended in mid-air. Yet another hooligan hurled another brick which hit Gopal Rao. Young Baba pleaded to let him leave, as it was Baba’s presence that was the cause of this trauma. But Gopal Rao refused and medicated his injury with a shred of his own cloth and announced that it was time to transfer his spiritual powers to young Baba.
Gopal Rao asked for some milk from a barren black cow nearby. On passing his hand over the cow from horn to tail, the cow yielded a lot of milk. This milk was given to young Baba with his guru’s blessings and the full power of Gopal Rao was transferred to Baba. This was the only Diksha Baba is known to have had during his life.
The chieftain who hurled the injury-inflicting-brick on Gopal Rao, fell dead immediately. His accomplices pleaded with Gopal Rao for forgiveness, who said that it is young Baba who is in possession of all the powers and he himself is powerless. As the accomplices then requested young Baba, he took some of the dust from his Guru’s feet and placed it on the corpse which came back to life. In later life, Baba admitted that he did have the power to bring back people from the dead.
Gopal Rao reclined on young Baba’s lap and told that he would of his own volition, leave his mortal coil at 4 pm the following day, not due to the injury from the brick, but because he considers to have fulfilled his mission.
Shirdi
As Gopal Rao gave up his life with his full consciousness, he pointed his hand westwards, at young Baba, hinting him to go westwards.
Shirdi is west of Selu on the banks of Godavari and Baba arrived at the village, when he was around 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 and then disappeared for a year.
He returned with a marriage party and Mahalsapati, welcomed him by saying “Aao, Sai!” (“Come Sai!”). From then on, he was known by the name Sai Baba and stayed until the end of his life. Thus, his year of birth is estimated to be 1838 based on these events.
Miracles
Miracles of Shirdi baba are innumerable and devotees continue to experience till day. The biography “Sai Satcharithra” written by his close aid Hemandpant, documents several experiences during Baba’s lifetime.
Similar to his guru Gopal Rao, Baba was known for his healing powers in unusual ways. Marking nuts cured eye inflammation, peanuts cured diarrhea, giving curd rice to a black dog cured malaria fever and the list goes on.
He was also known for taking over devotee’s karma and himself enduring their pain. Once, instead of putting firewood into burning fire- he put his arms to save a child who fell in fire at a distant place in a blacksmith’s house. He was treated for this burn almost until his death.
Preaching
Shirdi Baba was worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims alike. In Shirdi, Urus the Muslim procession and the Hindu festival of Rama Navami are celebrated without any conflict. He called the mosque he resided, as “Dwarakamayi” and constantly uttered “Allah malik”. He recommended the reading of scriptures Gita or Ramayana to Hindus and Quran to Muslims.
Samadhi
In August 1918, Shirdi Sai Baba told some of his devotees that he would soon be “leaving his mortal body”. Towards the end of September, he had high fever and stopped eating. His condition deteriorated and he asked his disciples to recite holy texts to him.
On 15 October 1918, Vijayadashami day, he passed way and his remains were interred at Booty Wada in Shirdi. This became a place of worship that is known today as Shree Samadhi Mandir or Shirdi Sai Baba Temple and marked the 100th year of Samadhi in 2018.
Myth vs Truth
A great soul who’s mere darshan fulfilled all the material and spiritual desires of his devotees, remained a mystery to all. He was regarded as a manifestation of several noble saints – Kabir, Akkalkot Maharaj, Sri Dattaguru and Lord Vishnu’s familiar forms of Rama and Vithal.
Historical researches into genealogies in Shirdi give support to the theory that Baba could have been born with the name Haribhau Bhusari.
There are some indications that he met with several saints and fakirs during his lifetime and worked as a weaver. He claimed to have fought with the army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. This matches with his intermittent absence of one year in Shirdi.
A pilgrimage to Shirdi is always completed after visiting the Shani Shignapur shrine that is approximately 72 km from Shirdi. Shignapur is also famous for the fact that no house or shop in the village has doors, but only door frames. Even the temple deity is placed in an open ground. Despite this unusual feature, officially no theft was reported until 2010.
The temple is believed to be a “jagrut devasthan” (alive temple), meaning that a deity still resides in the temple icon. Villagers believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting theft. The deity that is self-emerged from earth in form of black imposing stone.
End-Note
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