Sai Baba of Shirdi

This article is about the "Shirdi" Sai Baba, an Indian religious figure who lived from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. See Sai Baba for other persons calling themselves Sai Baba.

Original Photograph of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba (second from left) with his followers

Sai Baba of Shirdi or Shirdi Sai Baba (c. September 27, 1838 - October 15, 1918), born under an unknown name, was an Indian guru and fakir, who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint. In his life and teachings he tried to embrace and reconcile both faiths: Sai Baba lived in a mosque, was buried in a Hindu temple, embraced Hindu and Muslim practices, and taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions. One of his well known epigrams says of God: "Sab ka Malik Ek" ("[He] is the Lord of All.")(सबका मालिक एक)

His life

There is no clear record of Sai's given name, nor of his origins. Sai arrived at the village of Shirdi in Maharashtra state when he was about sixteen years old. He took up residence in a Khandoba temple, where a villager (Mahalsapathi) at worship first called him Sai ("saint").

He fostered an extremely simple and aescetic life: living in the village as a mendicant monk, and sleeping on the floor in the temple, and later in a dilapidated mosque.

Sai soon began to attract followers who addrssed him by the name Baba ("father"). He worshipped both at Hindu temples and Muslim mosques, and encouraged tolerance between the faiths.

Numerous miracles were attributed to him. He did not discourage such attributions, and his fame spread. Many pilgrims came for his blessings, and he attracted large crowds for the most mundane of his activities.

Sai remained in Shirdi all his life. He was buried in the Samadhi Mandir, originally a shrine built for Krishna financed by one of Sai's followers. Large numbers of pilgrims visit his samadhi each day.

His religion, philosophy and practices

By his example, Sai sought to unite the seemingly disparate religious communities of Muslim and Hindus: he would say for example, "Rama is Allah" when entering a mosque, and "Allah Malik hai" (Allah is the supreme Lord) entering a Hindu temple.

He regularly recited Hindu and Muslim prayers, such as the Hindu prayer Vishnu sahasranama. Many of his Hindu followers consider him to be an avatar (incarnation) of Shiva and Dattatreya.

He left no written records; Sai's teachings were oral: typically short, pithy sayings rather than elaborate discourses. Sai often seemed to lose his temper with those around him. His followers believe that he only pretended to get angry, in order to teach humility and foster right spiritual action.

Sai encouraged charity. 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. Shri Hari (God) will be certainly 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."

Sai started an ever-burning dhuni fire, and distributed its udhi (ash) among his followers. (Ash has symbolic meaning in Hinduism.) He often demanded money (dakshina) from his visitors, which he immediately gave away to others. Followers believe that this action was meant to help them be rid of greed and material attachment.

The most well-known book about Sai is the Shri Sai Satcharita, written by Govindrao Raghunath Dabholkar, who Sai nicknamed Hemadpant. The book, which is quite devotional in style, recounts Sai's life, teachings, and stories of his miracles.

Many of his followers believe that Sai will continue to do miracles despite not being physically present.

His legacy

Sai Baba is among the most popular of Indian saints, and continues to have a large following. His image seems to be everywhere: it may be seen on shrines, lockets, billboards and cars of Hindus and Muslims alike. While he is recognizable throughout India, his devotees are especially numerous in the state of Maharashtra, the place of his birth and in Andhra Pradesh. His samadhi is a well-known place pilgrimage.

Many religious teachers, groups and organizations promote his teachings and devotion to Sai. Among the most prominent is the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, which also takes care of the shrines and temples in Shirdi.

Some followers of Sai Baba achieved fame as spiritual figures: these include Upasani Maharaj of Sakori and Meher Baba of Ahmednagar.

At least three gurus and two youngsters have claimed to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. By far the most famous is Sathya Sai Baba (born circa 1926-1929) who lives at Puttaparthi Andhra Pradesh, India. Another guru who claims to be Shirdi Sai Baba's reincarnation is Bala Sai Baba.

A Hindi film was made in 1977 on his life and Sudhir Dalvi played the title role [1].

Bibliography

• Dabholkar, Govindrao Raghunath (alias Hemadpant) Shri Sai Satcharita Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Shirdi, (translated from Marathi into English by Nagesh V. Gunaji in 1944) available online or downloadable
• Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7
• "Sai Baba The Master"- A Sai Baba Reader in English - by Acharya E. Bharadwaja, available online Telugu Version is also available.

External links

• Homepage of the Sai Baba Sansthan
• Shirdi Sai Baba
• Hindu perspective on the Saint
• Sai Baba the miraculous somewhat critical article by Rohit Arya on the india yogi website
• Directions To Shirdi