Sai Baba of Shirdi (unknown – 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was a spiritual master who was and is regarded by his devotees as a saint, fakir, avatar (an incarnation of God), or sadguru, according to their individual proclivities and beliefs. He was revered by both his Muslim and Hindu devotees, and during, as well as after, his life on earth it remained uncertain if he was a Muslim or Hindu himself. This however was of no consequence to Sai Baba himself Sai Baba stressed the importance of surrender to the guidance of the true Sadguru or Murshad, who, having gone the path to divine consciousness himself, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training.[ Sai Baba remains a very popular saint especially in India, and is worshiped by people around the world. He had no love for perishable things and his sole concern was self-realization. He taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to God and guru. He gave no distinction based on religion or caste. Sai Babas teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque he lived in,[practised Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions, and was buried in Shirdi. One of his well known epigrams, Sabka Malik Ek (One God governs all), is associated with Islam and Sufism. He also said, Trust in me and your prayer shall be answered. He always uttered Allah Malik (God is King).No verifiable information is given regarding Sai Babas real name, place or time of birth. When asked about his past, he often gave elusive responses. The name Sai was given to him upon his arrival at Shirdi, a town in the west Indian state of Maharashtra. Mahalsapati, a local temple priest, recognised him as a Muslim saint and greeted him with the words Ya Sai!, meaning Welcome Sai!. Sai or Sayi is a Persian title given to Sufi saints, meaning poor one[5] and in Banjara language, sayi means good one.[citation needed] The honorific Baba means father; grandfather; old man; sir in most Indian and Middle Eastern languages. Thus Sai Baba denotes holy father, saintly father or poor old man.[1] Alternatively, the Sindhi and Urdu word sāī.n (سائیں), an honorific title for a virtuoso, a saint, or a feudal lord (i.e. a patron), is derived from the Persian word sāyeh, which literally means shadow but figuratively refers to patronage or protection. The Hindi-Urdu word sāyā comes from the same borrowing. Thus, it could also mean Master Father. However, Sāī may also be an acronym of the Sanskrit term Sakshat Eshwar, a reference to God. Sakshat means incarnate and Eshwar means God. Some of Sai Babas disciples became famous as spiritual figures and saints, such as Mahalsapati, a priest of the Khandoba temple in Shirdi, and Upasni Maharaj. He was revered by other saints, such as Saint Bidkar Maharaj, Saint Gangagir, Saint Janakidas Maharaj, and Sati Godavari Mataji.[6][7] Sai Baba referred to several saints as my brothers, especially the disciples of Swami Samartha of Akkalkot.Historians and devotees agree that there is no reliable evidence for a particular birthplace or date of birth. Communities have claimed that he belongs to them, but nothing has been substantiated. It is known that he spent considerable periods with Muslim fakirs, and his attire resembled that of a fakir. He did not discriminate based on religion and respected all forms of worship to God. Little has been officially documented on the early life of Shirdi Sai Baba. An account of Shirdi Sais missing childhood years has been reconstructed by his disciple Das Ganu, after researching in the area around the village of Pathri. He collected this story in four chapters on Sai Baba, later also called the Sai Gurucharitra.[8][9] Das Ganu states that Sai Baba grew up in Pathri, with a fakir and his wife. At the age of five, says Das Ganu, the fakirs wife put him in the care of the saintly desmukh Venkusha, where the boy stayed several years. Dasganu calls the young Sai Baba the reincarnation of Kabir. Because Das Ganu was known to take poetic liberties when telling stories about Sai Baba, and as there are no other sources to corroborate this story, it usually is left out of biographies of Sai Baba of Shirdi. Sai Babas biographer Narasimha Swamiji claims that Sai Baba was born as the child of Brahmin parents: On one momentous occasion, very late in his life, he revealed to Mhalsapathy the interesting fact that his parents were Brahmins of Patri in the Nizams State. Patri is part of Parvani taluk, near Manwath. Sai Baba added, in explanation of the fact that he was living in a Mosque, that while still a tender child his Brahmin parents handed him over to the care of a fakir who brought him up. This is fairly indisputable testimony, as Mahlsapathy was a person of sterling character noted for his integrity, truthfulness and vairagya. —Narasimha Swamiji, Life of Sai Baba[10] According to the book Sai Satcharita, Sai Baba arrived at the village of Shirdi in the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra, British India, when he was about 16 years old. He led an ascetic life, sitting motionless under a neem tree and meditating while sitting in an asana. The Shri 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.[11] His presence attracted the curiosity of the villagers, and he was regularly visited by the religiously inclined, including Mahalsapati, Appa Jogle and Kashinatha. Some considered him mad and threw stones at him.[12] Sai Baba left the village, and little is known about him after that. However, there are some indications that he met with many saints and fakirs, and worked as a weaver. He claimed to have been with the army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.[13] It is generally accepted that Sai Baba stayed in Shirdi for three years, disappeared for a year, and returned permanently around 1858, which suggests a birth year of 1838.[14]
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 13:45:54 +0000
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