Monday, January 22, 2007

The enigma of Sai Baba of Shirdi

Sai Baba is unique among all Avatars and Saints. SaiBaba spent all his life as a fakir, a beggar in a small village called Shirdi in Ahmednagar district, of Maharashtra in India. The village of Shirdi was so small and insignificant politically and socially then, it itself is wondrous and miraculous so many people came to know about it, and today so many devotees are drawn there by Sai Baba’s love and grace. Inscrutable are my ways Sai Baba used to say. Meher Baba describes him as head of the spiritual hierarchy, and further says that The beggar's appearance was most deceiving. He was the mightiest king in heaven or on earth, but he did not care if people saw him merely as a beggar.

Yes the mightiest king, used to roam about as a beggar as a Fakir. Bestowing his grace on the devotees he himself draws towards him. Sai Baba also used to say that he follows his devotees life after life, guiding them, protecting them until they attain the ultimate spiritual goal, that of merging in him, and free of Sansara, free from all the entangles of mind and world. The quality of unfathomable Saint, God, Perfect Master, that strikes out is his eagerness for helping his devotees. The way Sai runs, the way Sai rushes for the protection and welfare of his devotees.

Inscrutable are his ways, certainly. Sai Baba uses so many ways for the transformation of his devotees. We cannot find a particular method if we try so look how he works for the welfare of his devotees. All the devotees get instructions outwardly or internally, accordingly to their own state of mind and well only Sai Baba knows what. But one thing is sure that he is always eager to unburden his devotees. Unburden them from temporal problems and unburden them from the spiritual problems.

Sai Baba always used to say Allah Malik Hai, Sabka Malik Ek. God is the sole owner, and everything works according to his will. Sai Baba never cared for his image as a saint. He would ask for money from the devotees, but distributed all the money collected in the evening and money wise he was again just the beggar. He used to say I take only from those to whom the Fakir points, Fakir again the word used by Sai Baba for Almighty God. I remember a meeting with Bhauji the author of Lord Meher and various other books, a mandali member of Meher Baba. When I told him that I had come from Shirdi to spend some time at Meher Baba’s tomb, he talked about the Perfect Master Sai Baba. One thing I remember is that Sai Baba used to feed Bade Baba, Bade Baba had a huge body and would eat a lot. Sai Baba also used to give him regularly a large amount of money he collected from the devotees. Bhauji told me that Bade Baba was the store house and cleaner of karma of all the devotees. The devotees whose offerings he used to eat and devotees offerings as money he used to get, their karma were washed and cleansed through Bade Baba. Again as only Sai Baba knew what he was doing, he never gave any money to Mahlsapati a close and poor devotee. Mahlsapati was very poor money wise, how can we say him poor when he spent most of his life time and even used to sleep in the company of Sai Baba, in the Sacred Masjid Mai. At one instant a devotee of Sai Baba wanted to give much material wealth to Mahlsapati, he looked at Sai Baba. SaiBaba asked him, which gold he wanted pointing to the material wealth or then pointing to Himself, and Mahlsapati chose the later, the wealth of wealth, leaving aside the material wealth.

On devotees like Upasni Baba and Megha whom he drew, regardless of their early resistance, he worked on them internally and made them free. Performing miracles for the devotee’s benefit and installing faith in them is like a child’s play for him.

Sai Baba’s picture talks. There are instances given in sacred book Sai SatCharitra that Sai Baba would give indications to his devotees that he had met them before. And when devotees thought of the time period Sai Baba mentioned, they remembered having seen the picture of Sai Baba for the first time. Also to the author of Sri Sai SatCharitra Shri Hemadpant, Sai Baba told him that he would visit his home in Bandra for lunch and Sai Baba’s picture reached there at the given time. The event about the Tarkhad family described in Sai SatCharitra chapter 9. Mr. Tarkhad had forgotten to naivedya the food offered to Gods, in front of picture at his home at Bandra in Bombay, now Mumbai. At the same time in Shirdi, Sai Baba’sSai Baba, said to Mrs. Tarkhad who was present there, "Mother, I had been to your house in Bandra, with a view to having something to eat. I found the door locked. I somehow got an entrance inside and found to My regret, that Bhau (Mr. Tarkhad) had left nothing for Me to eat. So I have returned from there without eating anything."

Even today so many devotees see and feel Sai Baba communicating with them through his pictures. Devotees reading this can add their similar experiences in the comments. For those drawn by Sai Baba, even the name Sai Baba or Sai has an attractive and enigmatic value. Even the name read gives a kind of solace. That is on of the reasons of making the name Sai Baba in colored fonts that it stands out for the devotees. Also for the same reason so many pictures of Sai Baba are found on the blog. Simply because Sai Baba’s picture works while the devotees are reading.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

om sai ram
i have many many expriences were i felt sai near me guiding me
think of him ever and there wont be fear ever

Anonymous said...

om sai ram. sai baba is great

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