If one goes through the devotees experiences with Sai Baba, when Sai Baba use to move about in Shirdi in physical form, it is quite evident that most of the devotees found a great sense of protection, grace and love of Sai Baba. Which is felt by most even now. Also if Sai Baba wanted a non believer in him to bestow his grace and create a bond((?) bond is not the right word as love and faith in him releases one from all bondage) of love and faith.He would give him Darshan of in the form of the Guru or God to which the devotee has the faith, not only that he would ask them to continue their faith to their respective Guru, God or Faith after the same.
How ever i came across physical description of Sai Baba of Shirdi by couple of devotees, while reading the devotees experiences, who saw and met Sai Baba in his Physical form in the sacred land Shirdi.(After long time Sai Baba has called me to Shirdi on Gurupoornima day 29th of this month :) )
In an interview with Udhav Rao Maharaj who was 12 years of age in 1918, the year in which Sai Baba took Mahasmadhi, leaving his physical body and and now working through his grace love and miracles for his devotees. Udhav Rao's father who lived upto age of 105 years had spent much time with Sai Baba in Shirdi and closely associated with him.
In the talk about the how Sai Baba looked he said : ' Shri Sai Baba's looks were very illuminious and eyes so bright and shining with Divya Shakti ( Divine Power) that no body could gaze at. If one would look at him for few minutes he would hang his head with tears in his eyes. His face was yellowish golden color and he was tall about 6 feet high. His arms were very long and reached below his knee. One could see Sainath Maharaj distributing Udi Prasad because of his long arms. Sai Baba love Udhav Rao and other children and distribute all the prasad, Naivedhya, almonds, dry fruits etc. which he used to get particularly from Bombay (Now Mumbai), amongst all the children generously.
Later on one thing that caught my attention and i read this for the first time is that Sai Baba used to ask Poojari to draw Swastik Mark on his head and to place five bel leaves on it before tyeing his head with the white cloth.
Also is the mention on Sai Baba's different looks at different times and to different devotees. Also in all the photographs taken of Sai Baba, he looks different in each of Them.
This different looks in different photographs taken reminds me of the making of the statue of Sai Baba from Italian marble which is placed in Samadhi Mandir (Temple). The work of carving the piece of Marble into Statue was entrusted to Balaji Vasant Thalim of Bombay (Mumbai). He looked at different photographs of Sai Baba to get the idea of the physical features of Sai Baba, however he got confused because of different physical features appearing in different photographs. Sai Baba got him out of the confusion by one of his characteristic ways of guiding his devotees, that through dreams. Sai Baba appeared him in his dreams and asked him to have a look at his face and physical characteristics from all angles. This impression of dream remained strong in his mind and could easily carve out Sai Baba's form with his grace. And thus through dream to the artist Sai Baba gave the details of his physical characteristics for the devotees who love him and would like to know how he looked in physical form. Also in the dream Sai Baba had said "Finish the work and you will not do any other idol in future." Also this came true.
Also another devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi, Shivamma Thayee who was 104 years of age. She had her Ashram - Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Ashram at Ropan Agrahara, Madiwala locality of Banglore. She visited Shirdi several times for short durations. Each time she was witness to many miracles of Sai Baba and also witness to Sai Baba stirring the boiling contents of cooking, while Sai Baba cooked in Dwarkamai.
She narrates : ' Sai Baba was always surrounded by devotees and visitors. Sai Baba sat in Masjid (Dwarkamai) in very simple yet majestic manner. He was about six feet tall. He had very long hands. The fingers of his hands stretched below his knees. He was having all Raj-Lakshnas (attributes of a great majestic ruler). His color was very fair. He had sharp nose with big nostrils. He was neither fat nor thin. His eyes were not black; they were blue and deep. They shown brightly and penetrating. People used to say that Sai Baba's eyes glittered in the night as the eye of the cat or tiger.'
Reading about the fingers of hands of Sai Baba reaching below the knee, brings the memory of my hands. They reach till the top of the knee, was aware of this after few people interested in astrology pointed to it.
