About

Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who is regarded by his devotees as a saint, a fakir, a satguru and an incarnation (avatar) of Lord Shiva. He is revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees during, as well as after his lifetime. Saibaba is now revered as incarnation of Sri Dattatreya, and considered as Saguna Brahma. He is attributed to be the creator, sustainer and destroyer of this universe by his devotees. He is decorated with jewels and all forms of Hindu vedic deities as he is supreme God. ^[3][4]

According to accounts from his life, he preached the importance of realization of the self, and criticized love towards perishable things. His teachings concentrate on a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, and devotion to the God and guru. He stressed the importance of surrender to the true Satguru, who, having trod the path to divine consciousness, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training.^[5]

Sai Baba also condemned distinction based on religion or caste. It remains unclear if he was a Muslim or a Hindu. This, however, was of no consequence to Sai Baba.^[6] His teaching combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque in which he lived,^[7] practised both Hindu and Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions, and took samadhi in Shirdi. One of his well-known epigrams, Allah Malik (God is King) and Sabka Malik Ek (Everyone's Master is One), is associated with both Hinduism and Islam. He is also known to have said Look to me, and I shall look to you.^[5]

Cholera Epidemic

Once, Cholera was raging virulently in Shirdi. The residents were much frightened and they stopped all communication with the outside people. The panchas of the village assembled together and decided upon two ordinances as a remedy to check and put down the Epidemic. They were (1) No fuel-cart should be allowed to come in the village, and (2) No goat should be killed there. If anybody disobeyed these ordinances, they were to be fined by the village-authorities and panchas. Baba knew that all this was mere supersition, and therefore, He cared two pence for the Cholera-ordinances. While the ordinances were in force, a fuel-cart came there, and wanted to enter the village. Everybody knew that there was dearth of fuel in the village, still the people began to drive away the fuel-cart. Baba came to know of this. He came to the spot and asked the cartman to take the fuel-cart to the Masjid. None dared to raise his voice against this action of Baba. He wanted fuel for His Dhuni and so He purchased it. Like an Agnihotri keeping his sacred fire alive throughout his life, Baba kept His Dhuni ever burning all day and night; and for this He always stocked fuel. Baba's home, i.e. the Masjid was free and open to all. It had no lock and key; and some poor people removed some wood from there for their use. Baba did not grumble about this. Baba saw that the whole universe was pervaded by the Almighty, and so He never bore enmity or ill-will to anybody. Though perfectly detached. He behaved like an ordinary house-holder to set an example to the people.

Ordeal of Guru-Bhakti

Let us now see, how the second Cholera-ordinance fared with Baba. While it was in force, somebody brought a goat to the Masjid. It was weak, old and about to die. At this time Fakir Pir Mohamad of Malegaon alias Bade Baba was near. Sai Baba asked him to behead it with one stroke, and offer it as an oblation. This Bade Baba was much respected by Sai Baba. He always sat on the right hand of Sai Baba. After the chilim (pipe) was first smoked by him, it was then offered to Baba and others. After the dishes were served, at the time of taking meals at noon, Baba respectfully called Bade Baba and made him sit on His left side, and then all partook of food. Baba paid him also daily Rs.50/- out of the amount collected as Dakshina. Baba accompanied him hundred paces whenever he was going away. Such was his position with Baba. But when Baba asked him to behead the goat, he flatly refused, saying "Why it should be killed for nothing?" Then Baba asked Shama to kill it. He went to Radha-Krishna-Mai and brought a knife from her and placed it before Baba. Knowing the purpose for which the knife was taken, she recalled it. Then Shama went to bring another knife, but stayed in the Wada, and did not return soon. Then came the turn of Kakasaheb Dixit. He was 'good gold' no doubt, but had to be tested. Baba asked him to get a knife and kill the goat. He went to Sathe's Wada and returned with a knife. He was ready to kill it at Baba's bidding. He was born in a pure Brahmin family and never in his life knew killing. Though quite averse to do any act of violence, he made himself bold to kill the goat. All the people wondered to see that Bade Baba, a Mahomedan was unwilling to kill it while this pure Brahmin was making preparations to do so. He tightened his dhotar and with a semicircular motion raised his hand with the knife and looked at Baba for the final signal. Baba said - "What are you thinking of? Go on, strike". Then, when the hand was just about to come down, Baba said - "Stop, how cruel you are! Being a Brahmin, you are killing a goat?" Kakasaheb obeyed and kept the knife down and said to baba - "Your nectarlike word is law unto us, we do not know any other ordinance. We remember You always, meditate on Your Form and obey You day and night, we do not know or consider whether it is right or wrong to kill, we do not want to reason or discuss things, but implicit and prompt compliance with Guru's orders, is our duty and dharma".
Then Baba said to Kakaseheb, that He would Himself do the offering and killing business. It was settled that the goat should be disposed of near a place called Takkya, where fakirs used to sit. When the goat was being removed to that place, it fell dead on the way. Hemadpant closes the Chapter with a classification of disciples. He says that they are of three kinds : (1) First or best (2)
Second or middling and (3) Third or ordinary. The best kind of disciples are those who guess what their Gurus want and
immediately carry it out and serve them without waiting for an order from them. The average disciples are those who carry
out the orders of their Masters to a letter, without any delay, and the third kind of disciples are those, who go on postponing
the carrying out of their orders and making mistakes at every step.
The disciples should have firm faith, backed up by intelligence and if they and patience to these, their spiritual goal will not
be distant. Control of breath -- ingoing and outgoing, or Hath-Yoga or other difficult practices are not at all necessary.
When the disciples get the above-mentioned qualities, they become ready for further instructions and the Masters then
appear and lead them on, in their spiritual path to perfection.
In the next Chapter we will deal with Baba's interesting wit and humour.

Moral

Let us mark and note carefully, what Baba has taught us, by this incident. He has advised us that before the senses, mind
and intellect enjoy their objects, he should first be remembered, and if this be done, it is in a way an offering to Him. The
senses etc. can never remain without their objects, but if those objects are first offered to the Guru, the attachment for them
will naturally vanish. In this way, all the Vrittis (thoughts) regarding Desire, Anger, Avarice etc. should first be offered and
directed to the Guru and if this practice be followed, the Lord will help you in eradicating all the Vrittis. When before
enjoyment of the objects, you think that Baba is close by, the question whether the object is fit to be enjoyed or not will at
once arise. Then the object that is not fit to be enjoyed will be shunned and in this way our vicious habits or vices will
disappear and our character will improve. Then love for the Guru will grow and pure knowledge will sprout up. When this
knowledge grows, the bondage of body - consciousness (we are the body) will snap and our intellect will be merged in spiritconsciousness
(we are the spirit). Then we shall get Bliss and contentment. There is no difference between Guru and God.
He who sees any difference in them, sees God nowhere. So leaving aside all ideas of difference, we should regard Guru and
God as one, and if we serve our Guru as stated above, Lord (God) will be certainly pleased and purifying our minds He will
give us self-realisation. To put the matter in a nut-shell, we should not enjoy any object with our senses etc. without first
remembering our Guru. When the mind is trained in this way, we will be always reminded of Baba, and our meditation on
Baba will grow apace. The Sagun Form of Baba will ever be before our eyes and then devotion, non-attachment and
salvation will all be ours. When Baba's Form is thus fixed before our mental vision, we forget hunger, thirst, and this
samsar; the consciousness of worldly pleasures will disappear and our mind shall attain peace and happiness.

Sudama's Story

When the above story was being narrated, Hemadpant was reminded of similar story of Sudama, which illustrates the same
priciple and, therefore, it is given here.
Shri Krishna and His elder brother, Balarama, were living with a co-student, named Sudama, in the ashram of their Guru,
Sandipani. Once Krishna and Balarama were sent to the forest for bringing fuel. Then the wife of Sandipani sent also
Sudama for the same purpose with some quantity of grams for the three. When Krishna met Sudama in the forest, he said to
him - "Dada, I want water as I am thirsty". Sudama replied - "No water should be drunk on an empty stomach, so it is better
to rest a while". He did not say that he had got grams with him and that He should take some. As Krishna was tired, He lay
down for rest on the lap of Sudama and was snoring. Seeing this, Sudama took out the grams and began to eat. Then
Krishna suddenly asked him - "Dada, what are you eating, whence is the sound?". He replied - "What is there to eat? I am
shivering with cold and my teeth are chattering. I can't even repeat distinctly Vishnu-Sahastra-Nama". Hearing this, the
Omniscient Krishna said - "I just dreamt a dream, in which I saw a man, eating things of another, and when asked about
this, he said - "What earth (dust) should he eat?", meaning thereby that he had nothing to eat? The other man said - "Let it
be so". Dada, this is only a dream. I know that you won't eat anything without Me; under the influence of the dream I asked
you what you were eating?" If Sudama had known a bit of the Omniscient, Shri Krishna and His Leelas, he would not have
acted, as he did. Therefore, he had to suffer for what he did. Though he was a chum of Shri Krishna he had to pass his later
life in utter poverty. But when he later offered Krishna a handful of parched rice, earned by his wife with her own labour,
Krishna was pleased and gave him a golden city to enjoy. This story should be remembered by those who have the habit of
eating things alone without partaking them with others.
The Shruti also emphasizes this lesson, and asks us to offer things first to God and then enjoy them after they are renounced
by Him. Baba also has taught us the same lesson in His inimitable and humorous way.

Anna Chinchanikar vs. Mavsibai

Hemadpant, now describes another witty incident, in which Baba played a peace-maker's part. There was one devotee by
name Damodar Ghanashyama Babare alias Anna Chinchanikar. He was simple, rough and straightforward. He cared for
nobody, always spoke plainly and carried all dealings in cash. Though he looked outwardly harsh and uncompromising, he
was good natured and guileless. So Sai Baba loved him. One day, like others serving Baba in their own way, this Anna was,
one noon standing prone and was shampooing the left arm of Baba, which rested on the kathada (railing). On the right side,
one old widow named Venubai Koujalgi whom Baba called mother and all others Mavsibai, was serving Baba in her own
way. This Mavsibai was an elderly woman of pure heart. She clasped the fingers of both her hands round the trunk of Baba
and was at this time kneading Baba's abdomen. She did this so forcibly that Baba's back and abdomen became flat (one) and
Baba moved from side to side. Anna on the other side was steady, but Mavsibai's face moved up and down with her strokes.
Once it so happened that her face came very close to Anna's. Being of a witty disposition she remarked - "Oh, this Anna is a
lewd (bad) fellow, he wants to kiss me. Even being so old with grey hair he feels no shame in kissing me." These words
enraged Anna and he pulled up his sleeves and said - "You say that I am an old bad fellow, am I quite a fool? It is you that
have picked up a quarrel and are quarreling with me". All the persons, present there were enjoying this encounter between
them. Baba Who loved both of them equally and wanted to pacify them, managed the affair very skillfully. Lovingly He said -
"Oh Anna, why are you unnecessarily raising this hue and cry? I do not understand what harm or impropriety is there, when
the mother is kissed?" Hearing these words of Baba, both of them were satisfied and all the persons laughed merrily and
enjoyed Baba's wit to their heart's content.

Baba's Characteristics -- His Dependency on Bhaktas

Baba allowed His devotees to serve Him in their own way, and did not like any other persons interfering in this. To quote
an instance, the same Mavsibai was on another occasion, kneading Baba's abdomen. Seeing the fury and force used by her,
all the other devotees felt nervous and anxious. They said, "Oh mother, be more considerate and moderate, otherwise you
will break Baba's arteries and nerves". At this Baba got up at once from His seat, dashed His satka on the ground. He got
enraged and His eyes became red like a live charcoal. None dared to stand before or face Baba. Then He took hold of one
end of the Satka with both hands and pressed it in the hollow of his abdomen. The other end He fixed to the post and began
to press His abdomen against it. The satka which was about two or three feet in length seemed all to go into the abdomen
and the people feared that the abdomen would be ruptured in a short time. The post was fixed and immovable and Baba
began to go closer and closer to it and clasped the post firmly. Every moment the rupture was expected, and they were all
dismayed, did not know what to do, and stood dumb with wonder and fear. Baba suffered this ordeal for the sake of His
Bhakta. The other devotees wanted only to give a hint to the Mavsibai to be moderate in her service and not cause any
trouble or pain to Baba. This they did with good intention, but Baba did not brook even this. They were surprised to see that
their well-intentioned effort had resulted in this catastrophe; and they could do nothing but to wait and see. Fortunately,
Baba's rage soon cooled down. He left the satka and resumed His seat. From this time onward, the devotees took the lesson
that they should not meddle with anybody but allow him to serve Baba as the chooses, as He was capable to gauge the
merits and worth of the service rendered unto Him.