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	At least two youngsters and two gurus have claimed to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba.<ref>Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 page 246<br>"The idea of a possible future incarnation of Sai, however, soon brought various claims of by persons declaring themselves to be avataras of Baba.<br>Narasimhawami reports on two of these cases: that of a boy of ] and that of a girl of Bangalore."</ref><ref>Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 page 247<br>"A claim of being an avatara of Sai Baba was made by one Basheer Baba (1942-80?) of ]. <br>The site of his asram at Ram Sai Naga was one and a half miles from Duvvuru village, in the ] of Andhra Pradesh."<br>"The case of the living Hindu saint of Puttaparthi, Sathya Sai Baba, is different. he is presently venerated by millions of people in India as well as abroad as an avatara of Shirdi Sai Baba."</ref> By far the most famous is ] (born in 1926) who lived at ] ], India. <ref> Rigopoulos, Antonio ''The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi'' State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 pages 245-249</ref>		At least two youngsters and two gurus have claimed to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba.<ref>Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 page 246<br>"The idea of a possible future incarnation of Sai, however, soon brought various claims of by persons declaring themselves to be avataras of Baba.<br>Narasimhawami reports on two of these cases: that of a boy of ] and that of a girl of Bangalore."</ref><ref>Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 page 247<br>"A claim of being an avatara of Sai Baba was made by one Basheer Baba (1942-80?) of ]. <br>The site of his asram at Ram Sai Naga was one and a half miles from Duvvuru village, in the ] of Andhra Pradesh."<br>"The case of the living Hindu saint of Puttaparthi, Sathya Sai Baba, is different. he is presently venerated by millions of people in India as well as abroad as an avatara of Shirdi Sai Baba."</ref> By far the most famous is ] (born in 1926) who lived at ] ], India. <ref> Rigopoulos, Antonio ''The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi'' State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 pages 245-249</ref>

	== '''Miracles of Sai Baba''' ==

	It was the year 1917. Devotees kept coming to Shirdi in very large numbers. A good number were drawn to Shirdi by Baba in the same manner as a thread is tied to the leg of a sparrow and drawn. The following is the story of one such devotee.

	'''Appa Saheb Kulkarni'''

	One day a fakir resembling Baba came to Kulkarni’s house at about noon. Kulkarni was not in the house. His wife and children asked the fakir whether he was Shirdi Sai Baba. The fakir replied that he was a servant of God and on His orders only he came to enquire about the welfare of Kulkarni’s family. He asked for dakshina . Kulkarni’s wife gave him a rupee. The fakir gave her some udi and asked her to keep it in her puja for worship. That evening when Kulkarni returned home and heard of the fakir’s visit, he felt sorry for not being present at then. He told his family that he would have given ten rupees dakshina. Though he was hungry, he went out in search of the fakir. As he could not find him anywhere, he returned home, had his meal and again started along with a friend in search of the fakir. All of a sudden, the fakir came from behind and extending his hand asked for the dakshina. Kulkarni gave him a rupee. Again the fakir asked dakshina and he gave him one more rupee. When the fakir asked again he took three rupees from his friend and gave it to the fakir. As he found the fakir not fully satisfied, he took him home and gave him another four rupees. When the fakir asked again, he gave him a ten-rupee note. The fakir gave him back nine rupees and went away. Since Kulkarni wanted to give ten rupees as dakshina, the fakir was not satisfied till he got the ten rupees. Kulkarni kept the nine rupees consecrated given back to him by the fakir in his puja room and worshipped them. When once Kulkarni visited Shirdi, he got a strand of Baba’s hair . He put it in a small silver container and tied to his hand. After those two incidents, he got a lot of money and also progressed much spiritually.

	It was the talk of those days that Sai Baba’s hand was without bones and he would never send away anyone who approached him empty-handed. Because of this, many people like singers, astrologers and street circus performers came to Baba and exhibited their talents and received presents. When close devotees of Baba visited him along with their family members, Baba gave them clothes. Other than accepting dakshina, Baba never associated himself with any other financial matters. If someone came to Baba with any such proposals, he told them frankly that he did not want to involve himself in such affairs.

	Baba not only never yielded to the lure of the lucre but also followed the same principle in respect of ladies. He was an Askalika Brahmachari throughout.

	'''Sai Appearing as a Snake'''

	Raghu Patil, a resident of Shirdi village, would start any work, only after visiting Baba and saluting him. Once, he went to Nevasa village to see his brother-in-law. He went by horse up to Srirampur and from there by tonga to Nevasa. He woke up the next morning and remembered Baba, praying to him with closed eyes. He heard the following words in Baba’s voice, "If I give darshan, do not be frightened." In the meanwhile, a servant working in the cowshed cried, "Snake!Snake!" . All ran there. Raghu Patil thought that Sai had come in that form and put a bowl containing milk in front of the snake, and it drank the milk. The frightened people ran away. While Raghu Patil was watching, the snake crawled for some distance and disappeared. He felt very happy that Sai had given him darshan in the form of a snake.

	'''Feeding Baba'''

	Among the women devotees who served Baba with utmost devotion were Baija Bai, Radhakrishna Mai and Lakshmi Bai Shinde. After the demise of Radhakrishna Mai, Lakshmi Bai Shinde attended personally to the needs of Sai Baba, like a daughter serving her father. In those days she was the richest women in Shirdi village having an exemplary character and serving Baba day and night. In the nights, only Mhalsapathi, Tatya and Lakshmi Bai were permitted into the mosque.

	One evening, in 1917, when Baba and Tatya were conversing in the mosque, Lakshmi Bai came and saluted Baba. Baba told her that he was hungry. She told him that she would go home and bring food for him. After a short while, she brought roti ( leavened bread ) and curry. Baba took the food and threw it to the dog which was there. The dog ate the food completely and it wagged its tail out of joy. Then Lakshmi Bai asked Baba why he had given her the trouble to prepare the food, when he did not eat it., but gave it to the dog. Baba replied, "Please do not feel for it. To satisfy the hunger of the dog is the same as satisfying my hunger. Animals also have Atma. Lives may be different but hunger is the same. Humans can speak but animals cannot. Whoever satisfies the hungry will be giving me complete satisfaction. Know this as a great truth." From what Sai said we learn that he is present in all living beings, Omnipresent and Immortal. Let us all recollect what Baba said in such matters, "You need not go to distant places in search of me. If you cast aside your name and body form, Atma remains. This is there in all living beings. I am the Atma. If you can carefully realise this truth, you will know my true form and merge in me."

	'''Bapu Saheb Jog’s Sanyas'''

	After retirement from service in 1909, Bapu Saheb Jog came to Shirdi along with his wife and settled there permanently. They had no children and therefore no family responsibilities. Both of them were completely immersed in the service of Baba. After the death of Megha, Jog gave arathis in the mosque and Chavadi. He did this only till Baba’s Samadhi. He was also called Pujari Jog. In the evenings, he would recite sacred books like Jnaneshwari and Eknath Baghavata and explain them to the devotees who assembled there. But he did not enjoy peace of mind in spite of doing all these.

	One day he asked Baba, "Baba, I am fully immersed in your service since so long. But there is no peace of mind for me. Why? When are you going to take pity on me?" Baba replied, "Wait for some more time. The sufferings for your past actions will be over. Your merits and de-merits will be burnt down to ashes. When you renounce all your attachments, conquer your lust and sense of tastes, and overcome all other obstacles, then your life will be a blessed one." After sometime his wife died. As there was no other attachment for him, he took sanyas. We must carefully observe Baba’s message in the above story. After overcoming our weakness like jealousy, selfishness and hatred, the other small enemies like, attachment, lust and tastes will remain and unless we win over these also, there will not be complete peace. The Sadguru teaches such things to his disciples according to their levels, and takes them on the Jnana Marga. But some Gurus who take the status and wealth of the disciples into consideration, cannot understand the level of the disciples. Even suppose such a Guru understands the level of his disciples to a certain extent, he will not teach them the main things for fear that they may leave him. This is the difference between Shirdi Sai Baba and the numerous Gurus that exist nowadays.
	'''
	Arrival of Bal Gangadhar Tilak at Shirdi'''

	Khaparde came along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak, to Shirdi on 19 May 1917. Khaparde who had come earlier also to Shirdi, had seen the greatness of Baba personally. Hence, he brought Tilak who was the extremist leader in the Indian National Congress and a freedom fighter, to have darshan of Baba and take his advice in the matter of freedom movement. There were proofs that Baba gve Tilak certain advices secretly. According to the then prevailing conditions under British rule, these matters were kept secret. After Tilak left Shirdi, then District Collector of Ahmednagar sent a CID Officer to Shirdi to keep an eye on the activities of Sai Baba and send a confidential report.

	There were several proofs to show that Baba predicted that India would certainly become an independent nation, through a non-violent revolution only and not through extremist violent acts. He gave advice to Tilak along the above lines and there were indications that from that day the extremist actions were toned down.
	'''
	Hindu-Muslim Unity'''

	In those days, to attain independence for our country was the main issue. This was a political problem. The main social problem in the country was religious differences between Hindus and Muslims. The British Government did not try wholeheartedly to remove these differences. They thought that the minds of the people could be diverted from the movement for independence, if the religious differences were encouraged. Religious clashes occurred in the predominantly Muslim populated areas of Aurangabad and nearby places causing much hardship to the ordinary citizen. Unrest, disputes, loss of lives and properties were plaguing the society. Baba found that communal harmony could bring peace and happiness to the people rather than rituals. He also found that in both the religions and religious leaders, the qualities of equality, cooperation and love were completely absent. There was none then to bring peace to the common man in the fields of religion and politics. That was why Sai Baba dedicated himself to the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity and reminded all, that God is one. Sab ka Malik ek hai. The truths in both the religions were same. The gist of the two religions was the same. But the trouble lay with the heads of these two religions and their blind beliefs. The movement started by Baba for Hindu-Muslim unity was found to be necessary for the country’s political future and hence Mahatma Gandhi gave the slogan "Hindu-Muslim Bhai Bhai". The main aim in Sai’s philosophy was to unite all religions. That was why he resided in a mosque where he started the Dhuni which was sacred to the Hindus. In the front side of the mosque, he planted a tulasi plant. The slogans given at the end of arthis Sai Nath Maharaj Ki Jai etc., resemble those recited at the end of the ‘namaz’ by the Muslims, and were prescribed by Sai Baba. In this manner, Shirdi Sai Baba made sincere efforts to unite both the religions.

	Before trying to understand Baba’s conception of communal harmony, let us try to know what is religion and how it came into being. Religion was only a set of norms prescribed for the people living in different parts of the world, for their ways of living in relation to their societies. The humans established a society for smooth living, different fron non-humans like animals, etc. When different kinds of people lived together in a society, there would naturally be a clash of behaviours resulting in suffering to some. The living methods were decided keeping in view the climatic conditions of that place and the avaiability of natural resources. Taking into consideration all these aspects, certain experienced people had indicated certain norms to be followed. Some meant for the self and some for his behaviour in a society without causing difficulties to others. In this manner, the social regulations and taboos came into existence and deveoped into religions. So, religion means the regulated behaviour and actions of the people in a society. The aim was to see that all sections of people in a society were happy.

	As time passed, such religions developed hatred among societies, leading to bloodshed . The causes for this were not religions or the philosophies, but the religious leaders. We had seen in the story of the ‘Two Goats’ in Chapter 18 that two brothers born to the same mother and belonging to the same religion killed each other. Same blood and same religion could not prevent this. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with religion and if at all there is something, it is only in the people. We should put an end to the hatred towards other religions. Our hearts should be filled with tolerance and love for other religions and equal treatment meted out to people of different religions. This is the philosophy of Sai Baba towards religious harmony. If we look at our country today, with a name like Hindustan, it has a number of people belonging to other religions - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Jains. Now and then, in the name of religions, atrocities are being committed. The cause for this is not religion but religious leaders. Because of so many religions, India has been declared as a secular country.

	If so many religions are there in a country, differences between the religions are bound to be there. Hence, some intellectuals are of the opinion that it would be good to have only one religion in a country. This appears to be a good proposal but it is important to know the methods by which it can be achieved. Violent methods should not be used. We must proceed only in the path shown by Sai Baba - Prema Marga . Marriages between persons belonging to two different religions should be encouraged. In this ways all religions can be intermixed to establish a Sai Religion by which we can forget all religious differences. The politicians and religious heads may take an initiative in this matter, so that there will not be any opposition from others.

	Let us pray to Sai Baba that in this Sai Yuga the Sai Religion spreads not only in our country but throughout this world.

	"Om Shanti! Shanti! Shantihi"

	==Film & Television==		==Film & Television==

Revision as of 06:00, 6 May 2007

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

Sai Baba of Shirdi or Shirdi Sai Baba (circa 1838 - October 15, 1918), (real name, birth place, and date of birth unknown), was an Indian guru and fakir, who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint. Some of his Hindu followers believe that he was an Avatar of Shiva, Dattatreya and the next incarnation of Kabir. 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: "Allah Malik" ("God is king.")

Biography

There is no clear record of Sai's given name, nor of his origins. However, there are some indications that he was born in a Brahmin family in the village of Pathri, under the name Haribhau.

Sai arrived at the village of Shirdi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state when he was about sixteen years old (in 1854). He stayed there for approximately two months and then left. It is unknown where he stayed at that time. There are some indications however that he met saints and fakirs as well as fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. In 1858 he returned to Shirdi. He took up residence in a mosque. He lived in the mosque till the end of his life.

He led an extremely simple and ascetic 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 addressed 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 even for the most mundane of his activities.

Sai remained in Shirdi all his life. Baba breathed his last with his head resting on one of his devotees lap. His last words were, "Place my Body in Buti's wada (mansion); I'll get peace there only. People will serve me only if I'm placed in Buti's wada." Thus as per his last wish he was buried in the "Buty Wada" also known as "Samadhi Mandir".

Shirdi Sai Baba, leaning against the wall of his masjid, with devotees

Religion, philosophy and practices

By his example, Sai sought to unite the seemingly disparate religious communities of Muslims and Hindus. 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.

Sai Baba left no written works. His 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." Other favourite sayings of his were: "Why do you fear when I am here","He has no beginning... He has no end",. Sai Baba made eleven assurances to his devotees:

Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi soil, their sufferings will come to an end.
The wretched and miserable will rise to joy and happiness as soon as they climb the steps of the mosque.
I shall be ever active and vigorous even after leaving this earthly body.
My tomb shall bless and speak to the needs of my devotees.
I shall be active and vigorous even from my tomb.
My mortal remains will speak from my tomb.
I am ever living to help and guide all who come to me, who surrender to me and who seek refuge in me.
If you look to me, I look to you.
If you cast your burden on me, I shall surely bear it.
If you seek my advice and help, it shall be given to you at once.
There shall be no want in the house of my devotee.

His eleven famous sayings are:

No harm shall befall him who sets his foot on the soil of Shirdi.
He who cometh to My Samadhi, his sorrow and suffering shall cease.
Though I be no more in flesh and blood, I shall ever protect My devotees.
Trust in Me and your prayer shall be answered.
Know that My Spirit is immortal. Know this for yourself.
Show unto Me he who sought refuge and been turned away.
In whatever faith men worship Me, even so do I render to them.
Not in vain is My Promise that I shall ever lighten your burden.
Knock, and the door shall open. Ask and ye shall be granted.
To him who surrenders unto Me totally I shall be ever indebted.
Blessed is he who has become one with Me.

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

The best-known book about Sai Baba is the Shri Sai Satcharita, written by Govindrao Raghunath Dabholkar, who Sai nicknamed Hemadpant. The book, which is quite devotional in style in keeping with Indian religious tradition, 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.

Legacy

Sai Baba is among the most popular of Indian saints, and continues to have a large following. His image seems to be everywhere in India: seen on shrines, lockets, billboards and cars of Hindus. 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 place of Mahasamadhi is a well-known place of 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, and the All-India Sai Samaj (founded by B.V. Narasimha Swamiji) which publishes books on Sai Baba as well as administrates the temples of Sai Baba built all over India.

Some disciples of Sai Baba achieved fame as spiritual figures including Upasni Maharaj of Sakori and Meher Baba of Ahmednagar. These disciples also include Swami Kaleshwar who according to him and his followers received spiritual guidance from Shirdi Sai Baba who appeared to him in a vision.

At least two youngsters and two gurus have claimed to be the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba. By far the most famous is Sathya Sai Baba (born in 1926) who lived at Puttaparthi Andhra Pradesh, India.

Film & Television

A Hindi film, "Shirdi ke Sai Baba", was made in 1977 on his life and Sudhir Dalvi played the title role.

In 1986 the telugu film "Shri Shirdi Saibaba Mahathyam" (about Shirdi Sai Baba) was made by K. Vasu. Vijayachander played Shirdi Sai Baba.

In 2001 Balraj Deepak Vij made a Hindi film called "Shirdi Sai Baba". Sudhir Dalvi played the title role.

A more recent Hindi TV series, "Sai Baba" was made by Ramanand Sagar and broadcast by Star Plus in 2006, with 31-year old Mukul Nag in the title role.

A T.V. serial on Sai Baba is telecasted on Star T.V. net work on every sunday at 8:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.- Prof. C. Vijendra, Hyderabad, A. P., India.Mobile No: 9246593236

Notes

Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 page 3
"No historical evidence is available concerning the time and place of birth "
Ruhela S. P., Sai Baba z Shirdi - mistrz uniwersalny, wyd. Limbus, 2004, ISBN 83-7191-120-3 Error: {{Lang}}: no text (help)
*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
^ http://chavadi.saibaba.org:8080/index.htm
Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 page 246
"The idea of a possible future incarnation of Sai, however, soon brought various claims of by persons declaring themselves to be avataras of Baba.
Narasimhawami reports on two of these cases: that of a boy of Karur and that of a girl of Bangalore."
Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 page 247
"A claim of being an avatara of Sai Baba was made by one Basheer Baba (1942-80?) of Hyderabad.
The site of his asram at Ram Sai Naga was one and a half miles from Duvvuru village, in the Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh."
"The case of the living Hindu saint of Puttaparthi, Sathya Sai Baba, is different. he is presently venerated by millions of people in India as well as abroad as an avatara of Shirdi Sai Baba."
Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7 pages 245-249
http://imdb.com/title/tt0283005/
http://imdb.com/title/tt0295603/

References

Bowen, David The Sathya Sai Baba Community in Bradford: Its origins and development, religious beliefs and practices. Leeds: University Press. (1988)
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
http://chavadi.saibaba.org:8080/index.htm
Rigopoulos, Antonio The life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi State University of New York press, Albany, (1993) ISBN 0-7914-1268-7

Bibliography

Bharadwaja, Acharya E. Sai Baba The Master: A Sai Baba Reader in English available online Telugu Version is also available.
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
Shepherd, Kevin R.D. Gurus Rediscovered: Biographies of Sai Baba of Shirdi and Upasni Maharaj of Sakori. Anthropographia Publications 1986.
Shepherd, Kevin R.D. "Investigating the Sai Baba Movement: A Clarification of Misrepresented Saints and Opportunism" (2005) ISBN 0-9525089-3-1
White, Charles S.J. The Sai Baba Movement: Approaches to the Study of India Saints in The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Aug., 1972), pp. 863-878

External links