Shirdi Sai Baba

Shirdi Sai Baba

By

P.R.Ramachander

(Two days back   I had the good fortune of visiting   this temple  . Please have glimpses  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4QsBpE6qOQ  hindi commentary )

Sai  Baba of Shirdi  was a great saint  who is revered as an incarnation   of Dathathreya  and is considered as Saguna Brahma .Nothing is known about  his birthplace  , his parents or about his real given name   The name “Sai” meaning religious mendicant was given to him   by Mhalsapati (A priest of local Khandoba temple) when he arrived at Shirdi. The honorific name Baba   was added later. It seems he has told Mhasapathi who became his close friend,  that he was born to  Brahmin parents who has given him to a Fakir . At some other time he had told that  a Fakir’s wife had left him  with a Hindu family.. After coming to Shirdi  , when the  local urchin’s troubled him, he left Shirdi for some time. Nothing definite is kown where he went  but many people say that he went to meet several Gurus   and he himself has once told that  he fought in the army of Jhansi Rani  Lakshmi bai. In 1858 he returned to Shirdi .For few years  he lived under a neem tree ,Later he was persuaded to take up residence in a dilapidated mosque(which he called   as DWarakamayi)  He maintained  a sacred fire there   which is referred  to as Dhuni and he used to give ash from that stove((Udi ) to his visitors as Prasad , It is believed that  he also maintained a rose garden called Lendi .(lendi means a well)  Baug .It seems Baba used to visit the Baug daily and throw coins in the well and then take rest below the original neem tree, under which he maintained a  earthern lamp which was   always kept burning. Slowly many  people hearing about the miracles  he performed   came to meet him in Shirdi. Very many miracles   were  attached to him .He attained Samadhi  on 15^th October 1918 . Before he attained Samadhi   he   told his followers ““I shall be active and vigorous even from the tomb”” Shirdi Sai Baba temple was built by a millionaire devotee of Baba named Gopalrao Booty, a resident of Nagpur. He came into Baba’s divine fold just ten years before Baba’s Mahasamadhi. Originally, the wada(a huge house)  was constructed here with the intention of having a rest house and temple by  Muralidhar (Krishna) and Sri Booty  was instructed  in  his dream   to construct a temple  in place of Wada , so that Baba;s  devotees   can have his darsan there. He also told them , he would be spiritually  present in that  temple .Since this was   constructed  usingf stone it was  called  Dagadi wada.  Once it was completed  , on the Maha Samadhi day,  he instructed his followers to take him to the Dagadi Wada. A Samadhi was  later built there and over it  some articles which Baba  used were kept  on a throne .This was replaced by the present statue in the year 1954 on 7^th October  which was a Vijayadasami day.This staue was carved form an Italian marble piece   by a sculptor named  Balaji  Vasant Talim . It seems in his dream, Baba instructed Talim, that  he would not   carve any idol  in  future.

    Millions  of pilgrims from all over the world visit   this Samadhi and also have a darshan of Dwaraka Mayi   where he lived, which is also within the temple complex , I had earlier translated  Baba’s teaching  as follows  :-

Eleven  Sayings   of Shirdi  Sai Baba

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

1.Jo Shirdi Aayega  ,

AApad  door   baagaayegaa

Dangers  would be driven out   to the one  who comes to Shirdi

2.Chade Samadhi ki  seedi par ,

Pair  thale  dukh ki  peedi par

If you climb up  one step    of The  Samadhi there,

You climb up  one more step   to solve  your sorrows

3.Thyag Sareer chala Javunga,

Bhakth  hethu  Dhouda aavunga

I would leave the  body and go away,

But for the sake of a devotee  I would come  back running

4,Man mein Rakhnaa   drud Viswas,

Kare  Samaadhi par aas

Keep solid  faith in your mind ,

And  keep hope   on the Samadhi

5.Mujhe sadaa jeevith hee jaano,

Anubhav  karo   sathya pahchano

Know   that I am always   alive,

And experience it and  know the truth

6.Mere saran aa Khali jaaye  ,

Ho Koi tho    mujhe bhatavo

Come  to me and surrender, and going away empty handed,

If any is there  , please   tell me.

7.Jaisa  Bhav rahaa  jis man kaa  ,

Vaisa roop hua   mere  man kaa

Very much like the  sentiment you had in your mind,

Like that  you would be  known by my mind

8.Bhaar  thumhara  muj par hogaa,

Vachan na mera  jootaa  hogaa

If you leave    your burden on me  ,

My words  would never become a lie.

9.Aa sahayathaa lo  bharpoor,

JO maanga   vah nahi hai dur

Come take  my help to the full,

Whatever you asked is not very far off

10.Muj mein  leen vacan  man kaayaa ,

Uska   rin   na kabhi chukaayaa

If the prayers   with great  faith  were  told  to me,

The debt   for that  would  never be cleared.

11.Dhany dhanya  va bhakth anany,

Meri saran  thaj  jise  na anya

Blessed , blessed  is that devotee  ,

Who has  surrendered to me and not others

   Ever since I came to know of this great soul   who was a saint nonpareil , I was thirsting   to visit that  place  .I could do this on 20-2-2018   and I was simply  stunned and mesmerised by the temple and got imbibed in the spiritual aura   that was present there  .