Sai Baba of Shirdi – The God Who Descended on Earth
Trust in Me and your prayers shall be answered’ - that is an implicit promise of Shirdi Sai Baba to all his devotees. His love towards his devotees is unconditional as like his simple teachings of devotion, empathy and forgiveness.
While the accounts of the early days of Shirdi Sai Baba are unclear, he is known to hail from a small town known as Pathari to the south-east of Daulatabad in Maharashtra. The town is a part of what was known as Deccan plateau once and included parts of Andra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Deccan plateau is heavily influenced by the Chisti Sufism as a result of Muslim invasion during the early 13th century. The strong traces of sufi developments here over centuries are evident. About 60% of the population in Pathari is Muslim. It was a known centre for Quadri Sufis who use to spend their lives in religious devotion once upon a time. Daulatabad exudes a rustic charm and is covered with old Sufi tombs. Shirdi Sai Baba emitted this religious fervour through his penance, teachings and simple living.
Sai Baba of Shirdi was a saint, a fakir who was loved by all. He epitomized the ultimate self-realisation path which was not just preached but practised by him. He resonate both the teachings of Quran and Bhagvad Gita and holds a unique place in the hearts of his devotees. Shirdi Sai Baba is believed to be born circa 1840, always dressed in the garb of a wandering fakir and touched the hearts of even non-believers through his self-less action and miracles. He lived a disciplined life of penance, self-less devotion and asceticism.
He reached Shirdi at a very young age and stayed in outskirts of the town in babul forest, meditating everyday under a Neem tree for long hours at a time. As villagers were enthralled by this divine saint and felt touched by his holy presence, they offered him food for sustenance. After wandering through jungle for long, he found home in a dilapidated mosque where he stayed till end of his days. This mosque was referred as ‘Dwarkarmai’ as in Lord Krishna’s home Dwarka. Sai Baba of Shirdi never went out seeking disciples but people experienced life-altering miracles and surrendered themselves in his devotion. All throughout he led a very Sufi life of simplicity, living on alms received from villagers and sharing them with his disciples in need. He was a unifier of both Muslim and Hindu practices teaching both tolerance and temperance back in those days. Through his teachings and action, he became the saint of the common man. His work towards the down-trodden represented his belief of ‘All humans and living beings being equal’. One can only experience humbleness by absorbing his wisdom for higher spiritual deliverance.
Sai Baba of Shirdi attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ on October 15th 1918. Yet he continues to live on in the hearts of his followers who emit their love by practicing his teachings and continuing his work for social good. His undeterring voice echoes in the mind of each of his disciple –‘Think of me and you will hear from my Samadhi. I shall guide you always.’ With this unwavering belief, millions of followers even today march to Shirdi each year for Sai Samadhi Darshan.
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