Baba's Life and Teachings
Shirdi Sai Baba
Shirdi Sai Baba is a revered saint who is considered the Avatar,an actual reincarnation of God Himself present to us in a human body form. Shirdi Sai Baba early origins remain shrouded in mystery until now. There are many theories postulating Shirdi Sai Babas early childhood and regards to whether He was Muslim or Hindu, however, He rarely gave importance to these matters. His nature was that above religions and practiced both Hindu and Muslim rituals. He did not object to either one practice provided the devotee stayed true to his path of religion that he originally abided by , and did not encourage them to convert. He was well versed in the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita as well as other Sanskrit teachings such as Vishnu Shahastranam and Hanuman Chalisa. His main principles were based on the importance of having complete faith in God to bestow upon what is deemed necessary for oneself (Shraddha) and to practice patience (Saburi) in all aspects of life. Sai Baba spoke in parables or phrases and was very precise and potent in His words. He would clearly guide His true devotees in the right direction towards attaining their goals and protect them from harms way. Sai Baba has an amazing and creative way of linking situations and showing people the solutions to their doubts by placing them in an analogy as to decipher the meaning of their questions. Such strong experiences He gave to many, were so profound, they were permanently etched in the hearts of His devotees and they never forgot them. Sai Baba pervades everything . He is Omniscient (All Knowing) , Omnipresent (is everywhere and sees everything ) and Omnipotent (All Powerful). He transends beyond time and space. His physical body may be in one place, but He was capable of imparting knowledge, protecting and controlling situations beyond the seven seas. He says “ Go where you will. Travel across the seven seas. I am with you. My abode lies in the hearts of all. “ Once a goldsmith’s wife was carrying her child in her arms. For a moment that she got distracted, she accidentally allowed her baby to slip towards the burning fire in front of her. Sai Baba who was many miles away from the situation, was sitting in front of His Sacred Fire (Dhuni) that He always kept every burning even up until now. He suddenly thrust His Hands forth into the flames, and miraculously saved the child from falling. Later on , it was from this very Dhuni that He consecrated and its ashes have and is still used very much effectively to treat the mental, physical and temporal ailments of His devotees. He was Ever Merciful. There was a time when plague raged through the world and brought about death. A worrying mother begged to Sai Baba to save her child who was suffering from the disease. At once, Sai Baba lifted up His Kafni (robe) and showed her the bubos (swellings) the size of eggs on His body. He exclaimed “ Fear not! There are dark clouds but they will pass soon . See what I do for My devotees. For their sufferings are Mine! “ He taught the importance of being humble and egoless. He always cared for the poor and sickly. He said “ Lordship (riches) is transient. What man gives, does not last. But what God gives us is eternal.” Daily, He would distribute money to the poor, and stressed on the importance of doing charity and good to others, especially those less fortunate. He said “ Were are all connected and no one goes anywhere, without one other.” The best form of all charity is providing of food to those in need. He imparted to His devotees the importance of being non attached to money. He would collect Dakshina (fees of renumeration) from them and sometimes immediately distribute it out to others in front of them. This was just to show them to break their attachment to wealth. He was believed to amass riches more than the Governor of those days. However, by the end of the day, He had only a few coins left in his possession yet always wore a glowing smile on His face. Sai Baba loved all creatures and dwelled in all animate and inanimate things. “ A leaf could not be moved without His Command.” He ordains everything and said that “Everything is ordained by God. Let Him be the Sole Doer of your actions.” Once a hungry dog went to a devotees house while she was making food for Sai Baba. Seeing the hungry dog,she flung a piece of bread at it , which it relishly ate. Later on , approaching the steps to the Dwarkamai (Baba’s Masjid) to feed Him , Sai Baba stopped her and said “Thank you but I’ve already been fed by you earlier when I came to your house. You have satisfied my hunger. The dog you fed is one with Me.” In another instance, a devotee was prescribed to avoid taking curds (yoghurt) for health reasons but however could not abstain from it despite Sai Baba’s advice. A cat sleathily would come into his house and eat the curds when he was out. One day, the devotee hid at home and gave the cat a good beating while it attempted to eat his curds. When he went to visit Sai Baba later on, Baba said “ He who is told to avoid certain foods for the sake of his own health, beats Us when we come to save him” and thus exposed multiple wounds on His back. Sai Babas teachings encourage the humanitarian in all of us to be realized. He preached and lived the same. Simplicity, humility, faith in the Divine, patience, tolerance and respect to others regardless of cast,creed,religion,race and stature were amongst the principles(Sadhanas) that He taught. His teachings are collectively compiled in the book “ Shri Sai Satcharita : The Wonderful Life and Teachings of Shri Sai Baba.” “If you give water to the thirsty, bread(food) to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to the homeless to rest, God will truly be pleased”
