Sai Baba of Shirdi

Shri Sai Nath redirects here. For other uses, see Sai Urdu word s.n (), an honoric title for a virtu(disambiguation) and Nath (disambiguation).
oso, a saint, or a feudal lord (i.e. a patron), is derived from
For other uses, see Sai Baba.
the Persian word syeh, which literally means shadow
but guratively refers to patronage or protection. The
Hindi-Urdu word sy" comes from the same borrowSai Baba of Shirdi (28 September 1835 15 October
1918; resided in Shirdi), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, ing. Thus, it could also mean Master Father. However,
S may also be an acronym of the Sanskrit term Sakshat
was an Indian spiritual master who was and is regarded
by his devotees as a saint, fakir, and satguru, according to Eshwar, a reference to God. Sakshat means incarnate
their individual proclivities and beliefs. He was revered and Eshwar means God.Some of Sai Babas disciples
by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees, and during, as became famous as spiritual gures and saints, such as Mawell as after, his life it remained uncertain if he was a halsapati, a priest of the Khandoba temple in Shirdi, and
Hindu or a Muslim himself. This however was of no Upasni Maharaj. He was revered by other saints, such
Saint Janakiconsequence to Sai Baba himself.[2] Sai Baba stressed as Saint Bidkar Maharaj, Saint Gangagir,
[6][7]
das
Maharaj,
and
Sati
Godavari
Mataji.
Sai Baba rethe importance of surrender to the guidance of the true
ferred
to
several
saints
as
'my
brothers,
especially
the disSatguru or Murshid, who, having gone the path to divine
[7]
ciples
of
Swami
Samartha
of
Akkalkot.
consciousness himself, will lead the disciple through the
jungle of spiritual training.[3]
Sai Baba is worshipped by people around the world. He
had no love for perishable things and his sole concern
was self-realization. He taught a moral code of love,
forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner
peace, and devotion to God and guru. He gave no distinction based on religion or caste. Sai Babas teaching
combined elements of Hinduism and Islam: he gave the
Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque he lived in,[4]
practised Muslim rituals, taught using words and gures
that drew from both traditions, and was buried in Shirdi.
One of his well known epigrams, "Sabka Malik Ek" (One
God governs all), is associated with Hinduism, Islam and
Susm. He also said, Trust in me and your prayer shall
be answered. He always uttered "Allah Malik" (God is
King).[3]

2 Early years

Shirdi Sai Baba (right) and some of his devotees at Dwarakamai,

his own Temple.

Background

No veriable information is given regarding Sai Babas

Sai Babas biographer Narasimha Swamiji claims that Sai
real name, place or time of birth. When asked about his
Baba was born as the child of Brahmin parents:
past, he often gave elusive responses. The name Sai was
given to him upon his arrival at Shirdi, a town in the west
On one momentous occasion, very late in
Indian state of Maharashtra. Mahalsapati, a local temple priest, recognised him as a Muslim saint and greeted
his life, he revealed to Mahalsapathy the inhim with the words 'Ya Sai!', meaning 'Welcome Sai!'.
teresting fact that his parents were Brahmins
Sai or Sayi is a Persian title given to Su saints, meanof Patri in the Nizams State. Patri is Taluk
ing 'poor one'[5] and in Banjara language, sayi means
in Parbhani district, near Manwath. Sai Baba
good one. The honoric Baba means father; grandadded, in explanation of the fact that he was
father; old man; sir in most Indian and Middle Eastern
living in a Mosque, that while still a tender
languages. Thus Sai Baba denotes holy father, saintly
child his Brahmin parents handed him over to
father or poor old man.[2] Alternatively, the Sindhi and
the care of a fakir who brought him up. This
1

4
is fairly indisputable testimony, as Mahlsapathy was a person of sterling character noted
for his integrity, truthfulness and vairagya.
Narasimha Swamiji, Life of Sai Baba.[8]

TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES

3 Return to Shirdi
In 1858 Sai Baba returned to Shirdi. Around this time
he adopted his famous style of dress consisting of a kneelength one-piece Kafni robe and a cloth cap. Ramgir Bua,
a devotee, testied that Sai Baba was dressed like an athlete and sported 'long hair owing down to the end of his
spine' when he arrived in Shirdi, and that he never had his
head shaved. It was only after Baba forfeited a wrestling
match with one Mohiddin Tamboli that he took up the
kafni and cloth cap, articles of typical Su clothing.[13]
This attire contributed to Babas identication as a Muslim fakir and was a reason for initial indierence and hostility against him in a predominantly Hindu village.[14]

For four to ve years Baba lived under a neem tree and often wandered for long periods in the jungle around Shirdi.
His manner was said to be withdrawn and uncommunicative as he undertook long periods of meditation.[15] He
was eventually persuaded to take up residence in an old
and dilapidated mosque and lived a solitary life there, surviving by begging for alms, and receiving itinerant Hindu
or Muslim visitors. In the mosque he maintained a sacred
re which is referred to as a dhuni, from which he gave sacred ashes ('Udhi') to his guests before they left. The ash
was believed to have healing and apotropaic powers. He
performed the function of a local hakim and treated the
sick by application of ashes. Sai Baba also delivered spiritual teachings to his visitors, recommending the reading
Shirdi Sai Baba with some devotees
of sacred Hindu texts along with the Qur'an. He insisted
on the indispensability of the unbroken remembrance of
According to the book Sai Satcharita, Sai Baba arrived Gods name (dhikr, japa), and often expressed himself in
at the village of Shirdi in the Ahmednagar District of a cryptic manner with the use of parables, symbols and
Maharashtra, British India, when he was about 16 years allegories.[16]
old. He led an ascetic life, sitting motionless under a
neem tree and meditating while sitting in an asana. The After 1910 Sai Babas fame began to spread in Mumbai.
Shri Sai Satcharita recounts the reaction of the villagers: Numerous people started visiting him, because they regarded him as a saint with the power of performing miracles or even as an Avatar.[17] They built his rst temple
at Bhivpuri, Karjat.[18]
The people of the village were wonderstruck to see such a young lad practising hard
penance, not minding heat or cold. By day he
4 Teachings and practices
associated with no one, by night he was afraid
of nobody.[9]
Sai Baba opposed all persecution based on religion or
caste. He was an opponent of religious orthodoxy
His presence attracted the curiosity of the villagers, and Christian, Hindu and Muslim.[19]
he was regularly visited by the religiously inclined, in- Sai Baba encouraged his devotees to pray, chant Gods
cluding Mahalsapati, Appa Jogle and Kashinatha. Some name, and read holy scriptures. He told Muslims to
considered him mad and threw stones at him.[10] Sai Baba study the Qur'an and Hindus to study texts such as the
left the village, and little is known about him after that.
Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Vasistha.[20] He was
There are some indications that he met with many saints
and fakirs, and worked as a weaver. He claimed to have
been with the army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi during
the Indian Rebellion of 1857.[11] It is generally accepted
that Sai Baba stayed in Shirdi for three years, disappeared
for a year, and returned permanently around 1858, which
suggests a birth year of 1838.[12]

impressed by the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita and

encouraged people to follow it in their own lives.[21] He
advised his devotees and followers to lead a moral life,
help others, love every living being without any discrimination, and develop two important features of character:
devotion to the Guru (Sraddha) and waiting cheerfully
with patience and love (Saburi). He criticised atheism.[22]

5 Worship and devotees

Main article: Shirdi Sai Baba movement
The Shirdi Sai Baba movement began in the 19th cen-

Naga Sai Mandir, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

tury, while he was living in Shirdi. A local Khandoba

priest, Mhalsapati Nagre, is believed to have been his rst
Shirdi Sai Baba, leaning against the wall of his masjid, with devo- devotee. In the 19th century Sai Babas followers were
only a small group of Shirdi inhabitants and a few people
tees
from other parts of India.
In his teachings, Sai Baba emphasised the importance
of performing ones duties without attachment to earthly
matters and of being content regardless of the situation.
In his personal practice, Sai Baba observed worship procedures belonging to Hinduism and Islam; he shunned
any kind of regular rituals but allowed the practice of
namaz, chanting of Al-Fatiha, and Qur'an readings at
Muslim festival times.[23] Occasionally reciting the AlFatiha himself, Baba enjoyed listening to mawlid and
qawwali accompanied with the tabla and sarangi twice
daily.[24]
Sai Baba interpreted the religious texts of both Islam and
Hinduism. He explained the meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the spirit of Advaita Vedanta. His philosophy also
had numerous elements of bhakti. The three main Hindu
spiritual paths Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma
Yoga inuenced his teachings.[1]
Sai Baba encouraged charity, and stressed the importance
of sharing. 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 certainly be 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.[25]

Because of Sai Baba, Shirdi has become a place of importance and is counted among the major Hindu places
of pilgrimage. The rst Sai Baba temple is situated at
Bhivpuri, Karjat. The Sai Baba Mandir in Shirdi is visited
by around 20,000 pilgrims a day and during religious festivals this number can reach up to 100,000.[26] Shirdi Sai
Baba is especially revered and worshiped in the states of
Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu and Gujarat. In August 2012, an unidentied devotee for the rst time donated two costly diamonds valuing
Rs 11.8 million at the Shirdi temple, Saibaba trust ocials revealed.[27]
The Shirdi Sai movement has spread to the Caribbean and
to countries such as the Nepal, Canada, United States,
Australia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia,United Kingdom, Germany, France and Singapore.[28]

5.1 Notable disciples

Sai Baba left behind no spiritual heirs, appointed no disciples, and did not even provide formal initiation (diksha),
despite requests. Some disciples of Sai Baba achieved
fame as spiritual gures, such as Upasni Maharaj of
Sakori. After Sai Baba died, his devotees oered the
daily Aarti to Upasni Maharaj when he paid a visit to
Shirdi, two times within 10 years.[29]

IN CULTURE

Claimed miracles

when he met him he bestowed the title Jagad guru

upon him.[33][34] Sai Baba was also greatly respected by
[35]
Sai Babas disciples and devotees claim that he per- Vasudevananda Saraswati (known as Tembye Swami).
to which
formed many miracles such as bilocation, levitation, He was also revered by a group of Shaivic yogis,
[36]
he
belonged,
known
as
the
Nath-Panchayat.
mindreading, materialisation, exorcisms, making the
river Yamuna, entering a state of Samdhi at will, light- According to B.V. Narasimhaswami, a posthumous foling lamps with water, removing his limbs or intestines and lower who was widely praised as Sai Babas apostle, this
sticking them back to his body (khandana yoga), curing attitude was prevalent up to 1954 even among some of his
the incurably sick, appearing beaten when another was devotees in Shirdi.[37]
beaten, preventing a mosque from falling down on people, and helping his devotees in a miraculous way. He
also gave Darshan (vision) to people in the form of Sri7.2 Zoroastrianism
Rama, Krishna, Vithoba and many other gods depending
on the faith of devotees.[30]
Sai Baba is worshiped by prominent Zoroastrians such as
According to his followers he appeared to them in dreams Nanabhoy Palkhivala and Homi Bhabha, and has been
and gave them advice. His devotees have documented cited as the Zoroastrians most popular non-Zoroastrian
many stories.[31]
religious gure.[38]

In various religions

Meher Baba, who was born into a Zoroastrian family,

met Sai Baba once, during World War I, in December
1915. Meher Baba was a youngster named Merwan Sheriar Irani, when he met Sai Baba for a few minutes during
one of Sai Babas processions in Shirdi. This event is considered as the most signicant in Meher Babas life. Shri
Sai Satcharita (Sai Babas life story), makes no mention of
Meher Baba. But in Lord Meher, the life story of Meher
Baba, there are numerous references to Sai Baba.[29]
Meher Baba credited his Avataric advent to Upasni, Sai
Baba, and three other Perfect Masters: Hazrat Babajan,
Hazrat Tajuddin Baba, and Narayan Maharaj. He declared Sai Baba to be a Qutub-e-Irshad (the highest of
the ve Qutubs, a Master of the Universe in the spiritual hierarchy).[39]

8 In culture
8.1 Sacred art and architecture

Sai Baba depicted on a tapestry

7.1

There are many Sai Baba temples in India.[40] There

are also temples located in countries outside India, including in the United States, Netherlands, Kenya, Cuba,
Canada, Pakistan, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany,
Japan.[41] In the mosque in Shirdi, in which Sai Baba
lived, there is a life-size portrait of him by Shama Rao
Jaykar, an artist from Mumbai. Numerous monuments
and statues depicting Sai Baba, which serve a religious
function, have been made. One of them, made of marble by a sculptor named Balaji Vasant Talim, is in the
Samadhi Mandir in Shirdi where Sai Baba was buried.[42]

Hinduism

During Sai Babas life, the Hindu saint Anandanath of 8.2 Film and television
Yewala declared Sai Baba a spiritual diamond.[32] Another saint, Gangagir, called him a jewel.[32] Sri Beed- Sai Baba has been the subject of several feature lms in
kar Maharaj greatly revered Sai Baba, and in 1873, many languages produced by Indias lm industry.

References

[21] Shri Sai Satcharitra. Saibaba.org. Retrieved 17 June

2013.

[1] Rigopoulos, Antonio (1993). The Life and Teachings of

Sai Baba of Shirdi. SUNY. pp. 261352. ISBN 0-79141268-7.

[22] Dabholkar/Gunaji Shri Sai Satcharita/Shri Sai Satcharitra

chapter 3

[2] Rigopoulos, Antonio (1993). The Life and Teachings of

Sai Baba of Shirdi. SUNY. p. 3. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.

[23] Warren, Marianne (1999). Unravelling The Enigma:

Shirdi Sai Baba in the Light of Susm. Sterling Publishers.
p. 29. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.

[3] Sri Sai Satcharitra

[4] Hoiberg, Dale; I. Ramchandani (2000). Students Britannica India. Popular Prakashan. Retrieved 1 December
2007.
[5] Rigopoulos,The Life and Teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi
[6] Ruhela, S. P. (ed), Truth in Controversies about Sri
Shirdi Sai Baba, Faridabad, Indian Publishers Distributors, 2000. ISBN 81-7341-121-2
[7] Dabholkar, Govind Raghunath, Shri Sai Satcharita: the life
and teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba (1999)

[24] Warren, Marianne (1999). Unravelling The Enigma:

Shirdi Sai Baba in the Light of Susm. Sterling Publishers.
p. 30. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.
[25] Dabholkar (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
[26] Temple Complex. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
[27] Unknown person donates diamonds worth Rs 1.18 crore
(approximately $240,000) at Shirdi. 1 August 2012.

[8] Narasimha Swamiji, Life of Sai Baba, p 16

[9] Rigopoulos, Antonio (1993). The Life and Teachings of
Sai Baba of Shirdi. SUNY. p. 46. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.

[28] Brady R., Coward H. G., Hinnels J. H. The South Asian

Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United
States, p. 93

[10] Parthasarathy, Rangaswami (1997). God Who Walked on

Earth: The Life and Times of Shirdi Sai Baba. Sterling
Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 81-207-1809-7.

[29] sandman (20 January 2009). Who is Sai Baba' guru?

Zarzari Zar Baksh who lived at Khuldabad, says Meher
Baba. Asian Tribune. Retrieved 8 January 2011.

[11] To Balakrishna Upasani Shastri, I was at the battle in

which the Rani of Jhansi took part. I was then in the
army. Quoted in Narasimhaswami, B.V. (1986). Sri Sai
Babas Charters & Sayings. All-India Sai Samaj, Madras.
p. 209.

[30] Mukund Raj (1 November 2010). Shri Sai Baba Shirdi

Home Page. Saibaba.org. Retrieved 8 January 2011.

[12] Rigopoulos, Antonio (1993). The Life and Teachings of

Sai Baba of Shirdi. SUNY. p. 45. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.

[32] Who is Shirdi Sai Baba. Archived from the original on

15 October 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.

[13] Warren, Marianne (1997). Unravelling the Enigma: Shirdi

Sai Baba in the Light of Susm. Sterling Publishers. p.
104. ISBN 81-207-2147-0.

[33] A Short Biography of Shree Sadguru Beedkar Maharaj.

Retrieved 29 October 2007.

[14] Rigopoulos, Antonio. The Life and Teachings of Sai Baba

of Shirdi. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.
[15] Warren, Marianne (1997). Unravelling the Enigma: Shirdi
Sai Baba in the Light of Susm. Sterling Publishers. p. 45.
ISBN 81-207-2147-0.
[16] Rigopoulos, Antonio (1993). The Life and Teachings of
Sai Baba of Shirdi. SUNY. p. 86. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.
[17] Warren, Marianne (1997). Unravelling the Enigma: Shirdi
Sai Baba in the Light of Susm. Sterling Publishers. pp.
340341. ISBN 81-207-2147-0.
[18] Sai Ananta Kaka Saheb Dixit Trust of Shri Sai Baba at
http://www.saiananta.com
[19] Rigopoulos, Antonio (1993). The Life and Teachings of
Sai Baba of Shirdi. SUNY. p. 139. ISBN 0-7914-1268-7.
[20] Dabholkar/Gunaji Shri Sai Satcharita/Shri Sai Satcharitra
chapter 27.

[31] Ruhela, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba the universal master pp.
141154

[34] Beedkar Maharaj. Sai Vichaar, Oct 06, 2005, volume 8,

issue 2001. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
[35] Dabholkar/Gunaji Shri Sai Satcharita/Shri Sai Satcharitra
chapter 50
[36] Ruhela Sri Shirdi Sai Baba the universal master p. 27
[37] Narasimhaswami, B.V. (1990). Life of Sai Baba (Vol.
1). Madras: All-India Sai Samaj. p. 24.: One very
closely associated devotee of his, now living, still believes that Baba was 'only a Mohammadan.' What can
'only a Mohammadan' mean? It means that even after 25 years of personal experience of him and 36 years
of his post mortem glories, the devotee treats him as a
communalist just as he did when Baba was in the esh.
Narasimhaswami, B.V. (1990). Life of Sai Baba (Vol.
1). Madras: All-India Sai Samaj. pp. 2425.: Baba
wished to convince the devotee, if he was a Hindu, that he
was Mahavishnu, Lakshminarayan, etc., and he bade water ow from his feet as Ganga issued from Mahavishnus
feet. The devotee saw it and praised him as 'Rama Vara',

10 FURTHER READING

but as for the water coming from his feet, that devotee simply sprinkled a few drops on his head and would not drink
it coming as it did from a Mohammadans feet. So great
was the prejudice of ages that even one,who thought of
him as Vishnu, thought he was a 'Muslim Vishnu'. Prejudices die hard and the devotee wondered and wonders
how people can believe that Baba was a Brahmin and that
his parents were Brahmins when he had lived all his life
in a mosque and when he was believed to be a Muslim.

White, Charles S. J., The Sai Baba Movement: Approaches to the Study of India Saints in Journal of
Asian Studies, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Aug. 1972), pp.
863878
White Charles S. J., The Sai Baba Movement: Study
of a Unique Contemporary Moral and Spiritual
Movement, New Delhi, Arnold-Heinemann, 1985.

[38] Hinnels J. R. Zoroastrians Diaspora: religion and migration p. 109

Williams, Alison, Experiencing Sai Babas Shirdi. A

Guide, revised edition, Shirdi, Saipatham Publications. 2004 ISBN 81-88560-00-6 available online

[39] Kalchuri, Bhau: Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Manifestation,
Inc. 1986. p. 64

Walshe-Ryan, Lorraine, I am always with you,

Reprint 2008, New Delhi, Sterling Publishing,
2006. ISBN 978-81-207-3192-9.

[40] Srinivas Sathya Sai Baba movement

Guruji Vij Rajesh, Service to Living beings is service to god Jai Sai Naam (1995) India

[41] Directory of Shri Shirdi Saibaba temples around the

world. Omsrisai.net. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
[42] Ruhela Sri Shirdi Sai Baba The Universal Master
[43] Ocial Page of Bhagwan Sri Shirdi Sai Baba on Facebook.

10

Further reading

Arulneyam, Durai, The Gospel of Shri Shirdi Sai

Baba. A Holy Spiritual Path, New Delhi, Sterling,
2008. ISBN 978-81-207-3997-0
Babuji, Sri Sainathuni Sarath, 'Arati Sai Baba, The
Psalm Book of Shirdi Aratis, Saipatham Publications, 1996 available online
Kamath, M. V. & Kher, V. B., Sai Baba of Shirdi: A
Unique Saint, India: Jaico Publishing House (1997).
ISBN 81-7224-030-9
Osborne, Arthur, The Incredible Sai Baba. The Life
and Miracles of a Modern-day Saint, Hyderabad,
Orient Longman, 1957. ISBN 81-250-0084-4
Panday, Balkrishna, Sai Babas 261 Leelas. A Treasure House of Miracles, New Delhi, Sterling, 2004.
ISBN 81-207-2727-4
Parthasarathy, Rangaswami, God Who Walked on
Earth. The Life and Times of Shirdi Sai Baba, New
Delhi, Sterling, 1996. ISBN 81-207-1809-7.
Rao, Sham P. P., Five Contemporary Gurus in the
Shirdi (Sai Baba) Tradition, Bangalore: Christian
Institute for the Study of Religion and Society,
1972. LC Control No.: 75905429.
Venkataraman, Krishnaswamy, Shirdi Stories, Srishti Publishers, New Delhi, 2002. ISBN 81-8707584-8

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11.2

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File:Allah-green.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Allah-green.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Converted to SVG from Image:Islam.png, originally from en:Image:Ift32.gif, uploaded to the English Wikipedia by Mr100percent on
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11

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

File:Om.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Om_symbol.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ?

Original artist: ?
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File:Sai_Baba.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Sai_Baba.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors:
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File:Shirdi_Sai_Baba_and_devotees2.jpg Source:
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File:Shirdi_Sai_Baba_on_steps_of_Dwarakamai.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Shirdi_Sai_
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11.3

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