Saiyuga

Shirdi Sai Baba was the human incarnation of Lord Shiva of Kailash. For the good of the world, he stopped the poison in his throat and suffered fro the sake of others. Repeating the name of such a Sai makes us happy. Worship of Sai is auspicious. Devotees experienced complete bliss when they were in the company of Sai. Baba frequently said ," Allah Malik". Sai without aspiring for Moksha or complete merger in God, had remained in the service of all living beings considered by him as facets of God. Sai means love, selfless love, sacred love. Sai's love was not only to mankind but all living things. To curb this we should publicise Sai philosophy on a large scale , spreading , brotherly love in society. All should have peace and happiness permanently. This shall be the aim of Sai Prachar. Let us pray to Sai Baba to form an army of dedicated devotees ( Sai Army) and establish a Sai empire.

Om Shanti ! Shanti ! Shanti!

The Leela of the Evil Spirit

"Get up from here," said a voice in a loud confrontational manner. The devotee looked around but could not see anyone at first. Rather confused, he wondered where the person was who gave him this order. It was purnima (full moon night) and he could see everything clearly. The ground itself was bathed in the moonlight and even a pinhead could be found in the brightness . It was a little past midnight and the devotee had gone outside for relieve himself. He was behind the banyan tree behind dixit wada. A little later, he heard something rustling amongst the fallen leaves. Thinking it might be a snake he became alert . The he noticed ' the spirit' who was clothed in a white garment and looked like a man. The spirit spoke again," This is my territory, so you better leave." The devotee looked with great concentration, as he was afraid.But the spirit added ," You are rather confident of the old man's grace ( Baba's grace) and protection, aren't you?" As soon as this was said, the devotee stood up, and was calm." Yes, come closer and show yourself." The spirit started moving closer and was about two to three feet away from the devotee.
" Stop right there or I'll call Baba and He will reduce you to ashes", warned the devotee. Hearing this, the spirit rose to the top of the tree and disappeared. The devotee walked back to his room. At first , he thought that he would tell his mother about the incident, but fearing that she might be frightenedhe kept quiet. The next morning, after bathing, he went to Dwarkamai, and prostrated before Baba and sat down quitely.
" Bhau, what did you see last night," asked Baba," arre Bhau saw a Ghost," said the devotee. Then Baba said," Arre Bhau that was Me". The puzzled devotee replied," No Baba , it was a ghost and i spoke to it.". " It was me bhau , ask your mother," said Baba. The devotee turned to his mother , who said," Yes Baba is in everything -man , bird, beast, and spiritstoo." Besides , spirits are in Baba's control. Thus the devotee, Baba sahib Tarkhad learnt a very valuable lesson.

Message for the construction Of Samadhi Mandir

Sreeman Baba saheb Butty , a millionare from Nagpur , was living in shirdi along with his family in August, 1913. He wanted tp build a 'Wada' Like sathe and Dixit Wadas. Baba never talked about things he intended to do. But when the time and oppurtinity came he used to get things done tactfully.
One night when Butty and shama were sleeping in Dixit Wada, Baba told them in their dream, to build a Wada for Sri Krishna Temple . Shama, Unable to control his joy, wept. Butty, being a wealthy and competent person and arrangements for building the temple. A plan was prepared by shama with a big hall in the centre and rooms on all sides, with Lord Krishna's idol to be placed in the hall. This model plan was shown to Baba and his approval obtained. A arrangements were made for the commencement of the temple construction, starting with the foundation ceremony.

Hari Bavu Karnik

Karnik came to shirdi on Guru Poornima day in 1917. He worshipped Baba and Gave him clothes and dakshina. While he was going down the steps of the mosque, he thought of giving one more rupee as dakshina. As there was a convention that one should not go back to see baba after taking leave of him., he started his journey back home. On the way he visited the temple of kala Ram in Nashik. While he was coming out a yogi named Narasingh Maharaj , who was talking with his disciples , left them and came to Hari Bavu, and catching hold of his hand firmly, said, " Give me my one rupee." Hari Bavu was surprised that Sai Baba was taking a rupee thriugh yogi and gave the coin to him. All Yogis are one. All Gods are one. In fact, there is no, difference between yogis and Gods. Thus ,, Baba collected the amounts which devotees had vowed to offer other Gods but forgot to fulfil their vows.

Arathi and Naivedya (offerings to God)

Every day after the noon arathi, all devotees went back to their houses or to the lodgings, Baba personally distrubuted udi prasad and made enquires about each devotee, giving them advices. From some devotees he would enquire when they came and to some devotees he would ask when they would be leaving Shirdi. He oreders a few devotees to leave shirdi only the next day. HE enquired with some devotees about some who were in their houses and gave some advices. He talked to the devotees to the extent necessary and according to thier needs. Only he and the particular devotee could understand the matter. After the devotees left, the devotees close to Bab would sit in rows in each side of him. Baba would come walking slowly and sit in his seat.
Those eho brought offerings to Baba (naivedya) waited outside Dwarkamai, for getting his blessings. They would bring a variety of food items like rotis, sweet rice, sanja etc.All the offerings were kepy before Baba and he offered all of them to God. After that he distributed a portion of them to devotees waiting outside the mosque and the balance served to all the close devotees who were sitting on either side of Baba. The food items touched By Baba bacme very tasty and energy-giving ones.

Baba's Mercy

On Diwali day in the year 1910, Baba was sitting opposite the' Dhuni'. He was adding firewood in the dhuni every now and then . Suddenly , he thrust his hand into the burning Dhuni. The hand burnt . Shama And others who saw this , came running and pushed back Baba, who lost consciousness by them. He appeared to be somewhere else. Afetr sometime , he came to his original state and told the devotees, " A blacksmith's wife living very far off is my devotee. She was working the bellows. When her husband called her , forgetting the child in her lap she got upto run her husband. The child fell into the burning furnace. I immediately thrust my hand into the furnaceand saved it. I am not feeling for my burnt hand . But i am happy that the child of my devotees is saved." How Baba could saved a child so far away by putting his hand in the Dhuni at Shirdi is beyond our imagination. That is why we call these actions of Sai Baba as miracles. Sai Baba is very competent Guru who is capable of doing any work in any manner. I prostrate before sai Baba for having given me blessings to write about Samartha Sadguru. Those who read these stories of Sai Baba are alos blessed. Those whose sins are forgiven can only show interest in Baba's stories. This is the truth.

The Story of the Two Lizards

One Day while Baba was seated In Dwarkamai, A lizard on the wall mada a noise. A devotee, sitting opposite to Baba, asked him why the lizard was making such a noise. Baba replied him why the lizard;s sister was expected to come from aurangabad shortly, and so out of joy, it was making the noise. The devotee kept quiet.
Just then a devotee came on horse from aurangabad to see Baba. He wanted to feed the horse, and taking out the bag which was eith him he shook it. A lizard fell from the bag and rapidly climbed the wall. baba told the devotee who had questioned Baba earlier, to watch the lizards carefully . The lizard from aurangabad met her sister and kissed her. They played out of joy, going round and round. People sitting before Baba were very much surprised. Where is Aurangabad? Where is Shirdi? If the lizards were sisters, how did they happen to be at such distances. How did Baba know that the lizard was coming fromAurangabad? Dis he know the mind of animals and also their language? Such doubts arose in the devotees and they simply stared at Baba with surprise.
Baba , who had read the minds of the devotees said," Not only the lizards , but is happening in every atom in this world, i know. Without my permission the leaves on the tree also will n ot flutter. God is all powerful. All should follow the rules of this creation. Even i cannot go against them. God id the creator of all universe, Allah Malik hai."

How to Feed Baba

Ramachander Atmaram's wife one during lunch time , a hungry dog came near her and barked . She threwed a bread piece from her plate at the dog, and it ate it quickly and went away, wagging it tail. That evening When she went to Dwarkamai and stood with salutation to Baba , he thanked her for feeding him stomachful. He told her," In future also you do like this. You first feed the hungry ones and then only take your feed. This mosque is my mother. Sitting in her lap I will never tell lies. You should be always kind to me like this. You see me in all Living things. You will definitely get higher birth". She was surprised at Baba's words and asked him," I am myself depending on others in this village for my food. Then when did i feed you?' Baba replied " In the afternoon, before you took your meal, you threw a bread at a dog. I am that dog. I am in all living things like cats, dogs, cows and bees. Those who see me in all are lucky. ONe should discard the feeling of duality that he is different and animals are different.
"Baba taught her practically the gist of the upanishads-that one should see God in all living things.

Samsara ( Worldly Life ) is Fearful

One's closeness to Baba was the result of good deeds over many births , and such a person was Nana Chandorkar . He learnt many things from Baba. He found this samsara ( worldly life) to be like a fearful ocean. The samsara appeared to him like an obstacle for spiritual progress. He learnt this truth by practical experience . In the year 1918 , one day Baba was alobne , Nana chandorkar said to him , " Baba , I am finding the samsara very fearful. My mmind is not interested in the worldly affairs. Some how give me salvation from these attachments . " On hearing this Baba smiled and said ," There is some truth in what you said. But the remaining is untruth and meaningless. You are under the impression that by taking to forests , One can escape from the trials and tribulations of the samsara . But this is not correct. It sis only an illusiion , Because wherever you go, you are body and mind are with you only. They will never leave you but will be giving you somekind of happiness. They should be faced courageouslyand with tact , and you should lead a family life in the proper way . By getting away from samsara, one cannot attain happiness. Everyone who proceeds in the spiritual way will have to face all these problems, and to think of vairagya (renunciation), as a solution , is not correct. " This is the message of Sai Baba.

Baba Shows Shama the Trilok (Three words)

Once Shama asked Baba whether there really was a 'Trilok'. In his characteristic way he said, " Deva , is there a Brahma Lok, Vichnu lok and Shiv lok Re?" Baba replied in the affirmative . Shama immediately said, " Arre Deva why don't yoou show it to me? Baba explained to him that all the wealth and opulence that the Gods had though it was full of grandeur was very small for them. And that, this kind 0f wealth was for them. He said " Yahek ishwarya pramane hey Devache Aishwarya hey tooch aah hey." Shama however insisted on seeing it. Then Baba asked him to close his eyes and then open them. And Lo! Shama could see Brahma lok . He saw the most beautiful , ornate diamond studded throne on which Brahma was Sitting. He was holding court with his ministrels. They too were sitting on beautiful, golden chairs studded with gems. There was so much of gold and gems that it was indescribable. Baba said," Shama this is satya Lok, and this is Brahma Dev. Baba then asked him to open and close his again and He showed him Vaikunth Lok. Lastly He showed him kailash Lok. Eadch time he saw one of the loks , Baba explained to him what he was seeing and who the presiding deity was . Sham was overwhelmed by what he saw. He was slightly frightened and at the same time joyful to see the abundance of wealth and oppulence . Again Baba emphasised, ?" Shama all this is jnot for us , Our goal is quite unuaual ." Shama could see all this because Baba Gave him diviya drushti [ cosmic vision] . This is word i have coined , as there is no word in the english language that can be used. It conveys the meaning that evolved souls can visualise tha abode of the gods .
Shri krishna also gave Arjuna "divia drushti " So he could see him as ZGod and not as his friend.

Shri che Samadhi mandir Butti wada

Shri Sai Baba che adnana kailas vasi shrimanth Gopal Rao Mukund rao Butti Ra Ngapur Yani ba Wada kharchani sun 1917 te 1918 madhye bandblae. Vijay Dasami shake 1840 mangalawar ya divshi aparan vyapini ekadishi sha 9 dinale 15 oct isi sun.Tariq 9 Mohrrum Hegri sun1825 Dhopari theen Vajnacha somaras Shri Sai Baba ne Dwarkamai Yethun delo tevela. Thethun tho samarambha purvak anun thyanche itch anusar wadath tevana aala.
The plaque reads - according to the command of Shri Sai Baba the late shrimanth Gopal Rao Mukund Rao Butti living in Ngapur Built this wada with his own money betwwen 1917 and 1918. On Vijayadashami, shake 1840, That tuesday which was Ekadasi the 15th of october [of the hindi calendar]. and mohrrum , the date was the 9th of hegri sun1825 [of the muslim calendar] . In the afternoon at about 3 o clock Shri Sai Baba left his mortal body in the Dwarkamai. From there with full ritual and according to Hisa wish he placed in this wada.
ON the thirty fourth punyathithi utsav od shri sai Baba in theyear 1952 the managing trustee shri santh parnekar maharaj placed the swarc [golden] kalash atop this Mandir. On the thirtysith punyatithi utsav of 1954 the purna marble idol of shri sai baba was installed with full ritual and vidhi by the " sanstha vasathapak samathi".

Baba's pocket

Baba's pocket was rather small ; it could hold about two hundred to three hundred rupees as coins. Yet Baba took out five hundres to one thousand rupees from his pocket . It was Kubers's treasury . As a rule Baba did not keep money in his hand .Nor did he accept rupee bills, if a devotee wished to give him dakshina and it was in the form of bills he asked himto change it or did so himself . Whatever dakshina he got, he put in his pocket . He would time and again put his hand in His pocket and take out the exact amount mentioned. Daily He disturbed about Two hundred to three hundred rupees , and did not stop it till His Mahasamadhi.
He gave Bade Baba fifty-five rupees every day. The villagers got envious , and asked Bade Baba to build a vess [gate] with the money. He refused, so they drove him away to Neemgaon . Baba would go to Lendi Baugh to give him MOney . This bothered the villagers as Baba had to go to Lendi Baugh and wait there for the Bade Baba.
So they called Bade Baba back, but he spent his money indiscriminately. He also had to pay tax on the income. Two months after Baba's Mahasamadhi he was beginning for a living. Baba often said ,''Ha Saicha paisa hey, Thayacha sadd upyog kaara. Nahi tar tumcha sanskar rakh rangoli hoyael" [Roughly Translated- This is sais's money use it discriminatively or your life will be reduced to ashes and dust,''] . Baba looked at money or aishwarya (wealth) as hindrance . Though he felt it was a necessity, and ought to be used wisely.

Obeying Baba's Orders

For the people of shirdi , Baba was the incarnation of God. Whwn the devotees took leave of Baba, he gave certain suggestions. The devotees took them as Baba's orders and followed them strictly. If a person not follow Baba's suggestion, he met with some difficulty.
Once Tatya Kote Patil was on his way to the shandy at Kopargaon in a tonga. He went to see Baba, who advised him not to leave shirdi . But Tatya replied that when Baba was there , he had no fear and continued his journey . After going some distance , one of the legs of the horse got sprained and the horse sank on its legs , and the tonga fell down. Thre was no serious danger, but Tatya had to come back to shirdi. Tatya was greatful to Baba for his motherly love and for foreseeing the mishap and advising him not to go.
The above incidents means
Though Tatya went against the advise of Baba, he put the burdrn on, Baba expressing complete faith in him, and he escaped from danger.
Even what Tatya had done was also not correct.Disobeying Baba and then putting the burden on Baba was alos not proper. It was a foolish act.

Baba's Knowledge of sanskrit

Sai baba was as strange god . Shirdi is a punya bhoomi for having had such a God there. The villagers of shirdi are blessed. Even the grass on which baba walked is also blessed. Shirdi came into prominence because of Baba. All siddhis (supernatural powers) were at the feet of Baba. Those who visited shirdi worshipped Baba's feet. One day Nana chandorkar , while pressing Baba's feet , recited within himself some shloka. None were there . Baba asked him what he was reciting to himself . Chandorkar replied that it was a sanskrit shloka which Baba would not understand. Baba said that he would try to understand and asked chandorkar to read it loud. He read the thirty fouth shloka in chapter 4 of the bhagvad gitaas follows:
Tatviddhi pranipatena pariprashnena
Sevaya- Upadekshyanti Te Jnanam
Jnanina stattwadarshinah
Nana chandorkar thought Baba did not know sanskrit and that he (nana) , having read the Bhagvad Gita several times along with commentaries , knew everything . But when nana could not give answerss to Baba's questions for even one shloka , he felt ashamed . Then he concluded that however much one might have read , one cannot be equal to a Jnani. His pride has gone. Then Baba in his own style , Gave answers to the questions he had put to Nana.

Upasani Baba

Upasani Baba , whose full name is Kasinath Govind Upasani Maharaj, was born in 1870 in an orthodox Brahmin family in satana village in maharashtra. Upasani baba who at one time was thought to be the successor of sai baba and was groomed by him with that purpose in view. Upasani baba decided to go to shirdi to meet saibaba in 1911. After staying for a day Upasani baba asked Baba for permission to return home. Baba said:'What! SO SOON! WHEN ARE YOU RETURNING?'' upasani replied it was not easy for him to return Shirdi . Baba said:'' then you had better stay . Do not go away ." seeing him undecided Baba said :"Well , go . I shall see what can i do." Upasani thought permission had been given to him to leave and left shirdi. While he was at Kopargaon and the priest at the Datta temple there told him to go back to shirdi and stay with Baba . Upasani said :"No". As they were talking some visitors , who said they were going to shirdi arrived and the priest told them : " Take this person with you But Upasani said no , i have been there already . The visitors said : That is the best reason . we have not been there . We want someone to be with us to guide us . So inspite protests Upasani was forced to accompany them to shirdi.
At shirdi baba welcomed Upasani and said : " So you have come back . You said you would not come back before eight days" . Upasani said :'' Baba I cannot understand this . I was eager to go home and i wonder how i did not. This must be your doing ." Baba said :" Yes i have been with you all these days dogging your heels ." There aftert Upasani Continued to stay in shirdi

Five Pranas

I want surrender of five senses, The five pranas Manas, buddhi and ahamkar (mind intellect and ego) allo of which involve vairagya, that is detachment . The road to brahmajana is hard to tread . All cannot tread it. when it drawns there will be light. one who feels unattached to things terrestrial and celestial is also competent to have brahmajana. He added : "To get atmajnana dhyana is needed , that is the atma anushastana (practice) that pacifies and carries the mind into samadhi. So give up all desires and dweell in your mind on God. I(f the mind is thus connected the goal is achieved."
Baba said :" For dyana meditate on me either as with form or as formless which will give more ananda . If such formless contemplation is hard then think of my form just as you see me here. with such meditation the mind dissoves into unity (that is attains laya) . The difference between su8bject and object (me and you) and the act of contemplation will be lost". He added :" The guru's glance is bread and milk to the pupil."

Rohilla The devotee

Devotees out of love for Baba used to do" pada puja" (offer prayers at his feet) daily. They also put sandalpaste on the hands and gave arathi with camphor. Though Baba had no desire for all this , he never objected to their actions. A muslim devotee of Baba , Rohilla, out of religious fanaticsm , wanted to kill Baba, because he was allowing ringing of bells, giving arathi, etc. ,in the mosque went against islamic doctrine. So , one night he waited for an opportune time ti hit Baba with a big stick . When Baba came out of the mosque for a stroll , Rohilla tried to hit him. Immediately Baba turned around and with his eyes wide open focused them on Rohilla. Two light raus came out of Baba's eyes and fell on the hands of Rohilla . Immediately , the stick dropped on the ground From his hands . Baba lifted his hands and showed Rohilla his palms . Rohilla saw Mecca medicine And the sacred Quran in the palms of Sai Baba . Saying " Ya Allah ", He fell at the feet of Baba.
Sai Baba never exhibited his superiority . He did not have any attachment for his body . He had endless love for his devotees. He used to tell the past, present and future for his devotees! Friendds and foes were equal for him. Though the villagers of shirdi did not have the required "Jnana" , they had endless love and devotion for him.

Guru marga

Guru marga may be defined as that form of bhakti marga in which faith in devotion to the guru is the only sadhana for achieving every end, Including salvation (mukti), conquest of samsar , all yoga siddhis and temporal welfare . Baba realised that a guide wass needed and mere talk with bookish knowledge was no use at all to help one to realise God. It was not an intellectual task. the problem was how a particular soul was to be helped towards self-realisation and that eas essentially a matter of moulding the mind and character of the sishya (disciple) . what was wanted was humility , respectivity and a powerful desire to reach the goal with the aid of the guru and therefore a readiness to surrender evrything to him . baba a result of the intense love he bore him. It was the Guru;s responsibilty also to help him his disciples achieve success in other fields

Samartha sat Guru

A guru, as we have seen , is one who teaches something,secular or religious . One who teaches about God or sat is called Sat Guru. He who uses all his siddhis and superior powers to carry the disciple right up to the goal is called Samartha sat Guru. Baba belongs to this type of guru . Parama guru is a samartha sat guru who looks after the entire welfare (secular and spiritual ) of his disciple . The scriptures clearly say that without a guru Brahmajana and Moksha cannot be attained . It is not always true that Sishyas (disciples) go out to find the guru .The reversae is often true . Baba himself drew hundreds of thousands to himself inwardly and unnoticed by them. He said: "No one comes to me except by my drawing them. I draw people to me under various pretexts such as the worldly objects they want . When a boy ties a bird with one end of a string can the bird refuse to come?" This drawing of people to himself Baba ascribed to rinanubhanda ( personal ties and obligations). One disciple called it the "irrestible pull of destiny".

Saibaba- Guardian angel

Sai Baba was unique and perhaps one of the strangest of known spiritual personalities adorning the earth during recent times. But to million of people all over india today Sai Baba is more than a saint. He is God who lived on earth like Rama, Krishna, the Buddha And Christ to promote human brotherhood and love and compassion and to instil faith and confidence and inspire them to progress towards divinity which is vouchsafed to every man and woman. Aurobindo envisaged a time when man will become superman and then progress to divinity . Baba was such a personality who became God while born as man. Like God his orogins are immortal for although he has felt his body he is still alive in his tomb and in the hearts and minds of millions of his devotees and in the shrines and temples built for him all over the country . He has become part of the Hindu pantheon responding to cries for succour and protection from wherever it comes and taken the role of the guardian angel of those who fall at his feet and seek his guidance for a safe journey through the valkue of tears which is this world.

Chavadi

A short distance , less than 200 yards , from Dwarka Mayi is the chavadi , another landmark of shirdi. Baba slept in the chavadi on alternate nights. He was taken in procession there and there was an elaborate ceremony before Baba retired for the night. The chavadi also has been renovated and it looks neat and clean. It is a very small building , actually , a hall 20 feet by 15 feet with a partition which served as Baba's bedroom. In the bedroom there is a picture of Baba and a notice warns women from entering it. In the hall on one side there is a cot on which Baba's body was placed for a scared bath after his passing way . on the other side is a chair mounted with wheels . An inscription says it has been there since Baba's time but it does not say if Baba ever used it. The chavadi, it may be recalled , was the village guest house and Baba had taken part in entertainments there in the early days of his arrival in shirdi .

Salutations

My salutaions to the lotus feet of the samardha sadguru shri shirdi sai baba .
Strangers are the ways of shirdi sai Baba in dragging his devoteed not only to him but also to his trusted messengers who have dedicated themselves to the spread of sai tatwa or Sai philosophy all over the length and breadth of our sacred motherland.
sai Baba himself followed this principle of talking less. he nver gave long lectures but gave his devotess suitable experiences by narrating short stories .

Uddhau Madhava rao deshpande

Inshirdi itself by some good fortune one was able to meet a 90 year old devotees of Baba who said Baba played marbles with him when he was a boy of eight . He is Uddhau Madhava rao deshpande , Don of deshpande alias shama , an intimate devotee of Baba . His name has appeared frequently in this chronicle. Udhau Madhava Rao identified himself As the small boy with a cap on and holding a sceptere in his hand in the Photograph of Baba with his devotees taken on his way to the chavadi. In the picture where baba is seen clutching his kufni with his left hand and a royal umbrella held over his head he is flanked on either side by two children and the child to his rtight is Deshapnde's Son . Udhau Madhava rao , who lives in the same house occupied by his father , was too old and feeble to talk much but he was anxious to let the visitor know of his intimate contacts with Baba who had visited his house only once. That was when his father was bitten by snake. Baba had then come and applied udhi on the affected part and asked Shama , as he affectionally called him to come to the mosque the next day for arati. He said their house was no near the mosque that when his mother shouted at home baba could hear her.

Prayers Sung By the Congregation

" Thou art my mother, thou art my father
Thou art my brother, thou art my friend
Thou art knowledge, thou art the embodiment
Of love and tenderness
Thou art everything , my Lord, my Lord.
My body, my speech, my mind and all my senses
my innate being-all these i offer to you , Narayana

" All those who meditate on you diligently have
Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth , dwelling in their homes
Day and night uninterruptedly
You also protect them and remove all their difficulties
such art thou Baba.

" I bow down to the Lord sadguru Sainath
who is truth incarnate and always rootes in consciousness
And bliss, the lord who is the cause for the creation,
Existence, destruction of the world and who has come to
this
World in a human from the sake of his own devotees.

" Sai is the avatar of Raghav (Rama) the Lord
Who fulfils the desires of his devotees for the
Purification of their infatuated and deluded hearts
And minds -to whom I pray , day and night
Untiringly and Blissfully.

"Sainath! You are my God whom i worship
I extol your praises. Let my mind dwell lovingly
On your lotus feet just as the Bee hovers over the
Lotus flowers enticed by the desire for honey

SHIRDI Today

A Visit to shirdi was an exciting , spiritual experience , the memory of which will last a life time . From the moment one got down at Kopargaon railway station and took a taxi to Shirdi ,18 kilometers away ,one was consumed with anticipation and a feeling of exhilaration that one would very soon set foot on the sacred soil of shirdi ; one would charmed and ennobled the lives of thousands of devotees far and near for over a decade and continues to do so even after he shed his mortal coil 76 years ago.
To one who was familiar with Sai Baba;s life and the times in which he lived , Kopargaon was an important name with which was associated many incidents connected with Sai Baba and his devotees. If ine remembers Sai Baba one has to remember Kopargaon too, for it was there that the devotees came first on their way to shirdi . It has been the scene of some of the Baba;s Miracles. It was also the Place Where for some time the station staff was antagonistic to Baba and tried to dissuade people from visiting Shirdi. But they could not stop the flood of pilgrims to shirdi and realised their mistake much later.

Samadhi Mandir

The Most important Building in the complex is the Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir. It was Originally Built by a Nagpur millionare,a devotee of Baba, Bapusaheb Buti, and was called Buti Wada. Sai Baba's Body was interred in the site reserved by buti to build a krishna temple and Baba's Samadhi has come upto here.The Samadhi Has been Built with white Marble Stone. Around The Samadhi railing one can see ornamental decoration. In front of the samadhi are two pillars with decorative designs in silver.
Also in front are two marble padukas of baba and the brick which was broken and led to Baba predecting his death, is kept near the samadhi. Just behind the samadhi is Baba's Statue ,made of italian marble. It shows him seated on a throne with his right leg thrown on the left in the familiar posture which thousands of devotees all over the country know and worship . The statue was made by late Balaji Vasant alias babusaheb Talim who made it out of a sheer sense of gratitude. The idol statue was installed on october 7, 1954 by swami saisharanand, an ardent devotee from Ahmedabad.
Raghupati Raghav Rajaram
Patita Pawan sainam
On the high ceiling Behind the statue is also the inscription:
Sachidananda Sat Guru Sai Maharaj Ki Jai.

Shirdi Prayer

The Prayers To Baba in The early morning arati are intended to wake him up and seek his darshan." With folded hands I lay my head at your feet , oh Sadgurunatha please listen to my entreaty " says the devotee in his prayer . "Irrespective of feelings i have come to you ,please look at me mercifully ,Sadgururaya.Since I desire to be your feet always ,give me shelter , leaving aside all reservations.
The devotee then asked Baba To wake up ."Arise Panduranga (Vithal of Pandharpur) ,it is now dawn . Vishnu's devotees have gathered in large numbers on the grand para (eagle-shaped platform found in vaishnavi temples ). Arise .Arise, Shri Sainath Guru , Show us your lotus feet .
"Tide over and relieve us of all mental tensions, physical tribulations And temporal problems and save us all.
"Oh, Lord Sainath maharaj, You are the sun that destroys the darkness of ignorance of this world . How ignorant we are! We have no words to describe your greatness . Even the great poets are exhausted in their attempt To describe it. Mercifully, Therefore ,give us the ability yourself to sing of your greatness.
"The faithful devotees who follow you with good intentions and feelings to have your darshan are waiting to your doors. We are filled with content to see you in deep meditation but we are eager to drink from you the nectar of your teachings .
"Open your lotus eyes , lord of the poor and the destitute, Lord ramakantha (VIshnu) and look at us mercifully as a mother looks at her child .Your amusing sayings in a sweat voice take away all our sufferings, sainatha.