To devotees of Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi, He is an Incarnation without the least doubt or speculation and both great and unique in dimension. Superlative appears to be the only expression suited to describe His loftiness. And when the devotees delve more and more into His stay in the earth as an 'Avataar', even the expression superlative seems inadequate to cover His personality and doings. It is not blasphemous to speak or write about His personality because when the Absolute assumes an earthly form His concrete shape fills the minds of all and His doings reverberate in their hearts. Though there are the "Avataars" of Paramasiva, the principal "Avataars" of the Hindu religionists are those of Mahaa Vishnu and of these the more important are Narasimha, Vaamana (Thrivikrama) Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. As is generally understood Narasimha and Thrivikrama are intended to illustrate the invincible power of god, while the more popular "Avataars" teaching moral values are Sri Raama and Sri Krishna. One should not forget that born in the "Kshatria" clan both Sri Raama and Sri Krishna are involved in battles or wars, but both are deities of Hindu pantheon and so worshipped in temples, Sri Raama only in one Form but Sri Krishna diversely (as for instance as a Boy in Guruvayur and as Parthasarathy in Triplicane, Madras). Sri Raama to all believing Hindus is visualised and worshipped as the ideal Man, while as every one knows Sri Krishna is a world teacher becauce of the Geeta He preached to Arjuna.
Apart from the "Avataars"
Hindustan abounds in saints and godmen, and the most recent and most known
being Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sri Ramana Maharishi. Such godmen though held
with highest reverence do not enjoy the status of incarnations as Sri Raama and
Sri Krishna. Such godmen are not consecrated as idols, in temples, though of
late it seems temple worship of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has been initiated at
least in one place,
Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi has everything
special about Him. Incarnating as a man where no human eyes have seen. He lived
in the small and obscure village of Shirdi for a period of sixty years until
His Mahaa Sammadhi in the year 1918.
What are the
special or unique features of the "Avataar" of Sai Baba ? If
identifying oneself with the common man is a hall mark of greatness Sai Baba of
Shiridi is an illustration of the superlative type of such a greatness which is
in sharp contrast with "Avataars" as Sri Raama and Sri Krishna.
Godmen as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Ramana Maharishi and Gandhiji stepped
down to the level of the common man, but then they were not incarnations in the
aptepted sense of the world.
The devotees of Bhaghavaan Sai were even
prepared, because of their unbounded faith in Him, to seat Him on a throne with
all the appurtenances royalty and of divinity, but He deliberately chose the
lowest level of simplicity in mode of life and dress, and even though palaces
would have been constructed for Him, He chose an old dilapidated mosque for His
abode. Much against His opposition it was that some imperitive improvements of
the masjid were made by His worshippers. Added to this were a silver palanquin
to carry His picture, ratha (decorated car) silver staff, "Chatra"
(Umbrella) "Chamara" and last but not least the decorated horse
"Syamakarna", all emblems usually associated with Hindu idol worship
for the procession and adoration of gods. Here it was Baba the god going daily
in the night from the masjid to the "Chavadi", where worship of His
person was done in a more elaborate way than the "Arati" of Him in
the masjid at midday. The most significant feature of such idol worship was the
acceptance of such a worship by Baba Himself (out of His love for His
devotees), and the complete lack of opposition to such idolatory by His muslim
devotees including muslim divines because of His immense mystic power. As every
one knows Hindus far outnumbered the Muslims among his devotees, for the simple
reason He taught the quintessence of Hinduism (embedded in the Vedas,
Upanishads and Geeta) although the words "Allah Malik" came
frequently from His lips. Never was witnessed such a complete harmoney between
Hindus and Muslims (and other sects if present) except in Shirdi, a remarkable
or a truly wonderful phenomenon to be recorded and remembered.
Talking of harmony in the social sense,
sharing of the food consisting of offerings to Baba by His countless devotees
in and outside and also the food collected by Baba Himself by His mendicancy,
by Baba and all assembled in the Masjid following the midday "Arati"
without absolutely no distinction of caste or creed speaks volumes for the
amity and tolerance engendered by the mystic power of Baba Himself. And the
astounding feature or what will fill one and all with amazement is the fact
that the worship was offered to Baba in flesh and blood, till now an unheard of
phenomenon in the history of any religion.
How Baba of
Shirdi was looked upon as Brahman absolute is too well known to all
participating in Sai movement which in other terms means simply the worship of
Him as god. It was by His mystic power one form of which was His granting
visions of Himself in dreams or wakefulness and those visions acted like
powerful magnets of drawing several to Shirdi to have darshan following which
they became His worshippers for life. The role of human agency to supplement
the work of the visions should not be overlooked. Nanasaheb Chandrokar and to a
greater degree Dasganu Maharaj were the agents of Baba's mystic power drawing
thousands (attributable more to Dasganu's inimitable 'Kirtans' than the
propoganda of Chandrokar) of devotees to Shirdi and some of the most
illustrious of Baba's primary devotees are Purandhare, Shantaram, Kakasaheb
Dixit and Hemadpant. Justice Rege is the outstanding example of the shaping of
a devotee by a dream vision, Bhayaja Bai and Radhakrishna Mai or Ayi as Baba
called her, are examples of devotees drawn to him directly by His mystic power.
The
establishment of Baba as the highest forms of godheaded is thus beyond doubt or
dispute. The problem now facing an ardent worshipper of Sri Sai is the further
elucidation of His divinity or the exposition by illustrations the Brahman that
He undoubtedly was.
The innumerable
miracles or 'Leelas' as these are more appropriately called are the best proofs
that thrill or electrify one, a Sai devotee or not. The use of consecrated
water to light His oil lamps, the gushing of the waters of the Ganga and Yamuna
from His toes, His transformation into the three-headed Dattathreya, Sri Rama,
Sri Krishna or the gurus that His devotees worshipped. His control of
the elements. His restoration of sight to a blind old man just by a kind word
and the power of his 'Udi' are just a few illustrations of Baba's divine power.
As for His
teachings (brahmin born but looking like a muslim) these only conform to the
religion of the Hindus and all accepted doctrines of Hinduism stemming from its
holy scriptures, as the presence of the Brahman absolute, concept of
reincarnation or the cycle of births and deaths based on the philosophy of
'Karma' and the merging of the individual soul or 'Jeevaatma' with the
universal soul or 'Paramaatma' as the finale of existence in the world. Even
those unfortunately, afflicted with the prejudice of Sai Baba of Shirdi being a
muslim, will be ultimately enlightened about the true nature of the Parabrahman
that Baba represented. The question now arises, what is the distintivsness of
Baba of Shirdi as an Incarnation of the absolute or appearing in the world as
guru and god combined as Sri Krishna? In the ultimate analysis of Him it must
be opined that Baba of Shirdi was a fundamental reformist both in the ethical
and religious divisions of life. Pedantism was completely free from Him and so
both the intellectual and rustic could understand to the full all that He
taught in simple words, illustrations, stories and parables.
Baba of Shirdi was a rebel to the
orthodoxies of Hinduism, though it must be emphasized again and again that in
His incarnation Ha was a Hindu of Hindus.
The concept of practising austerities of
the body or "Tapas" as it is well known was almost an anathema with
Baba. It is a moot question whether the Vedas and Upanishads wore the outcome
of severe austerities or penances of the rishis of Yore. (The authorships of
the Vedas is unknown and the Vedas are supposed to be the recorded voices from
heaven and so may be deleted from the context, leaving the Upanishads whose
authorship is traceable.) The Geetha preached by Sri Krishna to Arjuna may be
regarded as the expression of the yogic power of the Geetacharya, "but are
the Upanishads the outcome of severe penances or the mystic contemplation of
the rishis?
Austerities or
penances or the mortification of the flesh were practised to attain power
either spiritual or temporal, spiritual for instance in the case of Viswamitra
and temporal for instance in the case of Raavana and the like. But it is doubtful
if religious tenets are the outcome of such exercises.
Baba of Shirdi
was dead against any forms of mortification of the flesh, even fasting. (Though
supposed to be a muslim and living in a masjid, there is no reference at all
connected with Baba even with Ramzaan fasting.) With regard to fasting, the
most precious advice of Baba is not to have one's stomach empty, when going on
a quest. The parable of Baba and others going on the quest of seeing God and
their meeting with a "Vanjari" is the most eloquent example of such a
teaching by Baba.
What then is the
means of reaching spiritual goal in one's life? Baba's prescription is both
simple (When compared to the orthodox austerity practices prescribed in the
Hindu Sastraas,) and profound. And these are devotion, meditation and surrender
to both God and Guru. Meditation He recommended to His own formless self if
possible or to one or every part of His body. The meditation must be
accompanied by faith (Nishta) and patience (Saburi). Though the word
"Nishta" may have only one meaning "saburi" is versatile so
as to include patience, courage and fortitude. Faith must be attached to one
entity and this entity according to Baba is God, Guru or both. The importance
of the Guru emphasized in Hinduism has been sublimated by Baba and what is more
the Guru becomes merged with God as in Kurukshetra where Sri. Krishna the Guru
becomes Sri. Krishna, the God. Baba of Shirdi was both Guru and God and it was
such a magnetic combination that draw to Him, Hindu devotees in multitudes.
As for Baba's actual sayings these abound
in Hemadpant's "Sri Sai Sat Charita" and the book of books
"Baba's Charters and Sayings" edited by Sri. Narasimhaswamiji. How
Baba in the simplest ways has taught the absoluteness of the Brahman and the
ways of life one should lead and how to conduct oneself to fellow beings fills
one with wonder and joy, wonder of His person and joy of His nectar like words.
It is said towards the conclusion of the ''Dwaparayuga" that in this "Kali Yuga" or present epoch, in the words of evolution, it is "Bhakti Maarga" that will be the guiding principle, directing mankind in the right path, and Sri. Sai Baba of Shirdi, is the most shining exponent of such a guiding principle.
Sat Ram : Sai Ram : Sai
Ram
C. R. NARAYANAN
Madras - 600041.