Sai Baba of Shirdi

Saburi Sai Baba of Shirdi was an Indian spiritual master. He was revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees. It remains unclear if he was a Muslim or a Hindu. His teachings combined elements of Hinduism and Islam. He taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions.

About Sai Baba of Shirdi in brief

Summary Sai Baba of ShirdiShraddha – Saburi Sai Baba of Shirdi was an Indian spiritual master. He is regarded by his devotees to be a manifestation of Sri Dattaguru. He was revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees during, as well as after his lifetime. It remains unclear if he was a Muslim or a Hindu. His teachings combined elements of Hinduism and Islam. He taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions and took samadhi. His real name remains unknown. The name Sai was given to him by Mahalsapati when he arrived at Shirdo, a town now in the west Indian state of Maharashtra. His date of birth including his birthplace remains unknown, however it is accepted that his birthday falls on 28 September. He led an ascetic life, sitting under a tree and meditating while sitting in a neem tree. The word Sai refers to a religious mendicant but can also mean God. In several Indian and Middle Eastern languages the term Baba is an honorific signifying grandfather, father, old man or sir. He referred to several saints as’my brothers’, especially the disciples of Swami Samartha of Akkalkot. Some of his disciples became famous as spiritual figures and saints, such as Mahalapati, a priest of the Khandoba temple inShirdi and Upasni Maharaj. He gave the Hindu name Dwarakamayi to the mosque in which he lived, practised both Hindu andMuslim rituals, taught usingWords and figures from both faiths.

He said: ‘Look to me, and I shall look to you’ and ‘Allah tera bhala karega’ His teachings concentrate on a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace and devotion to the God and guru. Baba reportedly said that the fakir’s wife had left him in the care of a Hindu guru, Venkusa of Selu. He had reportedly stated to a close follower that he has been born of Deshastha Brahmin parents in the village of Pathri. He could have been born with the name Haribhau Bhusari. Some indications exist that suggest that he was born not far from Shirda. This posits a possible birth date of 1838. He disappeared for a year just after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He returned permanently around 1858, after the year after the uprising. This has given rise to two major theories regarding Baba’s background with the majority of writers supporting the Hindu background over the Islamic, while others combine theories over the Muslim. He died in 1858 at the age of 68, when he was about sixteen years old. He reportedly arrived at the village at the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra, when He was about 16 years old, and lived for three years in the area. He left the village around 1857, just after 1858.