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i i Experiencing Sai Baba’s Shirdi – A Guide Experiencing Sai Baba’s Shirdi - A Guide Alison Williams Saipatham Publications, Shirdi Title: Experiencing Sai Baba’s Shirdi – A Guide Author: Alison Williams Edition: First Edition 2002 Revised 2004 Published by: Saipatham Publications, Shirdi ISBN: 81-88560-00-6 Administrative Offi ce: New No 9/3, 1st Floor 2nd Street, Nehru Nagar Adyar Chennai - 20 Tel: 044 - 24451949 Fax: 044 - 24451959 Sales & Distribution: Saipatham Publications P.O. Box No. 101 Vijayawada 520 001 Andhra Pradesh, INDIA Tel: 0866 - 2566309 Design, layout and photos: Chris Burgess Processing: Sai Mudra, Shirdi Printed at: Sri Venkatesa Printing House Chennai - 26 Websites: www.shirdi.com www.saipatham.com email: [email protected] Baba is present everywhere in all beings. Even though it is the aim of Sai devotees to realize the truth of this fact, we should not forget that it was revealed to us by the form of Sri Sai that lived and roamed in Shirdi Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji To the beloved Sadguru with reverence and gratitude Sadguru Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji who makes everything possible Acknowledgements This guide would not have been possible without the help of numerous gurubandhus and Saipatham satsang members. I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of them for their practical help, generous sharing and countless acts of kindness, and more than anything, for keeping me afl oat in a sea of love and Sai bhakti. C o n t e n t s Author’s Note xi Foreword by Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji xiii Maps: India, Regional, Shirdi xix-xxi Introduction Th e village of Shirdi 1 Who is Sai Baba? 4 How to use this guide 11 Th e Walking Tour 11 Khandoba Temple 14 Gurusthan 18 Dwarkamai 28 Th e Chavadi 64 Lendi Gardens 72 Th e Samadhi Mandir 80 Khandoba Temple 13 Gurusthan 17 Takia 26 Baba’s Mosque (Dwarkamai) 27 Th e dhuni 36 Udi 38 Puja pillar 40 Th e kolamba and the waterpot 41 Th e nimbar 42 Th e grinding stone and bag of wheat 43 Th e chillims 45 Baba’s portrait 46 Dakshina box/hundi 50 Th e bathing stone 51 Th e tulsi brindavan 51 Baba’s photograph and the stone 51 Th e animal statues 53 Th e tortoise tile 55 Th e cooking hearth and the wooden post 56 Padukas where Baba used to stand 57 Th e storage rooms 57 Th e bell 60 Shyam Sunder Hall / Old Parayana Hall 61 Th e Chavadi 63 Th e Chavadi Procession (utsav) 66 Lendi Gardens 71 Nanda Deep 76 Th e well 78 Th e Samadhi Mandir 79 Th e statue and tomb of Sri Sai Baba 89 Display of Baba’s articles 93 Arati 94 Other Temples in Shirdi 97 Hanuman (Maruti) Mandir 98 Th e three temples 99 Mahalaxmi Temple 99 Narasimha Temple 100 Th e Kanifnath and Vittal Temples 100 Th e fi ve samadhis 101 Houses of Sai Baba Devotees 109 Location of deovtees’ houses (map) 110 Sathe Wada 111 Dixit Wada 112 Abdul Baba’s cottage 113 Laxmibai Shinde’s house 114 Bhagoji Shinde’s house 115 Mhalsapati’s house 116 Shama’s house 118 Th e houses of the fi ve blessed ones 119 Major Festivals in Shirdi 123 Ramnavami 124 Guru Purnima, Vijayadasami 126 Practical Tips forVisitors 127 Suggested reading 133 Appendix 1: Shri Sai Baba Sansthan 137 Appendix 2: Daily Programme 139 Appendix 3: Sri Babuji and Saipatham 141 Glossary 143 Index 149 Author’s Note his guide to holy Shirdi is laid humbly at the feet of my own “guide” and beloved Guruji, Sadguru Sri Sainathuni T Sarath Babuji, who has been the inspiration for it, as for all my endeavours. When I came to Shirdi I knew very little about Baba, other than that he was a fakir around whom many weird and wonderful events transpired, that millions were fi nding refuge in him, and that he was adored by my own object of adoration. Since then, Guruji has shown me the path of Sai in countless ways, the greatest one being the moment-to-moment example of his own life. A passionate and exemplary devotee of Sai Baba, Guruji’s entire life is a testimony to the grace and might of Sai. The infi nite love which he cherishes for Baba is evident in everything he does, and it is that love and grace which pull so many to him and which he showers on those lucky enough to come within his ambit. He is a peerless authority on Sai’s history and literature and living proof of his own comment that “when you love somebody you want to know everything about them”. Guruji encourages a keen spirit of enquiry in devotees and himself demonstrates this, probing assiduously into a subject until he has thoroughly grasped all its intricacies. He astonishes us with his meticulousness and ability to recall even a tiny detail and its exact reference. Guruji has carried out intensive research into Baba’s life, as a result of which hitherto unpublished information and even photos were unearthed which have enriched our picture of Sai Baba and of the life and events around him. Guruji’s exposition of the path of Sai inculcated in me a desire to discover more about the life of the saint of Shirdi and the village and fabric of the place which he sanctifi ed with his presence. I became captivated by its magic and spiritual power, xii Foreword and by a growing sense of the living presence of Sri Sai Baba. As I roamed around Shirdi, all sorts of queries arose that I was unable to fi nd answers to in the books in English on Baba. For example, why is there a marble tile with a tortoise carved on it in the middle of the fl oor in Dwarkamai? Exactly where in Shirdi had Baba walked on his begging rounds? Why does the dhuni seem to have been so important to Baba and did it look the same as it does now? When I regretted the dearth of any guide to Shirdi in English, Guruji suggested that I write one myself. He inspired me with the example of his life and love and imbued me with both the motivation and the means to do it. He graciously supplied the answers to numerous questions – in satsang, by information to be found in his own numerous articles, or by referring me to certain books or individuals who would be able to help. Writing and researching this guide has brought me innumerable blessings – smarana of Baba and Guruji, contact with great devotees, much satsang with gurubandhus, many kindnesses, and an appetite to explore further – to name but a few. This guide is humbly offered with the hope that through the exploration of this holy village of Shirdi, visitors and devotees may gain a deeper sense of the place of Sai and the path of Sai, and experience the joy and blessings that undoubtedly follow such a revelation. Alison Williams, Shirdi xiii Experiencing Sai Baba’s Shirdi Foreword Why go to Shirdi when Sai Baba is present everywhere? Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji Th e following is a free English rendering of an article written in Telugu by Sri Babuji, which was originally published in his book Sai Bhakti Sadhana Rahasyam 1 “ aba is omnipresent! Isn’t he? He is everywhere. Why does one need to go all the way to Shirdi to worship Bhim? You can do that wherever you are!” This is the “advice” that many Sai devotees who frequently visit Shirdi very often encounter from their elders, friends and relatives. No doubt the advice not only refl ects sound philosophical wisdom but also conforms to what Baba used to say, “Those who think that Baba is a person with a three-and-a-half cubit body or that I am present only in Shirdi haven’t seen me at all!” The essential purport of Baba’s wonderful deeds and dictum is to make us experience his presence shining in all beings everywhere or, to put it in Baba’s words, “wherever you look”. To have that “look” should be the object and vision of a Sai devotee. All religions, however, stipulate in one form or other, that seekers should bathe in sacred waters, make pilgrimages to important shrines and visit saints, their tombs or the places where they dwelled. Indian epic literature is permeated with eulogies to such sacred places. The Islamic tradition dictates that every Muslim should make the pilgrimage to Mecca (haj) at least once in a lifetime. The Sufi tradition places great importance on taking refuge in saints and visiting their dargahs 1 Sai Bhakti Sadhana Rahasyam, by Sainathuni Sarath Babuji, Shirdi: Saipatham Publica- tions, 2001. (Orig. pub 1997.) See p. 135. xiv Foreword (tombs). Aithareya Brahmanam 2 says, “There is no happiness for a person who does not make a pilgrimage. Any individual, however noble he or she may be, inevitably errs. Indra is the friend of one who undertakes a pilgrimage. So, go thou on pilgrimage!” The scriptures, on the one hand exhort us to realize the One which is everywhere and present in all living beings, and on the other hand insist on visiting holy places! How could these two seemingly opposite stands be reconciled? Apart from what is said in the scriptures, going on pilgrimage is also an example set for us by great sages. The Puranas say that saints and even gods used to stay in sacred places for tapas.