Shirdi Sai Baba was an Indian seer. His devotees consider him as an incarnation of the Hindu god, Dattatreya. Both Hindus and Muslims revere him.
Baba was someone whose moral code was based on forgiveness, love, charity, helping others, compassion, inner peace, and faith in God. He spoke of the importance of self-realization and advised people not to be fixated on perishable things.
Sai Baba did not set much store by religion or caste. It is not clear if he was a Muslim or a Hindu. His teachings fused elements of both religions. In fact, he used to practice the rituals of both.
Most of the things we know about him are from a book called Shri Sai Satcharitra, written by a person called Hemadpant, who was his disciple. The book contains accounts of Baba by his many disciples as well as Hemadpant’s personal observations of the seer from 1910 onwards.
Sai Baba’s real name is not known. Sai was the name given to him by Mahalsapati, a priest in Shirdi when he arrived there. The town of Shirdi lies in the state of Maharashtra in western India. In those days, it was a village. ‘Sai’ is the word for a religious mendicant, but it may also mean God. In many Indian and Middle Eastern languages, Baba is an honorific for father, grandfather, old man, someone worthy of respect, etc. Sai Baba thus denotes saintly father, holy father, or (venerable) old man. Ask Shirdi Sai Baba Questions and Answers from astroved to slove your life problems.
There is evidence that hints that he was born in a place close to Shirdi. Shirdi-based genealogical research suggests that Baba’s birth name was Haribhau Bhusari. He was prone to giving vague and misleading replies when questioned about his origins and parentage. To his close follower, Mahalsapati, the priest at Khandoba temple, he reportedly said that he was a Deshastha Brahmi and that his parents lived in the village of Pathri. He also said that he had been given to a fakir when he was an infant. On another occasion, he said that the fakir’s wife had given him to a Hindu guru named Venkusa from Selu and that he had been cared for by Venkusa for 12 years, whose disciple he had become.
According to available accounts, Baba arrived at Shirdi village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, at the age of 16, stayed there for 3 years, and then vanished for a year. He came back in 1858, following the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, and remained there until his death. This indicates that he may have been born in 1838. He led the life of an ascetic, meditating under a neem tree while sitting in an asana.
Shirdi Baba’s birthday is believed to be on September 28. An extract from a 1991 talk by Swami Sai Baba hints at this. On September 28, 1991, during his discourse at Prasanthi Nilayam, Swami revealed certain things about the three Sai Avatars:
He said that in the remote town of Pathri, in the previous Nizam’s kingdom, a couple named Gangabhavadya and Devagiriamma had, after many years, been blessed with a child on September 28, 1835. The child was Sai Baba, and his Samadhi (death) occurred on Vijayadasami day in 1918.
Sai Baba’s birthday is an ideal time to remember the man and his teachings. He performed many miracles to help suffering people and continues to do so even after his death. Many people have the habit of reading Sai Charitha, (his life story), in the belief that it can help solve the problems they face in life and cure their health issues. According to some devotees, he gave darshan to them by appearing as Sri Rama and Krishna. Others report that he appears in their dreams and tells them what to do to deal with their problems. The sacred vibhuti or ash, which is given to devotees, is said to have the power to cure diseases.
Baba’s Teachings
Baba always told his devotees to do charitable acts and help the poor. He asked them to show respect and kindness towards everyone, including animals. He had the habit of asking dakshina of his devotees only to give it to the needy. In this way, he also improved the karma of the person who gave dakshina. He wanted his devotees to be humble and lead a righteous life.
