GREATNESS OF UDI - INTRODUCTION

SHREE SATCHITANAND SADGURU SAINATH MAHARAJ KI 

JAI!!!!

Dhuni, the sacred fire kindled by Baba still burns as brightly as ever in Dwarkamai. Baba used to call Her as affectionately as one calls his mother, and addressed Her as Dhuni Maa (Mother Dhuni). He fed Her sumptuously daily, not only log and firewood, but also some food from the dishes He collected from His round of Bhiksha (begging for food by saints). Even during the coldest winters and heaviest torrential rains, Baba made sure that Dhuni burnt in all Her glory. He has often said that Dhuni will burn till the descend of Prayala swallows the Earth. Before leaving for Chavadi, ever alternate night, Baba used to push a few logs into the Dhuni with his right toe and then only leave the Masjid. This is the sacred, holy Dhuni that indiscriminately provides life-giving ash (Vibhuti/Udi) to all who take refuge in Masjidamai. 

The Agni Purana stats that fire is the most holy and incorruptible of all elements that exist. This is justified by the reasons that I shall state below:

1)      Agni (Fire) brings the bright light of Wisdom and destroys the darkness of Ignorance.

2)      Agni Pariksha (an old Hindu tradition where a person walks through fire and comes out unharmed if not guilty) makes Flame the wisest and oldest judge.

3)      Fire ignites the warmth that helps all creatures survive.

4)      Agni has the capability of burning all Karmas (actions), making Him a great actor during Pralaya (Apocalypse).

However, Baba had a completely different lesson behind lighting Dhuni in Masjidmai. Firstly, it was to unite the Hindu and Muslim traditions and practices (Hindu tradition of Agnihotri and Muslim tradition of living in a mosque). Many people accept that this was His primary motive for His Avatar as well. Secondly, Baba taught of the vanity of material possessions, saying that everything will end up in ashes at the end of Prayala and nothing will come with us to the next world. Even this body will change to ashes (after cremation) and will mix with the soil. The ash from Dhuni Maa is called Udi or Vibhuti and is considered the most holy and infallible medicine. Baba also distributed it as His Prasad to all who came to Him. Applying Udi to a person’s forehead calmed all his anxiety, destroyed all doubts regarding spiritual matters and healed all diseases. In fact, it was the only medicine Sayeen gave to any ailing devotee, irrespective of the disease, and this ash cured it without delay.

Every day after aarti, or whenever a devotee came for His darshan, Sai Nath gave him a handful of this greyish ash and also applied some of it to his forehead with His hand, blessing the lucky one with all happiness. Devotees took as much of Udi as possible and distributed to their needy friends and relations. They also took some Udi in with water, sanctifying themselves like this. Even after Sai's Mahasamadhi, His Udi works without any problems, curing diseases ranging from fevers to even Cancer. 

In Shree Satcharitra (written by Hemadpant), the author has dedicated two chapters to explain the value of Udi in great details, but he was not able to describe its complete nature. When such blessed ones are facing such troubles, where do beggars like me stand? I think that me trying my hand it is itself a very risky affair. Let Baba control what I state here and what I omit…  allow me to continue this in the next posts. 

Hare Sai, Hare Sai, Sai Sai Hare Hare;

Sai Ram, Sai Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare!      

AARTI OF SAYEEN (WITH TRANSLATION)

SHREE SAYEEN NATH MAHARAJ KI JAI!!!

This post is the translation of a common Aarti for Baba. All you need to do this aarti is pure love and an incense or lamp. It is Marathi Language.

Arati Sai Baba.

Saukhyadatara Jiva. Caranarajatali

 Dyava dasa visava, bhakta visava

TRANS: Baba, You are the most kind of all. You give shelter to all who come to you. Please show me this kindness and save me like all your other devotees.

Aarti…

Jaluniya ananga. Sasvarupi rahe danga Mumuksa janan davi.

 Nija dola Sriranga. Dola Sriranga

TRANS: Sayeen, burn all my desires and give me salvation (mumukshu). You, who’s eyes are like that of Shriranga (Vishnu)

Aarti…

Jaya mani jaisa bhava. Tayataisa anubhava Davisi dayaghana,

 Aisi tuzi hee mava, tuzi he mava.

TRANS: Whatever expectations and desires people have in their minds, You quickly fulfil them all, such is Your way. Give me such experiences also.  

Aarti…

Tumache nama dhyata. Hare Sansruthivyatha

 Agadha Tava karani. Marga davisi anatha, davisi anatha.

TRANS: He who takes Your name always, no Maya can conquer him. You show him the right Marga (path) towards God.   

Aarti…

Kaliyugi Avatara, Saguna Brahma sachara Avatirna zalase

Svami Datta Digambara, Datta Digambara.

TRANS: You are the incarnate in this age of Darkness (Kali) who has come to save all souls who are pious. You are the Digambara, avatar of Dattatreya.

Aarti…

Athan Divasa Gurvari.Bhakta kariti vari.

Prabhupada Pahavaya Bhava Bhayanivari, bhayanivari.

TRANS: Devotees flock to Shirdi to get Your Darshan, especially on Thursday as it is Guru’s Day. Seeing Your Feet (Pada) destroys all worldly fears from the heart.

Aarti…

Maza nijadravya theva, Thava charana-raja-seva Magane hechi aata,

Tumhan devadideva, devadideva.

TRANS: The only wealth I desire is to be able to serve Your Feet, oh Lord of Gods.

Aarti…

Ichita Dina chatak Nirmala toya nijasukha Pajaven Madhava Ya

 Sambhala apuli bhaka, apuli bhaka.

TRANS: Just like the chatak bird is ever thirsty for water, I am also ever thirsty for Your divine love, grace and Knowledge.

Aarti…

TRANS: For this, we do Your Aarti, Oh Lord.  

OM SHREE SAI NATHAYA NAMAHA!

DWARKAMAI (MASJID MAI) OF SAYEEN

SHREE SAINATH MAHARAJ KI JAI!!!

In this post I will try my level best to describe the Divine Mother of Shirdi, Sayeen's earthly abode, Dwarkamai. It still stands in Shirdi with all its fame and Masjesty, reflecting the old, golden days when Sayeen resided there in His physical form, walking and talking along with other mortals who were blessed enough to enjoy His divine company. However, the Masjid has been renovated and Her surrounding has undergone drastic changes. Never the less, SHe still blesses all the devotees who visit Her, on their visit to Shirdi.

Dwarkamai, or Masjida-Mai, as Baba would call Her, was actually a very old, dilapidated mosque, even before Sayeen decided to dwell there. This masjid stood a bit away from the then village center and other local folks houses. When Sayeen first came to Shirdi in 1854, this mosque had already half collapsed and had one missing wall and no roof. This building is made of rock bricks. Who would have imagined that this abandoned mosque would later serve a purpose of housing the greatest Avadhuta and the Divine Incarnate in a country under British Rule. The only house close by was that of a Nandaram Marwadi, who became a great Sai devotee in future, and the village school where Madhavrao Deshapnde, the closest devotee of Baba taught and lived. However, as known, God makes all the arrangements for His Incarnations to fulfill their duties easily. The mosque would have been very meritorious to be act as the Kailash of Lord Shiva who came to Shirdi to set things right.

It is stated in Satcharitra that Sayeen was ready to dwell under the Neem tree one can see now in Gurusthan forever, but close devotees like Mhalsapathy, Baija Bai, and others persuaded Him to stay under a solid roof for better security reasons (which He needed none). But even they are not at fault, afterall, who had heard of a young lad of 18 live under a tree during all seasons. However, Baba gave in to the requests of His devotees and began living in the dilapidated mosque. He named it Dwarkamai and made it the Shrine of All religions. It became the Harmandir-Sahib, the Dwarka, the Madina and Jerusalem for all who visited Him. Accordingly, He gave His Divine Darshan to all from here, as the four-arm Vishnu to some, as Jesus to some, as Nanak to some and as Mohammed to some, while as the old Fakir to others. Whomever the devotee loved as his favourite deity (Ishta Devata), or as his guru, he found that person, that incarnation in Him. All at the same time. All these wonderful leelas (divine acts) of His were witnessed silently by Dwarkamai.

The Divine Mother gained a physical form after Baba lit the sacred, ever-burning Dhuni, which blesses all of us with His holy Ash (Vibhuti/Udi). Sayeen great cared for Dhuni greatly and fed Her often, before taking food. He also took care to keep Her ever-burning, feeding here logs and other foods at the right times. He sat facing east, resting His back on the wall, as He stared and meditated upon Dhuni, conversing with Her about various topics, and called Her “Dhuni Maa”. Everyday, He took handfuls of Her Udi and distributed it to one and all after Aartis or while a devotee was taking leave, or after giving Darshan. The power within this ash will be discussed in details in next articles, but Sayeen has stated that Dhuni Maa can burn any problem or ailment, and even our karmas of our past lives, thus giving us salvation.

Sayeen has said many times that Dwarka Mai is a very kind mother and will give refuge to all those who take shelter in Her. She will protect Her children from any danger of this world or the next. He has even said that a devotee who asks protection from Her, Masjida Mai will even same him from death.

Sayeen has stated the importance of Dwarkamai many times, in many ways. Some of His nectar-like words are stated here.

“Let me see how death comes and gets you when you are in the care of Masjida Mai.” And

“This is not a mosque. It is Masjida Mai, the Divine Mother. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you want, so cast aside all fears.” And

“I do not take dakshina from one and all. I take dakshina only from those who have forgotten due debts, to free them of it. These people are pointed out to Me by Dwarkamai. I cannot take anything from any person the Masjida Mai doesn’t want to.”
And
"Any person in trouble, if he climbs the three steps of Dwarkamai, his sorrows will end."

It was also in this holy masjid that Baba celebrated all festivals from Ram Navami to Dussera to Eid. People suffering from various worldly troubles found solutions, who had lost all hope of life, found reasons and ways to live. People who had bothering pasts, made peace for a better future. Petty debts threatening to chain a person to samsara (cycle of life) were paid off. Diseases of all kinds, curable and incurable, met their ends here, being destroyed by the mere glance of the Fakir. Unfairly accused people had justice done. All this took place within the walls of the Masjid.  In this way, the patched up masjid became the very universe of Sayeen, who lived, talked, ate, danced, played, taught and slept here. Shyama (Madhavrao Deshapande) first bore witness to Baba’s divinity through the window of his school, which gave clear view into the mosque. Baba’s meditation and yogic practices were also within this mosque.

And lastly, His Samadhi was also here.

Today, if you go to Dwarkamai, you will find place as vast, with a huge photo of Baba, His used utensils, His rock, and an elevated platform atop 3 steps with Baba’s handmade portrait, and a covered Dhuni Maa. This elevated platform is the original Masjid, the lower portion was the front yard. Also, devotees can stay in Dwarkamai at night, helping the Sansthan employees to sweep and clean the place.  

This is the poorest quality and the shortest summary of Dwarkamai that you would probably find in the vast ocean of internet. But I sum it up here. You can read more on Masjida Mai in Satcharitra authored by Hemadpant.  

OM SAI! SHREE SAI!! JAI JAI SAI!!!

  

RELATION WITH OTHER SAINTS

SHREE SAINATH MAHARAJ KI JAI!!!

Sainath, the Divine Mother of all, the Union of Trimurti (Dattatreya) is Your form for the devotees who seek You in Him. You are the Divine Destroyer, Nilkhant, for the Dasa of Shiva. You are the Divine Cowherd of Gurukul, for the devotees who wish to see Your Raas-Leela. But in reality, beyond all reaches of Maya and human conscience, You are formless and ever present. You are one and only one, but at the same time, You reside everywhere. You are the truth, but the false is also a part of Your existence. You reside forever in Vaikunth (heaven), but You are also the ruler of Naraka (hell). You are beyind differences and without a second. You are the doer, but not the effect, but the effect also comes from You. But for the devotees of Shirdi, You are always the old fakir, residing in the Mosque Dwarkamai, donned in Your white, pure Khafni (a robe) and holding Your Satka (stick) while sitting in front of Dhuni Maa, blessing all near and far.

Sainath never went beyond the couple of villages around Shirdi. These blessed villages were Khopergaon, where He would visit Chand Patil; Neemgaon, where was Mhalsapathi's house and also the dwelling of Dengale Brothers. (The grandson of the younger brother still lives here); Rahata, where He would visit Khushal Chand and Ramchandrasheth; and Shirdi. He mostly traveled on Foot, not even on a buggy, never to mention a train. But He knew all the train timings and also the routes. In the same way, He knew of visits from other saints beforehand itself. 

Shree Sai Satcharitra mentions mainly of three saints who were Sadgurus themselves. Now as the post continues I shall try to my level best to narrate each incident by His grace. 

First, the saint, I would mention about is Upasani Maharaj, who was taught and guided by hand, by Baba. He had come to Shirdi for His Darshan and then finally took sanyas with His permission. Then Baba stalled him in Khandoba Temple of Mhalsapathy for a term of 9 months. He was not supposed to interact or mingle with anyone, but practice continuous penance. He also gained many Siddhis (God's Powers) by Baba's grace and will. However, Baba also began to test him tediously. Stressed from this after 8 months, he quietly ran off from Shirdi to Nagpur. From there he went on to journey across Maharashtra, troubled by the local folk after he accidentally showed his Siddhis in public. Baba also guided him through dreams and then after a span of 2-3 months, he returned to Shirdi. Then, Baba directed him to a nearby village called Sakori, where he put up his ashram for women, which is active till date along with his Samadhi. 

Next, the saint I mention is Gajanan Maharaj of Shedgaon. He is an avadhuta who preached the same methods of Baba in Shedgaon, which also comes in Maharashtra. His life history can be read in the book called Shree Gajanan Pothi, written by Das Ganu, a devotee of Sayeen. This avadhuta (self-realized soul) took Samadhi in around the year 1912. He visited Shiradi in the year 1910 and was greeted warmly by Baba. They both sat facing each other in Dwarkamai the whole day, without speaking a word. Just their eyes were locked into each other's and both wore an expression of Divine joy and glee. No devotee could make out what was exchanged between the two Supreme Souls. At dusk, at last, Gajanan Maharaj stood up and embraced Sainath warmly, before departing to Shedgaon. When later asked, Baba said that He enjoyed His brother's visit very much.

The third occasion is of Meher Baba [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meher_Baba] another enlightened soul from Bombay (present Mumbai), who had visited Sainath after being under the care of Baba Hazratjan [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazrat_Babajan] (another enlightened soul from Bombay). He was of a tender age of a youth when he came to Shirdi for a Darshan of the Maharaj here. At that time, Baba's Lendi Yatra was going on (details of this will be discussed in the coming posts), and the streets were crowded with devotees who accompanied Baba. Admist the confusion, Meher Baba got a little close to Sayeen for a darshan and was choked up with divine joy. Sayeen stopped walking and saw right into Meher Baba's soul and loudly said "PARVARDIGAR" and went His way. The dazed Meher Baba was pushed aside by the crowd, from where he went to Upasani Baba for guiding him. In this way, this brief and sole contact with Sayeen arose Meher Baba's enlightened mind to a new level. This has been recorded in Meher Baba's life history, but sadly not in Shree Sai Satcharitra.  

The last occasion that I will be discussing is about a Madarasi Saint, who has incarnated in southern India. His name is Tembe Maharaj (Vasudevanand Saraswati). He did not physically meet with Sayeen, but conveyed His greetings through Baba's devotees. Once, Das Ganu and some of his friends decided to go on a pilgrimage to the southern parts, singing the glory of Shirdi Nath. Before leaving, when they asked Baba's permission, He allowed them and also said, "Whenever you meet a saint on your way, obey all He says and learn from Him." While going around, doing Kirtans (singing glory of Lord) of Sainath, they came to know that an Avadhuta was staying nearby and was giving darshan to all. They recalled Baba's advice and went to take His darshan on the day they were to leave for Shirdi. When they came into the presence of the Avadhuta, Shree Tembe Swami, He smiled at them and said, "What are you all doing here? My elder brother is in your village and you leave Him and come here? Go back to Him and give Him these with my greetings." The Avadhuta handed them two coconuts and blessed them. With His blessings and the coconuts, Das Ganu and the others left for Shirdi. However, on the way, they left very thirsty and broke the coconut to drink its juice, forgetting about Tembe Maharaj's wish. It was only when they entered Dwarkamai and came in front of Baba, that they realized their folly and stood ashamed. Baba directly asked, "Where are the coconuts that My Brother sent for Me?". Das Ganu cried at his mistake and even offered to buy new dozen coconuts as compensation, but Sayeen stopped him and said with divine Motherly love, "Stop Ganu, don't go. What is mine, is also your's. You all are my Children, I have nothing against you. But from now on be careful that you fulfill all your promises, whenever and to Whomever you make." 

Thus, Sayeen and all other Saints are brothers, children and the Supreme Person, at the same time. Alos, we can see how dearly Sayeen loved His children. 

OM SAI NATHAYA NAMAHA!                   

      

WHY THESE MIRACLES?

OM SAI! SHREE SAI!! JAI JAI SAI!!!

Shree Sainath is the early Kali Avatar of Krsna, the Divine Cowherd. He took a form on Earth, in Shiradi, only to draw people's faith and devotion towards the Supreme Lord. He is the Supreme Lord who visited His children once again. He possessed the complete splendor and majesty of the Divine King, the very source of Rasaa, and He is unbound by even the mighty power of Time. In all 67 years of His mortal coil, in which He walked the holy soils of Shiradi, He preached only the divine concept of Love. He taught His children with indescribable love and care, the Path of Love or Prema Marg which leads to the gates of Heaven, His eternal abode. To give us foolish mortals an idea of His abode, He recreated the very Heaven in Shiradi. He taught love and respect towards not only all humans and God, but towards all movable and immovable things. 

Dressed in the rags of a poor Fakir, who owned nothing, came the very Lord of this Universe to Shiradi, blessing this land for all eternity, in 1855. He came in the handsome form of a young lad of 16 years of age. From then, till 1918 when He returned to His abode, Sayeen not only taught but also performed many miracles which varied from changing water to oil to reviving people. Now a generally asked question is why should the very Lord, who as created all that exists, perform miracles? To gain fame? To attract people? Or to convince them of His "divinity"?

The correct answer is... none of the above. The reason behind Sayeen's miracle is simple. It was either to bring a child of His who would have gone astray, or to help deserving souls from the infinite traps of Maya. All in all, it was only to establish the Light of Dharma in this Darkness of Agyaan. To prove this, I will narrate all those miracles that He allows me.

Miracle : Back when Shree Chand Patil had the holy opportunity of meeting Sayeen, and he               was distressed about his missing mare, Bijli, Sayeen told him about his mare's                       location. 

Reason : In this way, he helped bring faith in God in Chand's mind and also rescued him out                of his problematic situation.

Miracle : Sayeen loved lamps and begged for oil and diyas, and lit them in His Masjid. One                  day, which happened to be a Diwali, when He asked for oil at the shops, the                          shopkeepers gave none, just to test and tease Him. Sayeen collected some diyas                  and put wick in each of them. Then, he put water in those diyas, in place of oil, and                lighted them. The shopkeepers saw, to much of their awe and dismay, the water                    turned to oil and the lamps lit brightly throughout the night.

Reason : By doing this leela, Sayeen shattered their ego and ignorance, drawing them                         towards God's Path, and taught them humility.

Miracle : An iron-smith's wife was working on the bellows in Bombay, with her child playing                 in her lap. She was a devotee of Baba, as was her husband. Suddenly, her                           husband called her for some reason and she stood up, forgetting about her child.                   The infant fell into the hot flames, about to be burnt to death. At the exact second,                 Sayeen and His devotee Shyama were sitting in the Masjid, feeding log to Dhuni                   Maa. Sayeen then pushed His hand in place of the log-wood, into the Holy Fire and               let it burn. Shyama quickly pulled Him away in shock. But at that moment, the child               was saved from the fire.

Reason : The reason for this miracle is stated in the miracle itself. Sayeen Maharaj had                        explained later that someone had to get the burns as per laws of Karma. So He                    gave His Hand in place of the innocent infant.

This list can go on infinitely, but i will stop it here. In this way every Miracle of Baba's was to bring a positive change in a person's attitude, or to teach others of the greatness of the Malik.  

OM SAI RAM!   

    

NEED FOR THE AVATAR

Gani Gan Ganaat Bote! 

Now is the Era of Darkness (Kali Yuga). Here, Kali is prominent in every corner and is closing in constantly on humans. Unnecessary Wars, Corruption, Social Evil, Ignorance of Divinity, Religious Wars, Degradation of Humans, and all such atrocities are wrapping their grasp over all of humanity. It has been this way for the last 200 plus years, ever since Kali Yuga began.

Kali descended to Earth soon after Krsna's Mahasamadhi, and the end of Treta Yuga. Since then, there has been a decline in religious activities and in Humanity. Wars and battles are sprouting out even in the name of God. What we see now, in the world around us, is not even a small fraction of the true terror of Kali. This is because the Ninth Avatar, Buddha, has stopped and subdued Kali to some extent in His avatar. The effect of Kali will be at the mildest for the next 1000 years, before Kali regains all its Evil and closes in on Humanity. It is a dreadful future already predicted by Krsn, while teaching the Bhagwad Geeta. Kal i Yuga will exist for about 2 lac years before Kalki, the Final Avatar appears to begin the Apocalypse.

However, the post is for the understanding of the Avatar of Maharaj. The Sayeen Avatar, of Kali Yuga was enacted by the Lord in the colonial rule of British India. The primary motive of this Avatar was to create a stability in the disrupted society and to lead pure souls to Heaven and to explain the Original Divine Philosophy, which was tangled and lost in the foolish ego clashes between men of different religions.

Back then, the Indian society was split into two major and many smaller religions, out o which, each claimed to be the superior one. The main two were the Hindu and Islam, while the smaller ones were Sikhs, Parsis, Christians, etc. Sayeen Avatar was to act as a chain and link all these together. Thus, Sayeen never preached any philosophy except that of Love. He called it Prema Marga.Also, in British India, there were not any platforms or major Religious Heads as we have today. Today, they have a say in every cycle they wish, from politics to social affairs. But Sayeen needed no such platform. In the beginning years, till 1910, Baba mostly only had devotees from Shiradi, Neemgaon, Rahata and Khopergaon. These are all villages around and close by to Shiradi. He drew all the worthy and chosen souls from all corners of the world to give the deserving ones Moksha (Salvation). 

Thus, in order to weave the society together again, Sayeen used the supreme threads of Love and Brotherhood. He mingled with all and gave no importance to gender, cast, creed, color or money. He was the Father to all. He helped not only men but also animals, stating the equality of all lives. He demonstrated practically the Divine Knowledge of All the Holy Scriptures. He was the meaning and the Author of all the Divine Scriptures.

The method He used, will be discussed in the coming posts in due course.

Om Sai, Shree Sai, Jai Jai Sai!!! 

     

  

11 ASSURANCES

SHREE SAINATH MAHARAJ KI JAI!!

Maharaj gave 11 assurances to all His devotees which have been proved true often before and even after His Mahasamadhi. All of these are only for the welfare of His devotees and Baba clearly states how He is always alert, even after leaving His Mortal Coil.

These Assurances are,

1) The One who steps onto the soil of Shiradi, 

all his sufferings shall come to an end.

2) The one who climbs the steps of this Masjid Mai,

I shall grind all his sorrows under My Foot.

3) I will be active for My devotees,

even after leaving this earthly, temporary body.

  

4) All I ask of you, is your Faith and Patience.

Come and visit my Samadhi with Faith and your call will be answered.

5)Know that I am Immortal and always with you,

 this, can be experienced by any of My true devotee.

6) My Tomb will bless My devotees,

After My Samadhi.

7) Whoever turns to Me for Help or Guidance,

   he will receive it the moment it is Sought.

8) You look to Me,

I look to You.

9) I am ever dependent on him,

    who sees Me in all living beings.

10) There shall be no lacking of,

        Food, Clothes or Shelter for My devotees because I look after them.

11) After My Samadhi,

     My bones will talk to My devotees.     

A summary about the Saint

SHREE SATCHITANAND SADGURU

SHREE SAINATH!

Maharashtra, a state of India, has often been called the Land of Saints. The reason behind this lies in the glorious past of this sacred land. Ever since the ancient times, long before colonization even started in the world, this pious land has been visited by several saints of many religions. These God-men were much different from the ones seen today. They were one with the Lord and preached the path of Love to go back Home. Even during the World Wars and while India was in the cold grip of colonization, many saints sprouted and preached happiness, becoming the only streaks of light in the frightening darkness.

During such times, in the District of Ahmedbad in the state of Maharashtra, exist a small village under the British rule, named Shiradi (present day Shirdi). In this village, in the year 1860, arrived a youth donning a Khafni (a long shirt worn by sages) and a khafna (a piece of cloth tied around the head by sages). He had a bright aura that would put even the Sun's light to shame. He worn no foot-wear and carried a satka (a small stick of metal or wood). His skin was fair and his height was around 5.6 feet. His eyes were deep and bright, overflowing with love and joy. He also carried a small brick, as big as his palm. 

This Yogi spoke to none, interacted with none. He sat under a huge Neem Tree, silent in meditation, His mind merging with the Lord. He attracted the local crowd who were puzzled at His strange behavior. No one would believe that a young lad of !6 years would perform such meditation in all climates, unaffected by his surroundings. Some began to look at Him as a great Yogi, while others scorned at him, calling him 'Pagal Fakir' (hindi/marathi translation of Mad Sage.). But none of this bothered him. He lived on, intoxicated by the Divine Love of Lord. 

But soon this began disturbing his penance. So one night, tired of the constant bothering, he finally left Shiradi and went away. The next day, when His devotees found the young fakir missing, they were all heart-fallen. They searched throughout the village other other closeby villages of Rahata and Neemgaon, but in vain. 


In a village beyond Neemgaon, called Khopargaon, there lived a rich gentleman named Chand. He was the Patil (Village head) of Khopargaon. Once, his mare named Bijli ran away. He searched endlessly for two months, but could not trace his mare. Bijli was his favorite and he also considered her lucky. So dejected, he finally gave up and was returning to Khopargaon and was very tired. Suddenly, he saw a young lad sitting under a neem tree, preparing a chillim (Clay pipe) to smoke. Looking at the young boy dressed like a yogi, Chand got drawn to him. 

"Really tired after looking for your mare?" The boy said. "come, have a smoke with me."

As Chand looked on in amazement, the boy almost readied the chillim. The only things left were wetting the Chappi to draw smoke and fire to light it. The boy hit the ground with his satka and fire sparked out with a live ember. He lit his Chillim and then hit the ground again, drawing out a spring of water. He wet the Chappi and both smoked.

"Chand, your Bijli is by the stream near Khopargaon. Go, get her." He said.

"Oh fakir, you are the incarnation of Mohammad Himself. please come and stay at my humble house." Chand said.

In this way, Chand Patil took the Fakir to Khopargaon where He stayed for 39 days. Then, there came the marriage ceremony of Chand Patil's nephew. His bride was from Shiradi, so the marriage party came to Shirdi along with the Fakir. They got down in front of a Khandoba temple a little outside Shirdi. There when the priest of the temple, named Bhagat Mhalsapathy, saw the Fakir, he called out Sayeen or Sai. From then, the fakir got the name Sai. The marriage party ended well and they returned to Khopargaon, but Sayeen stayed behind and forever in Shiradi. In this way, the fakir returned to Shirdi after one year. 

From then, Sayeen Baba (Father Sai) began his divine duty of reforming the society and spreading the love of God.