ShirdiSaiBaba » Expansion of Worship

8.13 – Guru Worship

JAYAN — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 07:02:47 +0000

8.13 – Guru Worship
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The best illustration is found in some Tamil puranas. One Aruni was a pupil who went to live with his Guru. The Guru had a wet-land. The boy was told to go and see the Guru’s land one day. The boy found that the water needed for irrigating the Guru’s field was running away on account of a breach in the clay ridge. He had no stones with which to fill up the breach. Thinking that the loss was too great, he put his own head and body in to the breach and stopped the leakage. As a result, he was dead. That Aruni is an excellent illustration of the extent to which the love between Guru and sishya could go.

Guru Gita says: “The true disciple’s body, wealth, skill, action, merit and life are the Guru’s. The love of Sai Baba towards his Guru was exactly similar to this. In ancient days, return of love of the Guru was equally strong. The Guru is a Samartha. He had power, including the power to ward off death or revive the dead. It was the Guru’s duty to use his power to save his pupil from death.

In Baba’s own case, his Guru Venkusa averted his death from a brick hurled at him by making the brick stand still in mid air. Baba himself averted death in the case of a good number of persons such as Nana Chandorkar, Santi Kirvandhikar, S.B.Nachne, G.S.Kahapharde, Balwant K. Nanaram. Baba expressly mentioned these.

8.10 – Guru Worship

JAYAN — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:37:21 +0000

8.10 - Guru Worship

Namdev sat at a dinner along with his caste men who were all full of Achara. When the leaves had been spread and covered with dishes, a dog ran up to Namdev, grabbed a roti from his leaf and ran away. Every one cried out, “polluted, polluted.” Then, Namdev lifted up a cup of ghee or butter from his leaf and ran after the dog saying “Vittal, Vittal, if you are taking only dried bread, it will choke your throat; take this ghee along with it.” People were laughing at the madness of Namdev who wanted to give extra feeding to a dog that polluted his plate and prevented him frm taking dinner. But the dog suddenly assumed the form of Vittal and told him, ‘Now that you have served under a Guru, you are able to realize Me in a dog and other forms’. This is an excellent way of full realization of God in all forms, which, according to the Gita, is the only knowledge of God. Only a Guru can teach this.

6.6-Expansion of Worship

JAYAN — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:27:43 +0000

According to the Sastras, all gods are parts of God Agni Anya devathah. Hence He was all gods. Baba had the complete realization of the fullness of God, not merely of God forms, but God essence. He was Sat Chit Ananada. He had absolute freedom from attachment to all earthly objects and emotions, which take persons away from God. Therefore, Baba was best fitted to bring all persons into a common fold. People had desires or objects that religion could grant through service to Him and acceptance of Him as the Gurudeva or guide. This work, which occupied so many decades of Baba’s life on earth, has greatly developed since his journey to HEAVEN.

Justice Mr. M.B. Rege made remarks in his foreword to Baba’s Charters and Sayings as: ‘ Now that the fleshy body is gone, he is to me only God’.

The fleshy body repelled many people who came to him because of their sectarian or other prejudices. When a person reads about Baba and note the effect of prayer to him with full faith, the physical body of Baba, the Muslim appearance, is not visible to repel him. Thus, his casting off the fleshy body in 1918 leaving tens of thousands bound to him by love and a system of worship by love. With the fame of his leelas He continued his mission to unify all faiths by acceptance of him as the common Gurudeva. Both Hindus and Muslims practice the worship of, or prayer to, tombs of saints. Hence it was easy for him to complete his mission successfully, even when He was not alive.

Kabir objected to images and image worship. On the other hand, Baba allowed people and even directed people to get to particular temples to worship the images there. He presented lingas, paduks, coins, and pictures to devotees as fit objects of worship especially his own pictures. These images too are needed to make the minds steady and concentrated in meditation. These steps helped others to bring more people into Baba’s fold.

Regardless of castes or creeds, any one who pins his faith to Baba, and appeals to him, gets remarkable relief. Therefore, leaving aside Baba’s birth, parentage, or training, in his corporeal life, people feel and convinced that this Sai is nothing but god. He is the dispenser of desired things to those who want them and make the proper approach. So Baba is the God or the God-man to all Sai devotees. While unifying India on that basis, he is the granter to millions of individual devotees, of all their cherished or most ardently longed for objects.

6.5 – Expansion of Worship

JAYAN — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:26:55 +0000

Love, keenest and burning love was the means and the end. Really every one wants Love with relief from distress and attainment of desired objects. Any person, irrespective of Religion can get Love, relief from distress and attainment of desired objects at Baba’s feet. Difference of religion did not arise at all as love to the Guru was the common plank of all. Many Hindus identified Baba with various gods or Avatars. Each man saw in Baba sometimes the very form of the deity that he wanted to worship. A South African doctor would respect none but Rama and did not care to approach a Muslim as Sai Baba was supposed to be. But when that South African Brahmin doctor came to the Masjid on the express stipulation that he would not bow to a Muslim Baba, he stayed for a few minutes outside and, afterwards, darted into the Mosque and fell at Baba’s feet. When asked for an explanation, he gave the answer, ‘I saw that Baba’s form was really the wonderful form of Neela Megha Syama Rama. As I found my Rama in Baba, I worshipped him’. Later Baba blessed him with Parama Ananda and love. This is a typical instance.

A Sub-Inspector of Police M.S.Nimonkar had regard for nothing except Hanuman, and when he was looking on, Baba appeared to his eyes exactly like Hanuman with all the hair and prognathous face. Binnewalla, N.G. Chandorkar’s relative, did not care for anything except Datta, and was anxious to go away form Shirdi Where Baba was worshipped. He wanted to go to some place where Datta could be seen. Suddenly to his eyes, Baba appeared with three heads, that is, as Datta. Baba exercised his powers to induce faith in the minds of all persons who approached him. Thus, he was Siva to Megha, Rama to the South African doctor, Krishna or Vittal to Krishna bhaktas, Maruti to Maruti bhaktas.

According to the feeling or attitude of mind of each person, you give him your experience. Such is Baba’s merciful leela or sport. Thus, he really was God; that is, he had not merely essence of God, Supreme Power and Love but also every form of God that the devotee wanted to see. With perfect truth Baba said,”Main Allahum(I am Allah or God),” as he was completely self- realized. When a Deputy Collector was gazing at Lakshminarayana’s figure at Bombay and concentrated his mind on that image it disappeared and Baba’s image took its place; the Deputy Collector was afraid that his concentration was a failure. But when he came to Shirdi. Baba knew what happened and asked him, “What is the difference between this form and Lakshminarayannan’s form? I am Lakshminarayan’. He showed in himself the form Ganapathi to others such as B.V.Dev’s sister.

6.4-Expansion of Worship

JAYAN — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:25:30 +0000

Here is another incidence to quote. H.S. Dixit was generally observing all propriety. Once, when talking at his quarters with some others, he fell into the unfortunate mood of decrying Christianity. After that, he went up to Baba to pay his respects. But Baba severely said, “Don’t come near me”. At once Dixit felt that, by decrying Christ and Christianity he had offended Baba. Immediately he repented. Only thereafter, Baba allowed him to approach him. When devotees were quarrelling amongst themselves, Baba expressly declared that he was feeling great pain. When devotees were pulled on amicably, he felt happy. His message was “Love one another like I love you all”. Baba’s love and wonderful power of reading and controlling hearts was mainly responsible for perfect harmony between Hindus and Muslims lived at Shirdi. In other places, in a Muslim festival, battles were fought, and heads were broken. But at Shirdi there was not a single occasion of a Hindu-Muslim clash or fight. When Baba’s pictures was carried in procession through all the streets including the neighbourhood of the Muslims, no one felt the least repulsion or objection. On the other hand, around the palanquin carrying his picture, Hindus and Muslims struggled with each other for the honour of carrying various insignia of devotion, namely, whisks, umbrella and Maces etc., Baba distributed Prasad brought by members of any community to all, and members of all communities accepted them without grudge. The important point to note about Baba’s unification is that there was no fixed book or doctrine to which he wanted all people to follow; and no fixed observance was forced on any one. Most of the devotees were Hindus, and they carried on their worship of Baba at the Masjid with rituals based on the Pandharpur Arti. Their bhajans were full of allusions to Hindu mythology. The Muslims who were present on such occasions were free to ignore all the above and simply regard Baba as their kindly disposed Auvlia – their Guardian. Christians and Parsis also had the same freedom and they adopted whatever course they thought was proper. There was no compulsion of any sort in the matter of religion before Baba. The common point was attachment through powerful love to the personality of a weird Guru who exercised all his vast and wonderful powers of seeing or knowing, everything everywhere and of even doing the impossible for the benefit of his devotees.

6.3-Expansion of Worship

JAYAN — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:24:02 +0000

The result was that Sai, allowed his worship to be done at the mosque by different people with varying sets of ideas. He was drawing all people to mysticism, the common essence of all religion. Thus He built up a slow but inevitable process of uniting community engaged in worship which ultimately could include at least the whole of India.

Sai devotion means:

1. Tolerance towards all,

2. Faith in god and in Sai as Guru, and

3. the acceptance of the basic principles found in all religions.

Sai Baba stressed these factors from time to time and many time. Sai allowed the Hindus to adopt their puranic method of worship and treat him either as an avatar or ishtadeva.

He allowed muslims approaching him to read their Koran and the shariat at the mosque and to join his flock as his devotees, treating him merely as an Auvlia or a saint with remarkable powers.

All alike noticed that sai was the soul of love and purity, and a storehouse of superhuman power and superhuman enlightenment. Thus Baba has succeeded in drawing the otherwise jarring and warring sects into a peaceful flock of Sai devotees.

During the daytime, when pooja is conducted with all the din, bustle, and formalities of mantras and rituals of Hindu worship in the Mosque or Dwarkamayee, the Muslims did not interfere. When the Muslims on idga day have their rituals or prayers at Baba’s Mosque, the Hindus did not interfere.

During the day, Hindu puranas, Tukaram gathas, Ramayan, Vedas, were being read or recited. At night the Koran or shariat was read or repeated either by Abdul or by a person known as their Rohilla; offerings were brought to Baba were distributed by him to all after fatia was pronounced in true Muslim fashion.

Though Baba did not himself perform the five Namazes every day he encouraged the orthodox Muslims to do so at his place. Baba was displeased and showed his anger when any religious intolerance was exhibited. On one occasion a devotee came up and informed Baba that the newly appointed Foujdar(police sub-inspector) at Rahtha is neither a Hindu nor a Muslim but a Christian. Baba’s immediate reply was, ‘What of that? He is my brother’.

6.2-Expansion of Worship

JAYAN — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:22:14 +0000

Kabir, Guru Nanak, and others attempted politics in the field of literature and religion. They tried to establish the bedrock of ideas on which Indian unification in religion could be accomplished. Each had some degree of success, but even their efforts fell short of that completion and perfection.

Sai Baba declared on one occasion that in a former janma he was Kabir, and it may be noted that Baba, as Kabir, was suiting the narrow views of former centuries, while Baba of the 19th and 20th centuries had broader views and more efficient means of reaching unity. Kabir brought under his own leadership Hindus and Muslims who gave up former labels and were called Kabir panthis. But after his demise, the spirit of division came in, and there were Hindu Kabir panthis and Muslim Kabir panthis separating each form the other. Guru Nanak also accomplished the same remarkable feat in bringing Islam and Hinduism Closer to each other. But the Sikhs, who now represent the fruits of his labours, cannot provide any basis for the religious unification of India.

Sai baba fully grasped the difficulties of the problem. The only thing that could bring Hindus and Muslims together was a weird, saintly personality acting as a Guru or god- man. He must be absolutely neutral, and must allow all Sections of religions to have their own ways. Sai Baba, having all these qualities, was bringing all people to a common platform, namely devotion to that saintly personality and enabling them to see that the differences are petty and ridiculous, unworthy of serious men of jnana or realisation. Divine qualities combined with super – human powers were in Sai Baba. Even-minded beneficence were so patently manifested that all alike. Hindus, muslims and Christians, who came to know about him felt that they were before a higher influence and that they could all approach and reach god through him; that he was the high watermark of saintliness, or godliness of god head and they willingly made him their Guru deva or protector. Some of them treated him as their God.

6.1-Expansion of Worship

JAYAN — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:18:37 +0000

We have seen so far how the worship of Sri Sai Baba expanded during his lifetime. This did not stop with 1918 but continued to expand further and further. It further extended in its inwardness and attained high results. Modes of worship spread Sai faith to all parts of India and beyond. Any one touring the Indian States can observe the results of Worship of Sri Sai. There are over hundered institutions named after Sai, carrying on Sai Puja, Sai Bhajan, Sai Prachar, often called Sai Samajs or Sammelans, Bhajan groups. Most of them have Sai Mandirs with decent buildings suitable with gopuras or towers with compounds. In Madras city alone we have the Mylapore All India Sai Samaj Sai Mandir, the Guindy Sai Mandir and the Egmore Sai Mandir. At Kurnool, Coimbatore, Ventrapragada, Tenali and other places there are notable Mandirs attracting thousands to worship there. Sri Sai Baba has foreseen all this expansion.

Baba allowed his own worship with the forethought that it would be the means for providing temporal and spiritual benefits to millions of individuals and also the means of solving India’s national problems of communal and religious unity as Sarva loka malapaha. In India we have not merely Hindu and Mohammadan divisons but various subdivisions of religion, among their major communities also. They differ widely from one another in their ideas and modes of worship. Till recently, religion meant differences between group and group and, therefore, mutual conflicts, preventing the unification of India or even of Hinduism, urgently calling for its purification and unification. Sri Vishnu and Siva conflicts have been going on for centuries (also Hindu-Muslim conflicts). Credit must be given to Akbar for trying to solve the problem of religious disunity in India by using his powerful position and influence. He tried to unify and consolidate the two chief religions, namely, Hinduism and Islam, by making the representatives of both gather at one place to worship the common father for all, Din Ilahi. Akbar’s attempt though slightly successful during his days, perished with him. His successors did not take up the idea and some of them took up the opposite idea of oppressing the non-Muslims and compelled them embrace Islam. Aurangazeb did so.