XXXIV. Sri Sai Baba and National Unity

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XXXIV. SRI SAI BABA AND NATIONAL UNITY

 

The peaceful atmosphere of Sri Sai Baba's sansthan was never disturbed by

politics or other controversies. In his own quiet unostentatious way,'Baba

was however laying the solid foundations of Indian Unity, and affording both

by example and precept valuable suggestions for Indian's welfare. The

greatest stumbling block in its way is the difficulty of yoking together the

two great communities to the common cause and making them pull in unison and

amity. Let us note Baba's contribution to this great task.

While at Bombay and in other places, heads were being broken, temples,

mosques and houses were burnt down, at Shirdi each of these groups built or

lent a hand in building the others' temples, mosques and houses.

Happy Co-operation :

A Hindu Revenue Inspector gave Baba stones for the reconstruction of His

mosque; and Baba gifted them all away for the reconstruction of the Hindu

temples in the village. The Hindus later collected thousands of rupees and

reconstructed His mosque.

A devotee of Sri Sai Baba viz., Sri Upasani Maharaj has put up at Sakori (3

miles off Shirdi) a neat little mosque within twenty yards of the local Siva

and Maruti temples, without any disturbance of public or private

tranquillity. Hindus and Muslims have alwayi joined together for the

processions and celebrations in honour of Sri Sai Baba, and for prayers at

the tomb; and both partook of the vegetarian offerings (Naivedya) brought by

both to Baba, after due pronouncement of Namaz.

Against Coaversion :

Sri Sai Baba symbolised the coming unity of the two creeds in himself and in

his abode. Like Kabir - Baba said he was Kabir in a former birth - he

combined in himself the Hindu boring of ears with Muslim circumcision. He

dressed like a Muslim Fakir, but was painted, garlanded and ornamented like

a Hindu image. He spoke to Muslims in their Hindustani and to Hindus in

their Marathi and quoted the Koran to the former and the Puran to the

latter. He gave advice and help suited to each and was the friend and father

of all. He was strictly conservative and kept each group or individual to

its or his customary observances and lines of progress. He hated

proselytism. Once when Bade Baba, the Malegaon Fakir, brought with him a

Hindu recenly converted to Islam, Baba mockingly asked the latter (knowing,

of coarse, that the conversion was external and not a change of beart):

"Well, have you changed your father?"

Pooja and Koran :

The building In which Baba resided was the 'masjid’ of the Muslims; but it

was styled 'Dwaraka-Mayi' by Baba himself and the Hindus. It contained the

niche in the western wall called 'nimbar' representing the Caaba of Mecca,

to which all orthodox Muslims should turn at times of prayer, and also a

perpetual fire, with its sacred ashes, a platform round the sacred tulasi

for Pradakshina, and a garlanded portrait of Baba for pooja. Hindu

scriptures were read there by day and the Koran by night. And at noon,

worship of Baba was carried on with Hindu hymns to the accompaniment of

deafenning music. Fully justified was Baba's remark— "This is Brahmin s

mosque."

But this strange, though not unprecedented, assimilation of the two

religions into one was not achieved without the exercise of the vast powers,

the intense love and watchful zeal of Sri Sai Baba for many decades. And at

times, especially at the outset, there were occasions for friction. But

under Baba's care, actual friction was averted. These instances were very

few-not more than 3 or 4 during a period of 3 or 4 deeades, and they are the

exceptions which prove the rule. We shall notice them very briefly.

Defies a Threat :

Painting Baba with sandal and worshipping him at the mosque was the first

and foremost cause of dissatisfaction to Mussalmans. In fact, Baba

himself disliked these and was long preventing their performance. But

the loving heart of Sai could not long resist the persistent ardour of

his Hindu 'children' and he finally yielded his reluctant assent. The

Muslims of Shirdi, however, were not at first inclined to yield their

assent. On the other hand, they invoked the aid of Sangamner Kazi and

held a council of war at which it was resolved that further discreation

of the mosque should be stopped by the use of force. They resolved to

beat Mahlsa-pathy—this was probably in ths nineties of the last century,

when he was the only regular worshipper of Baba—in case he continued to

paint and worship Baba at the mosque. When that feeble-bodied devotee

learnt of the mischief that was brewing he stood outside the mosque and

carried on his pooja of Baba. But Baba knew his own power, the weakness

of the opposition and the vast advantages to the public of the

development of his worship. He called Mahlsapathy into the mosque and

ordered him to go on with the usual painting and pooja—defying terrorism to

lift its head, if it dared. The Moulvi and other present were cowed

down by the firmness of this Shirdi Wizard, and gave up all idea of

molesting Mahlsapathy or any other worshipper.

Patban's Terrible Offer :

More than a decade after the above incident, when the worship of Baba had

become general, marked and assertive, a few die-hards tried to stem this

current^ and stop the "desecration of the mosque and the transformation of a

Muslim fakir into a Hindu Idol". One midnight, in 1915 when Baba was

sleeping at the chavadi along with R. A. Tarkhad, some other Hindus and a

fierce Pathan, the last got up and telling Baba that the Hindus were

"spoiling" and ruining him begged permission to cut all the Hindu throats

immediately. R. A. Tarkhad woke up and shuddered at the prospect of being

murdered in cold blood. But Baba the watchful mother that he was, came to

the rescue. He took the entire responsioility for all the heterodox

practices at the mosque on himself, and declared that it was his madness

that spoilt the Hindus and that consequently his own throat might be cut, if

that was desired. As this zealot for the purity of Islam was not willing to

go so far, the matter was dropped.

Punished on the Spot:

A little later, another Pathan who left Police service for a fakir's life,

was staying with Baba at Shirdi. His zeal first spent itself in shounting

out the t'Kalam", throughout the night of the proximity of Baba. The

villagers whose sleep was thus disturbed wished to drive him out. But Baba

supported him, fed him and maintained him there. This "Rohilla" (as he was

incorrectly named) though convinced by Baba's vast powers and goodness, that

Baba was nothing less than Paygambar (i.e., Prophet) felt at the same time

that Baba was striking at the root of Muslim orthodox traditions. This

feeling gathered strength in a short time and one day this "Rohilla" decided

to murder Baba and approached him from behind with a club. But the

omniscience of Baba was equal to the occasion. He simply turned back and

with a glance and a touch pinned the would-be-murderer to the ground whence

he was unable to lift himself without other's help. This was probably the

last attempt at interference with the peaceful and united celebration of

Baba's worship at Shirdi.

After Death :

When Baba passed away in October 1918, disputes arose as to the disposal of

his mortal remains. Some Muslims were anxious to assert their right to this

"Muslim” saint's tomb, and to keep it under their own control. The majority

of worshippers being Hindus resisted the demand. The ease with which the

problem was solved showed how greatly Baba had toned down creed asperities

at Shirdi. When the disputes were going on, and the corpse remained

unburied, the customary Hindu worship was proceeding. The public authorities

that came on the scene took a plebiscite, through mahazars which showed that

the majority of devotees were in favour of respecting Baba's own wish to be

interred in a recent edifice of his Hindu devotee, G. M. Buty. The Muslims

agreed, stipulating only that they should have free access to the tomb and

mosque as usual. The utter absence of mutual violence on this occasion

speaks volumes for the toleration and co-operation so sedulously cultivated

by Baba at Shirdi.

There are numerous saints all over the country, who have a following among

both the communities. Is it too much to hope that they also would develop

the spirit of toleration and amity as at Shirdi and render real Hindu-Muslim

unity an accomplished fact?

 

(This is from the book"The Wonderous Saint Sai Baba" written by Pujyasri

V.Narasimaswami,founder President of All India Sai Samaj,

Chennai...........This book can be read from www.saileelas.org)