Sai Baba the Master by E.Bharadwaja

[Guest guest]

One Tatya Baba Kote writes that before Sai Baba came to live in the

mosque, he lived for some time in a jungle of thorny trees (Babul or

Acacia) and that he was taken to be a madman by the village urchins

who

often stoned him. But he never got angry with them nor protested

against

their waywardness.

 

Thus the birth, parentage, religion, caste and the native place of

Baba

remained a mystery. Many people repeatedly asked him about these

details

but he quietly put them off the point with a smile. Once a thief who

was

arrested by the police told the Dhulia Court that he was given the

valuable articles in his possession by Sai Baba of Shirdi. Then the

Dhulia

court sent a Commissioner to record Baba’s replies to the inquiries.

The

inquiry went on thus:

“What is your Name?”

“They call me Sai baba”.

“Your father’s name?”

“Also Sai Baba”.

“Your guru’s name?”

“Venkusa”.

“Your religion?”

“Kabir”.

“Caste or Community?”

“Parvardigar”(God).

“Your age?”

“Lakhs of years”.

It is evident from these replies that Baba did not look upon himself

as

his body and so he never revealed anything of his early life to any

devotee.

However, once he is reported to have told late Sri Mahalsapathy that

he

was horn in a Brahmin family in the village of Patri and that at an

early

age he was given away by his parents to a fakir. Perhaps we should

take it

as a cryptic and allegorical statement that was characteristic of him.

For

instance, he always referred to God as “the merciful Fakir”, He also

said

once, “I came here (to Shirdi) from Aurangabad. My mama (uncle)

brought me

down here”. He once told Swami Sai Sharananandaji, “I was only eight

years

old when I left my parents and came to the Ganges. (Baba always

referred

to the Godavari River near Kopargaon as ‘Ganges’) Then I came to

Shirdi”.

This is perhaps an instance of Baba identifying himself with

Sripadavallabha the first manifestation of Lord Dattatreya who left

his

home at the early age of eight.

 

 

(To be contd....)

 

Source http://www.saibharadwaja.org)