Shri Sai The Superman By Swami Sai Sharan Anand-Part 2

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1. BIRTH, RACE AND FAMILY - CONTINUED

Most of the devotees of Shri Sai Baba fall under this class. The late Hon'ble Hari Sitaram Dixit B. A., LL.B., solicitor, the late Shri Nana Saheb Chandorkar, B. A., EX-District Deputy Collector, the late Shri Anna Saheb Dabholkar, the learned author of Shri Sai Satcharitra, the late Rao Bahadur Moreshwar Pradhan, J.P., ex-member of the Bombay Legislative Council, the late Shri G.S. Khaparde, B. A., LL.B., ex-member of the Bombay Legislative Assembly, the late Rao Saheb Yashvantrao G. Galvankar B. A. Shri M.B. Rege. Indore judge as also the Sai Baba Sansthan Committee members of 1953 held and hold and hold this view.

There are other devotees who have been worshipping some other deities or are followers of some other religious teachers-all these seen in Sai Baba their own deity, or their own religious teacher and worship Him for the realisation of truth through Him, Sai Baba. Worshippers of Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Vithal, Pandurang, Ramchandra, Goddesses, Guru Dattatraya, Swami Akkalkot Gholap etc. all come under this category, Baba actually assumed the form of these gods and goddesses. And satisfied the devotees of these gods & goddesses. For the disciple of Gholap Swami, he assumed the form of the Sanyasi Gholap Swami and of that intent of His. He gave an inkling to his other devotees by asking them to fetch for Him (Gerua) redochre Clay, Devotees of Swami Akkalkot identify Him with Akkalkot Swami from what He said to Shri Pitale of Bombay, "I have already given you Rs.2, take these three more, keep them safe.’ Pitale’s father had been given Rs.2/- by Akkalkot Swami; and so the reference that Baba gave those two rupees, unequivocally stating that He Himself had given him those two rupees, clearly goes to indicate that He Himself was none other than the Swami of Akkalkot. Some Devotees of Guru Dattartraya trace the pedigree of Akkalkot. Some Devotees of Guru Dattartraya trace the pedigree of Akkalkot. Some Swami to Guru Dattatraya through Nirsinha Swami, the last incarnation of Guru Dattatraya. Other devotees of Guru Dattatraya state that Shri Akkalkot Swami was the contemporary of Shri Manik Prabhu, the well-known incarnation of Guru Dattatraya and that it is an undisputed fact that Shri Sai Baba was none other that Swami Shri of Akkalkot. Shri Baba was therefore an incarnation of Shri Guru Dattatraya. We have nothing to state against this theory of Shri Baba being an incarnation of Dattatraya but we simply state that a person is what he is not because he can be shown to be a member of the high pedigree of certain Gods or gurus, since they are born great, the high pedigree could not in any way go to make them greater. Apart from this as well they are great, not only great but none in human form could be greater, none can surpass them. These remarks equally apply to devotees who trace Sai Baba to the Nine Masters, Matsyendranath, Gorakhanath and others. Some of Baba’s prominent devotees hold the same view.

(1) One Shri Ganpatrao Dattarya Sahasrabuddhe alias Das Ganu actually seeing the holy Ganges trickling down from Shri Sai’s feet in a small stream, just when he desired to have a dip in the holy river, in the fervour of his love for Baba, composed a prayer describing Baba as Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh (i.e. Gods of creation, protection and destruction).

(2) Another personage of this class is the great Upasani Maharaj. In the course of his three years’ stay at Shirdi, he was fully convinced that Shri Baba had not only realised Brahman but had been (become) perfect Brahman and so in the fervour of that enthusiasm he composed a prayer of several hymns on Sai Baba; the first verse of which said, "’Baba was the original Sat Chit Anand Swarup, the primordial cause of original existence and destruction of the Universe and that Baba had appeared (Manifested Himself) as human being as the outcome of the ardent desire of His devotees to see Him as such." The recurring burthen of the eight verses of this prayer is, "I bow to that God-Sadguru Sai Baba.’ In the eighth verse of the said prayer he declares Sai Baba to be "The unborn, The veritable Brahman.’ Looking to the most important task of moulding and regenerating the lives of thousands of males and females (by imparting to them godly knowledge) That awaited him in future Shri Sai Baba got him to practise severe penance for three years at Shirdi and awarded him in return powers of clairvoyance, assuming all forms at will becoming invisible at will etc. which subsequently drew to him people in thousands. He did appreciate all this and to show this, going to Benaras with his devotees he performed the obsequial ceremony of Baba and other bygone saints spending thousands of rupees.

(3) Another great devotee is the late lamented Shri B.V. Narasimha Swamiji, a law graduate and an ex-member of the Legislative Council, author of the lives of several saints, who had dedicated the last 29 years of his life to spreading the name and fame of Shri Sai Baba throughout the length and breadth of Madras. He declares that Baba was born of Brahmin parents of Pathri-a village of Nizam Hyderabad and then he was given over to a Fakir for being trained.

(4) Shri Sathya-Sai-Baba, who claims to be reincarnation of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, states that as Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, he was born at Pathri on the banks of the Godavari of very pious parents and that as a result of Shri Shanker’s boon they got Him; but that at the time He was, born, both the parents had got so much detached from the world that they left the Sai Baba child under a tree to the mercy of God and went away to practise penance. A childless Fakir couple passing by the way picked up and brought Him up as their child. When however the little Sai Baba grew up, He was found so much attached to the worship of Shanker’s Shivalinga that the Fakir drove him away; so he came to Shirdi and settled down there. (Life of Shri Sathya Sai Baba Part I by N. Kasturi; Pages 210 to 216, 2nd edition.)

(5) Another personage Madhvnath a great saint also told his disciple that Shri Sai Baba was the eldest of the three sons of a Yajurvedi Deshasth Brahmin of Pathri and that he was handed over to a Fakir, for the parents thought that the sons born to them were the outcome of the blessings that the then childless parents had received from that Fakir in lieu of the services rendered by them for him.


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