We pray Shri Sainath to bring about a creative and loving confluence among his devotees and all the living beings on

[Guest guest]

……“During our time, in the form of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba, had taken place

the biggest confluence of all spiritual paths, all religious groups, all

cultures and devotees, notwithstanding their wide-ranging variations. The

Hindus, Parsees, Muslims and followers of other religions used to come to Him

for both temporal and spiritual benefit and got it. The high and low, the young

and old, men and women, beggars and rulers all took shelter in Him. He was the

kind father to all - the great equalizer of His time. He was a spiritual

revolutionary and the greatest social reformer. At Shirdi, He ushered in an

epoch of universality and mutual tolerance by meting out equal treatment to all

who came - no matter to what religion, social or economic status they belonged.

There was no differentiation between males and females before Shri Sai. Thus,

Bayaji Maa, Radhakrishna Bai and Laxmi Bai - all became important characters

during the time of Sai. The richest man

of Nagpur named Buti was there side-by-side with a devotee like Mhalsapati, who

could hardly eke out his livelihood. Dasganu, the police constable was treated

at par with Nana Saheb Chandorkar, who was the Magistrate. Megha, the cook of

Raybahadur Sathe was as important as the master. Kaka Saheb Dixit, one of the

greatest solicitors of Maharastra used to beg for Baba at Shirdi, when Baba was

sick. Abdul, the Muslim used to look after Baba’s personal needs, as much as

Shyama, the high caste Brahmin. Saints and Faquirs used to meet Him for

spiritual guidance as also the lesser mortals. Even the birds and animals sought

refuge in Him. In Shirdi one can see the tomb of a horse and a tiger as also the

tombs of Saints like Nanavali, Kumbhar, Bhaw, etc. Ramnavami and Shri Krishna

Janma were celebrated by Baba as also Id-ul¬fitr. Baba introduced group dinner,

group celebration and even group smoking from Chillum. Under the divine umbrella

of Shri Sai all

devotees forgot their pettiness of caste, religion and creed and mirthfully

lived together. Important people like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Kaka Saheb Dixit,

Buti and many high level officials used to visit Him. Magistrates, Judges,

Businessmen, Merchants, Teachers, Police personnel as also beggars, destitute

and the poorest of the poor used to visit Him for solace and support.

 

This was certainly no easy task to perform in a society ridden by religious,

social and caste differentiation in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Shri

Sai, the son of God not only achieved this with ease but set a futuristic

standard for the emancipation of human souls out of these bondages. Where human

souls meet purely in a divine plane that place becomes the heaven on earth. For

the devotees of Baba, Shirdi was the heaven on earth whereto they ran whenever

the call came from the Master as they do today. In this month of Makara

Sankranti, when the Kumbha Mela is taking place at Sangam we pray Shri Sainath

to bring about a creative and loving confluence among his devotees and all the

living beings on earth.â€â€¦â€¦.