SHIRDI GUIDE MAP

GUIDE MAP OF SHIRDI

DEVOTEES HOUSE Bhagoji Shinde's House

Bhagoji Shinde's House

Bhagoji was a sort of attendant to Baba, engaged in regular service to him. He was the first to enter the mosque in the early morning, and every day he used to massage first Baba's right arm and then his body. Then he would light a chillim and the two of them would share it. Bhagoji also had the privilege of carrying the umbrella for Baba when he went to Lendi.

When Bhagoji came into contact with Baba he had leprosy. The disease was cured by taking Baba's teerth, though he remained partially disfigured.

Bhagoji's house, known as Shinde Wada, is just behind Laxmibai's house. To find it, turn left out of the Chavadi. Within a few metres you will see Narasinh Lodge on a right-hand corner, with a pair of holy padukas set in the wall. Turn right down this lane, and the compound of Shinde Wada lies on your right, behind a solid old wooden door. Entering, you may see Bhagoji's house in the back right-hand corner. The compound is adjacent to a pharmacy run by a relative of Bhagoji.

Madhav Rao Deshpande's ("Shama") House

Madhav Rao Deshpande's ("Shama") House

This house is mentioned in the Shri Sai Satcharitra, as Baba sent Hemadpant here to collect dakshina from Shama and to have a chat with him. Hemadpant had been feeling disconsolate because a newcomer to Shirdi had just had a wonderful vision after doing a seven-day parayana of Gurucharitra, whereas Hemadpant had been studying it for forty years and felt he had not had any result. "No sooner did this thought cross his mind, than Baba knew it then and there." Hemadpant's subsequent conversation with Shama on the verandah of this house resulted in one of the most beautiful passages in the entire Shri Sai Satcharitra (Ch. 18), in which Baba speaks (to Radhabai Deshmukh) of the great bond between himself and his guru.

Shama was among the most intimate devotees of Baba, and acted like a personal secretary to him. Baba once told Shama that they had been together for seventy-two generations. Shama's parents had moved to Shirdi from Nimon (five kilometres away) when Shama was only two. He became a school teacher in a room next door to the mosque and his interest in Baba was kindled there.

Shama's house is a few metres from Dwarkamai - take the lane opposite and bear immediately right following the narrow winding lane. There is a sign on the building and it is still occupied by Shama's daughter-in-law. His son, Uddhavrao, passed away in 1998.

Mhalsapati's House

Mhalsapati's House

Mhalsapati, who had the benefit of forty to fifty unbroken years with Sai Baba, may be considered among the foremost of his devotees. He was the first to worship Baba, the first to greet him on his arrival in Shirdi and to address him as "Sai" (Saint). Only Mhalsapati and one other (Tatya Kote Patil) were allowed to stay with Baba in the mosque at night.

Mhalsapati was the hereditary priest of Khandoba Temple, and hereditary goldsmith of Shirdi (though later he gave up this trade). His education was minimal, but he was noted for his piousness. He also used to receive and help visiting fakirs, and sadhus such as Devidas and Janakidas. His income was so scant that he and his family would sometimes have to go without food, but absorbed as he was in his religious practices, this did not seem to disturb him unduly. Mhalsapati was so identified with his God, Khandoba, that he sometimes entered trances and talked as if possessed by him. In this way, he fulfilled the role of village shaman and villagers would put questions to Khandoba, via the medium of Mhalsapati.

In 1886 Mhalsapati was entrusted with a very important responsibility that was literally a matter of life and death, and which had far-reaching implications. Baba, who had been suffering from breathing difficulties, told him that he was "going to Allah", and that Mhalsapati should look after his body for three days. "If I do not return," said Baba, "then get it buried near the neem tree." On uttering these words, Baba passed out. Mhalsapati sat for three days with Baba's body on his lap. When village officers held an inquest and declared Baba dead, Mhalsapati remained steadfast and refused to allow them to take the body for burial. After this, Baba revived to live for another thirty-two years!

In such ways, Mhalsapati gave continued and devoted service to Baba throughout. In return, Baba guided and protected him, and kept him on a high moral and spiritual course. In his Life of Sai Baba B. V. Narasimhaswami has recorded some of the many occasions on which Baba came to Mhalsapati's aid during their long association. They include curing his wife's throat tumour, manifesting to Mhalsapati at Jejuri 150 miles away to reassure him that his party would not be touched by the plague that raged there, and warning him of the peril of coming events (such as a snake on his pathway home, a fight in a house he was to visit, an insulting situation at another, etc).

Mhalsapati survived Baba by four years. During that time he continued to sleep in the mosque, perform daily worship of Baba and Khandoba, observe mouna (silence) and sit in meditation. Baba had moulded this simple and conservative yet dedicated priest into a paragon of spiritual excellence. An indication of his attainment is the mode of his death. On an auspicious ekadasi day, Mhalsapati gave instructions to his family and told them that he would "close [his] earthly life and go to heaven" that day. With his loved ones around him chanting Ramachandra japa, and himself uttering the word "Ram", he left consciously and peacefully. It was a fitting end to a lofty life of spiritual endeavour.

Mhalsapati's remains are interred in his modest house, where his great grandson now lives. It is open to visitors and some people like to worship at the samadhi and take darshan of the things here that Baba gave Mhalsapati. One of Baba's kafnis, one of his satkas, three coins, some udi and a pair of Baba's padukas are kept here. The house is located just beyond Laxmibai Shinde's place, a little further up the lane at the next opening. The walls are painted and there is a sign above the door.

HOUSES OF DEVOTEE'S LAXMIBAI SHINDE

Laxmibai Shinde's House

Laxmibai Shinde was one of the half dozen or so devotees who were with Baba when he passed away, and the only woman who was allowed in the mosque when the curtain was down. (In those days, the curtain acted as a door, and screened the upper part of the mosque.) Like several other close devotees, she used to prepare food for Baba every day. Baba gave her four rupees daily, and just before he died he gave her a total of nine rupees. Some people see these as symbolizing the nine forms of devotion, others as the nine characteristics of a good disciple, as indicated in the Bhagavata Purana. The coins are kept with a statue of Laxmibai in the small house which is open to the public. To find it, walk a few metres down the narrow lane which starts opposite the Chavadi until you come to a small open area on your left; here you will see the house with samadhi in front.

Gurusthan

Gurusthan

Gurusthan means "place of the guru". It is where Baba spent most of his time when he first came to Shirdi, and also where, according to Baba, the tomb of his own guru is located, by the neem tree. Gurusthan is therefore one of the most important places in Shirdi. Once when some villagers were digging the foundations for Sathe Wada just behind the neem tree, they came across some bricks in the soil and what looked like the opening of a tunnel. Uncertain whether to proceed or not, they asked Baba what they should do. He told them that this was the site of the tombs of his ancestors and that it would be better not to disturb them.

There are several ref-erences to Baba's guru recorded in the literature, but they are somewhat enigmatic, and it is not clear whether he was referring to a guru in his present lifetime, or a previous one.

"In human life, the guru's place is pre-eminent. By keeping utmost faith in the guru alone, everything is obtained. A devotee's entire strength is due to his guru. Devotion to the guru is superior to devotion to gods and goddesses. The guru is the supreme being."
-- Sri Sai Baba

We have already seen (in the Foreword) the importance that mahatmas give to staying at the place and tombs of saints. In accord-ance with this principle Baba made Shirdi his base because it was the place of his guru. To really grasp the significance of the gurusthan in this tradition, we should understand the importance of the guru. Sai Baba has told us that learning and scriptural knowledge are not necessary, but rather, "Trust in the guru fully. That is the only sadhana." A reading of his life and teachings helps to inculcate this trust and shows us that Baba's life was itself the epitome of this central truth. As B. V. Narasimhaswami has commented, "Baba's biography is the practical illustration of what guru and sishya mean, and of the principles that govern their mutual relation."

Perhaps the first thing that catches our eye at Gurusthan is the huge neem tree. This tree gave shelter to Baba for a few years when he stayed beneath it. Neem has many medicinal properties, though its leaves are notoriously bitter. However, some people once reported that the leaves of one of the branches tasted sweet. For them this was a sign of Baba's grace; others see it as evidence of the tree's exceptional sanctity.

One anecdote concerning the neem tree illustrates how practical and down-to-earth Baba could be. In the early 1900s, after Baba had moved to the mosque, construction work on Sathe Wada was hampered by a long branch of the tree. However, nobody wanted to remove it as this tree had been sanctified by Baba's stay under it. When Baba was approached for his advice he told the villagers, "Cut off however much is interfering with the construction. Even if it is our own foetus which is lying across the womb, we must cut it!" But despite this clear instruction from Baba, none dared meddle with the tree. Eventually Baba himself climbed up and lopped off the branch.

Another reason for the villagers' reluctance to prune the tree may have been that some time previously a boy had climbed the tree to trim it, and had fallen to the ground and died. At that moment Baba, who was in the mosque, sounded a note of distress, blowing sanka (the sound a conch shell makes when blown into) with his cupped hands. Baba sometimes did this when a person was in great danger, although he could not have "seen" from the mosque what was occurring at Gurusthan. Villagers linked the boy's death with his attempt to cut the tree, and became afraid to do anything that might have been a sacrilege.

Today at Gurusthan, in addition to the neem tree, there is a pair of marble padukas on a pedestal, a Shivalingam and a statue of Baba. The statue, carved by the grandson of the sculptor of the Samadhi Mandir statue, was donated by Y. D. Dave and installed in 1974; the other items were set up in Baba's time.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL

The Padukas

The Padukas

The padukas were the initiative of a couple of devotees from Bombay. During their visit to Shirdi they became friendly with two local devotees, G. K. Dixit (not to be confused with H. S. "Kakasaheb" Dixit) and Sagun Meru Naik. As they were sitting talking one day, they all felt it would be good if there were some kind of memorial to Baba's advent in Shirdi and his stay under the neem tree. They first thought of laying some padukas made of rough stone. Then one of them suggested that if he put the proposal to his employer, Dr Ramrao Kothare (who had accompanied them to Shirdi), he would probably be willing to sponsor something more elegant. Dr Kothare gladly came back to Shirdi from Bombay, drew up a plan for the padukas and showed it to Upasani Baba. Sri Upasani made some improvements adding a conch, lotus, and Mahavishnu wheel, and suggested that two of his Sanskrit slokas extolling the tree's greatness and Baba's powers be inscribed on the padukas' pedestal. These slokas constitute part of Sri Sainatha Mahima Stotram, which is sung twice a day in Shirdi as part of the noon and evening aratis. They translate as follows:

I bow to Lord Sainath, who by his constant stay at the foot of the neem tree - which although bitter and unpleasant, was yet oozing nectar - made it better than the wish-fulfilling tree.

I bow to Lord Sainath, who always takes delight in resting under the neem tree and bestowing material and spiritual prosperity upon his devotees who lovingly attend on him.

The padukas were made in Bombay and sent to Shirdi. When they arrived, Baba said they should be installed on August full moon day. So on 15 August 1912 they were duly taken in ceremonious procession from Khandoba Temple to the mosque, where Baba touched them and said they were Allah's padukas and to put them at the foot of the neem tree.

Arati was already being performed every day in Sathe Wada and Dixit Wada, and with the installation of the padukas at Gurusthan, a third was started; G. K. Dixit (who had carried them on his head) was employed to officiate.

A few months after their installation the padukas were damaged by a lunatic who also destroyed some of Shirdi's temple idols. The devotees were very distressed, believing it augured ill. Baba, however, took the matter casually and told them simply to repair the crack with cement and undertake a feeding of the poor. Later, the broken padukas were replaced and the originals are said to be in the pedestal underneath.

The lingam was installed in Gurusthan the same year. It had previously belonged to Megha Shyam, a zealous devotee of Sri Sai Baba, who had taken over officiating at the arati in the mosque after the demise of Tatyasaheb Noolkar. How Megha acquired the lingam is a beautiful example of Baba's leela. Megha was a simple, austere Gujarati Brahmin, who worshipped Shiva but saw his chosen deity in Sai Baba. Characteristically, Baba encouraged his devotee to maintain his worship of Shiva. One day Baba blessed him with a vision, appearing to him early one morning telling him to draw a trident (emblem of Shiva) and leaving behind a few grains of akshata (rice that has been coloured red, used in worship). When Megha went to him in the mosque Baba emphatically confirmed the instruction, and Megha returned to his room to carry it out. The next day someone presented a Shivalingam to Baba. Baba called Megha over, saying, "Look, Shiva has come for you!" and giving the lingam to Megha, told him to use it for worship.

At that time, Megha was staying in Dixit Wada. He took the lingam home with him and showed it to H. S. Dixit. Dixit then disclosed a strange coincidence: he had just had his bath and was thinking of Baba, when he had a vision of a lingam arriving at the wada - whose exact replica Megha was now bringing!

Megha worshipped this lingam with great dedication until the end of his days. When the padukas were to be installed, the devotees wanted to take the opportunity to put a Shiva-lingam there too. If there was a tomb here as Baba had said, then according to Hindu custom, it required a lingam. They therefore asked Baba's permission and he said they could use the lingam that Megha had worshipped until his death at the beginning of that year. So the lingam that we see there now is the same one that Baba lovingly handed over to Megha.

During Baba's lifetime, Gurusthan was completely open and looked quite different from the fully paved and enclosed area it has now become. Sri Sai Baba said that whoever burns incense and cleans here on Thursdays and Fridays would be blessed by Allah (Thursday is sacred to Hindus, and Friday to Muslims). We assume that out of love and respect for his guru, Baba wishes the place to be venerated and kept clean.

A small dhuni on a stand is kept in front of the shrine here. Until recently it was kindled every day by embers brought from the main dhuni at the mosque, but this is now done only on Thursdays and Fridays.

Finally, before we leave Gurusthan, let us return to the mighty neem tree. Since the 1980s, with Sri Babuji's example and encouragement, more and more devotees have started doing pradakshina around the tree (and thereby the tomb). Now, one can often see large numbers of people going around throughout the day and night. Others find that Gurusthan is a powerful place to sit quietly. Some people regard the tree as a symbol of the Guru's grace under which humanity may take shelter and protection. Indeed, Sai Baba once commented that his devotees are simply resting in the shade of the neem tree while he bears the brunt of their deeds.

BOW TO SHRI SAI - PEACE BE TO ALL