SAI: THE SUPREME

To quote one incident:
One fine morning (sometime after 1910) people thronged
before the mosque where Baba began to make preparations
for flouring wheat by setting a hand-mill on a sack and
grinding wheat. Thereafter, one could read the amazing
faces of the people present. They riddled themselves-about
the freakish nature of Baba as there was no need for grinding
wheat for he was living on alms. Why was he grinding wheat?
- was only the puzzling question to them. Four bold women
folk disburdened him by taking forcibly the peg of hand-mill
into their hands and singing the glory of Sai Nath, embarking
on their business. The Treasure of Love gave a repugnant look
at them for a while but beholding their inveterate love and
devotion towards him, gave an enchanting chuckle. They
finished grinding and shared the flour among themselves,
dreaming of a good feast at home. This impelled him to assail
them with abuses, What made you go mad? Whose father's
property is this?" Furthermore, "What induced you to loot
away this property? Do I owe you anything so that you can
take this safely?" After this he asked them to spread the flour
on the borders of the village limits. The women obeyed his
directions and surprisingly this resulted in the eradiction of
cholera in the village.

The Philosophical Significance of Grinding
Apart from the meaning which the people of Shirdi put on this
incident of grinding wheat there is, we think, a philosophical
significance too. Sai Baba lived in Shirdi for about sixty years
and during this long period, he did the business of grinding
almost every day -not, however, the wheat alone; but the sins,
the mental and physical afflictions and the miseries of his
innumerable devotees. The two stones of his mill consisted
of karma and bhakti, the former being the lower and the latter
being the upper one. The handle with which Baba worked the
mill consisted of Jnana. It was the firm conviction of Baba that
knowledge or Self-realisation is not possible, unless there is
the prior act of grinding of all our impulses, desires, sins; and
of the three gunas, viz. as Sattva, Raj and Tamas; and the
Ahmakara, which is so subtle and therefore so difficult to be
got rid of.
(Sai Sat Charita - Chapter I).
For a while O man, ponder over,
Not even a piece of cloth to cover,
With pearls embedded necklace never,
Nor with brightened bracelets in showers,
While coming from mother's womb
Or entering into the tomb.
Thine karmas good and bad are yours ever,
O man, Don't forget ever
Sai Nath's blessings are your true saviour.

"If one meditates on me, repeats my name, sings my deeds,
and is thus transformed in me, one's Karma is destroyed. I
stay by his side always."

-Shirdi Sai Baba.