Worship of Sai Baba By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji

Worship of Sai Baba By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji

Worship of Sai Baba
By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji
Divine Lire is life in God. It is practical Sadhana for God-Realisation. It
is the Jiving or the Yoga of Synthesis. It is the harmonious development of
the hand, heart and head.
- Swami Sivananda

Guru means the dispeller of darkness of ignorance. Guru may also be defined
as one who imparts information or gives training to another. The object of
seeking a Guru may be temporal or spiritual. Persons who lead highly moral
lives naturally affect their neighborhood and all persons who come in
contact with them rise in their grade of morality and spirituality. Some of
them may get into the position of Gurus for others. In Baba's marga the Guru
provides everything, including food, safety and protection to the sishyas. A
person is likely to make a very good advance alike in temporal and spiritual
matters if he has perfect faith in Guru. Surrender to a loving Guru and love
towards that Guru alone can solve problems. Faith in him is the thing
needed. Without a guru, there is no realisation. When the Bhaktha is fit for
further progress, he will get his guru. It is not the truth that sishyas
always go out to find the guru. The reverse is often true.

The worship of Sai Baba expanded and assumed vast proportions during his
life time. This however did not stop with 1918, but continued to expand
further and further not merely as to the forms and modes of worship and also
in respect of the population and area covered and further extended in its
inwardness and heightened its results. There are over hundred institutions
named after Sai, carrying on Sai Pooja, Sai Bhajan and Sai Prachar. Most of
them have Sai Mandirs.

Though Baba first objected to his worship, his gradual permission of his
worship has been specially stressed that Baba allowed his own worship as a
means for providing temporal and spiritual benefits. Kabir, Guru Nanak and
others tried to establish the bedrock of ideas on which Indian unification
in religion could be accomplished. Baba declared on one occasion that in a
former janma, he was Kabir. Hindus, Muslims, Christians etc. who came to
know about him felt that they were before a higher influence and that they
could all approach and reach God through him. They willingly made him their
Gurudeva or Protector.

Sai allowed the Hindus to adopt their method of worship and treat him either
as an Avatar or, Ishtadeva or a Gurudeva while he allowed the Muslims
approaching him to read their Koran and the shariat at the Mosque treating
him as an Avalia or a saint with remarkable powers. Offerings brought to
Baba were distributed by him to all after Fatia was pronounced in true
Muslim fashion. Though Baba did not himself perform the five namazas every
day, he encouraged the orthodox Muslims to do so at his place. Baba was
displeased when any religious intolerance was exhibited.

To many a Hindus, Baba was identified with various Gods or Avatars. Each man
saw in Baba, sometimes the very form of the deity that he wanted to worship.
He was Sat-Chit-Ananda. Thus he was Shiva to Megha, Ram to South African
doctor and Madrasi Ramadasi, Krishna or Vittal to Krishna Bhakthas, Maruti
to Maruti Bhakthas etc. Baba on the other hand allowed people and even
directed people to go to particular temples.

Today, in our busy and mechanical life, we may not be able to adopt a
particular mode of worship and follow it earnestly everyday. Various
problems, worries and other difficulties in our daily life are to be solved.
Then only we can peacefully sit for some time to think of God and meditate.
So the easiest and best way of worship is to surrender completely and whole
heartedly to our Samartha Sadguru Sainath Maharaj who will lead us in the
correct path and guide us in all walks of life. He will certainly give us
material and spiritual help finally granting us salvation.

(Ref Sai Padananda Magazine July 2003)