Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000528/spectrum/books.htm#2

Sai Baba: more books from devotees
Review by P.D. Shastri

Shri Sai Baba — The Unique Prophet of Integration by Satya Pal Rohela. Pages 391. Rs 150.

A Solemn Pledge from True Tales of Shirdi Sai Baba by B.H. Briz Kishore. Pages 82. Price not mentioned.

THE first one is an authoritative work on Sai Baba of Shirdi. Its 41 chapters have been contributed by different devotees — Sai specialists all — though there are some repetitions. The editor, Prof Satya Pal Ruhela, who has already written 15 books on Shirdi Sai Baba, contributes six chapters, while Narasimha Swamiji, who has published "Life of Shirdi Baba" in four volumes, contributes four.

Shirdi Sai Baba was a Muslim saint though most of his massive following consists of Hindus. At Shirdi, their place of pilgrimage, some 25,000 persons visit every day and there is hardly any Muslim-looking person. Even B.V. Narasimha Swamiji, one of his chief disciples, concedes: "It was extremely difficult for this writer to find even one person (Muslim) who had got in spiritual touch with him."

He lived all his working life in a dilapidated mosque; he wore the dress of a Muslim faqir; his disciple Abdul read the Quran to him. He spoke of Allah and Allahu Akbar. Of the 41 contributors to this book, only one has a Muslim name.

When he died, he was buried in a grave like a Muslim, not cremated like a Hindu. He is every inch a Muslim. His followers quote him as a unique prophet of integration. He brought together the two major communities, the Hindus and the Muslims together (really?). In the 17th century Samarth Ramdas, the guru of Shivaji, had performed a similar feat, but after a few years, the effect of his preachings wore off. So God sent yet another prophet of integration. The Shirdi Baba’s chief mission was to weld the two major communities and cement their relations by setting a personal example. He worked for peace.

Of course, Muslims did not like his unorthodox ways. He was striking at the root of the orthodox Muslim tradition. They objected to his desecration of a Muslim masjid, with Hindu artis and other celebrations like Ram Navami. More than once, some Pathans came to murder him for his apostasy, but he was protected by his divine powers.

Even among his vast Hindu following, his Muslim way of life created confusion, even opposition. The Hindus had no end of avatars, prophets, apostles, sages, saints, gurus and what not? Why should they go out of that endless circle to become the disciple of a Muslim faqir?

A Brahman doctor from South Africa won’t bend before a Muslim faqir. When he did bend, he saw in Shirdi Baba the image of his Ram.

One Megha, a poor illiterate Brahman, had objection to bowing to a Muslim saint. When he saluted the Shirdi Baba, he saw in him the much worshipped incarnation of Shiva. He is placed along with Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Christ and the Buddha (he is the incarnation of the millennium) but not Muhammad for Muslims would not take it.

And so on for other dissidents.

Scholars were busy mending the fences. Their researches (invention?) showed that the Shirdi Baba was born of Brahmin parents. His father’s name is given as Ganga Bhavadi and his mother’s Dev Giri. The father became a recluse and left home. His mother went in search of him (she died when her son was 12). A Muslim faqir adopted the orphan boy and thus the Baba’s Muslim way of life.

Another theory floated by such apologists is that the Baba spent one night in his mosque and the second night in a temple. There is hardly any proof of it. At any rate no temple is a second Shirdi mosque.

He claimed to be Kabir in one of his previous births. (Kabir was a Muslim weaver and poet who spread the cult of Ram Nam.) He named his masjid "Dvarika Mai", to give it a Hindu name. He also quoted from the Gita and other Hindu scriptures. He is the prophet of secularism.

He was neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, but a divine messenger of humanity, above all narrow differences. He taught the universal religion of love. His mission was the atmic (spiritual) integration of the whole mankind.

Another event also helped his cause. Satya Sai Baba, a boy of 14 in 1940, threw away his school books and said, "I am Sai Baba come to save the world. Shirdi Sai Baba was the Muslim Sai, I am the Hindu Sai and eight years after my death will come Prema Sai, the Christian Sai. Thus the Sai movement represents Hindu, Muslim and Christian. This support of Satya Sai Baba greatly helped Shirdi Sai to find a place in the hearts of all.

Thus Shirdi Sai became a household deity in countless homes. Our book says, his disciples are growing in astronomical proportions. The Baba had come to Shirdi at the age of 16 and sat under a neem tree. He lived there for 60 years. His literature is growing in the USA, Canada and Australia. Sai temples are coming up all over India and abroad with the greatest number in Andhra Pradesh. One such temple in Mumbai (Panvel) has a bronze statue donated by foreign devotees. It is a 27-ft-high statue of the Shirdi Baba, claimed to be the tallest Sai statue in the world. There are 2000 Sai temples in India and 150 abroad. All rivers merge into the ocean, so salutations to all gods and gurus reach the Shirdi Baba.

This book presents the Shirdi Baba as a God incarnate. To give some quotations: he was never born, never died, an immortal saint. He is ever living.

The Shirdi Baba is purna avtar (perfect incarnation). He is the foremost avatar of the kali age. His name and fame surpass the popularity of any godman or mystic. He is presented as the creator, preserver, destroyer (Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh).

"All great men in India and abroad have accepted Sai Baba as god incarnate." By his grace the life cycle of universe is running.

The words put in his mouth also proclaim him to be Lord God himself.

For instance, "I am present even before the creation.

"I am prime God.... I am the permanent soul of the whole universe.... I am present in all beings."

"He used to beg alms, but Goddess Lakshmi was his maid servant..."

"If a man utters my name, I shall fulfil all his desires."

In the last chapter, the Shirdi Baba is presented as omnipotent (33 points in support) and omnipresent (12 proofs), omniscient (21 points in support).

All godmen live on the strength of the miracles they have performed, which attested to their powers. Our Baba cured hopeless and incurable cases. A boy had polio. At his touch, the boy started walking.

The Baba took someone’s plague on himself and the patient was cured.

Childless couples got children, one couple got eight. Those in search of wealth were flooded with money and property. All their heart’s desires were fulfilled.

A devotee was going to Prayag for a holy dip. The Shirdi Baba produced waves of the Ganga and the Yamuna from his toes.

Most disciples come to godmen in search of these prizes of life. (In this age of miracles of science, technology, medicine, etc, a rationalist would say that such cures and miracles are a common place. But the devotees are sure that their guru caused them all.)

He lighted lamps with water, without oil — that is a popular miracle.

As you enter his shrine at Shirdi, you see a huge board with his 11 promises: The first is: "whosoever puts foot on Shirdi soil, all his sufferings would come to an end." The last one is: "There shall be no want in the house of my devotee."

Since there are 41 chapters on the some aspects of one godman, there is sure to be endless repetition and overlapping.

To the devout, these strengthen the faith, but to a common reader so much repetition tends to be boring. Also all these writers are men of deep faith, not men of letters. These writers have turned authors and hope to surely win all prizes of life, through the Shirdi Baba’s special favour.

The book is crammed with the names of a large number of nonentities who received the Baba’s favours. It is all due to Shirdi Sai Baba that they received his favours and so much publicity in Sai literature.

His guru gave him no guru, mantra and so he gives none to his disciples like other godmen. He taught the world by his personal example, not by delivering or writing sermons.

The book "Sai Sad Charita" is the bible and the Quran of the Sai sect. Intellectuals and rationalists feel bewildered by the phenomenon that defies scientific attitude and modernism. There has cropped up so many godmen on the world’s stage with a clientele running into millions, including some highly learned men and famous names. Former President V.V. Giri is one of our contributors and another is a High Court Judge. Foreign followers add special glory to the guru. The fact is that in the present "cruel" world, there is so much tension, frustration and heart-ache even for the top men. The guru promises peace, happiness, fulfilment of all desires in return for one’s surrender to him. And when self-interest develops faith rationalism and high sense of absolute truth go to sleep.

« « «

The second book "Solemn Pledge from Tales of Shirdi Sai Baba" covers the same ground, but on an humbler scale and with men of slighter build. The Baba’s miracles includes curing cases of TB, epilepsy, cholera, malaria, stomach ache and ear pain. He took a boy’s plague on himself and the boy was cured. The Baba blessed them with udi (ashes as Satya Sai Baba does). He could control the fury of storm, flood and fire. He lit earthen lamps without oil, only with water. He was present everywhere and in everyone. He knew the past, the present and the future.

He fulfills the wishes and desires of all; his treasure is inexhaustible. He gave mangoes and childless women became pregnant. Astrological predictions forecast troubles. The Baba saved his devotees from these predicted troubles.

This book has an effective page count of 82; which means 41 pages for opposite every small printed page, there is a page of a picture as illustration. Smaller men, lesser miracles — that is the story of this book. Call it a booklet or pamphlet, not worthy of being entitled a standard work. However, his love for the Shirdi Baba seems to be as great as of any other devotee.