|| गुरु साक्षात परब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः ||Today is Gurupoornima - A day to celebrate the relation of A Guru and A Disciple. In Indian tradition, importance is given in abundance to Guru and our beloved Sai Baba is not an exception to it. Often we have read in Sai Satcharitra about Baba referring His Guru.
Sai Baba had once said these words to female devotee Mrs. Radhabai Deshmukh, "I resorted to My Guru for 12 years. He brought Me up. There was no dearth of food and clothing. He was full of love, he was love incarnate. How can I describe it? He loved Me most. Rare is a Guru like him. When I looked at him, he seemed as if he was in deep meditation, and then we both were filled with Bliss. Night and day, I gazed at him with no thought of hunger and thirst. Without him, I felt restless. I had no other object to meditate, nor any other thing than My Guru to attend. He was My sole refuge. My mind was always fixed on him. My Guru never expected any other thing from Me. He never neglected Me, but protected Me at all times. I lived with him, and was sometimes away from him; still I never felt the want or absence of his love".
Also Baba had told about His quest for His Guru with three others alike by wandering in deep dark forest. He reached His Guru by accepting warm welcome of poor Vanjari to eat food and rest for a while.
By narrating all these experiences, Baba, in His unique way, had given us importance of Guru for Him. He never gave any difficult definitions nor did He gifted anyone with spiritual Mantras, instead He used simple language to explain innocent minded devotees. In fact He too pretended to be the same as they were and showed that even He was unable to understand the importance and highness of Guru.
The way in which a disciple is devoted to his Guru, in the same way he is accepted. When one submits himself to Guru without any selfish motive, Guru showers His love and blessings in abundance. In quite moments of afternoon, Baba often, while sitting in Dwarkamai, took out few coins from His Jholi and rubbed its surface and then again placed them in Jholi. Also while doing so, He used to murmur few names of His devotees. This clearly indicates that Baba as true Sadguru and always being worried about welfare of His devotees, worked on them for their spiritual progress.
Devotees who came to Baba were advised to stick to their own Gurus by Him. On thought of changing one's Guru, He once said, "Apna Takiya Kyu Badalna? (Why to change one's pillow?)" Baba possessed such power that He gave darshan in the form of disciple's own Guru.
A seeker in search of Atma-gyan wanders from one guru to another. But when he reaches to Sadguru, possessing full knowledge, then there is no need for him to wander any more. Sai Baba did not allow anybody to leave his own Guru and accept Him as his Guru. Infact He polished His devotees in such a way that devotees were attracted to Him in natural way without leaving their own Guru but also accepting Baba as Sadguru. One such example is of Kusha Bhave. Dear Sai Readers, already a detailed write up is posted in this context and i request you to read this post "Sai Baba Transfers His Special Power".
A devotee named Sadshiv Trimbak Wadhavkar went to Shirdi with expectation of getting Guru Mantra from Sai Baba. Baba said, "This man worries unnecessarily, but his work is accomplished". Wadhavkar could not understand Baba's indirect words and he had to return with getting any mantra. On reaching Dadar (Sub herb of Mumbai) within a week he had a vision that his family priest has come to Indore for giving Mantra-Updesh. After few days, the same priest visit Wadhavkar and next day with all rituals he gave him Shiv Mantra to chant. Thus he got Mantra Updesh for worship but not directly through Sai Baba from Whom he accepted.
Once Ramchandra Sitaram Dev alias Balabhatt when pressed Baba to become his Guru, Baba answered, "It is not necessary that everyone should have Guru. Everything is inside us. Try to listen voice of your soul and adhere to it. No Guru is necessary. We have act according to our soul and it is our Guru."
It was otherwise with Baba to give any mantra or updesh to anyone consciously. Here is one such instance in which Baba appeared in dream and gifted His devotee with mantra. Such devotee was Shambre of Mumbai who wished to receive mantra from Sai Baba, but he never received any mantra in Shirdi while Baba was in bodily form. After few years of Mahasamadhi, Baba appeared in his dream and said, "You regard Me as your Guru to others, but did I give you any prasad (mantra)?" Then, in dream state, Baba asked him to wash his hands and asked him to read mantra. Shambre, in his dream, repeated same mantra many times, but as soon as he was awakened, he realized that he had forgotten mantra. But he was satisfied that Baba gave him mantra even after leaving bodily form.
Thus, devotion to Sai Baba has to be necessarily coated with emotions and true love for Him. Those who have chosen to tread on the path of devotion to Baba, for them "Sai's Name" is the only Guru mantra. It is experience of millions of devotees of this Kaliyug that they were attached to Baba only by taking His Name!!!!
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