Host:
Salutations, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Salutations.
Host:
Viewers, today we are starting a new short episode with Gurudev. Our topic today is Shirdi Sai Baba. Many of you have requested Gurudev to speak about him. Gurudev, if you could tell our viewers a bit about Shirdi Sai Baba?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Well, I went to Nashik because I was drawn by him. I wouldn't have gone otherwise, but I had heard so much about him. I felt compelled to go there just to see his place. It's a royal matter, truly. Anyway, I bought a book from there and started studying it.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
What isn't said about him? He is a spiritual guru of India, isn't he? Besides that, he was a Yogi and a Fakir. These titles were given to him by the people of India. He didn't mind these titles at all. His background and birth identity, as we call it, are not fully known.
Host:
Both Hindu and Muslim devotees gave him the title of a "Saint."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, the word "Sant" is significant. The Punjabis call people like him "Sant." It is a title given by them—Sant or Sadhu. "Sadhu-Sant" is the common term, but calling him a "Sant" is more appropriate. He received both titles.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
As I said, his full identity remains a mystery. He arrived in Shirdi at the age of 16. That is where his life's work began. He compared himself to Dattatreya—the essence of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar.
Host:
Hindu devotees also considered him an incarnation of Dattatreya.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, and he believed so himself. He was considered a part of Dattatreya. You will find more about Dattatreya if you go to the Narmada region.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Aside from that, he gave people immense love, respect, and devotion.
Host:
He had no interest in worldly possessions, right?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
None at all. Self-realization was his main focus. He had no greed for material things. You might have seen in pictures that he always wore a white headcloth and carried a staff (chimta) as he roamed from village to village. He saved many people from various troubles. We have seen and heard of his benevolence in many directions; he never turned anyone away.
Host:
It is said the mosque he lived in was given a Hindu name by him.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, he was proficient in the traditions of both temples and mosques. He said they were essentially the same. He named the mosque "Dwarkamai." He lived there and gave it that name.
Host:
He followed the rituals and customs of both Hindu and Muslim religions.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
He followed everything and never excluded anything. Whoever invited him, he would go. There was no distinction for him between Hindu and Muslim. He didn't harbor those divisions within himself.
Host:
It's also known that he was buried in a Hindu temple in Shirdi.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That is correct. I have seen it myself. I visited that temple, and it is a fact that he was entombed there. He is still there today. However, one thing he maintained was that he couldn't stand pomp and show. He told his disciples, "Do not put gold on my body. Do not offer me gold." But who listens? Shirdi Sai is such a prominent figure and saint in India; his devotees offer so much. Even though he requested no gold or silver at his burial site, when I visited, I saw him adorned in immense wealth and gold.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
I stayed with a man named Kalyan Rai. He asked me, "Father, will you come to Shirdi Sai with us?" I said, "Yes, why not? Let's go." We went there by car, which took quite some time. We had his darshan (sacred viewing).
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Along with that, we were told to visit the Shani temple nearby. Shani Shingnapur is about 80 kilometers away. We went there to offer prayers. A fascinating thing there is that no house in that village has doors or windows. None at all. I was surprised and asked, "I have money and belongings with me; what if they are stolen?" They told me, "No one will take anything. Even if you leave millions of rupees here, you will find them exactly where you left them in the morning."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
So, I followed their word. I left my cameras and other equipment; nothing was lost or disturbed. They also say that if anyone tries to take anything belonging to the temple in their car, the car will automatically stop working and won't start until the item is returned.
Host:
Gurudev, another thing we hear is that there was a spiritual connection between Shirdi Sai Baba and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
There was a great similarity. Sri Ramakrishna was very interested in the harmony of all religions. Shirdi Sai was the same; he unified all religions. Ramakrishna was born in 1836, and Sai Baba around 1835, though there is some debate about the dates.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Once, Ramakrishna became very ill. At that time, Sai Baba left his body for three days. He prayed to Allah, saying, "O Allah, please take me instead." But a strange thing happened at the exact same time—I can't explain why, but in 1886, Sri Ramakrishna also prayed to God to take his life.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
In the meantime, Sai Baba returned from his three-day samadhi. He told people, "I wanted to go to Allah, I even submitted my application, but I saw that someone else had submitted theirs before mine. It was none other than Ramakrishna Paramahansa."
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Ultimately, Sai Baba lived, and Ramakrishna passed away. Whether this was a coincidence or something deeper, I cannot say. One was in Shirdi and the other in Kolkata. But it is heard that Sai Baba returned from his samadhi just three days before Ramakrishna's passing and shared this story. We cannot call them liars; they are world teachers. So, the story is likely true.
Host:
They were like twin souls and contemporaries.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, they were born around the same time. When Ramakrishna fell ill in 1886, Shirdi Sai offered his life to God. But seeing Ramakrishna's "application" already there, he withdrew his own. He returned to his body after three days of samadhi.
Host:
Shirdi Sai Baba has a very famous saying.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, "Sabka Malik Ek" (Everyone's Master is One). I tell people this often. This was his core message. There isn't much more known about his origins, but we have shared what we could.
Host:
Well, you heard Gurudev's description. Before we close, I want to mention our new channel, Guptosadhak Shyamakapa 2.0. We hope you stay with us on this new journey. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram; all the links are in the description box. Stay well, everyone. Salutations, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Salutations, my son.