Sai Baba Jayanti
Sai Baba of Shirdi Unknown – October 15, 1918, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian guru, yogi and fakir who is regarded by both his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint. Sai Baba was relatively unknown until the 1970s. Some of his Hindu devotees believe that he was an incarnation of Shiva or Dattatreya, although this is a recent claim. There are many stories of miracles he performed. According to some locals from Shirdi village, he was a social worker more than a person having any miraculous powers.
The name ‘Sai Baba’ is a combination of Persian and Indian origin; sai is the Persian term for “holy one” or “saint”, usually attributed to Islamic ascetics, whereas Bābā is a word meaning “father” used in Indo-Aryan languages.The appellative thus refers to Sai Baba as being a “holy father” or “saintly father”.
His parentage, birth details, and life before the age of sixteen are obscure, which has led to a variety of speculations and theories attempting to explain Sai Baba’s origins. In his life and teachings he tried to reconcile Hinduism and Islam: Sai Baba lived in a mosque, was buried in a Hindu temple, practised Hindu and Muslim rituals, and taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions. One of his well known epigrams says of God: “Sabka Malik Ek” which traces its root to Islam.
Sai Baba taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, contentment, inner peace, devotion to God and guru. His teachings combined elements of Hinduism and Islam and tried to achieve communal harmony between these religions.
Sai Baba remains a very popular saint and is worshiped by around the world. Debate over his Hindu or Muslim origins continues to take place. He is also revered by several notable Hindu and Sufi religious leaders. Some of his disciples received fame as spiritual figures and saints.