Teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba were revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees and during, as well as after, his life it remained a mystery if he was a Hindu or a Muslim. Shirdi Sai Baba was an Indian spiritual saint who is regarded by his devotees as a master, fakir, and satguru.
This however was of no consequence to Sai Baba himself. Sai Baba led a very simple life, he used to lead his life on Bhiksha. He devoted his life to the service of people and never asked for anything himself.
Sai baba always taught two things in life “Shraddha” and “Saburi” which means faith and patience respectively. Sai baba was a great master and teacher and used to give lectures and various life awakening teachings to his devotees. Some of his main teachings are –
Shraddha:
‘Shraddha’ is a Sanskrit word, which means faith, love, and reverence. Such faith and trust is an outcome of conviction, which may not be the result of any belief, but a spiritual inspiration and guidance. According to Sai Baba of Shirdi, steadfast love in God is the gateway to eternity.
His teaching, both direct and indirect explicates the significance of ‘Shraddha’. Baba reiterates the spiritual guidance of Shri Krishna to Arjun – “Whosoever offer to Me with love or devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, that offering of pure love is readily accepted by Me”.
Saburi:
‘Saburi’; means patience and perseverance. It is a quality needed throughout the path in order to reach the goal. This quality must be in a seeker from day one, at least he looses his stride and leaves the path halfway.
Compassion:
Sai Baba was the epitome of compassion, love, and gentleness, Sai Baba taught compassion to his disciples and devotees. Baba often told His devotees, ‘Never turn away anybody from your door, be it a human being or animal’.
Complete Surrender to the Guru:
Sai Baba put Guru on a high pedestal of reverence. For Him Guru was the profound base of the path of devotion and awakening. Pointing to his physical frame, “This body is my house. I am not here. My Guru (Master) has taken me away”. He asked for complete surrender to the ‘Guru’.
Purity:
For Sai Baba, it was not the purity of the body but inner purity that mattered. No amount of physical and external cleansing would serve any purpose if the man remained impure in mind and heart. Therefore, Baba cautioned His devotees not to make austerity as an end itself, lest they should indulge in physical mortification.
SaburiSai Baba’s Teachings through ‘Udi’ and ‘Dakshina’:
Udi:
SaburiUdi or the sacred ash was produced from the perpetual fire called ‘dhuni’ lit by Sai Baba in Dwarkamai at Shirdi. Explaining the meaning of life He would refer to Udi and taught that like Udi all the visible phenomena in the world are transient. Through this example, Sai Baba wished to make his devotees understand the sense of discrimination between the unreal and the real. Udi taught the devotees discrimination or Vivek.
Dakshina:
Sai Baba would demand ‘Dakshina’ or alms from those who visited him. This explained the sense of non-attachment to worldly things. Hence Dakshina taught the devotees non-attachment or Vairagya. Hope this article has given you enough information about Shirdi Sai Baba Teachings.
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