Oh, Shirdi Ke Bhagwan,
Hey Prashanti Nilaya Ram,
Sath Koti Naman Sai Ram,
Sai Ram Sai Ram Sai Ram…
There is so much unsaid about,
Shirdi Sai,
All that was unknown was revealed,
By Sathya Sai,
To the great joy of many a devotee,
He solved the puzzle regarding,
His incarnation at Shirdi…
He caused a stir,
When 1835 He revealed as the birth year,
And the day as 28th September,
For who but He would know it better…?
An avatar of Shiva was Shirdi Sai,
Of Shiva along with Shakti is Sathya Sai,
And Shakti would come as Prema Sai,
A triune through the age of Kali,
Mankind would benefit immensely…
As Bhagwan did continue,
There was more information for me and you:
The Lord of Shirdi,
Was born in a village called Pathri,
To a devout couple,
Gangabhavadya and Amma Devgiri…
As the parents of the physical form,
Renounced the worldly way,
A Sufi Fakir and his wife came by,
As it was meant to be through Maya’s play,
And adopted little Shirdi Sai…
Then on for the next four years,
Till 1839 they did Him rear,
The fakir left his body,
And though the little boy was so dear,
The wife of the fakir did despair,
She couldn’t have Him in her care,
For His antics were ample,
He would chant Allah Ho Akbar in the temple,
And sing the glory of Ram in the Masjid,
Fuelling the ire of the two communities,
Brimming their anger over the lid…
His wisdom was sage,
From that early age,
Showing the Oneness of the principle divine,
But the village folks found this to be out of line…
And so she handed Him over to Guru Venkusa,
Knowing he could tend this exotic flower,
The Sage welcomed Him with open arms,
About His greatness he had no qualms,
Infact he knew of His coming,
For Him he had been eagerly waiting,
Now with supreme joy his heart did sing…
Incidently as future events did show,
We have come to realize and know,
This Sage was the same Venka Avadhoota,
Revered by Kondama Raju, the Grandfather,
Of the physical form of the present incarnation,
Who foretold the coming of the Sathya Sai manifestation…
Twelve years went by,
In the ashram of Venkusa,
With the shower of his love,
Blossomed this divine flower,
Soon it was time to move on,
And so in 1851 on a special morn,
He first appeared in Shirdi…
His feet did touch the soil of Shirdi,
He was first seen under the neem tree,
A young lad effulgent and fair,
Practising penance without a care,
Absorbed in deep meditation,
An embodiment of dispassion,
Desires He had none,
An enigma, a mystery,
Enhancing the glory of the neem tree,
Endearing Himself to the folks of Shirdi…
But Shirdi had to await its fate,
As the Lord moved on, out the village gate,
Their luck some of the villagers did berate,
But not for long as Sai was back in 1858…
As Chand Patil anxiously searched his lost mare,
He came upon this Fakir so rare,
Who asked him to look in a trench nearby,
Though for two months he had looked everywhere,
He found the mare grazing there,
Chand Patil was overwhelmed with gratitude,
He invited Him to his village called Dhoop,
Joining Chand’s family marriage group,
In 1858, Sai arrived at Shirdi,
All was going as it was meant to be…
Near the Khandoba temple under a banyan tree,
Did alight the marriage party,
In a field that belonged to Bhagat Mhalsapati,
Who called out to the young lad as ‘Ya Sai’,
Welcoming Him once again to Shirdi…
And thus He got His name,
And the village of Shirdi eternal fame,
Sai first stayed in an old, dilapidated Masjid,
With His ways it seemed to fit,
Sometimes in the Chavadi,
At times in the temple of Maruti,
Associating with many a visiting holy man He would be…
Saint Anandnath of Yewala Mutt,
A disciple of Swami Samarth of Akkalkot,
Said about Sai’s growth,
‘Though He looks like a man ordinary,
He is not any other stone but a precious diamond in reality’…
One day after a wrestling bout,
When His opponent did Him rout,
It was not a defeat,
For Maya was removed from its seat,
From then on Baba wore a Kafni instead,
And wrapped a cloth around His head,
He would sit on a gunny bag and sleep on it too,
How the play should unfold only He knew…
None could fathom if He was a Muslim or Hindu,
He wanted it to be so,
For He promoted a merging of the two,
Beyond religion in oneness we should grow,
And so all festivals got their respectful due,
And peace between the communities began to flow,
The Masjid too was referred as Dwarkamai,
By the ever compassionate Sai…
A pauper or a king all were treated same,
For Sai did not care for name or fame,
Animals and birds too came by,
To receive their share of love from Sai,
He heard each and every cry,
Then and even now,
Ever open wide for all, are the doors of Dwarkamai…
His fame spread far and wide,
From across the seas they flocked to His side,
He remained simple as simple can be,
For pure Existence, Knowledge and Bliss was He…
Allah Malik, Shradha and Saburi,
A cure for all was the ash from His dhuni,
The elements five immediately obeyed His command,
Miracles and grace to many He did grant…
Do not emulate others, do not argue,
Do not retaliate even if someone harms you,
If you always remember ‘Sai,Sai’,
Shackles would break and you would be free,
Give your mind to Sai,
Through many a worldly duty,
With the grace of God all is smooth and easy…
If a lizard made a sound in Dwarkamai,
Sai knew why,
When He mixed food for all with care,
Humans, dogs, cats, birds all got their share,
Sometimes He was ever so angry,
And then again calm and full of humility,
A child fell in to a furnace a distance away,
The child was saved by Sai that day…
In His presence or out of sight,
A mental pain, childlessness, a disease, or a snake bite,
He showed a way out,
Clearing the way of many a doubt…
Oh, the leelas of Sai are endless and true,
A legacy for me and you,
On October 15th 1918, He took Samadhi,
Tuesday, 230 hrs in the afternoon,
Shirdi was plunged into despair and gloom,
It was the day of Dussehra,
Of Vijaya Dashami you see,
Sai and Shirdi,
The times of Shirdi Sai,
We wonder at what we hear and sigh,
What was it like during those days?
Miracles that even now does us amaze,
Well there is no need to fret,
To feel left out and be upset,
The One who came as Shirdi Sai,
Is here now as Sathya Sai,
Love, Miracles and Grace that continue,
We will all receive our due,
The ever compassionate Lord is here again,
Guiding, protecting, removing pain,
Eliminating ignorance, displacing darkness,
Uplifting thoughts, removing stress,
He will save us all,
If we but pay heed to His call,
Like His attire, His teachings are simple too,
Easy to follow, yet profound and true,
Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema,
and Ahimsa
Practice this is all we need to do,
This will benefit the Universe,
Not only me and you,
Come let us from Him take our cue,
And chant together with love,
Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu…
