Incredible Shirdi!

Om Sai Ram

There are very few places on earth where, when your feet touch the soil, you'll feel the positive energy piercing  your soul to heal it from this worldly pains. Shirdi is one such a place and you would vouch for it when you personally experience the feeling.

This is not the first time I visited Shirdi, but it is definitely the first time I learnt about the spiritual importance of places in and around Sai Mandir. Everybody who visits Shirdi for the first time tends to believe that Samadhi Mandir and Dwarakamai are the only two important places of Mandir and gives everything else a miss! But that's quite natural, no one is to be blamed.

There are far more important places inside the mandir where you really can get connected to the soul of Sri Saibaba. My life was the most fortunate when Sri Saibaba's devotee and our well-wisher Mr.Murthy took us around the mandir explaining us the spiritual importance of each place. Had he not taken us for a round, my second visit would have been much the same as the first. It was much of a blessed moment when we met another devotee Mr.Sairaj right infront of Dwarakamai. Being totally a stranger, the kind prayers that he offered during the most important phase of my life is priceless and I am totally indebted to him.  I hereby offer my heartiest thanks to them both and put forth all their inputs in this blog with an intention to make other devotees benefited.

Layout of Sri Saibaba Mandir

When you step on the Shirdi soil, please do remember these lines - "Whosoever puts his feet on Shirdi soil, his sufferings will come to an end"! And while you remember these lines, you believe it whole-heartedly and just experience the bliss in your soul. I mean it, it happened to me.

Shri Samadhi Mandir

The place that is of most spiritual significance is Samadhi Mandir. Yes, this is where Sri Sai Baba's heavenly body is laid to rest after his soul liberated from his body on Vijayadasami day in the year 1918. Out of all places in the world, this is where you will feel the strong positive vibes as you approach closer to the samadhi. So true are his words: "Though I be no more in flesh and blood, I shall ever protect my devotees" ! Behind the samadhi lies a lifelike statue of Baba. As a matter of fact, the Samadhi Mandir was originally designed to be a Muralidhar Temple. When Baba took mahasamadhi, people of Shirdi decided anonymously that his body to be laid there. 

As you approach the samadhi, the devotees will be made to form two queues. You can choose to switch the queue based on how you want to feel closer to Baba. 

• If you want to feel Him from His samadhi, choose the one closer to the wall that exits out to the backside of the temple. This way, you can touch the place where Baba's body has been laid - either His head or His lotus feet, depending on which side you take.
• If you want to feel Him from the lifelike statue, better take the other queue that'll lead you to the center right in-front of His statue. The statue looked little tilted to me, if you choose to stand in a place where you can have eye to eye contact with the statue, I warn you - you'll be completely locked within Himself, not knowing what to pray, not knowing what to ask for and not knowing what to do on this earth. You'll feel the warm tears rolling down your cheeks, the acknowledgement that Baba gives you that He's been with you. You can die umpteen times for that one divine moment! I felt that way!

Shri Saibaba before Mahasamadhi

Dwarakamayi (Masjid)

This is the most precious treasure of Shirdi and it is open round the clock. Devotees still believe that if you can go and meditate at this place between 1AM and 3 AM, you are sure to feel His holy soul some way, you are sure to feel His presence around you some way, you are sure to be blessed all through your life some way! People still talk about many miracles including the day when Baba appeared on the walls of Dwarakamayi to give all His devotees a divine darshan.

Dwarakamayi - It simply means a mother(mai) waiting at the door(dwar) to serve her children. Yes, that is what it is, truly! This is the place where Baba has lived all through his life, for about 60 years! It the holy place where Baba begged alms and served those food to all his devotees.

Each stone/brick is of divine importance at this place. We'll see what they are:

• As you enter, there is a fire-wood mud stove on your left, over which Baba managed to cook food for all his devotees.
• Just next to it, there is a wooden stump which Baba used to lean over while cooking food.
• Behind this, there is a wall which Baba used to lean over, gaze outside and give darshan to the villagers of Shirdi.
• As you move on, you will find a sacred fire called 'Dhuni' which was lit by Baba himself and is on till date. Baba was very keen on sustaining this fire without getting extinguished, so is lit till this very second. The sacred ash from this Dhuni, called 'Udhi' is been given to all devotees as prasad. Udhi is truly a sacred ash as it has miraculous healing power within itself. Dhuni is basically surrounded by a wire mesh! And remember to keep your hands on those wire mesh, feel the divine heat getting onto you - electrifying all your organs, tissues and even the cells. Stay calm and just feel the heat. It takes you to a different world, I call it a heaven! Because this is where I exactly felt the presence of Baba.
• Next to Dhuni is the place where Baba used to take rest and sleep. There is also a grinding stone which Baba used to grind wheat.
• In-front of Dhuni, centrally on the floor lies a white marble tortoise. It symbolizes the words from Baba -"I protect all my devotees the way a mother tortoise looks after her young ones, never taking off my eyes from them" 
• Right opposite to Dhuni, there is a big portrait of Baba and a set of Silver Padukas which signifies the presence of a saint. The sacred stone on which Baba used to sit, is kept inside a glass case below this portrait.

Baba infront of Dhuni in Dwarakamai

Chavadi

Those days, Palki(Pallakku) Utsav used to happen every Thursday. It was like a huge procession where Baba was carried by the villagers of Shirdi on a Palki from Dwarakamayi to Chavadi, surrounded by people singing bajans and playing drumbeats! If you visit Shirdi on a Thursday, you can see this ritual being followed religiously even now. Baba chose to sleep in Dwarakamayi and Chavadi on alternate days.

Chavadi procession

Gurusthan

Gurusthan - Place of Guru! Gurusthan holds a sacred neem tree which sheltered Baba almost all through his life. It is under this tree when people of Shirdi saw Baba for the first time when he was 16 years old. It is believed that there is a tunnel underneath this tree which leads to Dwarakamayi and it is where Baba met his Guru and meditated along with him for 12 continuous years! By Baba's mercy and grace, these neem leaves taste sweet. It is considered auspicious to do pradhiksha around this neem tree. People who do pradhiksha picking up the fallen neem leaves - is a common sight here. Blessed are those who get their share of leaves and taste them!

16 year old Baba first appeared under the neem tree

Ganesh, Shani and Shiva Mandir

When you exit at the backside of Shri Samadhi Mandir, walk few meters behind the place where you can have wonderful darshans of three lords - Lord Ganesha, Lord Shaneeshwar and Lord Shiva. These temples though small in size have a great significance because Baba used to have darshans of these lords everyday from the time he settled down in Dwarakamai. When you walk past these temples, make sure to feel the positive vibe from the soil which was blessed to be touched by the lotus feet of Baba those days.

Shri Sai Museum

If you want to feel the visual presence of Baba in Shirdi, this museum is sure to load you with those feelings. The articles which were personally used by Baba are all preserved here. Having a glance at those articles while you come along the museum will give you a feel as if you personally lived through those years. Few divine articles that are exhibited here are:

• Baba's kafni - The cloth that Baba regularly wore
• Padukas - Footwear that Baba used
• Chillims - The clay pipes which Baba used to smoke tobacco. It is believed that Baba used these pipes as a healing tool on others
• Sir Maruthi Clay idol - Baba used to offer his prayers to this deity everyday
• Muralidhar Statue - The statue which was originally made to be kept in the samadhi mandir
• Utensils - Baba used these to serve food to the people of Shirdi
• and much more

Nanda Deep

Nanda Deep is the lamp which is mounted inside 'Lendi Baug', a garden which was nurtured by Baba. The lamp lit by Baba himself is still kept alive and is sheltered by two sacred trees - a neem tree and a peepal tree(Bodhi tree) which were also planted by Baba. Fire is the life force of all living beings and it is believed that this light from the lamp eradicates all darkness of our life.

Dattatreya Mandir

Dattatreya Mandir is seen diagonally opposite to Nanda Deep. Saibaba is believed to be the fifth incarnation of this deity. The statue of this deity has the faces of Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer)

Baba as Dattatreya avatar

Samadhi of Shyam Karan

At the backside of Dattatreya mandir lies the samadhi of Shyam Karan, Baba's beloved horse! It is believed that Shyam Karan was gifted to Baba by one of his devotees. Baba himself named the horse "Shyam Karan" and it had the privilege of having had Baba's darshan every single day all through his life. On every Thursday when there was a procession, it was dressed royally and danced all the way through the procession. It often had the precious blessing of having the Udhi on its forehead applied by Baba himself.

Baba's Shivdi

Shivdi is a well inside Lendi Baug. Baba was well versed in all Yogic practices. Along the side of this well, villagers of Shirdi have witnessed him doing 

• Dhauti - Cleansing of intestines. It is the practice where Baba used to swallow a lengthy piece of cloth and leave it right there in the intestines for about 30 minutes and then take them back.
• Kandayoga - Separating the limbs. He used to remove his limbs for a while and then join them back

Baba practicing Dhauti

Khandoba Temple

This temple on the main road of Shirdi holds the most precious place in Baba's history. Lord Khandoba was the guardian God of Shirdi those days. This is where people of Shirdi saw Baba for the first time. As a matter of fact, Baba appeared infront of this temple after 12 years of meditation under the neem tree in Gurusthan. When Baba stepped into this temple, the priest Mahalsapati invited him whole-heartedly saying "Aao Sai" which means "Come in you saint". As people of Shirdi didn't know the real name of Baba, they started calling him Sai as the priest did and it lasted forever. 

Mahalsapati saying "Aao Sai"

As I wrote this blog, I felt so blessed and I had a feeling of having revisited Shirdi and its spiritual places all again. I have tried my level best to put down all the spiritual bliss that I experienced while in Shirdi. I still can feel the positive vibe all around me which I want you all to personally experience. Visit Shirdi once and stay blessed forever! Jai Sairam!