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Contents

PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction:ShriSaiBabaListofPhotographsListofTables

1. ShriSaiBaba’sMahasamadhi

2. ShriSaiBabaComestoShirdi

3. TheGovernor’sLance

4. TheGovindasatDwarkamayi

5. SatheWada,DixitWadaandNavalkarWada

6. ButiWada,NowtheSamadhiMandirofShriSaiBaba

7. DakshinaBhikshaSanstha

8. SainathPrabha

9. ShriSaiLeelaMaasikPustak

Annexures

1. KakasahebDixit’slettertotheCollectorandDistrictMagistrate,Ahmednagar,dated22ndOctober1918aboutthedeathofSaiBabaofShirdi

2. ClevelandReport1909,GovernmentofIndia,Political-DepositProceedings,June1909no.3

3. SchemeforthemanagementoftheShirdiSansthanofShriSaiBabaasinShriSaiLeela1923

4. WillofH.S.Dixit

MapofShirdiGlossaryofHindiTermsGlossaryofNamesBibliography

ListofPhotographs

1.1 SainathPrabhaKiran10(October1918).1.2 NewspaperKesari 22nd October 1918: Bhandara on thirteenth day on

27thOctober1918asinformedbyH.S.Dixit.1.3 SainathPrabhaKiran11(November1918),Obituary.2.1 StudentsAdmissionRegisterof theschool(serialno.53mentioningthe

nameTatya,sonofGanpatiKotePatil).2.2 Shri Sai Leela Issue 1, 1923 (Shaka 1845): Statement of Hari Sitaram

Dixitinthechapter“ShriSaiSatcharita–Introduction”inthebookShriSaiLeela.

2.3 Weekly report of the Director of Criminal Intelligence, Calcutta, dated17thJanuary1911

2.4 MaharashtraStateGazetteers,GovernmentofMaharashtra,AhmadnagarDistrict(RevisedEdition)(1976)–Coverpage.

2.5 MaharashtraStateGazetteers,GovernmentofMaharashtra,AhmadnagarDistrict(1976).

2.6 Birth-DeathRegisterofTehsilKopargaon.3.1 G.S.Khapardewithhisfamily.3.2 G.S.Khaparde’sdiary.3.3 BipinChandraPal,LokmanyaBalGangadharTilakandG.S.Khapardein

frontoftheParliamentinLondontoappearbeforethePrivyCouncil.4.1 LokmanyaBalGangadharTilaksittingwithG.S.Khaparde.4.2 Coverpageof theweekly reportsof theDirector,Criminal Intelligence,

onthepoliticalsituationduringJuly1912:ProceedingsAugust1912,nos.26–30.

4.3 Weekly reports of the Director, Criminal Intelligence, on the politicalsituationduringJuly1912:ProceedingsAugust1912,nos.26–30.

4.4 Coverpageof theweekly reportsof theDirector,Criminal Intelligence,on the political situation during August 1912: Proceedings September1912,nos.21–24.

4.5 Weekly reports of the Director, Criminal Intelligence, on the politicalsituationduringAugust1912:ProceedingsSeptember1912,nos.21–24.

4.6 WeeklyreportsoftheDirector,CriminalIntelligence,Calcutta,dated17thJanuary1911

5.1a OldChawadi.5.1b OldChawadi.5.2 Chawadinow.5.3 Artisticimpressionofthewadas(old)basedonavailablereferences.5.4 OldDwarkamayi.5.5 OldSathewada.5.6 ArtisticimpressionoftheflowergardengrownbyShriSaiBababasedon

availablereferences.5.7 OldDixitwada.5.8 ArtisticimpressionofDixitwada(old)basedonavailablereferences.5.9a: Dixitwada(teacanteen).5.9b: Dixitwada’slayout(GroundFloor)asin1996.5.10 Navalkarwada.5.11 OldGurusthanandneemtree.5.12 InsideoldGurusthan.6.1 OldButiwada.6.2 OldSamadhiMandir (insideButiwada)with inscriptionwritten on the

steps6.3 SamadhiMandirlayout(GroundFloor)asin1996.6.4 InscriptionwrittenbehindthedooroftheSamadhiMandir–Butiwada.6.5 PhotographsofdevoteesinsidetheSamadhiMandir.7.1 a, b, c: Statement of Tatya Ganpati Kote Patii given to Shri Saiabad

Sansthan.8.1 CoverpageofSainathPrabhaKiran1,1916.8.2 BackpageofSainathPrabha,1916.8.3 AppealtothedevoteesofSaiMaharaj.9.1 CoverpageofShriSaiLeelaYear1,Issue1,1923(Shaka1845).9.2 BackofcoverpageofShriSaiLeela,1923.9.3 ShriSaiBaba’sashtakmentionedunderthecaption“MasikachaUddesh”.

ListofTables

Table1.1: Thesignificanceof thedateand timeatwhichShriSaiBabatookMahasamadhi.

Table2.1: StudentsAdmissionRegisteroftheschoolatShirdi,inwhichTatyaKotePatilstudied.

Table8.1: SainathPrabha:April1916toOctober1919.

Table9.1: SubscriptionratesoftheprintedversionofShriSaiLeela.

1

ShriSaiBaba’sMahasamadhi

ThischapterprovidesdetailsregardingthehighlyauspiciousdayonwhichShriSai Baba took Mahasamadhi; his wish to be taken to the wada; donation toLaxmibai, his dream commands to continue his aarti; his last rites, puja andsandalprocessionbyHindusandMuslims;prior indications todevoteesabouthiscrossingovertheoceanofworldlylife;narrationbytwodevoteesabouthislastmoments;andformationofacommittee

The Highly Auspicious Day on Which Shri Sai Baba Crossed Over theOceanofWorldlyLifeShri Sai Baba took Mahasamadhi on Tuesday, 15th October 1918, a highlyauspiciousdayinboththeHinduandMuslimcalendars.ItwastheninthdayofMuharramanditalsohappenedtobethemajorHindufestivalofVijayadashami.Furthermore,Ekadasihadjuststarted.Thesignificanceof thedateandtimeofSaiBaba’sMahasamadhiarelistedinTable1.1basedoninformationreportedinShriSaiLeela.

Table1.1:ThesignificanceofthedateandtimeatwhichShriSaiBabatookMahasamadhi

EnglishDate 15October1918,Tuesday

MarathiDate AshwinShukl11Shaka1840

MuslimDate 9MohorramHijriSan1337

ParsiDate 5ArdiBehastSan1227

TimeofMahaNirvana Afternoon2:35(EastKal–Exactly21Ghati)

Nakshatra,Charan DhanishtaNakshatra2ndCharan

Yoga,Karan,Ritu Shul,Gar,Dakshinayan,SharadRituSource–ShriSaiLeela(1983:23)

ShriSaiSatcharitamentionsaboutShriSaiBaba’sMahasamadhiasfollows:

Babagotaslightfeveron28thSeptember,1918.Thefeverlastedfor2or3days, but afterwards Baba gave his food, and thereby grew weaker andweaker.On the17day, i.e.,Tuesday, the15thOctober,1918,Baba leftHismortalcoilatabout2.30p.m.

Gunaji2002:220

Yet another publication, Sainath Prabha, published in October 1918(photograph1.1),mentionsthat:

ShriSamarthSainathMaharajtookSamadhilastTuesdayi.e.AshwinShukl10 at 3 in the afternoon. Around 5–6 days prior to his Mahasamadhi, hestoppedhisdailyroutinelikewalkinguptoLendi,goingtoChawadi,goingfor Alms and conversing with people. Tuesday, that is the same day asSamadhiday,inthemorning,gotavision,“Iamhere,haven’tgone,performtheKakad aarti, get up.”After the afternoon aarti, everyone in theMasjidwereaskedtoleavefortheirplacesforlunch.SaiBabalefthisbodyaround3intheafternoon.Atthattime,therewereonly2or3devoteeswithBaba,restallwenttotheirhouses.Helefthisbodyattheplacewhereheusuallyusedtositwithhiselbowsontherailing.ItisdecidedtokeephisSamadhiinthebuildingbuiltbyBapusahebButi.

SainathPrabhaKiran10,1918:ShriSamarthSainathMaharajPrasann,self-translated

Thisseemstobeaccurateinviewofthefact thataninscriptionbehindthewooden door leading to the SamadhiMandir mentions that Sai Baba left hismortalbodyintheDwarkamayiataboutthreeo’clockon15thOctober1918.

Moments before his passing away, Sai Baba’s last words to Bayaji AppaKotePatilandLaxmibaiweretotakehimtothewada.

Photograph1.1:SainathPrabhaKiran10(October1918ed.)

ToAppaji he said,“Mee jatomerekuwadaku uchlun de sagale brahmanamajuyajabalurahteel”(Swami2006:170).

[Iamgoing.Carrymetothewada.AllBrahminswillbelivingnearme.]AndtoLaxmibai,aftergivingherninerupeesandbeforeleavinghisbody,

hiswordswere,“Areatamalaa ithe varevaatatnaahi, vaanyatgheyunchalamanjhevarevaatel”(ShriSaiLeelaIssue11,1923:79).

[HereIamnotfeelingwellnow,takemetothewada,Iwillfeelbetter.]

Whilesayingthesewords,HeleanedonBayaji’sbodyandbreathedHislast.Bhagojinoticedthat,Hisbreathinghadstopped,andheimmediatelytoldthisto Nanasaheb Nimonkar, who was sitting near. Nanasaheb brought somewaterandpoureditinBaba’smouth.Itcameout.Then,hecriedoutloudly“OhDeva!”BabaseemedtoopenHiseyesandsay“Ah”inalowtone.Butitsoonbecameevidentthat,BabahadleftHismortalbodyforgood.

Gunaji2002:226

AdifferentversionofhislastmomentsasrecountedbyateacherinShirdi,Usha PrabhakarMule, is in an article published inShri Sai Leela in the year1983 – more than six decades after Sai Baba’s Mahasamadhi. It is based oninformation she received from Bappaji Laxmanrao Ratnaparkhi, a resident ofShirdi.According to his recollection,SaiBaba suffereddue to fever from3rdOctoberandwas inpain till14thOctober1918.On15thOctober,asusual,hewenttoLendiforthetoilet,brushedhisteeth,washedhishandsandsatnexttothepillaroppositetheDhuni.Aftersometime,hewenttohisDevalyaplace.AsusualherecountedstoriesonBrahmagyanandthenaskedforanearlyaarti.JogandhiswifeperformedSaiBaba’spujaandofferednaivedya.AfterdistributingUditoallthosewhowerepresent,heaskedthemtogotoDixitwadaforlunch.It was approximately 1.30 p.m. at that time. Sai Baba askedMhadu Fasle tomakeapanbeeda,whichheplacedonSaiBaba’shandandgavewaterfromthesilverjhaari.SaiBabatriedtosipalittlewaterbuthalfofitcameout.Hethenslowly restedhimselfon theshouldersofBayajiKote,whowassittingbehindhim,and thengaveninecoins toLaxmibai.Through this,heconveyed thathehadfollowedtheparamarthictraditionofdonationatthetimeofdeath.

By2.30p.m.,his situationworsenedandseeinghis failinghealth, the fivepeoplepresent,namely,BayajiKote,BhagojiShinde,LaxmibaiShinde,MhaduFasleandBappajiRatnaparkhi,rushedtoDixitwada,conveyedthesituationand

broughtDr.ChidambaramPillayNagpurkarbackwiththem.ThedoctortookSaiBaba’s hand and checked his pulse and observed that the atma of Shirdi hadmergedintheUniverse(Mule1983).1

ThedayafterSaiBaba’sMahasamadhi,atsunrise,SaiBabaappearedinDasGanu’sdreamatPandharpursaying:

Themosquehastumbleddown.Allthegrocersandoil-merchantsofShirdihaveharassedme.SoIamnowgoingawayfromthere.Hence,Ihavecomeuptohere.Covermeupinanabundanceofflowers.O,dofulfilthiswishofmine!Come!ComeimmediatelytoShirdi!

Kher2014:696

LaxmanMamaJoshi,onreceivingadreamcommandfromSaiBaba,“Getup soon,Bapusaheb thinks that, I amdead and sohewon’t come, youdo theworship and theKakad (morning) a[a]rti!” (Gunaji 2002: 227), arrived at theappropriatetimeandperformedtheaartiofSaiBabaintheDwarkamayiMasjidon themorning of 16thOctober 1918.Then, in the afternoon,Bapusaheb Jogand others performed the aarti which also took place in theMasjid, as usual(Gunaji2002:227;ShriSaiLeelaIssue61923:54).

DevoteesFlocktoShirdionHearingaboutShriSaiBaba’sPassingAwayThenewsaboutthepassingawayofSaiBabaspreadlikewildfireinShirdiandthenearbyvillagesbyword-of-mouth. In thosedays,useof telephoneoreventelegraphwasarareevent.Postalmailwasthefastestsourceofcommunication.

OneoftheearliestnewsitemsonSaiBaba’sMahasamadhiwaspublishedinthePuneeditionofthefamousnewspaperKesarion22ndOctober1918onpage6underthecolumn“Vartmansaar”(photograph1.2).

Thenewssaid:

ShriSadguruSainathMaharajonTuesday15thOctoberlaidhisbodytorestandhisSamadhi is located inShriGopalRaoMukundButiwada.Sunday27thisadayforBhandara,alldevoteesofMaharajtocome,asinformedbyRevHariSitaramDixit.

NewspaperKesari,self-translated

Photograph1.2:NewspaperKesari22ndOctober1918:Bhandaraonthirteenthdayon27thOctober1918asinformedbyH.S.Dixit

ThisnewsofSaiBaba’s takingMahasamadhispreadrapidlyandwithinnotimethousandscametoDwarkamayiforafinaldarshan,queuingforfiveorsixhours.

A photo of Sai Baba was published in the obituary in Sainath Prabha inNovember1918(photograph1.3).

Photograph1.3:SainathPrabhaKiran11(November1918),Obituary

PujaandSandalProcessionbyHinduandMuslimDevoteesBothHindus andMuslims venerated SaiBaba and so both conducted his lastrites in their ownway.BappajiLaxmanraoRatnaparkhi,whowas inShirdi atthattime,describedthepujasandsandalprocessiontoMuleasfollows:

Baba’sthirteenth-dayfunctionwasheldasperHindutraditionsorganizedbyMumbaibaseddevotees,which includedKakasahebDixit,KakaMahajani,MoreshwarRaoPradhan,Tarkhad,SundarRaoNavalkar,GovindRaofromPune,RasneKaka,Khagjiwale.Boondiladoosweredistributedasprasadbythem.Seeingall thisappearedasadayof jatra.Hugecrowdsgathered forprasad. Thirteen Brahmins conducted the puja. Each of the Brahminswasoffered a dhoti, shawl and dakshina of ₹21. This puja was performed byKakasaheb Dixit; Shri Balasaheb Deo was also present there. SandalprocessionwascarriedoutbyMuslimdevoteesontheeveningof20thdayandwasfollowedbyreadingofQuranandNamazprayer.

On the 40th day, Dasganu performed a 3-day puja festival. One thousanddevoteeswerefedfood.PanditShastrijifromPandharpurwasinvitedforthepuja.Brahminswereofferedsilverpela(tumbler)andclothes.OnesuchpelaisstillwithRatnaparkhi.

Onthe60thday,ShriUpasaniMaharajwenttoKashiandperformedhawanas perVedic rituals and gave alms or donations.Like this theMahanirvanpuja was completed. However, the Light is still present here in invisibleform.

ShriSaiLeela1983:272,self-translated

PriorIndicationstoDevoteesaboutShriSaiBabaCrossingOvertheOceanofWorldlyLifeSai Baba gave several indications about his Mahasamadhi in different ways.Someoftheseareoutlinedhere.

• Twomonthsearlier,SaiBabasentamessagetofakirBanneMia,sayingthat:

Navdin,navtarikh:Allahmeyaneapnadhunialejayega,merjiAllaki.

ShriSaiLeela2007:47

[Ninthday,AllahhimselftakesawaythelampwhichAllahhasplaced.]Navdinnav tarikhmeant ninth day of the ninthmonth. Sai Baba’s passing awaywasactuallyontheninthdayoftheninthmonth.

• HealsosentsomeofferingstothefakirShamsuddinMiawitharequesttodotwotypesofdevotionalsingingcalledmoula(vocalsingingofsongsaboutGod) andkowali (beating of the table and singing songs about saints).Healso requestednyas, that is,preparing foodand feeding thepeople (Swami1994c:174–175).

Thus, right until the final moments of leaving his body, Sai Baba wasembracingbothHinduandMuslimcommunities.

• In 1916, at the time of Seemolangan and Dussehra day, Sai Baba hadindicated the importanceofVijayadashamiforcrossingover the“borderofthe ocean of worldly life” by hinting that for this “Dussehra is the onlyauspicioustime”(Kher2004:694).WhilehetoldRamchandraPatil(Kote)that “in theyear1918, in themonthofAshwin (October)during the sun’ssoutherlypassage,ontheVijayadashamiday,inthebrighthalfofthemoon,TatyawillgotohisEternalAbode”(Ibid).

When themonthofAshwinbegan,Tatyawasbedriddenand sufferedhighfever.Hewas“unabletowalkormoveabout”andthe“illnesswastakingaturnfor theworse. . . . Then camedashmi . . . the pulse grew feeble asTatya laydying”(Ibid:695).

However,The danger toTatya’s lifewas averted.Tatya remainedwhileBaba itwas,whopassedaway,asifinexchangeforTatya!AndseethemarvelofBaba’swords! He took Tatya’s name, but was really making ready for his ownniryan,withoutmissing the exact time, even by a second.And yet he hadgiventhewarning,bringingtothenoticeofall,thefutureevent.Butuntilithappenedactually,noonehadrealisedit.

Ibid:696

• SaiBabaalsoappearedinthedreamofMrs.PradhanwholivedinSantacruz,MumbaigivingherintimationabouthisMahasamadhi.

On 16-10-1918, i.e. the night after Baba’s departure, I saw his body in adyingconditioninmydreamandsaid“Babaisdying”.Babareplied,“Peopledo not talk of saints as dying, but as taking Samadhi.”His bodywas still.People were mourning. Such was the dream. I felt sad. I woke at 12.30midnight. In themorningwegot fromAnnaChinchnikar, a card thatBabapassedawayat3p.m.,onDusseraha15-10-1918.

Swami2006:110

• Somedaysbeforehisdeparture:

There occured an ominous sign foreboding the event. There was, in theMasjid,anoldbrickonwhichBabarestedHishandandsat.AtnighttimeHeleanedagainst itandhadHisAsan.Thiswentonformanyyears.Oneday,duringBaba’sabsenceaboywhowas sweeping the floor, took itup inhishand,andunfortunately it slippedandfelldownandbroke into twopieces.WhenBabacametoknowaboutthis,Hebemoaneditsloss,saying:“Itisnotthebrick,butMyfate,thathasbeenbrokenintopieces.Itwasmylife-longcompanion,withitIalwaysmeditatedontheSelf,itwasasdeartoMeasMylife,ithasleftMetoday.”

Gunaji2002:228

• Similarly,itisapracticeamongHindus,thatwhenapersonisabouttodie,religious scriptures are read out to him in order to help him get detachedfrom the worldly things. Sai Baba, as he knew that he was about to passawaysoon,askedoneMr.VazetoreadabooknamedRamvijaytohim.Mr.Vazeusedtoreadthebookonceintheweek.Then,SaiBabaaskedhimtoreaditagain,dayandnight.Vazecompletedreadingthebook,forthesecondtime in threedays.Thus,elevendayspassed like this.He read itagain forthreedaysandhencegotexhausted.Then,SaiBabalethimgoanddidnotsayanythingafter that.He thenabided inhisownself,waitingfor the lastmomenttoarrive(Gunaji2009:225).

ShriSaiBaba’sFinalJourney:IntermentinButiWadaAfter a few hours, the question arose regarding what to do with Sai Baba’smortalremains.SomeMuslims,includingaMuslimbutcherofBandra,Mumbai,requestedthatthebodyofSaiBababekeptinSamadhi,outsidethemosquein

the open space, outside Lendibagh (Gokhale 2004: 64). Khushal Chand andAmir Shakkar also supported this along with Shama. However, the villageofficer, Ramchandra Patil, who headed the group, insisted and took a firmdecision thatSaiBaba’s lastwordsbe respected and that hebeburied inButiwadaonly.Discussionsregardingthiswenton.

At that timeKakasahebDixit became upset and asked all those present tocollecttwolakhsofrupeesforthetempleconstruction.HerequestedthemthatincasetheywantedtheSamadhitobemadeoutside,theyshouldsigndocumentsasanassurancefordonationofthemoney.Nooneexpectedthissuggestionand,therefore, bickering followed among everyone. Seeing the state of confusion,KakasahebDixitsentatelegramtotheCollectorofAhmednagartorenderhelpand solve the problem. Accordingly, Shri Sane, the local Mamlatdar, wasorderedtohandlethisissue.

So,theMamlatdarhimselfpassedsuchanorder,andBaba’sbodywasburiedwithoutanydifficultyatBut[i]wada,whereitstillremains.Thatwasonlyatemporarysettlement.Themoreimportantmatterwasastotheguidanceofthe future. That should be a scheme sanctioned by the District Court ofAhmednagar. H.S. Dixit, with his remarkable legal ability, his worldlywisdom, and great bhakti, drew up a scheme and presented it with thesignaturesofanumberof influentialdevotees.Thatwas sanctionedby theDistrict Court in 1922 and that governs the Shirdi Sai Sansthan and [Sai]Baba’stombandotheraffairs.ThepropertyoftheSansthan[was]vestedinabody of trustees with a managing committee of fifteen, Dixit contentedhimselfwithbeingtheHonorarySecretary,andhisablemanagementpleasedall the parties. H.S. Dixit thus laid firm foundation for the success of theShirdiSaiSansthan,andhemustbegiventhecreditforitspresentposition.

Swami1994b:176

Since Shri Sai Baba had expired intestate, examination of his body andwritingofpanchanamawasconductedbySantajiPatelShelke, thePolicePatilofShirdi.ShriSanealsotookpossessiononallarticlesleftbehindbySaiBaba.Thereafter,SaneputtovotetheissueoftakingSaiBabatoButiwadaortoanopengraveyard.Theresultshowedthat1,503votedinfavourofButiwadaand730wereinfavourofanopengraveyard.RamchandraPatil,whowasanactiveparticipant in this vote, reportedly conveyed this to the writer of NirvanichaSakha in 1964. Finally, paying due respect to Sai Baba’s last words, it wasdecidedthatSaiBaba’sbodywouldbetakentoButiwada.

                  

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