Why go to Shirdi when Sai Baba is present everywhere?
- Sri Sainathuni Sarath Babuji.
The following is a free English rendering of an article written in Telugu by
Sri Babuji, which was originally published in his book (Sai Bhakti Sadhana
Rahasyam, by Sainathuni Sarath Babuji, Shirdi: Saipatham Publications, 2001)
Baba is omnipresent! Isn't he? He is everywhere. Why does one need to go all
the way to Shirdi to worship him? You can do that wherever you are!" This is
the "advice" that many Sai devotees who frequently visit Shirdi very often
encounter from their elders, friends and relatives. No doubt the advice not
only reflects sound philosophical wisdom but also conforms to what Baba used to
say, "Those who think that Baba is a person with a three-and-a-half cubit body
or that I am present only in Shirdi haven't seen me at all!" The essential
purport of Baba's wonderful deeds and dictum is to make us experience his
presence shining in all beings everywhere or, to put it in Baba's words,
"wherever you look". To have that "look" should be the object and vision of a
Sai devotee.
All religions, however, stipulate in one form or other that seekers should
bathe in sacred waters make pilgrimages to important shrines and visit saints,
their tombs or the places where they dwelled. Indian epic literature is
permeated with eulogies to such sacred places. The Islamic tradition dictates
that every Muslim should make the pilgrimage to Mecca (haj) at least once in a
lifetime. The Sufi tradition places great importance on taking refuge in saints
and visiting their dargahs (tombs). Aithareya Brahmanam says, "There is no
happiness for a person who does not make a pilgrimage. Any individual, however
noble he or she may be, inevitably errs. Indra is the friend of one who
undertakes a pilgrimage. So, go thou on pilgrimage!" The scriptures, on the one
hand exhort us to realize the One which is everywhere and present in all living
beings, and on the other hand insist on visiting holy places! How could these
two seemingly opposite stands be reconciled?
Apart from what is said in the scriptures, going on pilgrimage is also an
example set for us by great sages. The Puranas say that saints and even gods
used to stay in sacred places for tapas. Great teachers of Vedanta such as Adi
Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva and Vallabha travelled at length to various holy
places with fervent zeal. It is worth noting that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was
blissfully immersed in the ocean of Krishna devotion and saw the form of his
Lord everywhere, made enthusiastic and frequent visits to holy places, as did
other great ones, such as Meerabai, Jnaneshwar Maharaj, Sant Namdev, Tukaram
Maharaj, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and others. It is obvious that they
undertook pilgrimages not because they were unable to see God otherwise! Not
only did these great ones travel to holy places with great enthusiasm, but they
counseled others to make a point of frequently undertaking such pilgrimages.
The Varkari tradition, which was instrumental in spreading Panduranga bhakti,
was established by Jnaneshwar Maharaj and Namdev, and popularized by sants such
as Eknath and Tukaram. The tradition enjoins that every seeker should undertake
a pilgrimage to Pandharpur at least once a year. The Marathi word varkari means
"one who makes a pilgrimage". The importance given to pilgrimage is evident in
the name given to the tradition. It is a pilgrimage which is both external and
internal. The purpose of the external journey is to have darshan of Lord Vittal
in Pandharpur, and thereby to have his darshan inwardly (i.e. to experience his
presence) in all beings everywhere.
There is, however, something we should bear in mind here. The scriptures and
saints encourage pilgrimage as an aid to self-control and self-realization -
not to absolve the pilgrim of his or her sins or to secure a short route to
heaven. Many verses in our Puranas appear saying, "Papa pariharardham, punya
samupajanardham" (to wash away sins and gain merit). Several scholars opine
that these were the interpolations of the priestly class to popularize
pilgrimage. However, the notion that one can blithely continue to commit sins
and then go on periodic pilgrimages to counter them has been categorically
condemned by the great sages and scriptures. The Devi Bhagavatam, for instance,
censures such motives: "Only those who keep their hearts pure stand to gain
from pilgrimages, others even commit a sin by that."
On close examination we see that these places of pilgrimage were originally the
dwellings of great saints, or where their tombs lie. Over the course of time
(thanks to the creative interpretation of Puranic commentators) their origins
slipped into oblivion and were gradually replaced with stories connected to
various deities. According to the scriptures, the sanctity of the Himalayas,
the Ganga and other holy places is due to the spiritual power of the tapas
performed there over the centuries by great souls. It then becomes clear why
even great saints and realized beings visit holy places so devotedly.
Great sages visit holy places and teerthas (holy waters) again and again to
purify them and enhance their sanctity. Seekers, however, should visit them to
free their minds of distractions and to accelerate their inward journey to
their destination. It is a thousand times easier and more efficacious to
meditate in such places than at home, as they have been sanctified by the
presence of the great ones. As soon as seekers go there, their minds are
spontaneously drawn into the Presence. Doing spiritual practice at home is like
rowing a boat against the wind in a turbulent river, whereas practice in the
presence of great sages or in holy places is like sailing with the wind and
current behind us - effortless and tension-free. Psychotronics recognizes that
when a strong resolve or emotion arises in a person, its power is impressed in
that space, influencing those who come into its proximity later. Any seeker who
has even a little experience in meditation instantly notices such an influence.
However, care should be exercised when choosing a place for Sadhana, especially
when the seeker does not have the guidance of a competent guru. Each place has
its own effect or influence and the seeker must choose one that is suitable to
their samskaras. If it is not compatible it will not be helpful to their
Sadhana and at times could even be harmful.
Based on this principle the sages have revealed a secret for successful
Sadhana: seekers who are sincere in their purpose should visit their guru as
often as they can, while those who are totally dedicated to Sadhana should stay
with the guru (or at their tomb) until the goal is reached. The great ones have
not only shared this counsel with us but many of them lived it too. Bhagavan
Sri Ramana Maharshi is a recent and outstanding example of this. An exponent of
the Advaita school who urged all to realize the "I" glowing in the heart and to
enquire into the question "Who am I?", Bhagavan's devotion, love and affection
for Arunachala sometimes puzzles his devotees. He realized the Self at his home
in Madurai, but even after that he cherished an intense longing for the Darshan
of Lord Arunachaleswara, which impelled him swiftly to that place and kept him
there for the remainder of his life, never leaving it for a moment. Bhagavan
used to say that Arunachaleswara was his guru and that Arunachala was his
gurusthan (the place of his Master).
It is intriguing to see why Bhagavan had to rush to Arunachala and what was
there for him that was not available in Madurai. Once a devotee asked Ramana,
"Bhagavan, is it not your divine power that is drawing innumerable devotees
here from all over the world?" Bhagavan quickly cut him short, saying, "Then
what was the power that pulled Bhagavan to this place? It is that same divine
power (Arunachala) that is attracting everyone here." It was not out of modesty
that Bhagavan spoke like this - and if we understand the inner meaning of his
words, a great secret of Sadhana will be revealed. Furthermore, we will also
understand why Sri Sai Baba came to Shirdi and settled there, and the example
he thus set for us.
Today, millions of devotees are drawn to Shirdi by the divine power of Sai Baba
- but what is the power that brought Sai to Shirdi? Baba's reply was, "It is my
Guru's place. My Guru's tomb is here," and that is why he settled there and
made it his home. Sri Sai Baba had transcended form and proved that he was one
with all beings. He had shown by his numerous acts his state of non-duality and
omnipresence. We, on the other hand, are still struggling with a sense of
separation and duality. When he who had achieved such perfection and glory
stayed so devotedly at his gurusthan and sought refuge there, is it not foolish
on our part to say, "Is not Baba everywhere? Do we really need to go to Shirdi
to see him?" The words are actually a camouflage for our own prevarication and
meanness. A trip to Shirdi involves expenditure of time and money and putting
our worldly affairs aside for a while, and we lack the resolve to do this. The
great advaita teacher Sri Adi Sankara has warned, "Bhavadvaitam sadakurvat;
kriyadvaitam nakarhichit; advaitam trishulokeshu nadwaitam guruna saha."
("Practise non-duality in thought but do not practise it in deed. You may
follow non-duality anywhere in the three worlds, but never with regard to your
Guru!") To his devotees Sri Sai Baba is the supreme sadguru and it is a fact
that he is present everywhere in all beings. Even though it is the aim of Sai
devotees to realize the truth of this fact, we should not forget that it was
revealed to us by the form of Sri Sai that lived and moved in Shirdi.
Baba once said, "Baba is not this three-and-a-half cubit body. If anyone thinks
of me like that they have not seen me at all." However, he also said, "Whoever
steps into this mosque with devotion is freed from their suffering due to
karma," and "I will fulfill the purpose of my incarnation. My dust will speak
for me. I will be vigorous from the tomb as well," and "My tomb will speak and
move with those who make me their refuge." Baba showed many devotees that no
harm would come to them so long as they stayed in Shirdi. He instructed many
either directly or through dream-visions to visit Shirdi in order to get their
desires fulfilled. Sri Upasani Baba, an expert in yoga practice, was unable to
overcome an obstacle in his Sadhana and approached many sages and saints for
relief, but in vain. Finally he came to Shirdi and sought Baba's grace. Baba
gave him only one Sadhana: to stay in Shirdi for four years. Upasani asked
Baba, "What Sadhana should I do in those four years?" Baba told him, "Nothing.
Just eat and be quiet. That is enough. I will do what has to be done." This
means that simply staying in Shirdi with sincerity of purpose is itself a great
Sadhana. Baba also said, "Whatever you buy in Shirdi is my Prasad," and
"Whoever sweeps and cleans Gurusthan (the abode of my guru) and lights incense
on Thursdays and Fridays, will be blessed by God." All these reveal the immense
importance Baba gave to holy Shirdi.
Even today innumerable devotees who visit Shirdi continue to taste the bliss of
Sai's stupendous presence. One can see obvious changes and improvements in
their lives after their sojourn in Shirdi.
A thorn must be removed with a thorn. If we want to erase the feeling of
duality from our hearts or, in Baba's words, "to demolish the wall between you
and me" we must take the help of the contiguous parts of that duality - the
form of Sri Sai Baba, his unique presence and the power of holy Shirdi.
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