A Unique Saint
Sai Baba of Shirdi is a phenomenon.
In all of India's history,there has never been another like him.
He is not a conventional saint.
He wrote no critique of Bhagavadgita or the Upanishads or any other holy work.
He made no pretensions to scholarship yet he had a profound insight into both Hinduism and Islamic scriptures.
He founded no ashram or peetham,wrote no tome,initiated no disciple to take over from him.
He performed 'miracles' but in no manner of means to impress anyone,devotee or otherwise.
Sai Baba in every way remains unique.
Born about twenty years before the 'Sepoys' mutiny in the 19th century in Marathwada,the home of medieval saints of Maharashtra,he came in his late twenties to Shirdi,an insignificant hamlet in Ahmednagar District and spent fifty years of his remaining life there until his mahasamadhi.
Shirdi is no longer an obscure village.
Today it is a centre of pilgrimage for lakhs of Sai Baba's devotees.
This book is a complete account of his life and mission
[Source: Back Cover of the Book]
My Comments:
I was impressed by the research the authors have undertaken to trace the birth place and early life of Shirdi Sai Baba which was rather unknown before the publication of this book.
Also the chapters where lineage of Marathwada Saints to which Sai Baba belongs are very informative.
[Source: Back Cover of the Book]
My Comments:
I was impressed by the research the authors have undertaken to trace the birth place and early life of Shirdi Sai Baba which was rather unknown before the publication of this book.
Also the chapters where lineage of Marathwada Saints to which Sai Baba belongs are very informative.
I have extreme regard and respect for Shirdi Sai Baba, truly one of the great saints of modern India.
I was expecting a biography which can provide me a better understanding of Baba as a person, his nature and his core philosophy.
While these areas are discussed, the major portion of this book comprises of hundreds of anecdotes about how directly or indirectly Baba came to the aid of his devotees when they were in trouble.
This makes the narrative very repetitive and several of these stories seem somewhat incredible to my rational mind.
Hence I was somewhat disappointed with this biography.
Nevertheless it is a good book to read, especially for the very pious and the faithfuls.
Goodreads Rating - 4.14 out of 5 ( 7 Ratings)
Buy the Kindle book version.
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.)
I was expecting a biography which can provide me a better understanding of Baba as a person, his nature and his core philosophy.
While these areas are discussed, the major portion of this book comprises of hundreds of anecdotes about how directly or indirectly Baba came to the aid of his devotees when they were in trouble.
This makes the narrative very repetitive and several of these stories seem somewhat incredible to my rational mind.
Hence I was somewhat disappointed with this biography.
Nevertheless it is a good book to read, especially for the very pious and the faithfuls.
Goodreads Rating - 4.14 out of 5 ( 7 Ratings)
Buy the Kindle book version.
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.)
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