The Gurusthan

Gurusthan

Gurusthan means "place of the guru". It is where Baba spent most of his time when he first came to Shirdi, and also where, according to Baba, the tomb of his own guru is located, by the neem tree. Gurusthan is therefore one of the most important places in Shirdi. Once when some villagers were digging the foundations for Sathe Wada just behind the neem tree, they came across some bricks in the soil and what looked like the opening of a tunnel. Uncertain whether to proceed or not, they asked Baba what they should do. He told them that this was the site of the tombs of his ancestors and that it would be better not to disturb them.
There are several ref-erences to Baba's guru recorded in the literature, but they are somewhat enigmatic, and it is not clear whether he was referring to a guru in his present lifetime, or a previous one.

"In human life, the guru's place is pre-eminent. By keeping utmost faith in the guru alone, everything is obtained. A devotee's entire strength is due to his guru. Devotion to the guru is superior to devotion to gods and goddesses. The guru is the supreme being."-- Sri Sai Baba 

We have already seen (in the Foreword) the importance that mahatmas give to staying at the place and tombs of saints. In accord-ance with this principle Baba made Shirdi his base because it was the place of his guru. To really grasp the significance of the gurusthan in this tradition, we should understand the importance of the guru. Sai Baba has told us that learning and scriptural knowledge are not necessary, but rather, "Trust in the guru fully. That is the only sadhana." A reading of his life and teachings helps to inculcate this trust and shows us that Baba's life was itself the epitome of this central truth. As B. V. Narasimhaswami has commented, "Baba's biography is the practical illustration of what guru and sishya mean, and of the principles that govern their mutual relation."
Perhaps the first thing that catches our eye at Gurusthan is the huge neem tree. This tree gave shelter to Baba for a few years when he stayed beneath it. Neem has many medicinal properties, though its leaves are notoriously bitter. However, some people once reported that the leaves of one of the branches tasted sweet. For them this was a sign of Baba's grace; others see it as evidence of the tree's exceptional sanctity.
One anecdote concerning the neem tree illustrates how practical and down-to-earth Baba could be. In the early 1900s, after Baba had moved to the mosque, construction work on Sathe Wada was hampered by a long branch of the tree. However, nobody wanted to remove it as this tree had been sanctified by Baba's stay under it. When Baba was approached for his advice he told the villagers, "Cut off however much is interfering with the construction. Even if it is our own foetus which is lying across the womb, we must cut it!" But despite this clear instruction from Baba, none dared meddle with the tree. Eventually Baba himself climbed up and lopped off the branch.
Another reason for the villagers' reluctance to prune the tree may have been that some time previously a boy had climbed the tree to trim it, and had fallen to the ground and died. At that moment Baba, who was in the mosque, sounded a note of distress, blowing sanka (the sound a conch shell makes when blown into) with his cupped hands. Baba sometimes did this when a person was in great danger, although he could not have "seen" from the mosque what was occurring at Gurusthan. Villagers linked the boy's death with his attempt to cut the tree, and became afraid to do anything that might have been a sacrilege.
Today at Gurusthan, in addition to the neem tree, there is a pair of marble padukas on a pedestal, a Shivalingam and a statue of Baba. The statue, carved by the grandson of the sculptor of the Samadhi Mandir statue, was donated by Y. D. Dave and installed in 1974; the other items were set up in Baba's time.

The Padukas

The padukas at the base of the neem tree in Gurusthan

The padukas were the initiative of a couple of devotees from Bombay. During their visit to Shirdi they became friendly with two local devotees, G. K. Dixit (not to be confused with H. S. "Kakasaheb" Dixit) and Sagun Meru Naik. As they were sitting talking one day, they all felt it would be good if there were some kind of memorial to Baba's advent in Shirdi and his stay under the neem tree. They first thought of laying some padukas made of rough stone. Then one of them suggested that if he put the proposal to his employer, Dr Ramrao Kothare (who had accompanied them to Shirdi), he would probably be willing to sponsor something more elegant. Dr Kothare gladly came back to Shirdi from Bombay, drew up a plan for the padukas and showed it to Upasani Baba. Sri Upasani made some improvements adding a conch, lotus, and Mahavishnu wheel, and suggested that two of his Sanskrit slokas extolling the tree's greatness and Baba's powers be inscribed on the padukas' pedestal. These slokas constitute part of Sri Sainatha Mahima Stotram, which is sung twice a day in Shirdi as part of the noon and evening aratis. They translate as follows:
I bow to Lord Sainath, who by his constant stay at the foot of the neem tree - which although bitter and unpleasant, was yet oozing nectar - made it better than the wish-fulfilling tree.
I bow to Lord Sainath, who always takes delight in resting under the neem tree and bestowing material and spiritual prosperity upon his devotees who lovingly attend on him.
The padukas were made in Bombay and sent to Shirdi. When they arrived, Baba said they should be installed on August full moon day. So on 15 August 1912 they were duly taken in ceremonious procession from Khandoba Temple to the mosque, where Baba touched them and said they were Allah's padukas and to put them at the foot of the neem tree.
Arati was already being performed every day in Sathe Wada and Dixit Wada, and with the installation of the padukas at Gurusthan, a third was started; G. K. Dixit (who had carried them on his head) was employed to officiate.
A few months after their installation the padukas were damaged by a lunatic who also destroyed some of Shirdi's temple idols. The devotees were very distressed, believing it augured ill. Baba, however, took the matter casually and told them simply to repair the crack with cement and undertake a feeding of the poor. Later, the broken padukas were replaced and the originals are said to be in the pedestal underneath.

The lingam was installed in Gurusthan the same year. It had previously belonged to Megha Shyam, a zealous devotee of Sri Sai Baba, who had taken over officiating at the arati in the mosque after the demise of Tatyasaheb Noolkar. How Megha acquired the lingam is a beautiful example of Baba's leela. Megha was a simple, austere Gujarati Brahmin, who worshipped Shiva but saw his chosen deity in Sai Baba. Characteristically, Baba encouraged his devotee to maintain his worship of Shiva. One day Baba blessed him with a vision, appearing to him early one morning telling him to draw a trident (emblem of Shiva) and leaving behind a few grains of akshata (rice that has been coloured red, used in worship). When Megha went to him in the mosque Baba emphatically confirmed the instruction, and Megha returned to his room to carry it out. The next day someone presented a Shivalingam to Baba. Baba called Megha over, saying, "Look, Shiva has come for you!" and giving the lingam to Megha, told him to use it for worship.
At that time, Megha was staying in Dixit Wada. He took the lingam home with him and showed it to H. S. Dixit. Dixit then disclosed a strange coincidence: he had just had his bath and was thinking of Baba, when he had a vision of a lingam arriving at the wada - whose exact replica Megha was now bringing!
Megha worshipped this lingam with great dedication until the end of his days. When the padukas were to be installed, the devotees wanted to take the opportunity to put a Shiva-lingam there too. If there was a tomb here as Baba had said, then according to Hindu custom, it required a lingam. They therefore asked Baba's permission and he said they could use the lingam that Megha had worshipped until his death at the beginning of that year. So the lingam that we see there now is the same one that Baba lovingly handed over to Megha.
During Baba's lifetime, Gurusthan was completely open and looked quite different from the fully paved and enclosed area it has now become. Sri Sai Baba said that whoever burns incense and cleans here on Thursdays and Fridays would be blessed by Allah (Thursday is sacred to Hindus, and Friday to Muslims). We assume that out of love and respect for his guru, Baba wishes the place to be venerated and kept clean.
A small dhuni on a stand is kept in front of the shrine here. Until recently it was kindled every day by embers brought from the main dhuni at the mosque, but this is now done only on Thursdays and Fridays.
Finally, before we leave Gurusthan, let us return to the mighty neem tree. Since the 1980s, with Sri Babuji's example and encouragement, more and more devotees have started doing pradakshina around the tree (and thereby the tomb). Now, one can often see large numbers of people going around throughout the day and night. Others find that Gurusthan is a powerful place to sit quietly. Some people regard the tree as a symbol of the Guru's grace under which humanity may take shelter and protection. Indeed, Sai Baba once commented that his devotees are simply resting in the shade of the neem tree while he bears the brunt of their deeds.

Takia

Just across from Gurusthan, to the east of Dixit Wada opposite the neem tree, near to where an open theatre has recently been built, there used to be a takia or small shed. A takia is a resting place for visiting fakirs and Baba sometimes spent the night here when he first came to Shirdi.
Sai Baba had a great love of music and dance. In his early days he would often go by the takia and sing devotional songs, usually in Arabic or Persian, or the (Hindi) songs of Kabir. His voice is described as "very sweet and appealing". Sometimes he would put on bells and anklets and dance around in ecstasy while singing, probably in the company of visiting fakirs who were putting up there for a night or two. Even though the takia is not there any more, one can easily imagine the scenes of ecstatic devotion that were creatively enacted here during the night hours.