Dwarkamai

Arriving at the mosque for the first time, you may be rather surprised. Was this simple, unadorned structure really the home of “God on earth?” Was this really the centre from which so many miraculous events sprang? Could such a modest building have been the scene of the highest spiritual instruction that flowed forth in almost as many different forms as the number of visitors seeking it?

With its corrugated iron roof and rough stone walls, the mosque could never be described as grand. Yet, in spite of this – or rather, because of this – it seems to have suited Baba very well. Describing himself as a simple fakir, Baba was a model of dispassion and holy poverty. His personal possessions amounted to little more than a few pieces of cloth, some chillim pipes, a stick, a begging bowl, and a change of kafni – and not even always that. Whenever his devotees wanted to refurbish the mosque, Baba resisted and said that it was not necessary, although basic repair work was gradually carried out.

To the devotees of Sai Baba, Dwarkamai is one of the treasures of Shirdi. The spirit of tolerance, acceptance and welcome for all is very much alive. Baba has said that merely going inside the mosque will confer blessings, and the experiences of devotees confirm this. Sai Baba respected all religions and creeds, and all had free access to the mosque. It is typically unique of Sai Baba that he regarded a place of worship – the mosque – as a mother. He once told a visitor, “Dwarkamai is this very mosque. She makes those who ascend her steps fearless. This masjidmayi is very kind. Those who come here reach their goal !” 

On entering the mosque one is struck by its powerful atmosphere and the intensity and absorption with which visitors are going about their worship. Another point we notice is the great diversity of devotional expression. Some people will be kneeling before Baba’s picture of making offerings, others will be praying before the dhuni (perpetually burning sacred fire), some may be doing japa or reading from sacred texts, and others will be sitting in contemplation. If we spend some time here we may become aware of a mysterious phenomenon. 

The “mayi” aspect of the masjid reveals itself in a number of ways and we feel we are sitting in Baba’s drawing room. See that child over there happily crawling around with a toffee in its mouth, or her sister colouring a comic book ? And what about the old man complaining to Baba about his aches and pains, or that women sitting with her son on her lap telling him a story ? Opposite is a large family group. The granny has a tiffin tin, and having offered some to Baba, she walks around giving a handful of payasam (sweet rice) to everyone in the mosque. We feel we are receiving prasad almost from Baba himself, and perhaps we are then reminded of some of the stories in Baba’s life in which devotees brought offerings, or when he affectionately distributed fruit or sweets with his own hand. The atmosphere is so homely in the abode of Sai mavuli ! But what is perhaps more remarkable, is that his homeliness co-exists with a powerful experience of the sacred and transcendent. The spirit is profoundly moved by “something” – something indefinable, something great, something mysterious, something magnetically attractive. As we explore Sai Baba’s Shirdi, this aspect of Baba – at once the concerned mother and the Almighty – is shown again and again. Many devotees relate to Baba as a mother, and many as a God supreme. That these two are so perfectly synthesized in Baba – see his care for both the smallest domestic detail as well as the ultimate spiritual attainment – is perhaps the most beautiful and unique aspect of Shirdi Sai.

When Sai Baba moved into this mosque it was an abandoned and dilapidated mud structure, much smaller than the one we see today. In fact, it extended only as far as the steps and wrought iron dividers enclosing the upper section, with the rest of the area an outside courtyard. There were no iron bars around the mosque or the dhuni as there are today, and according to Hemadpant, there were “knee-deep holes and pits in the ground”! Part of the roof had collapsed and the rest was in imminent danger of following, so it was a rather hazardous place to live ! Once when Baba was sitting in the mosque, eating with a few devotees, there was a loud crack overhead. Baba immediately raised His hand and said, “Sabar, sabar,” (“Wait, wait”). The noise stopped and the group carried on with their meal, but when they got up and went out, a large piece of the roof came crashing down onto the exact spot where they had been sitting!

Dhuni Maa

The everlasting Dhuni lit by Baba Himself more than 140 years ago, is still burning. The word 'Dhuni' possibly comes from the root word 'Dhun' meaning 'to kindle or waft'. Even during the cholera epidemic, the Panchayats ordained 'no fuel cart should be allowed to come in the village'. Baba went to the fuel cart and bought wood for His Dhuni. Like an Agnihotri, keeping His sacred fire alive, throughout His life Baba kept this Dhuni 'ever burning all day and night.

When Baba slept in the Chavadi, Radhakrishna Aai cleaned, and whitewashed the Masjid. She had to take out all the things including the Dhuni and replace it as it was.

At first Baba practised medicine and became famous as a Hakim. Later He stopped giving medicines, but gave Udi instead.

Baba's all omnipresence and mercy saved the blacksmith's child from a horrible death in the furnace. On Shyama's concern, and questioning Baba replied "When the child slipped into the furnace, I immediately thrust my hand and saved the child. I do not mind my arm being burnt, but I am glad that the life of the child is saved". What intense mercy and love for His Bhaktas! This incident bestowed Baba's favour on Bhagoji Shinde, who daily massaged and bandaged it till Baba's Mahasamadhi.

Every morning Baba sat in front of this Dhuni. He seemed to be offering into the Dhuni oblations of the ego, desires, and all thoughts. 'Allah Mallik', 'Allah Mallik' He softly said.

Sitting by the Dhuni Baba often spoke of the distant places He went to overnight and what He had done. Those who slept by His side the whole night at the Dwarakamai knew that His physical body was in Shirdi. But these statements were occasionally verified and found to be true by Prof. Narke and also others.

Devotees may offer wood, gowri, ghee, nav dhanya and five types of wood to this sacred Dhuni. The Dhuni Puja is done daily between 11.30 AM and 12.00 noon by the Sansthan. Eleven coconuts, wood, gowri are offered at this time. This Vaishva (Agni) Puja is done with Anna Ahuti, as was done by Shagun Meru upon Baba's instructions.

Pooja Pillar and Silver Padukas

Just in front of the dhuni, on the right as you face it with your back to the portrait, you will see a painted wooden supporting pillar; the silver padukas are at the bottom of it. This pillar played a small but significant part in the history of Sai worship. H. V. Sathe has described how there were no Gurupoornima celebrations until the day that Baba sent for Dada Kelkar and said, "Don't you remember that today is Gurupoornima?" Pointing to the pillar in the mosque, Baba told him, "Go and bring puja material and worship that post!" From then on, according to Sathe, the practice of celebrating Gurupoornima by worshipping Baba was continued.

The correlation of the pillar, which is essential to the construction's stability, and the guru, is a pertinent one for devotees. Today when we look at this post it appears so ordinary and unremarkable, yet it stands in Baba's mosque, and is a reminder of the early days of a most extraordinary and remarkable movement. From our own experience, we can imagine the keen emotions of those early devotees, eager to offer worship to their beloved gurudeva, yet at the same time, uncertain of how Baba would receive it and whether he would allow it. Remembering this, looking at the pillar today may evoke a feeling of affinity with and appreciation for those early pioneers along the path of Sai.

Kolamba

Baba used to take Biksha from five houses daily. He called out "Oh. Lassie give me a piece of bread". He begged three to four times a day till noon, but His Biksha was erratic and irregular (Ref. ESS, Ch.VIII). The food thus collected was put in this Kolamba (pot), dogs, cats and crows freely ate from this and Baba did not drive them away. This practice of Biksha went on till His Mahasamadhi. If He could not go He deputed someone else like Vamanrao Patel or G.G. Narke. The Pujari from Samadhi Mandir comes and offers Bhog to Baba twice a day, and leaves some Prasad in this Kolamba for the devotees to share. Various devotees offering Prasad to Baba offer it to Dhuni Maa and leave some in this Kolamba.

Water Pot

Baba Himself used to carry water from the well behind the Samadhi Mandir and fill this pot. Devotees used the water as Tirth'. Devotees still take this water as 'Tirth'. Now-a-days this pot is being filled by the Pujari of the Dwarakamai. This pot is next to the Kolamba adjacent to the southern wall of the Dwarakamai. Devotees may use this Tirth' to get relief for their ailments.

Nimbar

On the western wall of the mosque - in the direction of Mecca - is a nimbar or niche, with a set of lamps in front of it. The nimbar is a standard feature of all mosques, but the lamps were put there by Baba. In Dwarkamai this spot, which is near where Baba used to sit, is decorated with a garland of flowers.

The Sri Sai Satcharitra relates that it was here that Baba used to have his midday meal, sitting behind a curtain with his back to the nimbar, and a row of devotees on either side of him. This is also the place where Baba would sleep with his head pointing towards the nimbar, with Mhalsapati on one side of him and Tatya Kote Patil on the other.

Baba occasionally did namaz (ritual prayers) here and Muslims would sometimes come for this purpose. A group of elders once came from the local Muslim headquarters of Sangamner, a town about fifty kms away, to investigate Baba following complaints of his heterodoxy from local Muslims. When they arrived they found Baba smearing fresh cowdung paste on the floor (a common practice in rural India). After answering their questions Baba suggested they do namaz together as it was already noon. Seeing the wet floor and their own clean clothes, they hesitated. "If you do namaz with a clean heart, no dirt will stick to you," counselled Baba. "Let's start...Allah Malik." The men had no choice but to kneel down. Afterwards they were astonished to see their clothes still in pristine condition. They concluded that Baba was a great saint and therefore no formal procedures were necessary for him.

Grinding stone

A grinding stone - a common household item in rural India - is kept in the north corner of the western wall. Baba apparently had two or three such stones (another is on display in the Samadhi Mandir) which, on occasion, he used for grinding wheat. The most famous of these became the inspiration for Hemadpant's celebrated Sri Sai Satcharitra. It is described as follows:

One morning, some time after the year 1910, while I was in Shirdi, I went to see Sai Baba at his mosque. I was surprised to find him making preparations for grinding an extraordinary quantity of wheat. After arranging a gunny sack on the floor, he placed a hand-operated flour mill on it and, rolling up the sleeves of his robe, he started grinding the wheat. I wondered at this, as I knew that Baba owned nothing, stored nothing and lived on alms. Others who had come to see him wondered about this too, but nobody had the temerity to ask any questions.

As the news spread through the village, more and more men and women collected at the mosque to find out what was going on. Four of the women in the watching crowd forced their way through and, pushing Baba aside, grabbed the handle of the flour mill. Baba was enraged by such officiousness, but as the women raised their voices in devotional songs, their love and regard for him became so evident that Baba forgot his anger and smiled.

As the women worked, they too wondered what Baba intended doing with such an enormous quantity of flour...They concluded that Baba, being the kind of man he was, would probably distribute the flour between the four of them...When their work was done, they divided the flour into four portions, and each of them started to take away what she considered her share.

"Ladies, have you gone mad!" Baba shouted. "Whose property are you looting? Your father's? Have I borrowed any wheat from you? What gives you the right to take this flour away?"

"Now listen to me," he continued in a calmer tone, as the women stood dumbfounded before him. "Take this flour and sprinkle it along the village boundaries."

Chillim

In the corner by the grinding stone you will see a cupboard. It was in this niche that Baba used to keep his chillims. He was fond of smoking tobacco through these clay pipes and used to pass the pipe around to his close devotees. At such times he might tell stories and the atmosphere was one of good humour and friendliness.

As with many of the apparently ordinary things around Baba, there was more to the chillim smoking than at first appeared. It seems that Baba sometimes used the chillim as a means of bestowing grace. G. S. Khaparde notes in his Shirdi Diary that one day Baba "was very gracious and repeatedly gave me smoke out of his pipe. It solved many of my doubts and I felt delighted." There are also reports of Baba using the pipe for healing purposes. Hari Bhau, for example, suffered from asthma. He had never smoked before Baba offered him the pipe one day. Because it was given by Baba, he took it and smoked. From then on, his asthma was cured and never bothered him again

None of the pipes can be seen in Dwarkamai now, but a few are on display in the Samadhi Mandir. Baba received many pipes in his lifetime and would often give them away.

Baba's portrait and Silver Padukas

A beautiful portrait of Baba was installed, inside the small temple during Baba's lifetime. Arati was done twice a day by Bapu Saheb Jog. This was later discontinued on Baba's advice. This photo is noteworthy for giving Sakshatkar and darshan of the Ishta Devata to many devotees. Alankar is done by the Pujari daily and bhog is offered in the evenings.

Stone on which Baba sat

This stone is placed in the center of the eastern wall of Dwarakamai in a small Mandap. Baba used to sit on this stone facing west. Marble Padukas were installed on this stone. The legend has it, that this stone was in Lendibagh. Abdullah, like the other villagers, used to wash clothes on it. Then they saw baba sitting on it. So they brought it to Dwarakamai and venerated it as Baba's Asan.

Statue of Tiger

Installed on 12.11.1969 by Triambkrao of Ozar village. Seven days before Baba took Mahasamadhi the Leela of giving a sick tiger Sadgati is vividly described. This tiger was brought to Baba with the view to its cure by three Darveshis. After permission was taken they brought the tiger who climbed the steps of Dwarakamai, and looked at Baba lovingly. Suddenly it moved the tuft of its tail and dashed it against the ground thrice and fell and died. With this Darveshis got upset and Baba gave them Rs. 507- and consoled them. Thus the debt was paid and it met its end at Baba's holy feet attaining Sadgati. Baba not only gave Sadgati to men but also to beasts alike. The Samadhi of this tiger is in front of Mahadev temple in the old Shanti Niwas premises.

Cooking hearth

To the left of the courtyard area of the mosque is the small hearth where Baba sometimes used to cook. Like most things here, it is now enclosed in a wire cage but in Baba's time and until recently it was, of course, open.

Here Baba would occasionally prepare large quantities of sweet milk-rice, pulao and other food for distribution among visitors. He would supervise the whole process himself, including shopping, grinding spices, and chopping the ingredients. The food was cooked in huge copper pots - enough for 50-200 people - which are now on display in the Samadhi Mandir.

An outstanding aspect of Baba's cooking style was that rather than use a ladle or a spoon, he would stir the scalding food with his bare hand, without causing himself any injury. The Sri Sai Satcharitra describes tenderly and in great detail how and what Baba would cook, "then with his own hands, serve very lovingly to all, with great respect. And those desirous of eating would happily partake of the food till quite full, even as Baba pressed them to have more, saying affectionately, 'Take, take some more!' Oh, how great must have been the merit of those who partook of this most satisfying meal! Blessed, blessed were those to whom Baba served himself." The author adds that once the number of visitors became very large and the quantity of food offerings also increased, Baba cooked less often. Baba never gave up the custom of begging for his food throughout his long life.

Wooden post

Beside the stove is a three-foot tall wooden post, which Baba would lean against while cooking. Though it is unremarkable looking, it is thought to be invested with healing properties since Baba once advised a close devotee (Sai Sharananand, then Vaman Patel) suffering from a severe pain in his knee to touch the post with his knee and then do pradakshina around it. The devotee did this and the pain disappeared. To this day, people with bodily aches and pains also like to lean against the post as a means of receiving Baba's blessing for their healing.

Padukas (Saibaba used to stand here)

Just behind the cooking area is the place where Baba would stand, usually before going to Lendi, leaning against the mud wall. He would call out to villagers in a friendly way, "How are you?" "How's the crop coming along?" "How are your children doing?" Following Baba's mahasamadhi, a pair of padukas was installed in this spot and a small shrine placed over them. In the wall above is a smaller set of padukas where he is said to have leaned his arm.

Before leaving the mosque, let us sit for a few moments in this sacred abode of Baba. While doing so, we may recall Baba's loving and reassuring words: "As soon as one climbs the steps of the mosque, suffering due to karma is over and joy begins... She will save anyone who is in danger...Whoever sleeps in her shade will attain bliss...enter this masjid ayi and your goal will be achieved..."

Sri Babuji draws our attention to a peculiar but quietly spectacular feature of Dwarkamai: although the mosque may be full of people, activity and noise, when we sit here we feel that we are in a pool of silence and alone with Baba. Somehow, the noise is not a disturbance to us, and despite the comings and goings, we feel unusually still and peaceful.

Tulasi Brindavan

Baba had planted this Tulasi Brindavan outside Dwarakamayi Masjid. After the outer pavilion was constructed, the devotees brought this Tulasi Brindavan inside and tended it. It now stands in the North East corner of Dwarakamayi. Sri Saibaba Sansthan Authorities perform Tulasi Vivah on the twelfth day of Deepavali every year.

Shyama Karna – The Horse

Kasam, a horse merchant, was distraught because his mare had no issue for a very long time. He vowed to Baba that if his mare had a foal, he would offer the first born to Baba. By Baba's grace the mare did have a series of issues. So he came and presented Baba with the first born. Baba called the horse “Shyama Karna" as his body was brown while his ears were black. The horse loved Baba and Baba reciprocated. This horse was housed in the room situated on the eastern side of Dwarakamai now called “Shyama Sundar Hall”. This beloved horse of Baba died in 1945 and his Samadhi is built in Lendi Bagh. Bala Saheb Sulthe of Shirdi presented this idol in memory of Shyama Karna. It was installed on the left side of the stone on which Baba sat. This statue is in remembrance of the deep love that Shyama Karna had for Baba and Baba reciprocated.

Dwarakamai will remain open from 4:00 AM to 11:00 PM for Darshan.