The name of Dr.Jagannath Pandit finds a mention in Chapter 11 of holy Shri Sai Satcharitra. The details are as follows:

Dr. Jagannath Pandit, who was relative of Tatyasaheb Noolkar from his mother's side came to Shirdi for Baba's darshan. After saluting Baba, he stayed in the Masjid for some time. Baba asked him to go to Dadabhat Kelkar. He went to Dadabhat, by whom he was well received. Then Dababhat left his house for Puja and Dr. Pandit accompanied him. Dadabhat worshipped Baba. Nobody until then dared to apply sandal paste to Baba's forehead. Only Mahalsapati used to apply it to His throat. But this simplehearted devout, Dr.Pandit, took Dabadhat's dish containing Puja-materials and taking sandalpaste out of it, drew a Tripundra, i.e. there horizontal lines on Baba's forehead. To the surprise of all, Baba kept silent without uttering a single word. Then Dababhat that evening asked Baba,"How is it, that though You object to the sandal-paste being applied by others to Your forehead, but You allowed Dr. Pandit to do so now?" Baba replied that Dr. Pandit believed Him to be the same as his Guru, Raghunath Maharaja of Dhopeshwar, known as Kaka Puranik, and he applied the paste to His forehead, as he was doing to his Guru. Hence He could not object. On enquiry, Dr. Pandit told Dadabhat that he took Baba as his Guru Kaka Puranik, and hence he marked the Tripundra on Baba's forehead, as he did on his Guru's head.

Kaka Puranik, the Guru of Dr.Jagannath Pandit

Though Baba allowed the devotees to worship Him as they pleased, still sometimes, He acted in a strange way. Sometimes, He threw away the Puja-dish and was wrath Incarnate, then who could approach Him? Sometimes, He scolded the devotees, at times, He looked softer than wax, a statue of peace and forgiveness. Though He seemed to shake with anger and His red eyes rolled round and round, still, He was internally a stream of affection and motherly love. Immediately, He called out His devotees and said, that He ever angry with His devotees; that if mothers kicked their children and if the sea turned back the rivers, He would neglect the devotees' welfare: that He, the slave of His devotees, always stood by them, and responded to them, whenever they called upon Him, and that He always longed for their love.

Dr.Jagannath Pandit was devout and innocent .His action conveys the highest truth that, there is no difference between his Bhramin guru and the Kafni-clad Sai Baba. And perceiving his clear conscience, Baba was quite pleased rather than flying into a rage. The ‘Tripunda is symbolic of the three“guans’ (Satva, Rajas, Tamas) of which this universe is made of. When Dr.Pandit drew the Tripunda on his Guru's forehead he believed that his guru could destroy these guans. Befittingly he drew the Tripunda on “Triputi Nashak’ Baba's forehead who could easily destroy these gunas.

Dr.Pandit during his last day on Mother Earth

Dr Pandit hailed from Kolapur in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra and was a medical doctor. He studied in a medical college in Calcutta, and his descendants live in Pune.

(Source: Holy Sai Satcharitra Chapter 11 and Vinny Chitluri, Photo Courtesy: Shri.Jignesh C.Rajput)