BABA

After settling in Shirdi, Baba lit up a fire by his yogic powers. It is still kept burning. It is called Dhuni and the holy ashes emerging from it are called udi.

Baba gave medicines for several ailments and himself served the patients. Later on, Baba gave his patients only the Udi for external use as well as for oral administration. Some wonderful stories of the use of Udi, I will relate to you in another chapter. Appa Bhil supplied the fuel for Baba’s dhuni. When he sold two stacks, he gave one for the dhuni.

Next, Madhavrao Deshpande of Shirdi was strongly attracted towards Baba. He completely merged himself in Baba’s service. Baba lovingly called him ‘Shama’. So great was Shama’s authority that Baba deputed Shama to go in his own place wherever needed. What Arjuna was to Lord Krishna. The same was Shama to Sai Baba.

There was a saint named Tajuddin. His dargah [place of worship] once caught fire. At the same time. Sai Baba in Shirdi, sitting before the Dhuni, made certain movements with his hands. People asked, "what are you doing Baba?’’

"There is a fire at Tajuddin’s dargah. I am putting it out," said Baba.

The next day, a ward came from Tajuddin that a fire had broken out at the dargah, but as soon as he remembered Baba, the fire had subsided.

A blacksmith was an ardent devotee of Baba. Once Baba put both his hands in the burning dhuni and took them out as if ‘rescuing’ something. "Poor girl, if I had tarried a moment longer, she would have been burnt to death".

What had happened was that the blacksmith’s daughter, while playing about, had run into the furnace and Baba ‘seeing’ it, had rescued her. Baba’s hands when scalded, but the girl was saved.

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