Soon after the first miracle of Sai Baba that of lighting the lamp wicks soaked in water, was noticed by the villager’s of Shirdi. The pagal (mad) Fakir was was visited by many. Not because of His miraculous powers, but the compassion that goes along with. The miracles of Sai Baba, were and are never meant for amusement purpose or for the display of powers. They happened purely for compassion. The compassion that Sai Baba had for the devotees and human kind. The miracles are for guiding the devotees on the path of spirituality, truth and bringing an end to the miseries created by devotees own deeds present or past.
Before this Mahalsapati and his two friends Tukaram Darji and Appa Bhil were the only trio that used to recognize Baba’s divinity and worship Him. Now other people also started flocking to the divine compassionate Dwarkamai and start worship of Sai Baba, with waving of lamps, pouring of flowers and colored rice over Sai Baba’s head, offers of fruit, sandal, money, camphor, attar etc. This was resisted much by Sai Baba, to the point that Sai Baba would get angry and throw away the dish containing articles to worship Him.
But then owing to the love and devotion of devotees he allowed them. Sai Baba in the beginning was much known as a Muslim Sufi Fakir. A Muslim devotee once was thinking about the Hindu ways of Worship that Sai Baba accepted was against Islamic rules. Sai Baba the instant knower of everybody’s thoughts looked at him and said, “Jaisa desh, vaisa bhesh.” , which meant do as Romans, while in Rome. Baba further said that He himself was devotee of Allah. But if Hindus were pleased with the devotion to God in their own way, there was no need to stop them.
All that is needed is devotion of heart, the ways of Worshiping Sai Baba or the Divine Infinite One “Sabka Malik Ek” does not matter much.
When ever we worship that One indivisible, infinite and formless divine, much love towards the divine is needed. The intensity of love, is what that matters most. When saints, sages and avataras are worshiped it the divinity in them that is worshiped. The real lovers and worshipers see and feel the divinity in idols and pictures. For others, they appear just dead statue.
read more articles on Sai Baba's earlier years in Shirdi