Sai Baba’s Mahasamadhi

Sai Baba’s Mahasamadhi

Today is 15th October, the day in English calendar in the year 1918, Baba decided to leave His mortal body and go back to Eternity.



The day that Baba took Mahasamadhi, Tuesday 15 October 1918, was a very auspicious one for Hindus; it also happened to be the Muslim month of Ramzan. October 15 was the Hindu festival of holy Vijayadashami, a few minutes into Ekadashi (a significant lunar cycle in the Hindu calendar). Two months previously Baba had sent a message to Banne Mia fakir, saying that “On the ninth day, of the ninth month, Allah is taking away the lamp he lit”. He also sent some offerings to the fakir Shamsuddin Mia and a request to do moulu, qawals (both are types of devotional singing) and nyas (poor –feeding). Thus right up until his final moments in the body, Baba was embracing both communities.

The news of Baba’s passing spread quickly, and thousands came to Dwarkamai for a final darshan, queuing for five or six hours. The body was kept on the handcart all night, while preparations – digging a pit and building the platform – went on. Before the burial, Baba’s kafni was removed and he was given a final bath. It is reported that even at this stage, his body remained soft, as if he were merely sleeping, Earlier, while the body was in the wheel chair, his nose started to bleed (usually impossible for a corpse).

Thirty-six hours after he had left his body, Baba was finally interred. Certain personal articles were buried with him: the broken brick, now mended with gold and silver wire, one of his satkas, a chillim, needle and cotton (Baba would mend his clothes until they were a mass of repairs, a cause of affectionate amusement among close devotees), some spices to preserve the body, and an old cloth bag that Baba never allowed anyone to touch, but which devotees investigated after his Mahasamadhi and found that it contained a green kafni and a cap.
The burial was completed by very early Thursday morning. A photograph of Sai Baba was placed on a throne on the platform of the tomb. It remained there until the statue was installed in 1954. That picture is now kept in the recess of the Samadhi Mandir where some other things of Baba’s are on display.

For Sai devotees, Vijayadashami is venerated as the holy day that their beloved Gurudeva(Saibaba) attained mahasamadhi (also known as Punyatithi) and is a big festival in Shirdi.

The Mandhir that we see now is about twice the size of the original building, having been later extended back from the stone arches. As the temple authorities try to find new ways of coping with the ever-increasing flow of visitors, various alternations are made. In 1998 a hall was added to the back of the mandhir, so that it has again almost doubled in size. A big beautiful hall, connecting Masjid (Dwarkamai) has been built up for Sai Devotees waiting in a queue.

Baba's Samadhi Mandhir, the Samadhi of a poor saint with torn clothes and a mug, the Samadhi of a great Guru who could present Himself in the same form which a devotee wanted to have darshan, has become the third wealthiest place of worship in India. How this happened? Baba took Samadhi on Vijaydashami Day. The day He won the world with universal love.

May Sai Baba bless us all.