Main Devotees of Shirdi Sai Baba.

The universalistic Sai movement should start with Mahlsapathy, an uncultured poor village goldsmith. He has been the pole star amongst the Sai bhaktas. He is considered as the first person to start Sai worship. Earlier a pujari of the Khandoba temple Mahlsapathy’ s faith grew making him the most zealous admirer and ardent worshipper of Baba. He was the first person to be allowed to worship Baba for a long time. His self-dedication and great attachment to Baba were irresistible for a large hearted soul like Baba. His placing of flowers and sandal at the lotus feet of Sai and offering were obviously the mark of respect. Saibaba the fakir could not object them even though these were offered in the mosque. When this grew more and more like worship then Baba realized how incongruous Hindu worship of him was in the mosque. Its growth in the mosque finally turning into a Dwarkamai controlled entirely by a Hindu board reminds us of a small shoot of a banyan tree creeping through a cleft of a rock, which a plant can't easily go through, yet the banyan grows through it and pushes the pieces of rock aside and grows into huge dimensions. Such was the growth of the Hindu puja of Baba.

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