sansar ke adhunik santon men ‘‘shirdi ke sain baba’’ ka charitra adbhut hai. unmen alaukik shaktiyon ka anant kosh tha. sain baba ke mata-pita kaun the? unka janm kab aur kahan hua tha? is sanbandh men kisi ko bhi thik se kuch gyat nahin hai. is sandarbh men kafi khojbin ki gai aur svayan sain baba se bhi pucha gaya lekin koi bhi santoshajanak uttar ya koi sutra hath nahin lag saka. sain baba veshbhusha se to yavan (muslman) lagte the, lekin vastavikta men ve hindu brahman the. svayan sain baba ne apne antrang bhakt mhalsapti ko batlaya tha ki mera janm pathardi (pathri) ke ek brahman parivar men hua tha. mere mata-pita ne mujhe balyavastha men hi ek fakir ko saunp diya tha. us samay vahan pathardi se kuch log ae hue the tab baba ne pathardi ke apne parichiton ki kushalakshem puchi thi. isi tarah puna ki ek prasiddh vidushi mahila shrimti kashibai kanetakar ne sain lila patrika, bhag-2 (1934) ke prishth 79 par anubhav nanbar 5 men prakashit kiya ki baba ke chamatkaron ko sunakar ve log apni brahmavadi sanstha ki paddhati ke anusar vivechna kar rahe the ki sain baba brahmavadi hain ya vammargi hain.
isi silsile men ek bar jab shrimti kanetakar shirdi gain to sain baba ke bare men unke dimag men anek vichar uth rahe the. jaise hi unhone masjid ki sirhiyon par pair rakha, baba uthakar samne a gae aur apne hriday ki or sanket karke kanetakar ki or ghurte huye bole ki yah brahman hai, shuddh brahman hai. ise vammarg se kya lena-dena? is masjid men koi bhi yavan pravesh karne ka dussahas nahin kar sakta aur n hi vah aisa kare. fir unhonne apne hriday ki or sanket kar kaha ki yah brahman lakhon manushyon ka path pradarshan kar sakta hai aur unhen aprapya vastu ki prapti kara sakta hai. yah brahman ki masjid hai. main yahan kisi vammargi ki chaya bhi nahin parne dunga. sain baba ka acharan sampradayikta se pare tha. vah hindu aur muslman donon ke dharm granthon se uddharan dete the aur donon ki vyakhya karte the. unke pas ane vale bhakt sabhi dharmon ke hote the. vah unki dharmik paranpra ke anusar hi shiksha-diksha dete the. atah hindu-muslman unka saman rup se adar karte the.
sain baba ko kisi ne kabhi bhi parhte-likhte nahin dekha tha; lekin shastron ke jatil se jatil prashnon ka samadhan ve bari sarlta se kar dete the. unki vyakhyaen sunakar bare-bare pandit maulvi ashcharyachkit rah jate the. sain baba hindu aur muslman donon ke dharmik parva bare utsah se manate the. yadyapi vah masjid men rahte the, lekin hindu santane ki tarah dhuni jalae rakhte the. hinduon ka hindu shastron ke anusar marg darshan karte the aur muslmanon ko muslim sadhna ka bodh karate the. jab tarun sain baba shirdi ae to ek nim ke per ke niche rahne lage. us samay ye kisi se adhik bat nahin karte the. dharmik vritti ke log jo khane-pine ko de dete the, usi se santosh kar lete the. kuch samay bad ye ek hindu mandir men gae to mandir ke sanrakshak ne unko muslman fakir samajh kar kah diya ki yahan kaise rahoge kisi masjid men jakar raho. shirdi men ek tuti-futi masjid thi. yuva sain vahin rahne lage. praranbh men unki or kisi ka dhyan nahin gaya; kyonki ve kisi se vishesh sanpark nahin rakhte the. ve jahan rahte the, vahan nirantar ag (dhuni) jala karti thi.
pratah do char gharon se bhiksha mangne chale jate the. unki ek vichitra adat thi. ve dukandaron se tel mang kar late the aur masjid men rojana dipavli ki tarah dipak jalate the. ek din dukandaron ko majak sujha. unhonne apas men nishchay kiya ki aj is yuva fakir ko tel nahin diya jae, dekhen kya karta hai? jab tarun sain tel mangne gaye to sabhi ne tel dene se inkar kar diya. yuva sain nirvikar bhav se masjid chale ae. kuch dukandar jigyasavash unke piche-piche ae. masjid akar tarun sain ne ek bartan men pani liya aur sab dipkon men dal diya aur dipkon ko jala diya. dekhne valon ke ashcharya ki sima nahin rahi, kyonki sabhi dipak purn prakash ke sath jalne lage. sanbhvtah us tarun sain ka shirdi men yah pahla chamatkar tha. isi se nagar ke logon ka dhyan unki or akarshit hua aur log unka alaukik shakti sanpann sant ke rup men adar karne lage. yah sabhi jante hain ki baba sabse dakshina lete the. dakshina ki jo rashi ikatthi hoti thi usmen se kuch rashi ko bhakton men bant dete the, bantne ke pashchat jo rashi bach jati thi usse ve lakriyan kharid lete the, jisse dhuni ko sadaiv prajjvalit rakhte the.
dhuni ki jo bhasm hoti thi vah ‘‘udi’’ kahlati thi. vahi udi ve bhakton men mukt bhav se vitrit kiya karte the. vah udi bari chamatkari hoti thi. uska prabhav shri sain baba ki kripa se bara chamatkari hota tha. baba dvara udi vitaran ke piche bhi ek rahasya tha. ve aisa karke apne bhakton ko shiksha dena chahte the ki yah panch bhautik sharir nashvan hai. ek din yah bhasmibhut ho jaega. yah sansar mithya hai. ek brahm hi satya hai. sansar ke rishte-nate sansar tak hi simit hain. sansar ke age ki yatra jiv akela hi karega. udi dvara ve satyasatya ka logon ko gyan karana chahte the. baba ki udi jahan vairagya ka pratik thi to dakshina tyag ka pratik tha. ve samjhana chahte the ki vairagya aur tyag ke bina is mayamay sansar ko par karna bara kathin hai. jab bhakt baba se vida lene jate the to baba udi unke mastak par laga kar unhen ashirvad dete the. jab ve prasann chitt hote the tab madhur svar men yah bhajan gate the. ramte ram aoji aoji. udiya ki goniyan aoji. udi ke prabhav se bhakton ko n keval adhyatmik varan sansarik labh bhi hota tha. udi se sanbandhit chamatkaron ki anekon vastavik ghatnaen hain jinhen likhne hetu ek pustak ka alag se lekhan karna hoga.
sain baba ke pas masjid men ek purani int thi jis par baba hath tekakar baithte the aur ratri men uska sirhana lagakar shayan karte. vah int baba ki maha samadhi lene ke purva khandit ho gai. yah ek prakar ka apshkun tha. baba ko jab int tutne ki jankari hui to ve dukhi hokar bole yah int futi nahin, mera bhagya hi tut futakar chinna-bhinn ho gaya. yah meri jivan sangini thi. isko pas rakhakar main chintan kiya karta tha. yah mujhe pranon ki tarah priya thi. aj isne mera sath chor diya. yah vakya baba ke nirvan kal ke do varsh purva hua tha tabhi baba ne sanket diya tha jise koi samajh nahin paya tha. iske atirikt baba ne kai sandesh aur diye the jaise sant ramchandra v tatya ki mrityu ko talna ityadi. shri sain baba ke jivan ki anek aisi sachchi ghatnaen hain jinhen likhne ke lie alag se granth rachna karni paregi. is chote se lekh men yah sanbhav nahin hai. shri sain baba samay ke sadguru the. unka sannidhya v kripa prapt kar anekanek bhakton ne apna kalyan kiya hai. aise sadguru shri sain nath maharaj ne 15 aktubar 1918 ko dopahar 2 bajakar 30 minat par mahasmadhi li, is din vijyadshmi ka pavan parva bhi tha.