6.4 - Expansion of Worship

Here is another incidence to quote. H.S. Dixit was generally observing all propriety. Once, when talking at his quarters with some others, he fell into the unfortunate mood of decrying Christianity. After that, he went up to Baba to pay his respects. But Baba severely said, “Don’t come near me”. At once Dixit felt that, by decrying Christ and Christianity he had offended Baba. Immediately he repented. Only thereafter, Baba allowed him to approach him. When devotees were quarrelling amongst themselves, Baba expressly declared that he was feeling great pain. When devotees were pulled on amicably, he felt happy. His message was “Love one another like I love you all”. Baba’s love and wonderful power of reading and controlling hearts was mainly responsible for perfect harmony between Hindus and Muslims lived at Shirdi. In other places, in a Muslim festival, battles were fought, and heads were broken. But at Shirdi there was not a single occasion of a Hindu-Muslim clash or fight. When Baba’s pictures was carried in procession through all the streets including the neighbourhood of the Muslims, no one felt the least repulsion or objection. On the other hand, around the palanquin carrying his picture, Hindus and Muslims struggled with each other for the honour of carrying various insignia of devotion, namely, whisks, umbrella and Maces etc., Baba distributed Prasad brought by members of any community to all, and members of all communities accepted them without grudge. The important point to note about Baba’s unification is that there was no fixed book or doctrine to which he wanted all people to follow; and no fixed observance was forced on any one. Most of the devotees were Hindus, and they carried on their worship of Baba at the Masjid with rituals based on the Pandharpur Arti. Their bhajans were full of allusions to Hindu mythology. The Muslims who were present on such occasions were free to ignore all the above and simply regard Baba as their kindly disposed Auvlia - their Guardian. Christians and Parsis also had the same freedom and they adopted whatever course they thought was proper. There was no compulsion of any sort in the matter of religion before Baba. The common point was attachment through powerful love to the personality of a weird Guru who exercised all his vast and wonderful powers of seeing or knowing, everything everywhere and of even doing the impossible for the benefit of his devotees.