8.1 - Guru Worship

Sri Sai Baba’s beneficent work seen now is exercised through various means; Sai worship is one of the most important one. Guru worship is an important feature of the Sai movement. To understand Sai Baba’s life, Guru sishya relations and nature have to be studied. Sai Baba’s life and leelas explains the full significance and value of Guru marga.

Great Saints like Sai Baba, by their grace, achieve perfection to impart to others. Sri Sai Baba’s ability to conceal his real nature and the working of his mind and body obviously in pursuance of the directions of Sastras and Gurus. The saint must be too difficult to understand and undiscerned; move about like a dullard, idiot. Saibaba’s acting as a Sadguru and a Samartha Sadguru was unknown to the thousands that met him in life or heard of him thereafter. Only by revelation of devotee’s experiences that people now mostly realize that he was Samartha SadGuru and had various grades of devotees and deciples.

His biography is the practical illustration of what Guru and Sishya mean and of the principles that govern their conduct and mutual relation. The marga that Baba followed has puzzled many. Many asked and ask now whether he was a Yogi or a Jnani or a Bhakta or followed any marga of his own. Several thought and think that Baba cannot be classified under any of the divisions applying to saints and sadhus. As a result of study, aided by His own grace, one sees at last that he was an expert of all the margas, though his chief marga, was Bhakti Marga. Bhakthi Marga is described as Guru Marga. By following Bhakthi Marga and by worshipping Guru one can attain Jnana and siddhis including yoga siddhis.

Guru worship: Definition:

Guru may be defined as one who imparts information or gives training to anther. Any schoolteacher or moral teacher or the one who teaches the way to salvation or mukti or even teaches mantras for various religious or secular purposes, high, or low, can be called a Guru.

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