Sai014. Old Mosque And Chavadi Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

SHIRDI SAI BABA

The old mosque, where Sai Baba stayed,
During rainy seasons heavily leaked,
And there was no dry place to sit,
As every inch of space was wet.

To Chavadi, the public rest house,
They shifted him against his protests,
And it was then agreed he could move
On alternate days from mosque to chavadi.

It was like a grand procession,
When he moved up and down,
Followed by hundreds of devotees,
With ceremonial music and dance.

Some competitors were jealous
Of his growing fame in his place
And were trying to drive him out
From Shirdi after a dual fight.

He failed in every attempt to fight
And went out of Shirdi to the forest,
But his devotees persuaded him
To come back to Shirdi every time.

Life wasn't smooth for him always,
And was on rough weather for days,
When other sanyasis pushed him out
Now and then, claiming their rights.

As he had people's support always,
He was restored back to his place,
And finally, his opponents ran away,
Without coming in his legitimate way.

His mode of living became simple.
He was happy dressed in rags well,
He wore a cotton kafni or a long shirt,
And used sack-cloth for his bed and seat.

He said that a fakir is far superior
To wealth as Allah is for the poor,
And kept the fire burning as dhuni,
That's still kept burning in Shirdi.

Its holy ash is used as a medicine,
And as a source of protection
To drive away all evil spirits,
And is widely used world o'er.