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Main
Devotees
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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Shri Madhrao Wamanrao Aadkar |
Shri Madhavrao Deshpande |
Shri Abdul Baba |
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Shri Atmaram Kulkarni |
Shri Laxmanrao Mahajani |
Shri Annasaheb Dabholkar |
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Shri Balasaheb Miralkar |
Shri Bhaguji Shinde |
Shri Bhagat Mhalsapati |
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Shri Balasaheb Dev |
Shri Moreshwar Pradhan |
Shri Balasaheb Bhate |
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Shri Sundarrao Navalkar |
Shri Kashiram Bala Shimpi |
Shri Laxman Govind Mungi |
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Shri Bhausaheb Dhumal |
Shri Laxman Nulkar |
Smt Bayajabai Kote |
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Shri Dadasaheb Purandare |
Shri Nanasaheb Chandorkar |
Smt Parvatibai Sapatnekar |
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Shri Dajisaheb Awasthi |
Shri Radhakrishna Swamy |
Shri Chotubhaiya Paralkar |
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Shri Meghashyam Rege |
Shri Ghanshyam Babre |
Shri Rajubhaiya Naik |
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Shri Das Ganu Maharaj |
Shri Sadhubhaiya Naik |
Shri Damodhar Rasne |
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Shri Nandlal Sankalecha |
Shri Dattatreya Rasne |
Shri Sagun Meru Naik |
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Shri Yashwant Galwankar |
Shri Mahadeo Sapatnekar |
Dr. Pillay |
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Shri Ramkrishna S. Nawalkar |
Shri Ganesh Khaparde |
Shri Swami Shamanand |
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Shri Hari Sitaram Dixit |
Shri Shyamrao Jaykar |
Shri Gopal Mukund Butty |
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Shri Nanasaheb Kharkar |
Shri Narshimha Swamy |
Shri Y. R. Sukher |
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Shri Tatya Patil Kote |
Shri Bhaumaharaj Kumbhar |
Shri Trimbak Damodar |
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Smt Laxmibai Shinde |
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As can be seen from the above list of
devotees, they belong to all casts, creeds and religions
and flocked in Shirdi Teertha to get Sai's(God) Darshan.
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