Sai Baba of Shirdi (1838 - October 15, 1918) was an Indian Guru and Yogi who is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of God. Many devotees believe that he was a Sadguru, an enlightened poet-sage through whom the Vedic hymns flowed and whose life's purpose was to guide the initiated shishya (pupil) along the spiritual path. He is much revered in India and is an equally well-known figure in many parts of the world.
Sai Baba is said to have arrived at the village of Shirdi in the western Indian State of Maharashtra when he was about 16 years old. He never revealed his place of birth nor where he came from and it has remained a mystery to this day. Sai Baba lived in a mosque which he named Dwarakamayi, practiced Hindu and Muslim rituals, taught using words and figures that drew from both traditions and was buried in a Hindu temple in Shirdi.
It is known that he spent considerable period with fakirs and his attire resembled that of a Muslim fakir. In his life and teachings he tried to reconcile Hinduism and Islam. Sai Baba taught a moral code of love, forgiveness, helping others, charity, inner peace, devotion to God and Guru. One of his well known epigrams says of God: "Sabka Malik Ek" ("One God governs all").
Sai Baba took Maha Samadhi on October 15 at 2.30pm on the lap of one of his devotees and was buried in the "Buty Wada" according to his wish. Later a Mandir (Hindu temple) was built there known as the "Samadhi Mandir".
This day also happened to coincide with the Hindu festival of 'Dashera' . It is also believed to be a sign of greatness when an eminent soul leaves the earth on such a holy day. It is no wonder then that in India and the world over, Dashera is also a day when the devotees celebrate with fervour, the life and teachings of Sai Baba.
In Jai Shirdi Sai, world renowned singers Hariharan, Anup Jalota, Devaki Pandit, Sadhana Sargam, Suresh Wadkar, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Ashit Desai, Hema Desai and Sumeet Tappoo lend their versatile voices to this album of love, devotion and dedication to Shirdi Sai Baba; bringing true eternal peace to the devotee.