Every Thursday, I visit Sai Temple in Melbourne and during one of this visit I was introduced to Baba (for me Guruji is Baba) by Paresh who is the president of the Shirdi Sai Sansthan in Melbourne. It was on the same day when Shree Chinna Jeeyar Swami visited the temple.
I was busy doing seva to the devotees when Paresh asked me to come and meet someone who was in Dwarkamai. When I arrived at Dwarkamai, Paresh and a small group of Sai devotees were sitting in a circle in front of Baba who was in dhyan samadhi, dressed in white kafani and a white cap. I sat in front of him and wondered who is this man. Like any person, I was a little perplexed.
Eventually, Guruji came out of dhyan and opened his eyes. He looked quite bewildered as if he had woken up from sleep noticing for the first-time all of us sitting in front of him. He continued to sit there smiling all the while. Then he started to act spontaneously and all his gestures, mannerisms and expressions could quite possibly be taken as madness. Thus, to some people he appears to be so. It didn’t take me long to realize and understand the depth of this encounter. Baba (Guruji) made a gesture to me. Paresh who was sitting next to me said that he is asking me to put my hand out. While smiling and looking intensely in my eyes, he took hold of my hand quite forcibly. Then he kept starring into my face and put my finger into a mudra and pulled on the other fingers. I had the impression that he was releasing me from something. He then clapped his hands and smiled intensely. I then took leave and went back to my seva to serve the food. Before I left the temple, I met Paresh and said him “That man is an Avadhoota, isn’t he?” and Paresh replied “Yes, he is”.
Overtime, I have developed a strong devotion to Shree Dattatreya and hence the Avadhoota tradition. Law of Dattatreya clearly states that he sometime appears as a mad man, child or as an unclean spirit as he is unlimited. These are all traits that Baba (Guruji) reflected abundantly during my encounter with him.
Paresh afterwards asked me if I would like to attend a satsang day after tomorrow and of course I wanted to go. It was located in the suburb of Burnside, which was about an hour drive away from my home. We arrived at a suburban home. After passing driveway and a garage, we reached large backyard which was full of Indian devotees. As Paresh and I arrived, Guruji said something like “I like it” and said “Sai Ram, Good evening”. Guruji was sitting totally relaxed on a couch in a white dhoti. I was bit surprised as he was so different than the evening before. He then started to discourse. Even though, I cannot understand Hindi, his delivery was obviously profound. There were certain times when he would talk about different subjects and I noticed his whole manner of being will change. A normal person, when laughing, being serious, reflecting, angry or stern, he or she will obviously remain the same person. With Guruji, it was palatable to me that he was totally transformed. When he was stern, he was talking about the world, physical values and material life. He was undoubtedly to me Shirdi Sai Baba personified with the eyes of Shiva glaring out. one of the satsang
During the break, devotes bow down to him. Paresh and I joined them to do likewise. As I bowed down and looked up at him, he made a gesture and Paresh said he is asking you to sit. Guruji looked at me, this is while I was in front of about hundred devotees, all Indian people. He said “You and I are one” and I said to him “Sabka Malik Ek”. Then he said “You (pointing up me) are my lord, God is love” and I said “Laughter, happiness and being like a child”. Guruji put his arm around me and both of us dissolved into uproarious laughter. Afterward I took leave and I said thank you Baba. He blessed me and said “I will be always with you”.
This whole experience has been so overwhelming that it has led to a transformation. For me, it is a blessing beyond the belief. I have no doubt that I was sitting with Shree Shirdi Sai Baba.
Shree Gurudev Datta !
– Angus Jones (Australia)