Worship: Its Further Expansion
The broadening of devotion through love, equality and wholehearted bhakti.
Sai BabaSpiritual studyVolume 1
The chapter
Sai worship did not end with the crowds who gathered around Baba during his lifetime. It continued to spread after 1918, not only in the number of devotees but in the forms of worship, the regions reached and the depth of the benefits people associated with it. Sai mandirs, bhajan groups, samajs and public gatherings began appearing in towns far from Shirdi.
Devotion carried beyond Shirdi
The chapter describes these institutions as the first visible signs of a much wider movement. In cities such as Madras, and in places including Kurnool, Coimbatore and Tenali, Sai temples and devotional centres drew people into prayer, bhajan and service. The expansion was understood as the continuation of Baba’s work rather than as a campaign built by worldly organisation.
At the heart of this movement was bhakti. The chapter recalls the teaching that God is won by devotion and love, not by profession, wealth, learning, beauty, caste or social position. The examples of devotees favoured by Krishna are used to emphasise that a hunter, a poor friend, a learned person or an ordinary person may all receive grace when the heart is turned wholly toward God.
A common centre for different faiths
The author presents Sai Baba’s worship as a meeting ground for religious communities. Hindus could approach him as Avatar, Ishtadeva or Guru, while Muslims could regard him as an Avalia or saint and read their own scripture and tradition in his presence. Baba did not require people to abandon their inherited forms; he allowed each community to come through its own doorway while drawing everyone toward devotion, love and the recognition of a common Divine reality.
This was especially significant in a society divided by Hindu-Muslim conflict and by quarrels among Hindu sects. The chapter compares Baba’s achievement with earlier efforts associated with Akbar, Kabir and Guru Nanak, and argues that Baba’s living personality made unity practical: people of different backgrounds could worship in the same place and discover that their differences were not the essence of religion.
What this account invites us to reflect on
The further expansion of Sai worship is presented as an expansion of the heart. Its lasting force lies in devotion that crosses social boundaries, respects different approaches to God and turns shared reverence into a basis for service and fellowship.
Editorial note: This page is a concise paraphrase for web presentation and does not reproduce the complete chapter. Please consult the original PDF for the full account and wording.