Baba and School of Philosophy
Why Sai Baba’s own words and actions cannot be reduced to one school of philosophy.
Sai BabaDevotee experienceVolume 4
The chapter
When R. A. Tarkhad reached Shirdi after quarrelling with a police constable for a seat at Manmad, Baba asked him, “With whom were you persisting in contest?” Tarkhad first heard a rebuke about the quarrel. He later understood “Who are we?” as a question about the one Self beneath social distinctions.
Baba did not answer every devotee from one philosophical system. He directed N. G. Chandorkar and others toward the Advaitic teaching in the Jnaneswari, but he gave practical guidance to people who were not ready for abstract philosophy. His words had to be read with the person and situation to which he spoke.
A Bombay woman asked Baba for freedom from birth and death. He told her, “Think who you are.” Her husband explained that Baba was asking her to examine the difference between the limited jiva she imagined herself to be and the divine Self. Baba later confirmed that she should hold this understanding.
At Puntamba, Baba found two parties fighting over a pot of coins. He quietly moved the pot away and asked, “Who am I? Whose is the pot?” When Kondaji’s haystack burned, Baba protected neighbouring stacks by drawing a line of water around them and told Kondaji not to identify his true self with the body or with the haystack. These incidents carry Baba’s teaching on “I” and “mine” more directly than a label such as Advaita or any other school.
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.