Stages of Baba’s Personality
Different aspects of Baba’s life, personality and spiritual expression.
Sai BabaSpiritual studyVolume 1
The chapter
The author begins cautiously. Baba had asked his biographer to remain a humble chronicler of ascertained facts, while modern readers also want a reasoned account of how a saint’s personality develops. Because Baba’s inner life cannot be directly observed, the chapter works mainly from his words, actions and the impressions he made on those around him, using the ethical and spiritual stages described in texts such as the Bhagavata, the Brahma Sutras and Vivekachudamani.
The first foundation identified is vairagya—freedom from attraction to worldly rewards—together with contact with spiritually advanced people. Baba’s reported memories of earlier births describe repeated self-denial and service to others without expectation of return. In this life, the early loss or separation from his parents, his upbringing by a fakir and the fakir’s wife, and later care under Gopal Rao Deshmukh of Selu, known as Venkusa, placed him in conditions that fostered dependence, trust, purity and Guru-bhakti rather than possessiveness.
The chapter then shows how love was tested in action. When an envious opponent hurled a brickbat at Baba’s master, Baba revived the man instead of seeking revenge. At Shirdi, boys pelted him with stones; Baba answered by placing sugarcandy in their hands. When oil merchants refused him oil and laughed at his difficulty, he lit the lamps with water. After they came back frightened and asked forgiveness, Baba did not curse them. Like a loving mother correcting an erring child, he warned them against falsehood and taking pleasure in another’s distress.
These incidents are presented as more than displays of power. Through repeated altruism, forgiveness and identification with the welfare of others, self-love and self-assertion are said to give way to universal love. Baba’s recommendation of spiritual reading—such as the Ekनाथ Bhagavat, which he referred to as the Brindavan Pothi—shows the scriptural basis the author sees behind this conduct: the advanced seeker feels another’s happiness and suffering as his own and gradually recognises the one Self in all.
What this account invites us to reflect on
The account invites reflection on saintliness as something revealed through repeated conduct. Baba’s personality is traced not through private claims, but through renunciation, Guru-bhakti, forgiveness under provocation and active care even for those who opposed or mocked him.
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.