Life of Sai Baba — Volume 2, Chapter 1: Mahlsapathy

The chapter

Mahlsapathy was a hereditary goldsmith of Shirdi and the hereditary worshipper of Khandoba, whose temple stood at the edge of the village. He lived with very little income, yet his life was rich in religious discipline. He studied the Mahlsapathy Purana, observed fasts and ceremonies, travelled about 150 miles to Jejuri with the Khandoba palanquin, and was known for truthfulness, purity and detachment. He and his companions Kasiram Simpi and Appa Bhil welcomed Hindu saints and Muslim fakirs who came to Shirdi.

When Sai Baba first came to Shirdi with Chand Bhai Patel’s wedding party, he stopped near the Khandoba temple. Mahlsapathy invited the fakir to sit, but objected when Baba suggested staying inside the shrine because he believed a Muslim should not enter a temple containing the images of Khandoba. Baba answered that God is one for Hindus and Muslims, and left when Mahlsapathy maintained his objection. Even while Baba’s unusual behaviour puzzled the villagers, Mahlsapathy recognised his purity and non-attachment.

Mahlsapathy’s devotion did not begin with a miracle. Before people were impressed by Baba’s power to turn water into oil, Mahlsapathy was drawn to his character and vairagya. He became the first person to worship Baba, placing flowers and sandal paste on his feet and offering milk. Baba did not generally permit others to perform this worship at first; only later did he allow it to spread. The first puja to Baba therefore grew from Mahlsapathy’s personal recognition and became one of the beginnings of the Sai movement.

A life of poverty and surrender

After losing his only son and finding little support from his land or goldsmith’s work, Mahlsapathy became increasingly detached from household concerns. In visions associated with Khandoba, he was directed to give up the goldsmith’s profession and hold to the Divine feet for his livelihood. He accepted a life of begging while continuing to live with his wife and daughters. Baba and Mahlsapathy slept on alternate nights at the mosque and Chavadi, sharing a single cloth. Baba sometimes required Mahlsapathy to remain awake, place his hand on Baba’s heart during Nama Smaran, and wake him if contemplative absorption gave way to ordinary sleep.

Mahlsapathy’s austerity extended to food, comfort and money. He could sometimes fast for long periods and regarded the acceptance of gifts as a loss of spiritual strength, even when his family had very little. Baba repeatedly offered him money and promised to make him comfortable, but Mahlsapathy replied that he wanted only to worship Baba’s feet. He refused cots and unnecessary comforts, choosing the poverty and simplicity of a bhikshuk over material security.

The guardian of Baba’s body

In 1886 Baba told Mahlsapathy that he was going to Allah and asked him to guard his body for three days. Baba warned him that, if he did not return, the body should eventually be buried near the neem tree. When village officers declared Baba dead and wanted the body removed, Mahlsapathy resisted them and kept watch with unwavering faith. Baba returned after three days, and Mahlsapathy’s service preserved the body of the saint who would go on to build the wider Sai movement.

Baba also guided Mahlsapathy’s family life. Mahlsapathy preferred to sleep beside Baba rather than increase his household responsibilities, but Baba sent him home and foretold that a son would be born. A son, Martanda, was born the following Janmashtami. Baba later protected Mahlsapathy’s wife and children from illness and repeatedly assured him that he would care for them. Mahlsapathy nevertheless returned to his austere life of service and night vigil.

Love, worship and the unity of forms

Mahlsapathy continued to worship Khandoba, yet he saw no contradiction between Khandoba, Shiva, Vithoba, Ganapati and Sai Baba. For him, the saint and the Divine were not divided by name, form or religious community. Baba’s teaching that different forms lead toward the One therefore did not require Mahlsapathy to abandon his inherited worship. His devotion expanded without becoming sectarian.

Baba called Mahlsapathy “Bhagat” and treated him as an ankita—a devotee whose burdens had been taken up by the Guru. When Baba sent him away in the evenings, he assured him, “I am with you.” Mahlsapathy’s service included sharing Baba’s bed, keeping vigil, enduring poverty, applying sandal paste, and protecting Baba during the three-day absence. His love was compared with the steadfast attachment of Hanuman to Rama.

Mahlsapathy’s compassion also became part of his spiritual discipline. When a stolen blanket was found with a woman who denied taking it, he refused to have her jailed merely to recover his property. He preferred to lose the blanket rather than cause suffering. The chapter uses such incidents to show that his self-denial was not hardness, but a willingness to protect others even when they acted against him.

His final day

Mahlsapathy remained conscious as death approached. On 11 September 1922, an Ekadashi day sacred to Shiva and Khandoba, he completed his worship, told his family that he would leave the earthly life that day, and asked them to remain devoted to the path of bhakti. With the name of Rama on his lips, he passed away calmly. His remains were placed in a tomb at Shirdi that devotees continue to honour.

What this account invites us to reflect on

Mahlsapathy’s life joins strict inherited worship with an expansive recognition of Sai Baba. He did not approach Baba through education, wealth or public influence, but through purity, service, poverty, vigil and total surrender. His example shows how a devotee may remain faithful to a chosen form of God while recognising the same Divine presence in a saint and in other religious paths.

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.