18 Nov 2011

India Pilgrimage with Swami Vishwananda - 3rd part

Swami Vishwananda and his pilgrimage group spent the last few days in Shirdi.
The City of Shirdi is always packed full with crowds of people, meaning that reaching sacred places often involved standing in long queues.
The group also visited the main and most important place in Shirdi, the Samadhi of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba.
Thanks to a very good and divine timing, the group managed to make it just in time for the Aarti and were able to stay in front of His samadhi for some moments to meditate and receive His blessings.

Another very impressive place was Dwarkamai (Masjid): Baba stayed at this place continuously for 60 years. Innumerable devotees got the blessing of Baba here. The Shila (Stone) on which Baba used to sit is located nearby. The Sacred Fire (Dhuni) lit by Baba is ever burning here. Baba used to give Sacred Udi (Ash) to the devotees to solve their problems in life. Udi distributed to the devotees now comes only from this Dhuni. Baba used to cook food here for distribution to devotees.

Nowadays the house has a big roof and a fence around it. If you come at the right time (very early in the morning ) it is possible to sit and meditate there.
Revati, one of the devotees attending the pilgrimage, writing about the picture below "Swami with the man looking after the temple (...his grandfather was a saint at that temple many years ago...) he was a very, very nice man and gave us all a lecture on why we should cherish and follow our Satguru.
(Thanks to Revati for the pictures!)