INTRODUCTION
Mahalsapathi was the priest of Lord Khandoba temple of Shirdi village. His full name was Mahalsapathi Chimnaji Nagare. His native place was shirdi. From his teenage itself, he was not interested in enjoying worldly pleasures, and he was a great devotee of Lord Khandoba and wants to attain SALVATION after his death. Though he was not fully educated, he was a great scholar and possessed good knowledge in divine scriptures. He wants to free himself from repeated birth cycles. He got a meagre income from the offerings of the devotees and he owned a small house without any basic facilities. But he had great faith on Lord Khandoba and performed pujas to him with much devotion and faith without thinking about his poverty. He also offered food to the poor devotees at the Khandoba temple, at his own cost, even though he was a poor person. He also respected the people belonging to different religions and he treats them with much love and affection, when they visit his village. Due to the grace of Lord Kandoba, he had got a good relationship with Sai Baba for a long period of time. Once, Mahalsapathi, while performing puja to Khandoba, noticed Baba’s presence in Shirdi and, welcomed him by uttering the words, ‘Aao Sai’, means “WELCOME SAI”, even without knowing anything about him. He was such a great person. We cannot imagine such a holy and a pious person in this today’s fast changing modern world.
Mahalsapathi initially considered that baba was a mad man. But after some time by seeing his divine powers, Mahalsapathi respected and served Baba with much pleasure and enjoyment in his mind.
Mahalsapathi took charge of taking custody of baba’s body in the year 1886 for three consecutive days, till baba’s soul returns to his body from the divine world. Till such time, Mahalsapathi kept Baba’s body on his own knee, even without taking proper food and didn’t sleep for three days. Thus, he rendered a noble service to the great saint “SAI BABA”.
Mahalsapathi was blessed with a male child in the year 1897 due to the blessings of sai baba.
He served baba with much love and affection. When Baba passed away in 1918, he had fasted for several days. After the MAHASAMADHI of baba, he lived only for four years. He had died in the year 1922.
Baba insisted Mahalsapathi to travel to holy places. Mahalsapathi had travelled to many holy places and visited the shrines of the gods for several months and returned to shirdi.
Mahalsapathi’s house is located from the Chavadi to Darga. At his house, the following sacred articles given by Baba are kept for public view:
- Baba’s Kafni.
- Baba’s Danda.
- Baba’s Udi.
- Three Silver Rupee Coins.
- Baba’s Padukas.
IMPORTANCE
An honest and a good priest and a great devotee of Sai baba had lived in shirdi by doing only good things in his life. He was a born devotee of Lord KANDOBA. It is believed that through the grace of LORD KHANDOBA and SAI BABA, he would have attained the holy abode of Lord Shiva, THE KAILASH. He never hated anybody and he never caused any harm to others. He was also a great ram devotee. Even at his death bed, he chanted “JAI SREE RAM” and breathed his last.
Let us worship the holy, humble and the pious man and be blessed.
“JAI SREE MAHALSAPATHI”
“JAI SREE KHANDOBA”
“JAI SAI RAM”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR