Two Ways of Understanding Lord Sai Baba of Shirdi

In today's analytically-focused generation living in a materialistic goal focus and also tackling the younger generation grown-up on scientific- technological appliances, cinema role-models, the following write-up will help devotees to worship Sri Sai better - whatever the dominant mindsets are at that time. Also parents can train children to respect Sri Sai and follow His teachings in their lives as they grow up by understanding and following any of the below given 2 approaches.

Understanding Sri Sai may be done in 2 ways - a) DESCENT approach : As an Avatar (Divine Incarnation) - which is a Descent of God from Heaven downwards to earth taking on a human-sheath to carry out His 'Dharma Samsthaapana' purpose (reinstating righteousness). The Descent way suits the religiously-minded and emotionally-oriented - who having seen/read/experienced Sri Sai's superhuman powers accept Him as an Avatar without question without debate once they are convinced. Thereafter their worship of Sai is just like that of the other Gods with appropriate rituals, etc.

In Sri Sai's case, He manifested at a time when the country was subject to a thousand years of slavery and with belief decreased in God's powers, and with the poor people suffering from various 'Samsaric' (worldly/temporal) sufferings, money debts and other oppression - amidst an influx of a mix of foreign traditions and new speculative 'adharmic' ideas. Sri Sai became an anchor in the whirlpool of Indian Kurukshetra (historical Indian battlefield) who steered His devotees towards the true goal of self-realization and God-realization.