Shirdi Sai Baba Statue
in Samadhi Mandir
Seventh
October is the anniversary of consecration of Shirdi Sai Baba statue in
Shirdi. It was a huge turning point for Shirdi when the Shirdi Sansthan decided
to install Sai’s statue on 7th October`1954, Vijayadashami Day - 36 years after
Sai's Mahasamadhi.
HERE
IS A BRIEF STORY BEHIND THE STATUE:
In
1952, a piece of a white Italian marble had arrived from Italy
at the Bombay docks but for whom or why, nobody seemed to know! Thus, in the absence of a claimant, the dockyard authorities auctioned it off and the purchaser later offered it to the Shirdi Sai Sansthan.
at the Bombay docks but for whom or why, nobody seemed to know! Thus, in the absence of a claimant, the dockyard authorities auctioned it off and the purchaser later offered it to the Shirdi Sai Sansthan.
Impressed
by the quality of the Italian marble, the Shirdi Sansthan planned to use it for
an idol of Sai Baba. So they gave Shri Balaji Vasantrao Talim - a
sculptor from Bombay, the humongous task of sculpting Sai's idol.
Meticulously,
Shri Balaji Talim got his tools 'made to order' from iron-smiths and carpenters
started off by first making a model of Sai using mud clay. But it was difficult
for Shri Balaji Talim to make the statue in its exact likeness without the
intricate details of the physical characteristics of Sai's face, to profile as
he only had Sai's one black & white photograph.
Therefore,
he prayed saying "If Sri Sai Baba gives me darshan while making His
statue, the statue will be worthy and the devotees also will have feelings of
devotion".
And
sure enough one early morning, around 07:00AM when Shri Balaji entered his studio, he
saw a bright light even before he could switch on the lights. Sai appeared
in the light and gave Darshan to him in the studio. Sai remarked on
Talim's difficulties and showed him His face from various angles, encouraging
Talim to study it thoroughly and remember it well. Shri. Balaji Talim testified
about this to Sri Sai Narayan Baba, as to how Sai Himself had directed the
sculpting of the statue and how at every stage, he could very clearly hear the
divine voice of Sai guiding him.
The
Shirdi Sai Sansthan immediately approved this mud statue of Sai, on the basis
of which the present Italian marble statue of Sai Baba was carved and
installed in the Samadhi Mandir.
In
1954, while working with his workers at the finishing stages of sculpting the
almost ready marble statue of Sai Baba, Shri Balaji Talim found an air pocket
in a small additional portion below the left knee of Sai Baba's statue, which had to be removed. It
seemed dangerous, as in removing an air pocket from a finished statue, there
was every risk of the entire portion coming down, thus leaving the Statue damaged.
So the work was stopped and Shri Balaji Talim hesitated to strike and chisel
out the additional portion.
He
became nervous and prayed to Sai, "Baba have mercy on me. Your murti is
ready. Please Baba have mercy on me." Just then he then heard a voice
within saying "Balaji, carry on". So Balaji instructed his
workers to carry on and chisel out the additional portion, but the workers
refused to do so fearing that the entire knee portion would just drop out.
Eventually
and quite nervously, Shri Balaji himself took the chisel and hammer and
while praying "Baba, help me" gave a small stroke, touching the
additional portion of the marble below the left knee. And to his great
surprise, only the additional portion of the marble came down leaving the rest
of Sai's statue intact. Seeing this, tears rolled down his eyes and he
prostrated before Sai.
He
experienced such a wonderful miracle of Sai Baba. The 5' 5" finished idol
of Sai Baba was taken throughout the village with pomp & ceremony. Sai's idol
was so life like that devotees like Swami Sri Sai Sharanananda & Laxmibai,
who had personally been with Sai, felt as if Sai had come back alive in
the form of his idol.
On 7th
October`1954, Vijayadasami day, this life like marble statue of Shirdi Sai Baba
was installed on the platform of the Samadhi Shrine's western side behind Sai's
Samadhi and the due formalities of Prana Pratistha were done by Swami Sri
Sai Sharanananda who had met Sai before His Mahasamadhi.
At
the time of preparation of Sai's statue, one day Sai gave Darshan to Shri
Balaji Talim and said, "Finish the work and you will not do any other
idol in future."
Talim
did not prepare any other idol since then and finally at the age of 82 on 25th
December 1970 he breathed his last.
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