The Embodiment of Divine Mercy
When a Saint leaves his body and is capable of remaining in a super conscious state without the body, it is called ‘Maha Samadhi’. Spiritual practitioners at lesser levels do not have such post death awareness. Spiritual Masters and Jivan Muktas or Mazoobs can be correctly said to be in a state of Maha Samadhi i.e. a continued state of Samadhi even after leaving the body. The minimum requirement to be a Sadguru or Perfect Master is to be a “Jeevan Mukta” i.e. one whose consciousness is not affected by death or birth. For them, death is not a process of total annihilation but only a discordance of body, which they had been occupying to carry on certain duties towards humanity. They know exactly when to leave their body and also when to be born with a new body. They are capable even of entering into another individual’s body, as was seen in the case of ‘Shankaracharya’.
Therefore, the Maha Samadhi day of Baba simply means that on the 15th of October, 1918, He had decided to leave His mortal body, as the work He wanted to perform with the use of the body was over. There is enough of evidence to prove that Baba had known about His Maha Samadhi even two years before, on the day of Dussehra in 1916, which Baba had called the day of ‘Seema Langhan’ and which means crossing the boundaries from a mortal existence to an immortal existence. When the consent to construct the present Samadhi Mandir at Shirdi was given by Him, He had said that “After the Wada is completed, I will come there to stay”.
Before His Maha Samadhi, Baba had sent some money to Shamsuddin, a Saint of Aurangabad for conducting Kawali, Mauli and Nyas, saying that the light that Allah had lighted will be taken back by Him on 9th Muharram in 1918 which incidentally was the 15th October, 1918. Therefore, Baba the Perfect Master, who was a Jivan Mukta, had decided to leave His body, as His last days and last minute actions indicate. When the Master was with a human body, He outwardly looked like a man but internally He was carrying on His universal divine role. But when He left His body, did His divine role end? The all merciful Sai, before leaving His body had clearly stated about His role after His Maha samadhi, lest the devotees He had been protecting and helping, do not feel like orphans.
He had promised that He will look after His devotees even from His tomb and also that they only will have to approach Him through their hearts and with love to get His love and support.
Today the experiences of millions of devotees throughout India and everywhere else, indicates that Baba’s divine activities in helping and evolving His devotees continues with all its manifestations and glory. Reports of thousands and thousands of devotees getting unexpected help for temporal, mental and spiritual development is coming from numerous places in India and around the world. Experiencing His grace, self-motivated devotees are building many Sai temples throughout the world and carrying on various types of activities to propagate His deeds and philosophies across the globe.
It seems as if Shri Sai without a human body is many times more active in removing the suffering of His devotees, than when He was with a body.
Sadgurus as the embodiments of Divine Mercy are ever in a state of full divine consciousness, and beyond the states of life and death. They take a human body out of infinite compassion for the suffering devotees. Sadguru Shri Sainath Maharaj had taken His Maha Samadhi eighty-four years back. But because of His Maha Kripa (infinite compassion), His love and protection for the devotees continues.
Source: Excerpts from MAHA SAMADHI DIWAS MESSAGE (2002) by Dr. C B Satpathy