Complete manifestation (poorna avathar) of Adi Guru Dattatreya. The same has been ascertained in the Charithamtrutham of Sripada Vallabha, authored in 13th Century.

"In Dheesila nagaram My 'Samartha Sath Guru' incarnation as Sai Baba in the garb of a Fakeer will take place." - Sripada Vallabha, Chp 9.

To realise the real nature of our Baba, one must be willing to receive Light as it is... It is like being ready to believe. To surrender, with Faith and Patience...

Innumerable were the ones who attained wisdom by merely letting themsleves be gudied by His silence. So many were they in number who yearned to have a glimpse of Him. For only those who have been blessed to have His vision once, know the shower of 'ananda' that it confers the heart with. The mind (untamed by thoughts) is silenced in HIS presence. It has been so in the past, when He moved around with the phsycial frame, as many earnest devotees claimed to be. And so it is in the present, when one consciously surrenders and rests at His Feet.

HE is Dattatreya of yore! It's been proved time and again. Believers believe this. As Sripada Charithamrutham says, it is useless to teach Sanskrit grammar to a beast. What can be gained by expeirence, cannot be told verbally. It cannot be accepted, unless one is graced with the understanding. Understanding dawns only when there is readiness and faith. To understand the nature of Sri Datta, it takes heaps of karma to be burnt to nothing.
Proof is not needed to state that Sun is the Sun - the Source of Light. For Light is evdident. Those in darkness will never understand what is 'sunlight', unless they step out of the darkness.

Why is there so much discussion about HIM Whho embodies Light itself! Baba's words were as always, glazed with humility, kindness and abundance. From His silence, innumerable souls learnt the Highest truth. Wisdom comes unasked. Baba's words are like the showers of summer.

He said He was a mere Fakeer begging for alms. It is the experience of the volumnous crowd of people that made them accord Him the status of a Deity and enshrine Him in a Mandir. While, HE is not in need of these. HE is boundless like the vast skies. HE, the Formless One, Wore a human frame and appeared in the gross world, clad in a Kafni. While HE wears the directionless 'akasha' as HIS vastra. Hence, HE is Digambara.

Those seekers are many in numbers who have learnt voluminous from Him, but not a word would have been uttered by Him. They have all taken Him for their Guru. The most difficult path of the sushumna nadi is unlocked, by receiving His glance for a moment. The state for which the sages and saints aspire since many decades, are achieved at ease by mere surrender to HIM.

What the several spiritual texts and scriptures fail to convey, are easily understood by observing His ways, or contempalting on HIS Charithra. non-believer is transformed into a seeker and a seeker is transformed into a sage. An ignoramus is made into an erudite scholar and a half-saint is turned into a perfect one IT only rests with experience.

How can the Wind ever be bound?? Can Light ever be defined in definitive terms? Those who have walked on the path led by Him will tell for sure, that it was a journey scaling timelines, beyond boundaries, where He leads on to taste the 'bliss' born of wisdom or realisation. It is the ultimate destination HE leads one to. HE shows you the 'you'. He leads one to His own self; in other words, He leads one to Himself.

Baba has His own ways for each seeker of His. His' is an avatar of excellence. His incarnation is to make each soul realize the true nature of their's, that He makes them, verily a reflection of Himself, in par with His own Self and then moves on with His work, of awakening every seeker in the line. He does not wait to be praised or sung about, but He continues with His task.

HE is not a mere 'Giver of material gifts, which He is certainly capable of. But HE is here to give us the rarest, most precious expeirence of 'eternal contentment'. Call that the state of peace or undiluted joy or resting in Sat Chit Ananda, HE is here, to lead us to that.

In this glorious Charithra of our Shirdi Baba, there is so much to recall, feel overwhelmed, rejoice in, learn, unlearn... why is so much time spent on analysing what Baba ate or served?
If this analysis is going to help someone out of their darkness, then in analysing one should get to the bottom of it. One who merely let their feet get wet on the waters cannot claim to remark on the preciousness the deep sea holds!!

Recalling from Sat charitha, "Look and wonder at this method of His eating! For cooked rice, or 'bhakri', He would spread the 'jholi'; the liquid items He managed to somehow collect in the tumbler. How can the desire be in His heart to taste the different kinds of food separately! How can He wish so, when His tongue has never known the passion for taste? He is content with eating the food which falls in His 'jholi', as per the desire of the giver. He is not aware whether it is tasty or tasteless, because His tongue does not discriminate."

Indeed true, when an incarnate Who has no sense of the body, arrives as a Voluminous Light, wearing a human frame, it is impossible to say that He liked or disliked certain food. His tongue was devoid of taste. It was the love of the giver which appeased Him, Who required no food.

Food is Brahamam. When the 'Incarnates' eat, it was for the sake of the world. When you wear a human frame, you behave like a human, not adopt or become a human. When the tongue is devoid of taste, and the senses are shunned, everything is Pure Brahmam. Even dust is Brahmam for Them Who would accept that with grace. When the flesh of a sentient being is offered, and if that is consumed by that Incarnate, the being is sure to ascend to Higher States. Incarnates embody compassion. Whatever that is touched by 'Them' becomes consecrated and is a Prasad. Fortunate is the one who is ready to receive an offering from the Guru's hands.

Than the time that's spent in all these analysis, it is better to contemplate on the Kindness that Baba stood for. The Kindness which all Scriptures dictated in silence... Let's contemplate on it. Eat moderately. Do not spend so much on the tongue that spans very little space but craves heavily. The one, who does not give much importance to appease his tongue, is sure to ascend higher on the ladder of progress. Know that you are fortunate if you never have to go hungry, and be grateful for the food on your plate. The world is still loaded with many who cry with pangs of hunger. Consider yourself blessed if you are not one of those. Whenever possible, send a small prayer to assuage the hunger of the many children and the elders and other beings drying of hunger. Such selfless prayers are potent. They rise higher, as does vapour from the ocean. The result is sure to grace down in bounty. Baba embodies pure love, selfless and boundless. Blessed are the ones who have realised a fraction of HIS greatness!