Baba's Darshan

It was often the experience of Sai Baba's devotees that seeing Baba's picture earnestly is equivalent to seeing Him in person. The following story illustrates this statement.

A Saint of Bombay named Balabuva Sutar, who on account of his piety, devotion and bhajan (sacred singing), was called "Modern Tukaram", came to Shirdi for the first time in 1917. When be bowed before Baba, the latter said "I know this man since four years." Balabuva wondered and thought, how could that be, as that was his first trip to Shirdi. But thinking about it seriously he recollected that he had prostrated himself four years ago before Baba's portrait at Bombay and was convinced about the significance of Baba's words. He said to himself, "How omniscient and all-pervading are the Saints and how kind are they to their Bhaktas (devotional devotees)! I merely bowed to His photo, this fact was noticed by Baba and in due time He made me realize that seeing His photo is equivalent to seeing Him in person!"