According to the Introduction in Chapter 0, the saint who would become known as Sai Baba first arrived in Shirdi as part of a wedding procession. He had been staying with a man named Chandbhai, whose wife's nephew was getting married to a girl from Shirdi. The procession stopped in a garden near the Khandoba temple, which the Maharaj entered. There he met a goldsmith named Mhalasapati. As Chapter 0 explains, it was Mhalasapati who, upon seeing him, welcomed him with the words "Aavo Sai Baba," which means "Come, Sai Baba." The Maharaj held onto this name for the rest of his life.
How did Sai Baba first arrive in Shirdi and who was responsible for giving him his famous name?
📖 Chapter 0