Chapter 4 recounts a relevant story about a devotee named Bhagwantrao Kshirsagar, whose father was a great devotee of Vitthal. After his father's death, Bhagwantrao neglected the worship of the family's Vitthal idol and also stopped performing the annual Shraddha (death anniversary). When he came to Shirdi, Sai Baba, referring to his father as an old friend, gently chided him, saying, "He never offers food (Naivedya); he keeps me hungry too. He keeps Vitthal hungry too, that’s why I brought him to Shirdi." Baba's intervention served to remind Bhagwantrao of his duties and successfully guided him back to performing the family worship and offerings, indicating Baba's respect for maintaining such devotional traditions.
My family used to perform rituals like the Shraddha for my grandfather, but we've stopped. What was Sai Baba's view on continuing these kinds of family traditions?
📖 Chapter 4