With the belief that the worship of Shirdi’s Sai Baba stands against the Sanatana Dharma, many Hindu organizations have been busy removing the statues of the controversial figure from different temples of Kashi, also known as Banaras.
Religious heads say that Sai Baba was being worshiped in various Hindu temples, including Ganesh Mandir, as people were unaware that it is considered a negative practise in the Hindu scriptures.
The Hindu bodies have explained that the ‘puja’ of Sai Baba is akin to the worship of ghosts and spirits, something strictly prohibited in Dharmic practises. So far 10 Hindu temples in the city have already opted to remove Sai Baba statues from its premises.
Why Sai Baba statues are being removed from Hindu temples?
State president of ‘Sanatan Rakshak Dal’, Ajay Sharma said that anybody wanting to worship Sai Baba can do so at their homes or they can get a separate temple built for the figure.
Sharma said that Sai Baba sitting in a blessing posture in Hindu temples is not acceptable to the community. Lord Krishna in Bhagwat Geeta has clearly said that whoever worships ‘pitr’ (ancestors), goes to them, and similarly a person worshiping ghosts, would go to them only.
Shankaracharya had called Sai Baba ‘Chand Miya’
Late Shankaracharya Swami Shri Swaroopanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj, who once termed Sai Baba ‘Chand Miya’ also opposed his worship in Hindu temples, saying he was a Muslim.
The Shankaracharya was of view that people worshiping Sai Baba wanted to weaken the Hindu dharma, and were making money in his name.
He also questioned the belief that he was a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity, and asked if that was the case why Muslims were not worshiping him.
The way Shree Saibaba Sansthan Trust looks at Sai Baba
The website of Shree Saibaba Sansthan Trust says Sai Baba is one of the greatest saints in India. According to the trust, Sai means God-in-Person and he is worshiped in his bodily form. It says the Sai Baba appeared in Shirdi as a young person and remained in the city for the rest of his life.
He changed the lives of people, and still doing the same even after his concentration that took place in 1918.
