Understanding 'Dakshina'

Abstract

Shirdi Sai Baba demanded two qualities of his devotees including shraddha or faith and saboori or patience. The aspirant losing either of these two qualities does so at his peril. The disciple should never treat the Guru as an ordinary human being: it is a cardinal sin. Baba began accepting ‘dakshin’a from devotees in 1908. He wanted to keep away those who were solely interested in securing worldly benefits and convey a spiritual message to those who needed it. He would demand sums ranging from Rs two to Rs 500. Baba had utter disregard for money. He would feed two hundred beggars daily. Almost everybody paid what was demanded of them. Sometimes his daily earnings exceeded the salary of the Governor. He would distribute what he collected at the end of the day without keeping a penny for himself.

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