The story of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi is rich with accounts of compassion and miracles. Yet, many believe his most profound achievement was the elevation of a single, confused seeker—Kashinath Govind Upasani Shastri—to the stature of a Sadhguru (Perfect Master) in just four years.
This individual, later known globally as Shri Upasani Maharaj, became a pillar of the Sai movement. The intensity of Sai Baba’s methods in forging this extraordinary soul reveals his unparalleled position in the world’s spiritual hierarchy.
The Making of a Seeker: Kashinath’s Early Struggles
Born on May 5, 1870, in Satana, Maharashtra, Kashinath Govind Upasani Shastri was far from a model child. He harbored strong, unconventional beliefs that fueled his restless nature:
- Rejection of Education: He viewed formal schooling as merely a means to earn a living, abandoning it early after a harsh encounter with a teacher.
- Hatred of the Body (Dehabhava): He condemned the body as the source of life’s limitations and pain, leading him to intense, unsupervised practices of asanas and pranayama.
This attitude left him unable to support his family. Even marriage did not stabilize him; shortly after his first wife passed, he married a second time but found no material success. He suffered immensely, often resorting to begging, sleeping on footpaths, and subsisting solely on bitter neem leaves.
His relentless but undirected spiritual practices eventually took a toll on his health. His breathing, digestion, and elimination systems broke down. After all traditional medical help failed, he sought mystical aid.
The Divine Direction to Shirdi
During his search, Kashinath met a yogi named Yogi Kulkarni in Rahuri, who recognized Kashinath’s advanced, albeit troubled, yogic state. Kulkarni directed him to seek help from Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. Kashinath, a Brahmin raised in orthodoxy, initially dismissed the advice, wrongly assuming Sai to be merely a Muslim fakir.
It was during a journey to Jajuri that fate intervened dramatically:
- While in a state of samadhi in a deserted bush, he woke up desperately thirsty.
- An old man—who had once before advised him to drink only hot water for his ailments—reappeared angrily, repeating the warning.
- Kashinath finally heeded the advice and experienced immediate relief, confirming the mysterious man’s power.
After exploring other saints, Kashinath finally arrived in Shirdi and met Shri Sai Baba on June 27, 1911. At that moment, he did not know he had met his Sadhguru.
The Karmic Bond (Rinanubandha) and the Trial
After two or three days, Kashinath, still hoping for a normal life, asked to leave. Sai Baba allowed him to go, but imposed a seemingly impossible condition: return in eight days.
Kashinath left happily but soon realized his peculiar fate. Despite continuous walking, he inexplicably only reached Kopargaon (eight miles from Shirdi) on the eighth day. Confused and humbled, he returned to Shirdi.
When Kashinath bowed, Sai Baba gently questioned him about the days elapsed. When Kashinath admitted his confusion, Sai Baba revealed the truth: “Friend! I was behind you all these eight days.”
Later, Sai Baba explained the deeper context, confirming a Rinanubandha (a deep, karmic relationship) that spanned centuries. Sai Baba then told him to stay in the Wada (courtyard building where guests resided).
The Crucible of Transformation: Sai’s Unconventional Training
From that day, Sai Baba put Kashinath on intense spiritual probation. To shield him from harmful external sanskars(impressions), Sai commanded him to sit quietly in the Khandoba Temple and have no contact with anyone.
Sai’s methods were harsh but necessary for the aspirant’s evolution:
1. Dissolving Ego and Caste (The Dog and the Shudra)
Sai Baba shattered Kashinath’s inherited orthodox pride by appearing to him in the form of a black dog and a low-caste (Shudra) beggar. When Kashinath dismissed the dog and chased away the beggar, Sai Baba chastised him, revealing: “Yes, yes, I am that dog… I am that Shudra.” These powerful lessons taught Kashinath that the essence of God and the Guru permeates every living being.
2. The Public Declaration of Grace
To protect his disciple from the inevitable jealousy of other devotees, Sai Baba openly declared: “Yes, yes, everything is given, whatever he is, good or bad, he is mine. There is no difference between him and me. Now, I am fully responsible for him.” This total surrender of responsibility is the ultimate act of the Sadhguru, elevating the disciple to His own state.
3. The Appointment on Guru Purnima
In 1913, on the auspicious day of Guru Purnima, Sai Baba instructed a female devotee, Chandrabai, to perform puja(worship) to Kashinath at the Khandoba Temple. When Kashinath resisted, Chandrabai conveyed Sai’s message that even the body he was so attached to did not belong to him.
From this day forward, Kashinath was referred to as Upasani Maharaj, officially receiving the status of a Guru from Sai Baba, even while still undergoing training.
The Final Ascendancy
Upasani Maharaj soon began to lose the sense of his body (Dehabhava). He experienced high spiritual visions, including seeing the entire universe spin, shrink, and disappear into him, realizing that the world was an illusion and that his soul stood outside of it.
Sai Baba then completed the final cleansing, showing Upasani Maharaj visions of his “evil form” and “virtuous form,” explaining that Sai had burnt the former and that Upasani was now the pure soulbeyond both.
As he reached self-realization, Siddhis (occult powers) manifested, including the ability to read the past, present, and future scripts of others. Though he was harassed and beaten by a mad ascetic named Nanavali (which Sai assured him was necessary suffering for future growth), his divine qualities were perfected.
In July 1914, Upasani Maharaj quietly left Shirdi with his Guru’s mental blessing to take on his new role. He traveled extensively, where people flocked to him for darshan and worship, despite his best efforts to remain incognito or even behave disrespectfully.
He finally settled in Sakori in 1917, serving thousands daily as a spiritual master until his final departure on December 24, 1941. Upasani Baba stands as the highest creation and a pillar of strength forged by the transformative grace of Shri Sai Baba.