Reference

Glossary of Sai Baba & Shirdi terms

A working dictionary of the Marathi, Sanskrit, Urdu, and Persian terms that recur throughout the Shri Sai Satcharitra — with chapter references for each. Type a word to filter.

Allah Malik /ah-LAH MAH-lik/: Sai Baba's continuous utterance, meaning "God is the sole owner / sole proprietor." One of the most often-cited refrains throughout the Satcharitra, spoken whenever Baba acknowledged that the Lord, not himself, was the doer.
Anna-dana /ANN-uh DAH-nuh/: Literally "the giving of food" — Hemadpant identifies it as the highest of all charities in the Kali age. The Taittiriya Upanishad's "Food is Brahma" is invoked. Baba's Handi practice and the Kala distribution embodied this charity in masjid life.
Arati /AH-rah-tee/: Devotional waving of lighted lamps before a deity or saint, accompanied by song. Four daily aratis were observed in Baba's masjid in his lifetime: Kakad (dawn), noon, evening, and the Shejarati (closing) before bed. Continued at the Samadhi Mandir today.
Bhagat /BHUH-guht/: Marathi for "devotee." Used both as honorific (Bhagat Mhalsapati) and in Baba's affectionate address ("Oh Bhagat!" — recorded as his cry to wake Mhalsapati during the night-vigil; see Chapter 45).
Bhajan /BHUH-jun/: Devotional singing of the Lord's names. The masjid bhajan-tradition under Das Ganu Maharaj's leadership shaped the Sit-With-Sai-style of kirtan; Baba directed Das Ganu in 1915 to permanently take up the kirtan at Rama-Navami festival.
Bhakti /BHUK-tee/: Loving devotion. Hemadpant catalogues nine forms (Nava-vidha Bhakti) through Dada Kelkar's exposition of Baba's mare-parable to Anantrao Patankar. The Sapatnekar conversion and the Rs. 9 to Laxmibai both encode these nine forms.
Brahma-Jnana /BRAH-muh GYAH-nuh/: Knowledge of Brahman — the Absolute, the Self. Chapter 16-17's rich-gentleman episode is the canonical Satcharitra teaching that Brahma-Jnana cannot be given on demand; it requires ten qualifications (Mumuksha, Virakti, Antarmukhata, Catharsis from Sins, Right Conduct, Shreyas over Preyas, Sense-Control, Mind-Purification, Necessity of Guru, Lord's Grace).
Chavadi /CHAH-vah-dee/: A small two-roomed village building near the masjid. Baba slept there on alternate nights throughout his Shirdi residence; the formal Chavadi procession from masjid to Chavadi began 10 December 1909 and continued until his Mahasamadhi.
Chillim /CHILL-im/: Conical clay pipe for tobacco, central to Baba's daily masjid life. Hemadpant: "The chillim had first to undergo many ordeals of penance — being treated by pot-makers, dried in the open sun, burnt in fire — and then it had the good fortune to get the contact of Baba's hand and His kiss." A single shared chillim cured Balaram Dhurandhar's six-year asthma.
Dakshina /DUHK-shih-nuh/: A small monetary offering Baba asked of devotees. Hemadpant explains it via the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad's three "Da" (Dama, Dana, Daya — for the gods, men, demons respectively). Baba distributed every day's Dakshina collection the same evening; only Rs. 9 (to Laxmibai) and a koupin, kafni, tumrel were his possessions at Mahasamadhi.
Darbar /dar-BAR/: Royal audience-court. Used in the Satcharitra for the gatherings around Baba at the masjid. "My Darbar people" was Baba's term for inner-circle devotees (see his pre-arrival announcement before the Dhurandhar brothers' first visit).
Darshan /DAR-shahn/: Auspicious sight or contact with a saint or deity. The Satcharitra's claim that "the mere darshana itself was so conducive to happiness" (Kakaji Vaidya's testimony) is the Sit-With-Sai philosophy in compressed form.
Datta / Dattatreya /DUTT, DUT-truh-TRAY-uh/: The triple-formed Hindu deity uniting Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Tembye Swami was a devout Datta-Bhakta; the Akkalkotkar Maharaj lineage (figuring in the Pitale and Ambadekar reconnections of Chapter 26) was also Datta-oriented. The Datta Shrine on the Godavari at Kopergaon was the customary stop on the way to Shirdi.
Devotee (Bhakta) /BHUK-tuh/: One who practises devotion. Baba's promise (Chapter 11): "If mothers kicked their children and if the sea turned back the rivers, He would neglect the devotees' welfare" — the Satcharitra's most explicit guarantee.
Dhuni /DHOO-nee/: The perpetually-burning sacred fire Baba kept at the masjid. Source of the Udi (sacred ash). Baba kept it burning night and day, buying fuel with the residue of Dakshina after charity. Its flames once rose to the rafters — Baba lowered them with three strokes of his Satka and the word "Get down. Be calm."
Dwarkamai /DWAR-kuh-MAI/: The name Baba gave the small masjid at Shirdi where he lived for almost sixty years. From "Dwarka" (Krishna's seaside city) + "mai" (mother). Baba called the masjid the children's mother. The name remains the standard devotional term for the building.
Fakir /fuh-KEER/: Muslim ascetic mendicant. Baba called himself a fakir continuously. To Bayajabai: "Fakir (Mendicancy) was the real Lordship, as it was everlasting; and the so-called Lordship (riches) was transient." Distinguished from Sannyasi (Hindu term) but functionally equivalent.
Gayawala /GUH-yah-WAH-luh/: The Brahmin priest who arranges lodging and boarding for pilgrims to Gaya. The unnamed Gayawala of Chapter 46 was wealthy with 200-300 agents at Manmad and Punatambe; he had received Baba's portrait from Shama 12 years earlier and hung it in the central position of his Wada — where Shama found it on his Gaya pilgrimage.
Guru / Sadguru /GOO-roo, SUHD-GOO-roo/: Teacher / true teacher. Hemadpant's most formal definition is in Chapter 48: the Sadguru creates distaste for worldly enjoyment, gives a taste of self-realization, is the abode of peace, treats poor and rich alike, and serves the disciple rather than expecting service.
Hemadpant /HEH-mahd-pahnt/: Title given by Baba to Govind Raghunath Dabholkar — the Satcharitra's author. Originally "Hemadripant" (after a 13th-century Yadava minister of literature); Baba dropped the "ri." Resident Magistrate of Bandra. See Chapter 2.
Jnana /GYAH-nuh/: Spiritual knowledge / self-realization. The Sadguru's Jnana-upadesh is, per Baba's reading of Gita IV.34, the destruction of Ajnana (ignorance) — not the addition of new information. See Chapter 39-40 for the full word-by-word exposition.
Jnaneshwari /GYAH-nesh-WAR-ee/: Sant Jnaneshwar's 1290 Marathi verse commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. Foundational text of Maharashtrian bhakti literature. Chapter 41 is the canonical Satcharitra story of B. V. Deo's formal permission to read the Jnaneshwari, received via Baba's order "Go on daily reading the Pothi… read it before Me, in My presence."
Kafni /KAHF-nee/: The long single-piece robe Baba wore continuously — Muslim ascetic dress. Baba had only one koupin, one stray cloth, one kafni, and a tumrel as personal property at his Mahasamadhi (per Nanasaheb Chandorkar's testimony preserved by B. V. Deo).
Kala /KAH-luh/: Hodge-podge mixture. The daily masjid practice after the arati: every devotee's naivedya-dish was mixed into a single Kala, consecrated by Baba, then served. Symbol of the dissolution of caste and distinction in the act of communal eating.
Kirtan /KEER-tahn/: Devotional singing-discourse. Das Ganu Maharaj was the Bombay-Presidency kirtan-Haridas whose 1910s tours spread Baba's name. His Naradiya-style kirtan (bare above the waist, chiplis in hand) was inaugurated at Baba's gentle teasing in Chapter 15.
Kolamba /ko-LAHM-buh/: The mud-pot at the masjid where Baba's begged-food collection was mixed together. Dogs, cats, crows, and the masjid sweeper-woman ate freely from it — Baba never drove them away. Mango-set-aside in the kolamba was Baba's signal that an offering was reserved for a particular devotee (see the Amra-Leela of Damu Anna).
Koss /KOHS/: Indian unit of distance, approximately 3 miles. Bayajabai walked "koss after koss" daily through the jungle searching for Baba; Shirdi is 100 koss from Pandharpur (300 miles, the distance of the Pandharpur-Pleader's bar-room conversation that Baba knew).
Leela /LEE-luh/: Divine sport, playful action of the divine. "Sai Leela" — the play, the act of Baba. Hemadpant's framing for the entire genre of stories: not arbitrary miracles, but the Lord's pedagogy through circumstance.
Mahasamadhi /MUH-hah-suh-MAH-dee/: Literally "the great absorption" — a realized saint's departure from the body. Sai Baba's Mahasamadhi was on **Tuesday, 15 October 1918, at about 2:30 p.m.** (Vijayadashami, Dasara). Documented through Professor G. G. Narke's letter of 5 November 1918 to Dadasaheb Khaparde.
Mamlatdar /muhm-LUHT-dar/: Indian civil officer at the taluka level (revenue collection and minor magistracy). Many of Baba's early devotees were Mamlatdars or related — Nanasaheb Chandorkar at Jamner and elsewhere, Balasaheb Mirikar at Kopergaon, B. V. Deo at Dahanu and Thana.
Mantra /MUHN-truh/: Sacred utterance, formula given by the Guru for repetition. Baba's striking statement to Radhabai: "My Guru never taught Me any Mantra; then how shall I blow any Mantra in your ears?… No Sadhanas, nor proficiency in the six Shastras, are necessary. Have faith and confidence in your Guru."
Masjid /MUHS-jid/: Mosque. The small masjid at Shirdi where Baba lived for nearly sixty years — which he himself called Dwarkamai. Open day and night without lock or key.
Mhalsapati /MHAHL-suh-PAH-tee/: Goldsmith-priest of Khandoba temple, Shirdi. One of Baba's first and most intimate devotees. Greeted the young fakir "Ya Sai!" — "Welcome, Sai" — at the foot of the banyan tree, the moment that gave Baba his name. Slept beside Baba in the masjid and Chavadi for 14 years; carried Baba's body for the 1886 three-day samadhi.
Naivedya /NAY-ved-yuh/: Food-offering presented to a deity or saint and then received back as prasad. Mrs. Khaparde's daily noon naivedya, the Burhanpore lady's khichadi (long-delayed but finally accepted by Baba breaking the curtain rule), and the Bombay devotees' fruit-and-sweetmeat offerings are all naivedya.
Nama-Saptah /NAH-muh-SUP-tuh/: Seven-day continuous singing of the Lord's name. Radha-Krishna Mai began the Shirdi Nama-Saptah in 1913 from the 1st of Chaitra. Das Ganu's Vithal-vision came after such a Nama-Saptah, on Baba's promise.
Nava-vidha Bhakti /NUH-vuh-VID-huh BHUK-tee/: The nine forms of devotion. Per Dada Kelkar's exposition of Baba's mare-parable to Anantrao Patankar: (1) Shravana (hearing); (2) Kirtana (praying/singing); (3) Smarana (remembering); (4) Padasevana (resorting to the feet); (5) Archana (worship); (6) Namaskara (bowing); (7) Dasya (service); (8) Sakhyatva (friendship); (9) Atmanivedana (surrender of self).
Padukas /PAH-doo-kahs/: Saint's footprints / sandals — object of devotional worship. The Padukas at Shirdi's neem-tree were installed on the Pournima of Shravan, Shaka 1834 (15th of Shravan, 1912 A.D.) at 11 a.m. Drawn by Dr. Ramarao Kothare; refined by Upasani Maharaj; made in Bombay; brought to Shirdi by the compounder. Baba touched them: "These are the feet of the Lord."
Parayana /PAH-rah-YAH-nuh/: Sustained sacred reading of a text. The Epilogue's Fala-Shruti gives the canonical Satcharitra parayana programme: 7-day completed in a week; one chapter daily; festival-day readings on Guru-Pournima, Gokul-Ashtami, Rama-Navami, and Dasara (Baba's anniversary).
Prasad /pruh-SAHD/: Sanctified food or substance returned by the deity/saint to the devotee. At Shirdi: the Udi distributed at every parting; the Kala served from naivedya-mixture; the silver-bordered dhotar from Anandrao's vision; the sweetmeats Baba placed in Hemadpant's hand in Chapter 18-19 with the words "if you take this story to heart, your state will be sweet as the sugar-candy."
Sadhana /SAH-dhuh-nuh/: Spiritual discipline / means of attainment. Hemadpant catalogues yuga-appropriate sadhanas (Tapa, Jnana, Yajna, Dana for Krita, Treta, Dwapara, Kali ages respectively). Baba's prescribed sadhana was the simplest: "Leave off all cleverness, and always remember 'Sai Sai.'"
Sai /SAI/: The name. Given to the young fakir by Bhagat Mhalsapati at his arrival in Shirdi with Chand Patil's wedding party — "Ya Sai" — "Welcome, Sai." Persian-Urdu sai means "holy one, saint"; the name remained.
Samadhi /suh-MAH-dee/: Deep absorptive meditation — and by extension a saint's tomb. Baba's 1886 three-day samadhi at age 48 (Margashirsha Pournima) was guarded by Mhalsapati. Booty Wada became the Samadhi Mandir at his 1918 Mahasamadhi.
Sannyas /SUNN-yahs/: Formal Hindu renunciation. Bapusaheb Jog's late-life sannyas, after his wife predeceased him, is recorded in Chapter 43-44 — Baba had foretold it: "I shall consider you blessed when you renounce all attachments… and resort to the begging-bowl."
Sastang Namaskar /SUH-shtahng nuh-muhs-KAR/: Full eight-limb prostration before a deity or guru. Nanasaheb Chandorkar's word-by-word translation of pranipata as Sastang Namaskar was the first definition Baba pressed him to deepen in the Gita IV.34 exposition.
Satka /SUHT-kuh/: Baba's short stick or staff, kept in hand or under his armpit. Used to strike the ground when commanding the Dhuni flames to lower; to address the snake on the masjid steps (Shama's case); and to press into his own abdomen when devotees criticised Mavsibai's kneading.
Shela /SHEH-luh/: Gold-embroidered shawl. Tatya Patil threw a Shela over Baba at the start of every Chavadi procession. "I am sitting here ready to give you the whole gold-embroidered Shela" — Baba's idiom (to B. V. Deo) for what the Guru gives the disciple directly.
Shema (Shama) /SHAH-muh/: Madhavrao Deshpande — village schoolmaster, one of Baba's most intimate devotees. Hemadpant calls him "Baba's Boy." Wrote letters Baba dictated, accompanied devotees on Baba's instruction, served as relay for Baba's interventions across distance (Mainatai's Jamner labour, Bapaji's wife's plague). See Chapter 23 for his snake-bite cure.
Shyamakarna /SHYAH-muh-KUR-nuh/: Baba's red horse, decorated and led ahead of the Chavadi procession every night. Also the name given to a shed at the masjid built with Mr. Aurangabadkar's Rs. 500 thanksgiving after his son was born.
Tatya Patil /TUHT-yuh puh-TEEL/: Tatya Kote Patil — Bayajabai's son, Baba's intimate from boyhood. Slept beside Baba and Mhalsapati for 14 years. Called Baba "Mama." The Vijayadashami 1918 prediction concerned him: "Tatya will pass away on Vijayadashami of Shaka 1840." Baba passed away in his stead.
Tirtha /TEER-thuh/: Holy place of pilgrimage / sanctified water. "Our Prayag is here" was Baba's word to Das Ganu — the saint is himself the tirtha. Streams of Ganga-Yamuna water flowed from Baba's two toes when Das Ganu placed his head on them.
Tumrel /TUM-rell/: Tin pot Baba carried in one hand on his daily begging round (the Zoli, a cloth bag, in the other). Liquid alms in the Tumrel; solid alms in the Zoli. Mixed together in the Kolamba on return.
Udi /OO-dee/: Sacred ash from Baba's Dhuni. Distributed to devotees at every parting from Shirdi. Hemadpant's twofold reading: spiritually, a reminder that the universe is as transient as ash (discrimination); materially, found efficacious in cures of disease, restoration of childlessness, dissolution of stones (the Harda gentleman's bladder stone within 5 minutes). The Jamner Miracle of 1904-05 is the most documented case.
Upadesh /OO-puh-DAYSH/: Spiritual instruction from Guru to disciple. Baba's expressly-stated principle: "My Guru never taught Me any Mantra" — upadesh is the destruction of the disciple's pre-existing ignorance, not the addition of new knowledge.
Wada /WAH-duh/: Walled compound house typical of Maharashtrian villages. Three Wadas anchor Shirdi: Sathe's (the neem-tree site; first built by Hari Vinayak Sathe); Dixit's (foundation 10 December 1910, occupied Rama-Navami 1911); Booty's (now the Samadhi Mandir, designed for Murlidhar).
Yara /YAH-ruh/: Persian for "beloved, lover." Baba used it of Sapatnekar's photo when Bala Shimpi held it up: "This is the Yara of him." The intimacy of the masjid relationship between Guru and disciple is conveyed by Baba's choice of Persian Sufi vocabulary in such moments.

Sources: Shri Sai Satcharitra (Dabholkar, 1929), trans. N. V. Gunaji. Pronunciations are approximate English-speaker guides.