Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi, the Supreme Perfect Master of the Age, standing as our model practiced and preached these things ;

1. He taught us that by expansion of our love to other fellow beings and even the other species one can consolidate society.

2. He taught that rigorous and technical methods need not be used for spiritual upliftment. All that is needed is to bring about a qualitative change in one’s way of thinking and way of working in daily life.

3. He brought about a cohesive theme amidst the opposing themes of inter-cultural, inter-religious and inter-sectarian groups. This He achieved by allowing each group to have its own mode of living, religious practices and cultural modes. He succeeded in bringing out a way of life at Shirdi, which reflected a confluence of varied cultures and religions.

4. He practiced and preached humanism a universal brotherhood-Prophet like. He established the superiority of love and compassion above egoism - Christ like. He taught simplicity of livelihood and excellence of human virtue reflected in day to day conduct - Buddha like.

5. What we learn from Shri Shirdi Sai from the examples of his life style is that He went to no temples; followed no rituals; followed no specific religion or cult but only loved His people and therefore, sacrificed Himself. Love, therefore, leads to sacrifice. The Self expands from its state of Isoteric or micro individualism to a more universal and macro State.

The world is looking ahead for a magical solution to its problems of cultural, racial, national and religious differentiation. All intellectual exercises to bring about peace in the world and happiness to mankind has failed for these efforts are not based on humanism, universalism and love as taught by Shri Sai.  The ever multiplying number of Sai temples and devotees of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba in India and other countries establishes the ever-increasing relevance of His preaching today. Jesus as a human embodiment is gone but the Spirit of Jesus remains. The body of Shri Sai Baba cannot be seen but the magnetic pull of His Divine Soul is felt by all those who merely think of Him and particularly those who visit His tomb at Shirdi. Baba had promised that whosoever would put his foot on soil of Shirdi, his miseries would end or marginalize.

All devotees of Baba find His promise come true, even eighty years after He left the mortal body. Baba used to call His devotees as children, and like the true father, kept busy day-in and day-out for their temporal as well as spiritual upliftment.

In today’s world the children of God, torn asunder by religious, social and sectarian strife, should run to Father to experience that love which can only unite them. Human beings may conquer all the planets and stars before they learn the magic formula to conquer the hearts of their fellow beings by the Master. It is for us to follow, to make the world a better place to live.

Today the world is in a transitional phase. The next war is looming large towards the end of this decade. Old order is bound to change giving place to new. The human society needs a new meaning to life and a new system. Incarnations like Rama and Krishna had brought about such transitions through wars. War is the culmination of a divine drama where the heroes of truthfulness are ultimately victorious. This macro role of the spiritual powers is going to be enacted in a more perceptible manner in the days to come. All of us understand the meaning of a war. Let us then pray to Him to have mercy. Let us pray to Him to bring about a better order where human beings and other species can live happily together.