I do not need any paraphernalia of worship; I rest there where there is full devotion.

Summary of Chapter 1

Reader: Divya Muralidharan

The first chapter of Shri Sai Satcharitra is titled “The Story of Baba Grinding Wheat” and includes the following: 

Shri Hemadpant begins the work by saluting various gods, including Ganesha, Saraswati, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shankar. In this chapter, we read how Sai Baba begins his day by sitting at a grinding stone in Dwarkamai, filling a basket with wheat, and placing his grinding quern on the ground. 

The act of grinding wheat has a philosophical significance. Sai Baba ground the sins, afflictions, and miseries of his devotees. He believed knowledge and self-realization are only possible after grinding down impulses, desires, and sins.  The two stones of Sai Baba’s mill represent Karma and Bhakti, with Karma being the lower stone and Bhakti the upper. The handle of the mill represents Jnana. 
Shri Sai Satcharitra, a treasure trove of the life stories and teachings of Shirdi Sai Baba , was originally penned in Marathi by Hemadpant. Its profound wisdom was later made accessible to a wider audience when it was translated into English by Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji, bridging the gap for spiritual seekers around the world. 

It takes less than 8 minutes to listen to this chapter on YouTube.