The Dhuni
Dhuni
For many visitors, the dhuni is the
most significant part of Dwarkamai, as it is so intimately associated with
Baba. The dhuni is the sacred, perpetually burning fire that Baba built and
which has been maintained ever since, though today the fire is much bigger and
is enclosed behind a wire cage.
The maintenance of a dhuni is
important in several traditions, including Zoroastrianism, Sufism and Hinduism
(especially the Nath sect). Fire was also important to Baba, as wherever he
stayed - whether under the neem tree, in the forest, or in the mosque - he
always kept a dhuni. Baba, however, was not bound by any convention or set
rules, nor did he worship the fire. He simply maintained it, using it for his
own particular and mysterious purposes. There were none of the classic
restrictions around Baba's dhuni. Baba did not prevent others from touching it
- indeed, villagers would sometimes come to take embers with which to kindle their
own household fires, and whenever Radhakrishnayi used to spring-clean and
whitewash the mosque at festival times, she would move the dhuni into the
street outside. Baba did not confine himself to burning only wood on the dhuni,
but would throw his old clothes on it once they were worn out, and he would
adjust the fire with his foot. (In Indian culture it is considered
disrespectful to touch or point to anything with the foot.) One day, the fire
in the mosque got wildly out of control, with flames leaping up to the roof.
None of those present with Baba dared say anything to him but they were
nervous. Baba responded to their uneasiness, not by prayer or supplication, but
by majesterially rapping his satka (stick) against a pillar and ordering the
flames to come down and be calm. At each stroke the flames diminished and the
fire was soon restored to normal.
When Baba returned from his morning
begging rounds with a cloth bag of food and a tin pot of liquids, he would
first offer some of it at the dhuni before taking any himself. We may not be
able to discern exactly why or how Baba used the dhuni, but it is evident that
despite the apparent informality around it, the fire was an important part of
his routine. According to the Sri Sai Satcharitra, the fire symbolized and
facilitated purification and was the focus of oblations, where Baba would
intercede on behalf of his devotees. Once when Baba was asked why he had a
fire, he replied that it was for burning our sins, or karma. It is reported
that Baba would spend hours sitting in contemplation by the dhuni, facing
south, especially early in the morning after getting up and again at sunset.
Mrs Tarkhad, who had Baba's darshan regularly, says that at these times
"He would wave his arms and fingers about, making gestures which conveyed
no meaning to the onlookers and saying 'Haq' which means God."
Today the dhuni is maintained in a carefully designed structure lined with special fire-bricks, in the same place that Baba used to have it. Baba made an intriguing comment about this spot, saying that it was the burial place of one Muzafar Shah, a well-to-do landowner, with whom he once lived and for whom he had cooked. This is recorded in Charters and Sayings, but as so frequently when Baba speaks about his personal history, we do not know to which life he was referring.
In 1998 the Sansthan undertook the rebuilding of the dhuni pit and re-designed the chimney to its current distinctive shape.
Udi
Baba at the Dhuni
From the earliest days, Baba would
give udi - holy ash from the dhuni - to his visitors. The healing power of
Baba's udi is well documented and there are numerous cases of people being
healed of pain or sickness by taking Baba's udi both before and since his
mahasamadhi.
Baba would sometimes apply udi to
his devotees when they arrived, or when they were taking leave of him, and he
often gave out handfuls which he scooped up from the dhuni. The Sri Sai
Satcharitra tells us that "when Baba was in a good mood" he sometimes
used to sing about udi "in a tuneful voice and with great joy":
"Sri Ram has come, Oh he has come during his wanderings and he has brought
bags full of udi." Udi is still collected from the fire for distribution.
Since this is a continuation of Baba's own practice, and the udi comes from the
very fire that Baba himself lit and tended, it is considered extremely sacred.
Today a small tray of udi is kept for visitors near the steps.
For devotees of Sai Baba there is an
emotional attachment to udi as a tangible form of Baba's blessings, a vehicle
for Baba's grace and a link to Baba himself. People usually put it on the
forehead and/or in the mouth. Sri Babuji also gives Baba's udi as a symbol of
Baba's blessing. When a Westerner unfamiliar with the custom once asked him why
he did this, Sri Babuji replied that because the udi is from the fire that was
lit and touched by Baba, the ashes are a connection to Baba and to his touch -
and thus no ordinary ash. Putting the udi on the forehead, says Sri Babuji,
"always gives me the experience of the touch of my Beloved and the udi is
a symbol of his grace."
Udi is available in small packets
from a small booth outside the Samadhi Mandir.
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