Sai Baba of Shirdi (28 September 1835 – 15 October 1918; resided in
Shirdi), also known as
Shirdi Sai Baba, is an Indian spiritual master who is regarded by his devotees as a saint,
fakir, and
satguru, according to their individual proclivities and beliefs. He was revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees, and during, as well as after, his life it remained uncertain if he was a Hindu or a Muslim. This, however, was of no consequence to Sai Baba. He stressed the importance of surrender to the true
Satguru or
Murshid, who, having gone the path to divine consciousness, will lead the disciple through the jungle of spiritual training.