Gurus Rediscovered: Biographies of Sai Baba of Shirdi and Upasni Maharaj of Sakori

by Kevin R.D. Shepherd

Two distinctive saints of Maharashtra are here portrayed. The author contends that Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918) was a Muslim Sufi, and can be linked associatively with the majazib trend of Bijapur and other places in earlier centuries. This approach is in contrast to the "Hinduising" interpretations formerly dominant. Shepherd controversially presents Shirdi Sai and Upasni Maharaj (d. 1941) as a continuum, thus supporting the Hindu dimension to events discussed. This book was the genesis of the author's later work Investigating the Sai Baba Movement.

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

Kevin R. D. Shepherd is a British author, born in 1950. His early interest in Indian religion developed into studies of Hazrat Babajan, Shirdi Sai Baba, Meher Baba, and other Indian saints. In 1981, he commenced a twelve-year phase of private research at Cambridge University Library, relating to the history of religions and philosophy. He is the author of 14 books, including Gurus Rediscovered (1986), Minds and Sociocultures: Zoroastrianism and the Indian Religions (1995), Investigating the Sai Baba Movement (2005), Hazrat Babajan: A Pathan Sufi of Poona (2014), and Sai Baba of Shirdi: A Biographical Investigation (2015). He maintains six websites and the blog feature Commentaries.