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Dera Baba Murad

  Jai Baba Shere Shah ji | Jai Baba Murad Shah ji | Jai Baba Laadi Shah ji

 

Sai ji lived with Bapu ji for sixteen years and by complete obedience to the guru, became his favourite. Once, Bapu ji got a 30-feet deep well dug and made a seating space inside. He first asked Mohan “Will you sit inside the well?” Mohan had always been afraid of such tasks and he refused. Where there is Faith in the Guru, no fear resides therein; and such tests are not atrocities but are meant only to examine and test the disciple. He then asked Sai ji, “Will you sit inside the well?” Sai ji answered, saying “Yes, I will.” Bapu ji made Sai ji sit at the very bottom of the well; Bapu ji seated himself at 20 feet, and closed the top of the well. After staying like this for some time, they came out. Then, Bapu ji went inside and sat down alone in the well and shut the top. Several days passed but Bapu ji did not come out. Then even months passed by and yet Bapu ji did not step out of the well. Sai ji, however, kept remembering Bapu ji, and continued to lead a disciplined life - as he had always lived in Bapu ji’s presence. After a year and a quarter, Bapu ji emerged from the well. There was an ongoing fair on that day. Bapu ji came in his ecstatic state and hailed out “Laadi” to Sai ji. Then calling him near, handed him a pair of ghungrus (anklets worn by dancers) and said: “A lioness has only a single cub who can overpower even lakhs, you have become Murad Shah. After this day, the world will know you by the name of Laadi Shah. Go now, and sit on the seat of your Master, Baba Murad Shah, and fulfill all murad (wishes) of the people.”

Soon after, Sai ji started the construction of Baba Murad Shah Dera and started to live there. After a few years, a very beautiful darbar stood at the place where earlier there had been only a desolate forest. The architectural plan for the shrine had been lying with Sai ji for a long time, proclaiming that the coming times will be like this. Each year, Sai ji celebrated the urs of Baba Murad Shah ji and qawwalis were sung at the Darbar. The qawwali mehfil always began with the qawwalis sung by one ‘Karamat Ali & Party’ from Malerkotla, whose succeeding generation has been coming here from the time of Baba Murad Shah ji. Even today, the same lineage of qawwals opens the session of qawwaali at the fair. On one occasion, Sai ji gave these qawwals a heavy sheet which was filled with money, and said: “Karamat Ali - our credit-debit balance is clear.” This he did, because Baba Murad Shah ji had once promised the qawwals saying that “Laadi Shah will settle your accounts with your sons and grandsons.” Thus, to fulfill the words of his Guru, Sai ji made the amount manifold and gave it to them.

It is said that the one whom the guru chooses, himself one day reaches his Guru. The one whom Sai ji chose, he too, thus came to the Darbar by the name of Gurdas Maan (world-renowned singer - a very simple-hearted and pious man). It so happened, that Surinder Shinda ji and Puran Shah Koti ji were seated next to Sai ji. Sai ji said to Surinder ji: “That young man, who roams around playing the dafli - where is he?” and further added, “he must certainly be meeting you…Tell him ‘You are roaming the world over; but, there is also a place which is awaiting you’.”

In 1982, during the shooting of the film “Ucha dar Babe Nanak da”, Shinda ji spoke with Gurdas Maan ji and said “Our Sai ji of Nakodar, remembers you often and awaits your arrival at the Darbar.” In utter humility, Gurdas ji replied “Whenever he so desires, we will certainly go.” Then one day, Gurdas Maan ji dreamt of a darbar where there stood a water-pond and a mela (fair) was being held. When he awoke, Shinda ji called him up to say “Today is a Thursday. If you have the time, shall we go today?” Gurdas Ji said “Yes, let us go; Even I had a dream today.” During the journey, Shinda ji was explaining to him saying that “If Sai ji gives you anything, do not refuse, but accept it.” On reaching the darbar, Gurdas Maan ji saw that it was exactly the same darbar that he had seen in his dream. Gurdas Maan ji sat near Sai ji. And when he started to leave, Sai ji said: “Gurdas, what did you see?” Gurdas ji said “I had already seen this Darbar in my dream.” Sai ji cut him short saying: “Enough, enough! Do not open too many veils.” Then Baba Ji took-off the dark glasses he was wearing, and putting them on Gurdas ji’s eyes, asked: “See, is it alright?” Maan Ji answered: “It is a little loose.” That very moment, Sai ji snatched back the sunglasses and said - “The day it fits you - take it!”