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Sai devotees condemn Shankaracharya statement

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Saibaba devotees have condemned the statement of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, the Shankarachayra of Dwarka Peeth, calling upon people not to worship the Sai. Calling the 19th century saint as someone whose chamatkar (magic) they had seen in their own life, they said the Shankaracharya's statement was "wrong and not required".

The Shankaracharya had recently stated that Saibaba was no God and that his photographs and idols be removed from temples. He even stated that the Sai should not be given the same place as that of some of the Hindu gods.

"It was a very wrong statement made by him. Since my childhood, I have only heard of the magical powers of Saibaba and have witnessed them in my personal life too. In fact, I have propagated them among people through messages. He is God to me and I follow him," said Pandit Rohit Kumar Dubey.

A household name of sorts in the entire state of Maharashtra, he is as omnipresent as Ganesha during the Ganpati festival. In fact, in most temples his idols can be seen. "Saibaba never claimed or felt like he was from a particular caste. No one even questioned it. He was a dev and a fakir. He had many followers and people are his devotees even today," said Jayant Sasane, who once was the president of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi.

Whether somebody should be treated as God is a matter of personal feelings, said devotees. "He may have said whatever he has, but that is not correct. It is about feelings. I feel he is God. Why would people follow someone who cannot do anything to them or for them," asked Dr PL Tiwari, a medical practitioner at the Bombay Hospital.

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