Gurusthan means “place of the Guru”. It is both where Baba spent most of his time when he first
came to Shirdi, and also where, according to Baba, the tomb of his own Guru is located by the neem
tree. Gurusthan is therefore one of the most important places in Shirdi.. From underneath the NEEM
tree there is an underground tunnel or passage leading to the place of Dwarkamai as told by an old
lady.
Once when some villagers were digging the foundations for Sathe Wada just behind the neem tree,
they came across some bricks in the soil and what looked like the opening of a tunnel. Uncertain
whether to proceed or not, they asked Baba what they should do. He told them that this was the site
of the tombs of his ancestors and that it would be better not to disturb them.
There are several references to Baba’s Guru recorded in the literature, but they are somewhat
enigmatic, and it is not clear whether he was referring to a Guru in his present lifetime, or a previous
one.
The first thing that catches the devotee’s eye at Gurusthan is the huge neem tree. This tree gave
shelter to Baba for a few years when he stayed beneath it. Neem has many medicinal properties,
though its leaves are notoriously bitter. However, some people once reported that the leaves of one
of the branches tested sweet. For them it was a sign of Baba’s grace; others see it as evidence of the
tree’s exceptional sanctity.
One incidence concerning the neem tree illustrates how practical and down-to-earth Baba could be.
In the early 1900s, after Baba had moved to the mosque, construction work on Sathe Wada was
hampered by a long branch of the tree. However, nobody wanted to remove it, as this tree had been
sanctified by Baba’s stay under it. When Baba was approached for his advice he told the villagers,
“Cut off however much is interfering with the construction. Even if it is our own foetus which is lying
across the womb, we must cut it !”. But despite this clear instruction from Baba, none dared to meddle
with the tree. Eventually Baba himself climbed up and lopped off the branch.
Another reason for the villagers’ reluctance to prune the tree may have been that some time
previously a boy had climbed the tree to trim it, and had fallen to the ground and died. At that
moment, Baba, who was in the mosque, sounded a note of distress, blowing shankha (the sound a
conch shell makes when blown into) with his cupped hands. Baba sometimes did this when a person
was in great danger, although he could not have “seen” from the mosque what was occurring at
Gurusthan. Villagers linked the boy’s death with his attempt to cut the tree, and became afraid to do
anything to it that might have been a sacrilege.
Today at Gurusthan, in addition to the neem tree, there is a pair of marble padukas on a pedestal, a
‘Shivalinga’ and a statue of Baba. The statue, carved by the grandson of the sculptor of the Samadhi
Mandir statue, was donated by Y. D. Dave and installed in 1974; the other things were set up in
Baba’s time. The unveiling ceremony was done by Saint Shri Parnerkar Maharaj.
The padukas were the initiative of a couple of devotees from Mumbai (Bombay). During their visit to
Shirdi they became friendly with two local devotees, G. K. Dixit (not to be confused with H. S.
“Kakasaheb” Dixit) and Sagun Meru Naik. As they were sitting talking one day, they all felt it would be
good if there were some kind of memorial to Baba’s advent in Shirdi and his stay under the neem tree.
They first thought of laying some padukas made of rough stone. Then one of them suggested that if he
put the proposal to his employer, Dr. Ramrao Kothare, he would probably be willing to sponsor
something more elegant – as indeed he was. Dr. Kothare gladly came to Shirdi from Bombay, drew up
a plan for them and showed it to Upasani Baba. Sri Upasani made some improvements adding a conch,
lotus, Mahavishnu wheel – and suggested that two of his Sanskrit slokas extolling the tree’s greatness
and Baba’s powers be inscribed on the padukas’ pedestal. These translate as follows :