Kindled by his father, the flame of spirituality burned deeply in Gopal's heart from his childhood. When it became time for Gopal to earn his livelihood, he had failed to find a job in his birthplace of Jamb, and so he had moved to Shelwadi. After he had lived in Shelwadi for some years, the local townspeople looked upon him with reverence. Although still a poor man himself, he shared whatever he had with others more unfortunate and nursed the afflicted. In recognition of his selfless service, the town officials granted him a piece of land on which to live.
Gopal Rao practiced severe penances. One day he gazed at a beautiful woman and began having unwelcome desires. He was so struck by the depravity of his thoughts that he immediately returned home and, while standing before the statue of Vyankatesh, poked out both his eyes with an iron spike! The external light of the world was shut out forever, but this act caused the inner light within him to flame!
The light within became a fire and his fame spread. Legend has it that Lord Vyankatesh himself prepared the arti tray for Gopal Rao.1 Only then did the blind saint sincerely perform the worship ceremony before the idol. Thus, because of Gopal Rao's presence, Shelwadi turned from a farming village into a sacred place of pilgrimage.
In the humble house of this great saint, young Sai was brought up with great affection and loving care. Gopal's love for the boy grew more and more pronounced while the mother served the saint with deep respect. He had made a home for her and her son, and for this she was always grateful. When the boy was twelve, his mother died. After the snapping of this parental connection, the boy and blind saint lived together for several more years. It was during this period that the boy had the spiritual world unveiled to him by the saint and became Gopal Rao's chief disciple.
Observing their close association, the saint's Brahmin disciples became resentful and envious of the boy, wondering why their Master was so fond of this Muslim lad. As a result, they tried various ways of harassing the youth, but he would tolerate their meanness out of love for Gopal Rao. The situation worsened. In their jealousy, some of them decided to murder the boy. They began plotting how to kill him, but:
Footnotes
- 1.In the Aarti ritual, it is the devotee who prepares the tray and offers it before the idol — never the other way around. Yet the legend tells that Lord Vyankatesh himself took on this role for Gopal Rao: the one who is worshipped became the one who serves, and the one who serves became the one who is served. This complete reversal of roles is understood as a sign that Gopal Rao's faith was so pure and sincere that the deity himself was moved to act on his behalf. Such divine responsiveness to devoted love lies at the heart of the Hindu Bhakti (devotional love) tradition.