Sai Baba had limitless powers, which He was most reluctant to show but was compelled to exercise to sow the seed of Faith in his devotees. Sai Baba’s miracles are a sure sign of His divine descent.

Baba’s miracles should not become more important than Himself then surely they defeat their own purpose as their prime objective is to sow the seed of Faith and pull the devotee towards the spiritual path. Temporal benefits were given by means of miracle and the man who got a temporal benefit is pushed in the spiritual direction with faith. They act as an incentive to a further understanding of His divine nature and purpose.

God, the Almighty, has four attributes, they are unlimited existence, unlimited power, unlimited knowledge and unlimited love. Perfect Masters, working on behalf of God and carrying on the Divine game, possess these powers but always use them for the good of the devotees and scarcely for their own good.

Baba’s miracles are never ending and run into volumes, a few have been narrated in “Life of Sai Baba” written by Shri Narasimha Swami (3 volumes) and “Shri Sai Satcharitra” by Anna Saheb Dabholkar.

In fact, Baba never performed miracles. They occur spontaneously. The Perfect Masters generally do not create miracles, God creates miracles for them - (Guruji Shri C.B.Satpathy). The very fact off his perfect realisation, in its interaction with the nature, caused the 'miracle' to take place. These were conceived by the devotees as His thrilling 'Leela' (Divine play). He demonstrated through His utterances and miracles, the purpose for which He had come. He would often say, "My Leela is inscrutable". Baba's ‘Leelas' (Divine plays) were abundant , we recount just a few here:

 - Turning waters into Oil to lamp the lights
 - Ganga & Yamuna flowing through Baba’s Sacred feet
 - Saving devotee’s child from distance.
 - Baba controlling the five elements
 - Bread & Onion Story
 - Picture equivalent to Darshan
 - Faith Secures Passing Grade

Sai Baba was very fond of lighting lamps every evening in the Masjid and other temples. For the oil needed in those little earthenware lamps that he lit, he depended on the generosity of the grocers of Shirdi. So he would call on the grocers for donations of some oil everyday. One day as he approached the grocers they bluntly refused to oblige him, saying they had no fresh stocks. Without a word of protest Baba returned to the mosque and kept the dry wicks in the lamps. The local vendors were watching him with curiosity. Baba took some water in the tin pot that contained very little (a few drops) of oil, and filled all the lamps with it and lighted them. To the surprise and dismay of the watching local vendors, the lamps began to burn, and kept burning deep into the midnight.

Vendors who refused to give oil were stunned to see the miracle and fell at Baba’s feet and sought forgiveness for their wickedness. Baba readily forgave them and advised them to never tell a lie, and said “Falsehood displeases God”. He said that their conduct was unsociable and unwanted. He asked them never again to take pleasure in other’s distress.

Surprisingly, the first public miracle of Christ was turning water into wine and the first public miracle of Shirdi Sai Baba was turning water into oil (Guruji Shri C.B.Satpathy).

The Hindus think that a bath in the Prayag Sangam (at Allahabad in India), where the Holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna meet, is very meritorious and thousands of pilgrims go there at periodical times, to have the sacred bath there. Once, Das Ganu thought that he should go to Prayag for a bath, and came to Baba to get His permission for doing so. Baba replied to him - "It is not necessary to go so long. Our Prayag is here, believe me." Then wonder of wonders! When Das Ganu placed his head on Baba's Feet, there out flowed streams of Ganga - Yamuna water, from both the toes of Baba. Seeing this miracle, Das Ganu was overwhelmed with feelings of love and adoration. Inwardly, he felt inspired, and his speech burst forth into a song in praise of Baba and His divine 'Leelas'.

Baba by virtue of limitless powers had complete knowledge of events and occurrences anywhere in the universe. A devotee’s call for help, no matter how far away from Shirdi never went unanswered.

In the year 1910 AD, Baba was sitting near the Dhuni (sacred fire) on the day of Diwali, ( the festival of lights in India) and warming Himself. He was pushing firewood into the Dhuni, which was brightly burning. A little later, instead of pushing logs of woods, Baba pushed His arm into the Dhuni; the arm was scorched and burnt immediately. The couple of devotees near Him noticed this. They at once ran to Baba and clasped Baba by His waist from behind and dragged Him forcibly backward and asked, "God, what have You done this?" Then Baba came to His senses and replied, "The wife of a blacksmith at some distant place, was working the bellows of a furnace when her husband called her. Forgetting that her child was on her waist, she ran hastily and the child slipped into the furnace. I immediately thrust my hand into the furnace and saved the child. I do not mind my arm being burnt, but I am glad that the life of the child is saved."

The whole universe is manifested with five elements -water, fire, ether, air and earth. The Omnipotence of Sai Baba's Divine personality was such that all the elements of nature complied with His will.

There was an incidence when Sai wanted to light his clay pipe for having a smoke. He struck the ground with his stick and there emerged an ember from the earth, which he held to the tobacco in his pipe. After lighting the pipe he needed some water to wet the cloth (to be used as filter) he again struck the ground with the stick and water sprang from the same spot!

There was another occasion when the flames from 'dhuni' were rising higher and higher as though they would consume the rafters of “Dwarkamai” mosque. The devotees sitting around Baba were visibly panic. Sai Baba gazed at the flames and commanded 'come down, come down' striking his baton on the ground and with every blow the flame subsided to embers.

On yet another occasion Sai Baba was partaking of food with few of his intimate devotees in the mosque when without any cause or provocation he exclaimed 'stop!’ Then as if nothing has happened they continued with their meal. After they were through with it and stepped out of the masjid (mosque) large chunks of the ceiling collapsed at the very spot where they were seated a few minutes back.

On the occasion of organizing the Ram Navami fair (Birthday celebrations of Lord Ram) acute shortages of water posed serious problem to the organizers. They sought help from the divine grace of Sai Baba. Baba gave them a platter of flowers with a few remnants of the blessed food, which he had received in alms earlier in the day. As the villagers dropped the platter of petals in the well, the water rose high from the bottom as if following a divine command!

The devotees, as how Baba commanded the rains to stop have narrated the experiences. Once a couple was about to leave Shirdi after taking Sai Baba's 'darshan' , it began to rain heavily. The lashing rains and lightening made it quite difficult to set out on journey. Baba calmly appealed, ‘Let the rains cease. My children are going home, let them go peacefully'. After a short while the downpour turned into light drizzle and feeble winds and the devotees left for their destination safely.

One evening there was a terrible storm at Shirdi, and the village and its farms were flooded with incessant rains. The many local deities and nature gods were sought to be appeased but in vain. At last people came to Baba and prayed to him to quell the storm. Baba calmly came out to the edge of the masjid and ordered the storm to cease its fury. At once the winds and the rains obeyed his behest.

The peerless Master touched upon all the animate as well as inanimate matter of the universe through his spiritual perfection, and nature had simply become his subservient in this regard.

Once it so happened, that a sadhak (disciple) of Yoga came to Shirdi with Nanasaheb Chandorkar. He had studied all the works on Yoga, including the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali, but had no practical experience. He could not concentrate his mind and attain samadhi (the highest meditative state) even for a short time. He thought that if Sai Baba be pleased with him, He will show him the way to attain samadhi for a long time. With this object in view he came to Shirdi and when he went to the Masjid he saw Sai Baba eating bread with onion. On seeing this, a thought arose in his mind, "How can this man, who is eating stale bread with raw onion, solve my difficulties and help me?" Sai Baba read his mind and said to Nanasaheb - "Oh Nana, he who has the power to digest onion, should eat it and none else". Hearing this remark, the yogi was wonder-struck and then he fell at Baba's Feet with complete surrender. With pure and open mind, he asked his difficulties and got their solution from Baba. Thus being satisfied and happy, he left Shirdi with Baba's Udi (sacred ash) and blessings.

It was often the experience of Sai Baba's devotees that seeing Baba's picture earnestly is equivalent to seeing Him in person. The following story illustrates this statement.

A Saint of Bombay named Balabuva Sutar, who on account of his piety, devotion and bhajan (sacred singing), was called "Modern Tukaram", came to Shirdi for the first time in 1917. When be bowed before Baba, the latter said "I know this man since four years." Balabuva wondered and thought, how could that be, as that was his first trip to Shirdi. But thinking about it seriously he recollected that he had prostrated himself four years ago before Baba's portrait at Bombay and was convinced about the significance of Baba's words. He said to himself, "How omniscient and all-pervading are the Saints and how kind are they to their Bhaktas (devotional devotees)! I merely bowed to His photo, this fact was noticed by Baba and in due time He made me realize that seeing His photo is equivalent to seeing Him in person!"

There lived in Bandra, a suburb of Bombay, one Tendulkar family, all the members of which were devoted to Shirdi Sai Baba. The son of the family was studying hard day and night and wanted to appear for the medical examination. He consulted some astrologers. Examining his horoscope they told him that the stars were not favourable that year and that he should appear for the examination next year, when he would be certainly successful. This cast a gloom over him and made him restless. A few days afterwards his mother went to Shirdi and saw Baba. Amongst other things she mentioned the gloomy and morose condition of her son, who was to appear for the examination in a few days. Hearing this Baba said to her,"Tell your son to believe in Me, to throw aside horoscopes and predictions of astrologers and palmists and go on with his studies. Let him appear for the examination with a calm mind, he is sure to pass this year. Ask him to trust in Me and not to get disappointed". The mother returned home and communicated Baba's message to her son. Then he studied hard and in due course appeared for the examination. In the written papers he did well, but being overwhelmed by doubts he thought that he would not secure sufficient marks for passing. So he did not care to appear for the oral examination. But the examiner was after him. He sent word through a fellow- student, stating that he had passed in the written examination and that he should appear for the oral. The son being thus encouraged appeared for the oral examination and was successful in both. Thus he got through the examination that year successfully by Baba's grace, though the stars were against him. It is to be noted here that doubts and difficulties surround us just to move us and confirm our faith. We are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success.