Appa Kulkarni

Appasaheb Kulkarni was a government officer whose story is told in the Shri Sai Satcharitra. Balasaheb Bhate gave him a picture of Baba, and when Appa was transferred to Thana in 1917 he began to worship it every day with flowers, sandal paste and naivedya. All the while he longed to see Baba in person.

The Satcharitra uses his story to teach that sincere worship of Baba's picture is the same as seeing Baba himself. Devotees believed that Baba answered Appa's longing by coming to his door in the form of a fakir, accepting his dakshina and giving him udi, so that Appa received Baba's darshan without going to Shirdi.

Another devotee, S. N. Kharkar, said that Appa Kulkarni was the one who first showed him a picture of Baba. In this way Appa's quiet devotion led others to Baba as well.