Sai Baba of Shirdi Baba enjoyed listening to mawlid and qawwali accompanied with the tabla and sarangi twice daily. Sai Baba interpreted the religious texts of both Islam and Hinduism. He explained the meaning of the Hindu scriptures in the spirit of Advaita Vedanta. His philosophy also had numerous elements of bhakti. The three main Hindu spiritual paths — Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga — influenced his teachings. Sai Baba encouraged charity and stressed the importance of sharing. He said The Shirdi Sai Baba movement began in the 19th century, while he was living in Shirdi. A local Khandoba priest, Mhalsapati Nagre,
Bhakti has been a common form of religious activity in world religions throughout human history. It is found in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. Bhakti (called "bhatti" in Pali language) has been a common aspect of Buddhism, where offerings and group prayers are made to images such the images of the Buddha and the "Bodhisattvas", or to deities such as wrathful deities. Karel Werner notes that Bhakti has been a significant practice in Theravada Buddhism, and states, "there can be no doubt that deep devotion or "bhakti / bhatti" does exist in Buddhism and that it had its beginnings in the